Page 53 of Vampire so Virtuous
The door opened again. “Kevin? Come out here, will you?”
Oh yeah, that was his name.
He frowned, rising in irritation, and walked out the door. It shut behind him, leaving her alone with the empty Styrofoam cups. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, using the small window of opportunity to recuperate as best she could. From the other side of the door came muffled voices, raised in a heated conversation.
“No fucking way!” Easy enough to catch, even through the door, though whether it boded good or ill was impossible to say. She had the strong feeling it was about her.
The door opened again, but it wasn’t either of the cops. A different officer.
“Come with me, please,” she said. No less dour than the two that had left.
“All right.” Cally rose unsteadily, her legs stiff. “Where are we going?”
“Back to your holding cell.”
“Oh. Are we done for today?”
“Not my case,” the woman replied brusquely.
Cally followed along quietly, looking forward to being back in her cell. It had been a strangely abrupt end to proceedings, but obviously something more important had come up.
Maybe the exclamation she’d heard had nothing to do with her after all.
Fifteen – Antoine
Antoine awoke.
The room was pitch black, the blinds still drawn, but that was no obstacle. Even so, he preferred them up, and pressed the button beside the bed and checked the time.
Half past two. In the afternoon.
When had he ever risen so early?
The blinds rose with a soft mechanical clatter, overcast daylight filtering in. The clouds softened the sun’s usual bite, but the light still stung his eyes. Bearable, though.
He stood before the window, squinting as the gardens revealed themselves bit by bit. Manicured lawns, neatly sculpted hedges, tall oaks and maples that kept the house hidden from the neighbors.
A rare treat, seeing the world in daylight. Winters were too dark for early waking, and summers uncomfortably bright.
A knock broke the quiet, two quick raps before the door opened. Marcel let himself in, his usual crisp demeanor intact.
“Good afternoon, sir. Up early?”
“So it appears,” Antoine replied. It was unusual. No, unprecedented.
Still, it was useful. Things to do. A quick shower first, then he’d check on the woman.
He remembered the feel of her smooth, warm skin and the scent of clean, damp hair—like she’d just showered. It made sense now: the martial arts center in close proximity, her sharp reflexes, the way she’d moved. She was a warrior out of her time.
As he’d pressed his lips to her hand, he’d transferred his mark. She hadn’t realized, of course—there’d been no awareness in those striking gray eyes of hers. He hadn’t marked her before, and Minh had been too arrogant and insecure to admit he couldn’t sense it.
But now she bore his mark. He’d be able to track her wherever she went.
The water cascaded over him as he stood beneath the shower, mulling over the encounter.
So he’d played a little fast and loose with the Code. The woman had been in his territory, he’d fed from her without killing her, and in times past, that was enough to count as ‘marking’ her—even though he hadn’t, then. Minh had instigated the fight, but Antoine had been the one to feed.
Was that the greater crime?
