Page 92 of Dark Obsession

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Cody paced between the tall slab of polished black marble and its accompanying moon dial. The slab was inscribed with a dedication as well as the seventeen names of those lost during Nicolae’s attempted werewolf takeover. He didn’t pause to read the names inscribed on the slab or the date of the attacks. He knew the date and names by heart, especially HAROLD (HAP) BLANCHARD.

His muscles thrummed. He opened and closed his fists as his heart pounded. All this talking about next steps, trying to plan a response to Bastian’s attack felt like wasted time. They needed to be moving, to find and rescue Zenona before she ended up like Hap. Or Rufus. Or Andy.

A flare of guilt pushed through the feel-good hum of the Fang. He’d punched Andy, caused him to bleed and practically sealed his fate with Leo.

“Cody?”

Demmy’s voice brought him to a stop. On the other side of the moon dial, Demmy stood watching him, his back to the rest of their group, which now included the sheriff and the fire chief. The other townspeople who’d been downtown when the fire started, the ones who’d started chanting their business name for God’s sake, stood on the outer ring of the conversation.

“Yeah?” Cody heard the impatient gruffness in his voice.

“Can you come over here?” Demmy said. “I need your expertise.”

Cody walked around the moon dial and stood beside him.

“We were talking about logistics,” Demmy explained, “around the spreading fire and protection for the fire crews and the deputies.”

“Three of my men are missing,” said the fire chief, Wilson Armstrong. His wide face was red and his blond hair a sweaty tangle. “Just a quick shout, and then they were gone. They’d abandoned their hoses and their stations with no radio contact. That’s not like them.”

“One of my deputies, too.” Sheriff Dale Grubbs added. He had been an athlete back in the 90s when he’d attended Parson’s Hollow High, but the years and the pitchers of beer down at the Hollow Leg, had stolen his body and his vigor. He shifted his glare between the two of them and Lucia. “What the devil are we dealing with this time?”

“Vampires,” Lucia stated in a flat voice as she returned the sheriff’s glare. “And if you’d have allowed me to train the other deputies on these types of threats, we’d have been better prepared.”

“Vampires?” Chief Henderson looked at the monument over Cody’s shoulder.

“We’re going to need another Memorial Park,” someone in the crowd said.

“All right,” Sheriff Grubbs snapped, turning to the crowd. “I need everyone here to disperse. Return to your homes and lock your doors and windows.”

“How’s that going to stop a vampire?” someone asked.

“Don’t invite anyone inside,” Clarabell said, raising her voice. “Including people you know but haven’t seen in a while.”

The sheriff frowned at her. “That’s not helping the situation.”

“It’ll hopefully save some lives,” Tracey shot back. “You need to understand the history of this town and all potential threats against your citizens.”

He took a step closer, pointing at her. “You’re liable to see your library funding reduced at the next town meeting if you don’t watch your tone.”

Tracey laughed and shook her head. “Why are you so reluctant to understand the reality happening here? Not just tonight, either. You’ve mishandled so many other situations over the years. For God’s sake, our mayor got possessed by a demon in April.”

The crowd hadn’t cleared out like the sheriff had ordered, and now Cody heard murmurs running back and forth. If they sensed some good drama developing, no one would be going home anytime soon. He felt more focused now, more attuned to everyone else. Running a hand up and down Demmy’s back, he said quietly, “Wish me luck,” then took a step forward.

“Hey, everyone—” he started.

“Cody, I love you!” a woman called from the back of the crowd, and everyone laughed.

Cody blushed and held up his left hand, pointing to his wedding band. “Thank you, but I’ve been taken off the market.”

More laughter, and a few whispers, including, “I could turn him,” from somewhere in the middle.

“Look, we’ve all seen this kind of thing before. Years ago when some of us were turned into werewolves and that alpha asshole tried to take over.”

“Fucking florist,” a man said. “I knew something about him was off.”

“He was hot though,” a woman said.