True Mate

by Patricia Logan

  She glanced down, and I noticed the way she shuffled her feet.

  “Sally, what happened to Roy Willis?” I pressed.

  She sighed and looked back up. “He had a confrontation with Floyd Reardon when he told him he couldn’t keep throwing troublemakers out of the bar. There were always fights, so one night when Roy had enough, he called Floyd and told him that he had one last chance to get things under control or he was going to shut down the saloon.”

  “And…”

  “And then the next day things changed at the saloon. Greg Brown was made bartender and manager rather than just the kitchen help, and Floyd’s friends—the troublemakers—calmed down. It wasn’t until two days later that I received a letter from Roy saying he was tired of Prosper Woods life and was moving on. In the letter he wished me luck and said he hoped Mayor Farrell would find us a replacement soon. That’s about all.”

  “And now we have a body in an old mine shaft,” I concluded.

  “Yes.”

  We started walking to the station. “You said the remains are skeletal?”

  “From what the kids told me over the phone, the skeleton was wearing his uniform, gun and all,” Sally said. “One of the kids is Brady Eubanks and is the son of Jedediah, our mailman. The other one is Tico Mendez, the brother of Ricky Mendez who’s the town mechanic. They’re both thirteen and really good boys who stay out of trouble.”

  “They’re still out there at the mine?” I asked.

  Sally didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she opened the door to the station and we both walked in. Precious was sitting behind her desk, drinking from a tall paper coffee cup with the Todd’s Hash House logo circling it. She looked up at us, her young face more serious than I’d ever seen it. She was usually all smiles and full of welcoming energy.

  “Brady and Tico are waiting for you two at the mine. Dave is with them and they’re pretty shook up,” Precious said. That answered that question.

  “Let me grab a couple of radios, and then we’ll be off,” Sally said. She walked down the hall, and I turned to look back at Precious.

  “Do you know how far the mine is from here?” I asked her.

  “It’s the old Hawk Hills mine which is about four miles from here—give or take,” she replied.

  “What kind of mine is it?” I asked, curiously.

  “Gold,” Precious replied, “but the mine was played out decades ago. The owners boarded it up, but you know kids. If they’re determined to get in, they will.”

  I nodded, impressed with Precious. She couldn’t be more than a decade older than those teens, but she was world wise and mature for a girl of her age, regardless of the outfits she wore. I heard a noise and looked up to see Sally coming back down the hall holding two large two-way radios in one hand and a pack slung over the opposite shoulder. She stopped in front of me and handed me one of the radios.

  “Does Dave have a radio?”

  Sally nodded. “Yeah, that’s why I wanted these. Depending on how deep in the mine the remains were found, we could lose reception with cell phones.” She held up the radio and wiggled it. “Thus, the alternative.”

  I squeezed her shoulder. “Good thinking.” I reached for the pack she’d slung over her shoulder. It looked heavy. “Let me carry that for you.”

  “Okay.” She swung the pack off her shoulder and then handed it to me, blowing out a relieved breath. I’d been right. The thing weighed a good thirty pounds; I slung it over my shoulder.

  “What do you have in here? Rocks?” I chuckled.

  She smiled, then turned back to Precious. “We’ll be back.”

  We walked to the door, and she pointed to the pack once we were outside. “There’s water, an evidence collection kit, and a Geiger counter in there. That’s why it’s heavy.”

  I lifted my brows as we stopped on the sidewalk in front of the station. She pointed to her cruiser, but I shook my head. “We’ll take my truck this time. Just give me directions.”

  Sally shrugged. “Okay, Sheriff Harmon. That’s your call.”

  We got into the truck after I placed the heavy pack in the truck bed. I started the engine, and Sally pointed me in the direction of the bed-and-breakfast on the east edge of town. “So, what do we need a Geiger counter for?” I asked. “Precious said it was a gold mine.”

  “She was wrong. That’s what we tell people because we don’t want to scare folks into getting curious about it, but the Hawk Hills mine isn’t gold. It’s a uranium mine,” Sally said, frowning deeply.

  “Oh,” I said, sighing. “Okay, then.” I started the engine and pulled out of the parking space, following the road out of town, passing the bed-and-breakfast. I noted the look of the place which mimicked the aura of small town Prosper Woods. It was an old two-story house with a gable roof and dormer windows on the top floor and two large bay windows downstairs. The whole thing was painted a pale green with scalloped white trim, making it look like a gingerbread house.

  Terracotta pots with bright pink and red geraniums were strategically placed on the wide porch which included lots of rocking chairs and bistro tables for relaxing and outdoor dining. Purple wisteria hung down from the porch awning.

  The Prosper Woods B&B looked very inviting, and I bet it would photograph beautifully for a destination website. If the pictures of the interior were as nice as the outside façade, and I was booking a vacation in a small town, I’d choose the place in a heartbeat. I really hoped it would attract tourists. Then again, I had an ulterior motive for wanting the inn to succeed, since Vincent’s antique shop would do well with the touristy crowd. I almost smiled as I thought of my lover but instead, I remembered that I’d meant to bring up the topic of shifters and other paranormals with Sally. I cleared my throat.

  “Before we get out to the mine, I have to tell you something and I want you to be completely honest with me. Okay, Sally?” I glanced at her, seated in the passenger seat.

  She glanced back and frowned slightly just before giving me a sharp nod.

  “Sure, Sheriff. Whatever you want.”

  I cleared my throat again. “Do you remember when I asked you about whether you believed in paranormal beings?”

  “Yeah,” she said as I focused my stare on the road.

  “Well, you know in the TV shows and movies how there are some kinds of paranormal beings that can smell when there’s another one around?”

  “Sheriff, if you’re trying to tell me that you’re a shifter, I already know that,” Sally said.

  My heart sped up as I turned to stare at her in complete shock.

  She smiled back at me and pointed out the windshield.

  “Watch the road, shifter.” She chuckled like it was all super funny.

  I turned back to the road feeling like I was dreaming this conversation. I’d somehow known about her but having it spoken out loud was so weird. I swallowed before my next sentence.

  “So…what are you?”

  Sally chuckled, and I glanced over at her, a little uncertain about what she found so hilarious about this conversation.

  “What’s funny?” I asked.

  “You’re gonna crash the car, Sheriff,” she said, pointing out the windshield with a smirk on her face.

  I growled before shifting my eyes back to the road. “Well…what are y—”

  “I’m a hedgehog,” she said, this time with pure mirth in her voice.

  Chapter Two

  Prosper Woods Chronicle. Letters to the editor:

  “I went to pick up my truck from Nick’s…that mechanic shop in town, and I was surprised to see cockroaches rotatin’ my tires. Now, I ain’t a fella to complain…‘specially when the work’s damn good, but really…it makes me reconsider how I feel about vermin.” Signed, “Exterminatin’ ain’t fun no more.”

  Vincent

  About four o’clock in the afternoon, my phone rang, and I fumbled for it in the darkness. The bright LED screen lit up my basement bedroom and I immediately recognized Scott Templeton’s numbe
r in Caller ID. I sighed, swiping the screen and putting it to my ear to talk to my store manager.

  “Vincent.” My throat was scratchy from sleep. “What’s up, Scott?”

  “I am so sorry to bother you, Mr. Lasco. I know the rules about calling you during the day, but I have a pressing concern that just couldn’t wait.”

  I cleared my throat again, sitting up in bed and letting the sheets fall away from my nude body which still smelled like Romeo and our marathon lovemaking session the night before.

  “It’s fine. What can I help you with?”

  “You wanted us to unpack several boxes of old books today and we’ve done just that. I figured you must have some sort of price list and I meant to ask you about it when I saw you this evening. Obviously, I don’t want to underprice anything. Anyway, I digress.”

  “It’s fine, Scott. Go on. What can I do to handle your pressing concern that can’t wait a few hours?”

  He cleared his throat. “Oh…yes…well, a few of the town’s tourists stopped by the store. One gentleman in particular wants to purchase several leather-bound books of the finest quality. I just don’t know what price to put on them, and I don’t want to deprive you of the sale because of my lack of knowledge.”

  I frowned, trying to think of which books he was referring to. When it dawned on me, I felt my stomach cramp.

  “Hang on a minute, Scott. Are the books you’re referring to, a set of eight volumes bound in brown leather with red lettering and gold leaf on the spine?” I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering how my personal belongings had been loaded into the moving truck meant for the store and not my house. Come to think of it, I hadn’t even looked at the books my contractor, Lydia, had neatly lined up in the bookshelf in the master bedroom upstairs.

  “Yes, sir. Those are the exact volumes he wants to p—”

  “That’s a mistake!” I practically shouted into the phone, cutting him off. How in everything unholy had Robert’s books gotten mixed in with the store goods? Much less, everything else packed in that moving box. “Those aren’t for sale. In fact, nothing in that box is for sale, Scott. I’m sorry. I’ll be right there.”

  “Y-yes, sir. I’ll be here but based on the way this gentleman is frowning, you’ll need to talk to him if I don’t sell these to him,” Scott said. He sounded nervous.

  “I’m on my way.” I disconnected my phone and instantly flashed into the bathroom, showered off in less than a minute and was dried off, dressed, and out the door in less than three. I forced myself to climb into the Civic for the one-mile drive into town even though I knew I could easily make it there faster on foot using vampire speed. Over the centuries I had trained myself to remain as incognito as possible especially when in new and unfamiliar surroundings. Blurring into town faster than a car probably wouldn’t be a good idea if I was going to keep up appearances.

  If the truth be told, I wasn’t so sure that humans outnumbered paranormal creatures in Prosper Woods, California. I certainly hadn’t met many…then again, I hadn’t had a lot of contact with many of the residents at all since I mostly came out at night. The sky was sinking on the horizon, losing some of its ability to fatigue me, as I parked in front of the antique store and got out. The Rolls Royce already parked in front of the store was a bit of a surprise to me. I looked it over as I locked my car door and as I turned to the store, I caught a distinct whiff of something familiar on the air. Instantly my hackles went up when I realized what the scent was.

  Vampire…no…more than one…there were multiple vampires here.

  The door to my shop was closed and as I walked toward it and reached out for the doorhandle, my entire body began to thrum with a feeling I hadn’t had in centuries. I knew these vampires and they were very old, older than even I was. That explained their ability to travel in the Rolls Royce in daylight, though, I had noticed one shaded pod in the backseat. It resembled an upright coffin, and I knew they were common in vehicles transporting younger vamps. Moreover, it explained the dread that suddenly coursed through my body.

  I stepped inside the store and my stomach turned over as I spotted the three vampires standing beside Scott at the counter. They had already turned and all three were regarding me with smug smiles…smiles showing fangs. I felt my stomach lurch just a little as I lifted my face and took a deep breath. Scenting only Scott’s utter terror and no other humans in the vicinity, I was only slightly relieved. My other employee, the bookish high schooler, Bryce Adams, wasn’t present and since there was no scent of blood on the air, I knew Scott was the only one in the store at peril.

  “M-Mr. Lasco…” Scott began.

  I raised a hand to silence him just as Justine flashed in front of him. Her hand shot out and circled Scott’s neck, baring her fangs as she hissed loudly.

  “Stop!” I shouted, and she halted only millimeters from his neck before turning to glare at me. I could smell as well as hear Scott’s blood coursing through the juicy carotid artery in his neck. His heart pounded in his chest.

  I looked him straight in the eye. “Scott, don’t speak,” I said quietly, as though gentling an animal. He didn’t move, frozen in horror—most likely from the strength of Justine’s one-handed grip on him. She had been a French heiress when she’d been turned in the fifth century.

  Justine Ferrand had the breeding, beauty, and hubris that was commonplace to all aristocracy in my experience. Just because she was a vampire didn’t mean her personality had changed from that which she’d had in life. Legend had it that she’d been made vampire by a stunning young sojourner she’d set her sights on. Her human life had ended many centuries before my own transformation in 1304, thus, I hadn’t known her as human, but I’d known many others like her. She would have been a royal bitch then and was definitely a royal bitch now…one with inch long razor-sharp fangs capable of tearing a human throat out.

  Sergio, the tallest vampire in the room, raised a manicured hand, turning half toward Justine and Scott but keeping his eyes on me.

  “Down, girl,” Sergio said, sounding bored. He smirked, showing off fangs longer than my own and just as dangerous. “We shouldn’t go around killing blood bags on a whim, now, should we?” He chuckled and the evil sound crawled over my skin like a midnight wave of black sludge. I’d always hated Sergio Serrano, who’d been a farmer as human. Rumor had it, he’d been turned by a vampire just passing through a village in the lands now known as Spain and part of the then Roman Empire at the turn of the first century.

  Sergio had a huge build, massively muscled with deeply tanned features and black hair, and I had always been certain he could have only survived to adulthood if his genes had been strong. Poor farmers in the first century looked for females primarily as strong breeding stock since the death rate in infancy and even older childhood was astronomical. For Sergio to have survived at all would have been a near miracle. To have survived the change to vampire and subsequent abandonment of his maker as rumor had it, was in truth a miracle.

  I shook myself out of my reverie as Justine let go of Scott’s neck with a loud sigh. Scott stumbled back against the glass case where antique watches and other jewelry were displayed and then slowly sank to the floor, holding onto his bruised neck, and staring at me in horror. I knew if we survived the next few moments, I would have to wipe his memory, and I cursed the arrival of the three vampires in front of me. I turned to the third vampire whom I didn’t recognize.

  “Who are you?”

  He stepped forward and held out a slender hand, wearing a cocky grin. He had on blue jeans—not unlike his two counterparts—and a red polo shirt open at the neck where a light dusting of golden hair poked out. The curly hair on top of his head was also blond and if I had to class him as anything on the current gay scene, the word twink came to mind. I flashed up to him and took his hand. He licked his lips and moaned as soon as we touched. If I’d been anywhere else, into fucking vampires, and ready to spend one more second with more of my kind, I might have taken him up on what he so wanted
to do to me…before Romeo, of course.

  “Harvey… Harvey Miller,” the blond beauty purred. “You must be Vincent. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Blue eyes swept up and down my body as he held onto my hand, clearly reluctant to let go.

  I wasn’t so inclined and pulled out of his grip even though he tried to tighten his. I could already tell he was much younger than I was, American from the Midwest, and if I had to venture a guess, turned in the twentieth century judging by his name, though, names were never the best way to tell. The pod in the back of the Rolls had to be his.

  “1950,” Harvey said, reading my mind. “My human life ended in 1950 and since I love older men, I’m so happy to meet you, Vincent.” He lifted both arms and tried to circle my neck.

  I stepped back, not interested in engaging with this beautiful boy who had probably been in his early twenties when turned, not much younger than I’d been. I could smell his arousal which practically leaked from every pore. He dropped his arms and stuck out his pink lower lip in a pout as he moaned again, batting his eyelashes at me. “I heard you’re a Viking.”

  I snorted. “A knight of the realm but that doesn’t matter,” I said flippantly. Ignoring him further, I turned to Sergio, the oldest and most deadly vampire among the three in my store. “What do you want here, Sergio?”

  “I want Robert’s books, of course. You should know that, Vincent,” Sergio replied. His deep voice purred with a slight Western European lilt which would have sent a ripple of lust down my spine if he’d been anyone other than who he was. “I’ve wanted them for centuries, and Robert had no rights to them.”

  “I’ve told you before, you will never have them. My maker had those tomes before I was alive and before he met the true death, we took them with us wherever we went. They belonged to him and since I am his only living progeny, they are by law, mine. You will never have them,” I repeated.

  Sergio flashed in front of me, causing Harvey to stumble backward away from us as he took his place. He was almost as tall as Romeo, and when he glared down at me, the fire in his evil eyes practically shot sparks. I knew if he wanted to, he could have ended my life at that moment. The only thing stopping him was his fear of the Conclave of Eight who ruled the vampire world. The eight oldest vampires on earth resided in a Siberian castle and it would take them days to make the journey to Prosper Woods, California, but make it they would when word got back to them that vampire laws had been broken.