Blood Kissed (Lizzie Grace 1)

“He’s using blood not regular magic,” I said, and gave him a full rundown on everything I knew or suspected. I might not like either of them, but as I’d said to Aiden, they were here to do a job. “I take it you’ve contacted the Associat

ion for help?”

“Indeed.” Blume glanced at his watch. “They should have a representative here within the hour. He or she will probably wish to speak to you.”

Undoubtedly. Whether I wanted to speak to him or her was another matter entirely.

“Are you able to tell us anything about the reanimated corpse?” Hart said.

“I’m thinking you two probably know a whole lot more about zombies than I do.”

“Well no, because it’s not something we’ve actually come across before.” There was a note in Blume’s voice that suggested amusement, even if his face remained deadpan. “Central Victoria isn’t exactly a hotbed for the undead.”

“Which doesn’t mean there aren’t any vampires in the region.”

“Of course not,” Hart agreed. “But most have the sense to stay under the radar and out of trouble.”

“If most of them did that, you two would be out of a job.”

“Not as long as there’s magic, or humans living within werewolf reservations,” Blume said. “How long does reanimated flesh last?”

“As far as I know, for as long as the sorcerer’s strength holds out. Given he fed last night, that could mean another week, at least.”

The two shared another glance. “He fed?” Hart asked.

“So I heard from the grapevine,” I replied, hoping I hadn’t just landed Aiden in trouble. “An old couple was apparently found dead this morning. It’s not much of a leap to connect it to our vamp, given he would have been in desperate need of sustenance after his efforts last night.”

“Speaking of which,” Blume said. “I believe one of your skills is psychometry?”

I gave him a bland sort of smile. “That’s what the advertising on the café windows says.”

“Meaning if we found something belonging to either the Redfern kid or our vampire, you’d be able to find them?”

Obviously, Aiden hadn’t mentioned either the watch or the pendant. I opened my mouth to tell them, then closed it again. As much I really didn’t want to attempt locating our vamp or zombie through either item, I also had no desire to get Aiden offside. We had to live on this reservation once this mess had been sorted out—slipping back into the O’Connor pack’s bad books wouldn’t help achieve that aim.

Besides, the vibes I was getting from these two had old prejudices resurfacing, and that only inflamed the desire not to help them.

“Perhaps,” I eventually said. “But psychometry isn’t as reliable as location spells. It might be easier—and quicker—to wait until the Association witch gets here.”

“I personally agree,” Hart said. “But given the violence appears to be escalating, we need to cover all bases.”

“Fine.” I crossed my arms. “But whatever you bring me needs to have been in close contact with skin. And in the case of our vampire, I suspect that’s going to be difficult.”

“Indeed, but if what you’re saying is true, then if we find our zombie, we’ll find our vampire.”

“In theory, yes, but we are dealing with someone who is a very strong blood witch. It’s more than possible he’ll counter any such attempt with a diversion spell.”

Blume frowned—something that was evident only by the creasing in his forehead. “I know it’s possible to spell against magical intrusion, but I didn’t think it was possible to do so against psychic powers.”

“You can spell against anything. All it takes is the knowledge and the power.” I rose again. “If that’s all, gentlemen, I need to get back to work.”

They stood as one. “Please remain contactable. As we’ve said, the regional witch will want to speak to you.”

“Undoubtedly.”

This time, Hart seemed to catch my unspoken reluctance. “It is in your best interests to assist our investigation, Ms. Grace. Failure to do so will have unfortunate consequences.”

“I’ve answered all your questions,” I said, unable to keep the slight tartness out of my voice, “and agreed to do a psychometry reading. How, exactly, am I failing to help your investigation?”