Embraced by Blood

by Laurie London

  Lily looked down at her fists, her nails digging into the palms of her hands, the sharp points of pain mirroring the anger boiling inside. Francesca. Gone.

  Her knuckles were white and desperately needed to connect with something.

  I’m gonna fry those bastards. Hunt them down, and pay them back for what they did to her.

  Alfonso took her fist, peeled it open and laced his fingers with hers. His warm energy filtered up her arm into her body. It reminded her that she wasn’t alone—he was with her—and together, they’d find out who was responsible. The anger wasn’t gone, nor was the need for retribution, but it did infuse her with a sense of quiet calmness that made her feel even stronger and more capable.

  “Francesca was a good friend of mine,” she whispered to him.

  “I’m sorry,” he mouthed. “We’ll find those responsible. I promise.”

  “We’ve got a team there now,” Dom continued, “but they’re having trouble picking up even the primary scent markers. Jackson’s got them going floor by floor and condo by condo, but so far they’ve turned up nothing. In fact, they’re actually not sure if it’s one or two individuals. Before Agent Kerne left for the island, she went outside and tried to pick up the scent, but she wasn’t able to detect a thing.”

  That didn’t surprise Lily. Changelings’ senses weren’t as acute as a born vampire’s.

  “We’ll send out others at nightfall to see if they can pick up the trail, but they could really use you down there, Lily.”

  The knot in her throat turned into dread. She was going to have to come clean about her abilities. She couldn’t let them think she’d be able to waltz in and it’d be business as usual. If only she’d told Santiago the truth earlier, she wouldn’t be sitting here in a roomful of people who would soon know her secret. Despite how much she desperately wanted to keep this to herself, in good conscience, she couldn’t cover it up any longer.

  Not being forthcoming about it before had almost cost Kip his life. Although her abilities had improved enough to allow her to track him, she wasn’t sure if things were completely back to normal or not. However, losing their respect would be easier to live with than risking someone’s life again.

  “Listen.” She cleared her throat and tried to summon up the courage to tell them. Oh hell, just blurt it out. “You need to know that—”

  “The north side. That’s where your condo is located,” Alfonso said.

  For God’s sake, she hated being interrupted.

  She snapped her head in his direction, ready to rip him a new one, but when she saw the concerned look on his face, she hesitated.

  “Because you live there, you’d have an easier time distinguishing the scents that belong there from those that don’t,” Alfonso said, giving her a pointed look.

  He was protecting her, didn’t want her to say anything, and while she certainly appreciated that, she couldn’t lie any longer. Maybe he was so accustomed to covering things up, projecting a carefully crafted image, he couldn’t accept the fact that she actually wanted to come clean about this. That all this hiding and lying had been taking its toll on her. He was good at secrecy, but she wasn’t.

  She glanced at the other Guardians, some of whom she didn’t know well. Okay, maybe she wouldn’t air her dirty laundry in front of everyone. But as soon as the meeting was over, she’d tell Santiago. This had gone far enough.

  She squeezed his hand. It’s okay, she said with her eyes.

  He gave a slight nod, acknowledging her unspoken desire to get it out into the open, whether he understood her reasoning or not.

  “Dom, do you know what the intruder’s purpose was if he didn’t try to get into the field office?” Caleb asked.

  “Strangely enough,” Dom answered, “we’re not entirely sure whether he knew he was near the Seattle office or not since all those safeguards remained untouched. I know it’s unlikely, and yet we can’t discount that possibility. We need to consider everything at this point.”

  “Maybe they got spooked and aborted their plan,” Tambra said, repeating her theory since it hadn’t been addressed yet.

  Dom nodded. “That’s the more probable scenario. And yet, early evidence seems to indicate that the residential units may have been the target in the first place.”

  After the meeting concluded, Lily asked to have a word with Santiago and Dom. Alfonso started to leave, but she grabbed his hand. “I want you to stay, too.”

  Everyone filed out to start their preparations for leaving at dusk. When the door closed behind the last person, she cleared her throat and decided to just blurt it out. “For months now, my scent-tracking skills have been weakening. At first, I thought it was my imagination, that I might have a virus or something, but it was taking me longer and longer to track even the newest revert, and it’s gotten progressively worse. It took me longer to find Kip than it should have, and he may have been taken in the first place because I wasn’t able to detect that we were being followed. I should’ve said something sooner. That’s why I’m not sure I’ll be much help tonight down in Seattle. Are there any other Trackers you can pull in to help?”

  She stiffened her spine and prepared herself for their reactions, keeping her eyes unfocused as she stared at an old, faint water ring on the table. She worried they’d now start looking through her, not seek her out, or talk around her, like her father did, rather than to her. Maybe she was brave enough to finally tell them the truth, but she wasn’t brave enough to see it in their eyes.

  “Bullshit,” Santiago said. “You found that boy quicker than any one of us could.”

  “Only because Alfonso was helping me.”

  Alfonso held up his palms. “I did nothing. It was all her.”

  “Why didn’t you come to me when you first suspected this was going on?” Dom said through the speakerphone.

  “Because I love being an Agent and couldn’t bear the thought of not being one anymore.”

  “You mean, you’d quit? Wait. You thought we’d fire you?” Before she could answer, Santiago stormed over to the wet bar, poured himself a finger of Chivas and knocked it back in one swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing once. “Good God, if I develop cirrhosis of the liver or boils on my ass, I’m blaming it on all three of you.” He glared at Lily. “It pisses me off that you’d think I’d let you go just because you couldn’t track any longer. You’re an excellent Agent whether you’re tracking or not. And furthermore…”

  Dom coughed. She glanced at the monitor and saw him stifling a smile. He knew Santiago was about to launch into one of his famous speeches. They often joked that he’d been a football coach or motivational speaker in a former life.

  Santiago pointed a finger first at Lily, then at Alfonso. “You and you make a great team. I’ve said that all along. Why do you think I’ve been busting my ass like I have?”

  She glared at the monitor, but Dom’s face remained blank.

  “Listen,” Santiago continued. “We’re not always going to be at the top of our game, but that’s what a team is for. You complement each other’s strengths and shore up each other’s weaknesses and together you’ll go further than you would alone. All I ask, Lily, is that you do the best work you can do.”

  Yeah, and like a coach, he’d ride your ass if he thought you were slacking.

  “After this is over, you should talk to Roxy, see if any of that New Age mumbo jumbo shit she’s into will help. And if it would make you feel better,” he continued, “I’ll have a Tracker sent in from one of the other Regions. But until then, you’re it, DeGraff.”

  She tried to ignore Santiago’s jab about her mentor. Roxanne Reynolds may be unorthodox in her methods, but she was a skilled trainer, the best in the Agency.

  “We’ll walk through it methodically,” Alfonso said matter-of-factly. “Like we did before. I know you can do it.”

  His hand felt warm against the back of her neck, and she wished that she could believe him.

  ALTHOUGH NIGHT FELL EARLY this time of
the year, the daylight hours seemed to stretch out forever. They considered crossing the border in a Daytran, but Santiago deemed it too risky. Large black vans with all the windows darkened didn’t exactly give off innocent vibes to border officials. If the vehicle was searched, the Guardians sequestered in the back away from the sunlight would be discovered. They couldn’t take that chance.

  Traffic was still fairly heavy in downtown Seattle by the time Alfonso navigated the Panamera through the streets. The sound of tires rolling over wet pavement was loud with all the windows cracked open. Lily leaned her head back against the headrest, her eyes closed as she concentrated on all the smells of the city, a piece of her hair fluttering against her cheek.

  He reached over and squeezed her hand. Without opening her eyes, she smiled at him.

  He could really get used to a life like this. As Lily’s partner. Making love to her, sharing blood like they used to, working assignments together. Not only did Lily want him to join the Agency, but so did Santiago. And although Dom didn’t like it, at least he seemed to accept it. Alfonso had to admit it felt good to be a part of something rather than being on his own. He enjoyed the camaraderie, the banter with others who had the same goals as he did.

  At a stoplight several blocks from the field office, Lily reached over and grabbed his arm. Her eyes glittered with excitement. “I’ve got something! Darkblood scent on the next street over. One is the same scent from the cabin where Kip was found.”

  “But we killed them all.”

  “Only the DBs who were present at the time.”

  Before he could protest, she jumped out of the car and pointed a thumb behind her. “Meet me down there. They were on foot.” And with that, she slammed the door and took off down the sidewalk.

  He quickly scanned both sides of the busy roadway. There was nowhere to park the car and the next street was a one-way in the wrong direction. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles angry white peaks around the stitched leather.

  One of these Darkbloods had been at the cabin? Were they trying to find another Tracker to replace Kip?

  And now, here Lily was, traipsing around on her own.

  The light turned green, he punched the accelerator and the car shot through the intersection. He weaved in and out of traffic, earning a few well-deserved honks and one-fingered salutes. On the next one-way street, he found a narrow, angled parking spot and expertly maneuvered the car in.

  When he realized there wasn’t enough room on either side to get out, he pressed a button and the sunroof opened. In one easy motion, he pulled himself out, slid down the outside of the windshield and landed on the sidewalk. Lily would kill him if she saw him do that, he thought as he clicked the remote, closing the sunroof. Hopefully, one of these cars would have moved by the time they got back and she’d never have to know.

  As if he had her on GPS, he zeroed in on her location several blocks away in Pioneer Square. She was stooping near a lamppost, her fingers touching the cobblestone sidewalk.

  “They passed this spot about fifteen hours ago. One has a strong scent marker, the other doesn’t. Not sure why.”

  A few passersby looked at her funny. He pulled her to her feet, cradling her elbows, which made it convenient for her to wrap her arms around his waist. “Damn, you’re good. I can’t smell a thing. But don’t run off like that again.”

  She peered up at him with a smile that made his heart ache.

  “One of them fed recently—a female. The blood scent is strong. And the other—” She inhaled deeply and bit her lip in concentration. “The other one, a male, had sweetblood one or two days ago, but his scent is fainter.”

  “You sure they were together? Maybe you’re picking up the scents of two individuals who were here at separate times. One last night and the other the night before.”

  “No, given that the deterioration of scent structure is exactly the same, I’m sure they were together.”

  “Impressive, Ms. DeGraff.”

  “Thanks,” she said flippantly as she pulled away, but he saw the glint in her eye.

  He stifled a laugh, recalling that a few hours ago she’d paid him a similar compliment, but they hadn’t been talking about work.

  The streets and sidewalks were full of people rushing to get home. Their annoyance with those who were just getting into the city was palpable. Alfonso and Lily zigzagged around the pedestrians, trying to move as quickly as they could without drawing attention to themselves.

  Lily stopped outside the Pink Salon, a puzzled look on her face.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “It’s weird. Their scent continues north, but I’m picking up traces of one of them over there. If I’m not mistaken, the male spent some time in that pub across the street a few days ago.”

  Big Daddy’s? Alfonso had a hard time imagining a Darkblood watching football highlights and shooting the shit with a bartender who thought she was a shrink. It occurred to him that if Lily was able to pick up that guy’s scent from a few days ago, she was likely to pick up his, too. He’d better come clean.

  “I suppose you can tell I was there recently as well.”

  “You were? When?”

  “A few weeks ago.”

  She looked confused. “Why?”

  “When I heard Darkbloods were looking for Trackers, I decided to check up on you. Make sure you were okay. I think the bartender thought I was stalking someone.”

  She raised an elegant eyebrow. “Well, you were.”

  “True. Listen, I’m sorry. I should’ve been up front with you, but I was afraid you’d think I doubted your abilities. That I didn’t think you were capable of taking care of yourself.”

  “Well, did you doubt my abilities?”

  “God, Lil, I’ve told you. You’re the most capable woman I know. But sometimes it doesn’t matter how strong you are, how tough, or how amazing your scent-tracking talents are. You are a target and I worry about you because…because I love you. But that doesn’t mean I’m not—”

  With one hand, she grabbed the back of his hair and pulled him down. She kissed him. Hard. Then let go.

  “No more sneaking around,” she said, running the edge of a red-tipped thumbnail along her bottom lip, wiping off the smeared gloss. “No more lies.”

  He hesitated, then nodded. “No more lies.”

  They soon found themselves in the lobby of the old Edgemont Hotel overlooking Elliott Bay.

  “I’m picking up a stronger scent leading down into the parking garage.”

  They followed the scent down to P3, but it became clear the Darkbloods had left by car.

  “I’ll alert one of the other teams and see if they can pick up the scent from here. Let’s go check out the room.”

  Without too much effort, they located the empty suite on the top floor.

  The elevator doors hadn’t opened fully when the smell of blood grew heavy in the air.

  She put a hand on Alfonso’s arm, stopping him. “Someone’s been murdered inside that suite.” She pulled out her phone.

  “Who are you calling?”

  “Johnny Sinclair, a friend of Dom’s who knows about us, is a detective with SPD. He also owns the martial arts studio that I teach at sometimes. He’s a good guy. Just from out here, I can tell it was the two Darkbloods. A man and a woman. Same ones we’ve been trailing. They killed a young man. I’m guessing the body is in the bathroom. I’m pretty sure they left early this morning.”

  “Then they couldn’t have gotten far.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. They may have a Daytran.”

  After telling Detective Sinclair what little she knew about the events at the hotel, Lily ended the call before he could warn her to leave things to the SPD. Alfonso led the way back to the awkwardly parked car and got behind the wheel. It was time to head to the field office.

  LILY STEPPED THROUGH the security checkpoints at the field office’s north entrance and found herself blinking away hot tears when a stranger at Francesca’s station
motioned her through each step. Numbly she touched the thumb scan and inserted her key card, until finally she and Alfonso emerged on the other side.

  The scent trail led straight to the elevator bank for the residential units.

  “Only one came inside—the male. The female remained outside on the corner, probably as a lookout.” She squatted, touched the floor in front of the elevators. “He took this one up.”

  The doors slid open and, as Alfonso followed her inside, she leaned close to the panel and inhaled. Once she filtered out all the other smells, the male’s scent seemed to be strongest on the button for the ninth floor. She sniffed again. Definitely the ninth floor. Her floor.

  When the doors opened, she sprinted down the dark hallway, turned one corner and stopped right in front of her condo.

  “He came straight here. That asshole was looking for me.”

  She felt Alfonso tense just behind her. “Just like when Kip was taken by mistake.”

  “We don’t know for sure that it was a mistake,” she said, retrieving her keys. “They might have been looking for anyone they pegged as a Tracker, and identified Kip.”

  “Or they could’ve been looking for the Council’s best Tracker, who just so happens to work out of the Seattle field office. Face it, Lil, if you were planning something big and needed a bunch of sweetbloods, wouldn’t you go with the sure thing by bringing in the best Tracker? I know I would.”

  She inserted the key into the lock and it turned. “Look, he didn’t even jimmy it. The guy is definitely a professional.”

  Once inside, Lily walked around the condo, following the intruder’s path as Alfonso quickly texted Jackson about the break-in. “He went in here—” she pointed into the kitchen “—and down there.” She gestured down the hallway.

  “I’ll go check it out,” Alfonso said and jogged toward her bedroom.