The alley behind the club was a dark, narrow stretch. Perfect for a secluded, if not private, quickie.
Or a great place for a hungry vampire to snack off an unknowing donor.
The man took his dancing companion behind a metal fire escape that hung from the three-story club like a spiderweb. I crept closer with much more discretion than the charging blonde, watching as he enfolded the woman in his arms with his mouth going to her throat. The woman’s head fell back while her eyes closed.
“Get away from her, asshole,” the blonde barked as she flung open the side door. She had a gun trained on him.
The man lifted his head, fangs visible and pearls of red on his lips.
“Really want that dance, do you?” He laughed. “Give me a moment and I’ll be right with you.”
The blonde fired. So did the three men who appeared behind her in flanking formation. Then the four of them stared at the empty space where he’d been, seeing nothing now.
“Secure the perimeter!” the blonde shouted. “I want—”
Her voice was cut off by a piercing creak as the metal fire escape fell on the four of them. It landed with a twisting screech that drowned out their screams, barricading the side door to the club with the wreckage. From start to finish, it took less than five seconds.
From out of the shadows, a ghoul crept up to me. “Hicks looks pissed.”
I smiled. “You should have seen how pissed I was the first time I came up against Bones. Woke up with a concussion and chained to a cave wall, with him laughing at me. I think I was more mad than afraid.”
“You were most definitely furious,” Bones replied as he leapt down from the rooftop, Annette in his grasp. “Called me a coward and told me to choke on your blood. Was it any wonder I fell in love?”
Dave, the ghoul, grunted. “People get turned on in strange ways, if you ask me.”
“Fucking… bloodsucker.” The pained insult came from underneath the debris.
Bones stalked over and pulled a piece of metal up to reveal the blonde’s dirty, bleeding face. “You are as witless as your mates when it comes to handling the undead.”
Bones kicked at a nearby pile of the fire escape. A low moan was the response. Then Bones gestured to Annette with a disgusted shake of his head.
“Instead of me, they shot her. Do you see your blouse?”
A man with thinning gray hair and a face lined with age walked down the alley. One tug of the eyebrow preceded his reply.
“Did you think Cat would be easy to replace?” my boss and uncle, Don Williams, asked wryly.
I snorted. “Don’t try to guilt me, Don. I’m not staying just because of this fiasco.”
“…can’t… feel my… legs,” the blonde gasped.
“Too right you can’t, your back is broken,” Bones noted. “Your arms as well, I suspect.”
Sirens sounded in the distance. None of us paid any attention to them. With our credentials, the police wouldn’t be allowed to sneak a peek past the soldiers on both sides of the alley and the rooftops. My uncle ran a special brand of “Homeland Security” that outranked the local cops, FBI, CIA, and even the military.
I stood next to the tangled metal, ignoring the groans of pain coming from under it.
“All right, pay attention. That vampire,” I said with a nod at Bones, “could be ripping your throats out now and inviting friends for leftovers. When you have a vampire in your sights, you don’t give him a warning. You open fire before he knows you’re a threat. And maybe you need to be reacquainted with the term innocent bystander.”
I waved at Annette, illuminated under the streetlights, unhurt by the bullet because she’d been dead for centuries.
“A bystander is someone you get out of the way. If you don’t, they stand by and screw things up. You certainly don’t shoot them because you’re too rattled by the vampire to aim properly.”
“Who… are you?”
The question came from Lieutenant Geri Hicks, the blonde from the bar who was supposed to fill my spot as bait for my team. I squatted in front of her, tossing aside the few pieces of iron pinning her down.
“I’m Cat.”
***
Geri studied me as we piled into the waiting van. She cracked her back and flexed her fingers, astonishment still on her face.
“It doesn’t even hurt,” she marveled.
“Vampire blood is a powerful healing agent, but don’t forget it’s also dangerous,” Don said.
“So.” Geri quit wiggling her parts to stare at me. “You’re the one.”
The freak.
She didn’t say it. Unlike Bones, I couldn’t read minds, so maybe she hadn’t even thought it. Still, after growing up stuck between two worlds, it was how I considered myself. I had the strength, speed, vision, hearing, and glowing eyes of the nosferatu, but parts of me were very human. My teeth, for one. No fangs.
“Yeah, I’m the half-breed.”
Her lips pursed. “This was all a setup? There was no vampire prowling Bellissima’s, no two girls were found in the alley?”
Bones whistled. “Catch on right swiftly, don’t you?”
She opened her mouth to say something and then shut it.
He laughed. “That’s the first intelligent thing you’ve done all night.”
Geri glared at him. That knowing, arrogant curl to his mouth didn’t falter. She must be cursing you up one side and down the other, I thought to Bones in amusement.
“Okay.” Geri lifted her chin. “Tell me what I should have done differently.”
Bones leaned forward. “First, you waited too bloody long at the bar. If a vampire’s looking for blood, he or she is impatient. Don’t wait for someone else to get their attention as Annette did.”
“I was just about to—” she began.
He waved a hand. “Then you failed to arouse my interest when you attempted to cut in. You had an opportunity to get rid of the other girl and maneuver me into position, yet you squandered it. If a vampire asks you what you can offer them, have an answer! Make it memorable.”
“Such as?” She scoffed.
“I’ll take that,” I replied with a grin. “With a vampire, memorable means dirty. ‘I can suck the skin straight off your cock,’ would have probably worked, as well as ‘bend me over and you’ll find out why I’m better.’ If the above two fail, then trip the other woman and bust her ankle. Then your advantage is that you’re not the one who’s limping.”
Dave chuckled. So did Bones. My uncle Don looked a little uncomfortable, but he didn’t disagree. How could he? I had a nearly flawless record when it came to my targets.
“I don’t think I should have to stoop accomplish my objectives,” Geri said icily. “I’m a soldier, not a whore.”
Uh-oh. Bad choice of words.
“Got something against whores?” Bones asked in a silky voice. “Careful, it’s my former profession. Do you have any other prejudices we should be aware of?”
She looked between me and Don. I shrugged. My uncle tugged his eyebrow and looked away.
“Pride and prejudice are two luxuries you can’t afford in this job,” I said. “People’s lives are on the line. That has to mean more than your comfort level.”
“If it means that much to you,” Geri asked, “why are you giving it up?”
My uncle sighed while pale fingers tightened on my arm.
“I’m too recognizable now, so my position has to be filled by someone else.”
That was one of the reasons. There were more, but I wasn’t getting into all of them with her.
Geri digested this information. She’d been handpicked out of thousands of soldiers, field agents, spooks, and policewomen. The criteria was tough. She had to have the mental strength to deal with the supernatural, and physically she had to be attractive as well as strong.
At last Geri smiled, but it wasn’t at me. It was at Bones. “You were really a whore?”
He arched a challenging brow. “Yes.”
“Men or women?”
I didn’t know where this was going, but Bones didn’t hesitate. “Women.”
“Were you any good at it?”
I laughed. My uncle looked like he’d swallowed something pointy.
Bones wore a ghost of a smile. “I’ve been told that, yes.”
Geri nodded. “Good. Maybe you could meet my boyfriend for drinks? Sweet guy—he’s great at everything except sex. If you could casually drop some hints…?”
My sides hurt from holding the laughter in. Bones nodded with complete seriousness. “Tell him to expect my ring. Don’t fret, I’ll inform him in such a manner he won’t know he’s being instructed. It’s not the first request I’ve had like this.”
“I think she’ll do just fine,” I whispered to my uncle as Bones went on, getting the particulars on Geri’s boyfriend.
Don regarded me with solemn features that in no way resembled my own. “It won’t be the same without you.”
We were almost at the compound. I sighed. “Everything ends eventually, Don.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Deleted Flashback to When Cat Was Sixteen
Author’s note: This was the original start of the flashback when Cat’s memory of her time with Gregor was finally restored. It was cut because of—all together now!—pacing concerns. In it, you see a young, naïve Cat being manipulated by both Gregor and Cannelle. Gregor was the worst, of course, using both charm and implied threat to get what he wanted, but Cannelle didn’t lack for cruelness. As in the book, this flashback takes place just before Cat met Danny and the course of her life changed, putting her on a direct path to her future identity as the Red Reaper and her meeting with Bones. Some things are just meant to be, aren’t they?
Licking Falls, Ohio
Summertime
I shaded my eyes against the late afternoon sun glinting through the branches. Soon it would be dark. That relieved me as much as it bothered me. No one else could see in the dark like me, but I wasn’t supposed to let anyone know that.
“Joseph,” my grandmother called from the front porch. “Go get Catherine and have her come inside for supper!”
“She’ll be along shortly,” was my grandfather’s reply. From the sound of it, he was still working on the old Chevy. “She can smell the food, I tell you.”
Another conversation I’d unwittingly eavesdropped on, even a few acres away. At least this wasn’t anything embarrassing. Hearing them discuss erectile issues or his bowel movements in what they thought was the privacy of their bedroom would scar me forever, I was sure.
I left the tree I’d been sitting in to run farther into the orchard, away from the house instead of toward it. I didn’t have much time until I had to get back, but I loved the orchard. Especially at night. Natural sounds surrounded me instead of the chatter from my family, and it felt peaceful. Often I’d sneak out here when everyone at the house was asleep. It was one of the few times I could relax.
After about thirty minutes, however, I headed back toward the house, walking at a fast pace. It was getting chillier out. March could still produce snow on occasion. Maybe winter wasn’t done with us after all.
I was almost to the house when I heard the man’s voice, low and cultured, with a French accent. It nearly made me stumble on my way up the front lawn. No car was in the driveway and this was rural Ohio. If you were a Southerner, you were still considered foreign here. I also hadn’t heard him arrive, but then again, I had gone to the edge of the twenty-acre property. Too far away for even my ears.
When I went inside the house, my grandparents were already seated at the dining table, which was set for five instead of four. My mother was in the kitchen, her hair out of its normal tight bun and hanging messily down her back. That, in addition to the tall man with his back to me, was unusual, but my grandparents seemed relaxed so they must know what was going on.
“Sorry I’m late,” I began, moving to help my mother with the heavy cast-iron pot she was removing from the oven. “I lost track of time.”
The stranger turned around and faced me. This time I did stumble over my own feet. His arm shot out to steady me, making me blink at how fast he’d moved. My grandparents sat serenely as if nothing was occurring, and my mom just brushed by me to place the stew on the table.
I stared at the hand on my elbow and the tall man connected to it with mild shock. Golden hair combined with darker strands gave it an ash-blond color, and his eyes were grayish green. A scar ran from his eyebrow to his temple and his skin was as pale as mine, but his hummed with a taut vibration that made me tingle where he touched me.
“Who are you?” I blurted, pulling free and rubbing my arm briskly. The pins-and-needles sensation left it as soon as his grip was released.
“I’m Gregor,” he said, looking me over in the most unusual way. My chemistry teacher studied items in a petri dish in the same manner. “I’m an old friend of your mother’s.”
My eyes bugged at that. Mom didn’t have old friends. She didn’t have new ones either. She stayed as solitary as I did and only ventured into town when absolutely necessary. I did a quick estimation of his age. Slight lines around the eyes, that scar didn’t appear new, and he appeared to be in his early thirties, like my mother.
Could this be my father?
“Mom?” I asked hesitantly. “You know him?”
“Of course, Catherine.” Her reply was almost mechanical. “He’s an old friend. We’ll talk about it after dinner.”
Oh my God! Was this the man I’d been denied the slightest knowledge about? The one whose mere mention caused her to fly into an ugly rage? The way he was examining me looked like someone appraising what was his, that’s for sure. My chin lifted and I went to the sink to wash my hands thoroughly. Talk after dinner, would we? I knew what my first question would be—where the hell have you been all my life?
The meal passed awkwardly. My mother barely spoke, only answering direct questions in a monosyllable. Clearly she was uncomfortable about having Gregor here, but she didn’t act angry or confrontational as was her norm when upset. My grandparents talked between themselves, seemingly oblivious to the tension, and Gregor kept his conversation directed at me. How old was I? When was my birthday? What grade was I in? Did I have any hobbies? Had I met many people? Have I ever been to a dance club?
The polite interrogation was starting to wear on me. It was all I could do not to snap, “They have paternity tests if you’re not certain!” Something about him made me nervous. It wasn’t just the very odd reaction I’d had to him touching me, although that sensation I chalked up to shock at meeting my potential father. He moved differently. His eyes followed everything, and the air around seemed to be charged. You’re just freaking out, I told myself. There’s nothing weird about him. You’re the only bizarre one at this table.
When dinner was over I stood, practically snatching up everyone’s plates and clearing the table. Like someone possessed, I rinsed them and had the dishwasher running before five minutes passed. Gregor watched me the entire time, as if he’d never seen anyone do dishes before. I was seized with anxiousness. My illegitimacy had been a painful stigma ever since I was a child. What would I say to this man who’d contributed to that?
“I’m taking a shower,” I announced, finding a way to delay the inevitable. “I’ll be back down later.”
Even though I didn’t want to, I couldn’t help but sneak a glance behind me as I climbed the stairs. Yes, Gregor was still staring, and yes, he seemed to see right through the thin excuse.
“I’ll be waiting, Catherine.”
It was spoken so softly I almost thought I’d imagined it. But I hadn’t. Now he was smiling, and it was pleased and… chilling.
***
My reprieve didn’t last long. Right after my shower, my mother hustled me outside onto the front porch with Gregor. My grandparents were inside watching TV, as if they didn’t know or care what was going on. Their apathy baffled me, because Grandpa Joe hated the scorn fro
m my illegitimacy about as much as I did. A change had come over my mother that held my attention. She seemed relaxed and cheerful. Those were two words I’d never before used to describe her. And she was smiling.
“Catherine,” she began with a glance at Gregor, “I’m going to tell you about your father….”
Ten minutes later I sat transfixed in disbelief, staring at her. Good God. Somewhere along the way, my mother had gone completely crazy. My father was a vampire she’d been dating who was killed when he was set upon by well-intentioned Marines? There was an entire undead subculture existing side by side with humans? And I wasn’t completely human myself?
She’ll need inpatient psychological therapy, was my first thought when she finished. And medication. A lot of it.
“Mom, sometimes our minds make things up to help deal with what we don’t want to face,” I started out hesitantly. “I’m learning about it in school—”
“She’s not lost her wits,” Gregor interrupted. Oh yeah. I’d almost forgotten about Mr. Strange since she told me he wasn’t my long-lost father. “You’re half-vampire, but you needn’t worry. I’m going to take care of you.”
Crap, he was nuts too.
“I’ve waited to tell you this until I thought you were old enough to understand.” My mom tried to take my hand, but I pulled away. “I know I’ve been hard on you at times, but it was just so no one else would find out about you. Still, it’s time you know….”
“Seeing is believing,” Gregor interrupted her, standing also. “Look at me, Catherine.”
I turned around—and screamed.
Gregor’s eyes glowed a bright, shining emerald, as if lasers had flicked on in his gaze. His smiled revealed two curved fangs in his upper teeth, and he was elevating in midair. A faint breeze came off him, blowing his hair. Then suddenly I was grasped in his arms, my legs kicking at nothing while he laughed. It was a joyous, frightening, knowing sound that silenced my scream. This wasn’t an act. This was real.