Page 57 of Call of the Blood

Lexi took a step back and slightly to the side, ending up farther behind her father.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to explain to you, Lexi,” Lucas said, huffing. “I’m just too nice to put it like that. Doesn’t matter if you think you can win. A fight can’t happen. Even if you did win, Alexius here would want your head. I, your father, would want to protect you. Callahan would have to make the choice to give you, me, and your mother up to him for the death of Everly Abbott. And you know actually fighting Everly would ruin things with Declan.”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“Then let it go,” Lucas said. “Now let’s get to work and drop this whole topic. Lexi, you got a scent to pick up. It’ll be faint. You might have noticed there’s something about vampires. Make sure to take that into account.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, stepping forward. Alexius walked to point out where the vampire had fed and bled. He could barely pick up the faintest smell of the blood now. The cleanup crew had done a good job. Lexi sniffed hard, and Lucas did as well.

“I think I have it?” she said, frowning.

“Yeah, you probably do. It’s really faint. Already cleaned up,” Lucas commented.

“Maria. I notified Maria right after Everly told me. We had limited time before daylight, and people come in and out of spaces like these all the time. We had to move fast.”

“All right, Lexi. You go back to the party. We got this from here. Tell your mother everything will be fine. I’ll stay in touch.”

“Okay…” Lexi took a couple more big sniffs. “That’s so faint…” Then she walked away.

Alexius looked at Lucas, crossing his arms. Once Lexi’s car drove by and went onto the road, he spoke. “I’m not sorry for being harsh with her,” Alexius said when Lucas looked at him.

“We trained her. She knows how to fight… but you’re right. She’s never fought for anything more than training. She’ll be a great wolf in a century. Lots of growing up to do still. It is what it is.”

“What’s the chance we can convince her to let Declan go?” Alexius had to ask. He looked at decades of this between Lexi and Everly and couldn’t begin to deal with it.

“She loves him far too much for that, and I like him. So, no chance. He wants to marry her… well, it’s postponed now, but I think Lexi and Declan can work this out and be fine.” Lucas started walking. “The vampire went this way.” He took another ten steps, Alexius close behind him. “Here is where your girl got on the trail to chase him down. Thought she said she didn’t.”

“She didn’t go far, reversing early from her initial description to me,” Alexius explained, coming up beside Lucas. “Thankfully, she didn’t go too far into the hunt. I would have torn up the city if she didn’t get back by sunrise and was stuck somewhere I couldn’t find her.”

“You know, when we first met, I figured you were more… fatherly to her,” Lucas said softly. “But there’s nothing fatherly about your… dynamic with her, is there?”

“Not at all. I mentor her in the work and try to guide her in being a vampire because she needs those things, and I was the one who dragged her into immortality. We’re sleeping together because we want to.” Alexius saw no reason to hide or lie about it. If the vampire ancients thought they were, there was now no point in trying to obfuscate. The werewolves needed to know if they were going to be around. He’d been showy at the party, so they knew who she was to him. Since he had never walked in public touching a lover, being affectionate the way he wanted to be with Everly, even the simplest touch was going to catch people’s attention.

“Oh.” Lucas blinked several times, then his nostrils flared. “You showered before you came to the party, and that helps hide the delicate, impossible smells of you vampires, but…” His nostrils flared again. “There she is.”

“Go back to sniffing what you’re supposed to be.” Some werewolves knew how to read the information their nose picked up better than others. Centuries of experience. Lucas had that.

Alexius was grateful he got a good wolf for the tracking job. He was also a touch frustrated that Lucas could be overly familiar and nosy.

“Of course. Back to sniffing.”

They continued to walk, and it was only twenty yards later that Everly gave up the chase. For her speed, that was a fast turnaround.

“I’m glad she didn’t chase,” he repeated to himself, and they kept moving.

The neighborhood shifted. From middle class to not, then further along to more of an industrial area.

Two hours in, Alexius stopped and looked at Lucas.

“You should head back. It’s late.”

“I’ll keep walking with you. Lexi or Yiva will pick me up to go back for my truck. They have my location.” He wiggled his phone and smiled. “They’re actually leaving the party now. Declan left twenty minutes ago.”

Alexius decided to check his phone at that and saw Everly had texted him to say she’d be home soon.

“This vampire was running really fast to cover all this before sunrise,” Lucas pointed out.

“With only two and a half hours before sunrise, and we’ve been walking for two. He’d probably be moving twice our speed. That’s still an hour of running. Exhausting. He probably didn’t run the entire way, but he would have run much of it,” Alexius finished softly, frowning. “I’m beginning to hate these vampires. They’re not making any sense.”