Save the Last Vamp for Me (26 page)

“Awesome, what kind did you get?” We talked phones for a few minutes, until the teen cleared her throat.

“I have something important to ask you.”

Uh-oh. The memory of hearing her tell Logan she hoped I’d help her pick her mate rose. I didn’t want to do that. Being a psychic didn’t mean I’d be a good matchmaker. “Okay.”

Terra sucked in a breath and blurted out, “We want to adopt you into the clan. Would you be interested in that?”

So not what I’d expected to hear. “I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re already known publicly to be our ally, and Logan donated a lot of blood, which sort of makes you clan anyway. I mean, sharing blood leaves a kind of residue. People are going to think you’re clan.”

“Ah,” she was going way too fast for me. “What kind of residue?”

“Like a combination of magic and spirit. It’ll show in your aura. People who are sensitive to auras might think you smell like a tiger, or that you’re a shifter.”

And no one thought to mention that to me before now? “I see.”

“Are you mad? Don’t be mad. It’ll wear off if we don’t have the ceremony.”

“Logan saved my life. I’m far from mad,” I assured her.

“Oh, good.”

“What does the ceremony do? Permanently glue the residue on my aura?”

“Basically, and you should be able to sense us before you see us, and the same for us where you’re concerned.”

That could be useful. Soames would be going to work at Arcane Solutions, and since I was going to stay there, he’d probably be assigned as my new partner now that Nick had quit. “Okay, are there any downsides here?”

“I don’t think so. I mean, not any that are different from you being our ally,” Terra replied.

I stroked Bone’s head. “What about responsibilities?”

“That has been harder to figure out. Logan said it wouldn’t be right to ask you and expect you to change your life to how we do things, with the living close together and tithing your paycheck into the clan pot.”

Logan was right about that, but I didn’t say anything other than “Uh hmm.”

“Plus, he said the dogs might not like living in close quarters with us twenty-four-seven.” Terra paused. “This sounded simpler in my head to explain.”

I had to laugh at that. “Let me try to do a short version: Nothing really changes except for my being permanently tagged with clan ‘residue’. I keep being your friend and helping out like I have been.”

“Yes, but we’ll have a deeper connection, too. You’ll be clan. Um, do you want time to think about it?”

“No.”

“Oh. Okay, I’m sorry....”

I had to laugh, wincing when my ribs complained. “I don’t need time to think about it. You guys have been great friends, even when I haven’t been a good one back. I’ve felt more at home with you than I have with any other supes. If you want to adopt me into the clan, my answer’s yes.”

“Awesome!” she shrilled. “Cool, can we do it tomorrow night? The ceremony, I mean?”

“I guess, but I’m still injured. Kind of get tired easy.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything, all you have to do is show up. Wait, I’ll send someone to pick you up at seven. I have to go. Have a lot of stuff to do. See you tomorrow. Oh, this is awesome!” Terra ended the call, and I put my phone down, shaking my head and grinning.

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M
om and Tonya brought home a selection of Chinese food for dinner. None of us wanted to be in the kitchen much, even though a professional cleaner had removed all signs of Red’s death. I hadn’t found out who had arranged for that, but did know that Dad had called someone in to repair the back door.

We pulled the big, square decorative pillows off the furniture to use as seats, and settled around the coffee table. “I won’t be home for dinner tomorrow.”

“Oh?” Mom passed a carton of shrimp fried rice to me. “Why not?”

“Terra called. They want to adopt me into the clan, and I said yes.”

“Building bridges in the supe community. Go, Cordi.” Tonya grinned at me before diving into her chicken lo Mein.

I hadn’t thought of it like that, and smiled back. “Guess so.”

“As long as it feels right to you,” was Mom’s opinion. The conversation turned to Tonya’s studies and the upcoming Halloween party at the center.

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W
hen the doorbell rang the next evening, I half-expected it to be Logan who’d come to pick me up, but it was Soames. “Hi. I had no idea what to wear.”

He laughed. “Jeans are fine.”

“Cool.” That’s what he had on, along with a red t-shirt and jean jacket. I’d picked jeans, and a beige, cowl-necked sweater. The nights tended to be chilly, even if the days were still warm. “Let me grab a jacket.”

“Okay.” He waited while I did that and petted each dog who’d followed me to the front door. Which was basically all of them. At least I didn’t have to bend to pet Leglin.

Once we were in his truck and on our way, Soames said, “I really appreciate you talking to Mr. Whitehaven.”

“You’re welcome.” He was a heck of a lot easier to work with than Nick. “We’re going to have fun working together. We make a good team.”

He grinned. “I thought so.”

“Any leaks yet?” I asked, referring to the media. He shook his head. “Good. But it is working, right? I haven’t seen anything on the news about about protestors or attacks on vamps.”

“Seems to be. Lord Derrick’s a good choice for spokesperson. He looks harmless.”

That struck me as funny, and my ribs complained when I laughed. “Ow. Yeah, I guess he does.”

We talked about work for the rest of the drive, and eventually made it out past the city limits to a fenced pasture.

“This is our temporary gathering place. The rancher who owns it lets us rent it,” Soames explained while parking among other trucks along the fence line. “Not much grazing for his cattle here.”

“Cool.” I could see some lights not far away, and the intermittent breeze carried the murmur of voices. The gate was open, and we made the short trek to where the rest of the clan was.

Terra and Alanna met us, greeting me with gentle hugs. The blonde teen whipped a marker out of her back pocket. “Can I sign your cast? I learned people do that.”

“Sure.” I held up my arm, and she stuck her free hand under to help before drawing a flower on the cast. She added “Heal fast” and her name.

“There’s food,” she informed me. “I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starving.”

The two women led me to a large tent, the front of which was mosquito netting. Tables covered with food waited inside, along with lines of people piling their plates high. More proof that shifters ate like there was no tomorrow. Smiling faces greeted us, some people saying “hi” while others just nodded.

The general atmosphere felt calm and happy. I relaxed, selecting grilled chicken, a baked potato, fried okra, and a slice of chocolate cake. Terra carried our plates, leaving me to handle my plastic cup of tea. Outside the tent, picnic tables dotted the immediate area. During the day, there wouldn’t be any shade, but it was pretty pleasant at night.

I looked around as we walked over to a table, and didn’t see Logan anywhere. However, I did see Danielle, who glared back before turning away. Right, joining the clan wasn’t exactly conducive to not trying to be friendly with Logan anymore. Oh, well.

We ate, and Terra informed me they’d had the event semi-catered. People began drifting off beyond the lit area as I finished my last few bites.

“If you’re done, let’s go to the circle,” Terra said.

“Okay.” I ran my tongue over my teeth, as we left the table, hoping there weren’t bits of chicken caught between them. Those still hanging around followed us. I still hadn’t spotted Logan, and wondered where he was.

The circle was sort of a double one, with rocks marking its boundaries, and people standing a few deep the full way around its interior perimeter. Terra and Alanna led me through them, right to the center where a slab of sandstone sat. It was covered in a dark cloth, a brass bowl, candles, and other things lying on top of it. One of those things was a knife, its obsidian blade dull in the starlight.

Terra coughed, a deep grunt of sound that instantly silenced everyone. “We are gathered tonight to consider a new addition to our clan. I ask who among you will stand before us with this woman?”

“I will.” Logan’s voice. He slipped past a few people and crossed the intervening space to stand on my left, offering me a smile.

“As will I,” Alanna said. She was already standing on my right, between Terra and me.

“And I.” Soames cleared the crowd and lined up next to Logan.

“I will stand with her.” Gabriel joined us, standing next to Soames.

“I will too.” The woman who came forward wasn’t someone I’d met yet. She had a pretty, friendly face, freckles, and red hair bright enough to know it was red in spite of the lack of good light. We traded a smile as she walked over.

Terra lifted her hands. “Does anyone object to the inclusion of Discordia Angel Jones into our clan?”

“I object.” Not Danielle, which I expected the minute I heard Terra’s question, but her barrel-chested cousin. He took a step forward. “She’s human, not tiger.”

The red-headed woman spoke up. “There is tiger in her aura. I see and smell it.”

“She can’t shift.” He crossed his arms as though that settled the matter.

“Doesn’t need to, in order to defend clan and Queen,” Logan said.

The cousin wasn’t ready to back off. “This is against tradition.”

“We live in a new world now, and some traditions will change.” Alanna stared at him. I tried not to fidget. “She has been friend and ally to the clan. Has twice helped prevent others from taking our Queen.”

A murmur of agreement rose, and Danielle’s cousin twitched before dropping his arms to his sides. “I withdraw my objection.”

“Then let us begin.” Terra picked up the knife and cut her thumb pad, directing the resulting drip of blood into the bowl. Alanna did the same before they walked away from the altar to collect blood from those around us.

It took a while before they came back to us. I managed to keep from hissing as Terra drew the blade across my thumb. Once the others standing with me donated their drops, Terra replaced the bowl on the altar.

She and Alanna began a singsong chant while lighting the candles, and moved on to adding the waiting herbs and other things to the bowl. Logan moved a little closer to me, his voice low. “They’re asking for the gods’ blessings on your inclusion. Each item is a representation of the things important to us, and a sacrifice to them.”

I nodded and whispered, “Have the gods ever said ‘no way’?”

He chuckled. “No.”

I hoped I wouldn’t be the first one the gods said no to. The women’s voices rose and fell, and finally fell silent as Terra dropped the last thing, which looked like dirt, into the bowl and stirred it with the knife. I wasn’t remotely prepared for the sudden volcano of multicolored smoke that erupted from the bowl. She hadn’t dropped a lit match into it.

Logan steadied me with his hand across my lower back as my gaze followed the smoke upward. It formed a column and slowly began to revolve. Tiny green sparks began jumping out of the bowl, dancing free and pulling thin threads of smoke after them.

At some unknown signal, the green sparks darted away from the column, each one halting over someone’s head. I looked straight up to find one over mine too. They’d pulled and separated the smoke out into a net of sorts over the circle. Just as suddenly as the smoke had appeared, the sparks all dove downward. Mine landed somewhere above my eyes.

It didn’t hurt, but I couldn’t close my eyes. The sparks seemed to funnel the smoke into each of us, and I wondered if everyone felt the same flush of warmth I did.

Or if they could see the circle of spectral tigers pacing above us. Hundreds of them, most the usual orange, black, and white, but a few black tigers, and white ones too. I didn’t want to blink, afraid of missing a second of the awe-inspiring sight.

They began to fade away as the last of the smoke slid its way into people, and were gone as the green sparks flickered out. I lowered my head, blinking to relieve the strain of keeping them wide open, as Terra shouted, “It is done.”