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He glowered at me. After a moment, he motioned for the others to put down their signs. “Come on. We’ll figure something else out. ” As they headed away from the building, I watched them.
I couldn’t resist one last parting shot. “Oh, and by the way, if any hate crimes happen against any of the vampires or their allies, we know where to look. So you’d better be on good behavior!”
He shot me the finger, but I ignored it. We’d made our point, and they were walking away, deflated. We’d won the battle, albeit a small one, but hell, in this war, every victory counted.
As they headed off in their vans and trucks, I turned to the others. “What now? Do we go in, talk to Wade? Does Roman know about what happened?”
Menolly shrugged. “If he doesn’t, then I’m sure he will soon enough. Roman has an intricate networking system set up throughout the entire region. Anything to do with vampires—in the news or in the gossip mill—he’s going to know about. But he hasn’t said anything to me yet. ”
I looked around. The security guards inside the building waved to us. We could either go up and see Wade or we could book and go check out the second egg. Wade was nice, but right now I had the feeling he wouldn’t have anything to add to our investigation. And the sooner we dealt with egg number two, the better.
Making up my mind, I turned back to the cars. “We’ve done what we set out to do. I doubt it will keep them away for too long, but it cleared them out for tonight. Let’s go. Chase is waiting on us, and I’m pretty sure he’s had a long, hard day. I don’t want to keep him waiting longer than necessary. ”
“Okay, but I have a feeling this mess with the Earthborn Brethren isn’t over with yet. ” Morio shook his head. “It feels unfinished. ”
“That’s because hate is seldom ever conquered. It just goes underground. Or changes form. ” With a sigh, I turned back to the car, and the others followed.
As Delilah, Menolly, and I entered Chase’s office, he was waiting for us, looking exhausted. His leg was propped up and he appeared uncomfortable.
He waved tiredly as we crowded into his office. “Hey, glad you made it. I’m just about stick-a-fork-in-me done. What news do you have for me, and it better not be bad? I’m not going to have to lock you three up, am I?”
“We sent the Earthborn Brethren packing away from the Shrouded Grove Suites via threat of a lawsuit for libel. But I doubt if it will be long before they’re up to some new trouble. ” Menolly hopped up on a side table, her legs dangling over the edge.
Chase gave her a nervous look. “You didn’t put the fang on them, did you?”
“Bite me. ” She stuck out her tongue at him. “No, I didn’t even rough any of the suckers up, though I wanted to. Camille was nastier than I was. ”
“I couldn’t help it,” I said. “I’m blunt. ”
“Yeah, we know. We know. Well, good. ” Chase glanced around. “Where are the others?”
“Waiting for us out in the cars. They can come in if you need them, too, but it’s late and we figured we’d just get the info on where the other egg is and go check it out. ” Delilah stopped. “You look exhausted. ”
“I am. ” He paused, toying with a pen on his desk. Finally, he met Delilah’s eyes. “I’ve asked Sharah to move in with me and…she accepted. ” A smile broke through his weariness, and he practically beamed his joy.
I caught my breath, waiting. I knew that my sister was in love with Shade, and they were engaged. But she and Chase did have a history, and this was a big step for him.
Delilah paused, and an indecipherable look crossed her face. Then, she broke out in a big smile and clapped her hands. “That’s wonderful! Congratulations. It will be easier that way when the baby comes. ”
Chase nodded, looking pleased. He was blushing, but his happiness was palpable. “Yes, it will. Sharah and I had a long talk over lunch. I told her…I finally got it through her head that I want to be there for her. For the baby. That it’s the most important thing in the world to me to be a good father. And a good match for her. We’re finding a new apartment together. Or maybe a house with a yard, so the baby can have a place to play. ”
His voice was soft as he picked up a framed photo on his desk. He turned it around to show me. It was of Chase and Sharah, his arms wrapped around her, and they were both smiling. Her pale blond hair was blowing in the wind and she had a free, easy look on her face that I’d never seen before. Chase was relaxed, leaning into her, and there was something comfortable about their stance. They fit together.
I took the photo, holding it for a moment. Suddenly, I wanted very much for them to be happy, to have their baby and a whole houseful of other kids, and bring them up in a peaceful world where the demons were a distant memory.
As I handed it back to him, I touched his fingers, hoping to convey something of my feelings. He glanced up at me, then ducked his head, a shy smile creeping over his face. Delilah peeked over his shoulder at it, then gave him a hug.
“You and Sharah should come out to dinner with Shade and me. I think…I think it would be a good thing for all four of us. Maybe when this ghost crap has calmed down again?”
He snickered. “How about when I’m in a walking cast and not so dependent on these damned crutches? And, Delilah? I’d like that. ”
I yawned. “Okay, let’s get on with it, as nice as it is to talk about something other than death, demons, or dismemberment. So, we have another egg to deal with?”
Back to business, he leaned his elbows on his desk and nodded. “Unfortunately so. And who knows how many others might be out there? This one, Shamas and another officer found this afternoon. Not as big, doesn’t look ready to hatch, Shamas said. But eventually, you know it’s going to. And then we’ll have another round of spirit demons on hand. ”
“Not if we can destroy it first. ”
“What happens if we crack it open before it’s ready?” Delilah picked up an apple off the bowl of fruit sitting on Chase’s desk. She stared at it a moment, then put it down. “Cookies?”
Chase snorted. “No cookies. Eat the apple. Sharah’s taken me off most sugar. And she’s made me cut out almost all junk food except for my tacos—which I might add, she can’t stand. But she gives in on those, and I give in on the rest. I’ve lost a few pounds and I actually feel better. ” He pointed to his foot. “Except for that. ”
Menolly frowned. “I want to go check this thing out. I missed all the action today and I should know what they look like, if nothing else. ”
“You can’t even attack the spirit demons. It takes silver to hurt them and you can’t even touch silver. ” Delilah tossed the apple into the air, caught it, and then polished it on her shirt before biting into it.
I thought over her question. What would happen if we cracked it open before it was ready to hatch? Would a bunch of immature spirit demons come pouring out? Apparently, they needed to be fed before they grew enough to break out of the shell.
“You said there are zombies there already?”
He nodded. “Well, skeletons, actually. ”
“They’ll probably do just as well as zombies because they’re animated and contain magic. Which means somebody’s feeding it. We better get over there. Menolly, you can attack the bone-walkers and keep them from feeding it while we go after the egg. If they have a human shield there again, we have to keep any more of the Aleksais Psychic Network members from becoming demon chow. ”
I pushed to my feet, not really wanting to head back out into the blustery night. But there was an egg out there, and we had to take it apart. “Give us the address. Then you go home and rest. We may need you later. ”
Chase handed me a piece of paper. “You might want to call in the Supe Community Militia again. ”
“We’ve got them on standby. One phone call and they head out to meet us. ” Delilah headed to the door, with Menolly following.
I lingered behind for a
moment, waiting till they were out on the main floor. “Chase…” I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say, but I knew I had to say something. So much had happened since we’d first met.
“Yeah?” He wearily moved his foot onto the floor, holding his leg by the knee so the splint didn’t come down too hard.
I stopped by the side of his desk, leaning on the edge. “A lot’s happened since you brought me that rope that Bad Ass Luke used to garrote Jocko. I remember that day, you were trying to look up my dress. ”
He snorted. “Yeah, I was. I admit it. ” He held on to his crutches, staring at them. “I remember the first day I met the three of you. I couldn’t believe how full of life you were. Delilah made me nervous, and Menolly scared the crap out of me. But…I couldn’t take my eyes off you. I was totally caught up in fantasies of how I would seduce you and then…and then…well, back then, I didn’t have an ‘after the act’ in mind. ”
Laughing, I shrugged. “I’ve been there. Hell, I didn’t expect to end up married. ”
“To three men, no less?” He winked at me.
“Oh, I could see myself with three men. But married? That was something I didn’t plan on. ” I paused, trying to find the words for what I wanted to say. “Chase…you’ve grown. So much has happened to you—to all of us. I just want you to know that whatever happens…with the demons, with anything…we’re here for you. Sharah, too. We’ve got your back. Whatever you need, you’re part of our family, and so is your family. Because, unexpected or not, with a baby on the way and Sharah moving in, that’s what you have now. ”
He caught my hand as I stood. “Thanks, Camille. We’ve been through hell and I have a feeling it’s only going to continue. I have no clue what the future holds, except that—barring a deadly accident—it holds a lot of long years for me. But I know that right now, in the present, I’m damned glad we’re all in this together. ”
“Just think. You’re going to be a father, Chase. ” I smiled at him.
“Wow. Yeah,” he said, a look of wonder on his face. And with that, he let go of my fingers, and I patted his cheek and followed my sisters out the door.
The rain hadn’t let up. In fact, it was worse. The night was relatively warm, though, and at least we weren’t going to be fighting in the freezing cold. We’d long ago resigned ourselves to getting soaked while working, and now I made sure everything I bought—bustiers to skirts to boots—could take a little rain, if not a deluge.
“So, the egg’s in another cemetery?” Smoky asked.
I nodded, my eyes firmly on the road. “Yeah, but it’s an old one; there hasn’t been anybody planted there for years. It’s tucked back behind an abandoned church. And guess where it’s located?”
Morio groaned. “The Greenbelt Park District?”
“Bingo. That place has a lot of cemeteries, which is creepy. Although technically, most of them are on the outskirts. This one? Smack in the center. ” I zigzagged through the streets, skirting the cars parked along the narrow street.
Abby and Fritz’s house had been on a relatively spacious street, but we were now in the older part of the district. Here, the houses were falling apart, with few of them occupied. The yards and trees were so overgrown that it was difficult to make out the paths leading to the doors. Few lights shined through the night, and what few did were shrouded behind blinds and ratty-looking curtains.
We silently glided through the maze of streets until we came to a turnoff onto a side street filled with potholes. It was barely wide enough for one car at a time. We bumped along, with me struggling to see the road in the rain, under the streetlights that were spaced few and far between.
Eventually, to the left, I saw the broken gates to an overgrown cemetery. The sign had long ago disappeared, but I knew it was the right one—it was exactly where Chase had told us it would be.
I pulled through the arches, cautiously entering the parking circle. As I slowed, then turned off the engine, Menolly’s Jag pulled in behind me. I glanced at the guys.
“Time to get this show moving. ” With a sigh, I opened my door. Morio grabbed the bag of gear from the backseat and we all climbed out.
Menolly and Delilah wandered over to me, as we squinted, trying to figure out where we were. Chase had told us that the egg could be found about a block down the main path, but which was the main one? There were paths going in five different directions.
Menolly stood back. “Hold on. ” She closed her eyes, slightly unsteady on her feet, and the next thing we knew, she’d turned into a bat.
I blinked. Ever since Roman had re-sired her, she’d made remarkable leaps in some of the old-school vamp stuff that seemed to be the domain of mostly the elder vampires. Of course, with Roman’s blood in her now, along with Dredge’s, Menolly was turning into one scary-assed dead girl.
She swooped off into the night and we waited, sorting out our weapons. We’d brought enough silver to arm a small militia, just in case we had to call in the Supes again, although most of them would have their own gear.
After a few minutes, Menolly came sweeping back, landing gracefully to transform back into her natural form. She reached out, steadying herself on Roz’s arm, then cleared her throat.
“It’s getting easier, but damn, the landings still get me. ” With a toothy grin, she shrugged. “I’ll master it in time. Meanwhile, the egg is down the middle path. From up above, even in the dark, it shows as being wider than the rest. It’s hard to tell down here on the ground, though, especially since all the paths are overgrown. ”