Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 17)

Chapter 63

I WAITED FOR that flame to sink into me, to take me over, but nothing happened. The hands were still holding me down, I could still feel the press of power, of that brown flame, but that was it. I opened my eyes a slit, and the brown-gold of the flame was dazzling, but it wasn't coming closer.

A gunshot sounded so close that I was deaf for a second. Then the flame was gone, and Vittorio's face was above mine. I thought he meant to kiss me, but realized from the way he held himself that he was ducking. Another shot sounded, and then the people who'd been pinning me let me up and moved to form a human shield by the kneeling vampire.

"Another night," he said, and he was suddenly standing and running in a movement that I couldn't follow with my eyes. I sat up, watching him go, my heart in my throat. I'd seen only one other vampire that could move like that without mind tricks: Truth.

Men were yelling, "Fuck, where'd he go! There! Did you see that!"

Edward was suddenly standing above me, his hand held out. I took it, and he lifted me to my feet. I swayed a little, and he steadied me.

"You all right?" he asked.

I nodded.

He gave me a look.

"He tried to mark me, but he couldn't get past my shields in the time you gave him."

Olaf loomed over us. "Is she hurt?"

"I'm fine," I said, and forced myself to let go of Edward's hand, when what I really wanted to do was collapse into his arms and hold on.

Green uniformed SWAT guys were there now, moving the crowd around as the people began to wander around, asking what happened.

Hooper was there, his face the only pale thing in the outfit. "What the hell happened, Blake?"

"The hostages, the club, it was a trap."

"A trap for what?" Hooper asked.

"Me."

Georgie came up beside his sergeant. "Nothing personal, Blake, but then why didn't he kill you?"

"He doesn't want me dead."

"What does he want?" Hooper asked.

"Me, as his human servant."

"You already belong to the master in St. Louis, right?" It was Cannibal, coming up from the other side of the dispersing crowd.

What was I supposed to say? "Something like that."

"Then he's too late," Cannibal said.

"He thinks he's powerful enough to take me away."

Hooper was standing there, not moving but watching my face. "Is he?"

"Not tonight, he wasn't."

Hooper's mouth made a small movement; maybe it was a smile, maybe not. "Let's not give him another night."

"Amen to that," I said.

I turned to Cannibal, alias Sergeant Rocco. "Some heap-big psychic you are. Didn't you sense Vittorio working the crowd?"

"Sorry, Anita, but I only do memories."

"Shit, can't any of you sense this kind of thing? Where's Sanchez?" I asked.

"Why?" Olaf asked.

"I thought he might have sensed the metaphysics."

"He's with the second team. They're going to scout Bering's house," Edward said. "Grimes wanted his practitioners to see if they could sense the demon."

"Why aren't you with Sanchez?" I asked Rocco.

"My ability is touch and memories. I'm not touching a demon on purpose, and I don't want those memories."

Edward said, "They're trying to see if they can sense the demon, so we can make entry closer to the targets or farther away from them, depending on what they find."

"Give me a gun, and let's get out there."

Edward was beside me; he handed me my own backup gun from a pocket in his tac pants.

Rocco said, "You have vampires right here; why chase demons?"

"This is a hostage situation. I'm not a negotiator."

Bernardo came up. He had blood running down his face from a cut on his forehead; apparently someone had hit back.

The people from the crowd who had tried to beat the hell out of police officers were being given blankets and hot drinks by Red Cross workers. The team doctor was checking them out, with his med tech by his side. I heard a man say, "I knew what we were doing was wrong, but I couldn't stop. I had to do what the voice in my head told me to do. I wanted to stop, but I couldn't."

I stepped in front of Rocco, and he stopped, looking at me. "If Sanchez and the other practitioners can sense the demon, it can sense them. If it's what killed the other operators, it could come out and trail them by their own magic."

"Most demons aren't that bright," Edward said.

"We're aware that some preternatural beings can sense psychic ability, Marshal. We've got them warded so their"-he made a waffling motion with his hand-"signature is garbled."

I was impressed and said so.

"Psychic ability is just another part of the job for us," he said. His radio crackled to life, and he turned to listen. He started to do a slow jog, and the rest of us just fell into step with him. All right, the men slow-jogged; I had to fast-jog. My legs were shorter. "The vampires have given up. They've freed the hostages, and they surrendered."

"What's the catch?" I asked. If anyone heard me, they didn't answer, but I knew there was a catch; with vampires there was always a catch.