Page 52 of Bloodhunter

I glared, cleared my throat, and got back to the business athand. “The other attacks. You don’t know anything about them? Don’t thesupernatural communities in the different cities communicate with each other atall?”

“They will,” Miriam said. “Clayton, you said Jade’s justback from Thomasburg? Go talk to her. Find out everything you can.”

He didn’t say a single word, just slid from his chair andwalked to the door, pulling out his cell phone as he went.

“Who’s Jade?” I asked, absently.

“Jade Noel,” Rhys replied, “is the Red Valley supernaturalcommunity’s unofficial private detective slash cop. She and her minions wereput in place twenty-seven years ago and they try to keep the peace. They alsohelp investigate when a supernatural crime is committed in our lovely city.”

“I’ve never heard of her,” I said, “and six years ago asupernatural crime was definitely committed. Where was she then?”

“That was between the humans and the vampires,” Angus said.“We don’t police either one of those groups.”

I knew that, but still, it irritated me. “Twenty-sevenyears. How oldisthis woman?”

“You know we don’t age like you do,” Miriam said, strangelyand abruptly deflated. Maybe she was just tired.

“We’ll protect you, Trin,” Angus said. “Don’t worry. Hewon’t get near you again. You’ll stay with me, and won’t go hunting until we’vecaught him.” He pulled his cell from his pocket. “I’ll call it off with Copas.”

“No,” I said. “You won’t. I’m not going to sit around,hiding behind you until this douche decides to show himself. He could havemoved on to find someone easier. We might never see him again.”

“She’s right,” Rhys said. “As long as one of us is with her,she’ll be fine. He ran off when Clay smacked him. We can handle him.”

“What are they sensitive to?” I asked. I really needed toread up on my incubi. “Holy water or silver like the vampires? Incantations?Demon traps? How do we defeat him?”

“Only one way I know to get rid of an incubus,” Rhys said,watching an attractive, older blonde who’d walked in alone. She sat at thetable across from us, and when she caught Rhys watching her, she sent him atiny smile. “We send him back to hell.”

“And how do we send him back to hell?” I asked.

“We call Chuck Norris,” Angus said.

I gave him a scathing look. “This is serious, Angus.”

He laughed. “We don’t have a clue, sweetheart.”

And with that useless proclamation, little knots of guests beganarriving, laughing and cheerful and absolutely clueless to the fact that in thesupernaturals’ world, death, demons, and despair were a normal part of thedinner conversation.

Chapter Eighteen

Captain Crawford emailed me the vampire’s photo andspecifications, including his name. “Gordon Gray,” I murmured, staring down atthe photo. “I’m coming for you.”

Gray looked like a teenager. His hair was a little long andmessy, his eyes bright and twinkling and alive—in person I could spot a vampireeasily. In photos, I couldn’t tell the difference. He had his tongue out, andhis teeth were even and white, with no sign of fangs. Only sick vampires lostthe strength and control to retract and release their fangs—something that madeit more difficult for them to hide their bloodsucking status and usually endedbadly for them.

He had his arm around someone, but only a tiny part of herface and a couple of long, thin locks of her hair were visible. Lucy? Probably.

Shane didn’t come in to fetch me. Perhaps he felt that mighthave seemed too nice. Instead, he sent a text to my phone letting me know hewas outside.

And even his words on my screen were reluctant.

I’d offered him half of what the captain was paying me ifhe’d help me capture or kill Lucy’s killer. At first he’d flat out refused, buthe’d called me later to say he’d changed his mind.

I didn’t ask him why. He wouldn’t have told me anyway.

Angus walked me out, unwilling to even let me walk throughthe parking lot without an escort. He handed me off to Shane with a terse greetingto the other man, then he strode back inside, nodding hellos to the humansleaving their cars.

I knew the supernats had met with Shane earlier, and likelyhad threatened his life if he failed in protecting me. It was embarrassing andI’m sure it didn’t exactly endear me to him. That was okay. I’d do my best toearn his respect.

Just as he would have to attempt to earn mine.