Always the Vampire

I gritted my teeth. “Cosmil, I’m not saying no, but you have the whole Council of Ancients at your disposal. Why can’t your COA put a stop to Starrack and the Void?”


“There are too many factions, my dear. Besides vampires, wizards, and sorceresses, the thirteen Council members represent the various faerie realms, the merfolk, and the werecreatures. We even have a dragon member.”

Saber stiffened. “You have werewolves in Europe?”

“And in other countries. Werewolves are extinct only in the states, you see, because the drug introduced here to kill them was not widely used overseas. The population is controlled, they live in seclusion, and they are not allowed to immigrate.”

“I’ll have to let the VPA know about this,” Saber said.

“Do as you think best. And now,” Cosmil said, as he pushed to his feet, “I have kept you long enough. Saber mentioned that Francesca has a late ghost tour, and I must rest.”

“Will you be okay alone?” I asked.

“He won’t be alone,” Triton piped up. “I’ll stay with him tonight.”

Saber and I exchanged a glance, waiting for Cosmil to object. He didn’t so much as furrow his brow.

“I’ll come by tomorrow,” Saber offered, “while Cesca’s sacked out and Triton’s working. Maybe you’ll have news from Lia.”

The three men turned to me, but I threw up my hands.

“Hey, I have work tonight, and bridge club tomorrow night. I can’t cancel this late.”

“So your activities are more important than training with us?” Triton demanded. “It’s only all our lives on the line.”

“Don’t start with me, Triton. I can cancel some things, but not my maid of honor duties. Maggie’s wedding is two weeks and five days away. I can’t and won’t let her down. This Starrack jerk and the Void will have to take a number, and you can kiss my surfboard if you don’t like it.”

Cosmil laughed then, a deep, rich sound that washed through the room like a warm wave. “My dear, Lia will love you. Pandora, see them out. And Triton, retrieve your duffel and the amulets from your truck.”

Pandora took the lead, padding by my side while Saber fell back to have a word with Triton.

Where is the kitten?

I did a double take at her unexpected question. “You mean Snowball? Probably still hiding in the laundry room.”

I’d found the pure white kitten in the parking garage at Saber’s old condo in Daytona Beach, before he bought Neil’s place in St. Augustine. Snowball liked me well enough, but she adored and had adopted Saber. When Saber moved in with me five days ago, Snowball came along.

There will be times to keep her close by.

“Okay, why?”

She will sense the unseen and alert you to presences.

“You told me something like that before, but I think Snowball’s more into lizards and beetles.”

Pandora rolled her eyes.

We arrived at Saber’s SUV, and I leaned a hip against the door. “Okay, I give. Are there any particular times Snowball should be with me?”

Heed her behavior. That will forewarn you.

Well, didn’t that sound nice and ominous? I have manners in spades, but the last two hours had frayed my nerves, and Pandora’s queen of cryptic act wasn’t scoring points with me.

She pinned me with reproachful amber eyes. Great. Pandora had read my mind, and now I was being scolded by a feline big enough to eat my face. I had to learn to guard my thoughts.

Yes, you do. Pandora smirked, I swear, then she chuffed and trotted back to the cabin.

I climbed into the SUV, suddenly very tired and completely overwhelmed.





Much as I love interior design, I adore leading ghost tours.

While catching up to the twenty-first century, I had discovered an aptitude for history, studied hard, and passed the required licensing test to give tours. It helped in my job hunt that Maggie had contacts in the city’s tourist industry, but I’d earned my place at Old Coast Ghost Tours and took pride in my work as a ghost walk guide.

One of my guide friends calls me a ghost magnet, and I admit to an affinity with Oldest City’s ghosts. A few spirits aren’t Casper friendly, but the playful ones are always ready to oooh and awe the crowds.