by Lisa Emme
“Still have that bloodsucker living with you, I noticed.” Gran was rather prejudiced against vampires, something that I didn’t realize when she was alive.
“Yes, he’s still living here and he will probably be living here for a long time,” I replied. Gran made a sour face. “Just what is your problem with vampires, Gran?” I crossed my arms and glared at her.
“Vile, unnatural creatures, go against the laws of nature.”
“Seriously? This coming from a woman who has been dead for over seven years?” I stared at her incredulously.
Gran made a face. “Well, and they knocked up my daughter and now she’s dead.”
I made a sound of disbelief. “And so you’re going to hold that against the entire race?” Gran was being ridiculous. I wonder if ghosts can go senile?
“How do you know that that Isaac fellow isn’t the one that did it?” Her spectral body sputtered for a moment and I thought she was going to disappear.
“You don’t really believe that, besides I know who my father is now.” Gran froze and turned her head slowly to look at me directly. “And you know it too,” I added angrily. “How long have you known? Did you know right from the beginning?”
“Salvador Arroyo, the Magister,” Gran spit out, ignoring my questions. “Evil incarnate, that one is.” She began muttering and pacing. I didn’t catch everything she was saying but she finished with, “getting Deirdre pregnant and leaving her to die.”
“You know that isn’t true as well as I do. A witch doesn’t get pregnant by accident.” It was true, if she were in tune with her body and its rhythms, as most witches were, there was no way she would let herself become pregnant unless she wanted it to happen. It was something that had been bothering me from the moment I learned that Salvador was my father; my mother must have been in love with him. Why else would she have become pregnant with his child? I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that my mother loved someone who could be as cold and calculating as Salvador.
I frowned as the rest of Gran’s words sunk in. “What do you mean ‘left her to die’?” I looked at Gran in shock. “I thought you said I was born at home.” Home was Aldergrove, the witch community two hours outside of Riverton.
“Well, I lied,” Gran said matter-of-factly. “I had to chase halfway across the country to find her when she called me in the throes of labour. Barely got there in time to save you. As it was, I found you squalling your lungs out lying in a pool of blood between her legs. It was too late for Deirdre.”
My supper roiled in my stomach. It was bad enough growing up thinking you had killed your mother, but to hear it like that, my eyes filled with tears and I turned away from Gran. After a few minutes, I managed to collect myself. I turned back to look at her. “Well, even so, you can’t blame Deirdre’s actions on Salvador.” I never referred to her as ‘Mom’. “Why was she running away?”
“Bah! Not running away, running to.” Gran threw up a hand in disgust. “It doesn’t matter. Vampires can’t be trusted, not a one of them. They’re all a vile lot.” She faded in and out briefly. I had never seen her ability to manifest so sporadic.
“Well, if that’s how you feel, I don’t know why you’re wasting time on me. I’m half vampire after all.” I’d had enough of this conversation. “Maybe you had better just stop coming around if you can’t adjust your attitude.”
Gran gave me an indignant look and then she disappeared with an audible ‘pop’.
I sat for a few minutes trying to collect my thoughts. My phone beeped with a text message from Isaac wondering if I could come back to the shop. Pushing my thoughts to the side, I cleaned up and headed back downstairs.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I rounded the corner and looked through the windows of the shop. The place was packed. Every seat in the house had a body in it. I guess Nash had got the word out to the SRU teams. Hilde and Barbie were both busy serving while Isaac worked his magic on the Deco. I hurried in and threw an incredulous look at Isaac and then took a look around to see where I could pitch in. There was a bin of dirty dishes in the window between the kitchen and the prep area so I hurried back and loaded up the dishwasher, bringing a rack of clean dishes from the stack with me when I came back out front.
“Wow,” I said to Isaac when I joined him behind the counter to restock the dishes. “Has it been like this for long?”
“No, it just picked up. It appears that everyone decided to stop by and check us out before going on patrol.”
I looked over the crowd. I recognized most of the werewolves and vamps from my encounters with the SRU. There were a few that I didn’t though and I couldn’t shake the feeling of eyes on me. A little shiver raced down my spine but I shook it off. If I wasn’t safe in a room full of supes that reported to Nash, where would I be safe?
“Why don’t I take over for Barbie and she can give you a hand here? Did you get a chance to show her how to use the Deco?”
“We had just begun when the rush came. I believe it has quieted down enough that we could continue.”
I went to relieve Barbie and sent her over to Isaac. She smiled and practically skipped her way over. I shook my head watching her go, her pony tail bobbing back and forth. She was really living up to her name. It was like working with Malibu Barbie. Hopefully she didn’t turn out to be one of those bubbly personalities that was always so happy they got on your nerves.
After about half an hour or so the crowd slowly started to thin as the teams moved out to start their shifts patrolling the city on the lookout for the rogue vampires. I sent an eager Hilde back to the kitchen to start baking. She had been listing all the things she couldn’t wait to try and was making me practically drool in anticipation. Isaac and Barbie were immersed in his ‘care and feeding’ lecture for his pet, the Gaggia Deco coffee machine.
I had just started to bus some of the empty tables when I felt an insistent nudge against my shields. I surreptitiously looked around the room. There were only about a half dozen people left, mostly werewolves, except for a vampire I didn’t recognize sitting at one of the tables by the front window. When our eyes met, he raised his cup and shot me a sly wink. I returned his greeting with a suspicious look. Before I could decide whether to confront him, there was a little shriek that suddenly cut off mid-stream and the crashing sound of pottery breaking. I turned to look over at Barbie. She was standing with a petrified look on her face, her fingers frantically touching her mouth. She was white as a sheet. Isaac grabbed her by the elbow and she looked up at him, terror still etched across her face.
“What the hell?” I hurried over to her side. “Barbie, what’s wrong?” I grabbed her by the arm. As soon as my hand made contact with her bare skin, she whooshed out a relieved breath.
“Omigod, omigod, omigod.” Barbie’s hands continued to wipe across her lips as if she was reassuring herself of something. She bent over, beginning to hyperventilate.
“Barbie, what happened?” Isaac was suddenly at her side, pushing a chair behind her and guiding her to sit. “Take a seat and try to calm yourself.”
“Barbie, can you tell us what happened?” I crouched beside her and looked at her with concern. A small crowd of customers had gathered around and I waved them back to give us some space.
“I…I…I,” Barbie gulped for air.
Isaac grabbed her hands, pulling them from her face. “Look at me, Barbie,” he said, his voice low and calm. Barbie slowly turned to look at him. “That’s a good girl. Now, slow your breathing. In…and out. In…and out.” Barbie took several deep breaths. “Good, now tell us what happened.” Isaac looked at her kindly.
“I – I was getting a mug down and when I flipped it over there was a big, hairy spider.”
“A spider?” I blurted out. It wasn’t possible. The little hedge magic I had cast around the shop would have kept any pests out.
&
nbsp; Barbie looked at me with a confused look. “At least I thought I saw a spider but there wasn’t anything there.” She frowned. “I dropped the mug.” She looked at me quickly. “Omigod, I’m sorry. I broke the mug.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I gave her a comforting pat on the arm. “Just tell us what else happened.”
“The mug fell and I guess I sort of shrieked. I really hate spiders. But then I couldn’t speak. My voice was cut off and I thought someone had sewn my mouth shut.”
I jumped to my feet and looked around. The vampire from the window seat was gone. “He was here!” I shouted, not caring who was listening. “One of the,” I looked around the shop to see if any norms were around, “one of the killers that the police are looking for,” I finished in a hiss. I ran out the front door and looked up and down the street. Two werewolves I didn’t really know followed me out. I spotted the bastard about half a block up the street. “There he is.” I pointed and began to run towards him but then stopped. Damn, I didn’t have my katana. I looked back at the two men. They were looking at me in confusion. “He’s right there.” I pointed again.
“There’s no one there,” one of the men said, a puzzled look on his face.
I looked back at the vamp. He had stopped to look at me. He shot me a cocky little salute then disappeared down a side street. “Damn it. He was there. I saw him.”
Isaac, who had come outside to join us, shook his head. “I did not see him either, Harry.” He took me by the elbow, leading me back into the shop. “Come inside and we can discuss it.”
I shook off Isaac’s grip, angry, not necessarily at him, but at everything. That cocky bastard was in my shop; drank my coffee. I stomped back inside, Isaac and the two werewolves close on my heels.
Barbie was still sitting where I had left her. Someone, probably Hilde, had tidied up the broken bits of mug from the floor. Hilde was now talking quietly to her. She must have brought Barbie a glass of water because the werewolf was chugging it down like she was dying of thirst. At least I hoped it was water. We probably didn’t want to get her drunk, at least until we went over things with her again.
“We need to call Martin.” I put up a hand to stop Barbie’s protest. “No, we need to call your brother. You should go home after we’re done here and you can’t be alone. There could be a legitimate threat to your safety. I’m sorry.” I felt awful. It was probably my fault that the vamp had come here. If I hadn’t asked Barbie to start work, she wouldn’t have been put in danger. “I’m going to call Nash.”
Nash arrived quickly after I gave him a brief rundown of what had happened. Martin arrived a few minutes later looking worried about his baby sister. Barbie went over her story again, with a few interruptions from Isaac and me as we tried to get every detail possible about what she thought she saw and felt.
As she described what happened to her again, Isaac’s face grew dark. I gave my part of the story, describing the vamp as best I could. When I was finished, Isaac nodded his head grimly. “I was afraid of that,” he looked at Nash. “I believe I know who it is, or at least have heard of him. There is a Vlad in the Mariposa’s entourage that fits the description and is rumoured to have the ability to bend minds, to make a person think and feel something that isn’t real.”
“Omigod, it did seem so real.” Barbie put her head against her brother’s shoulder. Despite her original protest, she was very happy to see her big brother. Martin had wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hadn’t left her side since. “I could feel the stitches, the pain where they pierced my skin. I couldn’t make a sound.” She shivered, unable to continue.
I felt ill thinking about the other victims. They died in terror, unable to call out for help, or at least believing they couldn’t. It was like he had taken the ability to glamour, something all vampires have to some degree, and corrupted it into something evil, used to inflict pain and suffering.
“If you don’t think you need anything else from her, I’d like to take Barbie home.” Martin’s concerned voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Yeah,” Nash nodded. “Take her home. Do you want me to call in a couple of extra men to watch your place?”
Martin shook his head. “No, we’ve got it covered. Dylan will be home already and Roy and Tommy will come over after they’ve finished their patrols.” He helped Barbie to her feet.
I gave her a little hug. “Wow, some first night,” I joked half-heartedly. “I think we had better keep you off the schedule until this whole Mariposa thing is over. That is if you want to come back afterwards.” I gave a little shrug. I wasn’t going to make her work here if she felt uncomfortable.
“No -” Martin began.
“Yes, I do,” Barbie interrupted, shooting her brother a glare. “I’ll be ready to come back whenever you think is best, Harry.” She stared at Martin defiantly.
I stifled a laugh. Nice to know I wasn’t the only one that had to deal with stubborn alpha males; and poor Barbie had three other brothers. I gave her arm a little squeeze. “All right then. I’ll call you in a few days. You can pop by on Monday and pick up a cheque for your work tonight if you want.”
After Martin and Barbie left, I looked at Isaac. “So, why didn’t his mind tricks work on me? He couldn’t make himself disappear from my sight like he did everyone else’s.”
“I don’t know Harry. Perhaps you are immune to glamour now because of your abilities?” Isaac looked deep in thought. “You say that you felt a ‘nudge’ to your shields earlier. It may be that he tried his powers on you, but your shields prevented him from succeeding.”
“So how do you find someone who can turn himself invisible? Do you think he can make his whole hunting party seem invisible?”
Nash huffed out a frustrated breath. “If he can, we’ve just wasted a lot of man hours setting up these patrols. As it is, he probably knows more than we want him to just from hanging out here tonight.”
The bell above the door dinged. The three of us turned as one to see who it was. Tess bounced in the door, a goofy grin on her face. Oh yeah, she definitely put up some shelves.
“Hey guys, what I miss?”
Chapter Fifteen
“Okay, so spill.” I looked over at Tess where she leaned against the wall watching me clean up the sandwich prep area. Tiffy was at the counter by the coffee machine across the room, so we had a bit of privacy. The lunch rush was over and the coffee shop was relatively quiet. I say relatively, because there had been a steady stream of customers all morning. I guess word must have gotten out after our soft opening yesterday. While the majority of the lunch crowd had moved out, there were still a couple of people idly enjoying a drink at one of the four tops by the window while my two werewolf babysitters sat playing cards in the corner booth.
Lunch had been surprisingly busy for a place that wasn’t officially open. The construction crew from yesterday had returned and brought along a few more of their friends. They had raved about the sandwiches from yesterday and were impressed when I offered to upgrade their orders to platters, complete with homemade coleslaw and kettle chips, both of which had been whipped up by Hilde. I guess she did more than bake. The slaw was of the German variety, a sweet vinaigrette style, rather than the creamy type that seems more typical these days, and the kettle chips were delicious, the perfect amount of salt and crunch. They were both big hits.
“There’s nothing to spill,” Tess replied, crossing her arms.
“Uh huh.” I gave her a pointed look. “Seems like you’ve been putting up shelves with this guy a lot lately. He must be a pretty good carpenter.” I snickered at our inside joke.
Tess made a face. “Ha ha. Funny.”
“You started it,” I shot back.
Tess shrugged. “He’s a nice guy. Great in the sack.” She smiled wickedly. “A girl’s got needs, after all.”
I snorted. Tess was n
ever shy about sex. It must be the werewolf in her. She lost her virginity waaaay before I did. Not that I’m going to be sharing those details with you or anything. “But?” I looked at her expectantly.
“But, you know. He’s not the one.” She frowned and then shrugged it off.
“You have plenty of time to find the one. And just think how much fun you’re going to have looking for him.” I waggled my eyebrows at her.
Tess gave a little laugh, her mood lightening. “Yeah, just as long as I don’t have to put up enough shelves to fill the library of Congress in order to find him. I was hoping more for a small, regional library.”
I laughed at that. “You know, Nash said he knew I was his mate the moment he saw me.” I wrinkled my nose at the thought. “So technically you don’t have to put up shelves with anyone in order to find your mate.”
“Well, don’t go spoiling all my fun now, Harry.” Tess smiled mischievously. “So, what about you and Detective Dreamboat? Seems like there has been a lot of carpentry going on between you two. I thought you were doing the whole dating thing.”
“We were. We are.” I let out a heavy sigh. “It’s just we can’t seem to keep our hands off each other.”
Last night had been no exception. After the late night visit from the mind-bending bastard vampire, Nash went back into work while I closed up the shop. He had arrived back sometime in the middle of the night, sneaking into my bed again. I still don’t know how he was getting into the apartment, but I had a suspicion that Tess had given him a key. I hadn’t even heard him come in and didn’t know he was there until I woke up a while later sprawled across him. One thing led to another and well, you know, shelves were put up. I felt my face blush at the thought, my hand reflexively going to my mouth to make sure I wasn’t ‘fanging out’.