by Amy Boyles
I swallowed. “Because the vampire who will give it to me won’t be awake until then.”
The new coroner arrived and declared Weatherby dead. The coroner was new because the last one turned out to be a vampire who wanted to sell an angel to a pack of demons. With Stone and Dex’s help, we saved the angel and defeated the bloodsucker.
But I digress.
Dot and Gabby had gone home earlier, so Stone said he’d drive me back to the house.
It was the first time we’d been alone in ages. Last we’d really talked, I said I needed to take things one day at a time. Even Stone had said that being around me was emotional torture for him, so we’d cooled our jets.
But here we were.
“So,” he said after I got in.
“So,” I replied. The cabin was filled with his clean, heavenly scent. I inhaled deeply, letting it fill my senses.
“What do you think killed our friend, there?”
Right. Let’s talk about everything except how we feel for each other.
I shook my head. “No idea what killed him. I heard Lana scream. When I got outside, she and Weatherby were struggling. Then there was a flash and he fell over dead.” I held the ring in my palm. “This was cracked open, though.”
We drove past the remaining fragments of the scene. Lana had been taken by Terry, probably to the same holding cell I’d been in a while back with Dex.
But that was another story for another time.
Stone’s gaze slid down to the ring. “What is that?”
I shook my head. “No clue. I haven’t seen anything like it before.”
He raked a slash of bangs from his face. “Do you think Lana did it? She can work some magic.”
He was referring to a time when Lana had made slips of paper fall from the sky and land all over town. Written on said slivers was that I was a witch. So basically Lana had outed me. At first I was pretty mad, but eventually we made our peace.
I shrugged. “I really don’t know what killed Weatherby. Hmm. Do you suppose he stayed in town last night?”
Stone tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. I sneaked a peek at them. Those fingers could send a bolt of lightning straight down to my core. All they had to do was graze my skin.
I shuddered just thinking about it.
Stone smiled widely. “If he stayed in town, there’s one way to find out.”
“What’s that?” I said.
“Let’s swing by the post office and ask Patsy.”
Patsy was Stone’s town informant. As a postal lady, she happened to know a little bit about everything. I’m not exactly sure how, but I wasn’t exactly going to question it.
We parked in an empty spot in the lot. The bushes hedging the building were bare of their leaves. A gray sky spanned as far as I could see. It was the dead of winter and a man had died. A man I didn’t like, to be sure. But a man nonetheless.
“Wait here,” Stone said.
I frowned. “Why?”
He winked at me. “I don’t want Patsy to get jealous.”
I barked with laughter. “You got it. I wouldn’t want to lose the one town informant we have.”
Stone disappeared into the federal building. I pulled my phone from my pocket and texted Dex that I needed him to call me as soon as he could. I supposed I could have swung by his house and asked his manservant, Fitz, for the tribunal contact information, but I preferred to get it straight from the source.
Stone returned a few minutes later, grinning from one ear to the other. He slid into the bucket seat, bringing a blast of cold air with him.
“You’ve got good news,” I said.
He nodded. “I do. Turns out Patsy knows one of the hotel owners well enough that he commented he had a strange guest who happened to wear a hat.”
My eyebrows rose to points. “That’s great. We’re going there, right?”
Stone’s lips curled. “Yeah. I mean, we could. Or we could sit here for ten minutes and stare at each other.”
I fisted him playfully in the shoulder. “That sounds like a fabulously boring idea.”
Stone scoffed. “But I have beautiful eyes that you could stare into.”
I laughed. “You do. So do I. Let’s go.”
He backed out of the spot, and we rolled down the street. “I’ve been thinking about your eyes—their color is like coffee.”
“Which you don’t drink.”
He cocked his head. “That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the color.”
Best to change the topic and get back to reality. “You should probably appreciate the fact that soon you’ll be leaving and you won’t have to think about me anymore.”
“Yeah,” he said, his tone turning morose. “That sounds like the best idea in never.”
I giggled. “Okay. Enough.” The silence that drifted between us felt pregnant, uncomfortable. “What is it?” I finally said.
Stone pulled into the lot of the Happy Inn. It was a U-shaped motel with a courtyard in the middle.
“This is where he stayed?”
Stone nodded. “Yep. Room 10.”
I cocked my brows. “You sure know a lot.”
He flashed me a grin. “Just wait until we get in. Come on.”
We entered the office, where a guy who looked like he was in high school sat playing an ancient Nintendo on an old TV set. When the bell tinkled, the kid looked up and hopped off the chair.
“Yes, sir, what can I do for you?”
“I need to get into room 10,” Stone said.
The boy snapped his fingers and glanced at the pegboard. “Uh. Looks like that key’s taken.”
Stone rubbed the back of his neck as if he were embarrassed. “Yeah, I locked it in the room. Can I have the spare?”
The boy kept snapping until he located the extra key in a shoe box. “Sure thing. Here you go.”
“Thanks.”
We left and walked across the lot to the last room. “Did you do your Jedi mind trick on him?” I said.
Stone could influence people, suggest certain things and get them to do his bidding to an extent.
The angel shook his head. “Nope. He just wanted to help.”
“That’s pretty amazing,” I said.
Stone nodded. “I think so too.” He inserted the key and opened the door. We slid inside and bolted the lock behind us.
The bed was perfectly made with a suitcase lying atop it. Stone unzipped it and peeled back the lip.
He riffled through Weatherby’s luggage while I checked the bathroom. Shaving supplies, toiletries, nothing of consequence filled his canvas travel bag. I entered the main room and opened the closet. It didn’t appear that Weatherby had bothered to put any of his clothes away. I guessed he wasn’t planning to stay long.
“What about the team he sent to my house?” I said. “Did Patsy know about them?”
Stone shook his head. “No. Weatherby was the only one who checked in.”
“Finding anything?”
He pulled a notepad from the suitcase and flipped it back. “Looks like a bunch of names and addresses.”
I frowned and came over. That’s exactly what it was, a list of names—and Gabby’s name was at the top.
“These are all children of supernaturals,” I said. “Every one of them.” I bit down on my lip. Why did Weatherby have a handwritten list?
“Is that all you found?” I said.
Stone nodded. “It’s the most important thing.”
“I say we take it.” I stuffed the list in my purse. Stone left the door unlocked and the key on the dresser for anyone to find.
We got back in the SUV. I scanned over the list and found Maggie Moonglow and Lana beside their children’s names as well as the names of nearly a dozen other supers.
I dropped the list in my lap. “I don’t know if Weatherby talked to all these people. I’ll ask Dex if he can hold a meeting with the supers and see who was approached by Weatherby.”
Dex was not only my husband, but he was a
lso the unofficial mayor of the supernaturals and probably the best person to find out what I needed to know.
I rubbed a knot in my neck. “It’s all so weird. This agent shows up threatening to take our children; then he keels over dead in broad daylight after a flash of power.”
Stone tipped his head toward me. “You took that ring. Do you think it’s connected?”
I shook my head. “No clue. I’ll ask Dex. Maybe he knows something since he’s connected to the tribunal and all.”
“Speaking of Dex,” Stone said.
I groaned, letting my head fall back. I stared at the vehicle’s cloth ceiling. “What? What is it? What are you going to say? I shouldn’t hang around him? That you’re better for me? Well, listen, mister, last time we had this conversation, you said you were leaving and never coming back.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
I choked on a glob of saliva. I coughed up half a lung, bracing my hands on the dashboard. “What?” I croaked. “What are you talking about?”
Stone shrugged. “Andie, I’m thinking of staying when this is all over.”
My gaze darted left and right; my heart raced. “Can you put in plain English exactly what you’re saying?”
Stone ran a thumb down his jaw. “I’m saying I’ve been thinking things over. These past weeks away from you have been torture.”
My heart throbbed. I felt so comfortable with Stone, so right. We’d gotten close very quickly, and then he’d backed away. My heart had ached to the point where I’d steeled myself a little so that he couldn’t hurt me again so easily.
“Yes,” I said slowly. “It’s been hard. But that’s what you wanted.”
He sighed. “I know. Can’t I acknowledge when I’ve made a mistake? This whole thing between us has made me evaluate a lot of things.”
“Like what?”
“Like if I’m meant to keep being an angel.”
His words stopped me cold. My throat clenched, and I took a staggering breath. “What are you saying?”
Stone pursed his lips to a line. “I’m saying I’m thinking about giving it all up to be with you. If you’ll have me.”
Crap. Seriously? Could he have picked a better time to throw his heart on the floor and reveal his innermost thoughts? I was trying to solve a death here, at least find out if it was murder or what, and Stone was talking about committing ourselves to each other.
“I’m not asking you to marry me or anything,” he said.
“I know,” I snapped. “I wasn’t thinking that.”
“From the look on your face, it kinda seemed like you were.”
“That’s ridiculous. We’re nowhere near marriage. Besides, I’m already married.” Holy crap. Did I just say that out loud?
Stone wedged himself against his door. “Yes, you are. Listen, I wasn’t trying to complicate things. If you don’t want to be together, that’s fine. I just—I just had to tell you what’s in my heart. What’s been weighing down on me.”
I touched his arm. “I’m sorry. You just surprised me. I didn’t expect you to say anything like this. At all. You said we needed to cool our jets. So I cooled mine, and now you’re telling me that you want to stay, to try to be together? You want to give up being an angel? For me?”
Stone stopped the vehicle. He turned to me, cupped my cheeks in each of his palms and kissed me long and slow. Butterflies and fairies fluttered in my stomach. My toes curled as his kiss sent a hot tingle down my spine.
I moaned a little.
We parted.
“I would give my life for you and your daughter,” he said.
Wow. Okay. Not what I expected to hear. “That’s pretty serious.”
“I’m offering myself to you. I don’t expect an answer today, but I’m here.”
I leaned back. “Okay.” Wow. A giggle bubbled on my lips. “Whoa. That was some kiss. I can’t even think straight.”
“You’d better. I’ve dropped you off where you need to go.”
I twisted in my chair. “Where are we?”
Stone nodded. “Dex’s house. The sun’s about to set. He should be getting up.”
My heart sank. I felt so bad that I reached out and grazed my fingers down Stone’s arm. “He’ll have information that we need. Do you want to come in?”
Stone shook his head. “No. But I’ll leave you here. He’ll give you a ride back. I’m heading over to your house to watch Gabby. Make sure she’s okay.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
I frowned. “Weatherby’s dead.”
“Yeah. Something weird’s going on with that whole thing. I don’t like it.” He gave me another brief brush of the lips, and I got out.
I waved as Stone roared off. I walked up the path and pressed the bell. An older man with a kind smile and sagging features answered.
“Hello, Fitz,” I said. “Is Dex awake?”
Fitz gestured for me to enter. “Yes. Please come in.”
Fitz was Dex’s manservant. He watched over the house during the day, when Dex slept. I stepped inside the mansion, because that’s what it was. Dark wood paneling, thick ferns and expensive chandeliers peppered the space.
Fitz led me to the stairs. “He’s in his bedroom.”
“Bedroom?” I said, hesitating. I’d never seen Dex’s bedroom, and to be honest, the idea of going up there kind of frightened me.
“He’s awake.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. I crept up the winding staircase until I reached the top floor.
“I’m in here, Andie,” came Dex’s voice from down a hall.
“How’d you know I was here?” I pushed open a door and found Dex tying a pair of hard leather dress shoes.
“Because I can hear better than a human,” he said. “I even listened in on the conversation you and the angel were having outside.”
My heart thundered against my ribs. I waved the air in dismissal. “What?”
He glanced up at me, his blue eyes flashing with mischief. “I’m kidding. I can’t hear that well.”
He rose. He wore a white button-down with the sleeves rolled up, revealing not only the alabaster skin of a vampire but also corded forearms. He flashed me a knowing smile. Well, after all, at one point Dex had known me better than anyone. I’d loved him as fiercely as he’d loved me. But that was before he’d fallen over a cliff and before the lord vampire had turned him into a bloodsucker.
Dex crossed to me and wrapped me in a hug. He fluttered kisses down my neck. A little moan of pleasure escaped my lips.
“I’m going to hope,” Dex whispered between kisses, “that whatever you were discussing had nothing to do with what’s between the two of us.” He entwined his fingers in my hair. “And that what’s between us will stay as strong as the day we married.”
Wait. What?
I gently broke free from him. “Look, Dex. You know I haven’t made any decisions about anything.”
He shrugged. “But you will. You’ll have to. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I mean, I guess. But listen.” I fluffed my hair so I could think better. “Dex, Weatherby’s dead.”
His eyes widened. “What? How?”
I explained everything that had happened that morning. I pulled the notebook from my purse and showed it to him.
“Sheriff Terry needs you to bring in investigators from the supernatural tribunal. He says he wants officials here to investigate the body.”
Dex’s gaze skimmed the list. He glanced back up at me, his jaw clenched. “Why?”
I crossed to his desk and leaned one hip against it. “Because he doesn’t know what killed Weatherby, and he wants to rule out magic. You’re their point man here. You’ve got contacts, right?”
Dex nodded. “Okay. Done. I’ll make a call in a few minutes. What else did you find?”
I nibbled my bottom lip, unsure if I should tell him. I mean, he might yell at me for taking evidence or something.
I pulled the ring from my pocket and handed it to him. �
��I found this on Weatherby. It was cracked open like it is now. I’m not sure if the magic came from here, or if magic caused the ring to split.”
Dex stared at the black stone. “You found this on him?”
I nodded. “Yes. Why? Have you seen one like it before?”
Dex turned over. He didn’t answer. In fact, he seemed absolutely drawn into the piece of jewelry, as if in a trance.
“Dex? Do you know what it is?”
He cocked his head. “I know a couple of things about this.” His voice was dark, harsh. His tone made my stomach quiver. I’d never heard such anger in his voice, such bitter hatred. The sound made me want to wrap my arms around his shoulders and give him a hug.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “What do you know?”
“First, I know that if this stone is broken, a spirit is released.”
“Who’s spirit?”
“Not sure. The second thing I know—and this is more serious—I know who the previous owner is.”
I didn’t understand. “The owner? Isn’t that Weatherby?”
Stone shook his head. “No. Weatherby had it on him when he died, but he wasn’t the previous owner.”
“Who was that?”
Stone’s eyes darkened. “The previous owner was the lord vampire.”
FOUR
“What?” I screeched. “It belonged to the lord vampire? Like, the lord vampire that put you in your current undead state?”
“Yes,” Dex growled. “The same one.” He raised the ring to the light. “The question is, how did Weatherby end up with it, and whose soul was inside it?”
I raked my fingers through my hair, trying to tamp down the worry threatening to surface. “Okay, so how do you even know about this ring?”
Dex rubbed his arm. “He showed it to me. After the lord vampire turned me, I stayed with him and other vamps for a while, but I’ve lost track of them. I know I’d told you finding him and becoming human again was one of my main goals, but with everything going on with Gabby, I’ve needed to be here.”
I tapped a finger against my teeth. “So the lord vampire is obviously still alive, right? I mean, if he’d been vanquished, you’d be free. No longer a vampire.”
Dex smiled sadly. “And you’d take me back in a heartbeat.”