His eyes told me everything I didn't want to know.

"The kids won't fight because they're drugged," I continued. "Then it's easy for you put them on the streets, sit back, and collect their money, providing enough drugs to keep them addicted. They keep working. You beat them if they try to run away. You use them when you're h.o.r.n.y." I'd seen his kind all too often during the night, when I prowled looking for dinner. The seamy underside to a beautiful city.

He squeezed his eyes closed, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed a wad of fear. "What are you going to do to me? You a cop?"

I glanced at Iris who leaned against the wall, her arms folded to keep herself warm. She shrugged. "Whatever you like," she said. "We need to get home pretty soon but..."

As I turned back to Robert, I thought over what I should do with him. My guess was that he'd done a lot more with that gun than just point it at people. "How many kids you got turning tricks? How many people have you shot?"

Robert was starting to fade. "Jesus, lady, just arrest me or something."

Suddenly tired of the grime and the gloom, I tossed him against the bricks again. "How many in your stable?"

Rubbing his throat, he deflated like a p.r.i.c.ked balloon. "Four boys and fifteen girls. What else do you want to know? And if you're not a cop, what the f.u.c.k are you doing? Playing superhero?"

The self-righteous tone in his voice gnawed at me. I motioned to Iris. "Give me those pills, then take the girl out to the street. The two of you wait there for me." After they were gone, I turned back to my new buddy. "Superhero? I prefer to think of myself as a blade of justice," I said, opening the bag.

His gaze darted nervously toward the end of the alley but I held up one finger. "Look at me," I said, freeing the glamour that I usually held in check. Between my half-Fae blood and my magnetism that came with being a vamp, I could charm just about anybody. And they always obeyed, willing or not. Unable to resist, Robert gave up the fight and gazed into my eyes.

"Hush," I whispered, and he fell silent. As I searched for any sign of remorse, a shroud of energy flared around him. Like tendrils of a sickly vine, it crept out from his body, searching for fresh meat.

"You know," I said softly. "I'm a vampire." I opened my mouth to show him my fangs and he tried to pull away but the thrall wouldn't allow him to move. "The thing is, you see," I continued, "you're a vampire, too. You don't feed on blood, but you suck young girls and boys dry, feeding on their bodies by selling them to others. Don't you?"

He nodded like a good boy.

"Yes, that's right, it's always best to tell the truth. But you know there's an important difference between us. Unlike me, it doesn't take much to kill you."

Robert began to shake, shivering as the l.u.s.t swirled thick between us, but I didn't want him enjoying himself. I could make the experience incredibly sensuous, or I could make it exquisitely painful. For Robert, there would be no sweet kiss of death.

I wasn't thirsty, but his street prowling days were done. I wanted him to know fear, to know what it felt like to be a victim before I kicked him off the wheel of life. If I handed him over to the cops, he'd be out in no time because no one in his stable would dare rat on him. Robert struggled but I pressed him back against the wall.

"Hold still," I whispered, and he froze. A bead of sweat dripped from his brow to land on my forehead but I ignored it as I pressed my lips to his neck. I slowly licked the skin. He trembled and I could feel his erection pressing against me, but then his arousal faded as I sank my teeth into his neck and began to lap as the blood spurted in my mouth.

It ran down my throat like liquid fire. Sweet honey and wine, I thought, my mind buzzing as I drank to soothe my frayed nerves. A wave of relaxation and desire rippled through my body. It was always rough on me after feeding-I wanted to f.u.c.k, and f.u.c.k hard, but it would be a cold day in h.e.l.l before I screwed any of the perverts I fed on, and I refused to turn on my friends and use them to satisfy myself. And there was always the memory of Dredge's hands that held me back, that made me shy away from intimate encounters.

This was what the FBH vamp-wannabes were looking for-this sensual communion. But most of them couldn't handle it, most weren't strong enough to withstand the madness that came with losing yourself to the bloodl.u.s.t. So I kept myself in check, waiting for the day when I could find a partner to match my pa.s.sion and strength, and with whom I could feel safe. was what the FBH vamp-wannabes were looking for-this sensual communion. But most of them couldn't handle it, most weren't strong enough to withstand the madness that came with losing yourself to the bloodl.u.s.t. So I kept myself in check, waiting for the day when I could find a partner to match my pa.s.sion and strength, and with whom I could feel safe.

As Robert weakened, I gave one last lick to his neck and stood back. I held out the bag of pills.

"Eat," I said. He whimpered, but I gave him a smoldering look. "If you don't, I'll make you beg me for death," I said. "Do you really want to go out screaming on your belly?"

Without a word, he began popping the pills. I waited until he'd eaten about thirty and then turned my attention to his buddy. I yanked the man off the ground and jammed a handful of pills in his mouth. He was barely conscious, but began to chew when I pressed my hand over his mouth and refused to let him spit them out. I kept on until the pills were gone.

My task done, I stepped back. Robert was struggling, his hand around his throat. His friend wasn't faring any better. So much for a couple more wack jobs So much for a couple more wack jobs. I wiped my mouth, took a moment to calm down. When my fangs had retracted, I joined Iris and the girl, who were waiting around the corner.

"You don't have to worry. They won't ever bother you again," I said. "Now, how about a name?"

She blinked, looking bewildered. "Anna-Linda. Anna-Linda Thomas. I'm from Oregon."

The girl probably thought life up here would be better. I tried to gauge her age. She looked sixteen, but my guess was closer to twelve. "How old are you? And tell me the truth."

She ducked her head and stared at her sneakers. "Thirteen."

Iris stepped in. "Why don't we take her home for the night? She can eat dinner and sleep, and then tomorrow we'll sort everything out."

I glanced at the girl's face. No guile, just pure stupid naivety. "Come on," I said. "You'll be safe for the night. I give you my word of honor."

Iris's presence seemed to calm her down and she followed us docilely. Iris whispered in a voice that I could hear but the girl couldn't, "You okay?"

I nodded.

"Robert and his friend?"

"Forever asleep," I said, heading for the parking garage.

With Anna-Linda a few paces behind her, Iris swung in step with me. "Tell me something."

"What is it?"

We stopped at the light, waiting for the signal to cross. When we were on the other side of the street, the parking garage in sight, Iris softly said, "Camille once mentioned something about being worried about you drinking demon's blood. That it might change you or hurt you. What about the blood of murderers, rapists, wife beaters? Does it taste different-or have any bad effects-on you?"

I frowned. Now that she mentioned it, I could see how they might think that way. "The demons' blood I'm still concerned about. They're a breed apart and things are very different with their genetics. I have no idea what drinking from them has done to me. But with humans? Blood is blood. If they're diseased in body, it won't affect me. Viruses can't live in me. And as far as anything else... well, the taint is in the soul, not the blood. Blood is pure. It sings, but not with their sins."

Iris nodded and we entered the garage. As we bundled Anna-Linda in the back of my sleek, black XJ Jag, the girl immediately leaned her head against the side window. Within less than a minute, she'd fallen asleep.

I slid into the driver's seat.

Iris gave me a sideways glance. "Thanks."

"For what?" I started the ignition and eased out onto the road, heading north to our house on the northwest corner of the Belles-Faire district. We had about twenty minutes till we got there.

"For being you. For caring. For doing something." She grinned then and threw back her head, laughing.

"Well, thank you you," I said, feeling suddenly lighthearted. Sometimes Iris understood me better than my sisters did. "You're pretty handy in a pinch, too, you know that?"

"Indeed I do." She snickered, and we changed the subject as I popped in a CD of Hoist's The Planets The Planets.

As we neared the turnoff leading to the road that led to our house, I wondered what Delilah and Camille would have to say about Anna-Linda. And what would Anna-Linda say about them? It was going to be interesting to find out.

CHAPTER 3.

By the time we arrived home it was almost two-thirty, but the house was blazing with light. Our home, a three-story Victorian, had a full bas.e.m.e.nt where I lived. The house was a wondrous old white elephant, as Mother used to say. Our mother had taught us a lot about customs and expressions Earthside, and we'd taken every sc.r.a.p of information to heart. Unlike my sisters, who were content to live at home in Otherworld, I'd always secretly longed to visit Earthside, with all its exotic technology and customs. Now that I'd been here about a year, I wasn't sure what I thought.

Our acreage was bordered on three sides by a thick copse of woodland. One side led into the wild wood, with a trail meandering down to Birchwater Pond. The other two ended at boundary lines midforest dividing our land from the land of other homeowners. Everybody in this area had at least three to five acres, most of which had wisely been left undeveloped.

The house itself was old enough to be affordable, yet still new enough not to need major repairs. Delilah's suite of rooms was on the third floor, Camille took the second, we shared the main story, and I, of course, had the bas.e.m.e.nt. Iris lived with us and had a cozy nook off the kitchen where she comfortably made her home.

Maggie usually slept in Iris's room, although if everybody was off gallivanting around, Iris would sneak her down to my lair where the gargoyle would curl up in a special bed we'd prepared for her, safe and sound and protected from the world. Though I usually woke with a snarl, I never turned on Maggie. The very aspects that led others to fear me worked in reverse when it came to her. I'd taken her under my protection.

Iris and I hopped out of the car. Iris woke Anna-Linda and bundled her toward the porch behind me. Before I could unlock the door, Camille opened it and hustled us in.

"Chase wants to talk to you. Chrysandra said you were on your way home so we've been keeping a watch-" She stopped suddenly. "Who's that?"

"A guest," I said. "Is Chase here?"

"He's in the living room," she said, trying to peek behind me.

"I'll tell you about the girl in a bit," I murmured.

As we entered the living room, I saw that Delilah was watching Jerry Springer as usual-this time Jerry was ambushing unwary women with their grooms-to-be who were about to reveal that they'd been sleeping with their future mothers-in-law. Delightful Delightful. I had no idea what Delilah got out of this c.r.a.p, but she liked it and so I humored her. I halfway suspected she had a case of the hots for Springer himself, but that thought was so unappetizing that I tried to avoid it as much as possible.

Chase was curled up on the sofa next to her, snoring softly. Trillian and Morio were nowhere to be seen. Morio was Camille's other lover-the other member of the little harem she had going. Morio was a youkai-kitsune, a fox demon. j.a.panese and as gorgeous as all the other men anxious to be in her entourage, Morio had been teaching her death magic, a skill which she was picking up all too easily. I glanced at the clock. Wade should be along before long.

Delilah woke Chase and he yawned, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. They made for a striking couple. They shared the same height of six-foot-one, but Delilah was as golden as Chase was swarthy. Her felinelike features sparkled with energy, while his Mediterranean good looks could make the cover of any GQ GQ magazine. He wasn't my type though. Neither were Camille's lovers. Most men didn't appeal to me and with good reason. magazine. He wasn't my type though. Neither were Camille's lovers. Most men didn't appeal to me and with good reason.

I pulled Iris aside. "Would you take Anna-Linda into the kitchen and get her something to eat, then tuck her into bed? If you have any sort of 'don't run away' spell, now would be a good time to use it."

She nodded and gently led the girl away, asking in soothing tones what she'd like to eat. As far as I could tell, Anna-Linda still hadn't pegged me for a vampire, and I wanted her feeling refreshed and safe before she realized what I was. No sense in having her so terrified she'd run again.

When they were out of earshot, I settled down on the ottoman and motioned for the others to lean in. "I don't want the girl overhearing what I'm about to tell you," I said. "She's been traumatized enough for one night."

Chase frowned. "I have news for you, too-"

I shook my head. "Slow down there, bronco. Chase, you're going to find the bodies of two drug dealers in one of the alleys off of Wilshire Avenue, near the parking garage. They accidentally accidentally ingested every tablet of Z-fen that they happened to have on them. I stopped them from raping that little girl. They were going to drug her and put her to work turning tricks. Her name is Anna-Linda Thomas and she's a runaway from Oregon. I smell a bad home life, but you should check it out before saying anything. She's skittish." ingested every tablet of Z-fen that they happened to have on them. I stopped them from raping that little girl. They were going to drug her and put her to work turning tricks. Her name is Anna-Linda Thomas and she's a runaway from Oregon. I smell a bad home life, but you should check it out before saying anything. She's skittish."

"Whoa. That's some evening you had." Delilah blinked, turning her winsome face toward me. She had grown up a lot over the past few months, that naive spark missing from her eyes. But it wasn't just the demons who'd vanquished it. No, a black scar in the shape of a scythe adorned the center of her forehead. She was a marked woman, and it had changed her in ways I could only begin to fathom.

I turned my attention back to Chase. He yawned and flipped open his notebook.

"Can I get some coffee?" he said. "Meanwhile, give all that to me again. Slowly this time."

Delilah unfolded herself from the sofa and headed toward the kitchen in search of caffeine. Camille caught my eye and gave me the thumbs-up. She was a lot like me, although I could out-ruthless her any day of the week.

I went over the incident again, step by step, not bothering to hide my impatience when Chase let out a loud sigh.

"Look, I don't give a flying f.u.c.k that you're squeamish about my methods, but you'd better get one thing through your head," I said. "Not only are we at war with the demons, but with a world full of perverts out there. If Iris and I hadn't shown up at the precise moment we did, that little girl would be on her knees sucking c.o.c.ks, pumped up on Z-fen. Or maybe she'd be taking it up the a.s.s for some businessman looking for a game of rub-and-tickle. You want that to happen? Fine. But I can't stomach the thought of waiting for the cops to answer a nine-one-one call. And I don't like the odds of those bottom-feeders buying their way out of jail."

Chase stared at his notes. I'd either made him furious or hit a nerve, because he closed the notebook and returned it to his pocket. His eyes cool and glittering, he said, "Before you three came along, I played by the book. I was a good cop. Or so I thought. I obeyed the rules. Now... I don't know what I am."

I repressed my urge to shake him by the shoulders. "Listen to me. You've learned to adapt. We all have to. And because you have, you'll have a better chance of surviving the chaos that's coming. Go ahead and return to playing good cop and bury your head in the sand. We'll go home, and leave the portal to Shadow Wing. Where will all your rules and regulations get you then?"

He paled and I felt a flicker of guilt, then squashed it. Of all of us, I was the most pragmatic. Trillian was right up there behind me, and Camille and Morio next in line, but Chase and Delilah tended to hesitate when facing difficult choices. I didn't blame them. It simply wasn't in their natures to play rough. But if we were to stop the evil filtering in from the Sub Realms, we couldn't afford to be picky when it came to breaking a few rules.

"Yeah, I know," he said after a moment. "I hear you loud and clear, even if I don't like the message."

Delilah returned from the kitchen carrying a tray with the coffeepot and mugs. She'd added a gla.s.s of milk for herself and an empty goblet for me, which she held up. "Drink?"

I shook my head. "No thanks, I'm not thirsty."

"Okay, truce on the pimp issue," Chase said, accepting the coffee. "Now, tell me, where do you get that blood you keep on ice, anyway? Or do I really want to know?"

I grinned. "I wondered if you'd ever get up the guts to ask. Every few weeks, Camille visits one of the smaller farms around here."

Chase turned an inquisitive eye her way. "Yes?"

Camille laughed. "One kiss and the manager gives me anything I want. They keep some of the blood they drain from their livestock for us. Since it's an organic farm, the blood's untainted by chemicals."

"So animal blood works?" Chase asked, looking less freaked out than I'd expected, though that might be because the answer was a lot less frightening than he'd probably been imagining.

"Oh sure. It's not my favorite, but it serves a purpose, at least for awhile. It won't stave off the hunger for too long, but it's enough to get me by for awhile. Our freezer's packed with it-enough to last me four or five months if I have to hole up." I paused for a moment. "Okay, what's your your news, Johnson?" news, Johnson?"

He stared into his cup and then looked up to meet my eyes. "The four bodies we took in tonight? The ones killed by vamps?"

The tone of his voice told me I wasn't going to like what was coming next. Camille and Delilah stared at the ground. Apparently they already knew.

"They're gone."

"What do you mean, they're gone?" I stared at him. "Corpses just don't walk away. Well, not all that often."

"Use your head, girl," Chase said, looking exhausted. "We have four newborn hungry vamps on the loose. One of the laboratory techs saw them rise. He managed to hide until they left. He's an elf who works with Sharah." Chase lifted his cup to his lips. The coffee was scalding, but he didn't even flinch.

Freakin' b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. "Do you think they were wannabes, then? Groupies who found a willing vamp to sire them?"

He shook his head. "I checked into their background. None of them hung with that crowd. They didn't cruise the clubs, they had good jobs, apartments, pets, families. Now I have to decide whether to notify their families or not. What can I say? Your daughter's dead, but she got up and walked away Your daughter's dead, but she got up and walked away? Or do I just wait until they're reported missing? This is a sticky wicket, and I'm so d.a.m.ned glad that so far, only the FH-CSI is involved. But what I really need is for somebody to get out there and catch these new vamps before they start preying on the people of Seattle. That's on top of catching the joker who sired them."

Great. This night was just getting better and better. "Got any clues?"

"I don't know. You know the vamp community better than I ever could. My men and I'd be sitting ducks if we went into some of the sub-cult clubs that have sprung up over the past few years. And don't think I don't know about what goes on in there. I've heard about the parties at Dominick's." He set down his mug and gave me a tired shrug. "I know it's a lot to ask on top of finding whoever killed them in the first place but..."

I looked from Delilah to Camille. "I a.s.sume you two will go along for the ride?"

Camille nodded. "What else can we do?" She looked like she was going to say something, but then shook her head.

"Okay, you've got something on your mind. Give it up."

She stared at the floor for a moment. "As far as you know, how often do vamps leave their kills out for others to find? Wouldn't they normally take someone back to their nest if they were intending to sire them?"

What she said made sense, but I didn't see how it related. "Go on."

"I just think... it seems like this might be a message. That we were meant to take notice of those bodies, especially since Chase received that anonymous tip. Whoever it was didn't try to hide the bite marks, did he?" She frowned, pursing her lips in a gesture that reminded me so much of Father it was hard to look away.