The Watcher

He says all this in a clipped tone, as if I've done something wrong. It's begi

Williams turns in the seat. "What's wrong?" he snaps. "How were you going to do that, A

"What do you mean?"

"I mean did you bring your gun? Were you pla

His sarcasm is as heavy-handed as his anger. And he doesn't wait for me to answer. He points to the blood on my clothes, his eyes so intense, I feel the pressure of his gaze. "Blood. Yours or his? Did you control the bloodlust and hide your true face?"

Again, he gives me no opportunity to confirm or deny. "You didn't, did you? You took the easy way, unleashing the animal. You exposed your nature yet again to mortals. It's in your head. I see it."

Then there's no point in denying it. And yet, if I hadn't used my powers, I never would have reached Sylvie in time to prevent Alan from plunging a knife in her back. I want to remind Williams of that, but he's not in a receptive mood.

He continues to stare at me in stern disapproval. "You are so ignorant, so impatient. I protected you when your niece was in trouble because I could. But now you have exposed yourself again. This time to strangers over whom I have no control."

I know it's not smart to argue, but smart is hardly what I've been lately. "I think you're overreacting." I say it in a very small voice. "I didn't kill this guy."

"Oh? What did you do, A

The image is sharp in my mind. Lunging at Alan, growling, snapping at his throat.

"It will be clear in the minds of this woman and her father, too." Williams says it softly. "A

"That's a fu

As usual, the mouth engages before the brain is in gear. Williams is holding himself in check, I can tell by the way his hands curl into fists and his lips form one thin line of irritation.

I hold up a hand. "Okay, that was stupid. You have never shown anything but your human face in public. I think I understand why you chose to be a policeman. It puts you in the position to use your powers to protect those who are most vulnerable. But you do it discreetly. I get that. I respect what you do."

The frown softens.

I take that and the fact that he hasn't tried to rip my head off as a signal to press on. "I think you and I have the same instincts. So how could I have ignored a father's plea for his daughter's safety?"

Williams drops his head a little and looks at me with brows drawn in pained tolerance. "You could have called the police—called me—when you first heard the story."

"There wasn't time. I swear I thought I was just going to serve the guy with a restraining order. Things got out of control."

He nods. "And why was that? How did you find yourself in such a situation to begin with?"

His tone is deceptively neutral. He is looking at me with an expression that says more clearly than words that he already knows the answer. I cross my arms over my chest and nod for him to continue.

"You got into a fight with David and crawled away to nurse your wounds in a bar. You got drunk, A

"Irresponsible?" It comes out whiney and childish but I don't like being put on the defensive for trying to help, even though I called myself worse this morning. "Fu

He's clearly not impressed. "What would you call it then? You did get drunk last night, didn't you? Did you feed from the guy while you were having sex? Did you take care to obliterate the marks? Do you even remember?"

How does he know so much?

Williams shakes his head. "How do you think? You smell like sex and a distillery."

He's looking out the window. I'm glad. He can't see the color that floods my face. I'd been careful to keep my thoughts compartmentalized, hidden away from his scrutiny.

Shit. While I could screen the thoughts, I could do nothing to block that sensitive vampire nose. A hundred showers wouldn't have been enough to erase the scent.

Williams isn't finished. He turns in the seat. "That woman's uncle, the one you met last night in the bar, told the El Centro PD the whole story. The real story, A

So he knows every damned gruesome detail. I shouldn't be surprised.

I hunch a little lower in the seat. "You said David called you. What did he say?"

Williams is frowning again, not the least bit fooled by my lame attempt to change the subject. But he says, "Not much. Just that you and he had a fight. He's very upset. He cares for you. Too much, probably."

Well, that shouldn't be a problem for very much longer.

Williams picks up on that. What does that mean?

There doesn't seem much point in trying to hide the reason David made me angry enough to jump out of his car and head for the nearest bar. I let Williams pick the details out of my head. He actually smiles as he absorbs the implication of what transpired between us. He especially likes the part about David suggesting I become a cop.

Hey. I hold a hand up to stave off his too obvious enthusiasm. Who said I want to be a cop? I like being my own boss. Working for you would be—I have to fumble for the right word. He is a powerful vampire, after all. Difficult. You and I don’t see eye to eye. On anything.

You mean we don't see eye to eye on your personal conduct. And with good reason, I'd say. His tone becomes even colder. Well, you’ll have time to reconsider.

I don't like the way he says that. The words are uttered in the same tone a judge uses when passing sentence— with finality, offering no recourse. I stare at him, waiting.

His eyes bore into mine. Here's the deal, A