Demon Song

11

Sometimes the best way to think of something is to not think of it. This was not one of those times. My mind was working on two questions: who Kevin’s Vaso might be and why Edgar was looking for the Millennium Horns. The problem was I didn’t know which was more important. Night was almost here, which meant that Edgar would be out and looking for me. But how long could Kevin hold out with no way to drain his power? It had already been a full day that I knew of. How often did he need to give power to his Vaso? Did they have to do it in person? I could swear I remembered something about distance feeding from my lycanthropy classes. But maybe that just wasn’t possible in this case, and Kevin obviously didn’t want Jones or anyone else knowing his Vaso’s identity. Her cover would definitely be blown if she went to him.

My hood ornament was missing when I got back to the car. Damn it. It was probably somebody’s necklace by now, and I didn’t have time to mess around searching. I’d just order a new one from the dealership or on the Internet and deal. Hey, I still had four tires and they weren’t slashed. That was something.

The steering wheel was hard to hold with my burned hands, which were swollen and ached like I’d poured scalding water on them. I was betting they weren’t healing as fast as usual because I hadn’t eaten enough today. I hadn’t had a chance to restock the car, and though I’d seen a thousand and one food items in the little Indian convenience store, I hadn’t spotted even a single nutrition shake.

The bottom line was that by the time I got back to the office I was beyond twitchy. My pulse was throbbing in my head and every person on the street was glowing and looking tasty.

I parked the car in my reserved space and locked the door. I had to get a handle on my hunger before I walked into the office. I could feel the heat of the day sliding into cool darkness … as slow and delicious as easing your body into a pool. It was a sensual feeling that made my muscles come alive with the need to flex and chase. Hunt and feed.

My eyes snapped open when a tentative tap sounded on the window. Dawna was on the other side of the glass, but I couldn’t see her face past the bright band of pulsing red energy that lit her up from the inside. She held something up to the window and it pulsed, too. “You’re going vamp, Celia. Drink this.”

Drinking was exactly what I wanted to do, but it wasn’t the cup I wanted. Still, I held on to my sense of self long enough to lower the car window. I grabbed the Styrofoam container from her hand and raised it to my lips. Thankfully, I’d left my seat belt on.

She stepped back quickly, went into the building, and locked the door—I could hear the bolts snap home.

Smart woman.

The lid of the container defeated me for a moment, which told me just how badly off I was. I stabbed at the lid with my fangs until it finally gave way and wonderful warm bloody juices began to flow down my throat. It was a large container and I had no idea where she’d gotten it or how she’d known I needed it. But thank heavens she had. It was just what I needed. By the time I’d finished what must have been a quart or more I was feeling nearly normal. I’d even managed not to spill anything down the front of my shirt.

After I sat there long enough to see the sky edge to velvet, my hands felt like normal and I could see without a haze of red over everything. I didn’t shake when I stood up, and when I went into the office Dawna looked like Dawna, not like dinner. She was working on bills, which was typical of this time of the month. While best intentions ruled and all of us tried to get bills out by the fifth, it was usually the tenth before they were approved and ready to mail. “All better now?” she asked as I walked up to her desk.

“Don’t know where you got the au jus, but it was perfect. Right temperature, good spices. Yum.”

She looked up at me and smiled. “Found a new source, that barbeque place down on Third. I stopped there for dinner the other night and they were pulling out this huge pan from under the grill, filled with juices that dripped down during cooking. Beef, chicken, and pork, and they were just pouring it down the drain, so it didn’t take much effort to convince them to pour it into a bunch of containers for a few bucks. They’re in the freezer, so all it takes is a few minutes in the microwave. But don’t forget to do a shake chaser. Meat juice might feed what’s still alive in there, but you need vitamins, too.”

Good point. I went into the small kitchen and opened the fridge. Ooh! Chocolate caramel. That was new. I popped the top and took a sip as I walked back to her desk. “Sorry I flaked out on you earlier. It was sort of an emergency. And thanks for restocking the fridge.”

She nodded but didn’t look up from her data entry into the computer. “It’s not the first time we’ve missed lunch,” she said, and laughed. “The seminary called. They picked up Maria’s folks and everyone’s safe. What’s going on?”

Dawna’s a member of my team, so I didn’t hesitate to fill her in about the girl and the balloons and the unexpected exit down the toilet.

“Omagawd! You’re kidding!” She howled with laughter and I finally got to smile about it. “Oh, the poor thing. She must have been frantic. Is it all sorted out now?”

“Not by half, unfortunately. Fingers crossed, though.” I held up my hand to show Dawna that I’d done just that. I didn’t want to go into detail in case we hadn’t gotten all the bugs out of the office. “Hey, you want to get out of here for the night? I really need someone to bounce some ideas off and I’m still a little nervous after Justin’s visit.”

A little snort escaped her. “You and everybody else. Ron wants to bring in someone for a second opinion. He’s threatening to move out if the owner can’t guarantee him some client confidentiality. Hard to blame him, y’know?”

I sighed. “Terrific. You know who the owner is, right?”

She furrowed her brow and cocked her head, sending dark hair spilling out of her tasteful bun to land on her shoulder. “C and S Corp. Do you know the contact there?”

I pointed a thumb at my chest. “Moi. C and S was Vicki, and I’m the new owner once the probate goes through. Haven’t you received your letter from the attorney yet?”

“You’re kidding! She left you a building? Wow. Yeah, I got a letter saying that Vick had left me something but that it was being held up in the lawsuit her mom filed. I figured it was a few bucks. I hope it’s enough to pay off my credit cards.”

I smiled. It really had been a while since Dawna and I had had a normal conversation. “It probably won’t pay off your cards, but it’ll free up your rent money.” At her questioning look, I patted her hand. “She owned your building, too. That’s your inheritance. In a year or so, you’ll own an apartment building and will get all the headaches thereof. Just like me.”

Her jaw was open so far a bird could have flown in without pulling in its wings. When she finally recovered, I’d nearly finished the shake. “There’s like forty apartments in my building! How the hell am I going to take care of them all?”

“Join the club. At least Ron’s not one of your tenants.”

She rested her elbows on the desk and dropped her chin onto her hands just as the lights flashed twice and the temperature dropped enough that I could see my breath. I looked up at the sparkling formation near the ceiling. “Hey, Vick. Glad you’re feeling better. Thanks for your help last night. Kevin’s okay.” I waggled my hand. “Mostly.”

No prob. S’up? The words appeared on the front window in frost.

“I need to find his Vaso. He’s in pretty bad shape. Needs to drain his energy. Any ideas?”

Nooo. But … I waited while she thought and then watched as white cursive letters appeared while the glass snapped and popped from the sudden temperature shift: Work, sleep, eat. All he did.

“True that,” Dawna added with a nod. She’d noticed her undone hair and was putting it back into the bun by stabbing it repeatedly with the ornate chopsticks she used as hair ornaments. “We had to drag him out of the computer lab when we went out somewhere. Half of the time he wouldn’t come because someone on campus had a broken computer. His Vaso must be someone he knew at school. He never went anywhere else.”

“Makes sense to me. But it was a big university. Could be any of a hundred people.”

No. Day or night? The words were hurried, like the ghost had an idea.

I knew so little about Vasos. I pointed to the computer screen. “Bring up the Internet. See if there’s a time of day that a werewolf has to drain his energy. I’ll bet Vicki’s right. She usually is.”

A few clicks later I was reading over Dawna’s shoulder, feeling a chill on my neck as my dead best friend did the same thing. “Ooh, look at this. The best time is right before bed. But Kevin never went to bed until late. What’s open on campus at night?”

“Infirmary,” Dawna offered.

Security appeared on the window.

But I was the one who got it and we all knew it the minute I wrote the word on the pad on Dawna’s desk. Library. I wrote it to protect her identity from anyone listening or watching, just as Kevin had asked. The university library was open until midnight every day except Sunday.

The Vaso could be only one person. Anna, the metaphysics section librarian, had worked at the college for more than a decade. She was a smart, powerful witch who I didn’t doubt could manage the excess energy. I’d seen them talking at least once a week but hadn’t ever thought about it because everybody talked to her. She knew the library backward and forward.

Dawna let out a delighted guffaw and held up her hand—to slap cold air. “Girl, you know that’s got to be right. Who else? Kevin was there all the time.” The best part was that if Jones was somehow still listening in, he had nothing, and I’ll bet he was seething.

So now I had to convince Anna to do whatever it was she needed to do. I just hoped she knew she was Kevin’s Vaso. I’d hate to think he would do something like that without her permission, but then again, he’d done stupid stuff like that to me, so what did I know?

My cell phone rang. The screen didn’t recognize the number, but it was an international call judging from the long string of digits. I pressed the receive button. “Celia Graves.”

“My mother would speak with you.” I recognized the voice. Princess Adriana was Queen Lopaka’s daughter but was not her heir. Our relationship hadn’t begun well—actually, Adriana had challenged me to a duel. I’d won and she had taken it pretty well. I wouldn’t call us friends, but I didn’t think she’d try to kill me again.

“Good evening, Adriana. How’ve you been? What’s new?”

There was a pause, as though she’d never actually been asked that. “I’m engaged to be married. I suppose that’s new.”

Engaged? Wow! That was news. “Omagawd. That’s fabulous! Where’d you meet him? Is he another siren or human or what? Are you ecstatic?”

There was another pause and her voice sounded confused by the question. “It’s … um, complex. I believe I’ll be happy. We have much in common. I will finally be a queen, even if it’s not of my own people.”

A queen? That would mean she’s marrying a king. There weren’t very many eligible world monarchs. Of course, there are a bunch of princes who might someday get the throne. “What country? Have I ever heard of it?”

Now she sounded amused: “I believe you have. It’s Rusland.”

She was marrying King Dahlmar? I felt my jaw drop. “But he’s … well, he’s old!” He was handsome, to be sure, but he was silver haired, elegant. A grandfather, not a husband.

Her laugh was the gentle tinkle of water over chimes. “He’s younger than me, Celia. By a number of years. You forget how old I am. He’s lost two sons and has no heirs. I have no hope to rule here but could be a queen there and gain an important ally for my mother. And he is quite attractive. We’re both lonely and I’ve always … dreamed of having children.” The admission seemed to startle her, and the tone of her voice changed from amazed wonder and joy to a more businesslike one. “Of course you will be invited to the wedding. But now my mother would speak with you. Thank you for asking after my … well, just thank you.”

Wow. I’d never really thought about the realities of such a long life or the duties of a royal. To have to worry about strong allies and heirs just to find a mate. I hadn’t heard the word “love” in her rambling, though her happiness was evident. But Dahlmar was a good man—strong, smart, and devoted to his people. He actually was quite a bit like Adriana. They’d make a good match … and maybe they’d wind up really falling for each other. It had happened before.

“Celia?” The queen’s voice came over the wire. “You seem to have befuddled my daughter. She scurried out of my office with a red face and odd smile.”

A small laugh escaped me. “I have that effect on people. I hope you have good news for me. Did your people talk with the judge?”

“I spoke with the judge personally.” That made me wince a little and she must have realized it, because she hurried to add, “I swear there was no improper manipulation. I made certain he was protected from my psychic abilities before I walked into the room.”

Oh! That reminded me of my talk with Alex. Lord, was it only yesterday? “By the way, before I forget, the police here have asked me to provide DNA to make charms for their officers. Would hair from me protect against any sirens, or just me?”

“Hmm. Well, likely with your weak bloodline, it would just be you. I understand why the authorities there would have reason to want protection. It’s likely you’ll be visited by other royals from time to time.” Crap. That wasn’t good news, because the other queens hated me. “I will have my security office coordinate with the police there to create suitable charms. After that fiasco of a court case you were forced to endure, I will be certain the police do not treat you harshly because they fear you.

“As for your mother, she is on her way now to the Isle of Serenity to complete her sentence. While here, she will undergo treatment to heal her body and her spirit. Of course, to fully accomplish that there can be no early parole and she might even have to stay beyond that. Still, I hope she will return to the mainland as a whole person. I must tell you, Celia, it nearly made me cry to see what she’d been reduced to behind those dry stone walls. Just getting her on the boat did a great deal to bring her back to herself.”

It was a day for sighs of relief. “My gran will be so pleased. I’m so pleased. And grateful. You can’t even imagine. Thank you more than I can express, Your Highness.”

“You are quite welcome, Celia. And you are welcome to call me Aunt Lopaka, if you prefer. It is fact and would go far to establish your credentials in the eyes of the others.”

Wow. That was a big thing. Lineage is everything to the sirens. I’d had to defend my right to even exist, and when the queen had acknowledged me as a family member it had caused a lot of discontent with the other rulers.

But it might be too much too soon. “For the moment, Highness, I’ll decline. I thank you, but there are already enough people who want to take off my head for overstepping myself.”

She didn’t offer a second time or insist or even try to convince me I was wrong. I liked that she respected my opinions even on our short acquaintance. “As you wish.”

There were still a few items on my list of big issues and I wondered if I might be able to scratch one more off tonight. “However, there is a history question you might be able to answer for me, if you will.”

“The history of our people? Of course. If I can.”

“What can you tell me about the Millennium Horns? Do they still exist?”

The pause on the other end of the phone was long enough that I thought about speaking. When Lopaka finally spoke, there was unexpected fury in her voice: “How dare you ask that! Family or no, this call is at an end.”

There was a click without even a good-bye. My face must have shown my sudden shock and embarrassment, because Dawna reared back like I’d grown a second head. Crap. All that goodwill I’d built up with sweat and blood … gone because of asking one question? Shit, shit, shit! I felt sick to my stomach. “Oh, man. I think I just really messed up. And I don’t even know what I said wrong.”

“Why was that a bad question?” Dawna sounded honestly confused. “Even I’ve heard of those. The story’s in the history books in school.”

A sudden blast of cold air made me look toward the window. Right story?

My stomach squirmed even more. “Oh, I didn’t think of that. What if the history books got it wrong? What if the real story is a huge scandal or something?” Well, there was nothing I could do about it now. I’d have to figure out some way to apologize for my faux pas.

“Well, I guess the best thing I can do now is find out everything I can about the horns.”

Dawna smiled slyly. “I bet I know where you’re going to go look.”

I returned her smile. Kill two birds with one stone. “Want to come along?”

She shrugged and laid her hand on the mouse. “Sure. I’ve got nothing better to do and I have some stuff I want to tell you. Just let me shut down.”

Yeah, I had stuff to tell her, too. I didn’t know whether to bring up the idea of living together yet. So far she’d been a trooper with the vampire thing, but she was always careful to stay behind glass or concrete or such. The last thing I wanted was to be a source of trauma to her.

Actually, that wasn’t true. The last thing I wanted was to be the source of her death.