Always the Vampire

“I swear. I’ll die before I let you or Neil be harmed.”


“Well, don’t go that far or I’m out my maid of honor.” She patted my cheek in a motherly gesture. “Go on back to bed, Cesca. I’ll be home the rest of the day, so I’ll keep an eye out for trouble.”

“No diva client today?”

“She canceled. Besides, I want to hunt for the Listers’ RSVP.”

We hugged, and Maggie opened the front door. Then at the threshold, she turned and titled her head at me.

“A sorceress?”

I smiled. “Yep.”

“You do know the most interesting people.”

I watched her cross the yard to her own back door, bracing for the mound of guilt that should heap on my head at any moment. Yes, I’d hated ducking her questions about potential danger, but, really, what did I know for certain about Starrack? Not very frickin’ much, because why would he go after the homeless couple with Maggie and Neil at home and handy? Wouldn’t they have been easier targets?

Sure they would have been, if Starrack was watching me. And he had to have been spying on me last night to connect me with the homeless couple. A realization that made my stomach clench so hard, I was glad I hadn’t had my daily shot of Starbloods yet.

As little sleep as I’d had, I should’ve been a zombie. I wasn’t. The odd, cooling energy that had infused me an hour ago still flowed like a river current, strong and steady. The sensation puzzled me, but I’d examine it later.

I couldn’t talk to Saber right now, but I could take control of my next steps. Change out of the terry cover-up, place calls, and make lists.

Minutes later, wearing shorts and a bra-top cami, I grabbed a note pad and pen from my desk, the cordless phone from the coffee table, and marched into the kitchen. Snowball crept from her carrier and meowed at her empty bowl.

Okay, one detour to feed the cat. Then another when I smelled something funky in the laundry room. Snowball’s doing? No. I sniffed the air and wrinkled my nose at the faint odor of eau de mildew. Damn. With Saber living here, it seemed I always had clothes and sheets and towels to wash. I must’ve run a load that never made it to the dryer. I opened the washer lid to confirm my suspicion. Geez, how many days had this load languished in laundry limbo? If I couldn’t recall, it was too long.

Well, hell. A woman who couldn’t do her laundry from start to finish couldn’t kick butt. I would not be that woman.

I set the washer to run through another entire cycle, and set the egg timer so I wouldn’t forget again.

My next order of business, phone Lia about increasing the protection spells, and hope the wards didn’t block the call.

She answered on the second ring, and I launched into my questions.

“Have you talked with Saber or Triton today?”

“Cesca. You are awake.”

“Lia, the guys. Have to talked to them?”

“Twice. We found a strong trace of Starrack this morning, and I called Saber with the location at nine thirty.”

“The bodies at the Alligator Farm.”

“Yes, Saber called back to confirm that, but how did you—” I felt Lia in my head, seeing my thoughts. “Oh, Cesca, I’m sorry.”

“Your spell didn’t show Starrack at my cottage?”

“Merde, no. I would have alerted Saber immediately.”

I bit back a sigh and forged on. “Listen, Lia, I don’t know what else you have in your magical arsenal but I need it. Can you lay a mondo protection spell on Maggie and Neil?”

“And on your neighbors and friends. I’ll start right away, and Cosmil will help. We’ve already covered Lynn’s foster mother and roommates. And all of us, of course.”

“How is Lynn?”

“She could rest more, but she is well enough.”

“Well enough to move her if we can find a safe place?”

“I believe so.”

“Then I’ll talk with the guys. Keep the locator spell running.”

“Done. We must also continue training tonight.”

“I’ll be there after my ghost tour. And, Lia, we need that sketch of Starrack pronto.”

“You’ll have it.”

I broke the connection and tapped my pen on the pad while I organized my thoughts. Jim Balch’s questions had crystallized how lost we were when it came to Starrack. We didn’t know what motivated him, where he was hiding, or what he might do next. So what facts did we have?

First, the Void was real. A thought form brought to a zombielike state of being, according to Cosmil. Whether the oily fog was the Void itself or its residue, it was terrifyingly tangible.

Second, Cosmil was 99 percent certain that Starrack had created the Void. Why he’d done it, what he was accomplishing, those details were blank.

Third, Starrack was spying on me—maybe on all of us—and he was nipping at our heels. Cosmil had been injured in the Veil. Triton had been assaulted at his apartment. Lynn had taken ill after she’d hooked up with Triton. And now four humans were dead for no good reason.