“Yes, I just made it. My sister—I didn’t even tell you her name, did I? It’s Tally. Tally’s in surgery. She should be out of the operating room in about half an hour. I’m waiting with my mother. My father had to go home to get my younger brother situated.”
“I didn’t even ask about your family before this. I had no clue they lived up here,” I said, feeling remiss.
“We haven’t had much of a chance to discuss things like that. I have a little brother named Darryn, who’s…well…he’s the equivalent of being in his early twenties. And Tally would clock in around thirty-five, if she were human.” He paused, then added, “I miss you. I hate that I had to run off like that.”
“I miss you too,” I said, realizing that I did. “But Killian, I understand. She’s your sister and she’s in trouble.” Hesitant to ask, I finally decided to just come out with it. “How bad off is she?”
“Pretty rough. She’s…between serious and critical condition. I’ll probably stay here for a few days until we know what’s the verdict is. My mother’s a wreck and my father’s not far off from it. Tally almost died when she was a baby, so they’ve already almost lost her once. And she was on her way over to their house—she doesn’t live far and decided a run in the snow would be fun. So they’re blaming themselves even though it’s not their fault.”
“That’s hard,” I said. “Guilt has a way of settling in where it doesn’t belong. Keep me informed. Oh, is there anything at your house that you need me to take care of? I could…oh, I don’t have a key,” I added. “I can pick up your mail, though.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it. I’ll call you after she’s out of surgery to give you an update.” He made kissing noises and then signed off.
I stared at my phone, then stretched and looked around. The house felt very quiet all of a sudden, but then Xi came streaking through the living room, followed by Klaus, and I broke out laughing as the feeling of sudden isolation vanished. Now, my house really felt like a home. Whistling, I headed in the kitchen to make myself some dinner, and then I planned to curl up with a holiday movie, with two kittens to keep me company.
Chapter Twenty
Killian ended up spending the weekend with his folks. His sister made it through surgery, but she was still in serious condition and it wasn’t until Sunday night that she started to come around. The cats and I got used to each other and while Xi didn’t speak directly to me again, I could feel her awareness growing. I, on the other hand, ended up being run ragged. I had forgotten how much work kittens were, but I was enjoying almost every minute of it, even when Klaus climbed the living room drapes and got himself stuck, mewing at the top of his lungs.
Neither one seemed interested in the tree. It dawned on me that, since it was an artificial tree and had no real scent, maybe they thought it was just furniture.
Still worried about leaving them alone while I was at work, I fixed up the guest bedroom so it would be kitten-safe and tucked them, their litter box, and food and water in there and shut the door. I turned on a radio for them—classical music—and headed off for work.
As I hustled into the Conjure Ink office on Monday morning, it felt like I had always worked here, like I had never left Moonshadow Bay.
“Hey,” I said, hanging my coat on the coat rack. “It’s snowing up a storm out there. And I have two kittens!”
Tad snorted. He and Hank both looked back to full health, though I had the feeling neither would forget their experience anytime soon. But even with the snort, they all gathered around so I could show them the multitudes of pictures I had taken on my phone.
“Good for you,” Caitlin said. “They’re lovely and I’d like to come see them soon, if you don’t mind.”
“Maybe we can all have dinner at my place Thursday evening? You’re all invited.” It was the first time I had felt comfortable inviting coworkers home. At the magazine, most of the employees we hired were just as snobbish as Ellison, and while I had hosted an infinite number of cultured affairs, none of them had been memorable or even comfortable.
My phone rang. I stared at the caller ID. Val Slater. During the day? Really?
“Hello?” I answered, expecting to hear his buttery-smooth voice.
Instead, a woman was on the other end. “Am I speaking to January Jaxson?”
“You are. Who am I speaking to?”
“My name is Linda Carson. I’m Mr. Slater’s secretary. He asked me to inform you that demolition is set for ten a.m. tomorrow, and you and the staff of Conjure Ink are cordially invited to witness the process. Mr. Slater would very much like it if you were there, Ms. Jaxson. He specifically asked me to convey the request. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to make it, given it’s daylight.”
Her tone told me it wasn’t a request, but a command.
“May I call you back in a few moments?”
“Of course. You can reach me at this return number.” She hung up.
I stared at my phone. “Guys, we need to… Oh, I didn’t tell you.”
“Didn’t tell us what?” Tad asked.
I inhaled a sharp breath, then let it out slowly. “Rowan found someone to buy the land. She called in a major favor. Her…friend…bought the land over the weekend for all cash, and tomorrow morning he’s taking down the old asylum. He wants us to attend. Then he’ll have the entire lot fenced with chain link. That’s the best we can muster, but it will work.”
“Who on earth did she find to agree to that? How can he afford it?” Tad asked, staring at me.
I steeled myself. “His name is Val Slater. Ring any bells?”
Tad’s incredulous look slid away and he stiffened. “Are you talking about the vampire?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I am. He bought the land this weekend.”
Hank blinked. “Are you talking about the Val Slater? The owner of the Mayhem? The biggest underground nightclub in Bellingham? The Val Slater who also happens to be the leader of the Northwest Vampire Collective?”
Apparently, I’d been hiding under a rock. “I’ve never heard of either one of those.”
“The Northwest Vampire Collective is an organization that, on the surface, is working toward promoting vampire rights in society. And they are making some inroads. Behind the scenes, it’s a tightly run political association. I happen to know that they’ve got Lynda Keiser—Bellingham’s mayor—in their pocket. They’re not above raising hell when they don’t get their way. A few murders and disappearances have been linked to them, though there hasn’t been any actual proof.” Tad shook his head. “Getting mixed up with Val Slater is a bad idea. I don’t know what Rowan was thinking.”
“Well, we can’t back out now. The deal went through, and he’s tearing down the asylum tomorrow. I wondered if he might have an ulterior motive, but you did say for me to do what I thought best, and since Rowan was so gung-ho about it…” I had the sudden feeling that maybe I had really fucked up. Had I let Rowan talk me into something that I was going to regret?
“No, you’re right,” Tad said. “You haven’t lived in Moonshadow Bay for years. You don’t know about a lot of the politics that are in play now. This is my fault.”