Brigid snorted. “He’s Norwegian.”
“They all look the same to me. And why is a fine specimen of Irish womanhood like Emily still wasting time with a foreigner?”
She’d been right. Jack did like Emily. In fact, since the night months before when Jack had seen Brigid and her friend having dinner at the small café in Murphy’s building, he’d hardly let a night pass without asking if Emily was available for tasting yet.
“You’re such a slag, Jack.”
“Now, now. I promise she’d enjoy herself. In fact, that’s all I promise.” He grinned as they walked back toward the river. “What’s her boy at? Forty years immortal? Fifty? A mere babe when it comes to the finer points of pleasing a woman.”
“I’m not having this conversation with you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re vile!”
“Oh.” Brigid could feel him pulling his energy back. “My blood’s just running. I think I’ll stop at Murphy’s and see if anyone’s looking for some fun. Come with me?”
She had no desire to go to the after-hours pub Murphy ran for the vampires of Dublin and select humans they invited. “No, thanks. I’ll head home.”
“Be careful. Use your mobile—”
Brigid cocked her head. “Really, Jack?”
“Fine, my young apprentice. I have trained you well, so I’ll be away. Leave me a report on the locker tomorrow. I’ll look for it on my desk at first dark.”
“It’ll be there.”
Brigid waved good-bye and cut back to O’Connell, then crossed the bridge to the south side of the river, briskly walking east as she made her way home. Her eyes drooped. While normally she’d enjoy the walk back to her building and the empty streets, she was unusually exhausted.
She passed by a pub and remembered her confusing night out with Carwyn months before. It had been… lovely. Perhaps the most pleasant night out she’d ever had with a man. Not that he saw her that way. Not that he ever would, even if he flirted with her at times. That was just how he was. She’d overcome her silly, romantic notions about Carwyn ap Bryn when she was a teenager. Still… it was nice to feel noticed.
“Take care of yourself.”
She did. Though Jack could be a bit loose with her safety, Brigid never felt uneasy walking alone. She was armed and had been trained by the toughest vampires in Ireland. Blinking back her exhaustion, she decided to continue walking. Just a few more blocks to her bed and the sleepy oblivion she craved. That was the key.
If you made yourself tired enough, your mind didn’t have the energy to dream.
The following night, after dropping off the extremely unexciting report on a locker that no one visited, Brigid pulled on the dress Emily forced on her.
“Why am I wearing a dress?” she yelled from her room. “I hate dresses. And I don’t like you very much right now, either.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t even own one.” Emily eyed her with approval when she walked out of the room. “What do you wear to mass when you’re at home?”
Axel piped up from the couch, playing with Emily’s hair as she sat on his lap in Brigid’s small sitting room. “You go to church?”
“When I’m in Wicklow. And I have a few dresses there to appease my aunt. I don’t need any in Dublin because I don’t like them.” She adjusted the hem of her skirt as she walked. “And this dress is too short.”
“I like it! You look darling. Axel?”
The blond Adonis-like creature looked up. Axel was extremely good-looking. He was tall, with typically Scandinavian looks and brilliant blue eyes that shone in his pale face. He was lean, but his shoulders were broad and his smile was wide and friendly. He was beautiful. And that, Brigid thought, was probably the reason he’d lasted as long as he had. Because the strangest thing about Axel was, he really wasn’t all that sharp for a vampire.
Then he smiled and Brigid was reminded of his teeth. Well, those were sharp anyway.
“You are very beautiful, Brigid. And the dress is not too short. You do not have a man protecting you, but I will take care of you tonight.”
Emily cooed and patted his cheek. She liked that alpha-male, “my woman” kind of thing, so Brigid was sure her friend thought Axel’s offer was a nice gesture. Brigid just smiled, packed her small, concealed carry gun in her purse, and thought it was an unnecessary one.
“Thanks, Axel. Well, should we be off, then?”
“Sure!” Emily hopped off Axel’s lap and plucked her phone out of her purse to call the car downstairs. The three met the dark sedan out front, which would take them to the penthouse where the party was being hosted by some Italian friend of Axel’s.
Still mindful of security, Brigid asked, “So, Axel, who is this?”
The blond vampire shrugged. “Just a friend. He and I do some business together. Shipping. He mostly works in Europe.”
“He’s Italian?” Carwyn’s best friend, the fire vampire, was an Italian. But Emily had said that their host was a water vamp. Still, she wondered if this vampire and Carwyn’s friend were acquainted. “What’s his name?”
“Lorenzo.”
“Just Lorenzo?”
Axel smiled. “Yes. Like Madonna. Or Cher.”
Brigid snorted. Going by one name wasn’t all that uncommon, especially among older vampires, but she still found it pretentious. “Will there be many humans there?”
“There will be a lot of girls.” Axel smiled. “He likes women. But there will be some nice men, too, Brigid. And vampires. You should find a good one like me.”
Emily’s vampire boyfriend was nice, but had the old-fashioned notion—not unusual for middle-aged vampires—that a human woman needed a man. If she was very lucky, she might snag a vampire. In Brigid’s experience, the older vampires were smart enough not to underestimate the female sex. Some of the most vicious and ancient immortals were female and had a reputation for being far more dangerous than the males.
“Axel,” Emily warned with a giggle. “Stop.”
“It’s true,” he protested. “No man is the equal of a vampire. Emily has learned this.”
“Oh, hush.” Emily cuddled into his side. Brigid only rolled her eyes. Axel may not have been the brightest immortal she’d ever met, but he did seem to adore her friend. And he was friendly to her, as well. In fact, he was one of the most “human” vampires she’d ever met. But then, Axel was only around fifty years old.
She shook her head and looked out the dark window at the luxurious buildings they passed.
“I’ll stay as long as it’s fun, but don’t try to make me stay all night. I had to work today, so I’m not going to be able to party till dawn.”
She glanced over to see Emily and Axel with their tongues down each other’s throats.
Great, it’s going to be one of those nights.
“Can I get you a drink?”
Brigid turned from her perch in the corner, the automatic refusal on her lips, until she saw who was addressing her. “I… sure. Thanks.”
The young vampire smiled and a dimple appeared at the corner of his cheek. He was handsome in a boyish way that reminded her of Jack, but his accent was American and his smile was pleasant, not arrogant. He lifted two passing flutes of champagne and handed one to her.
“I’m Josh.”
“You’re American.”
He laughed, and she could see his fangs gleam in his mouth. They were visible, but not fully extended. He was interested, but not coming on too strong. Nice.
“I am. Guessed that from the accent, did you?”
“Sorry. It’s nice to meet you, Josh. I’m Brigid. I don’t think I’ve ever met an American vampire before. I had…” She shook her head with a smile. “I don’t know what I was expecting, actually. A cowboy, maybe? Sorry.”
He laughed a little. “Well, American vampires mostly keep to themselves. Keep the Wild West safe for damsels. Drink buffalo blood and bed Indian maidens, that kind of thing.”
Her eyes widened. “Y
ou’re joking, right?”
Josh laughed again. “Yes. I’m joking. And I’m from Baltimore, not the Wild West.”
“Oh.” She could feel herself blushing. “I think I know where that is. On the East Coast?”
“You are correct. And you’re from here.”
“Guess that from the accent, did you?”
He sipped his champagne. “I did. And it’s a lovely one.”
“The tourists always think so. Sorry, my aunt loves old western movies from America. So I grew up thinking all American men sounded like John Wayne.” Josh burst into laughter and Brigid took a sip of champagne before she continued. “Imagine my surprise when I moved to Dublin and met the tourists.”
“I hope we weren’t too much of a shock to the young Irish lass.”
She frowned. “Did you just call me a lass?”
“I did. And a lovely one, too.”
He had kind eyes, she thought, but there was an edge of hunger there that marked him as a young one. She wondered whom he belonged to. He wouldn’t be far from his sire, if she was guessing correctly.
“Well, thanks. And who…” She trailed off, hoping he would offer the connection she was curious about.
“I’m in Dublin on business with my sire. He’s the host tonight.”
“Oh, the Italian fellow?”
Josh nodded. “Yes. I work in his organization.”
Well, that was a nice non-answer. What organization was he talking about? Brigid had the feeling that this Lorenzo was trying to keep a low profile for more than personal privacy reasons. She’d have to keep an ear out and see if anything seemed worth reporting to Murphy.
“And you?” Josh asked. “Who did you come with?”
“I came with Axel.” She gestured across the room. Axel was standing with his arm around Emily, but was watching Brigid, as well. “The tall one over—”
“Oh, yeah, I know Axel. He’s a good guy. Hangs out with me and my friends sometimes.”
“You know Axel? How long have you been in Dublin?”
“A few months. He hangs with us at our building over by the river sometimes. It’s kind of our after-hours place.”
She smiled. “What, like a pub?”
Josh shrugged. “More like a private club. It’s no big deal. Humans hang, too. I think the girl he’s with, Amelia—”
“Emily,” she said. “Her name’s Emily. She’s a good friend of mine; that’s why I came.”
“That’s cool. Yeah, she’s been there. It’s fun. We just listen to music. Hang out.” Josh’s eyes dropped to her neck, and Brigid could see the fangs grow longer in his mouth.
Drink blood from stupid girls you find. She rolled her eyes. “Well, that sounds like a… cool place, Josh.”
“The next time Axel and Emily come, you should go along.”
Not likely. “Sure, maybe.”
Josh put one arm against the wall and leaned closer to her. He sipped his champagne, so she did too. “So what do you do, Brigid? Are you a student?”
Her mouth lifted at the corner in amusement. “No. I work for Murphy.”
That surprised him. “Murphy? So…” He laughed a little. “What do you do? Computer work or something?” It was the most common job for a human employed by a vampire. Almost all city leaders kept a staff of humans whose sole responsibility was dealing with the technology the immortals couldn’t touch. The technology that was slowly taking over the modern world was completely out of their reach.
“Computer work,” she murmured. “Yes, something like that. I do a lot of work on computers.”
“That’s cool.”
It wasn’t a secret that Brigid worked for Murphy’s security team. In fact, most immortal residents of Dublin were aware of it, along with her relationship to Ioan and Deirdre. But if the young American was ignorant of her connections, it wasn’t her job to enlighten him. Josh was just about to say something else when another, slightly older, vampire sped to his side in a blur and grabbed his arm.
Josh looked over with a smile. “Sean, this is Brigid—”
“Lorenzo needs you.” The dark-haired Irish vampire with the frigid blue eyes looked her up and down. “Who’s this? She looks good.”
“Brigid. She’s a friend of Axel’s.” Josh lowered his voice. “And she works for Murphy.” He turned back to Brigid. “I need to go. It was nice meeting you. You should come with Axel and your friend sometime.”
Brigid lifted her glass of champagne. “Nice to meet you, too, Josh.” She deliberately ignored the invitation.
The dark-haired vampire named Sean lingered, looking her up and down with a predatory stare. “You look good,” he repeated.
Brigid snorted and rolled her eyes. “Learn some manners, vampire.” Then she tossed back the rest of her champagne and handed the glass to a passing server before she walked away. Despite her warning, she felt his eyes follow her across the room.
December 2009
“Oh, Brigid will never be satisfied with a mortal, will she now?”
“Shut up, Jack.”
They were passing the time going through the security tapes they’d taken from a club one Saturday night. Jack was teasing her mercilessly and had gotten Declan in on it, too. Declan’s humor was more tolerable. He had drier sense that matched his personality and closely resembled her own.
Jack said, “It’s true. After having a vampire, how would a woman be satisfied with a human again?”
She thought about Axel and Emily teasing her months ago about the same thing. “If I didn’t have objections to anemia and insomnia, I might agree with you.”
Declan said from across the room. “What makes you think Connor doesn’t like the tanned, surfer types, Jack? She hangs out with the ridiculous Swede all the time.”
“He’s Norwegian!”
Jack frowned. “What’s the difference? And Brigid doesn’t like surfers. Look how pale she is. And she doesn’t even have our excuse.”
“What makes you two think I like vampires at all?”
Jack gaped. “Well, surely you’ve at least tried one out.”
Brigid shrugged and continued staring at the television screen. “Never felt the urge. Don’t have a biting fetish.”
She heard Declan chuckle across the room. “Are you sure about that? It’s not just the neck, you know.”
“What, never?” Jack said. She glanced at him. He almost looked offended. “Really, Brigid, never?”
“I’m not a virgin or anything. I’ve just never had a vampire. Is this so shocking?”
Declan said, “As many as you know and are friends with? A little. Most girls are at least curious.”
“Well, I’m not.” If she was lying about one completely unattainable vampire, well… they didn’t need to know that.
Jack spun her around in her chair. “Please, Brigid. Let me help open your eyes.” He grinned and his fangs descended. “Consider it part of your training.”
Declan snorted. “You’re only asking because you’re sure she’ll say ‘no.’”
“Brigid.”
Tom’s quiet voice called her name and everyone in the room turned. That was the thing about Tom; he never yelled. Everyone just quieted down when he wanted to talk.
She frowned a little at his extra-grim expression. “What’s the story, Tom?” He didn’t smile, but then Tom rarely did. But there was something in his eyes…
“Murphy’ll see you in his office.”
“All right.”
Her heart began to beat faster. Something was wrong. Murphy never called her to his office. If she’d made a mistake with work, Tom would be the one to correct her. What was going on? Visions of her aunt swam in front of her eyes. Could Sinead have had an accident? Brigid thought she was in good health, but maybe something was wrong. Was it her mother? She hadn’t see the woman in fourteen years, and she had no desire to have anything to do with her.
She swallowed back the lump in her throat and tapped on the door.
“Come in.”<
br />
Brigid opened the door and slipped inside. It was dark. Only one lamp was lit in the corner. Murphy rose behind his desk. His eyes met hers for only a moment before he sped from the room. Brigid blinked in confusion, even more confused than she had been before.
“Brigid.”
She spun toward the sound. Carwyn was in the corner, leaning against the wall. “Carwyn?”
Far from his normally affable demeanor, his face was dark. Fierce. He looked like he was on the edge of bursting into a rage.
Brigid’s heart raced. “What’s going on? Is it my aunt? Is something wrong with Sinead?”
Carwyn walked toward her slowly. “No.” He raised his hands, and they hovered over her shoulders, as if he was afraid to touch her.
“What’s going on?” she whispered in a shaky voice.
The rage fled from his face, and suddenly, Brigid was enveloped by the crush of his arms. They wrapped around her, enfolding, protecting, as if he was trying to shield her. But she didn’t know from what, and her body was racked with violent tremors.
“Please… please tell me.”
“We have to find him,” Carwyn whispered desperately. “He’s been gone too long now. You have to help us. What was he working on, Brigid? He would have told you.”
The hot burn of tears threatened the corner of her eyes. “What are you saying?”
Carwyn shook his head. “I’m… Ioan is missing, Brigid. He was in the city, working at one of his clinics.”
“I know. We met for a drink Monday night.”
“He’s gone.” His violent whisper tore at her heart. “No one has seen him for days.”
“What?” She didn’t know where she found the strength, but she pushed away from the solid wall of Carwyn’s chest and shoved him back, her fear turning to rage. “What are you talking about? He was just here. He was staying at his place in town and going home on Wednesday after the clinic closed. He can’t be missing.”
“He is. And he wouldn’t just disappear without—”
“He can’t be missing! Deirdre can find him. They always know where the other is. That’s the way it works!”
“Brigid, even with their blood tie, she can’t find him if they’ve kept him away from the earth, love. She’s looking. We’ve all been looking, but he was out of his element, and—”