La Vida Vampire

“Geez, who would do that?” I said, shaking my head. “None of this makes sense.”


“Ms. Marinelli,” Officer Michaels said, “Special Investigator Saber went over Gorman’s behavior at Wal-Mart. Is there any way he could’ve been breaking into the building?”

I shrugged. “I doubt it. If he did get in, he’d have to have a code for the elevator to go to the penthouse level, and a key to the condo door. Unless he had a battering ram handy.”

The youngish officer cocked his head. “Did you say anything about going out? Could he have been waiting for you?”

“No. The only reason I was downstairs at all was because I forgot to pick up my mail. Like I said, it makes no sense.”

“Tell me about it,” March said dryly. “Look, you and Saber go back to your place. He’ll bring you to the station to see the sketch artist at eight, then maybe you can both get some sleep.”

I glanced at Saber, and it hit me that, with Gorman no longer a threat, he didn’t have to bodyguard me. Did I want to bring that up? I sighed. No.

Being rid of Saber might make me pheromone-free, but I was too tired, too stressed, and too confused to rock the boat—

leaky as it was. If I felt that way, Saber and March had to be dead on their feet. Sometimes you just have to go with the afterlife flow.



Cosmil stood in the perfect circle of trees. Above his open, outstretched hands, a glass sphere so ancient its origins were lost in time hovered in the air. At his feet, Earth pulsed her ancient rhythm into his body. The change was complete. Triton was man again this night, this moment. The sphere captured his long stride from the waves and up the beach to his home, where jagged coastal hills loomed in the background. The sphere kept Triton ’s image sharp as he showered and dressed, then crossed to the luggage open on the bed. Atop precisely folded clothing lay a brochure and an airline ticket. The brochure read Anastasia Isle Antiques—the St. Augustine business Triton had purchased with spacious living quarters on the second floor. Cosmil knew Triton would change the store name and would ship many artifacts from his West Coast store to the new one. How long Triton would continue to operate the shop once he was fully empowered was a question for the future.

The airline ticket was dated Wednesday next. The day most conducive to Cosmil shielding Triton ’s movement and the ripples it would send into the magical world.

Cosmil sent a small effort of will into the sphere, and Triton moved to a salvaged captain ’s desk where a contract of sale awaited his signature. Pink Sign Here tabs fanned down the sides of the pages. A fanciful pen in the shape of a mermaid and a gold dolphin charm rested on the scarred wood of the desk. Triton hesitated, then pocketed the charm and signed and initialed the papers.

And it harmed none, Cosmil had seen the completion of a phase of Triton ’s business affairs. The sphere lowered slowly into his hands, and he wrapped it in fine brocade shot with silver thread. As he stooped to gently set the sphere in its carved olive wood case, Pandora trotted into the clearing.

Blood. Cosmil smelled blood.

The vampire killer was set upon and wounded.

“By whom? The investigator?”

Pandora sat and licked a massive paw. I did not see the attack, but it was not him I scented. Only the blood.

“And Francesca?”

Safe. Pandora cocked her head at the olive wood case. Was the identity of The Void revealed?

“No, but Triton returned from the sea and will be home soon.”

Get him here safely, Old Wizard. The stench of blood and danger grow stronger.





FOURTEEN


I didn’t know how much time it would take Saber to shower, shave, clean his gun, or whatever else he did in the morning, so I pounded on Maggie’s suite door at seven fifteen Saturday.