too. Most spellcraft would have faded by now. Must have been a powerful witch in the vicinity, and recently. That is weird.”
“Witches and vamps are on neutral grounds now,” Vika added. “And a witch would have no reason to take out vampires like this, not even for a source—”
“CJ is a powerful witch.”
She twisted a look to her sister. “What are you implying?”
“Huh?” Libby stopped playing with the tip of her purple glove and released it with a snap. “Oh. Well. I’m not implying anything. Sorry.”
Vika nodded and turned to her work.
“But he does practice dark magic,” Libby added.
Why her sister couldn’t get on board with her being interested in the ultimate of bad-boy witches was beyond Vika. He was exactly the sort Libby fell for. It was a good thing Libby wasn’t attracted to CJ. He was hers.
Really? Already claiming the guy, and you’re still not sure if you’re safe around him?
“Oh!” Vika gasped as a few corpse lights suddenly entered her body, one right after the other, as if rushing to the front of the line. They burst inside her and then faded until she felt not a thing.
“How many?” Libby asked.
“Three or four? I can never be sure. Probably all of them. I think there’s at least five dead vamps here, though I’m not sure that ash pile is one or two.”
After she’d taken on a soul, she felt nothing more. No sign from within that she harbored lost souls. The first time she’d realized she was actually collecting souls was when Reichardt had been at the scene of a cleaning. He’d watched as she and Libby had done their work and then pointed out the souls he’d come for were stuck to her. She had no problem agreeing to a regular scrub, while Libby had swooned and hadn’t been the same since.
“That smaller pile there.” She pointed out one moist with dark liquid, which she guessed was blood. “I’m going to make a call and say that was a heart. And why would it not have ashed at the same pace as the rest of the body?”
“Because someone had reached in and pulled it out to drink the blood,” Libby said. Witches had to consume the blood of a beating vampire’s heart once a century to maintain their immortality. “But why five vampires when one will do? Do you think all the hearts got grabbed?”
“I don’t see how it’s possible. Someone would have fought back. Unless there was more than one perpetrator.”
“Or the witch had the other vamps in thrall while he methodically went from heart to heart. We have to report this to the Council,” Libby said. “We’re not detectives.”
“I know. I have no interest in getting involved in whatever this is. I have so many other things with which to concern myself at the moment.”
“Like the dark witch with the tattooed hand?”
“Who kissed me again.”
Libby gaped and pressed her gloves to her mouth, but her eyes were all glee.
“He’s invited me to the Council archives this afternoon. We’re going to search the grimoires.”
Libby’s glee dissipated. “Sounds like a real exciting date, sis. And you think I need to get out more?”
“It’s a work date. I’m determined to—”
“I know, clean him up. So what happens when all his demons are gone? You two go your separate ways? Because I so cannot see you hooking up with him, even if you two have kissed. He’s completely opposite your type.”
“You keep saying that, but I don’t have a type.” Vika zipped up the hazardous waste bag, and the two of them hefted the ash-filled container into the back of the hearse. “Do I?”
“Tall, blond and Nordic. You like them looking like Thor, not Thor’s evil nemesis.”
“Who is Thor’s evil nemesis?”
“Not sure, but I suspect he’d look like CJ.”
“Who has a look that bears a remarkable resemblance to your type.”
“I know.” Libby tugged off her gloves and took out the spell-sanitizing spray from a rubber container in the back of the hearse. “And yet, I’m not at all attracted to the guy.”
“Which, I have to say, I appreciate. You should see his home. It would amaze you. I told you he needs prismatic light to keep the demons at bay? He must have a hundred chandeliers hung overall.”
“Seriously? Like some kind of Tiffany’s on crack? Yet another weird feature about the dude that totally doesn’t add up to Vika material. You be careful, sister mine. I know your need to help and clean things up is the biggest