I knew Vorenus was an academic and that meant he could walk in the daylight. That particular class of vampire wasn’t the strongest. They didn’t begin to compare to warriors, but academics had their own abilities. They were the smarty-pants of the vampire world. Their powers were almost entirely mental. Persuasion. Instinct. Intelligence. I’d heard they tended to get obsessed with subjects and became super experts.
Even though I know all the facts, I supposed I still thought it would be odd to see any vampire walking in the daylight, but Vorenus practically shimmered in light. As Daniel had been at home in the velvety darkness of night, Marcus belonged in the sun.
It clung to him, lighting his skin and nearly giving the man a halo.
“Hello, Councilman.” It was awkward because it came out a little breathy, a little flirty. I hadn’t meant it to, but the minute I was close to him, I felt more at ease than I’d been before.
Gray was all business. “When did Helen call the Council?”
“I received her call about an hour ago,” the vampire explained with his calm authority. “She told me what had happened and I promised I would come. I also promised to inform the king this evening. I was lucky she called me at all. She’s been told that vampires killed her daughter.”
“Well, that’s only to be expected,” Gray said, not a trace of compassion in his voice.
“Some of the killings took place during the day,” Marcus pointed out.
“So, he had an accomplice or he has special talents.” Gray wasn’t willing to let up.
Marcus sighed as though weary of all the games. “Are you playing devil’s advocate, Lieutenant? Or are you accusing me of something?”
Gray stared at the vampire with cold blue eyes. “All of the girls went into that club. None of them came out alive. The way I figure, a vampire has to be involved.”
“Why would a vampire waste the blood?” I hated the tension between the two of them.
“Who knows why a vampire does anything, darlin’.” Gray emphasized the endearment. “They enjoy games.”
“Ah, but Lieutenant, vampires are not the only ones who enjoy games, are they?” Marcus posed his question with the hint of a questioning smile. The vampire looked dapper in a perfectly tailored pinstriped suit and a snowy dress shirt. His red silk tie was a splash of elegant color. “The rumors are that you very much enjoy games. This killer likes bondage and I believe has a problem with vampires. Perhaps I don’t have to look far to find a suspect of my own.”
I put myself in between the two men who seemed like they were ready to throw down. “If the two of you are finished acting like two bulls about to lock horns, you might remember that Marcus was in London with the king when one of the murders took place and Gray was with me last night. There are security cameras in the parking garage. They can verify his whereabouts until we left. I can verify them the rest of the night. The only person he managed to tie up last night was me.”
“Kelsey!” Gray radiated disapproval. I guess demons weren’t big on sharing.
“Well, apparently everyone knows your kinks, babe,” I said with a shrug. “Stop beating the crap out of each other. I’m going in. If you two want to take potshots, stay out here.”
Marcus nodded my way. “Of course. I apologize.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ll behave,” Gray promised.
We started to walk up toward the house, the men following my lead.
I knocked briefly on the door and was admitted into the house. The air was quiet and thick with grief. The windows were all open, letting in the sunlight and the afternoon warmth. But I felt a chill as I saw Joseph Castle sitting next to Helen Taylor, his meaty hand patting her lightly on the back.
The whole herd seemed to have come out. I could tell the deer from the other shifters in the room. They all had wide, dark, gentle eyes. They stood close to each other, as though they could physically share their grief and in doing so lessen it. I wondered what it felt like to have a whole group of people to depend on, who huddled together in times of trouble, held each other when tragedy struck. It seemed like a beautiful thing to me.
And a wolf was among them.
Yeah, somehow I didn’t think he’d come here to protect them.
Marcus stepped up, holding out a hand. “Helen, the Council offers you condolences in your time of grief.”
Helen took his hand, her head held high. “Thank you, Marcus. I appreciate you coming out.”
“You’re late, Councilman,” Castle said, a sneer in his voice. “Do all the vampires have their stories straight?”
“Mr. Castle, the vampires are sleeping,” Marcus replied, his tone revealing nothing of the contempt he must feel for the alpha. “I come to offer condolences and to introduce Mrs. Taylor to Lieutenant Grayson Sloane of the Texas Rangers. He’s handling the case for the human authorities and recently discovered your daughter was involved.”