To my surprise, there was no fear on Dominick’s face as he faced down Thomas. Rather, he seemed pleased he’d managed to provoke such an extreme reaction.
He signaled for Helen and Arturas to retreat. “Since you’re so insistent, I’ll leave this matter in your hands. At least until the vampire’s identity is confirmed.” Dominick took Kat’s arm. “But if it does turn out to be my vampire, I expect this matter to be turned over to me.” His gaze lingered on Jenna. “Along with any witnesses.”
With that ominous reminder, he and the rest swept from the room. Nathan and Anton shadowed them, making sure they’d left before rejoining us.
Jenna stomped toward me. “Aileen May Travers, what the hell is going on?”
It was never a good sign when Jenna used my full name. She rarely had the opportunity, being the younger sister, but the few occasions she broke it out were memorable.
Like the time I’d crashed her car in college after an ill-advised attempt to glide down an ice covered hill. Or the time I broke her boyfriend’s hand when he got a little too physical with her for my taste.
That last one I wasn’t sorry about. No one left bruises on my sister’s arms.
“I know you’re confused,” I started.
“Confused? No.” A raw laugh left her throat as Jenna shook her head. “Confused is when your big sister, the person you respect and admire more than anyone else, comes home only to shut herself in an apartment and reject any help offered. Confused is when that same sister starts to pull away for no reason that I can tell. Confused doesn’t cover your sister stabbing a man with a broken bottle or any of the other shit I just saw.”
By this point, Jenna was screaming.
She didn’t calm down any as she launched into an interrogation. “What is going on? Why is Caroline covered in fur?”
Caroline reached for Jenna’s arm. “This isn’t helping.”
Jenna slapped her hand away and pointed at her in warning. “Don’t you touch me. You’re going to tell me what is happening or I’m going to start breaking things.”
Nathan folded his arms over his chest, looking amused. “I can tell she’s your sister. Quite the fierce little thing, isn’t she?”
Jenna spun toward him. Her retort dying as she registered the charred corpse on the ceiling. A sound like that of a tea kettle’s whistle started.
It grew rapidly in volume. Anton retreated, putting as much space as he could between him and Jenna.
“Enough!” Thomas roared, sinking a wealth of power into the one word.
The screaming shut off like someone had flipped a switch.
Blessed relief.
“You will sleep,” Thomas ordered. “When you wake, you will remember none of this.”
Jenna’s eyes rolled back in her head. She folded to the ground in a boneless heap.
Caroline and I leapt for her at the same time.
My friend reached her first. “I’ve got her, Lena.”
“Get that corpse down,” Thomas ordered, taking control of the situation. “I want it and the other transported to the Gargoyle. Joseph will perform the autopsies.”
Trusting Caroline to take care of Jenna in my stead, I took one last look at my sister’s face before straightening. “There’s something you should know about the human.”
Thomas made a sharp gesture, cutting me off mid-sentence. “I appreciate your input, but we don’t know what ears may still be listening. For now, discretion is wise.”
His gaze held mine, warning me that despite appearances Dominick may not have entirely withdrawn.
I nodded to show my understanding.
In the end, my caution wasn’t needed as Anton dragged a table under the body and climbed on top. Nathan joined him, supporting the body’s weight as Anton yanked out the stakes.
When he got to the hunter’s right hand where the mark was, he slowed. His head turned in my direction. He sent me a reassuring nod, letting me know he was aware of the situation.
