The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

"You know, our murderess seems to be targeting those women as much as the men."

"Which is why I've sent Kade on to the murder scene, and I want you to go talk to Dia. Maybe she can shed some light on what is going on."

It was a big maybe. I liked Dia - a lot - but the information she saw generally tended to be vague, at best. She was far more accurate when it came to personal stuff - which is why I tended to avoid too much hand-to-hand contact whenever we went to coffee or lunch. My life so far had not gone the way I'd planned, and I didn't want to know that the future would go to shit, as well. Not knowing meant I could still hope. Still dream.

But even if she couldn't give us any direct psychic help, she was a part of the Toorak set, so she could at least give me information about the Trollops, as James's secretary had so charmingly called them.

"I've already rung her," Jack continued. "She's not home, but she said she'd meet you at the usual place in half an hour."

The usual place was an out-of-the-way nook in Brunswick that had some of the best coffee I'd ever tasted, and that didn't mind kids running around making noise. Which meant Dia had her daughter, Risa, with her. "I'll drive over as soon as I pick up my car. Did Benson pass on my question about invisible vampires?"

"Yeah, but I haven't had time to research the database yet. Personally, I never heard of that particular skill in vamps, but it's not like I've been around long enough to meet all the different types."

"But you've been around long enough to be fairly high up the vampire ladder." And considering he'd been a vamp for over eight hundred years, you'd think he would have heard something in that time.

"Yeah, but that ladder is composed mainly of blood vamps, with a few emos scattered here and there. We generally don't get other types of vamps joining."

I raised my eyebrows. "Joining? I was under the impression the hierarchy system was a natural part of being turned." Meaning, young suckers started at the bottom of the ladder, and rose through the ranks as they got older and stronger.

"It is for blood vamps. And it was - is - a good method of keeping track of all blood vamps, and ensuring there is no war between the different bloodlines."

I wondered what bloodline Jack had come from - and whether he'd ever created his own fledglings.

Wondered whether Quinn ever had.

He didn't seem the type, but then, what did I really know about either him or his history?

"I still can't see how that works, you know. Vamps are just as hungry for power as everyone else." Probably more so. "What's to stop someone down the ladder bumping off those ahead?"

"The threat that his or her whole line would be erased."

"So it's not so much a matter of honor and respect, as Quinn said, but rather fear?"

"It often works better than respect." Jack shrugged. "Anyway, there's a database kept of our history - a record, if you like, of the vamps who have lived and died since the hierarchy came into place. I'll check it for any mention of a line of vamps immune to sunlight. But don't hold out too much hope. I'd imagine such immunity would have been greatly studied had it existed."

Or kept very secret indeed. After all, they wouldn't want humanity knowing there were some branches of vampires who could move around in daylight. Humans had enough trouble dealing with the nighttime versions.

"Once I talk to Dia, I might head over to Vinny's and see what she can tell me." After all, she'd kissed the sucker. Maybe she'd tasted what he was.

"Be careful," Jack said, and hung up.

"Bad news?" Liander asked.

"Yeah, looks like I'm going to miss lunch." I shoved my phone back into my pocket. "If you see Rhoan tonight, could you give him the photos? I want to check if there are any other links to that school and Young's disappearance."

"Will do." He paused, turning right into traffic, then said, "So, how badly are Collingwood going to defeat Carlton in this week's match?"

I snorted softly, and we got into yet another argument about the pros and cons of our favorite football teams. It filled the time.

He dropped me off at my car then continued on. I got my keys out of my pocket, but didn't immediately climb into my car. I walked back down the street and checked whether Young had crept home.

He hadn't - at least, not that I could smell, anyway. Which mightn't have meant anything considering how little I'd caught his scent the first time.

Brunswick was only a ten-minute drive from Glenroy, but by the time I found parking and got to the restaurant, I was a good twenty minutes late. I couldn't see Dia sitting in her usual spot on one of the outside tables, but as I neared the door, little Risa came bounding out of the restaurant and flung herself at my legs.

"'iley!" she yelled, wrapping her tiny arms around my left leg and hanging on with the grip of a boa. "Coke!"

I laughed and picked her up, ignoring the twinge in my shoulder as I spun her around lightly before holding her close. She smelled of soap and powder and warmth, and made me wish again for a child of my own.