Blood Secrets - By Jeannie Holmes Page 0,28
driveway to the salvage yard. Squinting against the light, she reached for a pair of dark sunglasses she’d hung from the neckline of her shirt and slipped them over her eyes. While sunlight didn’t cause real vampires to burst into flames, much to the chagrin of blockbuster Hollywood productions, intense light did hurt their sensitive eyes. Wearing shades during the day was a small price to pay for the superior night vision they gained in return.
They arrived at the outer perimeter of the salvage yard to find police cars with their strobing blue and white lights scattered about the crude parking area. Uniformed officers in a group near the cars gestured in the direction of the gate and shook their heads. An old man looked on with unbridled curiosity from a mobile home’s porch.
“You haven’t spoken a word since we left town,” Varik said as he parked behind an empty sheriff’s department car. He switched off the Corvette’s engine and fixed her with a stern look over his dark aviator sunglasses. “You want to tell me what’s bugging you?”
“Before I told you about Tasha’s call, I got caught by Damian and the Tribunal’s Special Investigator.”
“Shit, that was quick. I didn’t think the SI would be here until later today.”
“Apparently SI Morgan Dreyer has a bug up her ass. She’s coming to observe me in the field, by the way, so you have to behave as much as I do. Damian’s orders.”
Varik’s spine turned rigid at the mention of Morgan’s name.
The blood-bond reacted to his emotional change and anxiety washed over Alex. “Is there something about Morgan I should know?”
Varik opened his door and climbed out, forcing her to scramble to follow.
“When I mentioned your name she acted as though she knew you,” Alex said as she joined him as they walked toward the fence separating the parking area from the rest of the salvage yard.
“She and I worked on cases during my pre-Bureau days.”
“How many cases?”
He paused, rubbing his chin and lost in thought. “You said she’s coming here?”
“She and Damian should be here any minute.”
“I think you and I should keep the bond open while she’s on-scene.”
Alex frowned. “Why?”
“Morgan’s an SI. It’s her job to provoke you, and you do have a temper.”
“So you want to use the bond as a way to mellow me out? It’s a blood-bond not psychic Prozac, Varik!”
Several humans turned to stare at them.
Alex moved even closer to him, and the scent of sandalwood and cinnamon called to her, enticing her to touch him. She jammed her hands into her jacket pockets and pitched her voice low. “Besides, we can’t ignore the fact that opening the bond in close proximity to each other for more than a few minutes has certain effects on us.”
He grinned. “Afraid you’ll jump my bones, Enforcer Sabian?”
“Don’t be gross.”
He winked at her over the top of his sunglasses. “You don’t hear me complaining, do you?”
“And what would you do if the bond took over? Push me up against a car and go at it with half of Jefferson’s police force watching?”
He tilted his head, and she could feel his eyes swiping over her body.
She waved her hand in front of his face. “Varik?”
“I’m thinking.”
She slapped his arm. “You’re sick.”
His laughter was shortened by the sound of an approaching vehicle.
A black Ford Expedition bounced up the rutted drive and parked behind two JPD units. Alex could feel the judging gaze of Morgan Dreyer sweeping over her even from a distance.
“They’re heeee-rrrrre,” he said in a singsong imitation of a classic horror film.
Morgan stepped down from the Expedition’s running board, and Alex instinctively stepped in front of Varik.
He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The blood-bond pulsed between them as he attempted to open it. “Let me in,” he whispered.
“What about the side effect?” she said quietly over her shoulder.
He chuckled. “I promise if you throw yourself at me in a lustful manner, I’ll resist the temptation to ravish you.”
“Asshole,” she muttered.
“Do we have a deal?”
“Fine. Deal.”
Alex relaxed the shields keeping Varik’s psyche from intruding upon her own. The blood-bond surged to life, carrying his thoughts and emotions to her and sending hers to him. She gasped as the circuit completed and a series of recent memories seen from his viewpoint crowded into her mind: a dark-haired doll on a car seat; Alex lying on the rain-slick pavement and screaming at demons only she could see; her mother’s face bearing a sadness that tore at Alex’s heart.
The memories faded and