heed. She looked to be doing damage control. So I turned to Antonio. "Adios, my undead amigo."
He lifted his glass to me. "Ah, I love bad Spanish rolling from such sweet lips. ‘Til we meet again, Sable."
I laughed as I leapt into the air, my wings sprouting at the same time. Seconds later I was flapping hard down the street, about thirty feet up. Once again, I thought it time to call my boys and head over to Victory Park for midnight, and a make-out session with both of them to ring in the New Year right. If nothing else, I had to be kissing Dane at the stroke of midnight. I just had to.
My walkie-talkie "donged."
"I found a dead man," Gabe said. "Behind Kinky Corner boutique."
"On the way," I said.
I landed next to Gabe less than a minute later. A young man lay at Gabe's feet in a pool of blood. He had no aura, so there was no bringing him back. That also meant he was not Changed. If the vampire that killed him put a little of his own undead blood into the wound, then the victim's aura wouldn't have gone completely away. His new vampire aura would be starting to grow. It takes a full seventy-two hours to go from dead to undead.
"Are you sure Ben did this?" I said.
"No, but he does rip out the throat of his victims like that," Gabe said. Vampires only ripped the throat open when they wanted to kill or Change someone. We are more than capable of biting, sucking our fill, and healing a throat without leaving a mark. "It fits his profile."
"This poor soul might've just pissed off the wrong vamp, and got his throat ripped out for it," I said.
It was an ugly tear in the throat. A huge flap of flesh was hanging loose, even exposing the windpipe. The victim was drenched in blood, and there was blood splattered on the walls and ground for fifteen feet.
"Messy," Dane said as he ran up to join us. "A werewolf could've done this, too."
"Or a mortal with a claw hammer," I said.
"But we know Ben kills like this," Gabe said. "And Sabe and I have seen him in this area."
"Don't call me 'Sabe,'" I said, and gave him a little shove. "I don't like it." Then I glanced at the victim, and all around at the blood. "Gabe's right. Ben's still the most likely suspect."
"If he's fed, then Ben's not likely to kill again tonight," Dane said. "Do you think he'll even bother to hang around?"
"He probably won't be in the back alleys anymore," I said. "But we can't just give up now. We have to keep looking."
"There are an awful lot of people out there," Dane said.
"I know," Gabe said.
Neither sounded happy. I wasn't happy either. But we had to at least try. Ben could be partying now that his dark urges were quenched. Or he could be stalking another victim as we wasted time.
I patted the victim down. His wallet was about five feet away, cleaned out. I hoped Ben did that, and not Gabe. I wouldn't put it past Gabe. Staking vampires was how he earned his living, and his resources were seriously depleted.
"We have to be careful," Dane said. "There are a lot of vampires out there. Did either of you see the vamp in the red Cadillac convertible?"
"Vanessa? Yeah. I spoke to her," I said.
"You know her?"
"Council member Vanessa Mancera. Yeah, I know her."
"That's Vanessa Mancera?" Dane said. "Wow."
"Where? I didn't see her," Gabe said. "What does she look like?"
"Pigs," I muttered. "Dane's right. Be very careful. If a vampire
He lifted his glass to me. "Ah, I love bad Spanish rolling from such sweet lips. ‘Til we meet again, Sable."
I laughed as I leapt into the air, my wings sprouting at the same time. Seconds later I was flapping hard down the street, about thirty feet up. Once again, I thought it time to call my boys and head over to Victory Park for midnight, and a make-out session with both of them to ring in the New Year right. If nothing else, I had to be kissing Dane at the stroke of midnight. I just had to.
My walkie-talkie "donged."
"I found a dead man," Gabe said. "Behind Kinky Corner boutique."
"On the way," I said.
I landed next to Gabe less than a minute later. A young man lay at Gabe's feet in a pool of blood. He had no aura, so there was no bringing him back. That also meant he was not Changed. If the vampire that killed him put a little of his own undead blood into the wound, then the victim's aura wouldn't have gone completely away. His new vampire aura would be starting to grow. It takes a full seventy-two hours to go from dead to undead.
"Are you sure Ben did this?" I said.
"No, but he does rip out the throat of his victims like that," Gabe said. Vampires only ripped the throat open when they wanted to kill or Change someone. We are more than capable of biting, sucking our fill, and healing a throat without leaving a mark. "It fits his profile."
"This poor soul might've just pissed off the wrong vamp, and got his throat ripped out for it," I said.
It was an ugly tear in the throat. A huge flap of flesh was hanging loose, even exposing the windpipe. The victim was drenched in blood, and there was blood splattered on the walls and ground for fifteen feet.
"Messy," Dane said as he ran up to join us. "A werewolf could've done this, too."
"Or a mortal with a claw hammer," I said.
"But we know Ben kills like this," Gabe said. "And Sabe and I have seen him in this area."
"Don't call me 'Sabe,'" I said, and gave him a little shove. "I don't like it." Then I glanced at the victim, and all around at the blood. "Gabe's right. Ben's still the most likely suspect."
"If he's fed, then Ben's not likely to kill again tonight," Dane said. "Do you think he'll even bother to hang around?"
"He probably won't be in the back alleys anymore," I said. "But we can't just give up now. We have to keep looking."
"There are an awful lot of people out there," Dane said.
"I know," Gabe said.
Neither sounded happy. I wasn't happy either. But we had to at least try. Ben could be partying now that his dark urges were quenched. Or he could be stalking another victim as we wasted time.
I patted the victim down. His wallet was about five feet away, cleaned out. I hoped Ben did that, and not Gabe. I wouldn't put it past Gabe. Staking vampires was how he earned his living, and his resources were seriously depleted.
"We have to be careful," Dane said. "There are a lot of vampires out there. Did either of you see the vamp in the red Cadillac convertible?"
"Vanessa? Yeah. I spoke to her," I said.
"You know her?"
"Council member Vanessa Mancera. Yeah, I know her."
"That's Vanessa Mancera?" Dane said. "Wow."
"Where? I didn't see her," Gabe said. "What does she look like?"
"Pigs," I muttered. "Dane's right. Be very careful. If a vampire
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