“Where is he now?” I asked.
“Here,” a man said. But it wasn’t a man who stepped out of the shadows, it was a vampire.
He looked like he was in his late twenties. His hair was a deep, chestnut brown, his eyes lighter brown, his skin still darkened from a tan that was sure to fade.
He must not have been turned very long ago to still have a tan.
He was also the same vampire who had broken my wrist.
“The hell,” I said, fighting the urge to put myself between Lula and him, to grab her and Abbi and run.
“My son,” Cassia said. “Variance. Yes, a vampire. Now you know. Do you still want to talk with us? Do you still want to give us aid?” It was a challenge. A dare.
“That’s the one who broke my wrist,” I told Lula.
“It was a mistake.” He held up a hand. “I thought you were stalking Franny and the Moon Rabbit.”
Lula hadn’t moved, hadn’t looked away from Cassia. “Why is he here if he brought horror into your home?”
“May I sit?” He hadn’t taken another step. But I knew how fast he could be. Faster than Lula. Certainly faster than me.
I thought about the stone in my pocket, the one that belonged to the demon. I could draw it out now and take the risk of releasing whatever magic it held.
Lula must have known what I was thinking. She brushed her fingertips on my knee.
“Sit,” she said, as much of an invitation as the vampire could expect.
He made a point to move slowly, to move at an exaggeratedly leisurely human speed.
He held my gaze in that unblinking way of vamps.
“I don’t like you,” I said, just to get it out there.
“Fair. I apologize for breaking your wrist.”
I grunted, because I was not used to apologies from monsters.
Only then did he make eye contact with Lula. They were both silent, unbreathing, sizing each other up. Variance was still, his body falling into the razor angles of a predator scenting prey.
No, a predator recognizing danger.
“Variance,” he said, in introduction to Lula. “Of the McClellan Coven.”
“Lula Gauge,” she said like he should have heard of her. And really, he should have heard of her.
“I thought so.” He leaned forward, lowering his head in a slow bow. “I’ve been looking for you, Lula Gauge.”
I could feel the surprise in her, the shock at his deference, but Lula didn’t move a muscle. “Why?”
“I sent the hunter to find you. To offer you a deal.”
Now I officially hated everything about this.
“Unless someone gets to the point,” I said, “we’re leaving.”
Abbi sniffed. “Don’t be more mad now. They still need our help.”
“I don’t give a damn—”
