Adrian Phoenix - In the Blood

Sliding off the bed, Heather gathered up the quilt folded at the foot of the bed and settled it over Dante’s sleeping form. Eerie jumped onto the bed with a concerned trill. He hopped over to Dante and sniffed him delicately for a few moments before curling up beside him.

Heather smiled. “Little guardian. You watch over him for me, okay?” Eerie lifted his orange head and blinked at her as if to say, Duh .

Switching off the lamp, Heather walked from the room to check on her other guests. Eli was curled up on one end of the sofa, the TV remote in his hand, light from the screen flickering across his face.

The clunk of the refrigerator door being closed drew her gaze to the kitchen. Jack was slathering mayonnaise across multiple slices of bread. Scattered on the counter was a package of cheddar, a bottle of mustard, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, ham and turkey lunch meat—all the makings of a bunch of sandwiches or one monumental Dagwood-award-worthy sandwich. Playing drums was obviously hungry work.

The sound of water spraying against glass told her Antoine was in the shower.

Her stomach rumbled and she realized she was hungry; starved, actually. She was about to join Jack in the kitchen when it dawned on her that she didn’t see Von.

Swiveling around, she asked Eli if he’d seen the nomad. He nodded. “Outside,” he said. “Checking the perimeter.”

Perimeter? “Thanks.”

Outside, it was sprinkling again, a fine mist more than actual rain, and cool water quickly beaded on Heather’s face and clothes. The driveway held only her Trans Am.

The tour bus, its driver, a couple of roadies, and the band’s equipment were already headed home to New Orleans, rolling along the Interstate southeast. Everyone else had tickets for an evening flight home tomorrow.

Heather’s Skechers crunched on the gravel as she walked around to the side of the house. A pale hand grabbed the top of the wood fence, and Von vaulted over as easily as if he’d jumped from a trampoline. He landed with feline grace.

“Everything looks clear,” he said, ambling over to join her. His eyes gleamed in the dark, reflecting streetlight. Rain glittered like diamonds in his dark hair. “I don’t think there’s gonna be any trouble from Seattle nightkind. Not here, at least. What good’s an ass-kicking if the guy you’re pissed at ain’t conscious enough to appreciate it? Ruins the whole thing.”

“Ass-kicking appreciation. Could be a freshman course at college,” Heather said with a quick grin. “But right now I’m more worried about mortals with an agenda.”

Von nodded. “Yeah, I was thinking about that too—that Bad Seed shit you told me about, not to mention that so-called Spin photographer. You see any cars that don’t belong? Anyone outta place?”

“No,” Heather said. “But that doesn’t mean they’re not watching.”

“Better to be too paranoid, doll, than not paranoid enough. I’ll be taking the night watch,” Von said. “Jack said he’d take over at dawn.”

“Does Jack know how to handle a gun?”

“Yup, he’s a bayou boy.”

“Has he ever played guard before?”

“Nope. Lucien was always there in the past.”

Heather shook her head. “Then I’ll take dawn duty. Jack’s gotta be tired after the show. He can take over later in the morning.”

“You’ve got time to catch a nap. It’s only two.”

“Annie’s not home yet, and I—”

“It’s okay, doll. I hear you.”

“So…how do the clans feel about one of their own being turned?” she asked.

“It’s an honor, yeah, a big deal,” Von said. “You shoulda seen the bash my clan threw when I was chosen and turned. Everyone was drunk for nights .”

“So it was something you wanted? Being turned?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” He looked at Heather for a long moment, stroking the sides of his mustache with forefinger and thumb, thinking deep.

“Tell me,” Heather said. “Whatever it is. I’ll keep it safe.”

Von stopped stroking his mustache. “I know you will,” he said softly. “No matter who or what Dante might be, no matter what he has done or might do, his heart’s true. I’ve never regretted giving up the Road for him.”

“Did Dante ask you to?” Heather asked.

“Nah, my choice. I saw him. And I knew.”

“Knew what?”

“He is the never-ending Road.”

“But to where?” Heather said, holding Von’s steady gaze.

“Don’t matter and don’t care. I’ll be with him.”

“I’m glad you are,” Heather murmured, then added, “Nightkind for forty years, huh? So how old are you, anyway?”

“What kinda question is that, woman? How old . Seventy-one. I’m still jailbait, nightkind-wise.” Von bumped her with his shoulder, a surprisingly catlike gesture. A mischievous grin parted his lips. “You’re wet.”

“So are you.”

“Okay, then. Inside?”

Smiling, Heather bumped him back. “Inside, Mr. I’m Still Jailbait.”

Von laughed.

Inside, all was quiet. Eli snoozed on the couch while Jack watched TV, plate of sandwiches in his lap. Antoine relaxed in the recliner, reading one of Heather’s books about vampires, a look of amused disbelief on his face.

Heather locked the front door and twisted the dead bolts into place before grabbing a towel from the bathroom and then walking into the bedroom to check on Dante. He’d moved; he was curled on his side, facing the door, Eerie tucked in the crook of his arm. Eerie’s eyes slitted open. He mewed, then closed his eyes again. Very content.

She’d never seen him take to anyone like he’d taken to Dante. And that particular endorsement meant a lot to her, since she trusted Eerie’s judgment. Heather kicked off her shoes, then pulled off her wet clothes. Toweling herself dry, she slipped into her jammies and slippers.

Pulling her .38 from her purse, she automatically checked both the safety and the magazine, then, gun in hand, she hung the towel up in the bathroom to dry. As she walked back into the living room, she saw Von unbolting and unlocking the door.

“What’s up?” she asked.

Von opened the door. Annie walked in, followed by Silver. Both were wet and disheveled—Annie’s makeup smudged, her skirts in reverse order—and, in her sister’s case anyway, reeking of booze and cigarette smoke.

Relief flooded through Heather and she felt her tension unwind. She opened her mouth, then closed it. No point in saying anything to Annie when she was drunk and, besides, she was just glad she was home, safe.

“Hey,” Silver said. “Everything okay?”

“Golden,” Von said, relocking the door.

“How’s Dante?”

“Still out.”

“Oh.”

Heather heard something sad and a little lost in Silver’s voice, and she wondered at it, remembering some of his pensiveness in New Orleans. She wondered if he was homesick.

“I’m back,” Annie announced, lifting her chin. “C’mon,” she said, grabbing Silver’s hand. She led him into the guest room—her room now—and slammed the door.

Heather looked at Von. He was grinning at her. “What?”

“Little sheep–covered jammies and a gun,” he said. “Now how hot is that?”

“Not half as hot as a nightkind nomad dripping water on my carpet,” she replied. “Rowr. There’s towels in the closet, doofus.”