Page 57 of Dead Heat

West shrugged. “Probably.”

He tapped his cheek. “Let’s see. Who’s the sexiest person in town?”

“You’re on the wrong track,” I advised.

He clasped his hands in prayer form. “Can you just tell me?”

“I’m not doxing anyone, and neither is West. If they want to tell you themselves, that’s up to them.”

“Now I’m going to see everybody I meet as a potential vampire,” Leo said, not sounding the least bit sad about it.

“What’s an incubi?” the chief asked.

“Incubus is the singular,” I replied. “It’s someone who feeds off sexual energy to live.”

Leo jerked toward me. “Say what now?”

The chief lowered her head. “I don’t need the details.”

“I do,” Leo said.

“Let’s table this discussion for now,” I suggested.

Leo gazed at the crossroads. “I feel like this is my lucky day.”

“You may not feel that way once the dangers become more apparent,” West said.

“You think I’ll get the Sight now that I know the truth?” His eyes widened. “Can someone with magic give me theSight? I’d be much better at my job if I could see all the scary things.”

Chief Garcia nodded thoughtfully. “That’s not a bad idea. Can we make that happen?”

“I’ll speak to a friend,” I said. “See if she has any ideas.”

“First, you need to decide if that’s what you really want,” West said. “It would change your world.”

Chief Garcia gazed at the crossroads in wonder. “I think you’ve already accomplished that tonight.”

CHAPTER NINE

The next morning,I stayed in bed for a full hour after waking up. My dreams had been unusually active. They’d kicked off with a recurring nightmare involving the three-headed beast that guarded the underworld, no doubt triggered by the appearance of the Erinyes. That familiar frightfest was followed by the image of Chief Garcia and Officer Leo getting sucked into the crossroads like it was a black hole. The chief’s fingernails had scraped the bark off the oak tree in her desperate effort to remain in this world. They’d screamed my name, but I hadn’t answered. I’d simply watched them disappear.

I kicked off the covers and forced myself out of bed. I knew telling the police about the supernatural world would have consequences, but I didn’t think those consequences would involve my subconscious. People were supposed to feel better after sharing secrets, not worse. It had to be guilt that I’d popped their human bubbles and endangered them in the process.

Claude turned off the faucet as I ambled into the kitchen.

Rough night? Claude signed.

“Too much brain activity and not enough deep sleep.”

The hand nodded, as though he could relate.

“I think it’s going to be a two-coffee morning,” I said.

Claude pointed a disfigured finger at the pot, which was already a quarter full.Fresh, he signed.

“How did you know?” I asked.

“You were noisy,” Nana Pratt interrupted, floating into the kitchen. “Grunting and groaning. I think you might’ve even fallen out of bed once. There was a loud thump.”

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