"I don't know. Maybe he's shifting into other forms."
"Even in other forms, I'd see him with infrared. Shapeshifting would not alter a vampire's basic heat pattern."
"Then maybe he's using magic to hide his form."
"Magic to create the barrier that supposedly confines us. Magic that apparently controls me as well as everyone else in this town. Magic to hide Dunleavy's own form, and magic to feed his dark gods.” He raised an eyebrow. “Even for one as young and strong as Dunleavy, that's an awful lot of magic happening at one time. I doubt there'd be much left of him right now."
"Maybe that's why you can't find him. Maybe he can't move. Maybe Kinnard is not only the creepy sidekick, but Dunleavy's eyes and hands."
"Kinnard wouldn't be able to perform the sacrifice ceremony in Dunleavy's place, though."
"No. So maybe Dunleavy is conserving all his strength for the ceremonies, and Kinnard is doing everything else.” Which might mean it was Kinnard, not Dunleavy, who had torn that woman apart. Goose bumps fled across her skin, and despite the air's warmth, she shivered. She had a feeling the true extent of Kinnard's evil had yet to be revealed.
Michael studied her for a moment, eyes slightly narrowed. “Which would mean Dunleavy would be somewhere unlikely to be found very easily."
She nodded and zipped up her skirt. “Like deep inside a mine.” She hesitated, frowning. “You haven't searched any of the mines yet?"
He hesitated. “No."
She didn't bother asking why, because she had a suspicion the answer was simple—Dunleavy had no intention of being found by Michael, so he'd put some sort of diversion magic in the runes on Michael's back. Which would explain why they were so intricate—they had an awful lot of ground to cover.
"Then perhaps that's where we should start our search." His frown was deepening, and the tingle of energy was beginning to caress the air. She wished she understood exactly how the runes worked, and whether the magic was built to regenerate, or whether the energy needed for the runes to perform was siphoned from Dunleavy, as needed. Seline had been unable to help her on that one, simply because there were so many variations. All she'd been able to suggest was that Nikki keep pushing, because no magic was everlasting. Even blood magic, the most powerful of all and the one Dunleavy was probably using to sacrifice to his dark Gods, had its limits.
"We don't know for sure,” Michael said.
She remembered the mud she'd found on the mat in the ranger's house. “Wait a minute." She ran into the bedroom, strapped on her wrist knives and dug the dirt ball out of her jacket pocket.
"Here,” she said, dropping the mud into his hand. “What do you make of that?"
"It's clay from the mines,” he said immediately and met her gaze. “What of it?"
"It was all over the ranger's doormat last night."
"So?"
"So, if the ranger walked from the mines to the house, how come there's no reddish soil in the mix?" His gaze went back to the clay. “Because he didn't walk from the mine to the house."
"Exactly. Either he was carried, or there's another way to get from the mine to that house."
"The rat has one hole. Maybe he has a tunnel or two as well.” His gaze met hers again. “It was very observant of you to find this."
She grinned. “I'm an observant sort of girl. Shall we go investigate?" He hesitated, and in the silence, the buzz of energy was as loud as the whine of a mosquito. He dropped the clay to the floor and brushed his hands. “Let's go look,” he said, voice flat, yet full of determination. She shoved on her shoes and headed for the front door. “Since the mud was on the mat near the front door, the tunnel entrance has to be very close to the steps." He opened the front door and ushered her through with a gentle press of his hand against her spine. “As you said, he can't have flown in."
The day was almost overly bright, the sun hot despite the earliness of the hour. She squinted up at the sky. Despite the warmth, dark clouds gathered on the horizon. “Could he be using the mines to get around?"
But why would he bother if he could walk around in daylight unharmed? she wondered, even as she asked the question.
"Probably. It would certainly explain why I've been unable to find him." She glanced at him. “Meaning?"
"Meaning, I can't see through earth. No vampire can." She raised her eyebrows. “Why not?"
"Why can't we cross thresholds uninvited?” He shrugged. “It's just one of those things that is." As they approached the ranger's house, she returned her gaze to the sandy soil, briefly scanning for anything that seemed out of place. “How come, when all vampires know the rules, no vampire knows why ?"
His smile made her heart do a little dance. “How come some women just can't seem to stay out of trouble?"
"It's not polite to answer a question with a question."
"It is when I don't have the answer to the question." She grinned. “If you're not careful, I'll hit you with questions you can answer." He touched her arm, gently stopping her. “Like what?” He squatted down and swept his hand across the dirt. Red dust puffed, revealing wood.