Kiss of the Vampire(63)

“Not that I’m aware of.” He gave a shrug. “My network isn’t that far reaching. Yet.”

Nix felt an urgent need to get out of there, to get home to be alone with her thoughts. She needed time to mull over the facts: first, that someone was actually able to open a rift without a comet in sight and, second, the council was aware of it. “I wonder,” she mused out loud, “if any human governments know about it.”

“I have no idea,” Lucifer replied. “I have contacts at almost every level of the U.S. government, and no one’s said anything.” He spread his hands. “I don’t want to ask questions that are too pointed because then I may let them know something we’d be better off with them not knowing.”

She definitely agreed. Humans were agitated enough about the rift that opened every seventy-three years. If they found out that prets could open a rift any time they wanted to, it could mean World War III. She picked up her purse and stood. “Thanks for the information, Luc. I appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

Nix looked at her mother. “Thanks for the tea…Mom.” It was amazing how much trouble she had calling Betty “Mom.” It didn’t feel natural, but it seemed to help them get along better.

Her mother stayed where she was but murmured, “You’re welcome,” with a slight dip of her chin.

All righty then. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

Lucifer stood. “I’ll move my car so you can get out.”

They walked out together. As Nix opened her car door, Lucifer paused. “I know Betty hasn’t been a mother to you in the traditional sense of the word, but she is trying.”

From where she stood her mother wasn’t trying very hard. But this was not a conversation she was going to get into, especially with the king of the underworld. “Look, I appreciate that you care about her, I really do, but my relationship with my mother is complicated, and not something I really want to talk about.”

“Fair enough.” He went on toward his car.

Nix waited until he’d backed down the driveway and out of her way before she put her car in reverse. All the way home her thoughts raced, centered on the rift. A way for one dimension to shed themselves of their problem citizenry by exiling them to another realm. Up until now it had been assumed that no one on the other side knew what happened once the entities were sucked through the rift. But this…This! They had to know. Didn’t they?

Ordinarily with information like this she’d request an immediate audience with the council to fill them in. But hearing that some of the council members were aware of these transmissions, she didn’t know who to trust. The thought flitted through her mind that Lucifer might be playing with her, using her to try to put the council in disarray, but then she dismissed it. If he wanted to mess with the council, he’d use someone with a lot more clout than her.

She knew who she did trust, at least as far as work went. Tobias and Dante. Dante was human with local connections. He probably wouldn’t be of much help. Tobias, on the other hand, was a different story. He had connections centuries in the making, and most of the council seemed to respect him, even if he was a vampire. When he’d left town five years ago he’d kept his house. She assumed he’d moved back in. She wished there was someone else she could go to, but there wasn’t. With a soft oath she made a U-turn and headed toward his house. Grabbing her cell, she dialed him up.

He answered on the second ring. “Caine.”

“What’re you doing?”

“Going over my notes, trying to see what we’ve missed, and getting prepared to go back down to Tucson to talk to Sahir again.” His voice deepened. “He knows something, Nix, I’m sure of it.”

She wondered if the human scientist was aware of the rift device and the seemingly free flow of communications between the dimensions. They’d find out, one way or another. “I’m on my way to see you. Are you still in the same place?”

“Yes. What’s up?”

“Not on the phone. I’ll be there…” She glanced at the dashboard clock. “…in about ten minutes.”

“All right.” His voice held curiosity.

“I’ll explain when I get there.” Nix disconnected the call and stepped on the gas. This investigation had led them to something big. Maybe bigger than they would be able to survive.





Chapter Eleven





When Tobias answered the door, he wore only jeans, his torso and feet bare, a black T-shirt clasped in one hand. Nix tracked the dark hair across his pectorals and down the flat abdomen to where it disappeared at the waistband of his jeans. The top button was undone. She wanted to finish unbuttoning his fly, wrap her hand around his cock, stroke him, take him inside her body. Ride him until both of them were satiated. The undulating pheromones rolling off him only ramped up the temptation.