Undead and Unwelcome

Chapter 46

The parlor was packed with people in dark hooded robes. Laura was standing at the front of the room, holding a clipboard.

“Okay, then after you take care of the two vampires who got away last night, I need some of you back here. I was able to intercept a call to the house—I guess some vampires from Maine are on their way to pay tribute.” Laura shook her head. “Blasphemy. Then we’ll—”

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Laura glanced up, startled, and instead of looking ashamed or scared or sad, she looked delighted. “Betsy! Thank goodness you’re back. I’ve got so much to tell you.”

“Why,” I demanded, “are you meeting with monks in our house in the middle of the night?”

“Those aren’t monks,” Marc sighed. “They’re devil worshippers.”

“Devil—” I suddenly realized what was going on. They were confusing Laura with her mother. But why would Laura have anything to do with—

“Laura,” Sinclair said in a calm tone that didn’t fool me at all, “where is Tina?”

“Oh, I had to get her out of the way,” Laura said with Bambi-​like sincerity. “She would have tried to stop me. But I’m being rude. Everybody, this is my sister, Betsy, and her husband, Sin—”

“We don’t need intros!” I snapped. “We need to find out where Tina is.” Not to mention when you lost your mind.

“I’m in a meeting right now,” she said in a scolding mommy voice. “I don’t—”

I hauled one of the robed morons to his—his? yep, it was a guy—feet and tossed him away. He bounced off the wall like he was a SuperBall, hands clapped to his face as his nose gushed blood.

“I want you athholth out of my houth!”

“Protect the Beloved of the Morningstar!” some other hooded freak yelled, and just like that, I had my hands full.