Raven Mask (28 page)

“Alive,” she murmured, amused, and bowed her head to kiss me again.

Something heavy bumped my healing leg. “Hug?” Rosalin’s wolfish voice made Lenorre and me both pause.

“You just had to ruin the moment, didn’t you?” I asked, but used my gun hand to pull Rosalin against me. Her furry head bobbed in answer to my question. Whether I had meant to do it or not, I had claimed her as my wolf, and I needed her as much as she needed me. The amount of blood in the room was making my wolf pace, but my shields were strong enough to keep her at bay for the moment. I wanted to change, to let her run and hunt the way she needed to. But she’d have to wait a bit longer. If I decided to howl before the full moon…maybe, just maybe, I’d ask Rosalin to go with me. It actually sounded kind of fun. Strange that.

I scanned the room, looking for Rupert and Zaphara, and a tide of fear caused my stomach to turn. I was about to ask where they were when Lenorre answered my thoughts. “After we broke through most of the Count’s people, I sent Zaphara and your friend to rescue the children.”

“They’re okay?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Eris came to us, rubbing her temples.

I gave her a quizzical look. “Are you okay?”

“Let us just say I am glad the Count is dead,” she said sourly, obviously unhappy. “I never thought I would experience another headache.”

I couldn’t help it. The corner of my mouth twitched into a grin. “I’ve got some Excedrin in the car if you need it.”

Her sea-green eyes peered out at me through a mask of the Count’s blood. “I truly hope you are being sarcastic.”

“Gee, aren’t you grumpy?”

She wiped the sword she carried off on her shirt. “You would be too, had you been prey to his power.”

“Alyssa!” Timothy exclaimed, suddenly bursting through our little group and running toward the two double doors at the corner of the room. Rupert and Zaphara held the doors open, as a group of children and teenagers walked through.

Timothy pulled the small blond girl to him, hugging her gently.

“These are not harmed,” Rupert said. “The Count was keeping them locked in a basement. None of them had been changed yet.”

“For that,” Lenorre said, “we are lucky.”

“Indeed,” Eris added.

Zaphara stood off to the side, grave and quiet.

“You did well,” I told her. “Thank you.”

She didn’t say anything, only gave a cryptic smile and a slow bow of her head.

Such was Zaphara.

“Call your little police friend,” Lenorre said, “so we may go and clean up. We still have a party to attend.”

“Do I have to go?” I resisted the urge to pout. The last thing I wanted was to play dress-up with a room full of vampires. I’d had just about my fill of them tonight.

“Oh yes,” Eris said, “Lenorre had an outfit made especially for you.”

“How do you do it?” I asked her. “You wait until the last minute, yet everything still goes as planned.”

“I have my ways.”

I shook my head and reached into my pocket. It was empty. I’d left my cell phone in my other pants. I usually carried it everywhere. Yes, even when I had to go hunting down the bad guys. The world doesn’t stop just because there are bad guys. I had, however, learned the hard way to remember to turn the ringer off. A ringing phone often draws a lot of unwanted attention when you’re trying to be sneaky.

Rupert held his cell out to me. “Use mine.”

I dialed Arthur’s number, walking away from the group, ready to get an earful about how I never told him what was going on, how I was just another human, and how I had to stop taking the police cases into my own hands. Even if I managed to save the day, they still weren’t happy. One of these days, I feared Arthur would uncover my secret. You can only wear a disguise for so long. Eventually, the mask comes off and the truth is revealed. Until then, I’d just pretend I’d forgotten all about calling him.

Hey, it was partly true.

Chapter Thirty-Six

The cops had arrived and handled the rest of it. I was right, Arthur was pissed that I hadn’t clued him in, but like always, he was ultimately grateful I’d done my job.

Arthur had been staring at Timothy with a look I couldn’t read. “What am I supposed to tell your parents?” he finally asked.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t tell them anything.”

“You want me to lie to them?”

“Technically, Officer, telling them I died isn’t a lie.”

“Detective Kingfisher.”

“Detective Kingfisher, I will tell them when I’m ready to confront my mother.”

At that, Arthur chuckled, shook his head, and said, “I wish you luck, boy.”

They checked every one of the dead vampires, confirming they were indeed super-beasties and that we hadn’t killed any innocents. Zaphara had removed the spell from the vampire in the entryway when one of the cops tripped over it.

The few children that had been turned were young enough that either the process of being turned or being the Count’s pets had broken their minds. They had to be executed. Lenorre and Eris had taken care of that part. Which I was grateful for, since I really didn’t feel like it was my place. Child vampires are just a little creepy. They give me the heebies. There, I admit it.

The cops would help the rest of the children return to their parents, since some of them were from different states, and a few weren’t even from this country.

Alyssa had been safely returned home. Timothy, on the other hand, was granted permission to stay with Lenorre as one of her vampires. We learned Maddox had cornered one of Eris’s patrons outside the club and tried to send a warning, but no one took it seriously. He didn’t know who else to go to and stay alive in the process. The Primes would cast a vote deciding his fate, but I had a feeling he would be staying with us. I think, for Timothy’s sake, it wasn’t a bad idea.

When Lenorre asked Maddox why he betrayed the Count, his reasoning seemed pretty solid. The Count had murdered his previous Countess. So Maddox had gained the Count’s respect and traveled with his band, watching as the Count sought another conquest. When I’d asked him what had happened to his previous clan, he’d told me the Count’s puppet still ruled, as was the case in all the areas where the sick bastard had managed to overthrow whoever held the vampire community together.

The need for vengeance in Maddox’s gaze was hard not to notice. Perhaps, he would only stay for a while. I sensed his desire for revenge would far outweigh his desire to be content living in Lenorre’s domain.

Alyssa’s mother filed for a divorce and placed a restraining order against Dennis Cunningham. Timothy spent most of his nights with Alyssa and her mother, making sure they were safe. He wouldn’t talk to his own mother or father. The only family member he would associate with was his brother. And although his brother was still coming to terms with his baby brother being a vampire, there was no question he’d stick around.

Rupert was still helping me keep an eye on Sheila. Considering the situation with Rosalin, whether we found anything on Sheila or not, I had a feeling it was a good idea. I didn’t intend to let anything happen to Rosalin, and since I had claimed her, but she remained the Beta in Sheila’s pack, I needed to keep an eye out for trouble. As usual.

The masquerade ball at Lenorre’s club wasn’t as unpleasant as I had anticipated. Then again, she assured me we only had to stay through one dance and long enough for her to put in an appearance. That made me a little happier.

Lenorre wore a black tux tailored to fit the contours of her body, showing her figure off to perfection. She’d clasped the curls of her hair at the back of her neck and worn a white fedora. As always, she looked gorgeous. She and Eris were the only two vampires who had opted out of dressing up in masquerade garb and had worn a tux. The rest of the vampires had swirled beautifully out onto the dance floor, appearing like the dark and mysterious strangers they were. The crowd had gone wild, scurrying for a chance to dance with one of them.

The dress Lenorre had picked out for me was revealing, but not overly so. The straps were tiny enough I couldn’t wear a bra. The back was low-cut and made me feel like I was half naked. The sheer strips in the material over my stomach showed off the skin underneath. Oh, I’d argued about the dress, but in the end I’d lost. The expression on Lenorre’s face when I was fully dressed was enough to keep me in it, though I had a niggling feeling she’d like the dress a lot more when she was tearing it off. Between my thoughts and Lenorre’s heated looks, I was thrumming sensually.

She’d somehow managed to talk me into wearing the mask that went with the outfit. The black feathers of the raven mask matched the black satin dress. The patches of my bare skin that peeked through the solid black material were suddenly very white. The skirt kept trying to tangle about my legs like a waterfall of satin, and I had to force myself to focus on following Lenorre’s lead, as she knew how to dance. Another benefit of lycanthropy was being able to move gracefully, without letting on that I had no idea what the hell I was doing.

The night proved to be romantic, even with the hunting that had come before it. Lenorre managed to talk me into one more dance. The tune was slow, with an edge of seduction that made the dance seem more intimate, more meaningful. With her body against mine, I let all thoughts of the confrontation with the Count and Sheila Morris disappear.

Eventually those thoughts would catch up with me. But for tonight, Lenorre held me and I followed her, inhaling the sweet and spicy scent of her perfume.

Beneath the perfume was the smell of my lover.

My Lenorre.