Page 39 of Smolder (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 29)

“I’ll let you know what we learn.”

“And that’s it?”

“We’ll keep you in the loop,” McKinnon said.

Dolph turned to him with a look on his face that I’d seen before; it did not bode well for whoever was at the other end of that look.

McKinnon knew the look, too, because he said, “What?”

“You don’t get to say to Anita that we’ll keep her in the loop; I could keep you both in the loop.”

“This is connected to my case,” McKinnon said.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t, but it’s still my case right now; me allowing your involvement is a professional courtesy and friendship, but you don’t get to decide how much I read Anita into this case.”

McKinnon looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded. “I overstepped my bounds between you and your colleague, I get it.”

I wanted to say thanks to Dolph for defending me professionally, but it would have been rubbing salt in the wound for McKinnon and I didn’t want to do that. He and I respected each other, even liked each other in that acquaintance/friend-with-similar-jobs-and-mutual-friends sort of way.

“Good,” he said, then turned to me as we exited the conference room. “I hope you understand why I can’t have you there for the interrogation.”

I nodded. “I do, I don’t like it, but I do.”

“Okay, we’ll get our hero down to make an official statement,” he said as new police walked by us close enough to overhear. I might not have been able to change my words in time. The publicity with Jean-Claude had ruined me for undercover work, but honestly I’d never been that good at it.

“I guess I’ll touch base with my people and get back to wedding stuff.”

McKinnon laughed. “You sound more like the long-suffering groom instead of the bride.”

“Trust me, McKinnon, other than getting to wear the long dress Iamthe long-suffering groom.”

He chuckled and even Dolph smiled. There were new uniforms at Dolph’s elbow waiting to ask questions before he left the scene, so I left them to it. I actually wanted to see Edward and Asher in their matching best man outfits just to see Edward’s reaction to it. I glanced at my watch and realized that Edward would be back in street clothes by now. Damn it, I’d missed one of the few parts of all this that I’d been looking forward to; I hoped Peter had taken pictures.

I had to walk past the crowd that had gathered with their phones out, and a few real reporters, but most of them were using their phones trying to get me to comment about the case. I knew better and just kept walking quickly like I had somewhere else to be. Nevermake eye contact, never slow down, never make a single noise that can be interpreted as a comment, because anything and everything will be spun into something you never said.

I didn’t look around for Ethan and Ru, because if security is in a separate car, then if you don’t acknowledge them the reporters and any bad guys lurking around won’t know that they’re on your side. I didn’t have to explain that to either of them, they knew their job, so I just went toward my SUV, ignoring all questions and comments. I had my keys out and was almost to the vehicle when I felt something, someone, whatever it was, and it made me do a quick glance around. I might not be good at verbal sneakiness, but I was good at looking for danger without looking obvious. The parking lot was empty except for cars and empty pools of light. The police were keeping the crowd contained, but most people were probably waiting to have permission to go to their rooms and get their stuff so they could leave. Also, most people wouldn’t leave the scene of an interesting crime; they might get a video on their phones and post it first. Smartphones had raised looky-loos to a whole new level.

There was nothing to see, but the skin creeping between my shoulders and up my neck said that just because I couldn’t see it didn’t mean it wasn’t here. I didn’t call my necromancy because it was always there; all I had to do was stop blocking it and just let it out of the box. It flowed out from me like a breath of wind. I didn’t need much energy to search for undead near me. I had a lot of metaphysical talents, but necromancy was the first magic that had ever come to me, the one that I couldn’t refuse or hide from. Most people spent their lives trying to acquire more magic, more power; I’d spent my life just trying to control mine.

I sent that seeking power outward in a ring around me searching for anything it recognized, but whatever was out there wasn’t vampire, ghoul, or zombie, or any type of undead. One area of possibilities down, lots more to choose from. Oh, and it wasn’t human, or at least not wholly human. Of course, I didn’t hit the radar as humananymore either, and the moment I thought that... I searched with a part of me that was newer and less finely tuned. I wasn’t a vampire no matter how many internet rumors said otherwise, but I did have some vampire powers and they were not original to me. I felt down the metaphysical cords that tied me to Ethan and Ru, different kinds of cords, but when I concentrated I could feel the connection. There on the edge of my awareness was something, no, someone else. It wasn’t like Ethan, one of my animals to call, and I’d already ruled out vampires that were connected to me, so that left Brides. I only had three of those. Nicky was helping test Edward’s and Peter’s skills in the workout area underneath the Circus of the Damned, and Ru was with Ethan, so that left... “Rodina, I know you’re there.”

“But where am I?” She said it out loud, but she could throw her voice really well, so I knew not to trust that for direction.

“These stupid games really piss me off, you know that.”

She laughed, but the sound seemed to come from more than one place. She’d had centuries to practice her spying and assassination skills.

“As my Bride it’s supposed to cause you physical pain if I’m unhappy; you shouldn’t be able to go against my express wishes.”

“No, I shouldn’t be,” she said, voice coming from an entirely new area of the circle of sound she was bouncing around me.

“Masochist much, Rodina?”

“The pain it causes me is outweighed by the pleasure I take in tormenting you.”

“This isn’t tormenting me, just irritating me.”

“Then I will have to try harder, won’t I?” There was something in her voice that sent a chill up my spine like I was actually afraid of her. I shouldn’t have been; she was bound by magic so that she could not hurt me. She was even bound to give her life to save mine. Yet as I stood there in the dimness of the parking lot I really wanted to know where the fuck she was, just in case. She was a wereleopard and they were fast even for a shapeshifter. If I drew a gun I’d have toshoot her and since she was supposed to be one of my bodyguards that seemed overkill, so I went for a blade instead. If she was close enough she’d magically appear beside me before I could get it drawn and lay her finger beside my throat or something equally creepy just to let me know that she could have killed me.

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