Undead and Unworthy (16 page)

"The body," Sinclair said carefully, knowing how I felt about such icky things, "is in the basement, in the walk-in freezer."

I shuddered, and juice slopped over the rim of my glass. Among other things, when the

mansion had been modernized thirty years ago, the old owners had put in a giant freezer

for entertaining. Luckily, we kept it empty. Most of the time.

"We don't know if we will need access to the body again," Tina said apologetically. "I staked it after you fell asleep, just to be sure."

"Do we know his real name?" I wasn't expecting a good answer here, but I had to ask.

I got a pleasant surprise from Tina. "Nick was here, and printed him. He's going to run it

through privately – "

"Why privately?"

Antonia gave me a "you poor dumb bitch" look, as Tina patiently explained, "What if the dead man was born in 1910? And he looks like a man in his late thirties? That might bring

up questions we would find awkward to answer."

"Does Nick have enough juice to run prints – twice – without anybody else finding out?"

"We will see."

I had to be happy with that. I knew dick about police procedural. But if he was getting

secret assignments from the chief, he probably had some clout.

"Thank you for your assistance, Antonia," Sinclair said over my musings. "We are

grateful."

"Why do you think I beat feet to get back here from the Cape? You guys'd sit around and

talk it to death. You need a werewolf to get shit done."

"Are all werewolves as insufferable as you are?" I asked sweetly, "or are you a genetic anomaly?"

Before she could answer, I looked around and said, "Hey, where's Laura? I'd think she'd

want to be in on all this stuff now that she knows what's going on."

"She called while you were sleeping; she's teaching her church youth group tonight," Tina said with a barely repressed shudder.

"Okay, how about Jess? She left me a sticky note."

"You just missed her; she went to Detective Berry's house, complaining bitterly that it had

been 'ages and ages' since they'd had some alone time."

"Why didn't she just go with him?"

"Oh, it's kind of dumb. She doesn't like to be stuck at anybody's house without a getaway

car. It's one of her things. But it's great that she gets to see him tonight... he must have the

night off."

Tina was opening her laptop. "Yes, yes, the poor deprived things. Let them stay gone for a

month."

I was unwrapping a blue raspberry Blo-Pop. "Tina," I said reproachfully, then popped it

into my mouth and sucked enthusiastically.

"Sorry, Majesty, you know I'm fond of Jessica. It's
him
I can't stand. And if he deliberately places you in harm's way once more, I may not be responsible for my actions."

"You shush. Just check your e-mail."

"Actually," she said, not looking up, "I'm checking Nick's e-mail."

I nearly gagged on the sucker. "Boo! Unless you've got a warrant. And vampires can't get

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) warrants, I bet." I paused. "Can we?"

"You're so adorably naive, I may vomit," my husband said from behind the
Washington

Post.

"And you're so – " My cell phone chirped "Living Dead Girl" and I snatched at it. I was sure it was my mom, bitching about baby duty. But there was no way BabyJon was

coming back here until we – "Hi, Mom?"

"It's Jessica!" I winced and held the phone away from my ear. "You've got to come, quick!

All of you! Nick's gone, but the Fiends have been here!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down." I was trying to take my own advice and not hyperventilate.

"How d'you know the Fiends took him?"

"Who
else
would break in and attack him? Please, please come right now! There's blood all over the place!"

"But – but – " I was so panicked I couldn't think, much less speak. "But why did they take Nick?"

"Because," Tina said, not looking up from her laptop, "the fingerprints came back.

Forensics notified him by e-mail, but he hasn't actually gotten this message yet, so they had

to move fast. And so will we."

"What? Why?"

"The Fiend's name was Edward Hamlin."

Hamlin? Why did I know that name? So much had been happening in a short time, I –

"Nick has been working on a little project for Police Chief Hamlin," Tina added, helping me out.

"We're coming!" I shrieked into the cell, then snapped it shut so hard I broke it.

Nick lived in a great-looking bachelor pad in Minneapolis, overlooking the Mississippi

River. The view was terrific, which made up for the fact that the yard was the size of a

Post-it note, and just as yellow.

I'd never been there – luckily, Tina's laptop was stuffed with all sorts of interesting tidbits,

including addresses she had no business knowing. She had MapQuested it, and here we all

were.

Jessica had the place wide open for us, and I could see it was full of rich-guy toys: an

extra truck, skis, a snowmobile, a Jetski. And that was just the garage. The house itself

was brick, with dark green trim and a short, crack-free driveway.

Inside, the place was a complete shambles – we could practically follow the progress of

the fight by observing the broken furniture and shattered glassware. He clearly hadn't

gotten to his gun, which was too bad for him. I couldn't blame him – he'd been relaxing at

home, getting ready for a date with Jessica, with no way of knowing his boss, the chief of

police, had fed him to the wolves – almost literally.

Jessica was waiting for us in the living room, which looked like a bomb had detonated

from beneath the carpet. He might not have had his gun, but he'd put up a helluva fight. It

made me remember why I'd liked him a couple of years ago.

"Ballsy bastard," was Antonia's comment.

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) FALSE QUEEN was written on the biggest wall, the one without any windows. Sinclair

leaned close, sniffed, then reported quietly, "Detective Berry's blood."

"But not so much that he's dead, right?" Jessica begged. "Not enough to kill him, right?"

Sinclair put an arm around my trembling friend. "No, dear one. Not nearly enough."

"She cannot go," Tina said firmly.

"Indeed, no."

"What are you two talking about?" I tried to keep my voice low and authoritative, when it wanted to go high and squeaky.

Tina shook her head, but Sinclair came right out with it. "This is an ancient challenge

among vampires – "

"So how do Fiends who have been out of it for six decades know anything about it?" I

asked, trying not to sound hysterical.

"It's important to keep in mind they are remembering more and more every day – and in

fact may have lied to us about what they
do
remember, at any rate." Sinclair glanced at the bloody letters again. "Regardless of how they know, they know. Such a step is usually

taken to settle a grudge or, occasionally, determine ability to rule. This message means

that if you value your crown, you will rescue Nick and defeat the Fiends."

"But how would I even know where to – "

"He'll be where it began for
them,
" Garrett said quietly. I jumped; he hadn't said a word since we'd left the mansion.

"Nostro's house," Tina added.

"Well, then, I'm outta here!"

Cue huge squabble fest. Not even Jessica was sure I should go, and, needless to say, Tina

and Sinclair weren't keen on the idea at all. Antonia was practically foaming at the mouth

to come with me; she'd had a taste of Fiend already and didn't mind getting wet. I had a

momentary flash – thank goodness Laura had her youth group tonight; she'd just be one

more person trying to stop me.

Don't get me wrong, I sure as shit didn't want to go. I predicted a messy death and Nick's

curses being the last thing I ever heard in this life. But, like it (I didn't) or not,
I was the
queen.
Did I think a hideous mistake had been made somewhere along the way? You bet.

Was I going to welsh out of my obligation? Never in life. (Or death, I s'pose.)

The rules were, I go alone. So, I go alone. Besides, the Fiends would spot the others, and

then they'd play kickball with Nick's head. How could I face my best friend if I got her

lover killed 'cause I was too chickenshit to show up alone?

" – absolutely out of the question – "

" – but she's the only one who – "

" – can't leave Nick to – "

" – not open for discussion, as far as I am concerned – "

" – her responsibility – "

" – not going to let her essentially commit suicide – "

The argument was escalating in both intensity and volume (I noticed no one was much

interested in
my
opinion), and there was no time, Goddammit, no time at all.

"Shut up, shut up,
shut the fuck up!
We have no time, don't you get it? Now I'm
going.
"

"Not at all," Sinclair said calmly.

"Tradition dictates she do exactly that," Tina said reluctantly, correcting her sovereign for

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) maybe the fourth time in eighty years – a real toughie for her, since she wasn't too keen on

me going in the first place.

"They'll kill you!" Jessica cried.

"Yes," Garrett said. "They will."

"The fuck they will! They can't take the king and queen
and
a fellow Fiend
and
me. We'll eat 'em for dinner! Let's go! Right now!" And I noticed an odd thing; all the fine hairs on

Antonia's arms were standing straight up. If she'd been in her wolf form, she'd be bristling

all over.

"We had practically the same group the first time the Fiends came, and we ran away,"

Jessica said. "What's changed?"

"A challenge written in your lover's blood," Sinclair said, kindly enough.

"Come on, you chickenshits!" Antonia barked. "We can take those fuckers."

"Maybe. And then Nick will be fish food," Tina said, biting her lip.

"My alpha's not going alone, and that's how it is!"

"Shut up, Antonia, all of you shut up! Just – shut up!" My head was pounding, like it was going to split down the middle of my forehead; I was clutching my temples and wondering

why it was so damned hot in here. It seemed like the heat was battering at me, trying to

get in, and all at once I dropped my hands and let it, let it all in, let it burn me alive.

Instantly, the room went quiet, a quiet broken by the thuds of my friend's bodies hitting

the floor. I stood over them, shocked. Knelt quickly and found Jessica's pulse, realized

Tina and Sinclair were as alive as they could be, just unconscious. Antonia, too, was out

cold – and so was Garrett. I was the only one still standing.

And I felt like a million bucks. I felt like I could jump across the Mississippi. And I loved

the sudden peace and quiet – I could finally hear myself think. I felt almost – what was the

word?
Euphoric.
Yeah. I felt – I felt an awful lot like the way I'd felt when I'd sucked

Marjorie dry, only not so frenzied and out of control.

I'd done it again! The chill in my bones subsided as I realized I had not killed anyone this

time. In fact, they were safe and sleeping and, did I mention,
safe?
How did that work?

Was it something I could control? If I didn't, what did?

I had no more time to think about it. If any of my friends woke up while I was still here,

the trick I'd pulled (can I call it a "trick"?) would have been for nothing. Knowing exactly where I had to go, I got the hell out of there, casting a last guilty look at my unconscious

husband.

No sex tonight, that was for sure.

After borrowing (okay, stealing) Sinclair's Lexus SUV, I made the trip in less than half an

hour. Nostro's old digs were a combination of farm and what Jessica called a McMansion.

Most of the houses in the neighborhood, while in the low seven-figure range, still looked a

lot alike. They came with your standard pool, your standard half-acre backyard, your

standard ballroom.

For an extra five figures, you could get either a gazebo, or a chicken coop. "Wholesome

country living with the convenience of city living," that's what the brochure said. I knew,

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) because my dad and the Ant had lived in one. It had been left to BabyJon, along with all

their dough and the condo in Florida; some lawyer I'd only met once was keeping

everything in a trust for him.

The McMansion was brown, with cream-colored fake shutters (what exactly was the point

of shutters that didn't open or close, anyway?) and a big, crimson-colored front door. The

walkway and patio were brick; the grass was starting to get a little shaggy. There was a

tall hedge that went around the side of the house that I could see, and a few baby trees in

the front yard. In a hundred years they'd be gorgeous elms. It was weird to think that I

might be around to actually see that.

I brazenly parked on the front lawn (yeah, that's right, the queen of the vampires is here!),

giving thanks that the nearest neighbor was on the other side of the lake.

I walked up the sidewalk and knocked on Nostro's front door, remembering the last time

I'd been dragged through this very door. I'd been a vampire for about two days, no idea