The Bloody City (10 page)

“He’s got a point,” Micha said. “I can hold my own.”

“Shh.” June waved at him. “Call it insurance. Just because I don’t think he’ll do anything doesn’t mean he won’t. I’m going to make sure Occam keeps his promise and sends Micha back. If he tries anything, I’ll—I’ll think of something. I can’t use my voice on vampires, but I’m betting their doctors aren’t vampires. I’ll make sure we escape.”

“You’re not a bodyguard,” Sam said. “You are an idiot, though.”

“Yeah, but idiocy seems to be in fashion, so let’s roll with it. I’m protecting your bargaining chip, Sam. For the good of the cause, remember?”

“You could get out of here.” Worry shone in Sam’s eyes, behind the veil of consternation. “You could get back to California. You could leave tonight.”

“I plan to get out of here, but I need to make sure Micha comes back first. I can’t leave Chicago not knowing that all of you are safe.”

“Still,” Micha said. “You don’t need to put yourself on the line for me again. It’s not fair you got tangled up in this to begin with.”

“Shut up.” She waved at him again. “I need you to do something for me, Sam.”

“Hello!” Occam called from the curb. “Impatient vampire here. Needles and urine samples await.”

“Tell Diego to take Jason home,” she told Sam. “Jason will argue. He’ll throw a fit. Tell him I said to go home, get Mom, and take her somewhere safe. Diego won’t argue. He’ll be pissed at me, but he won’t argue.”

“What if Jason won’t go?” Sam asked. “You should be going with him, June.”

“He’ll go. Tell him he has to protect our mother. Convince him.”

“And you call me a manipulator?” Sam gazed at her, brows drawn down, lips in a tight line. He almost looked like his male self.

“June…” Micha said.

“C’mon!” Occam barked.

June took a deep breath. “Promise me you’ll get them out of here, Sam.”

He shook his head. “If genetics hold true, I’ll have to tie him up and throw him in the car myself.”

Sam held Micha’s arm until Micha slid into the backseat of the car. Micha turned back into himself when Sam let go.

“Be careful,” Sam said softly as June crawled in.

“I will.”

Sam bent down, peering in.

“They better come back alive, Occam. I may be in hiding, but I’ll come out to bring the entirety of the Paranormal Alliance against the vampires, and it won’t be pleasant.”

Occam snorted. “All right.”

Sam tossed something onto June’s lap. His purse. “There’s more needles and medicine in there.”

“Thanks.” She gave him a little wave.

Occam reached out and slammed the door shut. “He talks too much.”

As they slid into traffic, Occam settled next to June and sprawled out. June moved away from him, closer to Micha, the purse clutched to her chest.

“I want some different clothes when we get to your house,” she told Occam. “I’m not staying in this dress. I didn’t expect a slumber party.”

“I can help you out of it.”

“I’ll hurt you.” As she lowered the purse to her lap something shifted inside, and she squeezed it gently. The light. “I’ll hurt you so bad.”

Occam laughed. “We’re not going to my house. Unless you two want to be cocktails for my friends.”

“Where are we going?” Micha asked.

“Don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

They drove for a while, through mostly suburban areas. Micha remained silent, and she pressed to his side, keeping as far from Occam as she possibly could without actually climbing into Micha’s lap. She never saw the driver, as a solid partition separated the front and back.

They eventually pulled into the parking lot of a nondescript one-story building, with a sign out front that said “Westside Clinic.” The windows were dark, apart from a security light inside the double glass doors of the entrance.

“Hop out kids,” Occam said. “We’re here.”

They got out of the car. Impulsively, protectively, she grasped Micha’s hand.

“Oh, how sweet.” Occam led them up the walkway to the building. “I didn’t realize you two were a couple.” He stopped at the clinic doors and drew a set of keys from his jacket pocket. “Explains a lot.”

“Does it?” June said. “What does it explain?”

“How Sam uses you so easily.”

“He’s not using me.”

“Gullible.” Occam unlocked the door. “Perfect.”

“Shut your mouth or I’ll punch your fangs out.”

They stepped inside, the clinic dark beyond the inner glass doors. Occam punched a code into an alarm pad on the wall.

“You can get all defensive”—a beep sounded and the lock on the inner doors clicked—“but I don’t think you’re as stupid as you pretend to be.”

“I’m not pretending to be stupid,” June said.

“No? Well then, it’s unfortunate you want to protect the one man we’d like to carve into sushi. But I guess brains and taste don’t correlate.”

Before June could reply, Micha snarled, “Enough of this bullshit! I had nothing to do with my wife’s discovery. Your threats against me are asinine.”

Occam walked into the darkened clinic and Micha followed, dragging June after him.

“And so what if you’ve got a bacterial infection?” Micha continued ranting. “So what if it ruins your fucking ‘mystique’? It doesn’t make you any less powerful or dangerous. It doesn’t make you any less capable.”

Only Micha could berate someone with affirmations.

They walked into a waiting room and stopped.

“We don’t appreciate normals poking their nose in our business.” Occam turned to Micha. He was shorter than Micha and had to look up at him, but didn’t seem the least bit intimidated. “It’s not anyone’s business what’s in our blood.”

“Not every vampire feels like you,” Micha said. “I’ve talked with vampires who either didn’t know what they were getting into or couldn’t handle it once they did. They benefit from her discoveries.”

“They’re the ones who don’t deserve to be vampires,” Occam sneered. “And they won’t be much longer.”

“What does that mean?” June asked.

Occam’s eyes flashed in the light from the entrance. “You’re in a dark, dark forest, Little Red. I hope it’s worth having the big bad wolf breathing down your neck. For love, or whatever insipid reason you’re here.”

Micha placed a hand on Occam’s chest and pushed him away. “You reek. Get away from me.”

June tightened her grip on Micha’s hand. Other vampires could be lurking in the shadows. She braced herself for an attack.

“Don’t ever touch me again,” Occam said, his voice eerily calm. “Savor that, because if you try it again, you’ll leave, as I promised, but you’ll do it without hands.”

“That’s not the promise you made,” June said.

“I’ll take your tits, too. Tiny as they are.”

She glared at him.

Occam led them through the clinic, down a series of hallways. Security lights shone over doorways, providing the only illumination. The building stood silent and seemingly empty.

So when June saw someone, it was a bit of a surprise.

Up ahead, lit faintly by a security light, a figure stood, back pressed against a wall. Occam strode ahead of them, not making any sign he saw the person.

Micha squeezed her hand. “What?” he whispered. He must have felt her start.

She tried to act casual, not giving away his wife’s ghost lurked ahead.

As they drew closer to the figure, June inched closer to Micha. Her skin crawled. When they reached the spot where Rose stood, Occam swept by without stopping. The air was colder in that spot, gusting a nerve-rattling chill across June’s skin.

As always, Rose stood perfectly still, her expression and eyes blank. She blended into the shadows, as though made from them. She wore the same clothes she always wore, the clothes she had died in.

She whispered as June passed, “It’s not meant for you.”

To June’s surprise, Micha jerked his head around, as though he’d heard her too. June had no idea what her words meant—she never did, until later.

They reached their destination shortly after passing her, and Occam opened a door to the left. He stepped inside and flipped on a light. June winced at the brightness.

“Home sweet home,” Occam drawled.

They stepped into a small room with a twin hospital bed in one corner, a tall filing cabinet next to it, and a table, piled with papers. The white walls and green tile floor were stark and dingy.

“Researchers sleep here when they stay overnight,” Occam said. “Didn’t expect there to be two of you, so you’ll have to share. Won’t be a problem, I take it?”

“Not at all,” she said.

Occam pointed to a doorway across the room. “Bathroom. I’m going to lock you in for the night. In the morning, they’ll start the testing. If you need anything—well, you’re shit out of luck.”

June smoothed her hand down the front of her dress. “Is there anything…”

Occam pointed at the filing cabinet. “They keep stuff in there, probably some clothes. If not, guess you’ll just have to stay a pretty princess.”

June let go of Micha’s hand. “Thanks for your hospitality.”

Occam flashed a syrupy smile. “Anytime.”

He walked out and closed the door behind him. The lock clicked.

The small bed had a thin green blanket and one pillow. The overhead light buzzed in the silence.

“You heard something out in the hallway,” she said to Micha.

“Yes. And something startled you.”

“What did you hear?”

“A whisper. I couldn’t make out the words, though.”

“It was Rose. First time I’ve seen her in months. She didn’t make any sense, as usual. Hopefully she’s not still lurking out there. And hopefully she doesn’t come in here.” She glanced warily at the door.

“I wonder if I’ve become sensitive too?” The question seemed rhetorical so June didn’t reply. “Are you feeling all right? I mean, from the allergic reaction.”

“My mouth still feels a little funny.” She scratched at her chest. “A little itchy. But the antihistamine is working.” She slumped. “Something else I can’t eat. I wonder what happens if I become allergic to all the food?”

“Is that possible?”

“Who knows.”

She walked over to the filing cabinet, dropped her purse on top, and started opening drawers. She scanned the ceiling. No cameras.

“Sam slipped me the UV light.” She kept her voice down, just in case. “It’s in the purse.”

“Could have used it earlier, when Occam was getting uppity.”

“You should watch it, long as we’re here. I doubt Occam travels by himself. It’s quiet here, but that doesn’t mean we’re alone.”

“Ghosts and vampires. We’ll sleep easy tonight.”

“As long as they stay out of this room, I don’t care. We’ve been sleeping with the threat of worse.”

He was silent for a moment. “June? Thanks. For doing this. I’m glad you’re here, even if it’s a stupid move on your part.”

“Stupid is what I do best.”

The room had a single window. A streetlight shone in, but when they turned the light off, the darkness gathered around them sinister and unfathomable. She had Micha next to her for comfort, though, like every other night. She lay with her back to the wall, draped over him, one arm and one leg, her head on his shoulder. She’d found a T-shirt and sweat pants in the filing cabinet. Both were a little big, but better than the dress. She’d put the T-shirt on, but left the pants off.

“I can hear you thinking,” she murmured.

“Telepathic now?”

“No. You’re just thinking so loud it’s burrowing into my skull.”

He let out a huff of air.

“Are you worried about the tests?” she asked.

“No, I don’t care.”

She lay silent a moment and then asked, “Do you think I should have gone home?”

“Yes.”

“Would you miss me?”

“It’s irrelevant. You’d be safe…safer.”

“I hope Jason listens to Sam. That’s all I care about, that him and Mom are safe. I’m not worried about me.”

“I don’t think you can protect me here. You should have gone with them.”

“I’ll do my damndest.”

“Are you protecting me for Sam’s benefit?”

She caressed her fingers along his jaw. “No.” She turned his face toward hers.

Their lips met, soft and warm. When they broke the kiss, his eyes shone faintly in the light from the window.

“You sure about that?” he asked. “This isn’t just to impress Sam?”

She frowned. “Why would it be? You think I’d risk my life to impress him?”

“Would you?”

“No. God, Micha. What are you—”

He rolled toward her and kissed her again, deeper and fiercer. This gesture took her by surprise. He hadn’t been so adamantly physical in a long while. He pressed her against the bed. His scent and the weight of his body overwhelmed her, waking her up from the sleepy stupor she’d fallen into.

“Micha,” she gasped as he broke the kiss. “We can’t mess around here.”

He pressed his mouth to her ear, his warm breath making desire crawl up the nape of her neck. “I don’t care. Screw them.” He slid his tongue down her neck, past the collar of the loose T-shirt to her clavicle.

“Are you sure?” she whispered. “They could be watching us.”

“Let them watch.”

He lifted his head and kissed her again—his “we’re going to have sex” kiss. He forced her mouth open and plunged his tongue in. She wasn’t sure if being so taken aback unnerved or excited her. She pushed her tongue against his, exploring the hard ridges of his teeth with the ball of her tongue ring and then plunging deeper into the wet softness behind them. Arousal thrummed in her, spreading through her belly and down between her thighs.

He hooked a finger in the top of her panties. She hadn’t mustered the strength lately to tidy up down there, as it was pointless. Neither of them cared if they were dirty and unshaven. Also, they’d done a lot of heavy petting and fooling around lately, but they hadn’t had actual penetrative sex in over a month.

Micha sat up and tugged her panties down over her hips. She lifted her bottom off the bed to help him out.

He stroked his fingers up her slit. “You’re already wet.” His voice had gone to a dark, sexy place.

“You’re in a mood.” She opened her thighs wider. “What the hell’s gotten into you?”