Page 85 of Cooper’s Passion

“Right now?” Cooper asked. “Catching the serial killer just like Chief Donnelly ordered us to do.”

“Does he know?”

“He does. He’s known about us for three decades. So, getting back to the killer…” Cooper exchanged a look with her.

Anita nodded. “Dad has to know.” She looked at her father. “The killer is a vampire too.”

“Oh my God!”

All color seemed to drain from his face, and she could see in his eyes what was going through him. He thought of Helen Diaz, her mother, and the monster that had taken her. But Anita didn’t want him to go down that dark road right now. There would be time to grieve later.

“That’s why the police chief ordered Scanguards to handle this investigation,” Anita continued. “The police aren’t equipped to fight a vampire. Cooper and his friends are.”

Her father stared at Cooper. “But he’s one of your own. You must know him.”

Cooper let out a bitter laugh. “Do you know every Latino in this country?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but continued, “Just like we don’t know every vampire. And a rogue vampire who kills people and sucks them dry, hurts us all. He has to be taken down.”

“No offense, Cooper, but you can’t tell me that you’ve never snatched a human off the street to drink his or her blood.”

“I’ve bitten humans before. That’s true. But never without their permission. Never to hurt somebody. My parents raised me and my sister on bottled blood. Scanguards purchases it through a medical supply company, just like any hospital does.”

“Hmm.” Slowly, he nodded. “So everybody I met at Scanguards and here at your uncle’s house… they’re all vampires. I knew something was off. But I couldn’t figure out what. I should have known.”

“It’s not an easy thing to figure out,” Anita said.

“And, uhm, Wesley is not a vampire. He’s a witch,” Cooper added.

“A witch? What else is new? Is that what caused his golden skin? Something went wrong with a magic potion?”

Cooper chuckled. “No, nothing went wrong.”

“Then what?” Anita urged, because she was curious too.

“Okay,” Cooper said, lowering his voice. “Just keep it to yourselves please.”

Her father huffed. “Who would I tell even if I wanted to?”

“Wesley’s wife is a Stealth Guardian, and let’s just say that their mating rituals are a little different from ours. The partner of a Stealth Guardian will shimmer golden when they have sex, and for many hours afterwards. It…” Cooper cleared his throat. “…uhm, extends the pleasure.”

“Oh.” Her father suddenly stared at his shoes, clearly uncomfortable.

Anita whispered to Cooper, “You mean like the bite?”

“Yes, like the bite.” He smiled at her, his eyes shimmering golden now too as if in response to the memory of what they’d shared only half an hour earlier.

Cooper leaned in for a kiss, but his cellphone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. “Nicholas?”

For a moment, he was silent, then he said, “I’m on my way.”

Cooper disconnected the call and jumped up. “We’ve got a lead on the suspect. You both need to come to HQ with me.”