Page 37 of Cold Sacrifice

“I can’t run from this, Jared,” I said. “I can’t leave everyone to fight this thing while I go hide somewhere. You know I won’t do that.”

“Then we’ll figure it out. We’ll find her. But Joe cannot hunt with you.”

“Joe’s getting a complex,” I muttered. But Jared wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t take the chance of one of us having to hurt him or the necromancer forcing him to hurt himself.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said, and ended the call.

When I entered the kitchen, Sam and Remy were sitting at the table waiting for me. I poured a cup of coffee and went to sit with them.

“What happened?” Sam asked.

“There’s a witch coming tonight to help me free the spirits,” I told them. “Joe can’t be around us. He could be compelled to hurt us.”

“And then we’d fight,” Remy said.

“Yeah,” I said. “And that can’t happen. Joe can’t be with us until this is over.”

Sam frowned. “Where can he go?”

“I don’t know,” I murmured, then took a sip of coffee. “She seems to have a connection to the vampires, probably through Bastien’s bloodline. Through Axton’s bloodline. And Joe is Bastien’s. Even if she didn’t have a connection, she was close enough to compel Joe once. So does that mean she now has a connection to him? I’m afraid she can ‘feel’ him no matter where he is.”

“He needs to be confined,” Remy said.

I nodded.

“There are a lot of vampires in this county,” Sam said, frowning. “Any one of them could be compelled to attack you.”

“And I would kill them,” I said. “But I can’t hurt Joe, Sam. I can’t fight him.”

“Can she compel a master?” Remy asked. “Because if she forces Bastien to come after you, he will fuck you up, Kait.”

“I know,” I whispered. “Jared’s coming tonight.”

“Good,” he said. “Don’t worry, we’ll protect you.”

He grinned when I flipped him off.

I pushed back my chair and stood. “I have to figure this out. Where is she during the day? Does she go into the ground to sleep? Is she truly a vampire, or just a necromancer?” I began to pace, trying not to trip over Ash who ran along behind me, bumping my calves with his nose. “I have to talk to Bastien. I have to find a place for Joe to go until this is over. I have to find the fucking necromancer and end her for real, even though she has a right to her rage. And the office. How can I work the office with this going on?”

“You’re not alone, Kait,” Sam said. “We’re with you.”

“You can change your hours at the office temporarily,” Remy said. “Go to work for a couple of hours before dark. Have Max take in clients at night. He can schedule housecleanings for alternate days.”

“We’ll find a secure place for Joe to hole up until the necromancer is sorted,” Sam said.

“Load up on silver crucifixes to repel the vampires,” Remy told me. “Wear that special vest Saul sent you when you were battling Avis Vine. You have your demon blade. Strap on your stakes, as well.”

“And do not forget,” Sam said. “You’re a shapeshifter. Bastien’s old and he’s powerful, but you can handle even the master if he comes at you. Believe that. Your shapeshifter can kick ass, Kait.”

I stared at them, smiling. “We’ve got this,” I murmured.

“Hell yeah, we do,” Remy said. He smacked the table, scaring Ash, then got to his feet. “I’m going to go get ready for a big fucking vampire fight.”

He was excited, eager, and ready to kill something. Typical Remy.

Zach was still gone, taking care of the rogue wolf job he’d been hired to do, but when he returned, I’d catch him up. He’d be just as eager as Remy for a fight.

I called Max. “We have to find some place secure for Joe when he wakes up,” I told him. “He can’t be with us when we go after the necromancer.” I told him everything he needed to know. “Keep searching for information about this necromancer. Also, I’ll need you to change the hours of the office. I can’t work there at night for a while. If you want to go in for a couple of hours at night, you and Gracie Dawn can take clients for me. I’ll come in during the day starting tomorrow, unless the necromancer or the vampires kill me tonight. In which case, maybe my ghost will come in.”