“It’s done,” I whisper.
“No we wait,” Fel says.
“No. Now we tell Sacha what the hell is going on.” Sacha places her hands on her hips.
“It’s a long story I’d rather not tell here.”
She glances around and shudders. “Fair enough.” She loops her arms through mine. “You owe me a tale, and coffee since you dragged me from my bed.”
“Do I need to feed you, too?” I ask sarcastically.
“Well if you were a good date, you would.”
I roll my eyes.
“I’ll alert the cook,” Cristobal says.
“You have a cook! Someone’s been holding out.”
“I do not. They do.”
“Which means she does,” Fel says.
The banter is all bravado. Escape from the heavy mood that’s settled in the wake of the spell. I latch onto it, desperate for a distraction from the worries plaguing me. There’s nothing to do but wait and pray we made the right choice. This could tip her over the edge. There have been no murders since our last run in. I fear our dry spell is about to be broken.
***
I groan as a knock on the door pulls me from slumber. I’m aware of two warm bodies on either side of me. We’d stayed up late in the room, passing out as the sky went from a sapphire blue to purple in a pre-sunrise display. I clear my throat. It feels like I just went to sleep.
“Yeah,” I call.
“Louella, we need you to meet us in the den.”
Cristobal’s tone is grim. I pry my eyes open, stunned to see it’s still dark outside. I speak through our connection.
What happened?
A bad attack. No, that’s too kind a word. A massacre. We’ve been contacted by the council.
How many?
Ten dead. Ten more injured with the potential of turning.
When are we meeting with the council?
Today. The vampires plan to discuss it during equinox. It’s beyond blame, and about accountability and control. If they think some vampire in my territories caused this.
He doesn’t have to spell it out for me. They’ve moved past framing to trying to prove incompetence. My heart is heavy. This just got complicated. I can sense the vamp haters will be circling their wagons with pitchforks and I told you so’s ready to wield as their weapons of choice.
We need to document the cave. I want photographs, and a team to come in and block it out.
I sent Miles and Rene as soon as I heard.
Where did it happen?
The Black Rose.
The club was a popular hangout for college students. There’d be no sweeping this under the rug with all those concerned parents requesting information. As if on cue, the cell phones in the room begin to ring. Fel and Sacha moan and burrow farther into their pillows. I grab my cell.