Page 68

When Sarge approached me, I stood up straight settling my shoulders. “Sir.”

Sarge nodded to me. “Nice shot.”

“It took two,” I felt obligated to point out.

“You killed it with very little fuss—and no backup was necessary,” Sarge said. “Well done.”

“Thank you,” I said, though it didn’t really feel warranted.

Brody whined as he circled the boar—it bothered him that Binx had been voted “definitely more charming” than him. Brody was bigger than a regular wolf, and even when he wagged his tail and tried to look cute most humans were freaked out by him.

Sarge shook his head at Brody, then returned his attention to the boar. “Juggernaut, call it in with Cloisters—and request an evidence team come out to test the boar.”

“Yessir!” Juggernaut saluted Sarge, then unearthed his phone.

“You think whoever loosened this beast upon Magiford left a trace?” Tetiana nudged one of the boar’s cloven feet with a boot.

“I hope,” Sarge said. “But it’s not likely. Still, if we move it, we might damage evidence. It’s also late enough at night that traffic won’t be a problem on this street, so immediate transport isn’t necessary.”

I glanced back at Binx and Clarence—they were working their friendly abilities. Binx had successfully lured the woman into petting her, so the lady was crouched on the ground scratching Binx’s chest.

I was watching Binx with awe, even though I’d seen her charm humans dozens of times before, when I felt something brush my senses.

I whirled around, pulling my gun from its shoulder holster as I stared down the shadowed street.

Nothing besides my squadmates moved on the street. Moths fluttered around the streetlights, but this late there wasn’t even a firefly out and about.

“Sense something, Blood?” Sarge asked.

“Maybe,” I hesitated. “Permission to check?”

Sarge nodded. “Go. Brody, Tetiana, watch her back.”

Brody woofed and then—seemingly eager to prove he was as good an animal as Binx—tip-tapped after me, his claws clicking on the pavement.

Tetiana lazily saluted Sarge and was much less obvious about following me. She yawned, then strolled in Medium-Sized Robert’s direction, before ambling over to the team car parked on the street.

I continued down the street trying to track the feeling as I glanced at houses.

The street was deceptively cozy with all the house porchlights on, and the occasional sidewalk chalk drawing or bike strewn across the front yards added to the character.

But despite the quaintness, my senses lurched to life setting off my inner alarm bells.

Vampire. There’s definitely a vampire. I could feel it, in addition to Clarence and Tetiana’s presence.

Brody panted, his pink tongue hanging from his mouth, and glanced up at me.

“I sense a vampire,” I paused, then voiced what I’d been avoiding thinking. “It could be Ruin. Although this isn’t in his territory.”

Brody growled low in his throat.

I stopped when we reached the front lawn of the wizard House Tellier. The vampire sensation prowled around, but I couldn’t see any sign of movement anywhere on the street. I started to pull my gun when the feeling abruptly faded.

“The sense is leaving. Do you smell anything?”

Brody tilted his head back, scenting the night breeze. He then sniffed around the sidewalk a little making a circle around me before he stopped, sat down next to me, and sneezed.

That’s a no. Am I just over sensitive?