Carson's Night (The Stonebrood Saga) by Tracy Cooper-Posey Page A
Authors: Tracy Cooper-Posey
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demon hunters of this age. You just haven’t realized it yet. I want you to see what is inside that warehouse. I think you just might be able to help me.”
“But you’re not going to tell me anything that will bias my thinking, right?”
This time his smile was unforced. “Right.”
She found she was able to approach the warehouse with less reluctance and step inside without hesitation.
It was dark inside except for the glow of a pressure lantern at the far end. Nick slid the sword out from under his coat and handed it to her. It felt too long and heavy but she hefted it and let the blade settle on her shoulder, which was a good ready position as she had no scabbard for it. She headed in the direction of the glow of the lantern, the flares of her jeans swishing softly in the silent cavern of the warehouse. It was empty and chilly.
“Tally,” came a soft murmur as she drew closer. “You grow more beautiful with each passing day.”
Damian. Nicholas’s lover. She felt the vampire’s hand on her shoulder. His lips on her temple. She looked up into Damian’s black eyes, illuminated in the soft glow of the lantern. His high cheekbones and olive skin and strong jaw line were unchanging, but they were touched with sadness now.
His long fingers stroked her cheek. “We’ll mourn him, Tally.”
She could feel more tears building. Vampires mourning the death of a human was a rare acknowledgment. “Not until I find the one who did this,” she ground out, struggling to keep her voice even. “Where is he?”
Damian nodded. “I’ll turn the light up. Brace yourself, Tally.” He walked over to the lamp, bent over and turned up the gas feed on it. The light spread and brightened, and more of the warehouse appeared.
She saw her father’s body. Tally moved over to where Peter James Gray lay in a contorted, undignified and bloodied huddled, his guts ripped out, his fingers curled in pain. Tally swallowed back her revulsion and studied the remains as clinically as she could, aware in a distant way that she was shaking violently. She used the sword to prop herself up.
“G…gargoyle,” she pronounced, wiping at her eyes.
“Yes,” Nick agreed coolly, next to her. “Your father was hunting one tonight.”
“How do you know that?”
“His partner told us.”
“Where is the toad? I want to talk to him.”
“In a minute. There’s something else you should see.” Nick nodded at Damian, who picked up the lantern. Both of them stepped to either side of her. Their movement filled her with warm regard. Despite the subterranean keening for the loss of her father, that she had locked away deep inside, she knew she would never truly be alone while Nick and Damian trod the earth.
They led her through the darkness, past huge wooden packing crates, into another cavernous, seemingly empty room with a concrete floor. This one was just as cool as the last. They stopped at a huge block of raw stone, something that looked like it had been blasted out of the side of a mountain and dumped on the floor, after having the bottom of it shaved smooth and flat.
At the foot of the rock lay another body. Tally crouched down next to the man. This time the cause of death was a bit harder to establish. When she found it, she grew uneasy. She stood up. “My father must have killed him. With this.” She dropped the sword so the point rested on the concrete. “But why? Who is he?”
“You don’t recognize him at all?” Nick asked.
“You don’t know him?” Tally asked. “He looks vaguely familiar to me, but…” She frowned. “Is there an office around here somewhere? Something with paperwork in it? Does he have a wallet on him? A driver’s license?” She squatted again, and patted the man’s pockets and found a wallet in his hip pocket. “Can one of you roll him so I can get the wallet out?”
Damian lifted the body for her and that was when they found the top of the pentacle painted on the floor beneath it.
* * * *
“But you’re not going to tell me anything that will bias my thinking, right?”
This time his smile was unforced. “Right.”
She found she was able to approach the warehouse with less reluctance and step inside without hesitation.
It was dark inside except for the glow of a pressure lantern at the far end. Nick slid the sword out from under his coat and handed it to her. It felt too long and heavy but she hefted it and let the blade settle on her shoulder, which was a good ready position as she had no scabbard for it. She headed in the direction of the glow of the lantern, the flares of her jeans swishing softly in the silent cavern of the warehouse. It was empty and chilly.
“Tally,” came a soft murmur as she drew closer. “You grow more beautiful with each passing day.”
Damian. Nicholas’s lover. She felt the vampire’s hand on her shoulder. His lips on her temple. She looked up into Damian’s black eyes, illuminated in the soft glow of the lantern. His high cheekbones and olive skin and strong jaw line were unchanging, but they were touched with sadness now.
His long fingers stroked her cheek. “We’ll mourn him, Tally.”
She could feel more tears building. Vampires mourning the death of a human was a rare acknowledgment. “Not until I find the one who did this,” she ground out, struggling to keep her voice even. “Where is he?”
Damian nodded. “I’ll turn the light up. Brace yourself, Tally.” He walked over to the lamp, bent over and turned up the gas feed on it. The light spread and brightened, and more of the warehouse appeared.
She saw her father’s body. Tally moved over to where Peter James Gray lay in a contorted, undignified and bloodied huddled, his guts ripped out, his fingers curled in pain. Tally swallowed back her revulsion and studied the remains as clinically as she could, aware in a distant way that she was shaking violently. She used the sword to prop herself up.
“G…gargoyle,” she pronounced, wiping at her eyes.
“Yes,” Nick agreed coolly, next to her. “Your father was hunting one tonight.”
“How do you know that?”
“His partner told us.”
“Where is the toad? I want to talk to him.”
“In a minute. There’s something else you should see.” Nick nodded at Damian, who picked up the lantern. Both of them stepped to either side of her. Their movement filled her with warm regard. Despite the subterranean keening for the loss of her father, that she had locked away deep inside, she knew she would never truly be alone while Nick and Damian trod the earth.
They led her through the darkness, past huge wooden packing crates, into another cavernous, seemingly empty room with a concrete floor. This one was just as cool as the last. They stopped at a huge block of raw stone, something that looked like it had been blasted out of the side of a mountain and dumped on the floor, after having the bottom of it shaved smooth and flat.
At the foot of the rock lay another body. Tally crouched down next to the man. This time the cause of death was a bit harder to establish. When she found it, she grew uneasy. She stood up. “My father must have killed him. With this.” She dropped the sword so the point rested on the concrete. “But why? Who is he?”
“You don’t recognize him at all?” Nick asked.
“You don’t know him?” Tally asked. “He looks vaguely familiar to me, but…” She frowned. “Is there an office around here somewhere? Something with paperwork in it? Does he have a wallet on him? A driver’s license?” She squatted again, and patted the man’s pockets and found a wallet in his hip pocket. “Can one of you roll him so I can get the wallet out?”
Damian lifted the body for her and that was when they found the top of the pentacle painted on the floor beneath it.
* * * *
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