“You, too?” I asked.
Aurora turned her head sharply to look at me as the bell rang.
“At least we can carpool,” I said before Mrs. Campbell began roll call.
Agent Crist narrowed her eyes the moment Aurora and I walked inside the agents’ office after school. I don’t know why she had to look at us like that. I suppose it had something to do with not wanting to get close to operatives who might not survive their next mission. That’s something I could understand. I had a tendency to distance myself emotionally from my friends Whitney and Hope. I tried to steer them toward friendly vampires, but I couldn’t monitor their activities around the clock.
Valerie sat in a chair by the far wall inspecting her nails while Dante, one of Melcher’s male vampire hunters, leaned against the wall fiddling with a bear claw hanging on a leather cord around his neck.
I took the seat beside Aurora in front of Agent Crist’s desk. The last time the agents called us all in together, it’d been because Valerie suspected Aurora of being a vampire. It was when my own suspicions were confirmed that my new friend was, in fact, a hunter, saved and called to duty after her horrific car accident last November. Lucky for Aurora, she had AB negative blood—otherwise she would have ended up at the morgue.
“Listen up, everyone,” Agent Melcher said. I turned my attention to him. “We have a situation. Two nights ago, a pizza delivery boy went missing from Midnight Pie. He was found near Westchester Lagoon yesterday morning by a jogger.”
“Dead?” Aurora asked.
Valerie huffed. “Of course, dead! Did you forget to take your brain pills again?”
Melcher cleared his throat. “A vampire, or more likely several, drained everything they could out of the boy before dumping him.”
“How many puncture wounds on the body?” Dante asked.
“No bite marks,” Melcher said. “They wouldn’t want to draw that kind of attention to themselves. They used knives. I’d say they most likely slit the boy’s throat first, stabbed him in several key arteries, and then slit his wrists.”
I focused on the edge of Agent Crist’s desk. I didn’t look up until Melcher was halfway through his next speech.
“I’m putting you into teams of two.”
“No problem,” Dante interjected. “Sky and I have got this.”
Melcher frowned at Dante. “I’m putting you and Aurora on probation.”
“What? Why?” Dante asked.
“You got an informant and a boy killed,” Crist said impatiently.
Melcher laced his fingers, resting them on his desktop. “And you left Aurora alone on her first mission.”
“A successful mission. She killed Patrick and Ivo.”
“Beginner’s luck,” Valerie said under her breath.
Melcher’s brows lowered, meeting his lashes. He didn’t take his eyes off Dante.
“You also came this close to getting Aurora killed when Renard came looking for her in town.” Melcher cleared his throat. “Dante, I’m pairing you with Noel. Aurora, you’re with Valerie.”
My heart gave a tiny leap after hearing my name. I glanced from Aurora to Valerie. They both immediately scowled.
“I expect all of you to work together professionally,” Melcher said. No one spoke up. “Good.”
I didn’t care who I worked with. I preferred working alone as an informant. In fact, I’d never worked with anyone. I hoped this didn’t become a reoccurring event.
“Now that that’s settled, we’ll go over your instructions.”
Agent Crist pulled a drawer open on her desk. She stood, holding a stack of thin blue and white pamphlets. She came around her desk and handed me a small stack. While she moved around the room, I looked at the cover.
JESUS LOVES YOU!
An oval in the center depicted the typical Jesus caricature: Caucasian man with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a white robe. This picture showed him blessing a baby.
“I don’t think we can pray the vampires away,” Dante said, chuckling as Crist handed him some pamphlets.
She frowned in response.
Once Crist reseated herself, Melcher resumed talking. “We have five residential addresses. They all ordered pizza delivery from the victim’s employer, and they all called in a complaint when they never received their order. We believe one of the addresses is a vamp house. You will use the pamphlets Crist handed out as an excuse to knock on each door and get a feel for each resident. Trust your instincts. If you feel you’ve come upon a person of suspicion, insist on entering the premises and investigate. Dante and Noel, I’m giving you three of the addresses.”
Dante gave a whoop.
Melcher stood and leaned over his desk to hand Dante a sheet of paper. “Aurora and Valerie, you get the remaining two.”
Valerie had already stepped up to Melcher’s desk to take the list before Melcher finished speaking. Aurora remained seated, arms folded across her chest.
“If it turns out that one of your addresses houses vampires, I want my hunters to position themselves for feeding. Your duty, your only duty tonight, is to do the poisoning,” Melcher said looking between Dante and Aurora. “After which I want you to step aside and let your partner go in for the kill.”
“No way,” Dante said. “I’m all about follow up.”
“You’re lucky we’re sending you back in the field at all,” Agent Crist said.
“One more thing,” Melcher said. “I don’t want either you or Aurora carrying a weapon.”
“What if our partner chokes?” Dante demanded.
“I won’t choke,” Valerie said.
“Neither will I,” I said quickly. Thanks a lot, Dante. It was one thing to think it, but to say it in front of everyone—not cool.
“Dante,” Melcher said patiently. “Your blood is your weapon and both my informants are highly trained.”
Damn straight. Being short gave me better access when doing a move I called “The Nut Cruncher.” Maybe Dante needed a demo.
“No weapons, no killing. Roger that,” Dante said. “When do we get started?”
“Immediately,” Melcher said.
I lifted off my seat. No time like the present. It beat going back to the apartment.
Valerie bumped into me on the way out of the office. “Excuse you,” I said.
“Good luck, Noel,” Valerie said. “You’re going to need all the prayers you can get seeing as the vamps gutted the last informant who worked with Dante.”
“I’ll be fine, but thanks for your concern.” Bitch. Why did someone like Valerie Ward have to share the same blood type with me? Nature fucked up on that one.
Aurora joined my side, glaring at Valerie’s back. “And I have to work with her.”
Now that would royally suck.
Valerie spun on her heel. “Are you coming or what?”
“What does it look like?” Aurora shot back.
Dante joined us in the hall, calling out, “Did somebody order a dead vampire, hold the anchovies?”
Aurora shook her head. “He’s all yours.”
I think Dante would have been better off with Valerie. Let those two squabble over the knife. But I didn’t make the decisions, and ultimately, Melcher knew best.
Dante looked me up and down. “You’re so tiny. Are you sure you can take on a full-grown vampire?”
I lifted my chin. “No problem.”
“Follow me to the first house, unless you want to leave your car on base.”
“Right behind you,” I said. I stared at the slip of paper in Dante’s hand and committed the first address to memory.
“Got it?” Dante asked.
“Yep.”
“Cool, I’m in the white Jeep.”
I got one last look at Aurora in the parking lot before she climbed into Valerie’s shiny red Honda Civic. Poor girl.
I walked to the end of the parking lot and climbed into my car. After starting her up, I turned the vent to full blast even though the heater was on the frit
z. Didn’t matter. I’d been born with ice in my veins.
Once my windshield unfogged, I turned the vent to half-speed.
I saw a white Jeep waiting at the exit. As soon as I pulled up behind the Jeep, Dante headed out of the lot. I followed him along the wooded road. It always felt so peaceful on base. A city within the city. Sheltered. Safe. Until we reached the main road leading up to the gated entrance, there were hardly any vehicles on the road.
The Jeep zoomed onto the highway. The heater wasn’t the only thing on the fritz. The old girl didn’t respond well to the gas pedal.
I watched the Jeep careen through traffic like an out-of-control snowball rolling down a cliff. Good thing Melcher didn’t pair Aurora with Dante. She’d probably be shitting herself right about now.
Downtown was just ahead. Dante punched it through the first intersection as the light turned yellow. Even if I wanted to run a red, I couldn’t with cars blocking every lane.
Didn’t matter. I had the address in my head. Melcher once told me he wanted me to get to know the whole city like the back of my hand. So I’d studied city maps until I knew Anchorage better than any pizza delivery boy ever could.
I turned the FM radio on to an alternative rock station. The light turned green. I moved with the flow of traffic in no rush. When “Sail” by AWOLNATION came on, I sang along, watching the SUV in front of me.
The streets unclogged after the next intersection. I passed a park with play equipment covered in snow and took a right into one of the nicer neighborhoods in town. Not the kind of place where I expected killer vampires to reside.
Dante’s Jeep idled directly in front of our first address. I parked a couple houses behind him and walked toward his car. He jumped out and met me halfway, shooting me a mischievous grin. “Hey, you made it.”
“This is the address, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Dante cocked his head to one side and squinted as though trying to get a read on me.
“Then let’s go.”
3
Can’t Win Them All
“What do you think?” Dante asked as we tromped up the walkway. “Vamp house?”
“We’ll find out.” I walked up to the door and knocked three times.
A woman in an embroidered sweater answered. She smiled sweetly. “May I help you?”
“Good afternoon, Ma’am,” Dante said, cheeks dimpling when he grinned. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything. We were just in the neighborhood, spreading the word of the Lord and wondered if we might have a moment of your time?”
The woman gave me a dubious look. It’s not as though I’d had time to change out of my black skirt with the tulle trim. At least she couldn’t see my corset beneath my zipped hoodie.
When the woman’s eyes returned to Dante she was all smiles. “We love the Lord and all those who spread His word. I just made cookies. Won’t you come inside a moment and warm up? Even God’s servants need to take breaks.”
Dante took a step forward. “Cookies? You’ve twisted my arm.”
I followed Dante wordlessly inside the house. Like I said, I wasn’t in any hurry to get back to my crib.
“I hope you like chocolate chip,” the woman said, disappearing behind a wall, leaving us inside an immaculately clean living room. Cleanliness on that level had its own creepy factor.
“Chocolate chip is my favorite,” Dante said. He sunk into a cushion on the sofa, draping an arm over the rest.
I took a seat beside him.
“One down. Two to go,” Dante said.
The woman returned with two pink plastic plates – a cookie on each. She handed one to Dante and me.
“Thanks,” I said.
“What are your names?” the woman asked.
“I’m Peter and this is Wendy,” Dante answered.
“Nice to meet you Peter and Wendy. I’m Katherine.”
“Well, Katherine, we certainly appreciate your hospitality.”
“Please,” Katherine said. “It’s the least I could do. Which church are you two from?”
I ate my cookie and let Dante have the floor. He seemed to have a knack for on the spot bullshiting.
“Actually we attend church in Palmer,” Dante said.
He was good on his feet all right. There was a church on practically every street corner in Palmer. Alaska might not be part of the Bible Belt, but it had a few notches.
“How wonderful,” the woman said. “Which one?”
Dante chewed his cookie for a while. Finally he answered, “The Church of God.”
I looked at Katherine. She thought a moment then smiled. “Oh, yes. That’s the one off the highway, isn’t it?”
“That’s the one,” Dante said, grinning as he bit into his cookie.
I set my plate on the spot beside me then stood up. “Mind if I use your bathroom?”
“Down the hall to the left,” Katherine said. “How long are you in town?” she asked, turning her attention back to Dante.
“Only a couple days.”
“We’re having a potluck tomorrow at the church. I’d love for you to come...”
Their voices faded as I walked down the hall of smiling portraits. They were all studio shots of the family—everyone dressed their best with matching smiles in front of holiday backdrops.
I slipped inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I opened all the drawers, medicine cabinet, and cupboard beneath the sink. The drawers were lined with hair products, nail polish, menstrual pads, and every type of headache medication on the planet. I closed everything again and returned to the living room.
“Ready?” Dante said, standing up.
I gave a slight nod.
“Well, Katherine, thank you again for letting us in and for the delicious cookies.”
“God bless you both,” Katherine replied.
“And you,” Dante said, making the sign of the cross.
Katherine’s head gave a slight jerk.
I touched Dante’s arm. “Come on, Pete, we have work to do.”
Dante followed me to the door. “Duty calls. Good evening, Katherine.” Dante caught up to me on the walkway. “What was that about?”
I smirked. “You made the sign of the cross. That’s a Catholic thing.”
“Is the Church of God not Catholic?”
I shrugged. “Beats the hell out of me.”
“You should ride with me,” Dante said. “It would be faster.”
“Or you could ride along with me.”
“I said faster.”
“Fine.”
Dante walked around the front of the Jeep, into the street, and climbed in. I stood staring at the passenger’s seat. Small golden hairs covered the fabric and would no doubt stick to my black clothes the moment I sat down.
“What?” Dante asked.
I sighed and climbed in. “I take it you have a dog?”
“Tommy? He’s sitting this one out.” Dante started the Jeep. He put his blinker on and drove cautiously through the neighborhood before ripping out onto the main road and punching the gas. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glance my way. I stifled a yawn.
“I think we’re going to hit the jackpot at the next place,” Dante said.
“Why’s that?”
“Just a hunch.”
“We might not get the vamp house at all,” I pointed out.
“The odds are in our favor.” Dante held the horn down when a car pulled out of a parking lot in front of him.
I looked from the road to Dante. “Why do you want the vamp house so bad?”
Dante cranked the wheel at the next intersection. I leaned toward him to prevent slamming my shoulder against the door.
“It’s exciting,” Dante said. “Like being a real life superhero. The more vamps I take down, the safer the world is.”
I smiled. What our unit did was pretty damn impressive. I didn’t get as hyper about it, but it gave me a similar sense of satisfaction. Unlike Aurora, I valued my position on the team. It gave
me a sense of purpose my life lacked before.
Dante’s next words didn’t register immediately. He must have thought I was feeling anxious. “Don’t worry, I’ll do the killing. No one has to know.”
I turned my head to look at him. “What makes you think I can’t take this vamp out myself?”
Dante made a snorting sound I didn’t appreciate. “Have you even killed a vampire before?”
“Yes.”
“I mean outside of orientation.”
I pressed my lips together.
No.
And I hadn’t killed my vampire during orientation the first time around, either. He nearly killed me. I had to have another transfusion and go through the whole process again with a second vampire. In the first round, Melcher had confirmed his hypothesis that people with AB positive blood couldn’t poison vampires the way AB negative blood could. Our blood didn’t mix right with the toxin or something.
Luckily the department still had a use for me. I was happier as an informant anyway.
But before I could be put on active duty, I still had to kill my first vampire.
“I’m putting you on undercover duty, Noel,” Melcher had said. “Your job is not only to observe, but become a part of the vampire community. But you must also know how to defend yourself against these creatures. And you must be prepared to kill them if necessary.”
So he’d assigned me a month of intensive training before pitting me against another rabies vampire. That time I was ready, and I knew what to expect. I couldn’t rely on my blood. I had to rely on my skills. In the end, I’d chosen a knife. After all, it wasn’t the first time I’d used one.
“You can count on me,” I told Dante.
“Keep your eye out for one-one-eight,” Dante said when he pulled into the next neighborhood.
I scanned the homes quickly. “There,” I said.
Dante hit the break then pulled up to the curb. One-one-eight was across the street. They had a snowman in the front yard with twig hands, a knit hat, and scarf. So much for Dante’s hunch.
He turned the ignition off and reached across me for the glove box. There was a sheathed knife inside. Dante grabbed it.
Stakeout (Aurora Sky Page 3