Taran narrowed her eyes. “And we shouldn’t kill this prick why…?”
Emme placed her hand over Taran’s. “I’m sure he doesn’t mean it. It’s probably just a front.”
Tim flashed more fang Emme’s way. It told me two things: No, it wasn’t a front. And, yes, he was a prick.
CHAPTER 18
I smiled at the sign announcing only three miles remained until we reached Dollar Point. A shower. All I longed for was a nice long, hot shower. It was so close, I could almost smell the olive-oil-and-juniper shampoo.
I made the mistake of examining my hands. There had been times in my life when I’d felt disgusting—after one of my more grueling runs in the sun or a particularly nasty delivery involving body fluids from every human orifice. Those moments paled in comparison to the putrid carnal waste dump my skin and hair had become. An irate woman beating me with her placenta would have been more welcome than the copious amount of Zhahara snot gluing my fingers together.
Taran grimaced when I tried to pry them apart. “Celia, you’re flaking that shit all over the place. Just stop already.”
I ceased my efforts and sighed softly. Nitpicking over grime that would eventually scrub off seemed like a waste of energy. We’d survived, after all—thank God we’d survived. But the danger threatening Tahoe remained.
“There’s still so much we don’t know,” I said aloud.
Tim shrugged. “Yeah. But like I said, what’s important is that the master is safe.”
“I don’t get how he’s safe. We didn’t exactly figure out how the bloodlust spread.” Shayna fished around in her bra. She paused when she gripped something in one of the cups, and paled to the color of chalk when she pulled out some poor sap’s finger. She rolled down the window, tossed the digit, tossed some cookies, and slumped back into her seat. A flock of crows wasted no time fighting over their incredible find.
I rubbed her shoulder and set my frown on Tim. “What’s the next step?”
Tim smiled in the rearview mirror. “One of the family will notify the master’s superiors. Ash from an infected vampire coats the surrounding air with an aroma of boiled anise. With the high levels of bloodlust infection and the number of kills we made, the scent should linger for the next month. That alone will trace the start of the infestation back to Zhahara. And once the human remains are discovered, my master will be perceived as not only a hero, but as the one who avenged their deaths and saw that justice was served.”
Taran scowled. “You, Misha, whoever the hell can take all the credit, for all we care. Just don’t bother calling us again. Your favors have been used up for the next goddamn century.”
Tim regarded us through the mirror, running a hand over his shaved head. “The master is in your debt. You know this.” His eyes met mine. “Don’t expect him to vanish from your lives. Especially now.”
“Home!” Emme tugged Shayna’s sleeve excitedly as we pulled into our neighborhood. “Shayna, look! We’re home.”
The sparkle returned to Shayna’s eyes when she smiled. Except her smile didn’t last. “Oh…no.”
I jumped out of my skin. Four shiny hybrids—a Highlander, an Escape, a Yukon, and an Escalade—hugged the curb in front of our house. There on the front steps sat Liam, Koda, Gemini, six other weres I didn’t know…and Aric.
Good thing I didn’t look like hell or anything.
Taran desperately yanked at Tim’s destroyed sweater. “Drive. Now. Just keep going. Whatever you do, don’t stop!”
“Where—”
“I don’t give a shit where! Just get the hell out of here. Now!”
Tim started to turn the cruise ship he called a car around, but I stopped him. “Tim, just…don’t go anywhere.”
He stopped in the middle of the cul-de-sac, pissing Taran off further. “Celia! I—”
“Taran, we have to get out. The weres need to know what’s happening. And…we need to…shower.” Like I mentioned, I’d never cheered a team on to victory, and I sure as hell didn’t belong arguing before the Supreme Court. Emme and Shayna blinked back at me like I’d suggested a sleepover at Zhahara’s and reminded them not to forget the marshmallows and Ouija board. “We’re getting out.” I meant to sound firm, but my voice trailed off when I noticed Aric had leaped off the steps and now stood next to the door.
My door.
Tim coughed into his hand, trying not so hard to hold in his laughter. “May I get the door for you, ladies?”
“I got it. Thanks, moron.” I opened the door and slowly ambled out, yanking at Misha’s sweater to keep my bare backside covered. Those steamy brown eyes I hadn’t been able to erase from my thoughts widened before locking onto mine with all the power of a bulldozer. I tried to convince myself I had nothing to be ashamed of. So what if I smelled like sewage and dead, festering things and donned nothing but the clothes of his mortal enemy? These things happened. “Hey,” I mumbled.