Bound to Shadows

The scent of blossom and springtime got stronger the closer I got to her chaise, and it mixed warmly with the heavy scent of desire stirring the air. The toga-clad teenagers watched me with languorous expressions, their pupils dilated. Meaning they'd recently fed, and were now sending the vibes out to the rest of the nest. Which explained the hum of excitement I'd felt downstairs.

I stopped when there was still a good ten feet between us. This close, Vi

I blinked. Damn it, she was doing it again.

"Vi

She laughed—a rich sound that sent warm shivers up my spine—and unfurled her legs from the hem of her long dress. Her shoes were red and glittery, reminding me Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. "What can I do for you, Riley?"

"We've two dead women on our hands," I said without preamble. "Both died of unknown causes, and in both cases, there was an extreme aura of desire and lust lingering in the room."

"Meaning they had sex before they died." She paused, mirth sparkling in her chocolate eyes. "Lucky them. But why do I need to know about these deaths?"

"Because we suspect an emo vampire might be at large."

"And I have the only known nest in Melbourne."

"Exactly."

She rose unhurriedly, her movements grace itself. Her long skirt billowed briefly around her—a cloud of pale organza that seemed to catch the flickering sprays of rainbow light from the chandeliers and gleam like the inside of an oyster shell. Those same sprays of light danced across her skin, leaving a luminosity…

I dug my fingers into my palm, using the pain to battle the caress of her aura, however light it might be at the moment.

"It is a waste to kill a lover," she said softly, moving around me, her body so close I could feel the heat of her. "A dead lover is of no use to the nest."

"They are if they bequeath you their estate."

She laughed, and her breath stirred the hairs at the back of my neck. I forced myself to remain still, and she reappeared on my left side. Her skirt swirled around my leg. It felt as sweet as a caress.

I flexed my fingers and ignored the urge to get out of here.

"I can get that without killing them," she said. "All I have to do is ask."

"It's against the law to use your abilities for monetary gain, Vi

She laughed again and stopped in front of me. "Everyone who has bequeathed me their possessions or money has done so willingly. Just ask them."

"We have."

Something flickered in her eyes. A

"Are there any other emo vampires or nests in Melbourne? Nests that we don't know about?"

"No."

It was flatly said, and I could sense no lie in her words. Of course, Vi

Jack had theorized that it had something to do with an emo's control over energy, but Vi

"Would you know if there was another emo or nest in the city?"

"Yes."

"Would you tell us if there was?"

She smiled. "Perhaps."

Meaning only if there was something in it for her. I stepped back into cooler air. "If you do hear anything, let us know."

"If I hear anything and let you know, I expect something for my troubles." She cocked her head slightly. "Why do you taste so tense?"

"It's the company, I'm afraid."

She waved the comment away. "That tension is all part of the fun of having you here. This is different." She considered me for a moment. "Your soul is weary. It fights, and yet it tires of the fight. There is a tension in you I have not felt before."

And wouldn't feel again, as long as I could figure out a way to get Kye safely out of my life. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She smiled again. "You lie, guardian, but I appreciate the effort. Its taste is sweet."

Great. Now she was feeding off my emotional output, no matter how little I was trying to put out there. "Time for me to go," I said briskly, backing away further. "Remember; contact us if you hear anything."

She merely smiled so I turned and got the hell out of there.

I'd barely made it down to the ground floor when my phone rang. I knew without looking that it would be Jack.

It was that sort of day.

I plucked it free from my pocket and said, "What's up boss?"

"I want you to get over to Dante's straight away." My stomach sank. "Not another beheaded vampire?"

"Nope. This time it's a human. A drained human and a very ugly crowd of onlookers." His voice was grim. "The shit has hit the fan big time."

Chapter Seven

The shit, as Jack had so aptly put it, really did look nasty.

I parked half a street away from Dante's, but even so, as I climbed out of the car, the noise hit me. It was voices and anger and nastiness all rolled into one, and I hoped like hell they had more than one cop down there. Cole and his team might be able to protect themselves, but they shouldn't have to. They were only doing their job.

As was I.

But that didn't stop some fool lobbing a full can of beer straight at my head as the cops hastily cleared a way through the thirty-strong crowd for me. I caught it with one hand and met the gaze of the drunken fool who'd thrown it. His blue eyes were full of anger, his expression daring me to throw the can back. I raised it, but crushed it one handed instead—length wise, not through the middle. His eyes widened a little. Obviously he hadn't thought a woman could be that strong. The cops opened the barriers to let me through and I walked across to the three figures huddled around a small, somewhat forlorn looking body.

Cole looked up as I joined them. There were shadows under his eyes, and I very much doubted they were from spending time with his new lady love. "It's not a vampire kill."

"What? But Jack said—"

"Yeah, I know. It was reported as that, but its not." He reached out and shifted the dead man's neck, revealing two neat holes.

"It sure as hell looks like a bite to me." I hesitated, and leaned closer. "Except that there's no redness, and no skin reaction."

"Exactly," Cole said heavily. "This is an imitation. A damn fine one, but an imitation all the same."

I squatted down beside him. "Meaning we'll find another wound somewhere on the body."

"Probably. We can't be sure until we get him back for an autopsy."

I studied the frail old man for a moment, wondering if he'd been selected simply because the sight of him would garner more anger and sympathy than someone in his prime. My gaze came to rest on his left leg. A faint hint of blood rode the air, and there seemed to be something bulky wrapped around the upper part of his thigh under his pants. I was betting on a bandage. "Strip him here."

Cole looked at me like I was mad. "The crowd is going to love that."

"The crowd is the reason I'm suggesting it. Do it."

Cole shared a look with both Dusty and Dobbs, then nodded abruptly. As they started stripping him, I rose and stalked over to the mob. They weren't pressing against the barricades just yet, but they were hurling abuse and litter at the cops who stood behind it. It wouldn't take much for this whole situation to explode.

"You, you and you," I said, pointing to three of the men who appeared to be the ringleaders of this nasty little crowd. "Get over here."