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I stifled a snort. “Yes, we can. By you and your happy little troublemakers removing yourself from the premises and by the cessation of any libel or slander against the vampires. Do your research next time before you go targeting a target to hate. Better yet, get a life of your own and quit trying to ruin others’ lives.”
He glowered at me. After a moment, he motioned for the others to put down their signs. “Come on. We’ll figure something else out.” As they headed away from the building, I watched them.
I couldn’t resist one last parting shot. “Oh, and by the way, if any hate crimes happen against any of the vampires or their allies, we know where to look. So you’d better be on good behavior!”
He shot me the finger, but I ignored it. We’d made our point, and they were walking away, deflated. We’d won the battle, albeit a small one, but hell, in this war, every victory counted.
As they headed off in their vans and trucks, I turned to the others. “What now? Do we go in, talk to Wade? Does Roman know about what happened?”
Menolly shrugged. “If he doesn’t, then I’m sure he will soon enough. Roman has an intricate networking system set up throughout the entire region. Anything to do with vampires—in the news or in the gossip mill—he’s going to know about. But he hasn’t said anything to me yet.”
I looked around. The security guards inside the building waved to us. We could either go up and see Wade or we could book and go check out the second egg. Wade was nice, but right now I had the feeling he wouldn’t have anything to add to our investigation. And the sooner we dealt with egg number two, the better.
Making up my mind, I turned back to the cars. “We’ve done what we set out to do. I doubt it will keep them away for too long, but it cleared them out for tonight. Let’s go. Chase is waiting on us, and I’m pretty sure he’s had a long, hard day. I don’t want to keep him waiting longer than necessary.”
“Okay, but I have a feeling this mess with the Earthborn Brethren isn’t over with yet.” Morio shook his head. “It feels unfinished.”
“That’s because hate is seldom ever conquered. It just goes underground. Or changes form.” With a sigh, I turned back to the car, and the others followed.
As Delilah, Menolly, and I entered Chase’s office, he was waiting for us, looking exhausted. His leg was propped up and he appeared uncomfortable.
He waved tiredly as we crowded into his office. “Hey, glad you made it. I’m just about stick-a-fork-in-me done. What news do you have for me, and it better not be bad? I’m not going to have to lock you three up, am I?”
“We sent the Earthborn Brethren packing away from the Shrouded Grove Suites via threat of a lawsuit for libel. But I doubt if it will be long before they’re up to some new trouble.” Menolly hopped up on a side table, her legs dangling over the edge.
Chase gave her a nervous look. “You didn’t put the fang on them, did you?”
“Bite me.” She stuck out her tongue at him. “No, I didn’t even rough any of the suckers up, though I wanted to. Camille was nastier than I was.”
“I couldn’t help it,” I said. “I’m blunt.”
“Yeah, we know. We know. Well, good.” Chase glanced around. “Where are the others?”
“Waiting for us out in the cars. They can come in if you need them, too, but it’s late and we figured we’d just get the info on where the other egg is and go check it out.” Delilah stopped. “You look exhausted.”
“I am.” He paused, toying with a pen on his desk. Finally, he met Delilah’s eyes. “I’ve asked Sharah to move in with me and…she accepted.” A smile broke through his weariness, and he practically beamed his joy.
I caught my breath, waiting. I knew that my sister was in love with Shade, and they were engaged. But she and Chase did have a history, and this was a big step for him.
Delilah paused, and an indecipherable look crossed her face. Then, she broke out in a big smile and clapped her hands. “That’s wonderful! Congratulations. It will be easier that way when the baby comes.”
Chase nodded, looking pleased. He was blushing, but his happiness was palpable. “Yes, it will. Sharah and I had a long talk over lunch. I told her…I finally got it through her head that I want to be there for her. For the baby. That it’s the most important thing in the world to me to be a good father. And a good match for her. We’re finding a new apartment together. Or maybe a house with a yard, so the baby can have a place to play.”
His voice was soft as he picked up a framed photo on his desk. He turned it around to show me. It was of Chase and Sharah, his arms wrapped around her, and they were both smiling. Her pale blond hair was blowing in the wind and she had a free, easy look on her face that I’d never seen before. Chase was relaxed, leaning into her, and there was something comfortable about their stance. They fit together.
I took the photo, holding it for a moment. Suddenly, I wanted very much for them to be happy, to have their baby and a whole houseful of other kids, and bring them up in a peaceful world where the demons were a distant memory.
As I handed it back to him, I touched his fingers, hoping to convey something of my feelings. He glanced up at me, then ducked his head, a shy smile creeping over his face. Delilah peeked over his shoulder at it, then gave him a hug.
“You and Sharah should come out to dinner with Shade and me. I think…I think it would be a good thing for all four of us. Maybe when this ghost crap has calmed down again?”
He snickered. “How about when I’m in a walking cast and not so dependent on these damned crutches? And, Delilah? I’d like that.”
I yawned. “Okay, let’s get on with it, as nice as it is to talk about something other than death, demons, or dismemberment. So, we have another egg to deal with?”
Back to business, he leaned his elbows on his desk and nodded. “Unfortunately so. And who knows how many others might be out there? This one, Shamas and another officer found this afternoon. Not as big, doesn’t look ready to hatch, Shamas said. But eventually, you know it’s going to. And then we’ll have another round of spirit demons on hand.”
“Not if we can destroy it first.”
