go. “And, you know, a towel would be the least you could put on.”
I burst out laughing. For years, I’d been discomfited by the blasé attitude most vampires had about nudity, and yet here I was, hugging someone I’d known less than two weeks while wearing nothing but some stray suds.
I covered myself with the closest item at hand, Bones’s leather jacket, which stuck to my wet skin. “Sorry. Kramer kind of interrupted my shower . . .”
My voice trailed off because Bones suddenly appeared in the room, silver knives in each hand and dark gaze raking over us.
“I heard you scream. What happened?”
Tyler still held the trash can, its smoldering contents filling the room with a slight haze. As if on cue, the fire alarm began blaring, and water shot out from the sprinklers on the wall. In the next room, Dexter started to whine in time with the whooping of the alarm.
“What happened is my borrowed powers are kaput, and Tyler’s really a badass in disguise,” I replied, nudging the medium. “Look at you, busting through that door to lay the smackdown on Kramer.”
Bones’s gaze raked over Tyler with a new appreciation. “Well done, mate.” Then he switched his knives to one hand and ran the other one over my neck. “You’ve blood on you. Are you all right?”
He knew that any wounds a vampire sustained would heal almost instantly, but his hand still traveled over me as if searching for injuries. Emotions tangled along my subconscious, flaring through his shields with their intensity. Concern, rage at my attack, and guilt that he hadn’t been here when it happened.
“Don’t,” I said, taking his hand. “How could we have known Kramer would find us here, or that Marie’s abilities would finally run their course?”
A little inner voice said I should have suspected that my borrowed powers were wearing off. For the past week, no new ghosts had found their way to me, but I’d figured all the time I spent in the cave around the limestone, quartz, and flowing water trap had possibly dulled my signal to the other side.
“Makes me wonder how he found us now,” Bones said, his brows drawing together.
I shrugged. “Ohio’s a haven for the supernatural, and we’ve been traipsing back and forth in public for over a week. Maybe one of Kramer’s ghost buddies saw us and tipped him off. Maybe he happened to be in the area because he was drawn here like countless other ghosts.”
“Or perhaps Kramer followed Elisabeth here after one of her failed tailing attempts,” Bones said darkly.
That was also a possibility, and I’d be sure to tell the ghost to be extra careful in the future.
“Just what we need,” I muttered, as a flustered hotel employee appeared in our doorway. Whatever he’d been about to say died on his lips as he took in Tyler, still holding the smoking trash can, and Bones and me ignoring the water spraying down on us.
“Small mishap concerning a dropped cigarette in the trash, but it’s all sorted out now,” Bones stated while flashing an emerald glare at the employee. “Go back and tell them to shut off the alarm and sprinklers.”
The employee turned around without another word. I waited until he was out of sight before speaking again.
“We need to check on Chris and the others. What if I wasn’t the first person Kramer attacked?”
Bones nodded, muttering, “Stay here,” to Tyler.
“No, he needs to come, too.” It was safer to be in a group in case Kramer lurked nearby, waiting to pick off any stragglers. “Besides, he might have more of whatever it is that scared Kramer off.”
“It’s sage,” Tyler replied, squaring his shoulders. “Would’ve used it on Kramer that day at my shop, but I was too busy almost dying. I have more of it in my room. Besides, I’m not going anywhere without Dexter.”
I dropped to my knees beside the bed, Helsing’s rapid heartbeat letting me know where he was. Smart feline had run for cover once the porcelain started flying.
I burst out laughing. For years, I’d been discomfited by the blasé attitude most vampires had about nudity, and yet here I was, hugging someone I’d known less than two weeks while wearing nothing but some stray suds.
I covered myself with the closest item at hand, Bones’s leather jacket, which stuck to my wet skin. “Sorry. Kramer kind of interrupted my shower . . .”
My voice trailed off because Bones suddenly appeared in the room, silver knives in each hand and dark gaze raking over us.
“I heard you scream. What happened?”
Tyler still held the trash can, its smoldering contents filling the room with a slight haze. As if on cue, the fire alarm began blaring, and water shot out from the sprinklers on the wall. In the next room, Dexter started to whine in time with the whooping of the alarm.
“What happened is my borrowed powers are kaput, and Tyler’s really a badass in disguise,” I replied, nudging the medium. “Look at you, busting through that door to lay the smackdown on Kramer.”
Bones’s gaze raked over Tyler with a new appreciation. “Well done, mate.” Then he switched his knives to one hand and ran the other one over my neck. “You’ve blood on you. Are you all right?”
He knew that any wounds a vampire sustained would heal almost instantly, but his hand still traveled over me as if searching for injuries. Emotions tangled along my subconscious, flaring through his shields with their intensity. Concern, rage at my attack, and guilt that he hadn’t been here when it happened.
“Don’t,” I said, taking his hand. “How could we have known Kramer would find us here, or that Marie’s abilities would finally run their course?”
A little inner voice said I should have suspected that my borrowed powers were wearing off. For the past week, no new ghosts had found their way to me, but I’d figured all the time I spent in the cave around the limestone, quartz, and flowing water trap had possibly dulled my signal to the other side.
“Makes me wonder how he found us now,” Bones said, his brows drawing together.
I shrugged. “Ohio’s a haven for the supernatural, and we’ve been traipsing back and forth in public for over a week. Maybe one of Kramer’s ghost buddies saw us and tipped him off. Maybe he happened to be in the area because he was drawn here like countless other ghosts.”
“Or perhaps Kramer followed Elisabeth here after one of her failed tailing attempts,” Bones said darkly.
That was also a possibility, and I’d be sure to tell the ghost to be extra careful in the future.
“Just what we need,” I muttered, as a flustered hotel employee appeared in our doorway. Whatever he’d been about to say died on his lips as he took in Tyler, still holding the smoking trash can, and Bones and me ignoring the water spraying down on us.
“Small mishap concerning a dropped cigarette in the trash, but it’s all sorted out now,” Bones stated while flashing an emerald glare at the employee. “Go back and tell them to shut off the alarm and sprinklers.”
The employee turned around without another word. I waited until he was out of sight before speaking again.
“We need to check on Chris and the others. What if I wasn’t the first person Kramer attacked?”
Bones nodded, muttering, “Stay here,” to Tyler.
“No, he needs to come, too.” It was safer to be in a group in case Kramer lurked nearby, waiting to pick off any stragglers. “Besides, he might have more of whatever it is that scared Kramer off.”
“It’s sage,” Tyler replied, squaring his shoulders. “Would’ve used it on Kramer that day at my shop, but I was too busy almost dying. I have more of it in my room. Besides, I’m not going anywhere without Dexter.”
I dropped to my knees beside the bed, Helsing’s rapid heartbeat letting me know where he was. Smart feline had run for cover once the porcelain started flying.
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