Page 16 of The Vampire and the Case of the Baleful Banshee

I pulled out my phone and rang Connor on the off chance he was still awake. ‘Hey, Bunny.’ His voice was warm.

‘Hey. Are you okay after the council meeting? Gunnar said it was rough.’

‘It wasn’t great,’ he admitted. ‘But Vlad really dropped the ball.’

I paused. ‘Vlad? Really?’

‘I know,’ he sighed. ‘He’s young and he chose a ridiculous name for himself when he got turned. Give him a century and he’ll regret it.’

‘I’d regret it after five minutes. Is Connor your vampire name or the one you were born with?’

He hesitated a second and I wondered if I’d inadvertently been rude. ‘Both. I’ve always been Connor Mackenzie.’ He sounded a little bitter, which reminded me that I knew very little about his background.

‘You want to talk about it?’ I offered.

‘It’s complicated. Not now, okay? I’d rather do this in person.’

‘Okay.’

There was awkward silence. ‘What’ll happen to Vlad?’ I asked to break the tension.

‘He’ll be on logging for the next few months until he proves himself. If he does well, I’ll let him have another try at security.’

‘You don’t hold grudges, huh?’ I tried to say it lightly, trying to inject some levity into the conversation.

‘No. I’ve seen enough grudge holding to last a lifetime. I try and let stuff go. What about you?’

‘I’m slow to anger, but once I’m there I cling to it with all my might,’ I said cheerfully.

He laughed. ‘Good to know. I’ll have to do my darndest not to make you mad.’

‘Sounds like a plan.’ I sipped my tea. ‘What are you doing now?’

‘I’m outside Kostas’s house.’

I blinked. ‘Isn’t that shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted?’

‘Maybe, but criminals sometimes return to the scene of the crime. If they do, I’ll get them.’

I wanted to tell him about my banshee suspicions but Gunnar’s warning had me holding my tongue. ‘I’d better go. It’s been a long day.’

‘It has,’ he agreed. ‘I’m going to bed soon too.’

The picture of Connor Mackenzie shirtless in bed flashed into my mind with a vividness that made my mouth go dry. ‘Sleep well,’ I managed, but my voice had turned breathy.

He gave a low chuckle. ‘Dream of me.’ He hung up.

As if I had any choice in the matter. Lately all my dreams had been about a certain tousled-haired vampire with eyes like ice, eyes that always seemed to see to the heart of me. And surprisingly, he seemed to like what he saw.

Chapter 9

I had to wait until my next shift to see if Liv had replied to Gunnar’s question about teleportation. I hustled into the office half an hour early because my curiosity was getting the better of me.

Sidnee was at her desk and Shadow was on her lap. He gave a squeak and hopped down to say hello to me. When I stroked him and gave him a scruffle under his chin, he let out a loud purr and wound himself around my legs. ‘I bought you tuna,’ I whispered, ‘so you definitely can’t be mad at me.’

Affection duly dispensed, Shadow went to Fluffy’s bed. Fluffy went over so the two of them could lie together. They were super sweet.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked Sidnee casually. ‘How are things?’