Page 56 of The Vampire and the Case of the Hellacious Hag

My boss looked as rough as I felt; he was covered in blood and mud and his eyes were weary. We’d all go on seeing this scene for some time to come. He put his arm around me. ‘Let’s go home, Bunny. We’re done.’

I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I was numb.

Gunnar continued, ‘I’ve sent Sidnee home with Thomas. You need to go too.’

I shook my head slowly. ‘Gunnar, there are a lot of hurt people but there should be more.’

He frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I’ve seen maybe thirty people out here, including the bodies, but there should have been at least a hundred miners coming on and off shift. Where are the rest? Vaporised?’ I paused and realised I hadn’t seen the one dwarf I needed to ask. ‘Have you seen Leif?’

Gunnar frowned. ‘No, but I didn’t work the whole field.’

I nodded. I should have looked for Leif, investigated the hatch under the tractor, found Shadow, but just then I didn’t have the energy – or the heart. We’d already worked through the night and dawn was coming again. I was dead on my feet. Dead-er.

I met Gunnar’s eyes. ‘The men that went down the hatch had something to do with this, and someone at the mine must be helping them. That’s why the casualties have been minimised. We need to get back to the hatch and check the cameras we put up.’

‘We will, but not now. Our people are exhausted – you’re exhausted, Sidnee is wiped out and I’m finished, too.’ He looked at the mine. ‘We’ll make mistakes, mistakes we can’t afford. Something is going on here and we need all our wits about us. I’ve tagged April and she’s heading in to the office – she’ll call if there’s an emergency. Now, go home and rest, and we’ll make a plan tomorrow. That’s an order.’

I wouldn’t let it go. ‘Gunnar, if it is the same people – those MIB assholes – they had asubmarine. We need to check the water,’ I said stubbornly. I was swaying where I stood. Man, I really wanted to go home and snuggle withConnor and my pets, then sleep for a one hundred years. ‘Shadow…’ I sighed.

Gunnar tugged his rough beard. ‘What about him?’

‘He ran off when the mine exploded. I need to find him.’

‘Tomorrow, Bunny,’ he said gently. ‘One night in the wild won’t harm him – far from it. He’ll be in his element. Go home, that’s an order.’

I shook my head again, but the movement almost knocked me off my feet. Fluffy whined, and as I looked up a vision walked towards me through the smoke and debris: Connor, with Shadow on his heels. My mate was dirty, his shirt was torn – and he was perfect. A half-sob caught in my throat and I ran to him.

He caught me and I clung to him. ‘Let’s go, Doe. We’ve done all we can. Now it’s time to take care of you.’

I shuddered. ‘It was so bad.’ I looked around and let myself really see the scale of the disaster. This might be the worst thing that had happened to the town since the barrier went up. ‘Where did you find Shadow?’

‘More like he found me,’ Connor said wryly. ‘I was helping load someone into the ambulance and he just appeared.’

I pulled back and gave Shadow a scritch behind his ear. ‘Thank God you’re okay.’ I bundled the huge lynx into my arms to give him a squeeze, and for once he didn’t try tojump away. I turned to Gunnar. ‘Okay, I’m ready to go home.’

‘Good. Ring me when you’re up.’ He fixed Connor with a hard stare. ‘Look after her.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Connor said, with no trace of irreverence. We watched the big man trudge off; his shoulders bowed as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Connor turned to me and his eyes softened. ‘You look undead on your feet, my love.’

I smiled. ‘Yup.’ I leaned back in. ‘I want your magnificent shower, tea – and you.’

‘Your wish is my command,’ he murmured. ‘Let’s go.’

Chapter 33

I woke out of the fog of sleep to the sound of my phone ringing. Connor reached over me when I didn’t move, looked at the screen and said, ‘You have to take it, it's work.’

I groaned and took the phone. I should have been stiff and sore, but Connor had made me drink two cups of blood before bed and I felt fine, if a little on the tired side. I still hadn’t worked off the jetlag feeling from weeks of living a daylight schedule at the academy.

‘Officer Barrington,’ I answered. If I hadn’t still been woozy, I’d have realized it was either Sidnee or Gunnar.

‘Bunny, it’s April.’

Or April. I sat up. ‘What’s up?’ I yawned.

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