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He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. He wasn’t worried about my ability to protect myself; he just didn’t want to see me hurt.
I headed across the road. My gaze swept the first building, but came to a halt at the security camera.
“Azriel, you might want to become invisible.”
He did so immediately, then said, You suspect he might have hacked into the security system?
Well, not him specifically if he’s blind, but someone working for him certainly could. It’s safer for me if they don’t know about you.
You’re considering your own safety? His mental tones held an edge. This has to be a first.
Sarcasm doesn’t become you, reaper. Even if it was true.
I walked down the side of the first house. Though I couldn’t see anyone, the curtains twitched, a clear indication that someone was watching.
It is the woman, Azriel commented. He hesitated, then added, Her thoughts are odd.
Odd how? I scanned the second house as it came into sight. There was another security camera perched on the side of this house and metal protection bars on the windows. Obviously Vonda and her sister didn’t trust either their neighbors or the neighborhood.
They are vacant. It is like she has nothing else to do but look out the window.
Maybe she hasn’t. Or maybe she’s been made to take something. I doubted her behavior was a coincidence, given the reason we were here.
I rounded the corner of the first house and headed for the front door of the second. The security door was thick and heavy, just like the bars on the windows. I twisted the handle and it opened, as did the wooden front door. My stomach began to churn. This was way too easy.
Possibly, Azriel said, and it took me a mental moment to remember what he was replying to.
What about the man and the child in that house? Are they okay? I pushed the door open with my fingertips. The air inside was fresh and cool, and ran with the scent of femininity.
They sleep. He paused. Deeply.
Something in the way he said that had me looking around before I remembered he wasn’t actually visible. What do you mean?
Just that it does not appear to be a natural form of sleep.
So they’re all drugged up? I took a cautious step inside.
I do not know much about drugs, but as I have said, this sleep is not natural.
And he didn’t like it, which no doubt meant there was something wrong. Something we should check out.
I stopped just inside the door, my bottom lip caught between my teeth as my gaze swept the room. The furnishings—though sparse—were of good quality. The main living area was L-shaped, with a kitchen tucked in the shorter end of the room. There was a hallway to my right, with a number of doors leading off it.
I couldn’t see anything out of place, nor could I hear anything or anyone. Which I guess wasn’t surprising; Azriel had already said there was no one here. I flexed my fingers, then headed into the hallway. A quick check revealed two bedrooms—one messier than the other—a bathroom, and a small laundry with a door leading out into an even smaller courtyard. There was nothing odd to be found, and no sense that Vonda had, in any way, feared for her life.
But then, neither had Dorothy Hendricks, and our hunter had been bleeding her to death here while burning a brand into her forehead on the astral plane.
I retreated back through the living room and went into the kitchen. It was small, neat, and filled with the latest in cookware—which was an odd thing for a vampire to have.
I crossed my arms and walked over to the front window, staring at the back of the first house. The back door was ajar and there was no security or wire door in place. Which seemed odd with a small child in the house, even if he was asleep.
Is the woman still standing where she was? I asked.
She has not moved since we appeared on the other side of the street.
Which was not normal behavior. Not for the mother of a small child. Sitting, I could understand. Even catching a nap. But simply standing there like a zombie? I’m sure looking after a young child made mothers the world over sometimes feel like the rambling dead, but this was definitely something stranger.
I swung around and headed for the front door. “Rhoan, I’m going to talk to the people in the first house, and see if they can tell me about Vonda’s recent movements.”
