Page 40 of Top Secret Vampire

Wolf shook his head, his eyes dark with concern. “I don't know.”

I knelt down beside the doll, my hand reaching out to touch its cold, lifeless face. The instant my skin made contact, a shiver ripped up my arm, and I snatched my hand back as if burned.

“This is creepy.” Easing away, I stood and wrapped my arms around my waist. “Really creepy.”

Wolf's jaw remained set in a hard line. “I agree. We need to find out how it got here.”

“And why it's here at all.” My mind raced with possibilities, none of them comforting. “Do you think this is connected to everything else?”

“Perhaps.”

Trying to steady my nerves, I sucked in a few deep breaths and shot them back out. “Okay. So, what do we do now?”

“One moment.” He closed his eyes and hummed an odd, rhythmic tune before going silent. His eyes opened again. “I tried to draw Jolene out, but she didn’t respond.”

“Do you think she left the doll?”

“I don’t know.” He moved toward me, his hands reaching out to grip my shoulders. “We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise. But for now, let's get some rest. We can deal with it in the morning.”

“We'll just leave it there?” At least, down here, it couldn't stare at me . . .

“Let me bag it up and take it to your car. I'll put it in the trunk.”

“Good idea.” Chills wracked my frame. “I don't want it inside my house.”

He eased around me and went to the kitchen, returning with a black garbage bag. Stooped down beside it, he laid his palm on the doll’s chest. His eyelids slipped closed, and he remained frozen before he lifted his hand. “Magic. I'd swear it.”

“Good or bad?”

“Anyone who would leave something like this in your office is up to no good, but I don't sense anything malicious from the doll itself. Just . . .” He frowned. “Maybe in the way it was left here.”

“Should we cut it open and see if there's something inside?”

His lips curled up in one corner. “Vicious thing, aren't you?”

“It's a doll, not a living child.”

He eased it onto its back and palpated its cloth covered torso before shaking his head. “I don't feel or sense anything. I'll take it to the historical society tomorrow to see if they can tell me something about it. I've lived a long time, but I never played with dolls.”

My jittery laugh rang out. “No girlfriends with little sisters who might've cuddled dolls like this?”

“I never dated.”

That was a stunning declaration. “Not in thousands and thousands of years, Wolfie?” How I found the will to tease him was beyond me.

“Reese, darling. I'm notthatold.”

“To you, no. Everyone else?Wayold.” My grin slipped out, but it faded much too fast. All that time, and he'd never been with anyone special? What did that mean for us?

Even he must feel spooked about the doll because he opened the garbage bag and used the side to slip it into the depths, not touching it with his hands again. He secured the top with a thick knot and straightened. “I won't be long.”

I jerked out a nod. “Make sure you wash your hands when you come back inside.”

I woke the next morning to find Wolf sitting in the squishy chair parked in the corner of my bedroom, dressed in his signature dark pants with a white button-up shirt and a red tie, his cape secured loosely around his shoulders. He held a wine glass with rich dark liquid, the blood sparkling like garnet jewels in the early morning light.

Seeing me staring, he drained the glass. With a snap of his fingers, it disappeared. His fangs retracted, and he gave me a sweet smile.

“How long have you been up?” I asked, my voice croaky.

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