Bold Mercy by Laken Cane
Chapter Twenty-Six
The city seemed to have calmed slightly, whether because of the heavy police presence or mere exhaustion, I couldn’t have said. I was sure that if Avis had anything to say about it, it was simply the calm before the major storm she was about to bring.
Even in the daylight, the streets were nearly empty, and a hazy, eerie pall hung over the city. Some shops had been burnt out, and the sidewalks were full of overturned grocery carts, garbage, and the occasional brave—or inebriated—person.
I saw a total of eleven spirits and twice I spotted men who looked like they’d picked up a demon. I kept going. Later I would deal with spirits and demons. Right now, the vampires were getting all my attention.
I called Joe, Max, Zach, Bastien, and the alpha on my way home. Bastien would be sleeping, but Jared didn’t answer either. I left voicemails asking them to come and to gear up for a battle—not only for the viewing audience, but just in case Avis and her rogues appeared.
Lucy’s car was parked in my driveway when I arrived home, and the “car full of wolves,” as my mother put it, was parked at the side of the street. There were three wolves inside it—more than enough protection if a killer dared approach Lucy. The wolves were overkill, really. My mother could easily have handled a lone human serial killer.
I waved at the wolves, then walked my mother, Lucy, and Ash into my house. I inhaled, pulling in the familiar scents, as Lucy hurried into her bedroom to drop her bags and my mother went into the kitchen to put on coffee. I figured she didn’t want to be alone with me just yet. She wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened at Shadowfield. Her daughter was an alpha. Her daughter had forced her shift.
Yeah. I wasn’t quite ready for that conversation either.
I sat on the sofa and patted my lap, and Ash jumped up to get some love. Funny how he could make the stress melt away—at least for a little while.
Then Lucy came in and sat beside me. Ash lay down between us and went to sleep immediately, as though he knew playtime was over and it was time for the adults to have a serious discussion.
“I’m going to cook something,” my mother called. “Lucy, when you can, come help me?”
“I will,” Lucy murmured, but she stared pensively at Ash as she ran her hand over his back, and finally, as I opened my mouth to prompt her, she spoke. “You’ve lost some weight,” she said. “And I’ve lost the serial killer dreams.”
“Maybe that’s a good thing,” I said tentatively. “Maybe that means he’s not coming for you after all.”
“Yeah,” she said, attempting a smile. “Maybe that’s what it means.” Then she sighed. “I’ve been having other dreams instead. That one had taken over for a while. Every time I closed my eyes, I was with the killer. I felt him, and it was overwhelming. I’ve never been so immersed in my dreams in my whole life, Kait. I should be glad they’ve stopped, but…”
“What, Lucy?” I took her hand and held it, squeezing gently, because she seemed to need the comfort. “Tell me.”
She couldn’t look at me. “My dreams, when I’m having them, are reality. I’m there. To me, it’s not a dream. Sometimes when I dream I become the person I’m dreaming about.” She waved her free hand impatiently. “Anyway. This serial killer.” Finally, she looked at me. “I…I like him, Kait. I like being with him, even though I’m aware of what he’s doing to those women. Even though I’m aware that he killed them. Not dreaming about him upsets me.”
I didn’t pull my hand away. “You’ve connected with him.” I wanted to say “bonded” but that was somehow worse.
“I’ve never done anything like this. No matter what I dream, the bad guys are the bad guys and I detest them.” Abruptly she pulled her hand from mine and stood. “I’m going to help Susan. I have a name. A first name. It’s Samuel. I don’t know if that’ll help Detective Moreno or not, but it’s something.” Just before exiting the room, she stopped. “I’ve had that name for two days, Kait. I just couldn’t bear to tell you in case the information got him captured.” She laughed, and it was full of panic. “I don’t want a serial killer, a man who kills women, to be caught.” She walked away and I let her go, because nothing I could have said would have made a difference.
Lucy was losing it.
“We’ll have a meal ready in half an hour,” my mother said, when I finally got up and wandered into the kitchen.
“I’ll get cleaned up,” I said. My stomach growled ferociously, but no one laughed. There was too much weighing on our minds.
The mayor called as I was getting out of the shower. “Can you be here at ten? I’ve got everything set up. I’ve had announcements going out to TV, the Internet, radio stations…nearly everyone in the city will be tuning in.”
“I’ll be there,” I promised. “And I’ll bring some people.”
“You needn’t call Rick,” he said. “He’ll be here by the time you arrive. Can I send a car for you?”
“No, I’ll drive over. Are we doing this outside?”
“Absolutely. I’m not inviting vampires into my house, not even if you’re likely to kill them.”
“Outside is better,” I assured him. I was hoping Avis would show herself. So was the mayor. She was going to be watching for information, so chances were, she’d be aware.
“Dress like you mean it, Kait,” he said, before hanging up.
I knew what that meant. He wanted me to go into full badass mode for the cameras. I could do that. For the first time in a while, I pulled my vampire kit out and opened it up, checking to see that everything was inside and that I didn’t need to replace anything.
When I walked into the kitchen, Joe, Max, and Zach were already there, happily eating up all the food my mother and Lucy had prepared. “Damn, guys,” I complained. “I was only gone for twenty minutes.”
“I saved you a plate,” Lucy said, jumping up to grab a foil covered plate from the oven. It weighed about five pounds, so mollified, I took it and looked around for a place to sit.
Zach offered me his chair. “I’m finished anyway. The only one of you who eats less than me is Max.”
“Hey,” Lucy said, pausing with a chicken leg halfway to her mouth. “I don’t eat more than Max.”
“Where’s my mother?” I asked, sitting in Zach’s vacated chair. Ash immediately left Joe’s side to come sit closer to me. He sat on his haunches and stared at me, waiting to see if any food would jump off my plate and into his mouth.
“She left with the wolves who escorted us here,” Lucy told me. “She said to tell you to call her after your meeting with the mayor. She has something important you need to talk about.”
I nodded. My mother had changed somewhat since we’d gotten a pack. It was important for a wolf, and she didn’t want to lose that. She knew that as an alpha, I wasn’t going to be Jared’s wolf, not really. Maybe she believed I might try to fight him for the position. I’d reassure her that would never happen. I might be alpha, but I was certainly not the type to want to head a pack or wreck the one I belonged to. A wolf alpha was too restricted, too wrapped up in pack politics, too overwhelmed and shackled with the responsibility of dozens of people. I shuddered. No, that wasn’t me.
“Max,” I said, happy beyond words that we were all together in my house again. “I want the people to see you, but if by some chance we get lucky and the rogues come—”
“I will be standing closest to the door,” he said, licking a smudge of cake icing off his finger, “and if a bunch of vampires appear, I’ll jump into Lucy’s arms and she’ll run us both to safety.”
All of us laughed but Joe. “I’ll be there,” he growled. “If Avis shows, I’ll make sure you get to safety before anything happens to you.” Then, he added, “And Lucy, of course.”
Lucy giggled, and I was glad to see she had thrown off her cloak of despair and seemed to be back to her normal bubbly self. “Thank you, Joe.”
“I hope Avis shows,” Zach said. He briefly touched the hilt of his blade, then crossed his arms and stared into the distance.
He may have wanted her more than I did, but if I got to her first, I was going to take care of business.
Finally, it was time to go.
We took Ash with us. With everyone gone, I was worried Sam the serial killer might break into my apartment, and I certainly didn’t want Ash there alone if that happened. I could leave him in the mayor’s house with people watching over him.
The gates were closed at the end of the mayor’s driveway, but two guards were there to open them for us. We wouldn’t want humans there tonight. It wouldn’t be safe. A couple of police cars sat outside the gates, and I thought about telling them they should either go home or come inside where they’d be better protected, but in the end I decided to mention it to Rick and let him handle it.
Reporters were waiting on folding chairs, their cameramen standing patiently, and a couple dozen suited security guys stood watchfully around the area. They didn’t try to hide their holstered guns or stakes, some wood, some metal. A couple of them had large crucifixes on silver chains around their necks, and one guy smelled so strongly of garlic that I gagged.
The mayor wasn’t outside, but Rick stood talking with two of the guards, and he watched me as I climbed from my car. Lucy and Zach were with me, and Max had ridden with Joe.
I turned when a loud black car sped up the driveway and a few seconds later, Remy Simon climbed from the vehicle. He was dressed the way the humans would expect a hunter to dress—in all black and dripping with silver blades. Remy was a good-looking man, but a person didn’t have to look hard to see the cold killer in his stare. He was eager for what the night might bring.
He wasn’t the only one. There were a couple of officers who strutted around the area with bright eyes and barely suppressed grins, their fingers eagerly brushing their weapons as they searched the shadows, hoping for something to kill. They weren’t terrified of their new world. They were excited by it.
Had any of the security present tonight actually fought and killed a vampire? No. The rogues were too good to get caught by humans.
At least by most of the humans. My stare flitted from Remy to Zach, both humans, both hunters, both dangerous. They would give the vampire rogues some trouble. And there was another human who could fight a vampire, as well, especially after his abduction. Rick finished his conversation with the guards and stood off a little to himself, watchful and silent, ready for anything. He’d changed since the vampires had gotten their fangs into him.
I hoped he would never remember what he’d done while under Axton’s control, but I was nearly certain that in time, he would. I couldn’t guess what he’d do then.
When Louis came out into the courtyard, followed by four of his security team, I immediately took Ash’s leash and went to meet him. “Can he hang out inside?” I asked him.
“Absolutely.” He bent down to scratch Ash’s head. “Noah will love him.” He gestured and one of the guards came to take Ash inside. “Do you think the vampires will show up?” he asked me, as we watched Ash trotting away.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I do.”
“Wonderful,” he said. “I don’t want to just tell the people of Jakeston you’re able to protect them. I want to show them.”
“If they come,” I told him, grimly, “get inside with your family. Don’t hesitate, no matter what. Okay?”
He took a deep breath, and it shook a little when he released it. “Okay, Kait Silver.” He straightened his shoulders and took another deep breath. “Can we get started?”
But as we walked toward the reporters, another car arrived.
Jared.
And for the first time since I’d arrived, something eased inside me. “Yes,” I murmured. “Now we can get started.”
