“And now we wait.” He sat down. “You might as well park your arse, Hughes.”
“Why have you sat down? You don’t get weary, do you?”
“Nope. But it keeps me in practice. I do like to party, as you might have noticed. But I don’t like to stand out as anything but the most mundane of humans. Well,” he amended coyly, “except when I dance. I refuse to be mundane at that.”
Gethin’s memory helpfully supplied a Technicolour video clip of a sinuous Sorley on the dance floor. He gulped quietly and mumbled, “Yeah, you got moves.”
He was rewarded with a high wattage smile from the vamp, unguarded and real. “I noticed your appreciation, believe me.”
He made an undignified noise in the back of his throat as he felt a blush heating his face. “Oh shut up, you know you’re hot.”
Sorley’s grin didn’t fade as he leaned back and shut his eyes. “Back atcha, closet case.”
Before Gethin could overthink the rather backhanded compliment, the door behind them opened and a head obscured by a curtain of caramel-coloured waves poked out.
“What’s up? I thought you were in Leeds?” The voice faltered a fraction; a human wouldn’t have caught it, but Gethin felt the spike of anxiety. “And who’s this? No offence, but I’m wary of shifters.”
The men stood, Gethin hanging back to allow Sorley to wrap his friend up in a hug. He knew his own nerves were near the surface. It was ridiculous, because Melody Mason wasn’t the first music legend he’d met, but she was the one he’d adored for over three decades, and now he was about to be introduced to one of his idols.In her home.
“Let’s get indoors, you could be in danger.” Sorley ushered Melody inside, indicating Gethin should follow her. He turned the key behind them and slotted a heavy bolt into place. “Overkill, pet, but better safe than sorry right now.”
Melody led them upstairs to the ground floor. Her kitchen was awash with kitsch, gingham half-curtains at the windows, with china knickknacks on shelves, and horse brasses displayed on a chimney breast. There was a bowl of artificial fruit on a small pine table. Somehow it was the sight of the bowl that rendered Gethin’s nerves inert. He waited until the vampire got herself under control and turned to face him, pushing the cloud of hair off her face.
“Sorry, I’m not very good with strangers. That was rude of me. Welcome to my home. If you’re with Sorley, I know I can trust you. I’m Melody.”
Sweet Jesus, she’s beautiful. And half my music collection is made up of her songs. Get a grip, man.Whatever his logical mind had told him about vampires never aging, he’d apparently expected the Scarborough Songbird to look older than him, but here she was, as vibrant and unlined as the last full colour studio shot he’d seen, adorning the cover of her 1992 album, ‘Celebration of Life’.
He suppressed his inner fanboy and held out a hand. “Gethin Hughes. I’m with the Evergreen Council, and I’m very pleased to meet you, Miss Mason.”
Sorley snickered. “What he means is he’s having a hard time holding onto his dignity because he wants to throw himself at your feet and ask you to sign your name over his adoring heart, with your tongue.” But his tone was understanding.
Melody elbowed him. “You’re gross, Sorley. Gethin, please call me Melody. Would you like a tea or coffee? It would have to be black, but…Oh, or a glass of wine? I don’t have much in, but I can run to those options.”
Sorley was already opening a cupboard, evidently very much at home. “We’ll have wine. God knows you might need one.”
They sat around the tiny kitchen table as the night sky darkened further, while the men explained between them what had happened since Sorley had crash-landed into Gethin’s life. Melody listened without interrupting, toying with her glass. When they’d finished, Sorley threw out his hands, palms up.
“Nowyou see why you should get a bloody mobile phone? Anything could have happened to you and I wouldn’t have known. It was hell not being able to warn you.” He grasped her hands in his own and squeezed. “You have to be contactable, darling. Please say you’ll reconsider.”
Melody’s gaze flickered between them, as if searching for confirmation of her friend’s impassioned words. Gethin, who had recovered his equilibrium by this point, was apologetic as he agreed with Sorley.
“Honestly, you’re potentially a target right now. If this monster knows Sorley’s movements, they could know you’re friends. What they might not know is that you’re presumably” — For fuck’s sake, he was blushing again — “platonic friends, and while we’re guessing there’s a possessive, potentially sexual element to the attacks, we can’t totally rule out the idea it’s anyone he knows.”
Sorley stared at him, his eyes wide. “I really don’t like it when you say it that way.” His pale skin was stretched taut over his cheekbones. “Baxter, Dalziel, Charley…people I care about.”
Melody cracked out a husky laugh, startling them both. “If you think anyone will sneak up on your precious Dalziel and his family, you’re insane. And from what you’ve told me about Baxter, I’m fairly sure she’s impervious to everything but the pointiest stake. Not that she’s a target, surely? She’s so obviously het.”
“You’re het too.” Sorley shook his head, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Fuck, no one’s safe, are they?”
Gethin chanced a placating hand on Sorley’s arm. “Dude, slow down. I doubt anyone could get within a mile of Dalziel without his knowing. He’s probably got Charley and Luc on lockdown. And this isn’t some classified secret. Everyone on the paranormal grid is talking about the attacks. It’s just you and your uber-secretive friends that have to worry.” He grimaced. “And that’s quite enough worry.” He returned his focus to Melody. “I’d really urge you to get a mobile as soon as possible. Just a basic one is fine. As long as you keep it charged and with a minimum balance, so if you’re compromised you can call for help. When this threat is neutralised, you can power the damn thing down and throw it in a drawer. We wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t a potentially serious threat to your safety.”
He held eye contact until finally she nodded. “All right, but only because Sorley is so concerned. I don’t like it, and I do not agree to all and sundry having my number. Sorley, and one other. You perhaps, Gethin?”
He swallowed past an unfortunate lump in his throat. “Maybe not me? Whilst usually I’d say it was a good idea, we’re…um…travelling together until this is over. I would hope we’re savvy enough not to get caught by this criminal, but er…”
“What he means is he’s banging me bandy every chance he gets, so he’s got as much of a target on his head as anyone else,” Sorley supplied with a pointed look at Gethin.
Gethin’s face flamed for the third time in thirty minutes and his breath caught in his chest. Melody tried heroically to keep a straight face but in the end she held up her hands in surrender and begged for Gethin’s forgiveness.
