&n
bsp; Once upon a time, he was one of them.
Shame it took being turned into a Para himself to realize what an asshole he used to be.
Snatching the offered card from the cop, he made sure to flash his claws when he took his P.I.D. back. “Thanks for the break, officer. I’ll get right on that.”
Okay, he admitted when all of the color in Peabody’s face drained away.
Still was.
2
Tabitha Winslow was gathering her gear when she heard the knock at her apartment door.
She immediately dropped into a defensive crouch, her hand slipping to the dagger sitting securely at her hip. In the back of her mind, she noticed that her nail polish had chipped. Dusty coral was more like dirty pink. She’d have to do something about that later.
Another knock. Louder this time.
“Tabby? I know you’re in there.”
She sighed, her hand falling away from the cinquedea’s hilt.
It was Eddie. Because why wouldn’t it be?
She should’ve been expecting something like that. Ever since Rosie retired, her uncle had been after her to take up a new partner. It was hard to say no to him, and not just because he was family. Boone Matthews was the head of the Society, the brains behind the ops—and the money, too. His word was law.
Good thing the Slayer’s Code was just as important. And, so long as it said for while the slayer hunts alone, we know that we are not alone, Tabby could avoid being forced into having Eddie follow her around on her hunts like some kind of bodyguard/chaperone.
Shame that didn’t stop the man from leaving headquarters to visit her in her newly rented apartment.
Three days. She’d only been in town for three days. Barely got used to the apartment she was subletting, and there he was. Eddie Daniels. Who, she knew from experience, would bang on the door all night if she didn’t let him in now.
She pulled open the door. There, standing in the hall, was a man who had more than a head in height on her, with closely-cut dark hair, deep brown eyes, a rugged jaw, and a crooked smile.
“What are you doing here?”
His eyes seemed to twinkle in delight at her welcome. “Is that any way to say hello?”
Resisting the urge to sigh, she matched his grin. “Well, hello, Eddie. It’s been so long! What was it? Three days? Four?”
With a laugh, he let himself into her apartment. “It’s nice to see that some time and a bit of distance between us hasn’t made you any less of a smartass.”
“You love me anyway.”
The words just slipped out. She had a habit of that happening. It only made it worse when he didn’t even try to deny it.
Ugh.
Refusing to let the situation become awkward, she reluctantly followed him into her living room. “Seriously. What’s up? I thought Boone said I was the only slayer he was sending into Grayson unless it got out of hand.”
“I’m not here because I’m on the job. I already finished one up this afternoon. A haunting where a ghost just didn’t understand why its anchor was refusing to let it into the house.” He shrugged. “Simple misunderstanding. They’ll work it out. And since that was easy enough, and Grayson was only about a half-hour out from Maytown, I thought I’d—”
“Check up on me?”
“See how you’re doing.”
Suuure. “I’m alright. Got a couple of leads on the mysterious wannabe, I think. Snagged a hot Nightwalker last night.”