Bad Blood
“One of Dominic’s comarré was killed,” Chrysabelle filled her in. “Stay if you want.” She tipped her head to the empty end of the sofa Creek occupied. Velimai sat, tucking her feet underneath her slim form. Chrysabelle took a long swallow of the juice.
Creek continued. “Not just any comarré either. The girl was the mayor’s daughter.”
Mal cursed softly. “If Dominic knew who that girl was and let her work for him anyway, he’s a fool. Does he know about the murder yet?”
“If he doesn’t, he will soon,” Creek answered. “There were more fringe and othernaturals around the crime scene than humans.”
Mal turned and shot Creek a look, but Chrysabelle caught it. She knew what he was thinking, so she said it out loud. “You think it was Tatiana? You think she’s sending me a message? Letting me know she’s here?”
Both men looked at her. Creek spoke first. “This wasn’t just a case of a vampire who drank too much. She was shredded. Someone meant to make an example of her.” He leaned back. “We can’t rule out Tatiana at this point.”
She drained the last of the juice, then stood and walked toward the back wall of glass doors. The lit pool glowed, but beyond that only the narrowest hint of dawn broke the blackness. When Tatiana had burned the Heliotrope, the dock had gone up in flames, too, taking out the dock’s security lights. “Creek, a while back you told me Algernon was some sort of KM double agent. Does the KM have anyone in Corvinestri now who can tell us if Tatiana’s there or if she’s already come back here?”
She watched his reflection in the glass. “I can find out. No promises. They don’t always give me that kind of information, and when they do, I’m definitely not supposed to be sharing it.”
“Understood.”
He hesitated, like he had more to say.
She faced them again. “What?”
He glanced at her, then at Mal, then back to her. “The mayor has threatened to charge me with her daughter’s death.”
“What?” Chrysabelle’s brow furrowed. “That’s ridiculous. Doesn’t she see what’s going on in the city? You’re the last person who should be on her suspect list.”
Creek tipped his head to one side and lifted his brows. “I agree, but as I was covered in the girl’s blood from holding her while she died, they see it differently.”
Mal stood and paced a few steps. “The mayor better wake up and realize the things going on in this city aren’t just going to magically resolve themselves.”
“I explained to her about the covenant and, well… I tried to explain. Even outed her bodyguard as a varcolai.”
Mal snorted. “Bet he didn’t take too kindly to that.”
“No, he didn’t.” Creek sighed. “I don’t know if she’s ignorant by choice or if she’s just having a hard time facing reality or what.”
“Come Samhain, she won’t have a choice,” Chrysabelle said.
“Yeah, I know,” Creek answered. “Anyway, I offered to introduce her to some genuine othernaturals.”
Chrysabelle went back to her seat beside Velimai. The sky was almost purple now. “You want me to talk to Mortalis? Maybe we could get his girlfriend, Nyssa—”
“No.” Creek shook his head slowly. “I told her I’d bring you and Mal. She wants to meet a real comarré. Try to understand what her daughter was doing. I figured Mal would be the icing on the cake.”
Velimai laughed, a wheezy sound like wind through a screen.
Mal froze. “You want me to teach the mayor Vampire 101? Why not just paint a target on my back?” He cut his hands through the air. “No bloody way.”
“When?” Chrysabelle asked.
“Tomorrow night.”
“I can’t. I already have plans.” Mortalis would be bringing her the ring. The mayor could wait.
Mal made an unhappy noise. “She’s going to see Dominic’s signumist.”
Creek frowned. “What for?”
She gave Mal a look. Why couldn’t he keep his mouth shut? “So much for not causing any more drama.”
He shrugged. “I’m not causing drama. You’re the one who’s going to get your signum put back in.”
Velimai squealed, one of the few verbalizations she had that didn’t cause death in vampires. Her fingers began moving rapid-fire.
“What the hell?” Creek’s whole body jerked back. “Why the hell would you do that?”
Mal answered, looking smug. “She plans on going back to the Aurelian.”
“I can speak for myself, thank you.” She rolled her eyes before walking back toward her chair. “Velimai, it’s all right. Calm down. I can’t read when you sign that fast anyway.” She stopped and sat between Velimai and Creek. “I need more information about my brother so I can find him. All she told me was that I would know him by his signum. Like that’s any help. All comarré have the same two basic sets of signum, just in different patterns and variations according to the signumist’s style. The last five sets are different for women and men.”
Creek still looked dumbfounded. “I understand wanting to find your brother, but there’s got to be another way. After what they did to you, how could you want to go back there?”
Velimai nodded.
Chrysabelle patted the wysper’s leg, careful not to make skin contact. “If I can open another portal and you two can protect it from being closed, I can come back that way without ever stepping foot in the Primoris Domus. I’ll be perfectly safe.”