Nick, "if a bit clichéd."
"Out, out now, you vile bitch! You get out of our house! "
"Holy shit," Jessica muttered. "I have no idea which one to be more scared of."
"Makes two of us," I whispered back. Maybe somebody should slap her? It always
worked in the movies. And after you clocked them, they always said, "Thanks, I needed
that."
I didn't really see Tina saying anything of the sort, so I reached up – Sinclair had hoisted
Tina pretty high – and grabbed a flailing fist. "Tina, relax. If Clara tries anything, you can kill her all over the place."
The mad frenetic kicking stopped. "You swear it? Swear it on your crown," she ordered,
then instantly changed her mind. "No: swear it on the king."
"I swear on my husband's testicles that if Clara tries even one sneaky thing, you can play
soccer with her head."
Tina abruptly stopped struggling. Sinclair, just as abruptly, set her down. He didn't seem
particularly concerned for his genitals, despite my promise. Maybe he thought this would
all end up okay. I sure as hell didn't know that for sure.
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"All right," he said to the huddled, smelly vampire. (Nick was right: she reeked.) "Suppose you tell us why you're here, Clara."
"That's not my name," she said. "My name is Stephanie Connor. Thank you for seeing me, dread king."
I heard a commotion and turned to see Nick trying to haul a very reluctant Jessica out of
the room. She kept yanking her hand out of his and hissing at him to hush up, she wanted
to hear.
"Detective Berry, perhaps you could escort Jessica somewhere safer?" Sinclair asked,
soooo politely, so I knew he was really sticking the knife in. "Anywhere outside of
Ramsey County would be preferable."
"Dread king, may I – ?"
"Nick, let me go. "
"It's a little chaotic right now," I told Cl – uh, Stephanie. "Give us a minute." I turned to Jess. "You know I'll tell you all about it later. Why don't you am-scray for now?"
Giving me an "I'll deal with you later" glare, Jessica allowed herself to be herded out. Nick shot me a look, too, one I found startling: pure gratitude.
Tina was panting and patting her hair back into place. Thank goodness she'd worn a
ponytail. I hated to think of the masses of blond hair flying all over the place. "Would
you," she managed through gritted teeth, "like a refreshment?"
Cl – uh, Stephanie looked shocked, like it was a trap. The trap of the Coca-Cola products.
Ah, I'd fallen into that sweet, sweet trap a time or two myself. "Uh, no. No thank you,
ma'am."
"My name is Tina." Still forcing the words out through teeth ground so tightly, I could
hear them rasping against each other. "I am the adjutant to their majesties."
Adj-u- what? Was that, like, a super secretary or something? I was pretty sure I'd never
heard that word out loud before. Maybe I'd read it, but it was spelled completely
differently. I made a mental note to ask about it later. Sinclair would know. He knew
pretty much everything.
"Why don't you come out of the corner," I said, crossing the room and offering my hand,
"and have a seat? Oh, and unless this is a trap, thanks for coming out to see us all
peacefully and stuff."
Sinclair had stiffened when I'd moved toward Stephanie, but relaxed when all she did was
meekly follow me and look down at one of the couches. "I'm... dirty. I'll stand, if that
won't, um, offend." Another nervous glance at Tina, who was examining the rips in her
sweater. I tried, and failed, not to raise my eyebrows: she'd been struggling so hard to get
away from Sinclair she'd torn the seams out from under both arms. And wool was tough.
Cripes.
"No, please, take a seat. A little dirt won't kill anyone." Oh, shit, I said kill. Reminding her of what the Fiends had tried to do to us. "Um, I mean hurt anyone." Oh, shit! "Um, just sit the hell down, okay?"
She sat on the far, far edge, looking like she
"Out, out now, you vile bitch! You get out of our house! "
"Holy shit," Jessica muttered. "I have no idea which one to be more scared of."
"Makes two of us," I whispered back. Maybe somebody should slap her? It always
worked in the movies. And after you clocked them, they always said, "Thanks, I needed
that."
I didn't really see Tina saying anything of the sort, so I reached up – Sinclair had hoisted
Tina pretty high – and grabbed a flailing fist. "Tina, relax. If Clara tries anything, you can kill her all over the place."
The mad frenetic kicking stopped. "You swear it? Swear it on your crown," she ordered,
then instantly changed her mind. "No: swear it on the king."
"I swear on my husband's testicles that if Clara tries even one sneaky thing, you can play
soccer with her head."
Tina abruptly stopped struggling. Sinclair, just as abruptly, set her down. He didn't seem
particularly concerned for his genitals, despite my promise. Maybe he thought this would
all end up okay. I sure as hell didn't know that for sure.
Create PDF files without this message by purchasing novaPDF printer ( http://www.novapdf.com ) Chapter 31
"All right," he said to the huddled, smelly vampire. (Nick was right: she reeked.) "Suppose you tell us why you're here, Clara."
"That's not my name," she said. "My name is Stephanie Connor. Thank you for seeing me, dread king."
I heard a commotion and turned to see Nick trying to haul a very reluctant Jessica out of
the room. She kept yanking her hand out of his and hissing at him to hush up, she wanted
to hear.
"Detective Berry, perhaps you could escort Jessica somewhere safer?" Sinclair asked,
soooo politely, so I knew he was really sticking the knife in. "Anywhere outside of
Ramsey County would be preferable."
"Dread king, may I – ?"
"Nick, let me go. "
"It's a little chaotic right now," I told Cl – uh, Stephanie. "Give us a minute." I turned to Jess. "You know I'll tell you all about it later. Why don't you am-scray for now?"
Giving me an "I'll deal with you later" glare, Jessica allowed herself to be herded out. Nick shot me a look, too, one I found startling: pure gratitude.
Tina was panting and patting her hair back into place. Thank goodness she'd worn a
ponytail. I hated to think of the masses of blond hair flying all over the place. "Would
you," she managed through gritted teeth, "like a refreshment?"
Cl – uh, Stephanie looked shocked, like it was a trap. The trap of the Coca-Cola products.
Ah, I'd fallen into that sweet, sweet trap a time or two myself. "Uh, no. No thank you,
ma'am."
"My name is Tina." Still forcing the words out through teeth ground so tightly, I could
hear them rasping against each other. "I am the adjutant to their majesties."
Adj-u- what? Was that, like, a super secretary or something? I was pretty sure I'd never
heard that word out loud before. Maybe I'd read it, but it was spelled completely
differently. I made a mental note to ask about it later. Sinclair would know. He knew
pretty much everything.
"Why don't you come out of the corner," I said, crossing the room and offering my hand,
"and have a seat? Oh, and unless this is a trap, thanks for coming out to see us all
peacefully and stuff."
Sinclair had stiffened when I'd moved toward Stephanie, but relaxed when all she did was
meekly follow me and look down at one of the couches. "I'm... dirty. I'll stand, if that
won't, um, offend." Another nervous glance at Tina, who was examining the rips in her
sweater. I tried, and failed, not to raise my eyebrows: she'd been struggling so hard to get
away from Sinclair she'd torn the seams out from under both arms. And wool was tough.
Cripes.
"No, please, take a seat. A little dirt won't kill anyone." Oh, shit, I said kill. Reminding her of what the Fiends had tried to do to us. "Um, I mean hurt anyone." Oh, shit! "Um, just sit the hell down, okay?"
She sat on the far, far edge, looking like she
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