Groaning with irritation, I looked over at him and said, “Seven years.”
Puzzled, he asked, “Seven years, what?”
Pointing at the shattered mirror, I hung my head muttering, “Dude.”
I left him to deal with the mess and toted the plastic bags through the front door. The rich meaty smell of chili greeted me. Yay! Dec was back.
And cooking!
“Dec? That smells amazing!” I went straight to the kitchen to sample it.
The chef was loosely bouncing a hacky sack in one hand as I walked in the room. Ignoring me, he tossed the soft ball to Domino who leaped and neatly caught it with her front teeth. She pranced around in a victory dance before bringing it back to him. When he reached for it, she shook her head and backed just out of his grasp. He laughed and lunged for her. Anticipating this move, the dog launched herself over his back and bolted to my side. With mock fury, Dec circled the two of us and finally tackled Domino. After a mad wrestling match complete with un-angelic swearing and yelps of indignation, Dec emerged covered with scratches and not a few bite marks.
The dog kept possession of the hacky sack.
“All right, all right! I give up. You win.” He waggled a finger at her and said, “You cheated. I’ll get you next time.”
Domino dropped the slimy wet object at my feet and sashayed to her water bowl. Whatever…
“You might want to wash those scratches out. I hear dogs carry a lot of nasty diseases on their feet. They’re not too clean, you know.”
Domino turned to me with narrowed eyes. Excuse me?
I corrected diplomatically, “You don’t wear shoes, ergo, your feet are dirty.” Turning back to Dec, “I’d wash them out if I were you. Did you hear any news while we were out?”
Dec was supposed to try to contact Killian while we were shopping. He sucked air between his teeth as running water flowed over the scratches on his forearm. Focusing only vaguely on his arm, he filled me in on his morning. Unfortunately, Killian was off the grid, but he had heard something strange on the local morning news.
“Shae’s Funeral Home reported two corpses stolen this week,” he said.
“Shae’s? Is that local?”
He shook his head and elaborated for me. “It’s down near Albany. And that’s not the only thing. I remembered what Killian said about bringing back the dead and a light bulb went off. I called Jonathan and asked him to snoop through local police reports around The City and…” He paused to perform a drum roll on the marble island top.
Rolling my eyes, I tapped my fingers and stared at him. He gave in first and leaned across the island with barely suppressed excitement.
Oh, this was going to be good.
“This is really bizarre; you’ll like this. The police found a man roaming around a neighborhood in Queens. The neighbors thought he was drunk and called the cops. When they got there, the guy was staggering in someone’s yard. They tried to talk to him, but he was really out of it. They were about to tase him when he fell over.”
“What’s bizarre about that? Was he on experimental drugs or something?”
“Not even close. Here’s the good part. They called an ambulance because he was out cold. The paramedic nearly had a heart attack when they got him inside and got a good look at him.”
A tingle of premonition made me shiver. I know what he's going to say next. I wasn’t going to like this. Sean walked in and started to say something. We both shushed him and he clamped his mouth shut with a frown. Waving a hand at Dec, I said, “Spit it out.”
“The guy was visibly dead. As in, like, rigor-mortis-and-gray-chalky-skin dead. No pulse and squishy, smelly tissue…clouded eyeballs, etc.”
Red lights and alarm bells clamored loudly inside my head and I could tell by their expressions that they came to the same conclusion I had…
Zombies.
Holy shit.
No one said a word until the timer on the stove went off with a loud beep. I nearly swallowed my tongue and dropped my glass. The shattering glass, on top of the abrasive beeping, finally broke through the collective shock in the kitchen. Everyone moved at once. Dec turned to the stove to check the chili while Sean and I bent to clean up the glass.
“Wow,” I said finally.
Sean’s expression was mocking as he half-heartedly swept up glass shards. “That’s not the word I’d use, but it’ll do.” He dumped the glass into the trash and looked at the two of us. “We’re going to have to call for reinforcements. This is much bigger than Dagin’s greed. He’s lost his mind. Humans aren’t ready for the zombie apocalypse.”
“Are we?” I had to ask.
Dec wielded the chef’s knife he used to cut up the vegetables for the chili and proclaimed, “I’m ready! Let’s go kick some undead ass!”
Unable to resist, I picked up a mallet. “Sure, why not? I’m in!” We both stared at Sean with identical expressions of blood lust until he finally rolled his eyes and shook his head at me.
“And you used to be so innocent.”
It was nearing 10:00 and I finally leaned back and stretched. We’d been talking over possibilities for hours and had drawn up plans and to-do lists. I’d somehow become the secretary and dutifully typed up our brainstorming notes. We’d come about as far as we could on our own and would have to talk to Killian and Alex to get help. After all, Manhattan wasn’t really our jurisdiction. There were other Primani who were supposed to be keeping it safe. But because of our past experience with Dagin’s operations and Killian’s Sgaine Dutre, we expected to play a big role in finding the source of the zombies and taking Dagin out once and for all. I took advantage of a lull in their conversation to point out that it’s New Year’s Eve and we, at least I, was young and should be out celebrating.
Always up for a night out around humans, Dec agreed with me. Sean didn’t really want to go out, but agreed we could check in on Dani on the way. Throwing him a kiss, I ran to the bedroom to throw something pretty on. Twenty minutes later I walked into the living room and both of them stopped talking to stare. Twirling for the full effect, I stopped and waited with dramatically downcast eyes. My dress settled at the top of my thighs and had no back at all. My front, er, assets, were completely covered by the high collar. I wore a black and red tribal cuff on one arm and my engagement ring on the opposite hand. The thigh-high leather boots provided assurance that I’d be steady on my feet if any demons attacked. Peeking up at Sean, I winked and he broke into a huge grin.
Sighing dramatically, he said, “I’m going to have to kill somebody later, aren’t I?”
Dec laughed and agreed. “Dude, I can almost guarantee it.”
The bar was packed by the time we got there. My two bodyguards looked like they wanted to drag me back to the car as soon as we walked in the door. Two of Scott Flynn’s friends were standing by the entrance and spotted me immediately. They sneered and made gross comments to each other until their drunken brains realized I had company. Sean draped his arm possessively around me and said, “Why couldn’t you be ugly?”
I burst into laughter and craned my neck to kiss him. “Don’t be cranky. This is supposed to be fun.”
Running his hand all the way down my back, he commented, “I’m liking this dress more and more.”
Feeling pretty safe from zombies in here, I made it my mission to lighten up and force these two to have a good time. It was New Year’s Eve, after all--the end of one fairly crappy year and the beginning of a new one full of possibilities. Sean didn’t love to dance, but I pulled him onto the crowded dance floor with a determined grip. The music was loud and the lights were low setting the right mood for a party. Hardly able to move without hitting someone, I let the bass soak into my blood and swayed against him.
With a sensuous smile, he crooked his finger at me saying, “Come closer,” and fitted me tightly against him so we moved together.
My ring sparkled in the strobe lights and I tilted my head to kiss him. With one hand pressing the small of my bac
k and the other behind my head, he kissed me until I forgot where I was. My head spun with the music and the lights and the blood pumping through my body. His hips moved against mine with perfect rhythm, filling my mind with nothing but sensations. There were no angels, no demons, no zombies. We were alone in the crowd. With fingers clenched in his shirt, I fought an overwhelming urge to take him and fly away somewhere where no one could ever find us.
“Do we have to stay till midnight?”
“Fuck no!” With that, he took my hand and led me off the dance floor.
Laughing at his sudden urgency, I asked about Dec.
“He’ll be home later. He’s busy right now.”
Groups of partiers thronged the sidewalks in spite of the freezing cold. I didn’t need a coat thanks to Sean. I was plenty hot enough. He opened the car door for me and leaned in for a long kiss before slamming the door and vaulting into the driver’s seat. The drive home was endless but I kept myself amused by whispering in his ear and letting my hands roam. By the time we pulled into the garage, he was ready to toss me down on the concrete. Scoffing at this suggestion, I ran into the house making him chase me. He caught me at the top of the stairs and spun me around into his arms. My dress was too short to be any kind of obstruction and it wasn’t.
I was lying on my back floating someplace in another universe when he splayed his hand across my belly. Very gently, he traced his fingers across the muscles of my abdomen. Leaning down, he nuzzled my belly button and I twitched.
“What are you doing down there?”
He smiled into my eyes and said, “Just thinking about your dream. You’re so beautiful.” He kissed my belly. “You’re sexy and strong, but soft and delicate too.” He was running his hand over my skin and I was trembling with the urge to giggle.
“Let’s run away,” I suggested.
Bracing himself on his elbows, he looked into my eyes and smiled. “I wish we could. I want to take you someplace far away from demons and violence. I hate seeing you in pain. Someday, I will take you away from this and give you a normal life.”
I started to reply when I caught a glimpse of a face in the window. Choking on a scream, I could only point and scramble off the bed to lunge for my gun. Sean whipped around to confront our intruder but the face was gone. There was nothing there now. Buzzing with adrenaline, I threw up the window and looked outside.
Sean said, “There’s no one there. He’s gone.”
“Did you see that?”
He shook his head and said, “I only saw a reflection. It was gone before I could see what it was.”
Taking the gun from me, he tucked it into his waistband and strode out the door. Jumping up too, I threw on a robe and followed him. We went through all of the rooms and then walked around the outside of the house.
“Damn it!” The footprints led from the back porch to the middle of the yard and stopped.
Slowly looking up at our window, he gritted out, “Consider this your warning. If you come back, I will blow your ass to dust.”
“What are you looking at?” Dec rematerialized next to my elbow. “What’s going on? Why are you outside in your robe…and barefoot?”
“We’ve got a Peeping Tom. And he’s got powers,” I explained. I filled him in while Sean pondered the situation. His scowl was nearly as scary as Killian’s so I sidled a little closer to Dec.
Dec was just as mad as Sean. “I’m getting sick of this crap. I’m going hunting.” He disappeared leaving me envious.
Chapter 21: The Walls Have Eyes
“I’M SORRY, MICA, really I am. James already made plans for us this weekend.” Dani handed the manicurist her bottle of polish and turned back to me. “I can’t cancel on him.”
Studying my nails to keep from saying something rude about James, I swallowed my disappointment. “No, but you could bring him with you. It’s my 21st birthday party. It’s not like we haven’t been planning this since we met.”
She looked a little sheepish at that. “I know! But I totally forgot. James and I have been so busy these last few months. He’s crazy about doing things together. He’s like the Energizer bunny!” She smiled blissfully and I wanted to smack her. “Honestly, I’m exhausted! I haven’t had a night to myself in months.” She laughed and blew on her nails.
Ah, the opening I’d been hoping for…
”I’ve noticed you two have been together a lot. Are you getting, uh, serious about him?”
“Oh, my God, he’s…” She broke off and blushed furiously. The manicurist gave her a curious look and left us to dry.
Already knowing what she was going to say, I hesitated to ask. “He’s what?”
Giggling with her secret, Dani leaned over to me and whispered, “God, he’s amazing in bed. I can’t say no anymore!” Finally chortling out loud, she added, “Damn, I don’t want to either! He adores me, Mica. I feel amazing when he’s with me. I swear he’s the perfect man!”
Okay, count to ten first. I took a deep breath and asked, “Good in bed is good. Does he, uh, have any…unusual skills?”
It was my turn to blush, but I needed to know if James had shown her his powers. He could be good in bed without sharing his powers with her. After all, they all had the ability to read thoughts and were bound to use that for pleasure if they were inclined to.
She was re-braiding the tiny braid that hung by her cheek so didn’t answer for a minute. Finally, she secured the end and asked, “Special skills? Other than knowing my every thought? No.”
I knew she was telling the truth and breathed a sigh of relief. Sean would be glad to hear that. I hadn’t spent any time with Dani since before Christmas and it was February already. Every time I tried to do something with her, she had plans with James. I was beginning to worry about her, but couldn’t quite put a finger on the problem. Back in December, Dec and Sean had suggested we ask James about his relationship with Dani. At the time, I thought they were joking. But Dec’s plan had been sneakier than that and I was still thoroughly impressed with it. Thinking back to the last update I’d gotten from Dec, I was just slightly reassured.
It had been very late one night in early January. Dec came in covered with ash and assorted disgusting fluids. I’d taken one look at him and pointed to the bathroom.
“You smell like barbequed demon. Get that nasty crap off of you before the whole house reeks.”
Exhausted, he hesitated as if he was going to flop down on the couch. I glared at him and he reconsidered and shuffled off to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, he was clean and ready to fill us in.
“Where have you been? You look tan,” I asked.
Rolling his shoulders tiredly, he said, “Rome first, then Madrid. I swung by Los Angeles for a couple of days and took out a couple of old friends I ran into.” He took a long drink and continued, “Do you have any idea how many demons are in LA? It’s ridiculous! I was having such a good time I had to stay a few extra days.”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “Geez. I’m sorry I missed it. Next time you should bring me. I’ve never been to California.”
“Maybe someday, but I actually just stopped in to give you some info on Dani and James. The bug worked. He’s been staying with her a lot and they’re not very quiet.”
Yuck.
”Geez Dec, I don’t want to hear about their sex lives…”
Looking down his nose at me, he said, “You have a dirty mind. That’s not what I meant. James spends a lot of his time telling her how beautiful she is and how much he wants her for himself. He’s really laying it on thick.”
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “It’s odd though. He doesn’t sound that sincere to me. I would’ve thought she’d see through the bullshit. I think he’s using his powers to influence her, but I can’t tell without being closer.” Frowning, he added, “I don’t like it.”
He’d bugged Dani’s room with a device he could tune into remotely using an app on his cell phone. He’d been trying to catch James doing something wrong, but so far it seem
ed like he was only guilty of too much flattery and questionable motives.
I guess my worrying wasn’t productive, but I’d learned to trust my intuition and something about Dani and James was off. We were done with our manicures and I had to finish my other errands. Leaving her with a promise to do lunch, I left the shop. I was on the way to my car when a furtive movement caught my eye. I dropped my bag and bent down to pick it up. Out of the corner of one eye, I saw him. Tingles of recognition teased my memory. Hmmm. Dark pants with a leather jacket. It was too nice a jacket to be a student even though I was leaving the college bookstore. He turned away to talk on his phone but stayed exactly where he was. I started towards the parking lot and pulled out my own phone. Using the mirrored screen, I watched him nonchalantly enter the lot. Instead of getting into my car, I called Sean and put him on speaker. With the phone sitting on the roof, I turned around and crossed my arms.
My tail looked up to find me studying him and stopped. We weren’t exactly close, but I could see his face clearly. He was probably in his mid-thirties with close-cropped red hair and green eyes. His ruddy face was square and he had a scar running down his cheek from his eyebrow to his chin. It looked like a sword wound. Ouch. Even though he was clearly busted, he was a professional and tried to play it off.
“Hey there, I hate to bother you, but I’ve lost my directions. Can you tell me how to get to the old base from here?” He smiled easily as if he was just a new guy in town.
“Cut the bullshit. Why are you following me? Are you stalking me?”
He looked stunned at the accusation. “Stalking you? You’re crazy!”
I'd give him an A for effort if it weren't for my enhanced intuition. He was totally lying. Pulling away from the car door, I picked up my phone and took a picture of him before he could flinch. To Sean I said, “It’s on the way. What do you want me to do with him?”
The Lost Soul Trilogy (Primani Book 5) Page 55