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The Fangtabula was down in the Industrial District—in south Seattle. This was an area of town you didn’t want to go strol ing through at midnight. Although there was talk of expanding the district to include more residential areas, it hadn’t happened so far, but if people kept moving to the city, no doubt the high-rise condo buildings would find their way down into the grungy concrete jungle that was a maze of train tracks and old warehouses. In fact, the Fangtabula was in what had once been a meatpacking plant.
As we pul ed into the parking lot, the club stood out as it always had, with bright red doors against wal s patterned with black-and-white stripes. Three stories tal , the Fangtabula did a lot of business, even though it was on Chase’s to-close-down list. A number of underage girls and boys were rumored to hang out there, and though Chase had managed to cal a couple raids on the place, Terrance was always two steps ahead and nobody carded ever came up as a minor.>“But we wil address this later. What’s going on? Where’s Morio?”
“Fox Boy almost got himself kil ed,” Tril ian said softly. “We’ve had one hel of a time the past couple of days.”
“Sharah says he can come home tomorrow, but he’l be out of the action for a couple of months.
Delilah, just as you’re coming off bed rest, he’s going on it. Menol y’s blood saved his life, but he’s not going to be doing much of anything for a while.” Camil e glanced up at Smoky anxiously.
“Please, treat him with care—we almost lost him to a hungry ghost.”
Smoky gave her a kiss on the head. “Understood, my love.”
“At least the kil er’s gone,” I started to say, but my cel phone jangled. I glanced at the ID.
Roman. “Excuse me, I need to take this.”
Moving to one side, I answered.
“You stil want in on taking Terrance down?”
“Yes.”
“Then be ready. My limo wil pick you up in ten minutes. My driver is on the way. Dress for speed and action.”
“Need any other help?”
Roman laughed. “No, my dear. This is for you and me. Alone.” And he hung up. I stared at the phone. Once again, I had to go into battle without my sisters, and it felt odd. Lonely, even. But this was not my cal to make, so I decided to make the best of it.
“I have to go. Vampire business with Roman.”
“You sure you don’t need help?” Camil e gave me the soft doe eyes that usual y cajoled me into letting her take part in whatever I was doing. But this time . . .
“I wish you could—I’ve missed having you with me. But you stay and help Iris get ready for Morio’s return. He’l need a bed set up and everything else . . . and you and Smoky may want to . .
.”
Smoky let out a loud guffaw. “That we do.”
Camil e cleared her throat. “I’m actual y pretty tired. Let’s get Morio’s bed ready, and then we’l see about anything else.”
As I headed toward the door, it occurred to me that our lives were slowly peeling off. We were stil united, stil had each others’ backs, but we were finding our own ways in the world, as wel .
Someday, perhaps we wouldn’t be living together like this. What then? Where would we go?
Unaccountably saddened, I headed out the door to wait on the porch.
A moment later, the door opened and Camil e slipped out on the porch. She shivered under Smoky’s heavy white trench, which dragged on the floor, and pul ed it around her shoulders as she sat on the porch swing beside me.
She glanced at the fine white mist of snow leisurely drifting down. “Winters are getting harder here.”
“Yeah, they are.”
“Why are you upset? I know things have been rough lately, but they’l work out.” She slid one hand over to hold my own. “I promise, I won’t let Smoky kil Vanzir.”
“Isn’t that Delilah’s job? To bring on the ridiculous optimism?” But even as I said it, I felt a little lift. Camil e’s hand felt warm and alive, and thoroughly welcome in the cold night. The chil didn’t bother me—I was as cold as the frozen snow—but sometimes even the pretense of warmth brought bloom to the spirit.
“What’s wrong?”
