Blood Slave: A Realm Walker Novel (15 page)

He had a cup of coffee in each hand and held one out to her. “Mr. Morgan wanted me to bring you that and check up on you. He figured you wouldn’t have made it to the store yet and would need a boost.”

She snatched the cup from his hand and inhaled the heady aroma. “You have just become my new favorite person,” she said and then sipped at the coffee to test its temperature. It was hot but not melt-the-lining-of-her-throat hot, so she downed a big gulp.

Cullen stood watching her, shifting his weight from foot to foot but not saying anything.

“What is it?”

He cleared his throat. “Mr. Morgan asked that I convey to you that for the time being it is perhaps best if you do not go out unattended.”

Juliana pursed her lips at the leprechaun. “I appreciate Morgan’s concern, but I’m not going to be a prisoner here.” She gestured to the room around her. “I appreciate his hospitality at letting me stay here, but as you can see, it’s not exactly the lap of luxury. Besides, I don’t do well being confined. It’s not my way.”

“If Thomas Kendrick grabs you off the street and whisks you away somewhere, Mr. Morgan won’t be able to help you.”

“If I let him keep me from living my life, he’s won already. I’ve given him enough by leaving my job, my friends, my home.” She shook her head. “I won’t let him make me a prisoner on top of it. You understand, right?”

“It doesn’t matter if I understand or not. Mr. Morgan won’t like it.”

This is all she needed. If she couldn’t move freely, she might as well pack up and go home. Having one of Morgan’s lackeys following her everywhere she went was hardly going to be conducive to an investigation. Now she had to think of a tactful way to say she didn’t give a shit what Morgan liked. Her phone buzzed on the table, providing a momentary distraction. She went over and picked it up to find a text from Thomas.
Call me
was all it said. Great.

Keeping her face as blank as possible she walked over to the door and opened it. “Look, I appreciate the concern, I really do, but I’ve been taking care of bad guys for a long time. Thomas is just more persistent and powerful than most. I left New Hope because he wouldn’t let me live my own life. If Charles Morgan wants to be the same way, I’ll leave Kansas City too and I like it here, Cullen. Don’t make me leave.”

He hesitated and looked like there was something else he wanted to say. Finally, he stepped outside. He paused just outside with his hand on the door. “Fine. I think you’re being stupid, but I’ll pass the word along to Mr. Morgan. He won’t like it, but I’ll tell him. In the meantime, you have my number if you need anything. Use it.”

“I appreciate that,” she assured him then shut the door as he stepped away. He stood outside her door for a long time before heading down the steps. She waited another beat to make sure he wasn’t coming back and called Thomas.

“What’s up?” she said when he answered.

“I need to see you. There are things you must know.”

“Like?”

“I don’t wish to discuss it over the phone. Where are you?”

“In my lovely new apartment of course.”

“Where precisely does he have you staying?”

“Above Lust.”

“I thought he’d do better than that.”

“He wants to piss you off Thomas, not impress me. It’ll do for now. Hold on a second, let me see if I can get out of here.”

Juliana peered past the edge of the curtain. It was early for the Market and she didn’t see anyone but a lone woman leaning against the building across the street. She wasn’t dressed near trashy enough for this neighborhood. Juliana flashed her gift on long enough to see the telltale signature of a leprechaun. Cullen. Curse it. From his vantage point, he’d be able to see the stairs or the glow from a portal lighting up her apartment.

“I’ve got company that I’m going to have to lose.”

“Company?” his voice sharpened in irritation.

She smiled in spite of herself. “Morgan thinks I need protection from you. He’s got Cullen watching me. Fortunately he’s camped out across the street. That gives me a little room to move.”

There was a pause before he said, “Meet me at my place in half an hour.”

She glanced out the window again and down at her sleep wrinkled clothing. “You better give me forty-five.” She hung up without waiting for a response. After a quick shower she ran a brush through her hair and put on clean clothes. The last thing she did before leaving the apartment was make sure her blades were secured in her boots. Gods she missed her guns and sword. Hell, she missed her badge for that matter. She had taken the opportunity to slide the Warden star into her back pocket, however. Sometimes it came in handy to be able to identify yourself as someone of authority.

A deep breath and she stepped outside, locking the door behind her. She went partway down the stairs before jumping over the railing and running across the alley to the ladder on the side of the next building. She started climbing to the roof, ignoring the voice calling her name. If she just kept moving, she could stay far enough in front of Cullen to lose him easily with a couple of deft moves. She smiled as her boots thudded on the rooftop. It had been awhile since she’d been in a good old fashioned chase. This was going to be fun, even if she was the prey.

Chapter Fifteen

Thomas glanced at the clock on the wall for the third time as he paced the floor. Juliana was late. Five more minutes and he was going out looking for her, damn the consequences. Maybe she was right, maybe it would have been better if he’d stayed home and not gotten involved. This hiding, lying about their relationship, didn’t sit well with him. He operated much better if he could be right by her side, making sure she wasn’t getting into trouble. Not that anyone was capable of completely keeping his mate safe, but it wasn’t from lack of trying on his part.

The second hand counted off two more minutes before a knock sounded. He tore open the door and the knot of anxiety that had centered itself in his chest slid away at the sight of his bride. She was panting and grinning like she’d just taken out a pixie nest. Gods, she was gorgeous when she was happy. He’d seen far too little of that smile lately and made a mental note to see about remedying that soon. “You’re late,” he said by way of greeting.

“Hello to you, too.” She hooked her thumbs into his belt loops and pushed him backward into the room. “Cullen was faster than I gave him credit for. It took me a while to make sure I’d lost him.”

He pushed the door shut and settled his hands on her waist. “I’m not sure why that surprised you. Leprechauns are notoriously difficult to catch.”

“I think that has more to do with their shape shifting than the speed, babe. I’ve seen some pretty damn slow leps.” She rested her forehead against his chest. He moved his hands up to rub slow circles over her back. It was rare that she stayed still long enough for him to just hold her. And once he told her why he’d summoned her, she’d be in Walker mode. While she was very good at Walker mode, and he had to admit he found it strangely appealing to see her take charge, it didn’t allow for much in the way of intimacy.

She stepped away from him and took his hand to lead him over to the couch. After perching herself on the arm, she pulled him closer until he stood in between her legs. She hooked her fingers back in his belt loops and looked up at him. “All right. What’s with the call?”

He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “After the incident with you and the zombies, local law enforcement has been doing regular sweeps of the Dead Zone. They found another body early this morning.”

She sat up straight, excitement lacing her voice. “But that means I was right. They have to know Blake didn’t do it now.”

“Not that simple,
Joya
. The M.E. believes the time of death to be before Blake’s arrest.”

“Of course. Because why would the killer be stupid enough to dump another body that could possibly be attached to him when there is already someone else sitting in jail for the other murders. Why doesn’t anyone ever just come out and say they did it?”

“People confess to crimes all the time, dear. Just not any you happen to be involved in,” he said and smiled, unable to resist teasing her.

“Cute. You’re funny.” She pushed against him and he stepped back so she could stand. “Okay, so what do we know about the victim then?”

“I am not entirely certain. I thought you’d want to see her yourself. I have advised the scene technicians to await our arrival before removing the body.”

“You did?” Her surprise was evident.

He smiled. “Of course. They’ve already processed the scene, I’m sure, but I wanted you to get a chance to observe it before the M.E. took her.” He pulled out his phone and sent a text to let the scene techs know they were ready. A portal opened seconds later and he held out a hand. “Shall we?”

Juliana slipped her hand into his and he led her through to the Dead Zone. Several techs were scattered around the scene and in the middle of them all was their victim. Short, dirt encrusted blonde hair covered her head. She was nude and numerous bites in various stages of healing covered her prone form. His lip curled at the sight. Vampires that fed on blood slaves were no better than drug dealers. There were many ways to feed that didn’t lead to their meals becoming addicted to the bite. And ways to heal them if they did. He abhorred blood slaves and had petitioned the Council more than once to make Morgan clean up his area. Thomas had been told repeatedly it was no one’s business how Morgan ran his territory.

As long as no laws, or their own interests, were being violated, the Council didn’t give a shit what Morgan did with his little Mid-Western territory. Thomas supposed the money Morgan funneled back into the vampire community had more than a little bit to do with that. The Council had to recognize the threat he represented though or they wouldn’t have worked so hard to keep his area confined.

“You really hate that do you,” Juliana said, and he turned to find her studying him.

“What?” Though he knew very well what she was talking about.

“The blood slaves. The difference between his territory and yours is astounding. You’d never let your covens get away with half the shit his does.”

“I find the behavior debasing. He’s made the heart of his territory no better than Devil’s End. And at least in the End, the vampires aren’t to blame for the deprivation and despair. The humans did that to themselves.”

“I think it also explains why you rule half a country and he’s got one metropolitan area. I can’t imagine it going unnoticed and tolerated for long if his territory was much bigger.” She dropped into a squat and began her examination of the body.

He paused struggling to find the words to make her understand. “Charles Morgan is who he is because he controls his territory with an iron fist, as they say. He perhaps exercises more control than I do even.” He held up a hand to stave her off when she opened her mouth to argue. “He uses his power, his influence and his money to control all those in his area, not just the vampires. While I control the covens under my control, and run my businesses, I have very little interest in what the humans, mages or anyone else for that matter is up to. As long as their behavior does not affect my people directly, I’m content to let them be. Morgan is not. Everything that happens in this city has his finger in it. If he didn’t kill those girls, he knows who did.”

“You seem so sure about that, but everyone seems to think he really cares about the women that work for him.”

“Of course they do. Regardless of the amount of money the man has thrown around, he’s made it to where he is by being charming and using his power to get people to do what he wants. If he was an asshole, no one would trust him.” Thomas needed to change the subject. Morgan had been a point of contention for him with the Council for well over a century. “Back to the more immediate matter at hand, first appearances suggest she was killed in the same manner as the others. I’ve got the M.E. examining all of the bodies again.”

She looked up in surprise. “Why would you do that?”

“When you mentioned that you found it unlikely the killer would leave his mark on the victim and then kill her it got me thinking. I talked to the M.E. and, as expected, he did little digging beyond verifying the cause of death. I’ve got his team taking another look at the wounds.”

She pushed herself back to her feet and brushed her hands off on her jeans. “Have they found anything?”

A smile curved the corner of his mouth. “It appears you were correct. None of the visible marks on the victims seem to be from the final bite.”

“Gods, I love it when I’m right. Unfortunately, other than stroking my ego, that’s not much help to us either. Just because the bite that killed her isn’t there, doesn’t mean he didn’t feed on her before.”

“Correct, and the M.E. said as much, but it does kind of ruin their argument that Blake did it because he fed from the victims.”

“How did they put her down?” she asked and gestured to the victim.

“I’m uncertain what you mean.”

“Nathaniel and I had to behead our zombies. I can’t tell how they put her down. Necro? If so, he was better than ours.”

He frowned in confusion. “This is how they found her. She hadn’t turned.”

***

A jolt of surprise shot through Juliana. “But that means she hasn’t moved, this is where she was dumped. Is there any indication of how she got here?”

Thomas shook his head deflating her excitement. “They’ve found nothing. No tracks, tire or otherwise, nothing.

“I’d like to take a look around. Tell them they can take her.” Juliana glanced at the girl one more time. She was certain she’d seen her somewhere before but couldn’t place her. Of course, she’d seen dozens of blood slaves in the past several days. She’d never be able to pinpoint one amongst them.

Thomas signaled to the M.E. that they were done and fell into step beside her as she walked away from the area. She kept her eyes focused on the ground looking for some small clue that might have been missed. “I don’t know what to make of any of this, Thomas. Usually, I have a better grip on my suspects by now. I haven’t liked Morgan since I met him but I don’t see why he’d do this. I don’t get what he gains from it.”

Thomas shrugged. “It doesn’t make sense that he would threaten his position by killing and dumping these women. On the other hand, he may well have decided he is untouchable. The gods know he’s been acting like it long enough. I’m glad you are beginning to understand how dangerous he is. He may not look it, but the man is lethal.”

She nodded once. “That’s how it normally works. Have you had time to verify any of Blake’s alibis?” She kept them moving in an ever widening circle as they talked.

“Michael is going to Gluttony tonight to ask questions. Blake’s cover is done here anyway. It might as well be widely known he works for us. I suspect whoever framed him already knew that.”

Her teeth worried her bottom lip. “I’ve been thinking about that. At first I thought maybe it was a coincidence that she was the victim, but I think you’re right. It was a frame. And as far as we know, the only one who knows who I really am is Morgan. Cullen knew I could place Blake with her. He must have told Morgan who counted on me to tell the cops.

“My not leaving when Blake was arrested is what convinced him I was running from you. I think they framed Blake to get me to leave. If they knew he was connected to you that was just a bonus. If he isn’t the killer, he’s covering for whoever is.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I still don’t see what his motive is though. He doesn’t read crazy.”

“Neither did Tate,” Thomas said and she cringed.

She’d actually managed to forget about the Thief for a moment.

“Don’t look like that. None of us saw it, Juliana. That’s not your fault and I’m an idiot for bringing it up. I’m just saying people aren’t always what they seem.”

She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. Now was not the time for her to have another crisis of faith in herself. “I know, Thomas. You’re fine. And you have a point. And it’s not as if anyone could confuse Morgan for one of the good guys. I guess I need to quit worrying about
why
he did it and focus on proving he did.”

She could feel his eyes on her, studying her but did her best to ignore it. “We’ll continue working to clear Blake. In the meantime, I need your schedule. If you’re working Clayton or Joshua will be in the club. If you’re not, I need to know what you’re doing so we are ready to come to your aid if needed.”

“Okay.” She glanced at him and smiled at the shocked expression on his face.

“I called you, Thomas, remember? I think it’s pointless to pretend I don’t need the help. Besides if you’re here, I might as well put you to use, don’t you think?” The phone at her hip vibrated again and she sighed as she pulled it out. “I really ought to answer this. It’s like the fifth time he’s called.”

“Morgan?”

“Of course. I’m sure he’s irritated that I have spurned his generous offer of protection by ditching his lackey.” She stopped moving and toed the dirt as she answered the phone.

Thomas scowled with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her answer the phone. He’d tensed up the instant she mentioned the call. But what did he expect her to do? If she continued to ignore Morgan it would go beyond her proving a point to her intentionally pissing off the man she was trying to get more information from. A fetid aroma drifted to her on the breeze and she wrinkled her nose. She sniffed the air and glanced around trying to determine the source.

“Are you listening to me?” Morgan growled in her ear, snapping her attention back to the tirade she’d only been half paying attention to.

“I’m sorry, Charlie. You’re right. I shouldn’t have done it. But as I explained to Cullen, I’ve given up everything to escape Thomas. If you try to lock me down, you’re no better than him and I might as well have just stayed in New Hope.” She didn’t look at Thomas as she said the last. He knew it was part of her cover, but it didn’t mean that he’d be happy she’d said it.

There was a long stretch of silence. “I understand what you’re saying, Ms. Norris, but I need
you
to understand that I am not used to being defied nor am I used to asking for what I want. However, I will make an exception and ask that you allow one of my men to guard you until I can confirm Kendrick has left town.”

Oh, Thomas was just going to love this. “Okay.”

He sighed in relief. “Good. Now, I know you’re probably going to quit working for me at any moment since you don’t need to hide anymore, but nobody can find Kelsey. She’s scheduled tonight but at this point I don’t see her coming in. Can you cover Candy’s shift so I can put her on the pole?”