Michael? Where are you?
The sharp voice swam through his consciousness, scattering
any remnants of sleep. He opened his eyes and watched the
moonlit landscape sweep by the cab’s windows. Only a few
more miles and he’d be with Nikki.
Michael? This time, Seline’s piercing mind voice held a
hint of concern. Can you hear me?
He sighed. How could he not hear her when she was all but
screeching? Yes, I can hear you. He just wasn’t really
concentrating. All he wanted to do right now was get home
to Nikki. They’d been apart for nearly three weeks, and it
felt like forever.
After living alone for over three hundred and sixty years,
it was amazing just how quickly he’d become accustomed to
having her in his thoughts, and in his life. He needed
her, not just physically, but emotionally.
You sound tired, Michael.
He was. Tired of chasing vamps gone bad. Tired of killing.
Or maybe he was just tired of doing it alone—though he had
no intention of giving in to Nikki’s demands to let her
share this part of his life. One killer in the family was
more than enough. It’s been a long three weeks, Seline.
It was a tougher case than I’d originally thought. I’m
sorry.
He smiled wryly. That was a first—her apologising. She had
to be after something. What’s the problem?
You know me too well. Her amusement swam down the mental
line between them, yet it was mixed with an anger that
burned so sharply he could almost smell it.
Curiosity stirred, but he thrust it away. He’d never
refused Seline, not on anything she’d asked him to do—but
after one hundred years, he was getting a little weary of
helping everyone else at the cost of his own existence.
Especially now, when he had someone to exist for. Seline,
I’m tired, I’m almost home, and I’m in no mood for games.
Get to the point.
She sighed. I think we need your help on another case.
I’ve only just finished one. I need a break. Needed time
to regain some sense of normality—something that had been
sorely missing in his life until Nikki had come along.
I know and I’m sorry, but vamps are your area of expertise
and this case has a bad feel to it.
Was there ever one that didn’t? He studied the softly
glowing aspens lining the road for a moment, then glanced
at the cab driver. "It’s the next left." Ten more minutes,
and he’d be with her. The longing that had sat like a
weight in his gut these past three weeks lifted, and
something close to excitement bubbled through his veins.
What are we dealing with? he asked eventually.
That’s it—we’re not exactly sure.
Then how do you know it’s me you need? Impatience edged
his words, and her smile shimmered through his mind.
I’m a witch. Some things I just know.
He rubbed his eyes. Seline...
Okay, okay, I’ll come to the point. She hesitated again,
then all sense of amusement disappeared, replaced by a
bluntness that spoke of fury. Two weeks ago, the wife of a
wealthy restaurateur was kidnapped from a high profile
hotel in San Francisco, and a ransom subsequently
demanded. The husband paid the ransom, but his wife wasn’t
returned, and the money hasn’t resurfaced.
He frowned. As yet, it didn’t seem the sort of case that
the Circle would get involved in, let alone one that would
need his expertise. And...?
Four days later, another woman was kidnapped. From a
private home this time, but otherwise, everything was the
same.
So the police are dealing with a serial kidnapper?
Yes. And there was a third victim—she was taken two days
ago. They found the body of the first victim yesterday.
He raised his eyebrows, surprised by the fierce undertone
of anger washing down the mental lines. How did she die?
They’d drained her. The autopsy revealed half a dozen
different puncture wounds.
Meaning six vamps had fed off her? That was unusual,
because most vampires didn’t like sharing their meals. Yet
it didn’t really explain the anger he could feel in Seline.
Apparently. But that’s far from the worst of it. She
hesitated, and again the anger surged—a wave a red heat
that roared through his mind. These vamps weren’t just
after blood and money. They were after far more than that.
What did they do? In over one hundred years of knowing
her, he’d never heard her so riled up—and they’d tackled
some pretty damn tough cases in their time together.
The bastards mutilated her—they shaved off her hair,
pulled all her nails, scarred her face and slit her nose.
And cut off her breasts for good measure... Her voice
faded, but her anger remained, sizzling his mind with its
heat.
So basically, they destroyed her self-image before they
killed her. Or at least, took away practically everything
that defined her as a woman. Obviously, they weren’t just
dealing with vampires, but vampires with some serious
psychological problems.
A shudder ran down the mental line. I want these things
caught, Michael. I want them killed, quickly, before they
can do this again. No one who is capable of something like
this has a right to life—whether they’re human or not.
He scrubbed a hand across his eyes again. He didn’t want
this case—but he knew he had no real choice. Seline was
right. Vampires were his field, and this sounded
particularly nasty—though he’d heard, and seen, much worse
over the years. This sort of defilement certainly wasn’t
new.
I can’t leave straight away. I need to see Nikki first.
Lord, wasn’t she going to be ecstatic over him leaving
again so soon?
Fine. I’ll send the helicopter over to pick you up. It
should be there by four.
He glanced at his watch. That gave him six hours with
Nikki. After three weeks of abstinence, it was no where
near enough. How do you want to play this?
I want you to go undercover. I’ve set you up with a new
profile—and seeing you don’t want Nikki involved in any of
these cases, I’m sending Katherine to play the part of
your wife.
He’d worked with Kat a few times in the past, but her
forthright manner tended to get on his nerves—as did her
raucous laugh. Kat comes as a pair with her grandmother. I
really don’t think she’s the best choice...
And I really don’t care what you think of the woman. She’s
the best choice for the case—and she lives in San
Francisco.
He bit down on his irritation. He knew it came from
tiredness, more than any real annoyance. Is she there at
the moment?
Seline hesitated. No. But I can pull her off the other
case easy enough. This is more urgent.
She’s being used as bait, and you know I don’t like doing
that. I really do prefer to work alone.
We haven’t the time on this one, Michael. We have to flush
them out fast. Katherine can defend herself well enough,
believe me.
He knew she could defend herself—he just didn’t like
setting anyone up as bait. No matter how carefully you
planned, things always went wrong. And, more often than
not, the bait became the victim. As annoying as Kat could
be, he didn’t want her dead. Where are we staying in San
Francisco?
The three kidnappings happened within a radius of two
blocks from each other. The third victim was taken from
the Diamond Grand—and that’s where you’ll be staying.
He frowned. He’d heard the hotel mentioned recently, but
he couldn’t remember where—or why. Surely they won’t hit
the same place twice?
Instinct tells me the Diamond Grand has a major part to
play in this. But it also tells me it’s not the location
that matters as much as the people themselves. The victims
have three things in common—they all came originally from
Boston, they all married extremely wealthy men, and they
all attended a fund raising benefit at the Hyatt two and a
half weeks ago. Kat attended that benefit, which is why I
wanted her along.
Michael raised his eyebrows. Does that mean you think all
the women who attended the benefit might be potential
victims?
I doubt it, though it’s not beyond the realms of
possibilities. That benefit went badly wrong-six men broke
in just before dessert and took everyone’s cash and
jewellery. It’s linked to the kidnappings, I’m sure of
that—I just not positive how yet.
How did the thieves get past security?
No one knows. They disappeared just as easily, as well.
What about the security tapes? They been checked? Even
vampires wrapping themselves in shadows would not escape
the cameras eye—simply because no hotel could afford to
have foyers or corridors half-lit these days.
Yes. Nothing was found. The people behind the theft or the
kidnappings aren’t getting into the hotels through any
normal means.
If it was vampires behind all this, then all it took was
one employee under their control to leave open a window
and they were in undetected. Did Kat give you much of a
description of the men involved?
She said there were six of them, and that they were all
vamps. They wore leathers and motor bike helmets, so it
was impossible to see any features. But she did say there
was one maker and five Loop members
Which suggested two things—not only that the head vampire
was gay but that he liked more than one partner. Though
five was taking it a bit far. Even Elizabeth at her worst
only had four lovers at any one time—and they were never
created at the same time. Controlling a fledgling was
often difficult. Dealing with a Loop of them—whether that
Loop contained three, five or more vampires, would be
overwhelming.
Did she sense anything else?
Only that she thinks robbery was not the true motive. The
Loops creator was skimming the minds of the older women
there.
That could mean he had definite target, and the robbery
was little more than a means of collecting recent
information about them. What’s the police thinking on this
one?
They’re not saying much, officially or otherwise. The Feds
have been brought in, of course.
Has there been any other unusual killings or
disappearances outside of these three women? If vampires
had moved into San Francisco, then surely they’d be more
bodies about. Three women wasn’t likely to contain the
hunger of six vampires for very long. A jump in the rate
of homeless deaths, perhaps?
Nothing more than what you’d expect, given it’s winter.
We’ll keep checking though, just in case.
He glanced out the window again, and saw the familiar
formation of cottonwoods and pines that led into his
driveway. He shifted again, half-tempted to just tell the
driver to stop here so he could get out and run. The need
to hold Nikki, to breathe in the rich scent of her, had
become so strong his whole body was beginning to ache. It
was only for appearance’s sake that he remained in the cab—
the driver was a local and Michael didn’t want any
whispers starting up that may eventually force him to move.
His house came into view—a large, rambling cabin half-
hidden by surrounding pines, aspens and cottonwoods. There
were no lights visible through any of the windows. He
glanced at his watch again, and frowned. Nikki was a night
owl and rarely went to sleep before midnight. At the very
least, he should have seen the soft glow of the television
in the front room.
He reached out with his thoughts, but was met by silence.
Either she was asleep, or she wasn’t there.
I’ve done a reading on the case, Seline continued. But I
can’t seem to get any clear image. All I can feel is hate.
That’s a given, considering what they’re doing to these
women. He paid the cab driver, then grabbed his bag and
climbed out. The wind whispered through the trees, and the
smell of balsam tainted the night air. He switched to the
infra red of his vampire vision, and scanned the house.
There was no life anywhere inside.
Concern knifed through him. She’d made no mention of going
anywhere the last time they’d talked—though the phone
connection had been bad, and had made it hard to hear what
she’d been saying.
Something must have happened. He shouldered his bag and
raced up the steps.
Michael, I get the feeling you’re not exactly paying
attention to what I’m saying.
Sorry. I’ve just arrived home to find that Nikki’s not
here. He opened the front door and walked through.
Cinnamon and vanilla lingered in the air, mixed with the
stronger scent of pine. The house was still warm, so she
hadn’t been gone long.
Seline’s amusement whisked down the link. Maybe she’s
teaching you a lesson.
Lesson? He walked into the living room and smiled. A huge
Christmas tree dominated one corner of the room, its top
branches bending across the ceiling. Ribbons, tinsel and
various other bright baubles hung off every branch,
glittering faintly in the moonlight streaming in through
the windows.
Yes, you know, Seline continued, don’t expect her to be
the good little wife waiting meekly for you to come home.
She’s not my wife. He hesitated, and wrapped his fingers
around the small package in his pocket—one he’d carried
all the way from his farm in Ireland. One he intended to
give her on Christmas eve. And I certainly don’t expect
her to wait meekly for me to come home.
Seline’s mental snort stung his mind. Then what in the
hell do you expect her to do out there in the sticks?
She’s a city girl, born and raised, and used to working.
With the agency temporarily closed down, you off on cases
and refusing her help, it’s a wonder she hasn’t gone stir
crazy.
It was her choice to stay here, he said, more than a
little annoyed at the old witch’s sarcasm. Damn it, he
didn’t need his friends taking Nikki’s side against him. I
even offered to pay for a holiday, if that’s what she
wanted.
Seline sighed. After three hundred and sixty years of
existence, I thought you’d have learned something about
the female species.
I have—even the old one’s can be damn irritating
sometimes. He walked into the kitchen. Santas danced
around the edges of his refrigerator door, but none of
them held notes. All that was on the table was several
unopened envelopes and a half-finished Christmas wreath.
Michael, if you really want this relationship to last long
term, you’d better start thinking a little clearer.
He frowned and headed for the stairs. What do you mean?
She sighed again. Have you even discussed the future with
her?
He’d known the old witch long enough to realise she was
actually asking if he’d thought about the future. Which he
had, especially in the last three weeks. But it wasn’t
something he was about to discuss with Seline, no matter
how close a friend she was—not until he’d talked to Nikki
first. We’ve been living together less than four months. I
hardly think she’s worrying about the future just yet. He
took the stairs two at a time, then walked down the hall
to the bedroom.
She’s a very independent individual. Remember that, or you
may just get yourself into trouble.
The note was on his pillow. He switched back to the infra-
red of his vampire vision and picked it up, quickly
scanning it. The uneasy tension sitting in his gut
intensified and he sat down on the bed, staring almost
blindly at the paper.
Seline’s concern whisked through his mind. What’s wrong?
What wasn’t wrong? Don’t bother sending Kat on the
helicopter.
Why?
He screwed the note up in his fist and threw it across the
room. I already have help. Nikki’s in San Francisco
investigating the disappearance from the Diamond Grand.