Always the Vampire

I cleared my throat. “Uh, you read our thoughts in the car?”


“Yes, and I’m not offended, but you need to learn to shield from others. I have added that to our schedule.” She patted my arm then addressed the cat. “All right, sweet kitten, we must go.”

Lia lowered a reluctant Snowball to the floor and then waved a hand down her blouse and slacks. Cat hair lifted from her clothes, swirled like an allergy sufferer’s nightmare, and compressed into a ball that disappeared with a poof of white smoke.

“Now that trick would make you a fortune.”

“It is a handy little travel spell,” she agreed. “What time do you fetch your shifter friend?”

“Triton? I’ll pick him up an hour before sunrise.”

“Be sure you have the key to his apartment. After dinner, we will tidy up a bit for him. Don’t worry, he won’t mind,” she added before I could object to taking a stranger into Triton’s home. “He’ll rest better with his home in order, and he’ll need that energy for training.”

The sorceress was a steamroller. What else could I do but agree?





Lia enjoyed the sites as I drove through town, and I was soon ushering her into Saber’s home, a 1950s three-bedroom ranch house that he’d bought from Neil. Maggie had helped Neil renovate and redecorate, and Saber hadn’t changed much.

We stayed only long enough for Lia to pull a few things from her suitcase. Three cotton outfits, which she ironed with another wave of her hand, and a dozen semitransparent fabric bags in jewel colors. The bulging bags were closed with leather ties, and I detected the scent of rosemary and other herbs I couldn’t name as she stowed them in a drawer.

Saber and Cosmil waited for us on the outdoor deck at Cowboy’s, but I didn’t immediately recognize the wizard. He wore black slacks with a light blue shirt, and his hair was shorter than Saber’s. Had to be an illusion, but Lia’s green eyes sparkled as she beamed her approval.

“Talk about cleaning up well,” I whispered to Saber as Lia and Cosmil clasped hands and exchanged kisses on each cheek.

“I think he was going for a mature Cary Grant–casual look.”

“I think he nailed it.”

At Saber’s request, the hostess seated us at a table where we could watch the sunset. Cosmil and Lia ordered Minorcan clam chowder and the Florida Cracker Dinner, Saber opted for fried shrimp, and I stuck with my usual sweet tea, heavy on the ice.

By halfway through the meal, I expected us to be talking shop. I even introduced the subject of Starrack in hushed tones, but Cosmil stonewalled me. I put up with that nonsense until dessert.

“Cosmil, put a dome of silence over us if you have to, but I want some questions answered. Now.”

“Unpleasant conversation is bad for the digestion,” he hissed back.

“Then take a gas pill,” I snapped and turned to Lia. “What’s going on at your COA headquarters? Did your investigators find Legrand’s body? How are the bomb survivors doing?”

“COA?” Lia glanced at Cosmil.

“Council of Ancients.” He sighed. “Francesca is nothing if not to the point. Never mind persistent.”

“Fine traits,” Lia said. “The survivors will live, thank you for asking. And yes, parts of the body were located just before I left.”

“Parts?” Saber echoed.

“When the Veil folded in on itself, it fractured the remains.”

“Geez, people, if the Veil is that dangerous, why do you bother? It can’t be for the bonus miles.”

Lia gave me a Gallic shrug. “It’s true that one must concentrate on one’s destination while in the Veil, but it is pleasant, and it is simply our preferred mode of travel.”

“Did your investigators,” Saber asked, “find enough of Legrand’s remains to run DNA?”

“They did. Vampires in Europe and other countries are not compelled to submit DNA samples as you do to the VPA, but those holding Council seats are required to do so.”

“So you will have data to compare Legrand’s tissue against?” Saber pressed.

“Hopefully, yes. He put up quite a fight when we began the program a few years ago, citing invasion of privacy.”

Saber nodded. “The VPA ran into the same argument early on, but it’s proven valuable.”

“Yes, well, forensic tests on vampires are more complex due to layers of DNA from both the family of origin and the vampire’s Maker. We send all preternatural remains to a private, discrete morgue with a special laboratory, so it will take time to get the results. Perhaps up to a month.”

“You guys ought to consider having your own lab at the compound,” I said. “You know, for emergencies like this.”

“We are not in the habit of needing such a facility, Francesca,” Cosmil admonished.