“After.”
I inhale. Exhale. My mind goes back towhat the fuckmode. “So you four were like the supernatural police.”
Thomas laughs. “Being cursed exposed us to other monsters. Physically, our humanity was gone, but in here”—he taps his head—“we still knew what was going on.”
Gilbert makes a face. “And we were bound to the sorcerer. We didn’t have much of a choice other than to do his bidding.”
“And his bidding was to kill other monsters?” I ask carefully.
“Yes.” Hasan’s voice booms through the large house. “Who better to kill monsters than other monsters.”
I sit at the table and start gathering up my papers. The guys were cursed, blamed for a death they had nothing to do with, and the curse turned them into medieval Robocops. The curse had a purpose. I twist a loose strand of hair over my shoulder. Understanding the reasoning behind the curse might help me break it.
“Are you all right, Ace?” Jacques asks quietly.
“I’m trying to deal with everything, mentally.” I pull the hair tie from my wrist, gathering my long locks into a messy bun at the nape of my neck. “And not feel overwhelmed in the process.” I let out a breath in an attempt not to overthink. From finding the vampire sire to deciding what to do with this house and my apartment, I’m close to a nervous breakdown.
“I’ll help you,” Thomas offers. At first his words surprise me, then I remember they want this curse broken. The sooner I get through my other shit, the sooner I can work on breaking the curse. “Whatever you need, I’ll do it. And right now, I think you need to relax.”
“If I relax, someone else dies. There’s not much time left until the new moon, and if I don’t find and kill the sire before then, that means more vampires. I need to get to the bottom of this sooner rather than later. It’s fucking everything else up.” I look up at the guys. “I never lie at work, and I’ve done a lot of it the last few days. The longer it takes to kill the vamps, the more likely I am to get caught in a lie.”
A few seconds of silence tick by and I can feel all four men staring at me. Finally, Jacques speaks.
“The bar you mentioned earlier…is it open during the day?”
“No, and the hours change with the seasons. It’s only open after sunset.”
“That is compelling.”
“I know, right?” I put the rest of the files in their folders, stacking them neatly on the table. “I should go tonight. Scope it out and see if I can find anyone who looks like a vampire.”
“Vampires can look like normal people if they desire. The three you came across were young and didn’t know how to use their powers.”
“Hold up.” I raise my hand, holding up a finger. “Now vampires have magical powers?”
“Not quite,” Jacques answers. “They can make you spellbound for a few moments at a time, usually just long enough to not feel pain when they first bite you. And they can hide their appearance from humans. Though some of the older, powerful sires could kill you without touching you.”
“Great. What about the sulfur smell?”
“They can cover it up, but it’s there. All demons smell like sulfur.”
“So, basically, you’re telling me I need to go around sniffing people.”
“Even in our time, that wouldn’t go over well,” Jacques replies.
“I’m joking. Maybe. I think.” I let out a sigh that turns into a yawn.
“You really should rest,” Gilbert urges. “You haven’t gotten much sleep lately and going up against vampires requires quite a bit of stamina.”
I hate that he’s right. I’ve always had a bit of an obsessive personality, which worked in my favor as a detective, giving the case I was investigating everything I had. And while I’ve worked on my fair share of “big” cases with high-profile victims, nothing has been bigger than this.
“Fine. I’ll sit down and relax until dinner gets here.” I look at my watch. “Which should be in twenty minutes.”
Getting up from the table, I grab my large overnight bag and go upstairs. It’s still chilly, but I can feel the warm air seeping from the furnace, slowly heating the master bedroom. I set my bag down on the dresser and go to the bed, stripping off the old sheets and blankets and replacing them with clean ones I brought from home.
“I thought you were resting.”
I turn to see Thomas standing in the doorframe. His large wings take up the entire space, and I’m pretty sure he’ll have to turn sideways to enter.
