Into the Woods: Tales from the Hollows and Beyond(62)
Author: Kim Harrison

The soft hum of Kisten’s phone vibrated through me, and I stiffened.

Well, that came pretty damn close.

Kisten shifted, and my jaw clenched. "You’re not going to take that, are you?" I complained, then dropped with my arms over my chest when he edged out of my grip. "I never take calls when we’re out."

His smile showed a glint of small fang. He wouldn’t get the extended versions until he was really dead, but just that little glimpse started a quiver in my middle. Crap on toast, I couldn’t stay mad at the man.

"You’re not trying to run the city," he said as he pulled the tiny phone from a pocket and squinted at the screen.

"Run the city . . ." I put my elbows on the railing and looked away to give him some privacy. "You’re not running the city; you’re running a nightclub."

"In this case, it’s the same thing." Kisten made a small sound of concern as he looked at the number. "It’s my sister. You mind if I take a call from my sister?"

I straightened in surprise. I hadn’t even known he had a sister. "Sure," I said. "I’ll get us an ice cream."

"Don’t leave. She probably just wants a number." Kisten set the take-out on the railing and opened the phone. "Hi, Chrissie," he said, and then his brow furrowed. "Where are you?"

My good mood hesitated, then worsened when Kisten peered past me at the distant road beyond the open space where people walked their dogs and flew kites.

"Shit," he swore softly, his eyes pinching in concern. "Why didn’t you go to Piscary’s?" His lips pressed tight, and he put a hand to his head. "For Christ’s sake, Chrissie, what do you think I can do?"

He paused to listen, and the incense coming from him grew strong, taking on a sharper scent, aggressive. His eyes, too, were going black in anger as his pupils dilated. "Is he okay?" he asked softly. "No, you did okay. I’m at the bridge. Can you see me?"

Now I was really concerned, and I followed Kisten’s gaze across the open park. There was a young woman in a short business dress in heels trudging over the grass with a towheaded little boy in tow. She had a phone to her ear. Kisten’s sister? The woman was yelling, her pace quickening as she looked over her shoulder. I could almost hear her. The little boy holding her hand had to move fast to keep up, but if he was Kisten’s nephew, he was a living vampire and could probably run faster than me, even if he did look about six.

"I see you," Kisten said, tension making his muscles hard. "I’ll talk to you in a minute." My pulse fast when he closed the phone and turned to me. "You need to go home."

Surprised, I dropped back a step. "If your sister is in trouble, I can help. It’s what I do for a living. What’s the problem?"

He hesitated as if to demand I leave, then exhaled. His fingers trembled when he took my upper arm and leaned close, but his gaze never left the edges of the park. His sister was still out of earshot, even for a vampire, but he leaned in close. "Short version," he said. "Seven years ago, my sister had a fling with a vampire out of Piscary’s camarilla. Nine months later, she has a little boy, finds out Sean’s married, comes home, and life goes on with the addition of a car seat in the back. A few months ago, the bastard’s shadow junkie wife gets herself killed, which leaves Sean married but without a living heir, so he sues my sister to get custody."

I turned to glance at the pair of them. The little boy was in a school uniform, and he looked tired, head down as he lagged behind. "What an ass," I said, and Kisten bobbed his head in agreement.

"It gets better. He’s got no right to the boy because it’s been six years, but because Piscary is in jail, Sean thinks he can force the issue by way of possession. He just tried to snatch Audric from the schoolyard."

Aghast, I looked past Kisten to the little boy. "Holy crap! Is he okay?"

Kisten smirked and turned to the end of the bridge as his sister approached, her heels clicking as they found the paved path. "He’s fine, but my sister is ready to rip someone’s head off."

"I’ll bet."

"She called the club and they told her where I was. I know they’re following her." Kisten’s hands clenched and released. "I hope they’re following her."

He was itching for a fight. I’d seen this before. Kisten wasn’t an especially big man, but he had a vampiric strength that he liked to use, and thanks to his occasional bouncer work, he knew how to use it.

"Kisten," I urged, not wanting to spend my afternoon in the emergency room, "all we need to do is convince him that Piscary in jail does not make his vampires easy pickings."

His eyes when they met mine were black, and though his emotion wasn’t directed at me, I felt a slither of fear-laced anticipation tighten every muscle. "That’s exactly what I intend to do," he said in a flat voice.

I took a breath to protest, but the sharp click-clack of heels and the soft hiss of scuffing sneakers sounded against the cement footbridge. Kisten’s sister was in her early thirties, maybe. She must have had Audric young, but most living vampires did in case of premature death. The few lines in her face were from stress and anger. Dressed in a trendy business suit, she gave the impression of a pissed CEO, dragging her unfortunate offspring along on a day-with-mommy-at-work excursion, powerful and harried all at the same time.

"Damn it, Chrissie," Kisten said as he gave her a hug. "I told you that Sean was scum."

The family resemblance was uncanny, save that she didn’t dye her hair, letting the long, dark waves curl gently around her face. Anger was a dark sheen in her eyes, the pupils so large they looked black in the sun. She didn’t let go of the little boy’s hand as she embraced Kisten, her lips brushing his cheek for an instant. I could smell a whiff of citrus scented perfume.

"I love you, too," she said dryly as she dropped back. Her eyes flicked to me, then back to Kisten. "Thanks for helping me. They aren’t far behind."

Her voice was strong, but I could hear fear in it, not for herself, but for her child. She looked at me again, and I stuck my hand out.

"I’m Rachel," I said, seeing as Kisten wasn’t going to introduce us. "Kisten’s girlfriend."

Her grip was tight and preoccupied. "Nice to meet you. You’re a witch, aren’t you?"

I nodded, not surprised she could tell. Vampires had better noses than just about any non-human species, apart from pixies. "Yup."

Kisten ruffled the little boy’s hair and said, "Rachel has her own running firm with Ivy."

The woman actually blinked, and a thin rim of blue appeared around her pupil. "You live with Ivy? In that church? It is a true pleasure to meet you."