Oh no.
“Hey, just checking in for my shift.” He speaks to Jade but continues to stare at me.
“Thanks, Liam.” Jade snaps her fingers at him when he doesn’t look her way. “Bad idea, my guy. She’s got a vampire hot on her trail, and you don’t want to mess with him.”
My cheeks heat at the memory of Valen possessively snapping over me earlier.
“I’m sure I could take him.” Liam puffs out his chest, and Irecoil.
Valen leans around me, baring his teeth. “Want to bet, warlock?”
Liam takes a step back.
“I’ll say something nice at your funeral,” Jade mumbles, patting his chest.
Moseying our way to the front, the small TV on the wall catches my attention with a breaking news banner.
“Ten dead and five kidnapped in a developing story. Left bloody and maimed, the bodies are being identified as we speak,” the news anchor states in his monotone voice.
“Holy shit,” Liam mumbles.
Whipping out my phone, I find a link to the article online and text it to Zav.
Me: Did you do this, Picasso?
It doesn’t take long for my phone to buzz with his answer.
Zavier: Ew, how dare you compare my work to that slop. I take great care when crafting the scene and wouldn’t be caught dead signingthat.
Me: You’re so weird. You need to find a new hobby.
Zavier: You need to be claiming your man. If you’re not quick, I’ll swoop in. I’ll treat him right.
Me: Leave Valentine alone.
Zavier: OMG. VALENTINE.
Zavier: His name is VALENTINE?! Oh, this is rich.
He sends several cupid GIFs back to back.
“Fuck.” I didn’t mean to expose his full name, and now I’ve opened Pandora’s box. I eye Valen, who’s standing beside me but facing Liam, still giving him a full glower.
My phone buzzes repeatedly, but I ignore it since I know Zav is having a field day and I’m not brave enough to check the texts.
He can’t find out about Valen being one of the first vampires or it’ll get even worse.
“Our reporter Caitlin is on the scene talking to Captain Barnes of the Chicago police department. Here they are now.” The news anchor steals my attention once more.
“It’s an unfortunate scene to see unfolding.” Captain Barnes scrubs a hand over his head. “We’ll do our best to get to the bottom of it, but we haven’t seen anything like this in a while.” They continue to discuss vague details since I know he doesn’t want to scare the public without facts.
“Has the Mayhem Murderer returned?” she asks a tired looking Captain Barnes.
“This doesn’t seem to fit that killer’s MO. If anything, I’d say we’re looking at gang initiation activity.”
I tune out the rest as my thoughts spiral. With everything I know now, I’m not buying that it’s gang activity.
I have confirmation from Zav that it wasn’t him. So who could it be? Genevieve is gone, but based on what Celine has said from her time in captivity, there might be more at play. The people, or more likely supernaturals, who held Valen must be more extensive than we know.
