“Of course,” Veronique said quickly, as if trying to assuage the vampire.
“Tell me, have you caught the serial killer we’ve been hearing about?” he asked.
“No. Not yet,” Veronique said. “Have you heard anything, Vlad?”
The vampire took a long drink from his chalice, the whole while monitoring Jess. That made Britt’s green-eyed monster get twitchy. Jess must’ve sensed his mood, because she took hold of his hand under the table.
“No, but I have feelers out. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know,” Vlad said, rising from the table.
“Thank you very much,” she said, more formally than Britt expected.
Vlad bowed slightly toward Veronique then let his gaze scrape across Jess once more before he left them.
“He couldn’t take his eyes off you, Jess,” Britt said. “Are you sure you trust him, Veronique?”
“He is a bit of a Lothario,” Veronique said.
Britt watched him across the room. Vlad was now flanked by two beautiful ladies and wasn’t paying any attention to Jess anymore. “That vamp had better not make any wrong moves,” Britt said, unable to keep the suspicion out of his words.
Veronique looked instantly alarmed. “Nothing can happen to Vlad, do you understand me? He is the linchpin in our peace treaty. He is a very important vampire around here.”
“He certainly seemed sure of himself,” Jess said. “Arrogant and rich.”
A server approached, a human one. The second the man placed the mugs in front of Britt and Veronique, Britt grabbed his and guzzled half of it before coming up for air.
“Whoa,” Veronique said. “You’re even thirstier than I am.” She took a long drink and set her mug down.
Britt didn’t trust Vlad or any other of these so-called members of the peace treaty between vampires and humans. He’d seen some of the older vampires in New York. Hell! He’d helped a sketchy member of the Fallen partially cure three master vampires. Those vamps were not the peacekeeping sort, no matter how hard they tried to project that image. They honored one person, and one person only—themselves. Hopefully, Veronique wasn’t easily fooled.
“I’d like to hear more about this peace treaty,” Jess said. “If you can share the information without breaking any rules, that is.”
Veronique looked appreciative at Jess’s patience. Britt had always admired the way Jess could instill confidence in the person she was working for information. Veronique was no different than anyone else.
“I’ll make inquiries,” she said.
“Thank you.” Jess turned her gaze back to the other side of the room where Vlad was watching them again. “Hasn’t our friend over there ever met a female cop?”
“I’m sure you’re quite a unique individual to him and to the hierarchy. They’d probably like to know more about you.”
Britt didn’t like the sound of that. Nor the reference to the hierarchy.
“Why’d you bring us to this pub?” He noted that Jess’s head had snapped around at his comment. Vampire or not, she was usually much more diplomatic than he’d ever be.
Veronique glanced quickly over both shoulders before she spoke. Maybe she didn’t exactly trust the resonant hum, or she worried about lip readers. It wasn’t as if she’d told them anything ground-breaking yet.
“I’m sure you know there are worse things than vampires threatening the city right now.”
“Such as?” he asked.
She took another sip of beer, likely to give herself a moment to think about her answer. Didn’t most French people drink wine? Wine was being served pretty liberally here. He glanced around at all the vampires in the room. Maybe it wasn’t wine. He shuddered.
“Don’t play games with me, Brittain. You both know what I’m talking about. I have it on good authority that you’ve both been attacked by shadows while in Paris. What I’m wondering now is, why you haven’t come to me with that information?”
Jess suddenly looked more ticked than diplomatic.
Veronique missed Jess’s expression. Her mistake.
“So why haven’t you reported the incidents?” she continued. “You’re cops. You know how important it is to keep your own city safe. Why haven’t you at least afforded me the same courtesy?”
Her last words sounded rather desperate. But hell, given what they’d seen of the shadows, he didn’t blame her.
“We haven’t reported them because we don’t know what they are. We were trying to figure it out first,” Jess said.
“There have been several attacks on citizens. Even the vampires seem to be spooked by these things,” Veronique said, her features suddenly looking haunted.
“You say humans have been attacked?” he said. Odd. He remembered that human walking right through them, coming out the other end unaffected.
“Yes, we’ve had a rash of people exhibiting psychotic behavior. Most have been admitted to the hospital, but even in their state, they seem to have lucid moments when they rant about the shadows.”
Britt’s hands went numb from fisting them so tightly. “I don’t like the sound of that,” he said. “Have any of the affected people been helped by doctors? I mean, have any of them been released from the hospital?”
Veronique lowered her head and studied her hands folded in front of her. “None. They’re getting worse, in fact. Most of them are in padded rooms.”
“Jesus!”
“I agree,” Veronique said. “And you? You’re being very quiet, Jess. You know something, don’t you? This is why your brother is here, isn’t it? There have been rumors that the church is involved in all of this, somehow.”
Jess remained silent in a way only a beautiful vampire cop could be. Britt’s neck muscles tightened and he closed his eyes. Images of possessed and psychotic Parisians flooding the streets struck fear in his heart, especially since he’d been on the receiving end of what those creatures could do.
How the hell were they going to stop shadows?
Chapter Fifteen
THE AIR IN THE bar seemed to have thickened. It was getting hard to breathe. “I need some air,” Jess said, pushing out of her seat and leaving Veronique and Britt staring after her.
Imagine Veronique actually expecting her to explain Regent’s reasons for being here. In New York, she and Veronique had become friendly, but Veronique’s attempt to gain information about Regent had reinforced Jess’s reasons for not trusting most humans. And she was deeply disappointed in Veronique.
They were on the same goddamn side. Didn’t she realize that? Or did she see Jess as another freaking vampire to squeeze information out of? Is that what Vlad was to her?
Jess waited outside for Britt. The air was sultry tonight with a sliver of the moon hanging in the sky. Sometimes sultry wasn’t a good thing, since odors here on the streets were far from enticing.
It had been bad enough that several vampires inside had been staring at her. But Veronique pushed her too far. She’d had enough of the French police and their nonsense.
One thing she knew—there was more to that vampire named Vlad than met the eye. Maybe Veronique wasn’t who Jess thought she was, either?
Britt stepped outside seconds behind her. “Hey babe. What’s up?”
“I just got tired of the bullshit,” she said, then started walking. Britt followed.
“I know. Sometimes it’s the game we play as a cop, though.”
“I don’t like it. If Veronique wants to find out what we know, she’s chosen the wrong way to go about it. Bringing us to a bar where vampires and humans intermingle was a thinly veiled attempt to warn us not to get heavy-handed with their pact members.”
Britt stopped near the street corner. “Have you considered she might be stuck between us and the vamps, and maybe even their so-called hierarchy?”
&nbs
p; Jess stared at the cobblestones. “I hope you’re right. I thought she and I had an understanding. But her actions tonight disproved that.”
“I have the feeling she wasn’t supposed to tell us about the treaty. Did you see the vampires’ expressions when we entered the bar? There was definitely some animosity and distrust there. When I left, Vlad had her in the corner and it looked like he was reaming her out.”
“Good,” Jess said.
“Good?”
She rammed her hands into her pockets. “I hate this.”
“Me too. But I’ve learned one thing—I think we need to find out more about this pact before we fight any more Parisian vampires.”
“I’m more concerned with her questions about the church’s involvement,” Jess said. “I think we should warn Regent that the police are digging for information. He said their work was top secret.”
Britt snagged her hand and held it while they crossed the street. It wasn’t something she’d allow in New York—she had a reputation to uphold—but here, she could be a little less bad ass once in a while. She needed his touch right now.
“Regent’s not going to like hearing that Veronique knows about the church’s involvement,” he said.
“We’ll have to give him a heads-up.”
As if Britt understood that she needed to let off some steam, he allowed her to set the pace as they meandered toward their apartment and to Jess’s detested bedroom. It seemed they could saunter the streets of Paris every night and still find new sections they hadn’t seen before. Not everything was dark in Paris. It was a city of lights, and its beauty sometimes astounded even Jess.
As they neared the more popular tourist area of the city, Jess wriggled her fingers out of his. “I’m worried about something else,” she said, walking a few steps ahead of him now and pretending to be interested in the window displays.
“Morana?”
“That’s right.”
“Why don’t we go back to LaCave to see her? Maybe she feels guilty for running off, though I doubt it,” Britt said.
“That’s better than returning to that horrible apartment,” Jess said. “I wish I’d seen it before we moved in.” But then Jess’s gut squirmed at the thought of coming face-to-face with Morana again, too. Still, she might as well get it over with.
Pebbles rattled on the cobblestone behind them, along with a soft footfall. Britt’s body language told her he was well aware of their tail, so Jess didn’t bother saying anything. Instead, she managed a surreptitious glance back.
“It’s one of Veronique’s officers,” she said in a whisper. “I saw him at the precinct.”
“Why would she put a tail on us?” Britt’s shoulders were taut, and for a moment, she was afraid he’d stop and confront the man.
“Ignore him. We have nothing to hide from the French police.”
They entered the tunnel and made their way to the club, which was in full swing, as usual. Music boomed and people’s voices echoed inside the underground chamber to the point that it was nearly unbearable for Jess’s ultra-fine hearing. She spotted Morana and Diesel working the bar with only three other humans tonight.
It was clear that Morana had spotted Jess the minute she stepped inside the cavern. And if her expression said anything, it was that she didn’t care that she’d left Jess to die at the hands of the shadows.
Jess reached into her pocket and touched the VNA kit Sampson had given her. There was one thing she would do tonight—she’d get the material for Sampson to ascertain once and forever if she and this vamp were related. That way, she could appease Regent and forget about Morana Longina.
Deep down, that uncomfortable sensation in her stomach hit again. If she and Morana were of the same flesh and blood, Jess would have to come to terms with it, and try to accept her for Regent’s sake. But she didn’t have to like her.
Morana quickly whispered something to Diesel when they approached the bar. Diesel searched out Jess, then shook his head at Morana. When Morana started to leave the bar, he grabbed her arm, but she yanked herself free away and spat something angry at him. Jess would have been able to hear what she’d said, if the music hadn’t been so damn loud.
Morana stared at Jess, then tipped her head toward a tunnel leading away from the din.
“Want to go alone?” Britt asked.
Jess could have kissed him for that. In fact, she did. He turned the kiss into a deep, telling one. By the time she pulled herself away from him, Morana was glaring at her from the tunnel opening with her fingers drumming on the cave wall.
Jess hadn’t considered until now that Morana might be jealous of her relationship with a man who honestly loved her.
“Thanks Britt, I’ll be right back,” she said.
Britt winked at her before he made his way toward Diesel. He’d seen the argument with Morana, and he’d undoubtedly want to question him about it while Morana was out of the way.
Morana stepped deeper into the tunnel. Whatever her motives tonight, Jess knew she wasn’t likely to apologize. Judging by her expression, she was pissed that Jess had shown up here tonight, instead of being relieved she was alive.
Moving a few feet down the dark tunnel to a point where only vampires could see each other clearly, Morana waited with her feet positioned in a fighting stance. Her eyes were angry slits and her eyeteeth jutted over her lower lip.
Jess stopped advancing and held up her hands to slow down the unwarranted situation. She wasn’t going to kick Morana’s ass for running, nor call her a coward—because she didn’t care. Morana was a vampire and a stranger who meant nothing to her.
“What’s going on?” Jess asked, suddenly feeling as if she’d dressed down for the occasion.
“Why are you here?” Morana asked, not making eye contact. Her multi-layered blue-tipped hair matched the powder-blue mini-dress and 60s-styled go-go boots she wore. Her hoop earrings were as big as dinner plates. And her lipstick was nearly white, as was her eye shadow, which topped triple thick false eyelashes.
“It’s not the end of the world that you ran away,” Jess said.
Morana’s expression turned caustic. “Is that so? Who gives you the right to judge me, one way or another? I don’t care what you think!”
She’d try another approach. “Okay, why’d you run, then?”
“Not everyone has someone they can trust in a difficult situation. If I don’t protect myself, no one else is going to help me,” she said in a way that made Jess feel almost guilty about having backup, while Morana had no one.
Jess had the baby brother who loved her, and that love had been strong enough to have saved her partial soul. She also had the handsome cop-slash-man-of-her-dreams. In contrast, Morana hadn’t fared quite as well. And she most likely resented Jess because of it.
“Like I said, what happened with that shadow was serious. You were right to get the hell out of there. If you’d stayed, you might not have made it.”
Morana’s eyes narrowed even more, as if Jess had just insulted her. “How did you survive the attack?”
“By the skin of my fangs,” she said. “It was touch and go for a while. Those damned creatures are deadly to everyone, vampires included. Do you have any idea where they’re coming from?”
“No idea at all.”
“Britt and I have seen more of them recently. They seem to be growing in numbers.”
“What are they?”
“Wish I knew,” Jess said. “But, for now, we should probably avoid them whenever possible.”
“That’s one thing we can agree on,” Morana said cynically.
Jess nodded. “Changing the subject, I would still like you to do the VNA check, if you’re still willing.”
Morana’s shoulders actually slumped, and she let out an exasperated sigh as she leaned against the cave
wall. A low-grade creaking sound echoed through the chamber as a truck moved on the street overhead.
“It doesn’t matter to me, one way or another,” she said. “If you feel you must, go ahead and do it.”
“Great.” Not waiting for Morana to change her mind, Jess whipped out the kit and took a saliva sample then shoved it into her pocket. “Thanks for this,” she said.
Morana grunted. “Now go away, and leave me alone.”
Jess left her without another word and returned to the bar where Britt was still questioning Diesel, who didn’t look happy about it. Diesel’s gaze kept flicking to the tunnel opening, no doubt hoping Morana would come back and rescue him.
Jess approached and sat on the stool next to Britt while Diesel wiped the area in front of her. “Get you something?”
“Do you have O positive?” Jess asked, thinking she was making a sick joke. This was a human bar after all. Diesel turned away from her, grabbed a glass and went to the cave wall where he poured her a glass and returned with it.
“Twenty euros,” he said.
She gaped at the glass. She was actually thirsty. “Has anyone died in the making of this beverage?” she asked.
“Who are you, frigging Mother Theresa with fangs?”
“No need to be sarcastic to customers,” Morana said, stepping behind the bar and extending a quick, meaningless smile to Jess. “No one has been hurt. As distasteful as it is, we buy our product from blood banks.”
Britt leaned over and peered into her glass. “How do you get away with this? Doesn’t anyone notice? I mean the human patrons?”
“We don’t get that many vampires in here, so it’s not an issue,” Morana said, flicking a nervous glance at someone over Jess’s shoulder.
Jess looked around for what Morana had seen.
Vlad, the vampire from the pub, was speaking with a patron on the far side of the room. Jess nudged Britt and he glanced back too.
“Who’s he, then?” Jess asked Morana, feigning ignorance.
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