Page 6

I dressed hurriedly in a black shirt and jeans, wrestled my auburn locks into a side braid and arranged a few loose pieces to hide my bruises. Hopefully, it would do the trick.

My back protested despite the heat of the shower as I knelt and reached into the back of my wardrobe and pulled out my preferred Dr Martens. Black, battered, mid-calf – perfect for hiding a knife in.

The dagger I chose today was the most valuable thing I owned, and also happened to be a favourite of mine. The short blade had been made to my requirements after weeks of research, forged of gorgeous Damascus steel and inlaid with gold – the only combination of materials I knew of that could kill a vamp. Add to that a hawthorn handle embellished with a chunk of citrine, and it couldn’t be more symbolic of the sun if I tried – and trust me, we’d tried. It was one of several similar weapons that Jon and I had commissioned years ago when we’d realised that a good old-fashioned wooden stake, while effective, was actually pretty difficult to use without some real force behind the blow. And don’t even get me started on beheading. So, though my dagger was well-worn, I never left the house without it.

Downstairs, Tom had made himself comfortable at the bureau I used as a desk, sipping at a steaming mug of coffee.Though he was normally on the scruffier side, Tom had taken it to the extreme this morning, and looked more like a disgruntled bear than anything. A flannel-wearing bear that had been disturbed mid-hibernation, maybe.

“Morning,” I mumbled, heading toward the kitchen for my own hit.

He didn’t reply until I was settled in my armchair, the hot mug warming my hands.

“You never said where you ran off to.” There was no disapproval in his tone, but I still felt guilty. I shouldn’t have left him.

I took a quick gulp of the scalding liquid and put my mug down. “I’m sorry.”

He continued to watch me. “No need. I’d have done the same thing, if you hadn’t done it first.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’d have run off and got in a fight?”

“Well, maybe not the fight part.”

I wanted to smile, but my heart wasn’t in it.

“It was just a couple of vamps.” I picked my mug up again, leaning back into the cushions as I inhaled its life-giving aroma. “Is this the Ethiopian blend?”

Tom ignored me. “You won, I assume?”

I pursed my lips, looking out of the window at the clear sky outside. “I killed one of them. The other…” I paused. “I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t do it.”

He said nothing, but the look he gave me was full of pity.

“I should probably try to find her. The other one.”

It wasn’t an idea I particularly relished. Tracking blind wasa nightmare. To do it, I had to tune into my senses so completely that coming down could take days. My eyes, ears and nose all struggled to shut off afterwards. But the bitchy blonde would be back on the streets soon enough, scouting for another victim. And if she hurt someone, it would be on me.

“Probably,” Tom nodded. “Tonight?”

I shrugged. “I guess.”

“What about today? Are you going to Jolt?” Jolt was the coffee shop that Tom, Jon, and I owned.

“I wasn’t planning on it. Maggie’s got it covered.”

Tom shifted in his seat, blood flooding his face and turning his nose and ears pink. He’d had a serious crush on the manager we’d hired since the day she started, but he’d yet to do anything about it. “About that. She called twenty minutes ago.”

I gulped down the last of my coffee. “Go on.”

“The new girl, you know, the one with the teeth?”

“Michelle?”

“Yeah. She’s quit. Her boyfriend’s apparently the next big thing, and she’s gone off touring with him.”

“Oh, that’ll end well.”

Tom’s dark eyes gleamed, but he didn’t smile. Neither of us were up to it, yet.

“Maggie asked if we would cover. I told her, about…”