Sucking in San Francisco (20 page)

“We thought this was a long shot,” the Detectives say as they put their notebooks away, “but we have to look into every lead we get. We’ll be contacting your supervisor and if everything checks out I think we’ll be done with you.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you for your time, Miss Goodwill, Mr. St. John.” They nod at Helena and shake Julian’s hand on the way out.

They gather their notebooks, give me their cards and leave. I am beyond furious. As soon as the door shuts I bolt from my chair and start pacing.

“Easy, ma petite, don’t get too worked up.”

“Bast, you know as well as I do that it was those two. Those damn witches. If it were still the sixteen hundreds, I’d burn them at the stake!”

“Go Lilith!” Aidan says after he pops in. “What are you so worked up about?”

“Iris and Indio called in an anonymous tip that I had something to do with the power outage. Two detectives were just here.”

Aidan makes a growling sound.

“Lily had an alibi. She was at work,” Julian says. “But now the police have her name, which is something we try very hard to keep them from having.”

“I need to blow off some steam. I can’t stay around here pacing. Helena, do you want to go shopping?” I ask.

“That sounds like fun. I’ve been cooped up in this house for too long. Let me get my bag and I’ll join you in the hall.”

I give Aidan and Sebastian pecks on the cheek and leave them pondering the reason behind the detectives’ visit. Helena joins me in the hall after we grab our purses. We leave the manse in a flurry before the men can realize we’ve left their protective clutches.

“Let’s take your car, Lily. I hate driving Julian’s Mercedes.”

“Okay. I love my car.” I feel the tension of the last few days start to ease as I begin driving through the hills towards Powell Street.

“Let’s hit Bloomingdale’s, I want some new bed linens and want to look at towels. I’m thinking of redoing the colors in our bathroom,” Helena says.

“Sounds good to me. I’m up for anything retail.”

We find a parking garage near Westfield Center. It doesn’t take long to zero in on some great linens in Bloomies.

“What do you think of this color, Lily?”

“I’m partial to eggplant,” I say flashing my fingernails at her.

“I think I am too. Okay, I’ll get them all,” Helena tells the ecstatic shopping assistant.

I doubt she cares what her title is – this is a good sale.

Helena is anything but frugal. Nine hundred plus years to earn and save her money has made her a very wealthy woman. She owns land and homes in several countries. She has a portfolio she dabbles with and is a major share holder in one of the biggest computer companies in the world. When they were a startup she thought the idea was intriguing so she put up the venture capital money. Who knew?

After a couple of hours of window shopping, we walk towards my car and continue to chat away. I’m finally feeling calm, having bought two new dresses. Both were on sale which made the purchases an even bigger score in my book. We store everything in the trunk, not really paying attention to anything in particular when someone yells.

“Lily Goodwill!”

I turn around to look for the person who yelled and I’m thrown to the ground by a foreign body. Shock fogs my mind for a second as I struggle under the unfamiliar weight before I push him away – expecting to send him through a wall, but he is just as strong as I am. Helena is on top of him in no time. She throws a hex at him that knocks him off me. I leap to my feet and he lunges at me again. Helena sends another hex at him but it bounces back. He must have some protection spells on him. He crouches down, ready to spring again. He is not too tall, blonde short hair and covered in worn leather.

“Who are you? What do you want?” I gasp.

“Just come with me quietly. No one has to get hurt - too badly.” He laughs as he starts to circle.

“Like hell!”

He is vampire. His fangs slide out and so do mine and Helena’s. He’s between us and the car. He pulls out a glowing knife that must be bewitched and starts to move towards us. He jabs his blade at me, I move out of the way. He jabs again and I move back more but Helena is in the way and he nicks me. A small bit of blood trickles down my arm. It burns like Hades where I’m cut. Thank God it’s only a nick.

Helena glides to the other side of me. She dances with the speed and grace that many years of Tai Chi give her. Helena kicks him in the groin, whirling around him to sweep his knees, while I smash my fist into his face. He’s so strong it barely slows him down. He stabs at me again, shoving Helena away. We back up to gain some distance to attack, but the wall looms behind us.

“They said they didn’t care if you were damaged some in the process,” he taunts me.

I’ve heard enough. I know who’s arranged this. The only people who have ever wanted to hurt me. The dynamic duo. They must’ve visited this morning to place some kind of locating spell on me. Make sure where I was so he could follow me. Suddenly everything makes sense.

Something in me snaps. I’m literally seeing through a red haze. I run straight at him and kick a roundhouse followed by several punches to his solar plexus with everything I have. He takes the knife and slashes at me with it. He slices my arm from my elbow to my wrist and I feel it burn deep into the bone but keep going. I hit him again and manage to slam his arm into the wall, knocking the knife from his hand. He scrambles for the knife but before he can get it, Helena lands a curse that knocks him out. He goes down like the piece of dog shit he is and we jump into the car, Helena grabs one of the towels and wraps my arm in it. She motions that she will drive the car. She throws some money at the parking attendant and squeals out of there. I’m so full of anger that I’m not really registering the pain until we are almost home. My arm bleeds profusely, staining my dress and making my skin slick with the sluggish oozing. The rich tangy smell of the blood has me on edge. I hear Helena talking on her cell phone.

When we pull up to the manse, Sebastian is waiting, Aidan on his heels. Helena called ahead and told them what happened. Before Sebastian can carry me in, Aidan has deposited me on the couch in the library. Andrew has steaming water and bandages ready.

My arm stings like hell as Helena blots it with hot water. The bowl turns red as she dips the rag into the water to rinse it out. She casts a spell of healing and a counter - curse helps wound heal. While she chants, my arm glows and I have to grit my teeth to keep from yelling. Aidan rubs my back in quiet support and I lean into his warmth and comfort.

“It will be a long time before it’s healed,” she says. “They are deep cuts and magickally reinforced – a bad combination.”

I’m quiet, partially in shock, partially trying not to whimper. Sebastian and Aidan exchange several serious glances.

“Cherie, what were you thinking attacking him like that?”

“Sebastian, he wasn’t going to quit. I just saw red. I knew the witches had sent him and I’d had enough. I was so mad all I could think about was stopping him.”

“Hmmm… Well, it seems to have done the trick, but at such a cost to you, ma petite.” He smoothes the hair off my forehead. His touch was gentle but I could see the fire in his eyes. Sebastian’s holding his temper back. He is nothing if not protective.

“Rest now, brave girl,” Aidan whispers as he runs his fingers down the side of my cheek. His touch makes me drowsy and I shiver from the heat of his fingers. He must have put some magick into it.

Sebastian carries me to the library. Aidan pops out and when he returns he looks grim. I don’t have the energy to ask him what he found out. He signals to Sebastian and Julian and they go into the hall. Helena and Andrew fuss around me, bringing me hand sanitizer and handi-wipes. I’m almost too sleepy to want any. Damn Aidan and his sleepy time spell. Andrew makes coffee. Holding a big mug with my other hand, I curl up in my favorite chair. The men haven’t returned yet. This can’t be good.

Finally, I drag myself upright and look for them. In the middle of the next room my attacker sits, bound and whimpering. Sebastian and Aidan stand over him – he’s got a black eye and a swollen lip. His eyes are wide and frantic. Julian’s asking questions.

“Are you ready to tell us what they plan to do with Lily?” Julian says, his voice is cold – I have never seen this side of him.

“They didn’t tell me, I swear. They just wanted me to bring her to them. They said if I cut her up some that it was even better. They gave me this special knife. I could smell the magick on it. Then they put some spells on me to make me stronger, faster when I ambushed her. Just in case, they said. They wanted her alive, but she could suffer as much as I wanted her to.”

“Festering puss of a diseased camel,” Aidan spits at him.

Sebastian back hands my attacker. The man’s head snaps back and his fangs slip out. He isn’t in good enough shape to take Sebastian on.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask.

This startles all of them. The boys look a bit guilty.

“We are trying to find out some information from your attacker,” Julian says, straightening his shirt.

Helena comes up behind me and puts her hand on my back.

“Hit him once for me,” she says.

“Helena!” I can’t believe what’s coming out of her mouth.

“This man would have hurt you, Lily, and he was going to turn you over for torture to Iris and Indio. They would have killed you.”

“Where are you from?” Julian asks intent on information.

“I’m rogue. I hire myself as a mercenary. I owed Alexander a favor and he sent me to the witches when they asked for a vampire to do a job for them.”

A fleeting look of surprise washes across Sebastian’s face. Alexander was involved with this mess. The rogue’s head drops with weariness. I think he knew his fate was sealed. Aidan’s eyes were glowing, filled with hate. This is why he hunted vampires. I couldn’t blame him when presented with this man as an example of our kind.

Sebastian lunges at the man, growling with his fangs bared. He is going to kill him but Aidan stops him. Julian moves with lightning speed to grab Sebastian’s other arm.

“What do we do with him now?” I ask tentatively.

“I will dispose of him,” Aidan says through clenched teeth.

“You will not kill him, Aidan,” I say.

He looks at me like I have lost my mind.

“Dump him somewhere remote but let him survive. Don’t kill him. He wasn’t going to kill me.”

“As you wish, love,” he says darkly.

Sebastian is fit to be tied and leaves the room to calm down.

Aidan doesn’t look happy. I know that djinn spend their long existence looking for loopholes in human master’s commands. I wonder what he will really do.

Aidan grabs the sorry looking vamp by the hair and pops out. He is gone for a moment and then pops back into the library.

“I left him on an island in the middle of the ocean. There was plenty of wildlife, so he can feed, but it won’t be pleasant,” he growls.

“He might well wish he had died,” Julian comments.

“How are you feeling, ma petite?” Sebastian says studying my arms. He is in control again. Fangs tucked away.

“Like I will heal eventually. The coffee is warm, feels good,” I say bravely. Hey, I have the hurt. I might as well get some mileage from it.

I can’t shake the thought of that man all alone in the middle of the ocean. All alone with wild animals as his only food source. I shouldn’t pity him, but I do. The real culprits are still sitting at home wondering why I haven’t shown up yet. I hope they paid in advance.

I sit down on the couch flanked by Sebastian and Aidan. Aidan summons some pillows and then arranges them to support my arm. Then he reheats my coffee.

“Thanks, Aidan,” I say.

Sebastian squeezes my hand. They have called a truce, at least for now. Nice! I have to admit it’s handy to have a jinni when it comes to punishing bad guys. They can be very creative. Aidan summons my clothes and shoes from my condo because everyone informs me I’m under house arrest until I heal. I reluctantly agree. All their fussing makes me anxious. I want to be by myself so I head up to my room with my new iPad.

I download a book and am a few chapters into it when there is a light knock on my door.

“Come in.”

“It’s me, Lilith. I’m going to go home for the evening. I need to replenish and you need to rest,” Aidan says.

“Today has been a bit overwhelming,” I admit. “I need to detox, so to speak.”

“I listen to jazz. It’s my salvation.”

“I remember when jazz first came out. I used to love going out and listening to it, dancing all night,” I say.

“I remember as well. Perhaps sometime we can go out and listen to some jazz. I would like to share that with you.”

“I would like that too, Aidan.”

His eyes promise to hold me to it. He kisses me chastely on the lips.

“I know I’m cheating.” He smiles wickedly. I grin back.

“I won’t tell, if you don’t,” I say.

“Deal.”

He’s gone before I can say another word. It is still hard to get used to his magick. I get a shiver every time he pops in and out of the room. I go back to my book and read a few more chapters before Sebastian comes in.

“Could I lay with you a while?” he asks reasonably. His body language tells me he is ready to back down if I want it.

“I think that would be okay.”

I am still remembering last night and how much I had wanted him. I suspect he remembers it too from the look on his face. My slut side is out of commission thanks to my arm. No romance in my immediate future. Sebastian is still in jeans and a polo shirt and I am still in my dress, Aidan removed the blood - instant, non-chemical dry cleaning. Sebastian kicks his shoes off and crawls onto the bed next to me. I throw the chenille blanket over both of us and snuggle into him.

“What book are you reading?” he asks looking over my head.

“A book on rape crisis intervention, we get a lot of calls at work. I try to stay current.”

“Not exactly bed time reading,” he notes.

“No it isn’t,” I say.

“You know if you feed off me you will heal faster,” Sebastian says.

“I’ve never done that with a vampire before, Bast.”

“I think it would be a good idea in this case. I hate seeing you hurt.” His eyes tell me that he wants this not for the sensual pleasure it will give him but because he really does want to help me. That’s enough to convince me.

I move closer to him, nuzzling his neck to find a pulse point. Sebastian gasps. Clearly this will be enjoyable for him regardless of his intentions. I wrap my arms around him and press my body tight against his, then I gently bite into his neck. The taste of his body is like nothing I have ever encountered. The salty, sweet zing floats through me and I can feel myself responding to it. Sebastian groans and rubs his body against mine and I reciprocate. His blood moves through my veins setting my nerves on fire. Every inch of me now demands him. I slowly pull away, not wanting to take too much and Bast cries out.

Sebastian quickly captures my mouth with his and kisses me deeply. Our tongues slide against each other and I know he can taste his blood on my lips. He moans as his tongue runs across my fangs. He pulls back and his fangs come out and before I can think about it he bites my shoulder gently. The air goes out of the room and light explodes in front of my eyes. Sebastian slips his arms around me and pulls me on top of him. I feel so connected to him while he is biting me. I feel his unconditional love, his fierce desire to protect me, his need for me. He pulls out his fangs and I gasp. The world seems less colorful. I hold onto Sebastian tightly.

“Lily, my love, I love you.”