Tory came into consciousness with a snap. She shot straight up, her eyes wild, her hands shaking. Where was she? It came to her slowly along with recognition of the sounds and smells. Naomi’s house. She sank back on the bed and let out a long breath. Nothing like being a little jumpy.
A door opened with a quiet creak and Naomi stepped into the bedroom from the bathroom. A towel was wrapped around her head and a second around her naked body. Steam followed her out the door, making the room smell of lilac soap and sweet shampoo. The polite thing to do was look away. She couldn’t and didn’t.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Naomi stopped and clasped her arms around herself. “I thought I could sneak in and out before you woke up. I’m really sorry about disturbing you. I was trying to be quiet.”
Tory rolled onto her side and propped her head on one hand. “Please, this is your room, I’m in your way. Do whatever you need to.” Like drop the towel.
“I just needed to shower and change.” The towel didn’t drop.
“Well, you certainly look clean and shiny.” And delicious. Tory tried to remember the last time she’d really looked at a woman. It had been years, lots of them, like decades lots of them. Even back then, she hadn’t allowed herself to feel anything beyond pleasure. Her relationships with lovers were always quick, and not a single one ever knew what she was. Safer for everyone that way.
Whoa…she was jumping ahead of herself just because a sexy, almost-naked woman was standing in front of her. That didn’t make her desperate. Anyone would be thinking along the same lines. With a hint of moisture clinging to the swell of Naomi’s breasts at the towel line, and her long legs shapely and strong, it was a given that her mind would jump to passion or, rather, sex. In her rather odd existence there wasn’t any room for passion. A quick screw now and again, yeah. But anything beyond raw sex that might require an investment on her part? Not a chance. The formula worked for her and she saw no reason to change a thing. Still, Naomi was pretty hot in that towel.
It took a minute to realize Naomi was studying her. “What?” she asked as she swung her feet to the floor.
Naomi shook her head. “I don’t know. There’s something sad about you, Tory. I don’t know what it is or why, but it makes me feel like I should do something. I don’t know exactly what that might be, just something.”
Tory smiled though she felt no humor. “Sad doesn’t even begin to describe me. I’m your worst nightmare, as well you should know. You hunted things like me for a living. You know what we are, what I am.”
Naomi, still holding the towel, sat next to her. She smelled fresh and lovely. Tory clasped her hands together in her lap.
“I know what you can be and I know what you are. There are two roads, Tory, and each of us chooses which one to take. Even for those like you, the path isn’t set in stone. You didn’t let it destroy you.”
Again her laugh was bitter. “I didn’t? I exist because I’m too scared to let someone like you take my head. I creep around in the darkness because it’s more comfortable than having to face the reality of what I am. It would probably be better for all of us if I stepped out of the darkness and let karma do its job.”
Naomi put an arm around her shoulders. Her skin was warm, the pressure of her body against Tory’s almost unbearable in its tenderness. Her nearly bare breast pressed against the flesh of Tory’s arm.
“No,” Naomi said softly. “You don’t deserve to die. You’re right, I did spend a good many years tracking down and killing vampires, and I did it with blind determination. I didn’t know any better then. I do now. I know what’s right and what’s wrong. I know who’s evil and who’s not.”
Tears started to form in Tory’s eyes. She got up and moved away from Naomi. “Maybe you’ve spent too much time in your church and not enough back out in the real world. A monster is a monster, and wanting to believe it different doesn’t make it so.”
“Maybe you’re the one who’s spent too much time behind closed walls.”
At the door, Tory stopped and gazed at Naomi for a long moment. She was so beautiful. “I don’t think so.”
She opened the door, walked out into the hallway, and then closed it softly behind her.
*
His plans for the evening weren’t particularly ambitious until he spotted her. She slipped into the rear entrance at the Library of Congress, a tall man following close behind. Just the sight of her sent a shot of electricity through his body. She was as beautiful as the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. Still graceful and lovely, still walked with the same determined stride that had caught his attention on the very first day. He’d been so impressed all those years ago by the young woman with the incredible grace that he’d been driven to know more.
He’d done a bit of homework to find out who she was, and it had taken a fair amount of digging even for an experienced researcher. Her entire existence was shrouded in mystery, deep and almost impenetrable—almost. People talked to him, always had. He was just that kind of man. He’d dug and probed until he learned what he’d wanted to know.
He’d been struck first by her beauty, overwhelmed by her pedigree, and impressed by her heart. One beautiful summer evening, he’d introduced himself. She became part of his world and he’d loved her as his own. He believed she loved him too, until that dreadful night anyway, when he became a victim.
What she’d done still cut at him. How she could have betrayed him so completely was beyond his comprehension. Yet, that’s exactly what she’d done and forgiveness was not in the cards…ever. She had to pay. He would never be able to reconcile with being a victim.
Besides, he wasn’t the one who set any of this in motion. The responsibility for all of it lay squarely on her shoulders—action and reaction, cause and effect. He was simply doing what needed to be done in a very entertaining way. Who was he to deny fate?
He had to be careful tonight, however. The ripples on the night air spoke to him, coaxing him to feed the fever. His body tingled all over and his mind buzzed. Smiling, he began to walk away from the Library of Congress. She could wait a little longer. The time wasn’t quite right yet for them to meet face-to-face, and he wasn’t ready to let go of the fun.
In the meantime, humans were all around to toy with, meals to be enjoyed and havoc to create. His little Meagan was waiting patiently for her first meal, and he didn’t want to disappoint her. Hunting was more challenging thanks to his campaign of fear, but that just made things more fun.
His path hadn’t taken him far when he spied an interesting man in one of the ubiquitous hooded sweatshirts all the young people seemed to wear these days, walking with his hands stuffed into the pockets of a well-worn pair of jeans. He smiled and leaned against a tree waiting for his prey. Yes, a very promising night indeed.
As the man drew closer, the faint scent of weed drifted on the air. He smiled. Just the kind of guy he was waiting for. “Sick hoodie, man,” he said as the young man walked by.
“Thanks.” His voice was muffled as he kept his head down. His step didn’t slow, the weed smell now blending with the strong odor of tobacco.
Stepping into stride beside him, he smiled and asked, “Got a smoke I can bum, man? Kinda quiet and boring out here tonight. I’m Vlad, by the way.”
“Jim.” He offered him a cigarette and finally brought his gaze up to meet Vlad. His eyes were a deep shade of blue with pupils so large the blue was just a ring around the black. “Surprised to see ya out, ya know? Everybody’s freaked out about the vamps and sticking close to home.”
“Aren’t you?” He lit the cigarette and took a long drag, letting the smoke flow into his lungs. Tasty.
Jim straightened up. “Fuck, no. I can take care of myself. No fucking vampire is going to suck me dry. I’ll show the motherfucker who’s tough.”
Glancing sideways at Jim, he grinned, his fangs beginning to show. The guy was high as a kite and didn’t have a grasp on the reality of where he was. Definitely not a clue who he was with. “I know what you mean, man. I feel that way too. I wouldn’t mind kicking a little vampire ass.”
“No shit. Figured I’d see what was out and about. I’m not gonna sit at home and play with my own dick. You feel me? I gotta find some action.”
Meagan’s hungry face flashed in his mind. He smiled and put an arm around Jim’s shoulders. “You don’t say. I bet we could find some action together. Twice as much fun.”
He nodded his head and grinned, his teeth yellow and crooked. “Sick…let’s do it.”
*
When her phone rang a little after midnight, Naomi was positive it had to be Tory or Colin. Earlier, they’d gone back to the LOC to grab the New Testament. One glance at the caller ID and her heart sank. Not a chance Nathan would be calling just to say hello. Did he ever sleep anymore? Sure didn’t seem like it. In fact, the last few days, it seemed like all he was doing was calling her or showing up on her doorstep.
“Yeah,” she said into the handset, holding it with an uncharacteristic death grip.
“You’ve got a big problem, sister.”
“Me? Why?” The tension in Nathan’s voice set her on edge. Apparently this was starting to get to him as well.
“A crowd’s beginning to mingle at the church.”
A crowd? It didn’t make sense. “I don’t understand. There’s no service tonight. Nobody should be hanging around there this time of night.”
“Somebody’s let the cat out of the bag. The rumor running through the crowd is that the church harbors preternaturals, and now they want them brought out.”
“Nathan, that’s crazy. No one’s at the church except the security guards. No one ever stays there, human or preternatural.”
“Yeah, you know that and I know that, but about thirty or forty people are outside right now that don’t, and let’s just say they’re starting to get restless.”
Her hands began to tremble, not exactly a great trait for a big, strong vampire hunter. Maybe there was more than one reason she was an ex-vampire hunter. She could think of only one thing to do. “I’ll be right there.”
“Don’t come alone.”
“Who do you want me to bring? Nobody’s around right now.” Seriously, about the only other people she could call would be the bishop or another of the clergy, and chances were they’d be unavailable. This was Ordinary Time, an uneventful period in the calendar of worship, which was why during the last few weeks only Naomi and one priest had been presenting services. Last thing she heard, the bishop was in California at a clergy meeting.
“Bring the hunter.”
“Colin? Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. Nathan had never been real big on the whole hunter thing even when she was one. It wasn’t that he disapproved of the ideal behind the corps of hunters the church employed. No, it was more that he liked to operate inside the normal channels when dealing with anyone, whether they were human or not. It was one of the reasons he always took issue with the hunters’ style of justice.
He didn’t exactly have to coax her into agreeing to take Colin along. Frankly, she’d feel better with him there. Naomi told Nathan as much, then hung up and turned to look at Ivy, Riah, and Adriana. “I’ve got to go.” She headed for the closet to grab her jacket. “Shit is about to hit the fan.”
“We’ll go with you.” Riah followed her. “You’re not going into something dangerous without backup.”
Turning, Naomi held out a hand. “No!”
Riah stopped abruptly, looking as though Naomi had slapped her. “What?”
“I’m sorry.” Naomi apologized in a hurry. “I didn’t mean to snap. But you really can’t come with me. An angry crowd’s gathering at the church and I’ve got to go try to talk them down.”
“At the church?” Ivy piped up. “Why?”
“They think we’re harboring preternaturals inside.”
“That’s ridiculous.” This came from Adriana. “I’ll go with you.”
Of the three, Adriana was the only one who might be safe. Still human—aside from being born in a parallel world, that is—she would be able to move easily in the crowd searching for those who were not. Still, this was her problem, not Adriana’s. The thought of putting anyone else in danger just didn’t work for her. “I don’t think you should.”
“Bullshit,” Ivy declared. “We’re all going. Don’t think for a second we’re going to let you go into the fray alone. That’s not the way we do things.”
“No.” Naomi insisted. “It’s too dangerous. People are out for blood…particularly vampire blood. This could get out of hand very easily and I don’t want anyone hurt…or worse. I’ve seen it happen before.”
Riah and Ivy looked at each other and shook their heads. Riah slipped on her jacket and walked to the door. “I’ve been hunted before more times than you can imagine. I can deal with it and so can Ivy and Adriana. Now let’s get on the road before someone who can’t gets hurt.”
Nobody seemed to listen to her. It was as if she was talking to a wall instead of a trio of intelligent women. If she couldn’t convince a single one of them to stay here, how on earth was she going to persuade a crowd of angry people to disperse? She started to give it one more try but she was alone. All three of the others were already outside.
In the car, Naomi asked Ivy to call Colin. As much as Nathan could be a pain in the ass, right now she agreed with him: having another hunter to back her up was a good idea.
Kind of odd, this turn of events. In the old days, she’d be hunting the preternaturals in her quest to keep the humans safe. She would have been front and center trying to flush out vampires and any other ilk of preternatural hiding so she could put them down. Tonight, her position was a hundred and eighty degrees from that. She and Colin would be keeping the preternaturals safe from the humans.
Funny how things worked out.
It wasn’t remotely funny when they arrived at the cathedral. Nathan either couldn’t count very well or the crowd had grown significantly since his call. The latter was the more probable scenario, and now the number outside the front doors easily reached a hundred. Fortunately, Tory and Colin pulled in right behind them into the underground parking area. Naomi ushered the entire group into the lower-level entrance door.
Rather than taking them upstairs into the main vestry, she guided them to a room on the lower level. Better safe than sorry. The women protested when Colin and Naomi turned in the direction of the ascending stairs. Riah, Ivy, Tory, and Adriana wanted to go up with them. It wasn’t a good idea. This was a battle for humans…period.
Adriana wasn’t about to be left behind and Naomi wasn’t going to argue with her. Despite her birth into a parallel dimension, Adriana, like Naomi, was human. From that standpoint, she was on safer ground. Naomi’s main concern was that Adriana was such a little sprite of a thing, she’d be too easily hurt. How much backup could this delicate woman be? She told her as much and it didn’t go over very well.
“Oh, good grief.” Adriana scoffed. “I can kick ass and take names with the best of them, so don’t you worry your pretty little head about me. Besides, didn’t anyone tell you? I’m a kick-butt wizard. My power could come in handy. Now, come on, let’s go before this gets any worse.”
Colin came to Adriana’s defense. “She’s right, Naomi. I’ve seen her put down more than one. She’ll be fine and her powers could come in useful. I’m not opposed to having every available weapon at the ready.”
She still wasn’t totally convinced. Then again, she wasn’t totally opposed either. Colin had a point. Weapons came in all different sizes and shapes. “All right.” She headed to the stairs. “Let’s see what we can do.”