Frostbound

Chapter 26

Friday, December 31, 7:15 p.m.

101.5 FM

“And a Happy New Year’s evening to all you listeners out there in Radioland. This is Signy White, your pinch-hitting hostess for tonight on CSUP, your super supernatural station. Errata Jones is off.

“To begin tonight’s countdown to the New Year, it’s only natural to look at where we’ve been and where we’re going. There’s an election in three weeks that might bring us the very first nonhuman to sit on city council.

“Speaking as one of the Undead, it’s pretty exciting, but I want to hear from those of you who aren’t vampires. Do you believe that a bloodsucking city councilor will make a difference to Spookytown? Will he represent your interests?

“Put it another way: Will Michael de Winter be better or worse than a human? The phone lines are open. Cast your vote and let’s have some fun!”

Friday, December 31, 7:30 p.m.

University of Fairview

Not surprisingly, even the die-hard students stayed home from the university on New Year’s Eve. When Talia and Baines pulled up in his unmarked cruiser, the parking lot was nearly empty. A plow had been through, making just enough space for a few cars, but she was glad he had chains and a good heater.

A flash of the badge at campus security got them into Perry’s building. From there, the security guard led the way while Baines talked to someone on his cell about search warrants and witness statements. It sounded like he was trying to pass off their adventure as business as usual.

So far he’d been as good as his word. Every indication was that he would keep his part of the bargain. Fine, then Talia would keep hers.

There was yellow crime scene tape crisscrossing the door to Perry Baker’s office.

“Have you searched here already?” Talia asked, suddenly cold. Had the videos already been taken?

“We’ve done the place where he was hit, but there hasn’t been time for anything else. Too little manpower over the holidays. Too much else going on.”

She breathed a sigh of relief as the guard unlocked Perry’s office. The door had a nameplate and a hazard sign that warned students that their professor really was a monster—in this case, the silhouette of a wolf inside a red warning circle. All the carnivorous nonhumans had such signs on their office doors.

If Talia had rated a room of her own, her sign would have shown a bat. Stupid, since even the oldest vampires couldn’t fly more than a block or two—something she hadn’t mastered yet—and none turned into winged rodents. Go figure.

Baines was looking at his watch. Talia wondered if he’d had plans—maybe a New Year’s Eve dinner dance with his wife. If he had a wife. He’d said almost nothing personal on the drive over.

The security guard retreated, saying he’d check back on his next round. Baines turned to Talia. “Why do you think the professor was targeted?”

“I’m not sure. He’s not stupid, so I doubt he told many people what he was doing.”

She followed Baines into the office. He flipped the overhead light on. The fluorescents flickered to life, bathing everything in a harsh glare.

A laptop sat on the desk, hooked up to a large flatscreen monitor. Other equipment was everywhere—hard drives, a printer, routers, and boxes with blinking lights that Talia wasn’t sure about. It all looked untouched.

A thick sweater hung over the back of the chair, a tennis racket hung in its case from a hook on the back of the door, a basketball perched on a stack of books. Deli containers filled the trash can. Framed degrees and awards marched in rows across the wall. Young as he was, Baker had doctorates in math and computer science. He must have been a real boy genius, because he couldn’t have been much more than thirty years old. Talia felt a faint sting of nostalgia, thinking of her own years spent in study. Being back on campus made her yearn for the classroom, both as teacher and student. If only I could get out of this mess with my job.

If only was a dangerous game. She turned her attention back to the desk.

There was the usual clutter of papers, pens and a Dracula PEZ dispenser. Talia studied the drifts of paper, trying to guess what each heap was about. She picked up a box of flash drives and stirred them with her finger, wondering which one might hold the surveillance video she wanted. This could take longer than she’d thought.

“Hello, little duck.”

Talia started at the voice, freezing where she stood. Belenos! Her heart plunged, cold terror folding around her until she was drowning in it.

Baines took my knife and my gun.

He chuckled. “You’ve got to learn to pay attention. Leaving the door open like that? I thought a Hunter like you would know better. But then, you never were particularly wise.”

Talia forced herself around, bit by bit, as slow as if she were in a nightmare turning to face the monster. Oh, wait. She was.

“Where’s Baines?” she demanded, surprised that she’d managed to keep her voice steady. But she could hear the faint rattling of the data sticks in the box as her hand shook with fear. She set the box down. Wouldn’t do to advertise the fact that she was about to faint.

“Where’s Baines?” Belenos mimicked. “Where’s my money?”

Talia forced herself to look him in the face. It had been well over a year since she’d seen him, and time had smoothed over some of his injuries. His fox-red hair had grown back to shoulder length, hiding the places where his scalp had been torn away. His face was still scarred, but the lumpy flesh had paled from red to pink. He was healing, but slowly. Whatever Omara had done to him had been from the extra-special column of the torture menu. Too bad she didn’t finish the job.

“I spent your money,” she said without expression. “All of it. On pretty clothes.”

He looked her up and down with an angry sneer. “You would.”

She swallowed hard, both angry and relieved that he believed such a stupid answer. She wanted to keep that money out of pure spite. He owed it to her.

“Where’s the police detective?” she repeated.

“What do you care about a human?”

“He’s just doing his job.” She gripped the back of Perry’s chair, holding herself steady. Part of her was waiting for him to zap her to smithereens, or whip out a sword and take her head. This civilized conversation was just painful anticipation.

Belenos looked heavenward, as if bored. “For now, your detective is in the hallway. He made a nice little snack. Oh, don’t make that face. He’ll be up and around in a few hours, but he won’t remember a thing.” Her sire narrowed his one topaz eye. “Here you are defending him. He’ll blame you for sure. You’re the only vampire he’ll recall.”

“Whatever.” As long as Baines hadn’t died because of her. “Why are you here?”

“A little bird told me that you were visiting to look at the poor professor’s things. Such a shame, what happened to him. But then, he shouldn’t have gone snooping in things that aren’t his business.”

Talia gulped. How had Belenos known any of that? Who was betraying them?

“Yes, little duck. It’s been like watching you step off a cliff. Part of me wants to cry out a warning, and the rest wants to see blood and bones strewn all over the rocks below. Guess which part of me won.”

He made a gesture, as if grabbing something from the air. A crushing force slammed into her rib cage and squeezed her skull in an invisible vise. Talia dropped to her knees, suddenly too weak to hold herself up. Help! she cried out in her mind, but the impulse never made it to her lips.

“You forget that I made you.” Belenos closed his fist, bringing the pain to an exquisite pitch. “I can take back that life just as easily. Good. You’re finally looking at me with the proper respect.”

She wasn’t looking at anything. Colors floated toward Talia like the bad special effects from a 3-D film. Black spots exploded before her eyes. A human would be dead.

Just as suddenly, the pressure released. Talia collapsed in a heap. She drew in a small breath, testing her lungs. Everything still worked. I’m going to kill him. I don’t care how ridiculous that sounds, or how afraid I am right now.

Belenos hauled her up with his good hand.

When she could pull it into focus, the hallway beckoned like the stairway to heaven. Surely that security guard would be back soon. He’d see Baines, call more cops, who would shoot her sire. Maybe there was a way out of this yet.

She took a shaky step forward, as if she were going to bolt for the door.

“Talia,” he said, his tongue relishing her name. “I wouldn’t try anything, if I were you.”

She froze, her arms held out to her sides a little, letting him think he’d stopped her.

Now!

Talia wheeled and lunged for the door, her wordless cry echoing in the hallway. Belenos grabbed her hood, hauling her back. The force of it popped a button. She heard cloth tear, the sound nearly as sharp as a whimper of pain. She fell against him, the weight and smell of him bringing back waves of terror. He kicked the door shut.

“Let me go!” she shrieked, landing an elbow in his ribs.

He flinched, then chuckled, long and low. “Sh. I’m going to help you.”

“Help me what?” she asked in a low, hoarse voice. She knew him all too well.

“I’m going to help you remember what it is to be the servant of a master and not a rebellious whore. Oh, yes, I know what you’ve been up to with your dog. That little bird simply talks too much.”

Oh, God, no, she didn’t want Lore mixed up with this lunatic!

“Such long, delicious shudders. One would think I was going to punish you as Omara punished me.”

He crushed her against him in a nauseating embrace. He brought his lips close to her ear, his breath tickling her nose and cheek. “We can’t have that, now, can we? Why copy a job when one can improve upon it?”