Page 165 of Death is Familiar

“Oh my god,” Jack groaned. “People don’t normally go hitting each other as a form of affection, you know that right?”

“Not sure you want to be opening that can of worms. Because newsflash,” I circled my stomach, then the three of us, “not exactly normal either.”

A rumble started in Jack’s chest, then slowly expanded outwards until his shoulders shook. A complete contrast from the boy in Hessinger family portrait, Jack was laughing as he said, “We are so messed up.”

I couldn’t disagree. Neither could Todd. Everything we’d been through, all that was yet to come, I couldn’t help but join in. “Something is wrong with us.”

“Very.”

When the laughter began to fade, Jack stepped back, turning his gaze to his phone. “I’ll be sure to smooth things over with Rochan, see if there is something we can do.”

A second passed before⁠—

“Delilah, why do I have a series of messages from Fawzy about updates you requested on the vamp case?”

†

Fawzy’s updates included the identification of a nurse, Henry Day, who treated a familiar undergoing anaphylactic shock with epinephrine nearly five years ago. Coincidentally, Henry was fired a couple months later and the trail, along with his employment record, went cold.

Nothing about the information Fawzy shared, changed the agents’ approach to the fang ceremony. It was still going to be a sting operation that hinged on catching the culprits in the act.

It took ample convincing on my behalf, before Jack relented, allowing me to participate on the vamp case, albeit in a reduced capacity.

When it was time, Jack, Todd, and I drove to Tarrytown for the fang ceremony. The drive in any other circumstances would have been a little over half an hour, but since it was two days away from Halloween, in a known Halloween hotspot, it had taken us two hours and just as many restroom breaks.

“Because Tarrytown is practically Sleepy Hollow!” I shouted at Jack from behind the paneled dressing screen, as I squeezed into my dress. “You basically said let’s go to Sleepy Hollow on Halloween.”

“I still don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

“Our job is going to be ten times harder with all the tourists,” I continued. “If I’d have known where Tarrytown was, I would have suggested anywhere but here.”

“Where, like Salem?” Jack was teasing me now. I could hear the playfulness in his voice.

“You’re not going to be laughing when the tourists royally mess up the op or come sprawling across a crime scene.”

“If tourists decide to travel to a random mansion off the beaten path, get past Lenore’s security, and the checkpoints we’ve put in place, then they deserve to make our lives difficult.” There was a moment, where I pulled unsuccessfully at a zipper, then, “Do you need a hand with the dress?”

Before we left the Hessinger estate, I made sure to borrow—steal—appropriate attire for the fang ceremony. Jack had guided me to a bunch of designer dresses, all of which still had their tags on. Apparently, the dresses were kept for makeshift formal occasions with guests who summered alongside the Hessingers. I made sure none of the dresses on offer had been worn by Jack’s mother, because one: ew, two: gross, and three: I was still in my late twenties.

The dress I chose molded to me like a second skin and flared out below the knees. Though it was off-the-shoulder, it had long sleeves matching the sheer mesh of the skirt and bodice, growing opaque over all of the pieces of me I’d rather not have on display. Crystals embroidered the material, painting my skin with stars. What I liked most of all, was that it was light. I could move in it freely and not feel weighed down or constricted, or worry about pieces of me popping out if I needed to run.

But I couldn’t for the life of me zip it up.

I tried three more times before I conceded, clutching the bodice and rounding the dressing screen. “I need some help.”

“Wow.” Jack, dressed in his own version of vamp-approved attire, sucked in a breath as he approached, taking up residence behind me. He drew a languid finger up the slope of my neck.

Heat pooled below my navel. “Jack.”

His lips traced the line his finger drew, as he pulled the zipper up along my spine. “Mhm?”

“We need to behave.” His fingers ran down my side and clutched my hip. “And I’m still mad at you for trying to keep me off the case.” And for not telling me about the condom breaking. And for letting Todd take the fall and potentially ending his career.

“How mad?” He hummed.

It would have been so easy to give in to what Jack was offering. My response was a breathy, “Very.”

“Surely, even mad you must need some sort of… relief.” His breath feathered over my neck. “I’d be happy to be of service.”