Page 26 of The Mermaid’s Bubble Lounge (Sam Quinn #8)

TWENTY-SIX

I Can Never Unsee It

My alarm went off, jolting me out of sleep. I smacked the nightstand, turning it off, and turned back into Clive, who tightened his arms around me. Keeping vampire hours was going to be the death of me.

Later, I was woken again by the bed shaking. It took me a minute for my brain to engage and realize that Fergus had his front paws on the side of the bed and was bouncing it.

“Yes. Fine. I’m getting up.” I checked my phone on the nightstand.

It was already past noon. Shit. “Sorry, buddy.” I stumbled through the dark house and down the stairs to the first floor to fill up his food bowl.

After I threw open the back door for him, I went back to refill his water and then just flopped the top half of my body on the counter for a quick rest.

“You’re late.”

I just about jumped out of my skin. “Well, that got the old heart going.” I turned to find Vlad’s dark eyes shining from the depths of the den. “Quit being a dick.”

“Is that any way to greet a guest?” he asked, sounding quite put out.

“You’re not a guest. You’re an intruder.” I went to the refrigerator and started pulling out ingredients for an omelette. I was starving. “Did Clive get a hold of Bram last night?”

“He left a message. The timing was off.”

I was making a four-egg omelette with cheese and the last of some leftover spicy ground beef. I poured a little salsa over the top, grabbed a fork and a glass of water, and then went out to the patio to eat.

“Nothing personal,” I called in. “It’s lovely out here and dark in there.”

I thought I heard him chuckle, but I wasn’t sure; the wind in the trees was loud today. Zipping up my hoodie, I dug into breakfast as Fergus flopped onto my feet.

After sending a quick text to Owen to explain my tardiness, I finished my food. When he sent one back letting me know it was all under control, I relaxed. I could have raced to get ready, but if The Slaughtered Lamb was covered, I could move at my own pace.

When I brought my empty plate in and closed the back door, Vlad said, “I need to tell you what happened last night.”

Shoulders slumped, I rinsed off my plate. “Damn it. What did he do?” I went to the den and sat on the couch opposite Vlad’s darker corner.

He flicked on the lamp beside him. “Russell called Clive after you went to bed. Two of his scouts located the pooka-cat and almost caught him, but he shifted into a seagull and flew off over the water.”

I blew out a breath. How were we ever going to catch this thing?

“Today, though, there are reports of a fisherman being attacked on his boat, which was found floating in circles. The fisherman was drained of blood and left on the deck of his boat.”

Fergus dropped his head in my lap and I leaned over to kiss it. “That poor man.”

“There’s more,” Vlad said. “This hasn’t been released to the media yet, but the nocturne’s human liaison sent me a video. Apparently, the fisherman was recording himself. He has an account where he posts sunrise videos. There is a brief image of the killer.”

My phone buzzed. I pulled up the incoming text and clicked on the link.

The man was talking about the early morning on the bay and then there was a flash behind him.

It was brief. The man was spun in the chair, causing the phone recording him to tip on its side, but for a half a moment Clive, with Vlad’s huge mustache, was standing behind the fisherman. Shit.

“You and I know what this is,” Vlad said, “but I don’t know that the authorities will.”

Shitshitshitshitshit. I dropped my head into my hands. “So even if we luck out and he moves on to his next chaotic mess, we get to look forward to security footage around the world showing you, Clive, or a combination of the two of you killing people from now on?”

“After five hundred and seventy years, I might have to shave my mustache off.” He ran his fingertips over it. “No. I’ll take my chances.”

I studied the video again, freezing on the pooka wearing a Clive costume.

If I didn’t know, would I think that was Clive?

As the Master of the City, Clive attended quite a few big charity events over the years.

He’s known. “It appears to be Clive wearing a big, fake mustache in, like, the world’s lamest attempt at disguising himself.

It would be hilarious if it weren’t so horrific.

And if someone on the force recognizes his face and wants to question him, what do we do during daylight hours? ”

“Call the liaison and let her know what’s happening.

She’ll get the nocturne’s lawyer. He can negotiate an evening interrogation.

” His fingers drummed on the arm of the chair.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve had to deal with the authorities.

What about you, though? Has Clive provided you with an ID and records? ”

Vlad knew that up until quite recently, I’d lived much of my life off the grid.

I nodded. “We had to do that so I could get a driver’s license.

Actually, he started the process before that so we could get a proper marriage certificate.

He’s weirdly concerned with making sure every bank account, investment, and property has my name on it, so I had to exist to the government and banking organizations. ”

“Nothing weird about it,” Vlad said. “Being a vampire is a dangerous business, and he has a wife, one who is herself long-lived. He’s making sure you’re provided for in the only way he can after he’s gone.”

My heart gave a squeeze and my throat tightened. I needed a minute. “It’s important to him that I’m surrounded by strong friends too.”

“And that you can defend yourself. In Budapest, when you were challenged, I thought he’d insist on fighting in your stead.

When he didn’t, I was shocked—on the inside, of course.

I pride myself on my lack of emotional displays.

But when he finished with his opponent, he held himself in check and watched you.

I could see what it was costing him to let you do it yourself. ”

He shook his head, a smirk under his great mustache.

“And then you held Dakila up by his hair and sliced through his neck with those claws of yours in the showiest fuck you to all the vampires discounting you. I thought Clive would burst with pride. I realized then that you were right when you told me my assessment of him was all wrong. I saw what I thought I’d see and never looked past the pretty face, the charm.

” Vlad scratched the side of his nose. “I kind of hate him.”

I huffed out a laugh, breaking the fear paralysis holding me in place. I didn’t want to talk about or even think about trying to live without Clive. “By the way, you guys do know I’ll be telling George and Alec about Jade’s family, right?”

“If Jade is Rafaela, then yes, I assumed so. As your husband knows you better than I do, my guess is he does as well.”

Fergus climbed up on the couch and creeped onto my lap, like I wouldn’t notice him. “Alec named her Jade because of her beautiful green eyes. Like Clive told you all, she hasn’t shifted yet, so they didn’t know her name.”

Vlad stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles. “Chances are, she doesn’t know her name either. She was taken as a toddler and has been imprisoned and abused ever since. I know her family has been looking for her, but she may not remember them at all. Poor thing.”

“At least she’s with Alec, who understands what she’s been through.” I thought a moment. “A lot of horrific things happen in the supernatural world.”

Vlad nodded. “In fairness, they happen in the human one as well. The issue is we’re stronger and can take more abuse.

If she were human, they likely would have found her little body in the jungle twenty-two years ago.

We’re strong enough to survive torture, which can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you look at it. ”

I considered what I had experienced, Alec and Fyr’s imprisonment, and Jade.

Then I thought about all those poor women in the Budapest asylum and what had been done to them, how they’d died.

My mind jumped straight to one of the first real conversations I’d ever had with Clive when he told me about his sister, who’d been raped and killed.

Her death spurred him to go in search of the men who’d done it.

He’d accepted the dark kiss, becoming a vampire, to better exact his revenge on them.

Alec, Fyr, Jade and I were all still here, healing, creating happier lives for ourselves.

Clive’s sister Elswyth had been gone for a thousand years, and her final moments were terror and pain.

“It’s a blessing.” I stood, dislodging Fergus with no small amount of effort. “I need to get cleaned up and go to work. I’ll see you tonight.”

“I’ll wait and walk through the folly with you,” he said, as though appointing himself my vampire guard was completely normal.

“Okey-dokey.” I went through the house with Fergus on my heels, realizing that Vlad had waited until I’d eaten to tell me about the pooka’s killing.

The man was obsessed with my food consumption.

Which, given our last conversation…was really sweet, and I needed to stop being annoyed with him for foisting food on me.

When I got to the bedroom, I closed the door after us and jumped onto the bed to give Clive a kiss on the cheek. “Promise me you’ll never grow a great big mustache. I can’t unsee it. It’ll haunt my dreams.”

After I was showered, dried, and dressed, I sat on the side of the bed to put on my shoes and socks, and to give Clive another kiss. “Have a good day, love. Rest up. More vampire shenanigans tonight.”

Vlad was waiting for Fergus and me at the bottom of the stairs. “You didn’t get a chance to exercise this morning, so we can run through the folly, if you’d like.”

“Thanks. We’d appreciate that.” I didn’t mention that jogging in jeans wasn’t the most comfortable because, again, I didn’t want to reject kindness from a vampire.

Once we’d entered the folly, we hit a fast pace and kept going. We were just entering the Shire when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I checked the screen and saw it was Bram, so I stopped. Vlad looked around my shoulder to see who was calling.

“Hello, Bram. How are you?” I held the phone between Vlad and me so he could hear clearly.

“Good day, Sam. It’s good to hear your voice. I hope I’m not bothering you.” Bram’s voice had a lovely Irish lilt.

“Not at all. It’s good to hear from you too. How was soccer season?” Bram’s nocturne was filled with huge soccer fans. Godfrey had lived there for many years before coming to America to rejoin Clive.

He chuckled. “First of all, it’s football—”

“Oh, I should tell you that Vlad is with me and so is listening,” I told him.

“Yes, of course,” Bram responded. “I’d heard that Vlad and Cadmael had traveled to the States. Hello, Vlad. It’s been a very long time. I hope you’re well.”

“I’m good,” Vlad said.

Rolling my eyes, I added, “And he hopes you’re doing well too.” I elbowed Vlad and whispered, “Jeez, dude, learn some manners.”