One Grave at a Time (Night Huntress 6)

"Reckon there should be enough limestone and running water for you here, and five hundred pounds of quartz and moissanite will be delivered later," Bones stated, his wave encompassing the rocky underground riverbed we were gathered on. "Will that be sufficient?"

Chris's headlight was aimed at Bones's face, but unlike me, he didn't blink under its harsh glare.

"It's enough, but underground like this, cramped quarters, no electricity . . . it'll take me a month at least to build the trap. Of course, the real problem is what'll happen if the owner of this cave finds out what we're doing."

"No worries. I'm the owner, and it's wired for electricity in places," Bones replied.

Chris's response reverberated across my mind. These people get stranger by the minute. "Great," was what he said out loud. "Then in a few weeks, you'll have-"

"Two," Bones interrupted with a pleasant smile. The screech of protest in Chris's head was silenced when Bones added, "Unless you're not interested in a thirty percent bonus for each of you?"

Money might not be his primary motivator in being here, but Chris was interested in that bonus, and so were his crew. Over half of them were back at their headquarters examining the data from the sanitarium, but the four Chris felt were the most experienced were here. Lexie, Fred, Graham, and Nancy nudged each other, mentally and verbally running down different ways they could improve their efficiency.

"I think we could manage that," Chris replied after a quick huddle with them.

"Splendid. You doubtless guessed that this work is strictly confidential, but here's your reminder. No photos, video, or maps of the cave, and no mention of this to any of your mates." The barest flash of green glinted in Bones's eyes. "In fact, you are never to speak of this job to anyone once you're finished. Understood?"

A subdued chorus of affirmatives followed. I had no doubt that in addition to mesmerizing this promise out of them, Bones would also manage to erase the records of our transactions with N.I.P.D. once they were finished. They'd all probably end up thinking they won their money due to office quick-pick lotto tickets or something.

For once, I didn't think Bones was going overboard. This cave had been used as an ambush against me in the past when some vampires found out about it. I'd killed them, so the cave's significance-and location-had slid back into obscurity. Now we were forced to reveal it to Chris's team because it was made of limestone and had an underground river; two out of the four requirements for a ghost trap. Throw in the quartz and moissanite Bones was having delivered via trusted vampire courier, and we had all the necessary ingredients. Just any old cave wouldn't do. We had to make sure the place that would-hopefully-serve as Kramer's eternal prison was private and secure. Couldn't stick a homicidal ghost in a cave where innocent spelunkers could free Kramer if they knocked over the wrong rock.

"Right, then." Bones cracked his knuckles. "Let's look for a section that will work best for the trap. Can't have you wandering through here without us. You'd get lost."

And with the cave's dampness and internal temperature being a brisk fifty degrees, anyone lost would soon develop hypothermia. Since they'd be working here for two weeks, we'd have to bring in space heaters for the crew. Those had done the trick for me when I was half-human and spent many nights here with Bones.

"Are you sure you can see all right without a light?" Chris asked, doubt clear in his tone.

I had to bite my lip to stuff back my laugh. Bones's teeth shone in pearly brilliance as he flashed Chris a grin.

"Quite sure."

I lifted my leg out of the hot, soapy water, giving my foot a critical evaluation. After a nice soak in the tub, no more hints of dirt underneath my toenails, good. Helping the crew set up the trap in a shallow part of the underground river so it would be surrounded on all sides with running water meant that my feet had spent hours in finely ground silt during the past week. Bones did the heavy lifting-literally-with hauling the rocky debris in and out to make a solid platform for the trap. Chris and the other members of N.I.P.D. no longer questioned why I could stand in icy water for hours without showing any ill effects, or why Bones could pull large boulders off their perches with nary a busted hernia to show for it. A few flashes of green from our gaze took care of their curiosity on those issues.

With Bones and me helping the group lay the foundations of the trap, which was the hardest part, Chris said we were ahead of schedule. That was music to my ears. The sooner things were finished here, the sooner we could test the trap to see if it worked. Already Fabian had mentioned that the new, large quantities of quartz and moissanite made going in and out of the cave feel like traveling through a thick spider's web, and they weren't even positioned yet. Chris must know what he was talking about.

Bones appeared in the bathroom doorway, letting his gaze slide over me twice before he spoke. I had the shower curtain open, so his view was uninterrupted.

"Going out for a bit, luv."

I didn't ask what for. Bones might double as my all-you-can-eat buffet, but my blood didn't have enough life in it to sustain him. Only human blood did, and he didn't want to weaken any of N.I.P.D.'s crew by feeding off them.

Plus, that would strike me as, well, rude.

"See you when you get back," I said, lifting my leg all the way out just to enjoy the heady change in his scent as I soaped it, caressing my skin a little more than necessary.

"Tease," he murmured, voice huskier than it had been moments ago.

I learned from the best, I thought, but blinked like I didn't know what he was talking about.

"Didn't you say you were leaving?"

Green began to replace the mahogany in his gaze, his scent richening even further. Almost idly, he stroked his collar, pale fingers flicking between the fabric and the luscious curve of his neck.

Shivers broke out across my skin even though I was several degrees warmer than normal from being submerged in the tub. The line where his neck met his broad shoulders was my second-favorite place to bite him. Bones shifted to lean against the frame, as if he were positioning himself more comfortably, but what it did was send ripples along his muscles that even the dark pullover he wore couldn't hide. One leg casually crossing over the other drew my attention down his body, noting how the fabric briefly clung to a rock-hard thigh before loosening and concealing the defined shape beneath.

Need flared in me, causing my ni**les to harden and strands of exquisite sensation to tighten in my loins. And all of this was before I noticed that his hips were slightly tilted, allowing for a better view of the growing bulge in the front of his pants.