Ilona Andrews - Magic Grave

Tammy shook her head slowly. I watched with sympathy. Denial was how I'd reacted at sixteen when I found out my absentee father had been a vampire, and that it wasn't puberty causing my strangeness, but the growth of my inhuman traits.

"I know it's hard to believe since vampires and ghouls look human most of the time," I tried again, "but -"

"Let me get this straight," Tammy interrupted. "I asked some of my father's old government friends for help when "accidents" kept happening to me, and someone sent a vampire to protect me?"

Fabian began to laugh. I gave the ghost a censuring look that silenced his chuckles, but even though he was partially transparent, it was clear his lips were still twitching.

"Actually, two vampires," I corrected. "The ghost was a bonus."

"I'm a dead woman," Tammy muttered.

Bones snorted. "Told you this job wouldn't be easy, luv."

He was right, but I owed Don a favor. Even if I hadn't, I would still be here. Last month, Tammy had almost been killed by a "freak" electrical surge. Two weeks ago, a drive-by shooting nearly took her life. Could've been unfortunate coincidences, except the fact that if Tammy died before her twenty-first birthday, all her father's millions would go to her cousin, Gables. Tammy's late father had been an old friend of my uncle's, and Don didn't believe in coincidences. Then Don did some digging and heard that the next attempt on Tammy would involve an 'exotic' kind of hitman that never failed.

Don knew what that meant. He ran a special Homeland Security division that dealt with the supernatural – not that taxpayers knew part of their money went toward policing things that supposedly didn't exist. I was retired from the unit, but that made it even better for my uncle. Don didn't need to use an active team member to look after his old friend's daughter. No, he could call me, knowing I wouldn't turn away a girl who had her head on a preternatural chopping block.

Tammy seemed to have gotten over her initial shock. She tossed her blonde hair. "I offered to pay for protection and if you're the one protecting me, that means you work for me. So I'm going to lay some ground rules, got it?"

My brows rose. Fabian whistled, but of course, Tammy couldn't hear the ghost. You better hurry up and arrest her cousin, Don , I thought.

Bones gave me a knowing look. "Told you not to answer your mobile whilst we were on vacation, Kitten."

I sighed. Tammy began ordering us to take her back to her house. Bones ignored her, pulling onto the road and continuing in the opposite direction of where she lived.

"It's only for a few days," I said.

Or so I hoped, anyway.

Most people who'd had three brushes with death – one involving a ghoul – would be scared into a very cooperative state. Tammy appeared to be channeling her inner Paris Hilton instead. Evidently she'd never heard the word no before. She was outraged that we didn't let her go back to her house to pack, and then she was really upset once she saw the town we were hiding out in.

"You've got to be kidding." Tammy gave a disparaging glance at the rustic countryside and overgrown cherry orchard bordering the property where I'd grown up.

"It's in the middle of nowhere," Tammy went on. "You probably have psychotic inbreds living in the woods!"

She's suffered a traumatic experience , I reminded myself again, gritting my teeth. Cut her some slack .

Licking Falls was in the middle of rural nowhere, but that was the point. It might not look appealing to a young heiress, but for safety, it was ideal. No one would think to look for Tammy here.

We'd rounded the last turn and were heading down the long gravel road that led to my old house when Bones abruptly stopped.

"What's wrong?" I asked, feeling his tenseness like invisible ants marching across my skin.

"Your house isn't empty," he stated low. "And the occupant isn't human."

"Let's get out of here," Tammy said, her voice rising. "Now!"

I had my hand over her mouth even as Bones slid soundlessly out of the car. All we needed was for Tammy to start screaming to really alert whoever the undead intruder was. How the hell had someone beaten us here? We'd told no one we were coming! Instinct made me want to follow Bones, but that would leave Tammy unprotected. I glared at Tammy and ordered her in a low tone to be silent. The power from my gaze rendered Tammy mute at once. Then I let go of her mouth and pulled out a few weapons, all my senses directed toward the house half a mile up the road.

Relief rolled across my subconscious moments later, causing me to lessen my grip on my knives. Bones must have killed the intruder. Being connected to Bones this way was like hitchhiking on his emotions. In situations like this, it also came in handy.

I began to drive up the road again, ignoring Tammy's frantic pokes on my shoulders. I'd compelled her to be quiet, but not to be still, more's the pity.

When I was halfway up the road, Bones appeared, a bemused expression on his face.

"Your mum's here," he said.

I'd slowed on seeing him, but at that, I slammed on the brakes. "She is?"

Bones nodded and got into the passenger sear. "In the undead flesh."

"Catherine?" I heard my mother say, sounding as surprised as I felt. Of course. Even a hundred yards away, with her new hearing, she'd pick up my conversation with Bones as easily as if she'd been in the car.

A lump made its way into my throat. "Yeah, Mom. It's me."

I hadn't seen my mother in months. Not since the night I killed the man who kidnapped and forcibly changed her into a vampire. He'd done it just to hurt me, the bastard. It was a shame I couldn't kill him twice.

My mother was framed in the front door, watching me as I pulled up. The highlights had grown out of her hair and her skin was already paler than it had been the last time I'd seen her. Feeling the aura of supernatural energy coming from her was something I didn't think I'd ever get used to.

"Hi," I said as I got out. I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid she might push me away. My mother had always loathed vampires. Now she was stuck as one, and it was all because of me. To say that strained our relationship was putting it mildly.

Her hands fluttered, like she wasn't sure what to do with them. "Catherine." A small smile creased her face. "What are you doing here?"

"We were going to use the house to hide out, but since you're here -"

"Someone's after you again?" she cut me off, green tingeing her blue gaze.

"Not me," I hastened to assure her. "Tammy, the girl in the backseat. Bones and I are, uh, guarding her for a few days until Don squares things away."

"Hallo, Justina," Bones said, getting out of the car. "Certainly didn't expect to see you here."

"I wanted somewhere quiet to go for a vacation," she muttered.

He let out a sardonic laugh. "Seems we're not the only ones to have our vacation interrupted, then."

Bones took it for granted that we'd still be staying here. We'd decided this place was perfect to hide Tammy and I'm the one who owned it, so to him it was settled. But after all my mother had been through, I didn't want to subject her to my current predicament.

"We'll go somewhere else," I said with an apologetic shrug.

"Is something wrong with the girl?" my mother asked, pointing.

I glanced at the backseat. Tammy was smacking at the door while her eyes bugged and her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

"Oh shit, I forgot about muting her!"

I let Tammy out and returned her voice with a flash of my gaze. The first thing she did was howl loud enough to make me wince.

"Don't ever do that to me again !"

"Then don't give away our position if we think there's danger, and we won't have a reason to," Bones replied with an arched brow.