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“Let’s get out of here. I’m not going to find the kil er tonight, that’s obvious.” I hurried ahead, letting him try to keep pace with me. When we reached the exit, I floated up topside and, in a blur of movement, headed toward my Jag. Vanzir struggled behind me.
I slammed my door, popped my seat belt into place and was speed-dialing Iris by the time he climbed in the car. Ignoring him, I waited until Iris answered and then blurted out, “We’re on our way home. We’re al right.”
“Good, but Menol y, I got a cal from Chase. We have a problem.”
“Morio?” Oh gods, let Morio be al right. None of us could handle losing him, let alone Camil e.
“He’s stil hanging in there, blessed be Undutar. No, Chase cal ed to tel me he got a tip about an hour ago and he’s going to have to fol ow up on it.”
“A tip? What tip?”
“That Wade’s the serial kil er.”
I stared at the phone. “You have to be kidding. I’m headed over toward the FH-CSI now.”
“Remember: less than ninety minutes until dawn,” she warned me.
“I know. Trust me, I know.” I put the car in gear and, without a word to Vanzir, sped along the silent snowy streets.
“So, are you just never going to talk to me again?” Vanzir stared out the window as the city streets passed by in a dark blur.
I stared straight ahead, clutching the steering wheel. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Going to make it hard to tel me what to do,” he said, cajoling me. I gave him a sharp glance and he smiled, faintly, shrugging at my gaze. “What can I say? I could grovel, but you three don’t like groveling. But remember: Beyond being your slave, I’m part of the Demon Underground, and we have a loyalty oath there, too.”
I was back to staring at the road, but I let out a loud huff. “I know you aren’t responsible for Morio’s injuries.”
“Thank you. But wil Camil e? She already . . .” He fel silent and stared through the window.
“Already what? What the fuck went on down there while Chase and I were trying to save Morio’s life? Why weren’t you guys climbing out of the tunnel right after Chase? What did you do down there? ”>With a sigh, I tore myself away. “I have to. Camil e’s going to be out of it for a day or so, and Delilah wil be exhausted by tomorrow from sitting up with her. Smoky and Roz are gone. I have Vanzir, Shamas—who also has to get up tomorrow and go to work—and Tril ian. And Tril ian won’t leave Camil e’s side, not for this.”
“I’l go with you.” Nerissa leaned down and kissed my lips, but I shook my head.
“No, you wil not. You aren’t trained for fighting. You have your strengths, but babe, I can’t watch out for you and do what I need to do. You stay home with Iris and Shamas. Vanzir, it’s us again. I want to get down there before any other haunts take up residence.”
We headed for my Jag. I wasn’t tired in the least, and Vanzir looked down, but not out. I promised Iris we’d cal her in an hour. Nerissa pouted her way back to bed, but I reluctantly slipped out the door.
“She makes it hard for you,” Vanzir said, smiling a little. “You two obviously have it going on. I’m glad you’re paying attention and not taking her for granted. It’s easy for vamps and demons to forget the niceties.”
I thought of Roman. “Not al vampires are like that. At least, not al forget to be generous, even if their emotions are in check.”
“Yeah, wel , for a living/undead relationship, you two do pretty good.” He slid into the passenger seat and fastened his seat belt.
As we veered off, back to the Greenbelt Park District, I thought over the equipment I’d brought.
Sometimes I wished I had an arsenal like Roz, but I’d never managed to pul one together.
However, in the backseat, I had a bag with several wooden stakes—just in case we met our serial kil er—a couple of knives, a pair of handcuffs, and a few other accoutrements.
Vanzir glanced over at me as we sped through the silent streets. “You blame yourself for Morio, don’t you?”
I stared at the road, hands on the wheel, not answering for a moment. Of course I did, but I wasn’t going to tel him. Instead, I just said, “What happened with Camil e?”
It was his turn to press his lips together. Final y, he said, “Touché. Unless you’re ordering me to answer, I’d rather she tel you.”
I wanted to confront him, to order him to tel , but Camil e’s privacy was tenuous at best, with three husbands, and I dreaded taking away what she had left. I frowned. “Whatever it is, wil it interfere with our quest?”
He shrugged. “It’s up to her, and I’l abide by whatever decision she makes. Look, isn’t that the turn up there?”
