Page 30 of Kiss the Dawn (Order of Helsing #4)

PADMA

I hate this part. Sitting still with a needle in me while someone else’s blood filters into my veins and my infected blood is removed. There’s nothing to do but think, and Jacqueline usually leaves me alone to do just that, but tonight, for some reason, she wants to chat.

She perches on a stool at her work bench, cup of tea in one hand, cigarette in the other.

“And how is work?” she asks.

“It’s fine.”

“Just fine? Oh, come now, Padma. You work for the Order; there must be something interesting happening. Any juicy cases?” She takes a drag, cheeks hollowing, holds it, then exhales. “What about the missing persons case? ”

“How do you know about that?”

“Your friend Edwin mentioned it when he was here with you last.” She does the exaggerated move of looking around her. “Where is he, by the way? I do enjoy his company. He’s so nice to look at.”

I don’t like the idea of her ogling my Edwin, and my tone reflects it. “He’s busy, and the case is…it’s a bust so far.”

“Really? No leads at all? How strange.”

The curse is broken. Orina is safe, and so is Dracul territory. A huge win for us, but there are still people missing. Jacqueline does lots of reading and research, and she’s lived here for like…forever. Maybe she can help.

“There’s a symbol. It’s on a piece of paper in my jacket pocket. It’s our only lead.”

She stubs out her cigarette and crosses the room to the coat hanger, returning a moment later with the slip of paper. She studies the symbol. “This looks familiar. I’ve seen it somewhere.”

My pulse spikes. “You have? Can you remember where?”

She chews on her cheeks. “Let me make a fresh pot of tea. It will give my mind a moment to work on it. I’m sure it will come to me.” She leaves me to my transfusion, and I sag back in my seat.

If she can tell us where she saw the symbol, then we’ll have a starting point. We might be able to track down this group and find out what they’ve done with all the people they’ve taken. I want to believe that they’re still alive, but Edwin’s the optimist, not me.

Jacqueline returns with a pot of tea. “I recalled where I saw the symbol. There are a few boarded-up buildings in Brimswood. It was on one of those. I can’t remember the name of the street, but it’s between Brimswood Park and the Pavilion Hall. There’s a laundromat and a department store called Williams and Johns on the street.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell, but it’s certainly something we can look into. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, and I saw it at night. It was…glowing. I’m not sure how visible it will be in the daytime.”

“Then we’ll go after sunset. Thank you.”

“Glad I could help. Now—” She pauses and looks about the room once more, but this time in a wary manner that makes my scalp tight.

“What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head “Nothing. Do you want some tea?”

There was nothing else to do right now. “Sure.”

It’s late by the time I leave Jacqueline’s manor, and by the time I get to the chapter house, Merry and Holly are asleep. The news of our breakthrough on the symbol will have to wait till the morning, and tomorrow night we’ll find it and hopefully the bastards behind it.

I grab a quick bite to eat alone in the kitchen. Haiden, the sweetheart, left a bunch of precooked meals for us, all frozen so all we had to do was pop them in the microwave. I scarf some lasagna and head to bed.

My scrapbook sits on my bedside table. Did I leave it out? It’s open at a photo of me and Edwin. We’re looking at each other and holding back laughter.

I remember the day this was taken, a month before most of our team was decimated. Kimmy’s birthday party. We’d played a game where someone told jokes and you had to try not to laugh. Edwin and I had been the last two standing. In the end he’d laughed and lost, but thinking back on it now, I was sure he’d let me win.

I close the book and tuck it into the dresser drawer, then get ready for bed.

I’m about to climb under the sheets when the temperature drops sharply. I know what this is. It’s the entity.

“Hello?” The room is silent and empty. No indication there’s anyone here but me, and I’m beginning to think the cold is just a draft when the lights flicker.

“Hi. Okay. You’re here. We need to talk.” I sound tougher than I feel. “How about we do this—one flicker for yes and two for no. Does that work? ”

One flicker.

“All right. Do you mean me harm?”

Two flickers.

“Good to know.” I can’t ask him who he is or what he wants because those questions require more than yes or no responses. There is one thing he can confirm or deny for me, though. “Are you recharging in some way? Is that why you can’t manifest?” Nothing happens for several beats, then the lights flicker once. I’m right. “Is there something I can do to help?”

The lights go crazy, flickering over and over, and if the temperature was chilly a moment ago, it’s positively arctic now.

A low moan fills the room, and shadows coalesce into a human form by the window. It’s a large and bulky human with piercing amethyst eyes. “You…did…this…” he says, his voice like gravel.

“What?”

“How…free? Tell me…” Ice sinks into my bones as he manifests fully, six-four with eyes like arcane fire. “Tell me the terms, witch.”

“I’m not a witch, what are you?—”

He lunges at me and vanishes. The temperature in the room slowly rises.

What the fuck is going on?