Try Me

by Parker Blue

  YEAH, BUT ONLY WHAT THEY HAPPEN TO BE THINKING ABOUT AT THE TIME. IT'S NOT LIKE I CAN RUMMAGE AROUND IN THEIR BRAINS, DUDE.

  I nodded. “And I can read the minds of vamps when they try to control me, but Alejandro's men know that, so they won't try it."

  Micah looked at Fang. “How many demons know about your ability?"

  MOST OF THEM. IT'S HOW THEY RECOGNIZE ME AS ONE OF THEM.

  "Too bad,” Micah said. “I was hoping to have Val casually mention the books then see what you can find in their heads."

  I nodded. After all, it was partially my fault the encyclopedias were missing again. “We can still do that. And hey, if they steer clear, that will tell us something, too. But what if none of the demons took the books?"

  "Then the thief must be one of Alejandro's people,” Micah said, obviously liking that idea much better. “He says he wishes to cooperate with us. Maybe he'll agree to let you question his vampire lieutenants."

  "Good plan,” I had to admit. If the vamps tried to control me, I could rummage around in their brains.

  "But Tessa has a good point,” Micah added. “Let's try to keep it secret for awhile. If you could get into contact with as many of the people present tonight as possible, maybe we can eliminate some of them as suspects."

  "Got any suggestions for how to do that?” I asked. “It's not like I know many of these demons, and I don't have a good reason to visit the New Blood Movement since Ramirez pulled me off duty.” I was still temporarily on leave from the San Antonio police department's Special Crimes Unit, after slicing off Lily's head.

  "I'll take care of getting you in touch with the demons,” Micah said and eyed me speculatively. “Do you feel ready to go back to work?"

  "Yes. I didn't have any problems tonight controlling Lola.” Not many, anyway.

  "Good. Then contact Lieutenant Ramirez and tell him so."

  "What if he doesn't want to let me? Can I tell him we're searching for the books?"

  Micah thought for a moment. “Yes, but ask him not to mention it to his wife. I trust Maria, but the fewer demons who know, the better."

  "Okay. Fang, let's go."

  ALL RIGHT, Fang exclaimed, whirling around in excitement. BACK IN THE GAME AGAIN.

  Yeah. I was more than ready . . . sitting around for the past few days doing nothing had bored me out of my gourd. This would give me something to do.

  NOT TO MENTION GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO SEE DAN AGAIN, Fang said slyly.

  You have no right to talk, I shot back at him. After all, you have a girlfriend now.

  Fang strutted out the door. NOT YET, BUT I'M WORKING ON IT. PRINCESS IS ONE HOT LITTLE BITCH.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Four

  On the way to the station, I had to listen to Fang yammer on and on about Princess—her beautiful hair, her gorgeous eyes, her wonderful coloring. You'd think it would be difficult to hear him talk inside my brain from the back of a small motorcycle, but noooo. I couldn't avoid the never-ending babble in my mind. It made me want to puke.

  HEY, Fang protested. I HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU MOON OVER DANNY BOY . . . AND I CAN'T TURN THAT OFF.

  "I don't moon over Dan. And it's not my fault you hear all my thoughts.” I couldn't shut him out, so the hellhound heard every single freakin’ thing in my head. Then again, it was a small price to pay for the fuzzy mutt's devotion. We were best friends.

  AWWW . . . YOU LIKE ME. YOU REALLY LIKE ME, Fang said as we pulled up to the station.

  There was sarcasm in that remark, naturally, but also a bit of real feeling. He made me grin. I took off my helmet then pulled off the goggles that protected Fang's eyes. Rubbing his ears, I said, “Don't let it go to your head."

  We walked into the police station, and I spoke to the woman at the desk. “Is Lieutenant Ramirez in?"

  "Yes, but he's meeting with everyone in the Special Crimes Unit. You can wait in his office—"

  "Well, I'm a Scuzzie, too, so I'll join them."

  "No, wait—” the woman said, half-rising as if to stop me.

  I kept on going. Ramirez was the only one who could tell me what to do. Not some chick who sat a desk all day and had never even seen a vampire or a part-demon.

  It seemed like a strange time to have a meeting, in the middle of a night shift, but that probably meant it was really important. I needed to be there.

  Fang and I headed toward the briefing room. The station was drab, shabby, and gray—very government issue. Not a lot of money went into keeping up the building, but the SCU did have some of the best toys around to keep their people safe—like vamp-proof vehicles coated in silver and special ambulances-slash “dead-undead” pickup units. At least they had their priorities straight.

  I didn't want Ramirez to tell me to mind my own business in front of his all-human subordinates, so I just cracked the door in the back open a bit so I could hear. Fang sighed in disgust and flopped down beside me.

  Peering in, I saw Dan and Lt. Ramirez at the front, talking to each other in low voices as twenty people or so muttered in the background. Looks like the meeting hasn't started yet, I told Fang.

  Lt. Ramirez looked the same as always: whip-thin, care-worn, and uber serious. As for Dan, he looked good—real good. Short brown hair, chiseled features, strong bod, the gleam of heroic manliness in his eyes. What's not to like?

  Fang snorted. AND YOU MADE FUN OF MY FEELINGS FOR PRINCESS . . .

  I ignored him as I concentrated on Dan. Three days ago, he'd sounded so positive and upbeat, so glad that I'd killed his former-fiancee-turned-evil-vampire. He'd even seemed willing to accept Lola. Had he changed his mind since then?

  MAYBE HE FEELS EMBARRASSED THAT A GIRL SAVED HIS LIFE.

  I hadn't thought about that. Was he really that narrow-minded? I'd saved Rick, Jen, and Fang that day, too. Dan hadn't seemed like the macho type who'd resent a chick saving his bacon.

  Ramirez turned to the crowd. “All right, quiet down. There have been a lot of rumors flying around about Val Shapiro, and we're here to set them straight."

  About me? What the heck? No wonder the woman at the desk had tried to stop me. Fang perked up, practically quivering with the indignation I could feel radiating from him. I grabbed the scruff of his neck to keep him from barging into the room. I wanted to hear this.

  "What would you like to know?” Ramirez asked.

  Detective Mike Fenton stood up. “We heard rumors about what went down at that nest of vampires. She chopped one's head off but let the rest of them bloodsuckers live."

  I winced. I thought Mike and his partner, Hank Horowitz, had accepted me after I'd clobbered Hank in a fair fight. Maybe Fang was right, and men didn't like being beaten by a girl.

  FANG IS ALWAYS RIGHT, came the hellhound's comment, right on cue. He shook off my restraining hand, promising he'd chill.

  The muttering around the room showed that other detectives wondered about my loyalty, too.

  Ramirez held up his hands. “The truth is this. The vamp Val killed was causing the rash of vampire attacks throughout the city and attempting to take over the Movement for her own purposes. Val stopped her. The other leaders of the Movement have no quarrel with us, and we have none with them. That's why she let them live."

  "The only good vamp is a dead vamp,” someone said.

  How original.

  Annoyed, Ramirez said, “The New Blood Movement has proven they will not take anyone's blood without consent. As I've told you before, the SCU is not authorized to kill vampires just because they are vampires. Not unless they attack an innocent."

  More muttering, then someone else asked, “How do we know Shapiro isn't a bloodsucker herself?"

  What? How the heck did they come up with that lame idea?

  Ramirez looked annoyed. “Val is not a vampire—"

  "Oh, yeah?” Horowitz stood up, interrupting the lieutenant. “She's wicked fast and her reflexes and healing are way better than any human's. That's not natural."

  Beefy b
lond redneck.

  "Just like a vamp,” Fenton added.

  Oh, crap. From their perspective, it did make sense to suspect me.

  Dan frowned. “She's my partner. I'd know if she was a vampire. She's not—I've seen her outside in full daylight."

  "Maybe she tricked you,” Fenton insisted. “Because she's sure not human."

  Narrow-minded little toad. The fact that he was right made it even worse. As anger rose within me, so did the lust demon. Lola was ticked. She urged me to let them have it, let them know just how violent and inhuman I really was.

  Fang glanced at me. HOLD IT TOGETHER, VAL. THEY'RE NOT WORTH IT. THE MAJORITY OF YOU IS FULLY HUMAN. MORE THAN THEY ARE, THAT'S FOR SURE.

  Fang made a lot of sense. But as the questions flew, so did the stupid theories. Dan and Ramirez were kind enough to keep my secret—no “hey, guys, our teenaged crime fighter is part demon!"—but everyone else's idiotic questions were royally ticking me off. My blood was bubbling, seeking an outlet, seeking a way to vent Lola's wrath.

  When someone yelled, “What the hell is she?” I couldn't take it anymore.

  I pushed open the door, Fang right behind me. “I'll tell you what she is. She's pissed."

  Fang barked for emphasis, making it clear he felt the same way.

  They all turned to gape at me. Dan looked stunned. Even Ramirez looked a bit surprised. The rest stared, wondering, measuring, doubting . . . like I was some freak in a sideshow. But now that I had everyone's attention, I had no idea what to do with it.

  GIVE ‘EM WHAT FOR, Fang suggested.

  Good idea. The demon energy within me popped and sizzled, looking for an outlet. I really wanted to punch one of them—or two or five—but restrained myself. Not a good idea. Instead, I put all that energy into motion and marched up to the front and glared at all of them.

  Some avoided my eyes, but others glared right back, looking suspicious and distrusting.

  Damn it, just when I thought I finally belonged somewhere. A few days ago, these men had welcomed me into their midst, helped me celebrate my eighteenth birthday, and accepted me as one of them. Now, the suspicion and uncertainty practically rolled off them in waves. I turned to Dan, hoping for a spark of compassion, but his expression was closed, unreadable. A void opened up somewhere inside me.

  "Okay, Miss Pissy,” Fenton snarled from the front row. “Tell us all about it."

  Seeing he was wearing a silver cross on a chain, I leaned toward him, smiling. As he scowled back, I snaked out my hand and placed my hand against his necklace. He lunged for me, but a couple of other guys held him back. Too bad.

  I held up my palm. “See? No burn. Not a vamp."

  I thrust my unscathed hand at Fenton and he sneered, murder in his eyes.

  "Then what are you?” someone asked. “Your eyes flashed a funny kind of purple just now. That's not normal."

  I looked at Dan, but he shook his head, expressionless, refusing to give me any advice. My heart sank. Had he deserted me? I glanced at Ramirez and raised my eyebrow, silently asking if I should reveal my secret. His own wife was like me, part-demon.

  He nodded slightly, looking annoyed but determined. “Go ahead,” he said. When I nodded, he turned to the rest of the room. “What Val is about to tell you is confidential and, like the existence of vampires, is not to be discussed outside this department. If I learn that any one of you has talked about this with anyone else, I'll feed you to the vampires myself. Is that clear?"

  The lieutenant's unyielding glare made it clear he was willing to go all Terminator on their butts if they didn't comply. They grimaced but nodded.

  I took a deep breath, wondering how the heck to say this.

  GET IT OVER WITH QUICK, Fang advised. LIKE PULLING OFF A BANDAGE.

  Okay, here went nothing. “I'm one-eighth succubus,” I blurted out and winced, expecting the worst.

  The general consensus was a bewildered, “Huh?"

  Thankfully, Ramirez came to my rescue. “A succubus is a type of female demon who is able to . . . attract men at will."

  Well, that was a polite way of putting it.

  "Wait, I read about them,” Horowitz said.

  Horowitz could read? Who knew?

  "They're lust demons. They control men with their thoughts and suck them dry. They don't just steal a man's sex urge. They steal his brain."

  Since everyone in the room except me and one female detective was of the male persuasion, they didn't look too happy about this. I wasn't thrilled with his negative interpretation either, and Lola sure wasn't. Forget trying to explain that lust was a two-way street, and brains weren't part of the equation. Lola surged to the forefront, and I struggled with her, battled with the thought of letting her loose and giving them a baleful demonstration of her power.

  Thankfully, Ramirez took charge. “That's a little inaccurate. A succubus will enthrall a man and feed on the sexual energy he generates, but she won't necessarily harm him. In Val's case, it isn't a problem."

  Fenton rose threateningly to his feet. “How do we know she's not controlling us now?” Others rose as well, agreeing with him.

  "I'm not,” I gritted out. Idiots.

  "Oh yeah? Prove it."

  Furious, I said, “You want proof? I'll show you the difference."

  VAL, DON'T, Fang cried out.

  Too late. The demon I'd tried so hard to control burst free and lashed out, instantly ensnaring every man in the room except Dan and Ramirez, and even they looked hypnotized.

  Dan's sexual independence was a matter of snarky pride to me, and Ramirez was like a father figure. But the others? Let them see.

  Invisible lines of force snapped into being, connecting me to the seven chakra energy centers in their bodies, strongest in the second chakra of sexuality. They wanted me, worshipped me, would do anything I wanted. But I wanted only one thing, and it wasn't about sex. “Sit down and shut up,” I snapped.

  They complied immediately. “That's what it feels like to have a succubus control you."

  OKAY, YOU GOT ‘EM, Fang said drily. SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH ‘EM?

  Lola urged me to take advantage, whispering how mean they were, how they deserved to be shown what I could do, how wonderful it would be to soak up all that lovely energy . . .

  No, I couldn't. It would be wrong. As the two sides of my nature slugged it out, the one woman detective in the room, a petite blond I'd never seen before, came up out of her seat and charged toward me. “You've made your point. Now stop,” she ordered.

  I tried, I really did, but my panic only fed Lola more.

  Fang poked my leg with his nose. C'MON, VAL, GET IT TOGETHER.

  As I struggled with Lola, the cop hauled her fist back and punched me in the face.

  My head snapped back. Damn, that hurt. But it didn't help. In fact, it made it more difficult to control my raging demon. Fang growled at her, but the female cop ignored him and tried to hit me again. I caught her fist in my hand. “Don't,” I managed to get out. “I'm . . . trying . . . to stop. You're . . . not helping."

  Thankfully, she must have believed me or saw the war on my face, because her body relaxed, though her eyes continually darted between my face and the men. She didn't seem worried about Fang. A lot of vamps had made that mistake.

  BUT SHE'S NO VAMP, Fang said. AND SHE'S RIGHT.

  I know that. And the sound of Fang's calm voice in my head helped me get a grip. Slowly, carefully, I released my hooks in the men's chakras. For a moment, they sat there, stunned. Then all hell broke loose as they yelled out questions and curses.

  Surprisingly, assistance came from an unlikely source. The female cop took a deep breath and bellowed, “Sit down and shut up.” I don't think she realized she echoed what I had told them moments before . . . and I hadn't realized such a loud voice could come out of such a small body. Was she part-demon, too?

  NO, Fang said. I CAN'T HEAR HER THOUGHTS. BUT SHE'S A FIRECRACKER, ISN'T SHE?

  Yeah, I had to admit.
/>
  Dan looked at me grimly. Ramirez finally seemed to come out of his trance. “Stop it. Now."

  Most of the men quieted down, except for Horowitz. “No way—"

  "You goaded her into it,” the woman said. “Stop complaining. You wanted proof. She did what you asked."

  Whoa. I hadn't expected support.

  Some of them looked a little shame-faced, but mostly they looked confused and ticked off.

  "Thanks,” I told her.

  The blonde turned her glare on me. “I didn't do it for you."

  Huh? This chick's abrupt attitude changes could give me mental whiplash.

  Dan stepped forward. “Thank you, Detective Jones. Now, if you would all do as she suggested?” His words might be polite, but the steel behind them held a warning I wouldn't want to test.

  The room quieted, and I felt like a target with a whole bunch of mental darts aimed at it.

  Of course, someone had to say something. And equally of course, it was Horowitz. “Demon,” he muttered. “No better than a damned vampire."

  It hit me like a punch in the gut, especially when the others murmured in agreement and Dan didn't say anything else in my defense.

  "That's enough, Horowitz,” Lt. Ramirez said, his tone annoyed and biting.

  Everyone's resentful expression settled on Ramirez. “There is a huge difference,” the lieutenant said. “Demons are born—vampires are made. One encourages our natural passions, for good or bad—the other simply wants to use us for dinner.

  "The vampire Val killed chose to be made into one of the undead, chose to try to rule San Antonio with fear and death. Val is only one-

  eighth demon. She was born with no choice in the matter, just as I had no choice in being born Hispanic, and you, Horowitz, had no choice in being born part village idiot.” He ignored the snickers and continued. “The difference between her and the vampire is that she chose to use her nature to fight on our side, fight for the good and the right, the innocents. There is a huge difference,” he repeated, glaring at the men in emphasis.

  They wouldn't meet his gaze, and I knew they didn't believe him. Maybe the lieutenant's little speech should have made me feel better, but I knew something the rest of them didn't. The reason Ramirez was pro-demon was because his wife was part-demon as well.