Sweet Last Drop. Melody Johnson

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СКАЧАТЬ is already insane, so the only answer is to drive toward the truth….

      Chapter 1

      The bus ride from The Big Apple to Erin, New York gradually descended from the metropolitan area to suburbs, from suburbs to woodsy small towns, and then to nothing but fields and sheds and, of course, cows. I’d never seen so many cows in my life. Considering I’d never actually seen a cow in person, I suppose that wasn’t much of a statement, but it certainly seemed like Erin had an over-abundance of them. Their mooing reminded me of Dominic’s night blood-and-hamburger metaphor when he’d described how my blood tasted. “You are a rare dish,” he’d said, and I’d been terrified by his attraction.

      I was still terrified of Dominic, attraction or not, but terror could only hold so much immediacy for so long, especially when the object of my terror was being relatively civil. Despite his consuming responsibilities as Master Vampire of New York City, Dominic had found time to visit me on numerous occasions at the hospital while I recovered from our battle against the rebel vampires. He visited me at home once I’d been released from the hospital. He visited me in the office when I returned to work and outside the office at every starlit opportunity. When he came calling, he was always fully fed, completely gorgeous, and the ultimate gentleman.

      I knew better than to believe the illusion.

      In his infinite patience, I think Dominic was biding his time, and I suspected it had everything to do with this very road trip to Erin, New York, Ian Walker’s hometown and the resting place of Erin’s abundantly powerful coven Master, Bex. Dominic’s Leveling was approaching in two short weeks, and he’d need all the power and allies at his back as possible to survive the one night he’d be as weak and vulnerable to death as any human.

      Dominic, however, wasn’t the only man in my life with ulterior motives, although Ian Walker had been decidedly less patient for this visit.

      “I can’t wait to see you, darlin’,” Walker had said at least once per conversation during the daily phone calls we’d enjoyed for the past three weeks. “I miss you.”

      Walker’s voice had deepened salaciously, reminding me of that one night in my office. He’d lifted me onto my desk, and his strong hands had touched me in places I’d never thought I could feel again. I would have found his persistence coming from someone else nauseating, but between all the darlin’s and ma’ams, we shared an indelible bond that went beyond incorrigible flirtation.

      Walker and I were two of the rare humans who had night blood, a hereditary gene necessary to complete the transformation into a vampire, but just because I had the potential to become a vampire didn’t mean I wanted to become one. That was a main point of contention between Dominic and me, albeit one of our more vehement disagreements. Walker, on the other hand, understood and shared my opinion on the matter. He was the only person who could relate to the danger of living with the knowledge that vampires existed.

      Despite everything we had in common, I remained skeptical of both Walker and my feelings for him. We’d only physically known each other for one week. How well could I legitimately come to know a person in such a short time? But when I looked back at the week we’d shared and survived, I swallowed my doubts and forced myself to say the words because they were true.

      “I miss you too.”

      And now, after three weeks of nothing but phone time with Walker, I had finally arrived in Erin, New York for what should have been a vacation from all those demons back in the city. Less than twenty-four hours into our reunion, however, and Walker and I weren’t any closer to putting the moves on each other. He’d barely had time to give me a proper tour of the town before we were once again staring at a body.

      Her name was Lydia Bowser, and she was last seen by her grandmother, leaving the farm for a walk before dinner. According to her grandmother and Walker’s detailed notes, she took a walk before dinner every night. She’d loved the last moments of daylight when “the sun had already dipped below the horizon but its rays still lit the sky with a dim, burning glow.”

      I’d raised my eyebrows at the description, both from its nostalgia and its telling timeframe. Foul play after dark meant only one thing.

      Although I’d left the city on vampire business in addition to my business with Walker, I’d especially looked forward to leaving behind a recent stretch of murders. Detective Greta Wahl and Officer Harroway—my personal friends and two of NYPD’s finest—were recovering evidence and leads at a snail’s pace; considering their slow, nearly backwards progress on that particular investigation, I’d still be able to report their findings when I returned to the city next week. I was due for a reprieve from the usual “doom and gloom,” as my boss often referred to my articles, but gazing down at Lydia Bowser, I realized that doom and gloom had, once again, found me.

      “The police already called it quits for today. You should have told them the media was coming. It’s not as if I can interview the victim.” I crossed my arms and glared at Walker. Grief and fear didn’t look good on me, but I’d wear sarcasm any day of the week.

      Walker looked up from a marker he was inspecting. He might not possess Dominic’s mind control abilities, but when his eyes met mine, I had to physically restrain myself from stepping toward him. A smirk tugged at his lips. “Knowing that the media was coming would have spooked them for sure. You can interview the coroner. He’ll arrive in a few minutes to officially pronounce time of death and take her body to the morgue.”

      “I don’t want to interview the coroner,” I said stubbornly. “I want to interview a witness.”

      “I doubt an animal attack is what your boss had in mind when he approved your story on city versus rural New York crime fluctuations. You don’t need interviews from this case.”

      I snorted. “Carter will love whatever I give him, although after my last article, an animal attack might be pushing the envelope.”

      Walker raised his eyebrows. “Animal attacks in New York City certainly warrant headlines, but up here in Erin, NY, darlin’, they’re the rule, not the exception.”

      “You’re telling me this is truly an animal attack from an actual animal? Not a vampire attack made to look like an animal attack?”

      Walker nodded.

      “How can you know for sure? How do you differentiate between what’s real from the reality that Bex fabricates?”

      “Bex would never leave a kill out for discovery.” Walker’s voice was clipped and uncharacteristically formal. “She’s very careful about selecting and disposing of her prey.”

      “Neither would Dominic, but with the Leveling approaching—”

      “Bex’s Leveling isn’t approaching,” Walker interrupted. “Unlike Dominic, she’s unfortunately in full, indisputable command of her coven. They don’t make mistakes, not like this.” Walker gestured to the surrounding woods and the pieces of Lydia Bowser that had been left out for discovery.

      I bit my tongue to stop myself from defending Dominic. He was indisputably in command of his coven too, but a faction of rebels was frustrated with his conservative rule. He knew they no longer wanted to hide their existence from humans, but he’d never suspected that Jillian Allister, his second in command, would lead the uprising. In some ways, the blow of Jillian’s betrayal had been more devastating to him than his physical injuries. We’d barely survived, but despite her betrayal, Dominic had regained control of his coven.

      Considering СКАЧАТЬ