rising up again. Damn it, I had really believed I’d be able to help Al for a change.
A familiar bumm of sound pulled my attention to the street. It was Ivy’s cycle, and I headed for the gate as the engine died and the soft click of her kickstand going down sounded in the new stillness.
The feeling of Camelot lost pricked my soul as I reached the gate, watching her from over the damp wood. Motions smooth and unhurried, she got off her cycle, scrubbing her long black hair into disarray as she set her helmet on the seat and took a small paper sack from one of the small side trunks. Somehow, even after a night under the I.S. tower dealing with red tape and hungry vampires, she managed to look svelte and sexy. The paper bag crackled as she strode to the church’s door, her long legs eating up the distance and her boots hardly making a sound.
I took a breath to call her, but then she stopped, heel grinding as she turned right to me.
“Hey, hi,” I said as her eyes found mine, and I stifled a shiver as I pushed through the gate and kicked it shut. “I thought that was your cycle.”
“Hi, Rachel.” Her voice was low and throaty, and my pace slowed. She’d had a hard night by the look of it, meaning she’d be on edge, quick to jump to conclusions, and hungry. “Sorry I’m late. It took me more time than I planned to convince everyone involved.”
Hands full of chicory, dandelion, and wintergreen, I halted before her. “You didn’t . . .”
She smiled, flashing her sharp canines at me, and I knew she was fine. “Oh, all the accused were amenable after I told them you were trying to prove they were innocent. It was getting everyone else to look the other way.” She flexed her free hand as if it hurt, and her brow smoothed. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. Nina got a kick out of it. You look tired.”
“I didn’t sleep last night,” I said, deciding not to tell her about the latest baku attack. I’d handled it, and she’d only side with Trent about me sitting this out.
“Six samples.” She handed me the bag, frowning at my dirty fingers. “And six donations to make sure you’re seeing what’s there and not inventing results. They’re all labeled.”
“Donations?” I questioned, and her expansive smile returned.
“Vampire mostly, but I got a witch and a Were, too.” Stretching her shoulder, she winced.
I peered into the bag to see twelve neatly labeled vials. Ivy knew her job. “Thanks. I’m not getting you into trouble, am I?”
“Not any more than usual,” Ivy said wryly, and I looked up, waiting for the rest of the story. Her gaze went to the steeple after a faint thump from inside, then dropped to me. “I was warned off,” she said, anger marring her complexion. “Told that the situation was being handled and to keep my fangs out of it.”
“Crap on toast,” I whispered. “It’s the Order, isn’t it.”
“That’s the impression I got. They’ve been around long enough to know how to bring down one of the old undead without getting caught, and no one will stick their neck out. Homebody cowards. All of them.” Ivy’s eyes went to the church at the muffled peal of sound from the belfry.
“Bis?” Ivy guessed, and I shrugged. What the Turn is Jenks doing up there?
“If you’re good here, I need to get home,” Ivy said, her thoughts clearly somewhere else. “An old undead is coming in from DC tonight, and I need to clean.”
And there’s the cherry on top of my crap-day sundae, I thought sourly. But with Rynn Cormel less than effective, the old undead would want someone they knew—as in someone they could control—in charge of Cincinnati’s vampires. Paper bag crackling, I put my arm around her and gave her a half hug. “Thanks for this.” It meant a lot that she not only believed in me, but that she was right there supporting me the only way she could.
“Anytime,” she whispered, and then she pulled away, taking the delicious, dusky scent of vampire incense with her. “Let me know what you find out,” she added as she began to walk backward, toe to heel. “I don’t think the I.S. is going to let these people go even if you prove it wasn’t them. My boss nearly popped a vein when I brought up the baku.” She winced, stretching her