“Myra?”
“Other sister.”
Okay, Jean. Bathin hadn’t met her yet. I wondered how he knew I had another sister.
“I was trapped in a rock with your father for over a year.” I didn’t know if he had read my mind, or just knew what I was thinking. “We bonded. It was beautiful.”
“Right. I’m going to shower.”
He went back to reading the comic, flipping the page to pause, then shaking his head as if the comic had gotten important details wrong.
The bathroom was small but bright and clean, and the door locked. I started the water so the old pipes would have time to warm up before I got under the stream. I shucked out of my clothes and caught a quick glimpse of my reflection.
Pale, thinner than the last time I’d taken a good look at myself. The black circles that were the only sign of my vampire bite seemed darker, a thin line of red skittering from them like threads of caught lightning running under my skin toward my heart.
The bruising on my arm from the blood draw was purple edged, but already going green, and I had a serious case of bed-head.
But it was my eyes that sort of freaked me out. They were usually an ocean wave blue–not as dark as Jean’s, not as icy as Myra’s. Sometimes they sort of shaded green-ish in the right light.
Here, in the bathroom, they were a dove gray, with very little blue chipped into them.
It was freaky. Weird. Like I was faded, fading. The lack of color in my face somehow washed me out even more, as if I’d lost something.
And I had. Well, not lost. Traded.
My soul.
“Ben is home,” I told my reflection. “Ben is safe.”
Because that was worth it. That made my choice the right choice. The hard one the seer said I’d have to make. The right one.
I looked away from my eyes, looked away from the bite marks on my neck, looked away from my pale skin.
I didn’t plan to study myself in a mirror again for a long damn time if I could help it. Choices made were choices done. No room for regret.
I ducked into the shower and scrubbed, letting the hot water and vanilla-smelling soap clear my head. What I needed was a plan.
We had today to come up with how we would kill Lavius. Today to find him, trap him, then do whatever kind of thing needed to be done under the full moon when Lavius was at his weakest.
Rossi had said he knew how to kill him. Would it involve an air strike? Ancient rituals? Tiddlywinks at ten paces?
I needed specifics.
I wanted to check in on Jean today too, find out how her arm and leg were healing. And I should see that Hatter and Shoe were settled. Just because I’d done a deal with a demon and was hunting an ancient vampire didn’t mean that I could walk away from my job as a cop.
I rearranged the list in my head. First, check on Jean. Next, go to the station to touch bases with Hatter and Shoe. Last, pin Rossi down and make a plan for taking Lavius out.
I had the feeling Bathin could find Lavius if he wanted to. For a price.
I poured shampoo in my palm, then worked it to suds through my hair.
I felt like I was missing something. Like there was more going on that I couldn’t put my fingers on, or something that was right in front of my face that I’d missed.
Bathin had said there were two mortals and a vampire on that boat. He’d also said he’d killed the vampire. I assumed he’d killed the mortals too. I should ask.
I wondered if the mortals had been willing or unwilling participants in all this. They could have been on the DoPP’s payroll, or they could have just been unlucky enough to have had a boat available when Lavius had decided to crate and sink Ben.
Fourth thing for today: check on Ben and Jame.
