Always the Vampire (19 page)

We nodded.

“Good. One can never be sure of Cosmil’s recommendations. The man needs to get out more.”

Saber choked. I snickered. At least Lia wouldn’t be a boring teacher.

“I take it Cosmil will need a ride, Lia?”

“Yes, and we also need current area maps for the location spell.”

“Done. Cesca,” he said, taking my hand and squeezing it with a firm, deliberate pressure, “I’ll drop you both at the cottage so you can get your car.”

I startled and looked at our entwined fingers, because I’d clearly heard Saber in my mind’s ear ask,
Will you be okay alone with the drill sergeant?

I squeezed back, projecting,
She has a sense of humor. I’ll be fine.

Aloud I said, “I’ll take Lia to your house and get her settled. We’ll meet you at—”

I glanced at the dashboard clock then twisted around to check with Lia. “Is six thirty good for you?”

She nodded, grinning as if she knew something I didn’t.

I found out what that something was when I showed her my cottage.

Thank goodness Saber had cleaned. Lia pronounced the living room lovely and my funkier décor darling. She even charmed our resident feline.

“Do you and Saber live together?” she asked, cuddling Snowball against her chest and scratching the cat’s ears.

“Not all the time, but he’s been staying here more lately. Lia, you’re going to be covered in cat hair.”

“Not to worry. I must say you and Saber have a strong telepathy working. Untrained, but we will address that.”

I cleared my throat. “Uh, you read our thoughts in the car?”

“Yes, and I’m not offended, but you need to learn to shield from others. I have added that to our schedule.” She patted my arm then addressed the cat. “All right, sweet kitten, we must go.”

Lia lowered a reluctant Snowball to the floor and then waved a hand down her blouse and slacks. Cat hair lifted from her clothes, swirled like an allergy sufferer’s nightmare, and compressed into a ball that disappeared with a poof of white smoke.

“Now that trick would make you a fortune.”

“It is a handy little travel spell,” she agreed. “What time do you fetch your shifter friend?”

“Triton? I’ll pick him up an hour before sunrise.”

“Be sure you have the key to his apartment. After dinner, we will tidy up a bit for him. Don’t worry, he won’t mind,” she added before I could object to taking a stranger into Triton’s home. “He’ll rest better with his home in order, and he’ll need that energy for training.”

The sorceress was a steamroller. What else could I do but agree?

 

 

Lia enjoyed the sites as I drove through town, and I was soon ushering her into Saber’s home, a 1950s three-bedroom ranch house that he’d bought from Neil. Maggie had helped Neil renovate and redecorate, and Saber hadn’t changed much.

We stayed only long enough for Lia to pull a few things from her suitcase. Three cotton outfits, which she ironed with another wave of her hand, and a dozen semitransparent fabric bags in jewel colors. The bulging bags were closed with leather ties, and I detected the scent of rosemary and other herbs I couldn’t name as she stowed them in a drawer.

Saber and Cosmil waited for us on the outdoor deck at Cowboy’s, but I didn’t immediately recognize the wizard. He wore black slacks with a light blue shirt, and his hair was shorter than Saber’s. Had to be an illusion, but Lia’s green eyes sparkled as she beamed her approval.

“Talk about cleaning up well,” I whispered to Saber as Lia and Cosmil clasped hands and exchanged kisses on each cheek.

“I think he was going for a mature Cary Grant–casual look.”

“I think he nailed it.”

At Saber’s request, the hostess seated us at a table where we could watch the sunset. Cosmil and Lia ordered Minorcan clam chowder and the Florida Cracker Dinner, Saber opted for fried shrimp, and I stuck with my usual sweet tea, heavy on the ice.

By halfway through the meal, I expected us to be talking shop. I even introduced the subject of Starrack in hushed tones, but Cosmil stonewalled me. I put up with that nonsense until dessert.

“Cosmil, put a dome of silence over us if you have to, but I want some questions answered. Now.”

“Unpleasant conversation is bad for the digestion,” he hissed back.

“Then take a gas pill,” I snapped and turned to Lia. “What’s going on at your COA headquarters? Did your investigators find Legrand’s body? How are the bomb survivors doing?”

“COA?” Lia glanced at Cosmil.

“Council of Ancients.” He sighed. “Francesca is nothing if not to the point. Never mind persistent.”

“Fine traits,” Lia said. “The survivors will live, thank you for asking. And yes, parts of the body were located just before I left.”

“Parts?” Saber echoed.

“When the Veil folded in on itself, it fractured the remains.”

“Geez, people, if the Veil is that dangerous, why do you bother? It can’t be for the bonus miles.”

Lia gave me a Gallic shrug. “It’s true that one must concentrate on one’s destination while in the Veil, but it is pleasant, and it is simply our preferred mode of travel.”

“Did your investigators,” Saber asked, “find enough of Legrand’s remains to run DNA?”

“They did. Vampires in Europe and other countries are not compelled to submit DNA samples as you do to the VPA, but those holding Council seats are required to do so.”

“So you
will
have data to compare Legrand’s tissue against?” Saber pressed.

“Hopefully, yes. He put up quite a fight when we began the program a few years ago, citing invasion of privacy.”

Saber nodded. “The VPA ran into the same argument early on, but it’s proven valuable.”

“Yes, well, forensic tests on vampires are more complex due to layers of DNA from both the family of origin and the vampire’s Maker. We send all preternatural remains to a private, discrete morgue with a special laboratory, so it will take time to get the results. Perhaps up to a month.”

“You guys ought to consider having your own lab at the compound,” I said. “You know, for emergencies like this.”

“We are not in the habit of needing such a facility, Francesca,” Cosmil admonished.

“And in this case, it would not have helped,” Lia said. “A lab would have been placed near the medical clinic, and our clinic was damaged in the incident. Even without the injuries and fatalities, you can imagine the chaos that ensued. Factions suspected each other of the deed until I informed them we had a rogue wizard.”

“Is the COA helping to look for Starrack?” I asked.

“I implored those holding seats to spread the word, but I cannot say that anyone is actively looking for him.”

“Except the two of you,” Saber said.

When Saber put it that baldly, hiring mercenaries and Marines for backup sounded better and better.

“One more question, Lia,” I said. “Cosmil told us you’d dealt with Starrack before, and might be able to find him. Did you try a spell on your own?”

Lia’s glance darted to Cosmil before she spoke, an odd energy zipping between them.

“My solo tracking spell failed,” she admitted as she turned back to me. “However, I talked with a nymph before I left France. She hasn’t seen Starrack in more than a year, but she gave me a focus to assist us in locating him. She also swore she’d ask her friends if they’d seen him recently. Nymphs are notorious gossips, so I should hear back from her soon.”

“Gossipy nymphs are good,” I said, “but what the heck is a focus?”

“It is a tool,” Cosmil answered. “Hair or nail clippings are most often used for a location spell, or it could be an object the target has handled often.”

“In this case,” Lia added, “I have the wine goblet generally reserved for Starrack’s use during nymph gatherings. It is customary to leave dregs in the cup, and the goblets are not cleansed until the next use.”

Saber looked skeptical. “You think Starrack’s DNA is still on the goblet?”

“Enough for magical purposes, yes,” Lia said, “provided that the goblet remained untouched by others. Given the nature of nymph parties, well, we shall see.”

On that note, our meal concluded, and Cosmil paid the check, with cash money, no less. I idly wondered if he had a stash under his mattress or had conjured the bills. No matter because I was certain the bills were real. I couldn’t see him stiffing the restaurant.

Outside, we agreed to meet at Cosmil’s the following night at seven, then Saber walked me to my car while Lia and Cosmil chatted a few minutes more.

“I’ll be home as soon as I drop Cosmil at the cabin,” Saber said.

“You may beat me there. Lia wants us to go clean Triton’s apartment.”

“Want my help?”

“Nah. Maybe Lia will use her sorceress powers and wave away the mess. Although, I suppose you could pay a call on the Clarkes.”

He glanced at the magical couple. “Might as well. I don’t know when I’ll get to it once we start training.”

“You got that right. I’ll get Lia settled, give her your other spare key, and be ready to get the scoop on Melda and Clarence. Oh, and warn them about Gorman, would you? I forgot to mention him, and you know he’s obsessive when he has a vampire in his sights.”

 

 

Lia didn’t wave the apartment back to order, but we still finished tidying, dusting, and vacuuming Triton’s place in under an hour. I made the effort to sniff for any smell that didn’t belong, but the intruders had dumped tilapia and salmon in the sink, still half-wrapped in foil. The defrosted, spoiled mess masked every scent but a slight gasoline smell that I chalked up to the apartment being built partly over the garage.

As we drove to Saber’s house, Lia asked me about my maid of honor schedule, and I promised to get her a list of both my wedding and ghost-tour commitments. Then, after showing her how to work the thermostat, I gave her the extra key and headed home.

Saber had the Cowboys-Eagles Monday Night Football game on the tube when I came in and collapsed on the sofa beside him.

He lurched away. “Did you clean Triton’s place with fish oil?”

I crossed my eyes at him. “Lia stuck me with the gag-inducing mess in the kitchen while she took the bedroom and bath. She smells lemon fresh.”

“She outmaneuvered you, huh?”

“I’ve known her five hours, and I’m worn out trying to keep up with her. The best thing about training will be coming home.”

“You don’t like Lia?”

“Actually, I do. It’s just that she’s just so busy
,
and always thinking and planning and
scheduling
.”

He chuckled. “Honey, you’re the same way. You’re just not used to marching to someone else’s drum.”

“Maybe, but I’ll be glad to get back to my quieter afterlife. Did you see the Clarkes?”

“They weren’t at home. Before the game started, I fired an e-mail to Dave Corey asking for a copy of the Clarke’s entire file.”

Dave was the Jacksonville VPA agent who was also my handler, though he seldom bothered to keep tabs on me.

“Dave’s a good guy,” I defended.

“But he’s not as on the ball as Candy in Atlanta. He should have notified me about the Clarkes as soon as he dispatched them here.”

“True, but no one is as prompt as Candy.”

Just then, Saber got sidetracked when the Cowboys threw a long pass. He shouted, and Snowball raced out of the kitchen. She paused, sniffed, then launched herself into my lap to lick my hands.

I let her rough tongue and soft purrs soothe me while the replay officials reviewed the catch, and the cameras showed the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders jiggle on the sidelines. Saber denies it, of course, but he’s a bigger fan of the cheerleaders than the team.

Of course, I’m a bigger fan of the players, so it evens out.

The play stood. Touchdown. Snowball abandoned my lap for Saber’s. I headed for the master-bath sink to scrub my hands with a concoction of sea salts, and pear and coconut essential oils I bought at the weekly Saturday morning farmers’ market.

It did the trick. No fishy stench when Saber and I retired to celebrate the Cowboy’s win. Go team.

 

 

The Internet listed sunrise as 7:14, but I arrived at the beach at five thirty with extra towels and Triton’s clean clothes, just in case he shifted early. Rain had blown in from the ocean overnight, and I hoped the early walkers would stay indoors long enough for me to whisk Triton into the car. Or at least into a beach towel.

Since the rain didn’t bother me, I sat on the hood of my SSR, keeping watch with vampire vision. At six, I saw Triton’s head—his human head—break the ocean surface. He waved to signal he’d seen me, then faced back out to sea. I barely had time to wonder what he was waiting for when a dolphin shot straight up from the swells, not ten feet from Triton’s right side.

The dolphin arched to dive back into the water, and thirty seconds later I saw a second human head above the waves. This one had shoulder-length hair that shone silver, even in the darkness. Before the figure swam to join Triton, even before they kissed, I knew.

Triton had a girlfriend.