Chasing Shadows

chapter Nine

“Perhaps not,” I conceded, having known all along that the news would find its way into the vampire community at some point. “But I want to keep his secret for as long as I possibly can. If what I have heard about dhunphyr blood is true, I know that his status as my bondmate may not protect him entirely.”

“Sadly, you are correct,” my brother acknowledged. “There are those of us who would not have the same restraint as you or I—and while I will not lie to you and say I do not want him, my love and respect for you as my sister and my friend are too great for me to inflict such harm upon you.”

I stepped forward to stand in front of him again. “And for that you have my eternal thanks, Lochlan. I mean it.”

The self-control he was exhibiting had to be taking an enormous toll, and I could tell from the wild look in his eyes that Loch needed blood before his control snapped and he did the very thing he had just promised he wouldn’t do. I also knew that simply drinking microwaved blood would not satisfy him—he would need to feel the thrill of killing something, the power that came from taking a life, in order to put a dent in his bloodlust.

And because I would not allow my brother to go out and kill some other human in Mark’s place…

“Mark, we’ll be back in a few,” I said, taking Lochlan’s hand and leading him away.

For his part, Mark said not a word as he watched me walk my brother out the back door. I found him sitting at the kitchen table when I re-entered some minutes later, and saw in his expression that he was not surprised to see me return alone.

“Cow or pig?” he asked simply.

“Pig,” I said, lowering myself into the chair next to him. “One of the girls. One pig should be enough to satisfy him, and should sate his thirst for a good while. A cow would have been way too much, even as thirsty as smelling you made him.”

Mark reached for my hand and gave it a light squeeze. “I’m sorry, Saphrona.”

I returned his gaze sadly. “I’ll miss Belinda, I admit, but better her than you or some other human.”

“Then her sacrifice was not in vain.”

I nodded, then got up and retrieved our own lunch and brought it to the table. Although Mark ate heartily (he may still have been feeling the effects of blood loss), I found that I no longer had an appetite, and I only picked at my food.

Lochlan returned about half an hour later, and while he glanced at Mark with some longing, he no longer had that wild, hungry look in his eyes. As soon as he had shut the door behind him, he walked over to the sink to wash his hands.

“I took the body into the woods and buried it,” Lochlan informed us, speaking over his shoulder. “The smell of death should be gone from the barn by the time you bring the other animals inside.”

He turned the water off and then turned around slowly to face us, grabbing the hand towel and looking at me as he dried his hands. “I am sorry, Saphrona, that you had to sacrifice one of your animals to me. I will be sure to be well fed before I come over next time, if I am still welcome after today.”

I stood. “Of course you are welcome,” I said, walking over to him. “It makes me sad that one of my girls is gone, but it was for a good purpose. I’d rather you killed a pig than a human being.”

“Or your lover,” Lochlan added.

I nodded. “Or him.”

“Don’t you feed on human blood anyway?” Mark wanted to know.

Lochlan looked over at him. “I do, dhunphyr, but I do not kill,” he said. “I was an apothecary when I was turned, and I am still one today—although the modern term is ‘doctor.’ I have sworn an oath to do no harm, and although I have killed and do still drink human blood—which I acquire from the bio lab I work at—I have not taken a life in many years.”

“Much to Diarmid’s disappointment,” I said sourly. “The man has a dozen or more vessels, but still thinks nothing of snuffing out a human life every now and then.”

“Vessels?” Mark queried.

“Human donors,” I said, turning back to him. “People that are used over and over again without being turned. A form of slavery, if you ask me.”

“How so?”

“When a vampire drinks the blood of a human, if he does not kill or turn him he creates a blood bond that allows him to find the human at any time, in any place,” Lochlan replied.

Mark looked at me. “Like you did to me?” he asked.

I nodded as I returned to the table. “Yes,” I told him. “But you were a willing donor. Most vessels are not. They’re usually not aware of what’s going on, nor do they remember afterward what has happened.”

“How is that possible?” my lover pressed.

“Because a vampire has the ability to cloud the mind of any human being he comes into contact with. How is it that you are a dhunphyr, child, yet you know almost nothing of our world?” Lochlan queried as he joined us at the table.

Mark’s eyes flashed at being called “child,” so I reached over and took his hand in mine to calm him. “I was sequestered from the paranormal world from the moment of my birth,” he said in a low voice. “Hidden and protected after the woman who carried me sacrificed her life to one of your kind.”

“Lochlan, is it true that dhunphyr blood is a narcotic to our kind?” I asked my brother.

“You have tasted him, sister. You tell me.”

I glanced sidelong at Mark. “It could be that I want him because I haven’t had human blood in almost two hundred years,” I began, then looked back at Loch. “But even I know that isn’t true. While human blood is appetizing, I’ve been able to deny it for so long that I don’t even crave it anymore. Now that I’ve had Mark’s, however, I know that I’m going to be hard-pressed to not drink from him; his blood creates a sensation of euphoria that is unmatched by any blood I have ever tasted.”

“Have you bitten him while you f*cked him, then?” Lochlan asked, a sly smile forming on his lips.

Mark stood abruptly, knocking his chair over. I reached over and grabbed his arm as he glowered down at my brother. “Calm down. It’s nothing to get upset over.”

“He’s insulting you and I don’t like it,” Mark countered.

Lochlan sighed and sat back in his chair. “My question may have been a tad crude, but it was hardly insulting. I’m simply curious to know if what the stories say is true.”

Slowly, Mark turned and reached to set his chair upright, then returned to it. “Then you don’t know if it’s true what they say about my blood.”

“What I meant by stories are the tales of ultimate sexual gratification when feeding on dhunphyr blood while in the midst of coitus. As to the other stories, those of the blood being addictive, I’m afraid I do know,” Lochlan said. “You see, our father once had an addiction to dhunphyr blood.”

A hand flew to my mouth as I gasped. “Diarmid fed on dhunphyr? When?”

Lochlan looked at me. “Not ten years after he was first turned. His sire had bitten a woman with child and killed her, and Father took the child from her womb and killed it. I saw it in his memories at my Coming of Age.”

“And yet you still associate with the man?” Mark asked him. “How can you be involved with someone like him?”

My brother shrugged. “I am a vampire,” he said simply. “And the bond between a sire and his offspring, if you will, is not so easily cast aside.”

“Saphrona manages to live without him,” Mark pointed out.

Loch nodded. “That she does, though it is not idle speculation to say that if she had been turned instead of born she would not be so fortunate.”

“What about the dhunphyr—how do you know the blood was addictive? How did he know?” I wondered.

“Father’s memories showed me that after that first infant, he spent more than a year’s time hunting and preying on pregnant women, feeding on them to turn their unborn children and then killing the child,” Lochlan answered, shuddering as he recalled the memories. “He was eventually caught and threatened with extermination if he did not desist.”

“I’m surprised the Ancients didn’t just kill him outright,” I mused. “Wasn’t that law enacted about a thousand years ago?”

Lochlan nodded. “It was. But as you know, Father can be very… persuasive. Maybe not with you, dear sister, but he swore a blood oath to the Ancients that he would serve them for eternity if they spared his life.”

I scoffed. “Explains why he wants to be one of them so badly.”

Mark looked at me. “What does that mean?” he asked.

“The only way to get out from under the thumb of the Ancients would be to become one of them. Until then, he has to do whatever they tell him to do whether he wants to or not, unless they release him from the oath—which will happen on the twelfth of Never—or he’s killed permanently. That’s what swearing a blood oath means among vampires.”

He gave my hand a squeeze as he said, “Do you think that’s why he wants you to find Vivian Drake so you can learn her source of information?”

I looked at him, nodding slowly. “Yes. It’s very possible,” I replied.

“It’s been three years since she released her first book,” Lochlan said with a small amount of disgust in his voice. “What the devil is the point in going after them now?”

I turned to Lochlan. “That’s exactly what I said to Evangeline the other day when she was here. What’s the point of killing Drake or her source when the damage has already been done? Besides, it’s not as if the human community believes a word she wrote. The books are best-sellers, sure, but from what I’ve read most people still cling to the belief that vampires are the walking dead.”

“I actually agree with you on that, Saph,” Loch said. “It’s already too late to stem the tide if you ask me, but I can only assume that Father thinks if he can stop her from releasing another book, he’ll score points with the Ancients.”

“So even if I refuse to find her, he’s not going to give this up, is he?”

He shook his head. “I would not count on it.”

“Wonderful,” I mused sourly.

Shaking my head, I looked at Lochlan. “You never answered my question from before: what are you doing here at this time of day?”

“Believe it or not, I was bored,” Loch replied with a laugh. “Well, perhaps restless would be a better descriptive term. Couldn’t seem to find anything with which to occupy my mind, couldn’t seem to sit still at work. So, since I was going to be coming out to see you anyway, I figured I would surprise you.”

“Well, it was a pleasant surprise to see you so early,” I said. “Wasn’t expecting you for hours.”

“And I am inordinately pleased I made the decision,” he replied, glancing at Mark. “All curiosity as to what you taste like aside, my friend, what has your life been like? I mean, what supernatural traits have you inherited?”

“An accelerated healing factor is the only thing as far as I know,” Mark answered. “I’ve been aware of that since I was a kid, but no one believed me when I first discovered it, so I stopped trying to convince them. Although Saphrona tells me that dhunphyr are said to be immortal as well, I’m the first she’s met so she cannot say for certain.”

“How did you even know he was a dhunphyr? Was it that supe-sense, as you call it?” Lochlan asked me.

I nodded.

“I would like to be able to tell you whether or not you are truly an immortal human, but you are the first of your kind I have met as well,” my brother said. “However, given that Saphrona’s ability to sense the presence other supernatural beings identified you as such, I would hazard to guess that you are. Certainly the fact that you’re a real-life Wolverine wouldn’t have raised her paranormal hackles.”

Mark and I looked at each other and laughed. Lochlan had to clear his throat to get our attention to ask what was so funny.

“It’s just funny you should call him a real-life Wolverine,” I said, still chuckling. “He’s been referring to his healing factor as Wolverine Syndrome.”

“And speaking of hackles,” Loch went on, “you said your sister is a shapeshifter. How is that possible?”

“She’s my half sister,” Mark replied.

As if on cue, we heard a vehicle pulling up the driveway. Mark rose and peeked out the curtain of the window facing it. “Speaking of the flea-bitten mongrel shapeshifter…”

Lochlan cleared his throat again. “About that... As you are Saphrona’s bondmate, that makes you a part of my family, as is your sister by association. I would like to apologize for my earlier insult.”

“Well, I was annoyed earlier, but now that I’m fairly certain you’re not going to try to kill me, I have to admit its kinda funny,” Mark said as he started back toward the table. “It’s a good insult to throw at her if she pisses me off.”

Just then, Juliette came through the back door unannounced. “Whose fancy car is in the drive—”

Her voice cut off and she growled at Lochlan. “Vampire,” she sneered.

Lochlan apparently found this amusing. “Shapeshifter,” he said with a nod, then sniffed the air. “Dog, from what I can tell, now that you’re actually here.”

“Jules, chill out,” Mark said, stepping over to stand beside her. “This is Saphrona’s brother Lochlan. Lochlan, this is my sister, Juliette.”

“A pleasure,” Loch said with another nod.

Juliette ignored him and looked between Mark and me. “Does he know?” she asked.

“He does,” I told her.

“And apparently I’m enticingly scented, I smell mouthwateringly delicious, and I’m the most delectable human he’s smelled in over three hundred years,” Mark added.

His sister looked at him incredulously. “Mark, that isn’t funny!” she declared.

“Oddly enough, I think it is,” he retorted. “Saphrona, what do you think? Am I all those things your brother said?”

I fought a smile as Juliette threw up her hands in exasperation, then turned and looked at Lochlan with narrowed eyes. “I know what you look like, vampire, and I know what you smell like. Harm one hair on my brother’s head and I will hunt you down like the dog that I am.”

“Juliette, I really don’t think you should be threatening him,” Mark cautioned.

Lochlan waved his words away. “No need to speak for me, I’m a big boy,” he said. “Besides, the pup is only doing what comes naturally.”

“Pup!” Juliette nearly shouted, and took a step forward. Mark grabbed her arm to stop her. “I’ll show you I’m no mere pup, you bloodsucking leech!”

“Enough!” I said sharply, slapping my hand down on the table. “Both of you can stop sniping at one another.”

“Vampires and shapeshifters are natural enemies, Saphrona,” Lochlan reminded me. “It is difficult to be in the same room together and not fight; thus, we resort to witty repartee.”

How cute that you’re being a smartass about it, I thought, then amended, At least you guys didn’t start fighting first and save the repartee for later. I also acknowledged the fact that Lochlan had had three centuries to perfect his self control—Juliette was not even thirty yet.

“Well, both of you are just going to have to get over it,” I said aloud. “Like it or not, we’re all going to be a part of each other’s lives from now on. Juliette, Lochlan is my brother, and a semi-frequent visitor to this house. He has already been warned that Mark is off-limits, and has given his word that he will not touch him. I’m fairly certain he knows that his life is forfeit should he break that vow. If you want to stay here on the farm to continue in your capacity as Mark’s guardian, you are to treat my brother with the same respect you expect to receive yourself.

“Lochlan, Juliette is Mark’s sister. She’s been his personal guardian for the last year, so surely you can understand her desire to protect him. As she will no longer be hiding in animal form, now that certain secrets are out in the open, she will be living in the apartment above the barn in order to remain close to him. You will more than likely see her when you visit, so if you want to continue being welcome to do so, you are also to treat her with the same respect you expect to receive. Am I clear?”

Reluctantly, I could see, both of them nodded. “I’m going to take my stuff up to the apartment,” she said stiffly, turning and retreating out the screen door.

“I’m gonna go help her unpack…and cool off,” Mark said, and followed his sister outside.

Once they had gone, Lochlan whistled. “Damn it all to Hades,” he muttered.

“What?” I asked.

He looked at me. “She’s got fire, that one. And she’s quite a looker. If she weren’t a shapeshifter, I’d be very much inclined to take her to bed.”

Somewhat shocked by this, I could only stare at him. “Don’t let her—or for that matter, Mark—hear you say that,” I said at last.

Lochlan smiled. “Indeed.”

A moment of silence passed, and then a thought occurred to me. “Loch, I have to ask you… If dhunphyr blood is so addictive that most of the immortal humans born didn’t live past the first hour of life, where did the stories about ultimate sexual gratification come from?”

Loch glanced at me, and though I had schooled my expression to neutral, something must have given me away, for he smiled knowingly. Then he sobered and heaved a sigh. “I suspect, like so many other lies told throughout time, that it was created to cover up the truth. Who knew that this one would turn out to be not such a lie after all?”



*****



Because he had come so early, I suggested that we go see an afternoon showing of Zombieland instead of waiting three or four hours. His Escalade had third row seating in case he needed to sleep, which I doubted given how much blood he’d just ingested. Still, I offered to be the one to drive, but knowing my brother I didn’t think he’d go for being a passenger in his own car and I was right—he insisted on driving himself, pointing out that he had made it to my house just fine. He even surprised me by suggesting we invite Mark and Juliette along.

“You really don’t mind sharing our brother-sister date with other people?” I asked.

Lochlan shrugged. “The boy is your partner for life—and I am happy for you that you have finally found him. I’m actually quite envious, seeing as I’ve been around longer than you and I haven’t found mine yet. No doubt Father will be as well, considering how long he’s been looking for his bondmate.”

I paused as I was about to walk out the door to go ask Mark and Juliette if they wanted to join us. Turning back with what I knew to be a stunned expression, I said to Loch, “Are you serious? All this time, all these centuries he’s been alive, and that is the reason he goes through women like tissue paper? That’s the reason he let my mother die?”

After a moment of staring, in which Lochlan seemed to consider that he may have just said the wrong thing, he gave me a resigned nod. “Aye,” he said softly. “I regret to say that Clare Percy was hardly more than a distraction for him, same as all the others. Obviously I did not see his memories of her, given it happened fifty years after my Coming of Age, but from what I saw of the days which passed before her, and the string of women he’s gone through since, it is not such a far conclusion to leap to.”

I straightened my shoulders and stiffened my back. “Well, then. Just goes to prove I’m right about him—the bastard doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

With that, I turned and stalked out the door. When I was met by Mark at the door to the apartment, he asked me what was wrong. I shrugged and told him that it was nothing, just a confirmation of something I had already known. Then I changed the subject and passed along Lochlan’s invitation for him and Juliette to join us in seeing the movie. Mark agreed readily, saying he’d also been wanting to see it even though he wasn’t particularly a Woody Harrelson fan. Juliette hedged for a bit, saying she should probably stay home and get the apartment set up. I suspected her hesitation was due to the fact that she had taken an instant dislike to Lochlan, and tried not to smile when I recalled just what he thought of her.

Eventually she agreed to go along, citing her “duty as Mark’s guardian.” The two men sat up front when we piled into the Escalade ten minutes later; although Lochlan had suggested that Mark and I might want to sit in the back to “snog like teenagers,” Juliette had refused to share the front with him. So I spent much of the ride to the theater watching her stare at the back of my brother’s head out of the corner of my eye.

When we arrived, Lochlan paid for the tickets while I purchased soda and popcorn for Mark, Juliette, and myself, and then we went to find seats. I ended up sandwiched between Lochlan and Mark, with Juliette choosing the other side of her brother. We got comfortable and waited for the movie to start, and as the theater filled up, every few minutes Loch would lean close and remark on the scents he picked up from the people around us. I grinned, enjoying the game that had become something of a ritual when we went out together.

Just as the lights were going down, the three of us who had a heightened sense of smell sat straighter in our seats. We leaned forward and glanced at one another in the dark, acknowledging silently that we had each caught the same scent on the air: there was another vampire in the theater. Mark asked what was going on and I whispered in his ear what we had all detected as Juliette none too subtly scanned the people around us. Whoever it was, they were close by, and though I was determined to enjoy myself in spite of this development, I nonetheless paid attention every time someone in my field of vision got up from their seat.

“Aren’t you worrying for nothing?” Mark leaned over and whispered as the movie began.

“Remember how Lochlan reacted to your scent?” I whispered back. “Whoever it is may not have my brother’s discipline, Mark. He could try to attack someone else here or he could try to come after you.”

Juliette leaned across him, saying, “Maybe we should leave. We can all come see this movie some other time.”

Lochlan leaned forward and shook his head at her. “No, I don’t think so. While I agree that caution is warranted, my lady, you cannot necessarily run every time one of my people comes near, or you’ll be running for the rest of your life.”

“I’m not going to turn tail and run,” Mark said firmly. “A Marine doesn’t back down from a fight or cower in fear. We stay. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the zombies.”



*****



Zombieland wasn’t a particularly intelligent movie, but then it wasn’t really supposed to be. It was, however, campy and hilarious—although I thought Bill Murray’s death was just plain wrong. I mean, it just sucked that he’d managed to survive the zombie outbreak that long only to get shot in the midst of playing a prank.

I was pleased to see that, despite the proximity of another vampire, our entire group managed to enjoy themselves. As a safety measure, though, we decided to sit through to the end of the credits (“You never know, there may be a bonus scene,” Lochlan quipped), and Juliette was visibly relieved to discover that the unknown vamp had apparently left the theater with the other moviegoers—we were the last ones in the room when the film reel was stopped and the clean-up crew came in to get it ready for the next showing. This did not, of course, stop three of the four of us from sniffing to try and locate the vampire’s scent trail as we were leaving.

Mark peeled off as we were passing the restrooms on the way out of the building. “A guy can only hold a thirty-two ounce soda for so long,” he said, pushing the door open. I gestured to Lochlan to follow him, and although he rolled his eyes he nevertheless complied. Juliette mentioned a need to use the ladies’ room, so I went in with her, realizing that I also needed to relieve myself.

As women are wont to do, even those of us—like me—who are not all that “girly,” when we had finished our necessary business, Juliette and I stood at the sinks and checked our appearances in the mirror after we’d washed our hands. “Juliette, can I tell you something?” I said carefully, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence.

“Sure, what is it?” she asked.

I turned to her, and since by smell I knew we were alone in the restroom, I didn’t bother to lower my voice. “I don’t want you to worry about Lochlan. He is a good man, I promise you. I admit that he was tempted by Mark, and his thirst was so strongly stirred that he actually had to feed on one of the pigs. But he didn’t even know why he was so tempted until I told him Mark is a dhunphyr, and he’s promised to make sure he is well fed before he visits again so that he is less tempted.”

Juliette sighed. “The problem is he will always be tempted by just the smell of him. Other vampires will be tempted by the smell of him. I suppose Lochlan can’t help it; it’s the nature of a vampire to be tempted by blood. At the same time—and if you tell him I said this I will have to hurt you—he’s right. Mark can’t be expected to hide forever, nor should he have to. He also shouldn’t have to be looking over his shoulder and worrying that he’s in danger every moment of the day.”

I nodded my agreement. “I have to say that it’s something of a surprise he’s managed to remain hidden from our world for as long as he has, though I suspect it may have something to do with the fact that he spent one third of his life as a Marine,” I told her as we exited the ladies’ room, and I looked around for Mark and Lochlan. I didn’t see them, so I turned back to Juliette.

“I also don’t want to have to hide him from the world,” I went on. “We’re lucky in that so few vampires travel in daylight, so the only time there’d really be any reason for concern would be at night. And I really do have little to do with vampires myself other than my brother, and a small number of vampires who have forsaken human blood, the latter of whom I see rarely. Truth is, Lochlan is the biggest vampire presence in my life, and he’s only around once a week, sometimes less.”

“You have to admit, though, that there is a chance that even if you don’t visit the vampire social circles that often, they may come looking for you once they learn there’s a dhunphyr on your farm,” my companion pointed out.

“But why worry about something like that when you cannot be certain it will happen?” I countered. “Remember what I told you the other night: a life spent looking over your shoulder is no life at all. The thing to do is live our lives as we normally would, and deal with the obstacles if and when they arise. You’ll enjoy your life so much more that way.”

She sighed. “I know. You’re right, Saphrona, I know that. It’s just… I almost feel like a mother who is sending her kid off to school for the first time. I know Mark is a grown man, and he’s military trained so I know he can take care of himself. But letting go is so damn hard.”

I gave her a sympathetic smile and reached over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. I then looked around again for Mark and Lochlan.

“Where the heck are they?” I mused aloud. “Usually men complain about us taking too long in the bathroom.”

“No kidding,” Juliette agreed, also looking left and right for any sign of her brother or mine. “You don’t think they’d have gone out to the car already, do you?”

I shook my head. “No. It may be early evening, but it’s still daylight outside. Lochlan wouldn’t spend any more time than necessary out in the sun, direct or not.”

Just as I was about to go into the men’s room to see if they were still in there, Mark and Lochlan came out. Mark immediately put his arm around me and Lochlan placed his around Juliette’s shoulders, whispering in her ear as she started to pull away, “Please do not make a scene. Let us leave casually with all due haste.”

Alarm shot through me at his words—and at the scent pouring off of both men. They’d encountered the vampire in the men’s room and their desire to make a quick getaway meant the encounter had not gone well.

Juliette nodded stiffly and the four of us walked outside, heading straight for the Escalade. Lochlan used his keychain remote to unlock the doors, and to my surprise, Juliette continued the charade by climbing into the front seat next to him. When Mark and I were in the back seat and we had all four of us shut our doors, Lochlan turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking space.

“What the hell happened in there?” Juliette demanded, turning in her seat. “I can smell vampire stink all over both of you—no offense,” she added with a nod in my brother’s direction.

“None taken,” Lochlan muttered.

“The vampire ambushed me at the urinal,” Mark told us. “How f*ckin’ messed up is that—to come at a guy when he’s taking a piss?!”

“Did he say anything at all?” I asked.

“No. He was standing at one of the urinals when we went in, but since I can’t smell him like you guys can, I didn’t know it was him at first. Just walked to one a few feet down to do my thing,” Mark said. “I’d barely gotten my dick in my hand when he flew at me. Didn’t even seem to f*ckin’ care that Lochlan was there.”

I’d never heard Mark curse so much, so I figured it was a sign that he was royally ticked off. I couldn’t blame him of course, and I gave the hand I held what I hoped was a comforting squeeze.

“He didn’t bite you, did he?” Juliette asked, and at her words I found myself inspecting Mark for signs of injury.

“He didnae have time t’ bite ‘im,” Lochlan said, his own voice conveying his annoyance by the thickening of his accent. “The moment the bugger moved, I was on ‘im and snappin’ ‘is neck like a twig.”

Juliette looked at him with wide eyes. “You killed him?”

Lochlan shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. At least not permanently. The sodding git will live—‘is spine is probably re-fusing even as we speak, and because his spinal cord wasn’t severed, he may well recover in just a few hours instead of taking three days to do so. He’ll be in a right foul mood when he does, too.”

“How did you conceal the body in the meantime?” I asked.

“The reason you smell so much vampire stink on us, as Jules so aptly put it, is because we hauled the f*cker into one of the stalls and yanked his pants down so people would think he was taking a shit,” Mark replied tersely.

“Eeww,” his sister remarked with a wrinkling of her nose.

“It’s really too bad you couldn’t have killed him,” I said slowly, surprising Mark. “Obviously I don’t like the thought of killing anyone, or I wouldn’t have been able to give up people as a food source. But allowing him to survive means allowing him the chance to attack you again, because he knows what you smell like.”

For the first time, Mark looked more alarmed than angry. “He’s not going to be able to follow us home, is he?”

I shook my head as Lochlan replied from the front seat. “No, our scent trail will have ended in the parking lot. He won’t be able to follow us unless he’s adept at tracking vehicle exhaust, and the chances of that with the countless petrol vapor trails in that area are nil. However, Saphrona is right about one thing: if you encounter him again, he will not hesitate to attack. Not only does he want your blood to feed on, he’ll be wanting you dead for getting the best of him.”

“Won’t he want you dead, too?”

Lochlan nodded. “Aye, most likely,” he said, “which is why I intend to see that he’s taken care of as soon as possible.”

“Oh, so it’s not because he tried to kill Mark, but because he’s gonna want to kill you too,” Juliette said with a sneer, crossing her arms as her eyes shot daggers at our driver.

My brother glanced sidelong at her as he maneuvered us through traffic. “On the contrary, madam—the threat against me is, although very real, a mere annoyance at best. And while I admit to wanting to remove said annoyance permanently so I am no longer thus annoyed, I’m far more concerned with the fact that a threat against Mark means a threat against my sister. And that I will not tolerate.”

“How is a threat to Mark’s life a threat to Saphrona?”

I cleared my throat and she looked back at me. “Because now that our bond is complete, if Mark dies, so will I.”