Read Online Tempted in the Night by Robin T. Popp - Free Book Online
Authors: Robin T. Popp
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headed over to it, and when he reached the small clearing where Mac and Dirk stood, he saw what commanded their attention.
Steeling himself as he did every time he had to view another homicide, John took a closer look. "Damn," he muttered. Death was always ugly, but some deaths were worse than others.
She couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty, he guessed. Pretty and blonde, just like the others Brody had killed. Her clothes hung in shreds about her body and from the markings on her, John was left with no doubts about whether vampires were capable of sex—or rape.
Though she'd clearly fought for her life, she hadn't died from being beaten. The two puncture wounds on the side of her pale neck shone like ugly dark beacons; harbingers of death.
John placed his fingers against her throat, searching for a pulse. It was done more out of habit than because he thought there was a chance she was still alive. There wasn't.
He spotted her small purse tossed off to the side and picked it up. Unzipping the main compartment, he reached in and found her wallet. Inside was her student ID; she'd only been a freshman. Behind that was a family picture.
Dirk slipped beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You should come with me."
John looked at him, confused, until he heard Mac draw his sword from the sheath strapped across his back.
"Wait," he protested, shrugging off Dirk's hand and moving forward to intercept Mac. "You can't do that. She's not a vampire. She's just a kid."
"If I don't do this, in two nights she's not going to be a kid anymore. She'll be a bloodsucking monster."
John held up the picture of her with her parents. "She's got a family," he argued.
"They all do, John," Mac shot back. "That's what makes what we have to do so goddamn hard. But it still has to be done. If you don't like it, then help us find the vampire who did this. We have to kill him so he never does this to anyone else."
Drawing a deep breath, John nodded. He knew Mac was right. He didn't have to like it, but he was playing a whole new game—
their
game—and he had to learn the rules.
He stepped back but didn't turn around. It wasn't his nature to hide from the truth, no matter how ugly.
The blade slid cleanly through. There was no blood.
"Now what?" John asked after swallowing hard.
"Now, I go get the truck so we can haul the body back to the admiral's place," Mac said.
"We have a dumping ground there," Dirk explained.
"You stay here and make sure no one comes by," Mac said just before he walked off.
John turned to Dirk and noticed the other man's expression. "You don't look so hot," he observed.
Dirk gave him a wry, humorless smile. "We've had to behead a lot of bodies in the last year, and it's never easy to do. But this is the first time we've had to do a woman. And this one looked a lot like Mac's little sister did when she was this age. That had to have been hard for him to do."
John felt his admiration for Mac grow. He suspected that Mac had made a good leader in the military, never asking others to do what he himself was not willing to do.
John heard giggling and looked across the quad to see two female students walking, their heads bowed together as they talked. They were leaning into each other and from the way they kept stepping off the edge of the side- walk, John thought maybe they'd started their evening's festivities several hours earlier. They were well on their way to a serious hangover the next morning.
"If I were Brody," John said thoughtfully, "those two would be next on my list."
"You stay here while I follow them," Dirk said, causing John to glance at him sharply. "No offense , John, but Brody would make short work of you."
John inwardly flinched. "Ouch. I think you just dented my ego. I'm not exactly helpless, you know."
Dirk clapped him on the back. "Yeah, well, just remember what Mac said—it takes a hell of a lot of bullets to stop one vampire."
"Fine, I understand, but what about you? You
Steeling himself as he did every time he had to view another homicide, John took a closer look. "Damn," he muttered. Death was always ugly, but some deaths were worse than others.
She couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty, he guessed. Pretty and blonde, just like the others Brody had killed. Her clothes hung in shreds about her body and from the markings on her, John was left with no doubts about whether vampires were capable of sex—or rape.
Though she'd clearly fought for her life, she hadn't died from being beaten. The two puncture wounds on the side of her pale neck shone like ugly dark beacons; harbingers of death.
John placed his fingers against her throat, searching for a pulse. It was done more out of habit than because he thought there was a chance she was still alive. There wasn't.
He spotted her small purse tossed off to the side and picked it up. Unzipping the main compartment, he reached in and found her wallet. Inside was her student ID; she'd only been a freshman. Behind that was a family picture.
Dirk slipped beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You should come with me."
John looked at him, confused, until he heard Mac draw his sword from the sheath strapped across his back.
"Wait," he protested, shrugging off Dirk's hand and moving forward to intercept Mac. "You can't do that. She's not a vampire. She's just a kid."
"If I don't do this, in two nights she's not going to be a kid anymore. She'll be a bloodsucking monster."
John held up the picture of her with her parents. "She's got a family," he argued.
"They all do, John," Mac shot back. "That's what makes what we have to do so goddamn hard. But it still has to be done. If you don't like it, then help us find the vampire who did this. We have to kill him so he never does this to anyone else."
Drawing a deep breath, John nodded. He knew Mac was right. He didn't have to like it, but he was playing a whole new game—
their
game—and he had to learn the rules.
He stepped back but didn't turn around. It wasn't his nature to hide from the truth, no matter how ugly.
The blade slid cleanly through. There was no blood.
"Now what?" John asked after swallowing hard.
"Now, I go get the truck so we can haul the body back to the admiral's place," Mac said.
"We have a dumping ground there," Dirk explained.
"You stay here and make sure no one comes by," Mac said just before he walked off.
John turned to Dirk and noticed the other man's expression. "You don't look so hot," he observed.
Dirk gave him a wry, humorless smile. "We've had to behead a lot of bodies in the last year, and it's never easy to do. But this is the first time we've had to do a woman. And this one looked a lot like Mac's little sister did when she was this age. That had to have been hard for him to do."
John felt his admiration for Mac grow. He suspected that Mac had made a good leader in the military, never asking others to do what he himself was not willing to do.
John heard giggling and looked across the quad to see two female students walking, their heads bowed together as they talked. They were leaning into each other and from the way they kept stepping off the edge of the side- walk, John thought maybe they'd started their evening's festivities several hours earlier. They were well on their way to a serious hangover the next morning.
"If I were Brody," John said thoughtfully, "those two would be next on my list."
"You stay here while I follow them," Dirk said, causing John to glance at him sharply. "No offense , John, but Brody would make short work of you."
John inwardly flinched. "Ouch. I think you just dented my ego. I'm not exactly helpless, you know."
Dirk clapped him on the back. "Yeah, well, just remember what Mac said—it takes a hell of a lot of bullets to stop one vampire."
"Fine, I understand, but what about you? You
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