Forged in Flame (12 page)

Morgan glanced at Eric and shook her head before she spun on the ball of her foot and strode away, the heels of her shoes tapping out a swift cadence on the sidewalk.
 

The young vampire shook off his surprise and jogged for a couple steps before falling into step beside her. A quick glance at his employer showed Eric all he needed to know. He remained silent as they crossed the street and made their way back to the car.
 

“Miss Blackstone,” the realtor shouted, out of breath as he tried to follow her.

“Please go back to your conversation. It must certainly be more important than my business. Oh, and, please do inform your bosses that I will find another company and an agent who wants to work. I find the lack of courtesy appalling.” As she spoke, the man’s phone chimed again. The sound grated on Morgan’s ears, and she cringed as it shifted to a high-pitched screech in her ears. Ignoring the human, she turned back to Eric and tossed her protégé the keys. “You drive,” she said and stalked over to the other side of the car.
 

Eric knew better than to question his mentor when a dark mood had overtaken her. He moved and, waited for Morgan to get in first, knowing Nicholas would be pissed if something happened to Morgan while he waited in the car.

“Please. That’s the last time, I swear.” The man held up his left hand with the thumb tucked over the palm as he stepped off the opposite sidewalk, phone still in his right hand.

“I am through wasting my time with you.” Morgan’s calm tone belayed the turmoil within. “And that device.” She flicked a quick glance at the phone. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him drop the phone as though it had just bitten him.
Richard is going to be pissed when he finds out I’ve lost control like this.
She slipped into the passenger’s seat and closed her eyes, making the breaths she did not need slow and measured.
What is going on? Why am I on edge tonight?
 

“Where to boss?” Eric asked.
He glanced at the realtor, staring at the melted mass that had been his phone. He smirked, almost feeling bad for the guy… Almost, “Find me a beach somewhere. I need ocean and sand,” she answered with a shake of her head. Her eyes remained closed.

“Damn, too bad San Francisco is hours away from surf and sand.” He teased her while checking his blind spot and pulling into the sparse flow of traffic. A quick glance at his passenger revealed she had cracked a momentary smile before her expression turned serious again. “To the sand and sea it is, my lady,” he said in his best, terrible British accent, which somehow came out sounding more like the unholy union of a Welshman and a Texan.

Morgan stifled a laugh and shook her head. “Don’t ever do that again.”

Eric chuckled. “As you wish.” Silence settled over the car as they maneuvered around the city, making their way to what he hoped would be a lonely stretch of beach.
 

Morgan was out of the car and had started a careful path to the water’s edge before Eric had the chance to shift the car into park and kill the engine. He stepped out of the vehicle and watched as she slipped off designer boots before stepping from solid ground to the soft sand. Eric closed his door and followed, allowing Morgan to stay ahead of him, giving her the illusion of being alone as she strolled barefoot along the sand. Within a few moments, she stopped and stared out at the waves breaking on the shore.
 

Eric joined for several minutes before saying, “So, what happened back there, boss? You usually don’t lose your cool like that.”

“Lose my cool?” She quirked one eyebrow and one side of her mouth lifted in a half-smile. “Ha. Ha. Very funny.”
 

“I try.” He bumped her shoulder with his and chuckled. “So, fess up.”

“Some interrogator you must have been.” She rolled her eyes with the sarcastic comment.
 

He shrugged. “I had my moments.”

“I don’t know what happened back there.” Morgan shook her head. “Something about him just rubbed me the wrong way and set each and every nerve on end.”

“But your control is a thousand times better than that.”

“Not tonight it seems,” she growled under her breath, but Eric heard it as though she’d spoken aloud.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Morgan snapped and stalked away from him, each step farther into the water. She closed her eyes, feeling an empty space in the back of her mind and listening to the crashing waves, hoping the rhythm would soothe her. It wasn’t working. She tapped her toe and chewed on her lower lip.
 

“Do you want me to call Nicholas?”

“No, he’ll be out of touch all night for his first meeting with Samair, and then looking for the Renegade.” She folded her arms over her chest and rubbed her arms like a human trying to get warm on a chilly evening without a jacket.
 

“I think you have your answer.” He stole a quick glance at his phone, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

“What?”

“You've had this bond with Nicholas for about three years now, right?” He waited until she nodded before continuing. “How long has it been since Nicholas felt the need to shut down the bond between you? I mean really put it under lock and key for safety?”

Morgan frowned and shook her head. “Almost a year.”

“So,” Eric shrugged, “in that year you’ve had him in your head twenty-four seven?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“And you’re not used to being alone in your own mind anymore.”

Morgan’s brow furrowed. She cocked her head to one side, thinking. “You may have a point there, kid.”

“So, what do you want to do?” Eric asked.

Morgan had to think about it for a few seconds before she shrugged. “I don’t know. It might be wise to keep me away from the human population for a night.”

“I could take you back to Charles’s place and get you into a nice hot bath.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she quirked an eyebrow at her protégé. “You have been stealing covert glances at your phone for the past few minutes. What’s going on?” When Eric wasn’t forthcoming, she bumped him with her shoulder. “Spill, or I’m going to make sure that phone takes a saltwater bath.” She tried to grab the phone but, he shifted, managing to keep it.
 

“You wouldn’t?” Eric snatched the phone away from Morgan’s reaching fingers, keeping it out of her reach. “Really? We’re five now?”

Morgan’s head snapped back as though she’d been slapped. She sounded offended when she said, “I am six, thank you very much. Now, are you going to tell me or must we continue behaving like children?”

“Do you ever wonder what it would have been like?”

“What?”

“To marry and have children?”

“In my time, marriage wasn’t about love, not even for commoners.” She closed her eyes and let her breath out in a sigh. “Marriage was about making the most advantageous match. Love might have entered into the arrangement at some point, but I don’t think it would have come close to what I feel for Nicholas.” Her smile appeared for a second before it melted into a frown, her brow pulled down into a scowl. “And you are avoiding the question. What is it on your phone that has you distracted?”

“A text from a human friend.”

“Texts from even human friends usually don’t get you this riled up.” She paused and studied his expression. Under her gaze, Eric fidgeted, glancing at the phone and then back at her a couple of times. He bit his lip and tapped a finger on the side of his phone. After a minute or two, Morgan shook her head and said, “Enough. What’s going on?”

“He’s retired now, but, I asked him if he knew anyone working with SFPD.” Eric sighed, followed by a far off look. “He does.”

“You’re checking into Daniel’s death?” she asked, surprised that her husband had requested a non-enforcer to look into the death of one.
What does Nicholai suspect?
She wondered as she turned and started heading back toward the car.
 

“Yeah. Look, Nicholas hasn’t asked me to, but something just doesn’t sit right with me. I didn’t get to be a detective by trusting what’s written in a report.”

Morgan had studied the young vampire for a couple of long moments before she nodded, understanding. “You want to go see him?”

“Yeah, I do. I need to talk to him about someone who might be able to get the info I need.”
 

“So you need to talk to one guy about another guy?”

Eric raked a hand through his hair and stared at the ground, a very human gesture. “I need to talk to a guy about talking to a girl. She was my partner for years.”

Morgan smiled, enjoying her protégé’s discomfort. She leaned back against the car, resting her hands on the hood and crossing her ankles. “And talking to this girl is a problem because?”
 

“I haven’t seen her for ten years and we didn’t quite leave things on good terms.” Eric thought about the last conversation he’d had with Grace, the argument that had exploded. He closed his eyes
. “
In fact I’m ninety-nine point nine percent sure that she wants nothing to do with me.”

“You won’t know whether or not things have changed unless you reach out to her.” Morgan laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Eric, if there’s more you’re not telling me, that’s okay. But, let me tell you this: you shouldn’t be afraid to reach out, you never know what might be waiting when you do.”
 

He ducked out from under her hand and shook his head. “But what about you?”
 

“I’m a big girl.” Morgan chuckled. “I know how to take care of myself, kid.”

“Nicholas would kill me if something happened to you.”

Morgan rolled her eyes.
I’ve got to have a chat with my husband about his protective streak.
“Fine, why don’t we go back to the house? Once you know I’m safe and sound, you can go see a guy about talking to your girl.”

“She was never my girl,” he grumbled to himself while approaching the passenger’s side of the car.
 

Morgan pushed away from the vehicle and walked around to the driver’s side, her finger tapping the button to unlock the doors, a satisfied smile curling her lips.
 

“Are you sure about that?” Eric asked.
 

“Of course. The night is young. You shouldn’t be cooped up with the world champion worry wart.” She flashed a quick fang-baring smile and slid into the driver’s seat.

Eric shook his head and got in. “You’re not a worry wart.”

“Don’t argue with me.”

“Thank you, Morgan.”

Before starting the car, she turned to face him. “You may not be my Blood Son, but much like the boyos, I think of you as such. I want you to have fun. It’s clear to me that this young lady is important to you.” She shrugged. “See where it goes.”

“What happened to… be careful?” He let out a short laugh and started in on his best bad Marcus imitation. “You’re a newbie vampire who can’t control his baser instincts.”
 

She laughed and shook her head. “I’m not saying this is carte blanche to do as you please, but you do need some friends outside my circle. A time will come when people start asking questions and you’ll have to…” Morgan thought about it for a couple moments before she continued, “…appear to die. Having others who know what you are will help the transition when the timing is right.”

“Are you saying that I should tell her the truth about me?”

Morgan pulled back, a scandalized look in her eyes. “Gods no!” She shrugged. “Well, not at this stage of the game.”
 

“So, what should I do?”

She shook her head and started the car. “Just go see her!”

Eric shook his head as she gunned the engine and slipped the car between two others in traffic, earning a long blast on the horn from behind them. “I take it we’re feeling better and all is right in Morgan’s little corner of the world?”

“Yes and no.” She glanced over her shoulder and forced her way into the left lane. “It’s still weird, but I think you might be right. I just have to trust that Nicholas will make it home by morning. He’s a big boy and has done this kind of thing more times than I care to recall. I don’t see why tonight should be any different.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eric nod, and she continued making her way back to Charles’s place.

14 - San Francisco, CA - October 12, 2012
 

Richard walked into the diner and looked around. In spite of the late hour, waitresses hustled around the room, trays of food weighing down their arms. Customers filled more than half the tables, some sitting alone though most held parties of two or more. He’d lived longer than normal humans and had seen many things change in his time, but the rise of twenty-four hour establishments was something he’d once found odd. Richard had never been a night owl, but three years of living on vampire time had changed that. When they were at home in Los Angeles, he knew where and when he could order a pizza at one in the morning or what to look for in a twenty-four hour eatery. If they were traveling, he knew how to find the best places to eat in most towns at strange hours.
 

His faded denim eyes scanned the faces of the patrons until he found the one he wanted. With strawberry blond hair and eyes that matched his, no one could deny that he and Lisa were related. She glanced up from the table and found his eyes. Her eyes were rimmed with red, and dark bruise-like smudges underneath them. He crossed the diner and slid into the booth across from her.