won’t lie, the chief’s failure to trust me hurt. He’d been a father figure to me for a lot of my life.
But he was right. I’d screwed up and I hadn’t found a way to fix it yet. When it came down to it, I couldn’t blame him.
“What now?” Cody asked me in a low voice on the sidewalk outside the station, standing a little closer than professional courtesy dictated. “Plan B?”
“What’s Plan B?” I asked him.
He smiled ruefully. “I was hoping you’d tell me.”
I smiled back at him, wishing we had a real relationship, wishing I could ask him to hold me just long enough to bury my face in the curve of his throat and inhale his scent of pine needles, musk, and a lingering trace of Ralph Lauren’s Polo. Which, come to think of it, would also be pretty damn unprofessional. “I think we need to assume the worst and call for whatever backup we can.”
A reserved look settled over his face. “You mean Ludovic.”
“I mean everyone,” I said sharply. “I want anyone we can trust not to lose their head carrying a hammer and nails, Cody, because we don’t know what’s coming down the pike! Sinclair said the Tall Man’s body could be used for death magic. For all we know, his grandfather’s planning to raise a host of Pemkowet’s dead going back to the Paleolithic era, and if that happens, all those tourists clamoring for a glimpse of a ghost are going to freak the fuck out, so yes, I want Stefan and the Outcast on hand. And I want Sinclair and the coven on hand to catch this damn duppy, assuming he finally makes an appearance, and I want anyone who can’t help keep the peace to stay the hell home and out of the way, because I’m scared!”
“I know.” Cody reached out and gave my shoulders a squeeze. “I know, Daise. So am I.”
“Sorry.” I took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean to shout at you.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “Believe me, I’m frustrated, too. And, Daisy . . . you know this isn’t your fault, right? You didn’t set some damn Jamaican witch doctor’s ghost loose on the town.”
“No, but it was my job to prevent it from happening,” I said. “I didn’t. And now it’s my responsibility.”
“Right,” Cody said. “Plan B it is. Let’s start by heading over to Drummond’s to buy out their stock of hammers.”
It wasn’t much of a plan, but like he said, it was a start.
Forty-four
While everyone else was carving jack-o’-lanterns, I spent the day before Halloween handing out hammers.
“The, um, particular talent of the Outcast will probably be more useful,” I said to Stefan. “But just in case.”
“Of course.” He inclined his head, a shadow of regret behind his ice-blue eyes. “Some of us may find peace in laying the spirits of the dead to rest.” He paused. “Are you well, Daisy?”
“Not exactly,” I said honestly. “But I’m doing my best.”
Stefan’s pupils were steady. “I could alleviate your fear.”
I raised my mental shield without thinking. “No. Thanks, but no.”
Unexpectedly, he smiled. “Better. In battle, fear is a warrior’s friend. You are wise to keep yours honed to a fine edge.”
“Um . . . thanks.” Keeping my shield in place between us, I eyed him. I couldn’t help but think about what Cooper had said about us, not to mention Cody’s occasional flares of jealousy. “Stefan, exactly what am I to you?”
He frowned slightly. “How do you mean the question?”
“I don’t know.” I really wasn’t sure what I was asking, but I also wanted to see how he would answer without any guidelines.
Stefan was silent for a minute. “A rarity.”
Okay, that wasn’t what I’d expected. “Excuse me?”
“A rarity,” he repeated. “A demon’s seed conceived in innocence, born in faith, raised in love. That makes you a rarity, Daisy Johanssen.” Leaning forward, Stefan raised one hand to cup the back of my head and kissed me on the lips.
Whoa.
It was a gentle kiss, but authoritative; a kiss that staked a definite claim. A jolt of electricity, or whatever the thing that feels like electricity is, shot through me. I’m not sure, but I may actually have gasped out loud.
Stefan released me and straightened, his pupils waxing into dark moons. “Does that answer your question?”
“Not exactly, no.” My heart was beating fast and hard, and my knees felt wobbly. “But it raises plenty of others. Only—”
He finished my thought for me. “Only now is not the time.”