How to Rattle an Undead Couple - Hailey Edwards Page 0,34

is literally an activity log of comings and goings, minus the time stamps.”

Disappointed the inner wards weren’t more precise, Linus nodded that he grasped her meaning.

“Boaz went in after her, then two vampires. After that, all four left. The next reading shows a…” She scrunched up her face in thought. “The first is Corbin. He reads odd for a vampire, almost like a necromancer. The second skews toward necromancer as well but…”

“That would be Corbin and me,” Linus cut into her musings before she thought too much about him. “What else can you tell us?”

“I can’t ID the vampires based on this, if that’s what you’re asking. However,” she said thoughtfully, “I could compare their energy signatures once you catch them to verify they were the ones responsible.”

“Keep what you’ve learned quiet,” Linus cautioned her. “We can’t risk news of Mother’s disappearance leaking.”

“I can’t talk to anyone about it except for the six authorized users.” She exited the glamour, allowing him to read her distaste. “We all signed restrictive NDAs.”

The easy way she conversed with him, when Corbin had been tongue-tied, made him wary. She and Corbin had two separate levels of access, and yet hers appeared less restrictive than his, when he was one of the six. “We should go.”

“Amen to that.” She yawned into her fist. “Working dayshift kills me.”

They exited the sewers together, Leisha in front. She went her own way without saying goodbye.

All things considered, given her temperament, Linus was relieved when she didn’t linger.

Corbin repositioned the manhole cover and waited for the ward to reactivate. “What are you thinking?”

“Are the terms of your NDA different from the others?”

“I’m not sure.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t exactly get a copy for comparison.”

Even with the NDA exposed, as well as most of its secrets, Corbin danced around the edge of the truth. But Leisha didn’t have that problem. She had also read the exterior and interior wards with greater ease and accuracy than he anticipated. Because she was gifted? Or because she had never truly severed her ties to them? Leisha was talented, of that he had no doubt—his mother wouldn’t have hired her otherwise—but this? He wasn’t sure Grier could have done a better job, and she was extraordinary.

Gazing down the alley, he wondered, “Why can Leisha talk so freely about all this but not you?”

“Your mother trusts her more?”

Linus shifted his focus onto Corbin. “Mother trusts no one above family.”

The vampire squared his shoulders, and pride at belonging tipped up his chin. “What are you saying?”

“We should escort her, make sure she gets home safely.”

Fangs on display, Corbin smiled.

Nine

Rather than scurrying home to her bed as promised, Leisha pulled her car into a neighbor’s driveway. She exited the vehicle, walked with purpose up the flower-lined path, then let herself in with a key.

Delicate surveillance was easier with Cletus, but the sun overhead made calling on him impossible.

“I got this.” Corbin unfastened his seat belt. “This is what I do.”

“We’ll go together.” Linus spared him a smile. “This is also what I do.”

“Fair point.” He reached for his door handle. “Let’s trade.”

Linus twisted to face him. “I’m listening.”

“We need ears and eyes on Leisha now.” Corbin nudged open his door. “You go ahead. There’s a house a block down with old newspapers piled on the porch. I’ll drop our ride there and make my way back to you.”

“All right.” Linus left Moby running. “Be careful.”

Chuckling, Corbin hopped out then leaned in across his seat. “I will, Pops.”

Shaking his head, Linus exited the vehicle and began stalking the house. Like Cletus, he was at a distinct disadvantage in the daylight when his power was less. He would have to do this the old-fashioned way.

Three houses on his left had no fences in their yards. He strolled down the sidewalk, picked one at random, and trusted the empty driveway meant he wasn’t about to prompt the owners to call the police.

The cramped backyards, defined only by their landscaping, made sneaking up on the home Leisha had entered a simple matter. The distance from the road, and prying eyes, helped too.

Once he reached his target, he crawled through a thick hedge of azaleas to a spot where he estimated the living room might be. With the modified pen in his pocket, he drew an amplification sigil with an emphasis on hearing onto his hand then held his palm facing the siding. As the magic tingled over his skin, he relaxed, shut his eyes, and relied