[English] HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE

Halfway to the Grave
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"Call me if you need anything, promise me. Be careful, Catherine."

"I promise, Mom. I will."

Oh, what a tangled web we weave...What I was going to do next was far, far from careful, but I was doing it anyway. A soon as she left, I picked up the phone and dialed.

While I was waiting, I took a shower and put on new clothes. Not night clothes, because that seemed too obvious, but regular clothing. The time apart this week had been rough, and for more than just the scary fact that I missed him. My mother made her usual comments about how all vampires deserved to die and for me to keep hunting them, in between admonitions to study diligently. I'd cringed with guilt every time I had to nod and agree with her so she didn't get suspicious.

My hair was still wet from washing it when I heard him rap twice. I opened the door...and the last few days fell away. Bones stepped through the entrance and locked it behind him while pulling me into his arms in one motion. God, but he was beautiful, with those chiseled cheekbones and pale skin, his body hard and seeking. His mouth covered mine before I could get a breath in, and then I didn't need to breathe because I was too busy kissing him. My hands trembled when they reached up to grasp his shoulders and then clenched when he reached under my waistband to feel inside.

"I can't breathe," I gasped, wrenching my head away.

His mouth went to my throat, lips and tongue moving over the sensitive skin as he bent my spine until only his arms held me upright.

"I missed you," he growled, restlessly pulling off my clothes. He swept me up in his arms and asked a single question. "Where?"

I jerked my head in the vicinity of my bedroom, too busy feasting on his skin to answer. He carried me into the small room and nearly flung me on the bed.

A tentative knock at my door the next morning made me groan as I rolled over. The clock showed nine-thirty. Bones had left right before dawn with a whispered promise to meet me here later. He said my apartment had too much exposure for him to sleep. Whatever that meant.

I stumbled into my robe, fastening my attention to the doorway where the knock had come from. Heartbeat, whoever it was, and only one. That made me leave my knives in the bedroom. Opening the door armed might set a bad tone if it was my landlord.

The sound of footsteps retreating had me snatch the door open in time to see a young man about to disappear into the unit next to mine.

"Hey!" I said, a little sharper than I'd intended.

He stopped almost guiltily, and it was then that I noticed the small basket near my feet. A quick glance showed it contained ramen noodles, Tylenol, and pizza coupons.

"College survival kit," he said, coming toward me with a hesitant smile. "I guessed from seeing you unload your books last night that you're attending school, too. I'm your neighbor, Timmie. Uh, Tim. I mean Tim."

The obvious cover-up of a nickname had me smiling. Childhood baggage was hard to overcome. In my case, I'd never get past mine.

"I'm Cathy," I replied, using my school name again. "Thanks for the goodies, and I didn't mean to bark at you. I'm just grouchy when I wake up."

He was instantly apologetic. "I'm sorry! I just assumed you'd be awake. Jeez, am I dumb. Go back to sleep, please."

He turned to go into his apartment, and something about his hunched shoulders and awkward demeanor reminded me of...me. That was how I felt on the inside most of the time. Unless I was killing someone.

"It's okay," I said quickly. "Er, I had to get up anyway, and the alarm clock must not have gone off, so...do you have any coffee?"

I didn't even really like coffee, but he'd made a nice gesture and I didn't want him feeling bad. Seeing the relief that washed over him made me glad for the small lie.

"Coffee," he repeated with another shy smile. "Yeah. Come on in."

I wasn't wearing anything under the robe. "Give me a second."

After throwing on sweatpants and a T-shirt, I padded over in slippers to Timmie's place. He'd left the door open, and the aroma of Folgers filled the air. It was the same brand my grandparents had brewed all my life. In a way, it was comforting to smell it.

"Here." He handed me a mug and I sat on the stool by his counter. The layouts of our apartments were identical, except of course Timmie's place had furniture. "Cream and sugar?"

"Sure."

I studied him as he went about the small kitchen. Timmie was only a few inches taller than me, not quite six feet, and had sandy-colored hair and taupe eyes. He wore glasses and had the type of frame that looked like it had only filled out from the skinniness of adolescence recently. My internal suspicious radar so far hadn't picked up anything threatening about him. Still, it seemed every time someone was nice to me, he or she had ulterior motives. Danny? One-night stand. Ralphie and Martin? Attempted date rape. Stephanie? White slavery. I had a reason to be paranoid. If I felt even the slightest bit woozy after drinking this coffee, Timmie was going down for the count.

"So, uh, Cathy, are you from Ohio?" he asked, fumbling with his own cup.

"Born and bred," I replied. "You?"

He nodded, spilling some coffee onto the counter and then jumping back with a surreptitious glance at me, as if afraid I'd reprimand him. "Sorry. I'm a klutz. Oh, um, yeah, I'm from here, too. Powell. My mom's a bank manager there, and I got a kid sister who's starting high school who still lives with her. It's been just the three of us since my dad died. Car accident. I don't even remember him. Not that you wanted to know all that. Sorry. I babble sometimes."

He also had a habit of apologizing every other sentence. Hearing about his fatherless state made me feel another bond of kinship with him. Deliberately I took a swig of coffee...and let a little bit dribble out of the side of my mouth.

"Oops!" I said with feigned embarrassment. "Excuse me. I drool sometimes when I drink."

Another lie, but Timmie smiled, handing me a napkin while the nervousness eased off him. There was nothing like having someone be a bigger goof to boost one's own self-confidence.

"That's better than being a klutz. I'm sure a lot of people do that."

"Oh yeah, there's a club of us," I quipped. "Droolers Anonymous. I'm on Step One in my membership. Admitting that I'm powerless over my slobbering and my life has become unmanageable."

Timmie was in the process of taking another sip when he started to laugh. Coffee came out of his nose as a result, and then his eyes bulged, aghast.

"I'm sorry!" he choked, making it worse by trying to talk. More coffee emerged, spraying me in the face. His eyes bugged in horror, but I laughed so hard at seeing him leak like a thermos with holes that I started to hiccup.

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"It's contagious!" I managed to get out. "There's no escape from the drool disease once you catch it!"

He laughed again, compounding his problem. I hiccuped, Timmie gasped and sputtered, and both of us looked like mental patients to anyone who would have happened by the still-open door. I ended up handing him the same napkin he'd given me, trying to control my giggles while instinctively knowing I'd found a friend.

I headed over to the **** Monday afternoon after my classes. A couple miles before I made my turn onto the gravel road that ended at the edge of the woods, I passed a Corvette parked to the side with its hazard lights on. No one was inside. I almost huffed to myself in superiority. Whose old Chevy was tooling past a broken-down, sixty-thousand-dollar sports car? So there!

I was whistling the little tune Darryl Hannah made famous in Kill Bill when I entered the ****. That's when I felt the change in the air. The disturbance. Someone was lurking about fifty yards ahead, and whoever it was didn't have a heartbeat. What I also instinctively knew was that it wasn't Bones.

I kept whistling, not letting my heart rate accelerate or my cadence falter. I wasn't armed. My knives and wood-coated stakes were back at the apartment, and my second set was in the dressing area behind this unknown person. Weaponless, I was at a distinct disadvantage, but there was no way I was turning around. Bones must be in trouble, or worse, since I didn't sense him here. Someone had found his hideout, and empty-handed or not, I wasn't going anywhere but forward.

I progressed as casually as possible, my mind racing. What could I use as a weapon? My options were dismal. This was a ****, there was nothing around but dirt and...

I reached down while ducking under one of the lower slopes in the ceiling of the ****, the action concealing what I scooped up. The person was coming toward me now, moving soundlessly. My fingers tightened around what I held as I rounded the next bend, bringing the intruder into view.

A tall man with longish spiky black hair was about twenty feet from me. He smiled as he approached, confident in his presumed superiority.

"You, my beauteous redhead, must be Cat."

The name I'd given Hennessey. This must be one of his goons and somehow he'd found Bones. I prayed I wasn't too late and he hadn't killed him.

I smiled back coldly. "Like what you see? How about now?"

And I flung the rocks I'd gathered straight into his eyes. I put all my force behind it, knowing it wouldn't be lethal but hoping to temporarily incapacitate him. His head snapped back and I sprang at him, seizing my chance while he was blinded. My momentum knocked him off his feet and both of us went down. Immediately I grasped his head, smashing him face-first into the stone ground, wedging the rocks deeper into his eyes. I straddled his back when his thrashing almost threw me off, using my weight and squeezing him with my thighs as hard as I could. All the while I bashed his head, I was cursing at his strength. A Master vampire without a doubt. Well, what did I expect? If he was a weakling, Bones would have greeted me, not him.

"Stop it! Stop!" he howled.

I put more effort into it instead. "Where's Bones? Where is he?"

"Christ, he said he was on his way!"

He had an English accent. I hadn't noticed that before, being so wrapped up in my concern. I stopped banging his head, but kept it ground into the stony floor.

"You're one of Hennessey's men. Why would you let him know you're waiting for him?"

"Because I'm Crispin's bloody best friend, not one of that scoundrel's dingos!" he said indignantly.

That answer I wasn't expecting. He'd also called Bones by his real name, and I didn't know if that was common knowledge. I had a split second to debate with myself, then I grabbed another rock, using one hand to keep his head where it was. With the pointy end of the stone, I jabbed him in the back.

"Feel that? It's silver. You move and I ram it right through your heart. Maybe you're Bones's friend and maybe you're not. Since I'm not the trusting sort, we'll wait for him. If he's not here soon like you said, I'll know you were lying, and then it'll be curtains for you."

I almost held my breath, waiting to see if he called my bluff. Since I hadn't pierced his skin, he shouldn't be able to feel that this wasn't silver. I hoped vampires didn't have a sixth sense about their kryptonite. My big plan, if he wasn't a friend, was to jam it through his heart anyway and then run like hell for my silver. If I got to it in time.

"If you'd refrain from slamming my face any more into this dirty rock floor, I'll do whatever you like," was his even reply. "Fancy letting my head go?"

"Sure," I said with an unpleasant snicker, not relinquishing an ounce of pressure. "How about I let you floss with my jugular as well? I don't think so."

He made an exasperated noise that sounded very familiar. "Come on, this is ridiculous-"

"Shut up." I didn't want his chatter distracting me from hearing when-or if-Bones arrived. "Lie there and play dead, or you will be."

Twenty cramped minutes later, my heart leapt when I heard steady footfalls coming toward the ****. Then a feeling of power I recognized filled up the space as those footsteps came closer.

Bones rounded the corner and stopped short. A single dark brow arched even as I leaned back, letting go of the vampire's head at last.

"Charles," Bones said distinctly. "You'd better have a splendid explanation for her being on top of you."

Chapter Sixteen

THE BLACK-HAIRED VAMPIRE ROSE TO HIS FEET as soon as I jumped off, brushing the dirt off his clothes.

"Believe me, mate, I've never enjoyed a woman astride me less. I came out to say hallo, and this she-devil blinded me by flinging rocks in my eyes. Then she vigorously attempted to split my skull before threatening to impale me with silver if I so much as even twitched! It's been a few years since I've been to America, but I daresay the method of greeting a person has changed dramatically!"

Bones rolled his eyes and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're still upright, Charles, and the only reason you are is because she didn't have any silver. She'd have staked you right and proper otherwise. She has a tendency to shrivel someone first and then introduce herself afterwards."

"That's uncalled for!" I said, insulted at the suggestion that I was homicidal.

"Right." Bones let that go. "Kitten, this is my best mate, Charles, but you can call him Spade. Charles, this is Cat, the woman I've been telling you about. You can see for yourself that everything I've said is...an understatement."

From his tone, that didn't sound altogether complimentary, but I felt a tad bit guilty about what I'd done to the lanky vampire eying me, so I didn't comment and just held out my hand.

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"Hi."

"Hi," Spade repeated, and then threw back his head and roared with laughter. "Well, hallo to you, too, darling! I'm very pleased to meet you now that you're not flogging me unmercifully."

He had tiger-colored eyes, and they gave me a thorough once-over while he shook my hand. I did the same to him. Fair was fair. Next to Bones, Spade looked two inches taller, which made him about six-four. He had lean attractive features, a straight nose, and inky hair that spiked up from his crown before hanging past his shoulders.

"Spade. You're white. Isn't that kind of...politically incorrect?"

He laughed again, but this time it was with less humor. "Oh, I didn't choose that as a racial slur. It was how the overseer in South Wales used to address me. A spade is a shovel, and I was a digger. He never called anyone by their names, only their assigned tool. He didn't feel the convicts were worthy of more."

Oh, so he was that Charles. Now I remembered the name from when Bones had told me about his past imprisonment. There were three men I became mates with-Timothy, Charles, and Ian.

"Sounds pretty demeaning. Why'd you keep it?"

Spade's smile didn't slip, but those striking features hardened. "So I'd never forget."

Okay. A change of subject was in order. Bones beat me to it.

"Charles has some information on a flunky of Hennessey's who might prove useful."

"Great," I said. "Should I grab my slut clothes and pile on the makeup?"

"You should stay out of it," Spade replied in a serious tone.

That made me want to fling more rocks at him. "My God, is it a vampire thing to be a chauvinist? Or just an eighteenth century one? Keep the girl in the kitchen where she won't get hurt, right? Wake up and smell the twenty-first century, Spade! Women are good for more than cringing and waiting for men to rescue them!"

"And if Crispin felt differently for you, I'd bid you good luck and tell you to have at it," Spade responded at once. "Yet I happen to know firsthand how devastating it is when someone you love is murdered. There's nothing worse, and I don't want him going through that."

A part of me was inwardly pleased that Bones had told his friend he had feelings for me. I still didn't believe he loved me, but it was nice to know I wasn't just another warm body to him.

"Look, I'm sorry vampires killed someone close to you, truly I am. But-"

"Vampires didn't kill her," he interrupted me. "A group of French deserters cut her throat."

I opened my mouth, paused, and shut it. That told me a few things right there, aside from the fact that I'd been wrong about what race killed her. She'd been human, whoever she was.

"I'm not like everyone else," was what I ended up saying, giving Bones a questioning look to see if he'd told him that as well.

"So I've heard," Spade said. "And you certainly caught me off guard earlier, but whatever your extraordinary abilities...you're easy to kill. That beating pulse in your neck is your greatest weakness, and if I'd had a mind to before, I could have flipped you over and torn it out."

I smiled. "You're pretty ****y. So am I, when it comes to certain things. We'll get along just fine. Wait right here."

"Kitten..." Bones called after me, no doubt guessing where I was headed.

"Oh, this'll be fun!"

"Where's she off to?" I heard Spade ask.

Bones made a noise that was almost pitying. "To hand you your arse, and for the record, if I thought I had a chance of keeping her out of this, I would. Woman's stubborn beyond reason."

"Stubbornness won't keep her alive. I'm astounded you'd allow her to-"

Spade stopped talking when he saw me, probably because of what was in my hands.

"Okay, you're a big bad vampire who's gonna rip my throat out, right? You see I'm armed-with steel, by the way, since this is a demonstration and I don't want you to end up smelly-and you don't care because you're all that and I'm just an artery in a dress. If you get a mouth on my throat, you win, but if I plug your heart first, I do."

Spade's eyes slid to Bones. "Is she joking?"

Bones cracked his knuckles and stepped aside. "Not at all."

"Dinner's getting cold," I taunted him. "Come and get me, bloodsucker."

Spade laughed-and then feinted right before leaping at me with blurring speed. He was a breath away when he looked down in surprise.

"Well, strike me pink!" he said, pulling himself up in midtackle.

"I don't know what that means, but okay."

Two steel blades were in his chest. He stared at them before ripping them out and turning to Bones in amazement.

"I don't believe it."

"That's just what I said, mate," Bones replied dryly. "She has a real talent with knives. It's a damn good thing she hadn't practiced throwing them before we met, or I might not be here."

"Indeed." Spade was still shaking his head when he looked my way next. "All right, Cat. You've made an excellent point that you're far deadlier than you look. I see I can't sway you to leave this business with Hennessey alone, and Crispin clearly has confidence in you, so I bow in defeat."

He actually did give me a bow, his long dark hair brushing the **** floor with the graceful motion of it. It was such a courtly, refined gesture that I laughed.

"What were you before they sent you to prison, a duke?"

Spade straightened and smiled. "Baron Charles DeMortimer. At your service."

The streetlight above me was broken. Farther down the alley, a cat snarled at some unknown threat. On the opposite corner, the sandy-haired vampire bounced on the balls of his feet, almost hopping in place. He was clearly excited.

I wasn't. It was two a.m. and most people were in bed, which sounded good to me. Thanks to the hyper vampire I was walking toward, however, that wasn't in the cards.

"Hey, man."

I twitched as I approached, flicking my gaze in several directions and hunching my shoulders. With my fresh bruises, scratches, and dingy clothes, I looked like the poster child for drug addiction. It wasn't hard to pull off. I'd just refrained from taking blood after Bones roughed me up for authenticity.

"You got some horse, man?" I continued, rubbing my arms as if fantasizing about a needle.

He let out a high-pitched giggle. "Not here, chickie. But I can get some. Come with me."

"You're not a cop, are you?" I backed up as if wary.

Another giggle. "Not that."

Had a sense of humor, did he? Well, wait until he heard my punch line. "I don't have time for you to call someone, I'm hurtin' here-"

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"It's in my car," he cut me off. "Right down this way."

He almost skipped down the alley. At the other end of it was an even more derelict street.

"This way," he sang out as I followed more slowly, looking around to see if there were any more dead men walking near him. "Right here, chickie."

The vampire held open his car door and beamed at me. Obligingly, I crouched down to look inside.

The blow was expected, but it still hurt. I fell forward into the passenger seat as a normal person would, letting my limbs go limp. The vampire giggled and swung my legs inside, slamming the door. Another tee-hee-hee later and we were off.

I was slumped next to him. He didn't pay any attention to me, but kept snickering as he drove. It was annoying. I had PMS and a test this morning. Boy, had he picked the wrong girl.

Without warning, his car was rammed from behind. The sharp impact provided the perfect distraction for me to pull my silver out of my boot. He let out a loud squeal as I plunged it into his chest, missing his heart deliberately, but close enough to get his attention.

"Shut up, chirpy!" I snapped. "Pull over, or you'll get rear-ended again. And if that happens, you can guess where this blade will end up."

The shock on his face was almost comical. Then his eyes flared.

"Take your hands off me!"

"Don't waste that glow on me, buddy, it won't work. You've got about three more seconds to pull over, or it's nighty-night for you."

Behind us, Bones revved his engine for emphasis. Another collision would send the silver straight through his heart, and he knew it.

I didn't glance away as we came to a stop and Bones opened the driver's door.

"Well, Tony, how goes it?"

The vampire wasn't laughing anymore. "I don't know where Hennessey is!" he shouted.

"Right, mate, and I believe you. Kitten, if you'll drive? He and I are going to have a talk."

Bones maneuvered Tony into the backseat. I got behind the wheel and adjusted the mirror so I could see them.

"Where to?"

"Just around, until our mate Tony here tells us otherwise."

We left the bashed-up other car on the side of the road. It was one of Ted's that he didn't have a use for. A chop-shop owner was turning out to be a pretty handy friend.

"I don't know anything, I'm just trying to make a buck," Tony tried again.

"Liar." Pleasantly, from Bones. "You're one of Hennessey's, and don't tell me you don't know how to contact him. All vampires know how to reach their sire. Just for your miserable existence, I should kill you. Pretending to sell drugs to addicts and then green-eying them into thinking they've gotten what they paid for-you're pathetic."

"Asshole," I agreed.

"He'll kill me." It was a whimper.

"Not if he's dead, he won't, and you're as good as that now yourself. What do you think Hennessey will do if he finds out you let yourself get captured? Think he'll look kindly on how you were peddling your wares for me to find you? He'll forgive you because he's such a good bloke, right? He'll rip your bloody head off and you know it. I'm your only hope, mate."

Tony looked to me as if for help. I held up my middle finger. Well, what did he expect?

He turned back to Bones. "Promise me you won't kill me and I'll tell you everything."

"I won't kill you unless you refuse to talk," Bones answered brusquely. "And if you lie to me, I really won't kill you, but you'll want me to. Count on it."

There was a coldness to his tone that reminded me of when I'd been in Tony's shoes. Yeah, Bones could be pretty scary.

Tony began to talk. Fast. "Hennessey's been real secretive about his location lately, but if I need something, I'm supposed to go to Lola. I have her address-she's in Lansing. She and Hennessey are pretty tight. If she doesn't know where he is, she'll know who does."

"Give me her address."

Tony rattled off the information. Bones didn't bother to write it down, but maybe that was because he still held the dagger in Tony's chest.

"Kitten, get on the I-69 and head north. We're going to Lansing."

It was a three-hour drive. Bones got exact directions from MapQuest on his cell phone, remarking how he loved modern technology. We walked the last half mile, parking Tony's car in a nearby grocery store lot and taking him with us. Bones held the knife next to him with a malevolent smirk, commenting that if he even squeaked, he'd end him. As we approached, I saw Lola lived in an apartment complex also, albeit much snazzier than mine or Charlie's. It was five a.m., and where was I? Skulking around another apartment building. I hoped we'd be done in time for me to take that exam. I could just imagine my excuse to the professor if I missed it. But honestly, I had to find a bad vampire! Somehow I didn't think it would fly.

"Her car's not here," Tony whispered, taking Bones's threat seriously and keeping his voice down.

"You can tell from one glance, aye?" With heavy skepticism.

"When you see it, you'll understand," Tony replied.

Bones put a finger to his lips as we got within a hundred feet of the place, indicating with hand signals that Tony and I were to stay put while he checked the building. I resisted the urge to give him the same fingered version of my opinion I'd relayed to Tony earlier, but consoled myself with the knowledge that watching the perimeter was important. And if I heard any subsequent brawling, I was close enough to jump in on it.

Bones slinked around the far side of the building and then disappeared. Minutes ticked by, stretching into an hour. Bones still hadn't come back, but I didn't hear any sounds of fighting, so I assumed he was perched somewhere also. The sun would be up soon, and my crouched position, holding Tony at knife point, was getting uncomfortable. A kink started in my back, and irritably I realized I'd never make that exam.

I was about to find a softer part on the ground to sit on when I noticed the car pulling up. Well, score one for Tony. He was right. You would notice that one, even at a glace.

It was a screaming red Ferrari, and the woman who'd just parked it wasn't human. I crouched lower. The shrubs provided adequate cover, and from the small hill we were on, I had a clear view of her. She had short black hair, and from her features, she was Asian. Her car, outfit, and even her purse were all high-end, big-ticket items. Everything about her shouted money.

She had gotten about a dozen feet from the entrance to her building when Bones stepped into view. Apparently he'd been waiting out of sight inside the doors. She tried to run, but he pounced, cutting her flight to freedom short.

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"Not so fast, Lola."

The woman straightened and her chin came up. "How dare you touch me!"

"Dare?" Bones let out a laugh. It wasn't his charming one. "There's a fine word. It implies courage. Are you brave, Lola? We'll soon find out."

He drew out the last sentence with meaning. She looked around once before glaring at him.

"You're making a big mistake."

"Wouldn't be my first." He yanked her next to him. "Right, then, sweetness. You know what I want."

"Hennessey and the others are going to kill you, it's only a matter of time," she spat.

Bones grasped her jaw and brought her face closer.

"Now, I don't like abusing women, but I think you've earned the right to be an exception. It isn't very private here, so I'm operating under a bit of a time crunch. You're going to tell me who else is involved with Hennessey, and where to find them all right now, or I promise you you'll endure every torment and humiliation you've helped to inflict on others. Fancy that? I've met some depraved, beastly blokes in my travels who would just love to give you a taste of your own poison. Tell you what-I'll even sell you to them. Turnabout's fair game, isn't it? I'd say that was fair all the way 'round."

Lola's eyes widened. I could see that even from my vantage point. "I don't know where Hennessey is, he hasn't told me!"

Bones started dragging her back toward the parking lot. "You've just made Christmas come early for some happy deviants," he stated crisply.

"Wait!" It was a plea. "I know where Switch is!"

He stopped, giving her a rough shake. "Who's Switch?"

"Hennessey's enforcer," Lola said with a curl to her mouth. "You know how he hates to get his hands dirty. Switch handles the messy things, like silencing witnesses and hiding the bodies. He's also recruiting for more help, since we don't have Stephanie, Charlie, and Dean anymore. With Hennessey's new protection, we don't even have to worry about any pesky human interference."

Something on the building's roof caught my eye just as Bones asked, "What's Switch's real name, and who's Hennessey's new protection?"

Two forms dropped from the ten-story roof. Bones and Lola were directly below them. I jumped out from the bushes.

"Heads up!"

Two things happened at once. Lola pulled a blade from her purse as Bones looked up, and I, out of a mindless reaction, let fly the three silver knives in my hand.

Tony chose that moment to pounce. I'd let go of him to make that toss, and he came at me with fangs bared, knocking me to the ground. I held off his snapping jaws and twisted, ramming my knees into his chest to throw him back, and then plunged my other blade into his heart. He made an odd noise, almost like a pained giggle, and fell over on his side.

I leapt up in time to see Bones kneeling over Lola. She was on the cement, and silver protruded from her chest in a tight circle of three. Behind them were two bodies with two unattached heads. So much for the aerial attackers.

Bones rose from his kneeling position and swung his gaze to me.

"Lucifer's bouncing balls, Kitten, not again!"

Uh-oh. I squirmed, instinctively also trying to block Tony's body from his view. As if that made him any less dead.

"She was going to stab you," I said in my defense. "Look in her hand!"

He was looking at the ground near my feet instead. "Him, too?"

I nodded, sheepish. "He jumped me."

Bones just stared. "You're not a woman," he said finally. "You're the Grim Reaper with red hair!"

"That's not fair-" I protested, but a shrill scream cut me off.

A woman dressed in a business suit dropped her purse and ran shrieking back into the building. Guess a bunch of dead bodies in the parking lot had spooked her. Not the usual thing you'd expect to find while you were leaving to go to work.

Bones sighed and yanked the blades out of Lola. "Come on, Kitten, let's go. Before you murder someone else."

"I don't find that funny-"

"At least I got some information out of Lola first," he went on conversationally, tugging me back toward the car. "Hennessey's enforcer, Switch. We'll start by trying to find out who he is."

"She was going to kill you-"

"Did it ever occur to you to aim for something other than the heart?" We were walking at a good clip. More people came out of the building behind us. I could tell from the ad***ional screams.

We had reached the car, and he suddenly gave me a quick, sound kiss.

"I love that you did it to protect me, but next time, try aiming to wound, hmm? You know, maybe throw the knives at someone's head instead? Then they're incapacitated momentarily, but not reduced to a pile of rotting remains. Just food for thought."

Chapter Seventeen

EVEN WITH BONES'S SPEEDING, I WOULDN'T have time to shower before I went to class. I'd be lucky to make it if I only dashed in my apartment and changed clothes.

"I have to drop this off at Ted's," he was saying as I got out of the car. "Should be back in a few hours."

"I'll be asleep," I muttered. "Do we have to-"

"Hi, Cathy!"

Timmie opened his door with a wide smile. He must have seen me through his window.

Bones gave Timmie a look that froze the smile on the younger man's face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company," Timmie apologized, almost tripping to hurry back into his apartment.

I shot Bones an equally hostile glare for rattling my already skittish neighbor. "It's okay," I said, smiling at Timmie. "He's not really 'company' anyway."

"Oh." Timmie gave Bones a shy peek. "Are you Cathy's brother?"

"Whatever would give you the idea that I'm her damn brother?" Bones snapped.

Timmie backed up so fast, he hit the back of his head against his doorframe. "Sorry!" he gasped, and banged into the door again before managing to scramble back inside.

I marched over to Bones and stuck my finger in his chest. He regarded me with what I would have called sullenness-if he hadn't been over two hundred.

"You have a choice," I said, biting off each word. "Either you make a very sincere apology to Timmie now, or you leave and slither back to your **** like the festering ball sack you just acted like. I don't know what's gotten into you, but he's a nice guy, and you probably just made him pee his pants. Your decision, Bones. One or the other."

A dark brow arched at me. I tapped my foot. "One...two..."

He muttered something foul and then climbed the stairs, rapping twice on Timmie's door.

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"Right, then, mate, terribly sorry for my unspeakable rudeness, and I do beg your pardon," he said with admirable humbleness when Timmie cracked it open. Only I could pick up the slight edge to his voice as he went on. "I can only say that it was caused by my natural affront to the notion of her as my sister. Since I'll be shagging her tonight, you can imagine how I'd be distressed at the thought of rogering my sibling."

"You schmuck!" I burst as Timmie's jaw dropped. "The only thing you'll be shagging tonight is yourself!"

"You wanted sincerity," he countered. "Well, luv, I was sincere."

"You can get right back in the car and I'll see you later, if you're not being such an ass!"

Timmie's head swiveled back and forth between the two of us, his jaw still swinging open. Bones gave him a smile that was more just a baring of teeth.

"Nice to meet you, mate, and here's some advice: Don't even think about it. You try anything with her and I'll neuter you with my bare hands."

"Leave!" I stamped my foot for emphasis.

He swept past me and then swiveled, kissing me hard on the mouth before jumping back to avoid my right hook.

"I'll see you later, Kitten."

Timmie waited until Bones had driven out of sight before he dared to speak.

"That's your boyfriend?"

I let out a grunt that I suppose was an affirmative.

"He really doesn't like me," he said, almost a whisper.

I gave one last look in the direction Bones disappeared to before shaking my head at his bewildering behavior.

"No, Timmie. I guess he doesn't."

I made it to class just as the professor was handing out the tests. My dirty, bruised, disheveled appearance caused a few looks and nudges that I pretended not to notice. Then, I was so tired, I didn't even know what I scribbled down for answers. The rest of the classes were even worse. I nodded off in physics and had to be poked awake by the person next to me. When I got back to my apartment, I discovered my period had made its appearance.

It was official. My day sucked.

I used my last remaining energy to shower before flopping into bed. Five minutes later, there was a knock on my door.

"You'd better run," I muttered, eyes closed.

The knock became louder. "Catherine!"

Oh ****. It was my mother. What's up, God? Wanted to see how much I could take?

"Coming!"

I answered the door, bleary-eyed, in my pajamas. My mother brushed past me with a disapproving frown.

"You're not dressed. The movie's in less than an hour."

Double ****! Today was Monday and I'd promised her we'd see a movie together. With everything going on, I'd completely forgotten.

"Oh, Mom, I'm sorry. It was a really late night and I'm just now getting to bed-"

"Did you get one of those monsters?" she cut in, her frown magically erased.

"Is that all you care about?"

The sharp question surprised both of us. Instantly, guilt swarmed over me at the hurt look on her face.

"I'm sorry," I said again. Jeez, I sounded like Timmie. "Um, in fact I did get two bad vampires last night."

That was partly true. I'd just left a few details out she didn't need to know about.

"Bad?" she asked with a gleam. "What do you mean by bad? They're all bad!"

She can't help it, I told myself, fighting guilt of another kind now. The only vampire she ever met raped her.

"Nothing. I'm just really tired. Can we do the movie another night? Please?"

She went into my kitchen, all four square feet of it, and opened my refrigerator. What she saw made her face draw even further together.

"It's empty. You don't have any food. Why don't you have any food?"

I shrugged. "I haven't been to the store yet. I forgot you were coming over."

I'd eaten the last of the ramen noodles for lunch yesterday, and what I couldn't tell her was that Bones usually took me out to eat. It was one of the few normal things we did together, albeit picking low-key places to avoid being spotted.

"You look very pale."

Again, she said it as if it were an indictment. I yawned, hoping she'd take the hint.

"Nothing new there."

"Catherine, you're paler, there's no food in here...have you started drinking blood?"

My mouth was still open from the yawn, and at that comment, it stayed that way.

"You're serious?" I managed.

She backed away a step. Actually backed away. "Have you?"

"No!"

I stomped toward her, hurt and mad to see her cringe. "Here." I grabbed her hand and pressed it to my throat. "Feel that? It's a pulse. I don't drink blood, I'm not turning into a vampire, and my fridge is empty because I haven't been to the store! For God's sake, Mom!"

Timmie picked that moment to poke his head into my apartment. "Your door was open..."

He stopped, startled at the thunderous expression on my face. My mother dropped her hand from my neck and straightened her shoulders.

"Who's he, Catherine?"

Timmie quailed at her tone. Poor guy didn't know it was her normal one. "Be nice!" I hissed. First Bones had scared him, now my mother would probably give him a heart attack.

"Is this your boyfriend?" she asked next in a stage whisper he could clearly hear.

An immediate denial sprang to my lips, and then something happened in me. Something crafty, calculating, and opportunistic. I looked at Timmie and saw exactly what my mother saw. A living, breathing young man. One who was a hundred percent not dead.

In my defense, I was probably crazed from lack of sleep, my period, and being accused of having a liquid diet.

"Yes!" It came out of me with reckless abandon. "Mom, meet my boyfriend, Timmie!"

I ran to him, hiding his dumbfounded expression from her line of sight, and gave him an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek.

"Please go with it," I begged in his ear, hugging him while I said it.

"Ouch!" he squeaked.

Oops. Squeezed too hard. I let him go with a wide smile. "Isn't he just adorable?"

She came toward us, looking him up and down. Timmie gawked at her before holding out a trembling hand.

"H-hello, Mrs...?"

"Ms.," she corrected at once.

He blanched at her emphaticalness, having no idea of the many reasons why that was a touchy subject. To give him cre***, however, he didn't run out the door.

"Ms.," he tried again. "Nice to meet you, Ms...?"

"You've slept with him and he doesn't even know your last name?" my mother demanded, scowling.

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I sent a glance heavenward before pinching Timmie when he started to back away.

"Don't mind her, honey, sometimes she forgets her manners. Mom, do you want Timmie to call you Justina? Or Ms. Crawfield?"

She was still giving me that how-could-you glare, but her frostiness lessened. "Justina's fine. It's nice to finally meet you, Timmie. Catherine's told me how you helped her kill those demons. I'm glad to know there's someone else out there ridding the world of them."

Timmie looked like he was about to faint. "Let's get some coffee," I said, practically shoving him before he started babbling out a denial. "You stay here, Mom. His place is next door, we'll be right back!"

As soon as we were in Timmie's apartment, I snatched him close and lowered my voice. "My poor mother! She has her good days and her bad ones. The doctor's supposed to adjust her medication, but you never can tell when one of these spells will hit. Don't pay attention to that killing and demon talk. She's real Pentecostal. Believes in slaying of the spirit and so on. Just nod your head and try not to say much."

"But-but..." Timmie's eyes couldn't get any wider. "Why did you tell her I'm your boyfriend? Why doesn't she know about your real one?"

That was a good question. I cast around for an answer. Any answer.

"He's English!" I settled on desperately. "And Mom...Mom hates foreigners!"

She stayed an hour. By the time she left, I was a nervous wreck, and so was Timmie. He'd drunk so much coffee, he practically had the shakes even though he was sitting down. I'd attempted to steer the conversation to college, the orchard, my grandparents, or anything else that didn't contain the word vampire. Every chance I got, I made pitying expressions behind her back, or twirled my finger near my temple in the universal gesture for insanity.

Timmie tried to be supportive during my mother's "spell." "That's right, Justina!" he said more than once. "We're going to knock those demons out and slay them with the power of Jesus. Hallelujah, can I get an amen?"

In fact, he affected such an overly zealous attitude that as I walked her to the door, she drew me aside and muttered that he was sweet-but possibly a fanatic.

When she was finally gone, I leaned against the door and closed my eyes in relief.

"Thank God," I grumbled.

"Sure," Timmie agreed. "Amen!"

"You can stop that," I said, giving him a tired smile. "I owe you one, Timmie. Thanks."

I had just put my arms around him in a hug of gratitude when the door opened behind me without a knock.

"Am I interrupting something?" a coolly pissed, accented voice asked.

This time, my glance heavenward was in silent challenge. Is that how it is? Fine, then, bring it! Let's see what You've got!

Timmie jumped like he'd been stabbed. "Ungh!"

I didn't know what that meant, but the sight of him leaping away with a hand shielding his groin had me turning around in irritation.

"Dammit, tell him you're not going to neuter him!"

Bones folded his arms and regarded Timmie without pity. "Why?"

I gave him an evil look. "Because if you don't, I'm going to get really, really celibate."

My glare told him I meant it. He made an acquiescing motion that nevertheless sent Timmie bolting in the opposite direction.

"Don't fret, mate. You can leave with your stones intact, but remember, pretending to be her boyfriend was just that. Don't let the fantasy go to your head."

"You heard that?" Now I waved a frantic, mental white flag at the sky. Okay, You win!

His mouth twisted. "Death to all demons, can I get an amen?"

Great. "Look, I'm sorry, but I went a little nuts when she accused me of-of drinking!"

"You do drink," he countered, not getting it.

"No!" I tapped my neck. "I mean of drinking."

Timmie looked thoroughly confused, but understanding dawned on Bones's face.

"Bloody hell," he said finally.

I nodded. "In a nutshell."

Bones turned back to Timmie. "Private time, lad. Say goodbye."

It wasn't the nicest way he could have worded it, but from the set of his shoulders, it could have been worse.

"Timmie, thanks so much again, I'll see you in the morning," I said with another smile.

He looked glad to be on his way and made a beeline for the exit. Just as he was out the door, however, he stuck his head back in.

"I don't mind foreigners. God save the queen!" he squeaked, and ran.

Bones arched a brow. I sighed.

"Didn't hear that part? Never mind. Don't ask."

Chapter Eighteen

TWO WEEKS WENT BY, BUT WE DIDN'T FIND anything more about Switch. What was worse, even the few police reports that had been filed on the missing girls suddenly disappeared from record. Hennessey was covering his tracks faster than we could follow them.

"This makes no sense," Bones fumed. "Hennessey's been snatching up girls for the better part of six decades, and he's never been this careful before. When things got messy, he'd leave. Pick another area to spin his web. I can't fathom why he's taking the time to mesmerize their families, why he's making the ad***ional effort to have the police reports disappear, or what he's up to!"

We were back at the ****, so we could talk without having to worry about one of my neighbors overhearing. The walls were thin at my apartment. I didn't want to dwell on all the nonconversations Timmie must have already listened to when Bones spent the night.

"Maybe he's tired of running," I offered. "He's comfy, wants to stay awhile, and knows if the headlines start blaring about a serial killer, the police will have to get serious. Then he'd have to lay low or get out. What if that's his motivation?"

Bones threw me a look while bent over his laptop. "I've considered that, but there has to be more. Lola said he had new protection, remember? That's the wild card. Whoever they are, he's being a damned sight more discreet for them, and it begs the question why. They're either vampires or humans of prominence, is what I reckon. People with reputations to protect."

I didn't know much about the vampire world, so I wasn't going to be any help there. I did know a thing or two about the breathing community, however, so I felt my pulse entitled me to speculate.

"Corrupt cops? Maybe a police chief? Some of those reports could have been accidentally lost, but not all of them. Say you're the chief of police, or you're running for sheriff, whatever, and you want to get some easy cash while still making the public believe you're competent. A bunch of disappearances would look bad. So you try to get your business partner to clean up his act, and maybe you tip him off as to where he can find some vulnerable girls. God, if it was a sheriff, he could invite Hennessey to pick his favorites out of a lineup at the local stockade! Then he could make the records disappear as well. What if all such a person asked for in return was that Hennessey control public outcry? It's not such a big price to pay, is it?"

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He tapped his chin thoughtfully, considering that. Then his cell phone rang.

"Hallo... Yes, Charles, I can hear you... Where?...

When?...Who?...All right, I'll see you shortly."

He hung up, staring at me.

"What?" I asked, impatient.

"Seems there's been a development. He's with one of Hennessey's people now who wants to talk to me about switching sides."

"I'm going with you," I said instantly.

Bones made a regretful noise. "I knew you'd say that."

Spade opened the door to the hotel room, giving me a flick of his gaze.

"I'm surprised you brought her with you, Crispin."

I didn't say '**** off,' but it was close.

"Better to have her come and know what transpired than for her to stay back and wonder about it," Bones replied. "Let us enter, Charles, so we can get started."

This two-name thing is annoying, I was thinking as Spade stepped aside. Can't vampires just pick one?

A woman was in the center of the room. I might have noticed how plush the interior was, and that it was as big as my grandparents' whole upstairs, or any other number of inconsequential details, except for one thing.

She was without a doubt the most gorgeous female I'd ever seen. In person or on television. She looked Latino, with curly black hair down to her hips, positively perfect features set on a body that didn't seem real, and crimson-colored lips. I just stared at her for a minute. Only in cartoons did women have such minuscule waists, big br**sts, round bubble butts, and legs like that. It wasn't hard to notice her figure, either. Her dress could barely be called one, and it was so tight, it was a good thing she didn't need to breathe.

"Francesca," Bones said, going to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you've come."

And that was all I needed to see to decide right then and there that I hated her guts.

"Bones..."

She drew his name out like it was candy, and when she kissed his cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick imprint, her eyes met mine in open challenge.

Spade's hand on my shoulder shook me from my state of murderous contemplation. I'd just been fantasizing about whipping two of the knives out of my jacket and flinging them into her double-Ds.

"Francesca, this is Cat," Bones said next, gesturing to me. "She's with me, so you need not hesitate about speaking freely with her present."

I advanced with something stretching my face that may or may not have been a smile. "Hi. We're sleeping together."

I heard it come out of my mouth in a detached sort of way, only mildly noticing Spade mutter something about this not being a wise idea and that both of Bones's eyebrows shot into his hairline.

Francesca shared neither of their reactions. Full, pouty lips curled.

"But of course, ni?a. Who could resist him?"

Spoken while her fingers trailed down the side of his shirt, and I almost lost it right there.

"Kitten." Bones caught my hand that shot out and tucked it casually in his arm, as if I hadn't been about to knock her on her well-shaped ass. "Let's sit, shall we?"

I didn't know what was wrong with me. Some small, rational part was screaming that this was a person who could help bring down Hennessey and to get a grip on myself. The rest of me was in full, blind hostility mode and not comprehending what rational behavior meant.

Bones led me toward a nearby couch, not letting go of my hand. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Francesca taking in the view of him leaving, licking those plump red lips.

My free hand swung in an arc to land on the ass she was admiring. With a glare, I gave it a big squeeze, using the last of my control not to shriek, You like that? Look who's got it!

Bones stopped, glancing down meaningfully. I snatched my hand back almost in confusion, giving myself a mental shake to try and snap out of the insanity.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Quite all right," he said with a smile that somehow made me feel less of a schmuck than I'd acted like. "Just a bit more difficult to walk."

I laughed at the picture of him trying to go any distance with my throwing hand clutched to his chest and my other one pried to his ass. Yeah, that would be dicey.

"You can let go now," I whispered, feeling more in control and determined to be adult about things. Okay, so chances were, at one time he and our little would-be turncoat had had a fling. Could have been a century ago. Before my grandparents were even born. I could handle it. If I were a man, I'd want to have *** with her, too. See? Very adult.

Bones sat next to me on the couch, Spade took the empty space by him (raising my opinion of him), and that left Francesca to slink into the chair opposite us. My feeling of superiority was short-lived, however, when she settled herself down and then crossed her legs.

I didn't need a mirror to know my whole face had just turned red. With a hemline up to her thighs, that gesture didn't leave anything to the imagination. Bones curled his fingers around mine and squeezed. His hand was still warmed from our contact moments ago. That's how fast he had to grab me again to keep me sitting where I was instead of yanking off my jacket to make her a pair of panties.

"We all know why we're here," he said in an unruffled voice, as if Francesca hadn't just flashed him a shaved beaver pelt. "It's no secret that I'm after Hennessey and you're one of his, Francesca. I know you and he aren't close, but it is still the highest offense to betray your sire. Make no mistake, I'm out to kill him, and any information you give me will be used for that purpose."

You go, boy! I silently applauded him. Cut right to the point and show her a little snatch doesn't distract you! You are SO getting lucky tonight.

Francesca's mouth curled. "Why else would I be here, if I didn't want you to kill him? If you were to do less, I wouldn't risk it. You know I've hated him for the past ninety-three years. Ever since he took me from my convent and turned me."

"You were a nun?" I asked in disbelief, actually peeping back up her dress to make sure I hadn't misunderstood. "You're kidding."

"Bones, what is her purpose here? Why must she stay?" Francesca demanded, ignoring me.

His eyes glinted emerald at her. "She's here because I want her to be, and it's not up for discussion."

That statement just upgraded him from *** to *** with a blow job first. Not that I minded the extra activity, to be honest. I'd found out I enjoyed it. Guess that made for two tramps in this room.

"I want Hennessey dead," Francesca summarized after losing a staring contest with Bones. "He has been my Master for too long."

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This bewildered me. "What does she mean, her Master?" I asked Bones. Was Francesca a slave? Just when I thought Hennessey couldn't sink any lower in my opinion.

"Vampires operate under a form of pyramid scheme," Bones explained. "Each line is ranked by the strength of its head, or the Master, and every person the Master sires is under the Master's rule. Feudalism would be another example of it. There you had the lord of the manor, and they were responsible for the welfare of all those on their lands, but in return, their people owed them loyalty and part of their income. Such is the way with vampires, with a few more variations."

This was news to me, and it sounded barbaric. "So. In other words, vampire society is like Amway and a cult rolled into one."

Francesca muttered something in Spanish that didn't sound complimentary.

"Speak English, and without the sarcasm," Bones said to her curtly.

Big dark eyes blinked in anger. "If I didn't know you to be the man you are, I'd leave right now."

"But you do know me," Bones replied smoothly. "And if I choose to detail our world to the woman I'm with, that shouldn't suggest I take your position less seriously. You really should show Cat a bit more respect. It was because of her your fondest wish was nearly granted and Hennessey was almost dust."

At that, Francesca laughed. "You're the vomiter!"

I didn't know if that was technically a word, but I got her drift. What a way to be referred to.

"That's me."

She was still smiling. It made her even more radiant. With that faint dusky tone to her flesh, she looked like she was made of colored diamonds. "Well, ni?a, that does afford you some latitude. Hennessey didn't say very much about you. He was too incensed, and so humiliated. It was truly a pleasure to witness."

"Does he know how much you hate him?" I asked with skepticism. "Because if he does, how are you going to get close enough to help us?"

She leaned forward. It opened up her cle**age even more. I tried not to look, but my God! They were so bouncy.

"Hennessey knows very well that I hate him, but I've managed to hide things from him before." She paused to give Bones a knowing smile, and I almost lost it again. "He enjoys keeping me, knowing how much I despise being his. Vampires can only leave their sire's domination if they win in a duel against them, get ransomed by another Master, or are released as a gesture of goodwill. Hennessey is too strong for me to beat, there is no goodwill in him, and he will never let another vampire ransom me. Yet not for a moment does he believe I'll betray him. He thinks I fear too much what he would do to me if I were caught."

The purr of her voice made it all the more chilling. She knew firsthand what he was capable of, and despite that, she hated him enough to risk it anyway. Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to disparage her. You had to admire that kind of determination. Whether or not it came with under-pants.

"Then you and I have something in common," I said, before glancing at Bones and letting out a bark of ironic laughter. "Well, something else. I want Hennessey dead, too. That's all we really need to know about each other, isn't it?"

She gave me a rake of her cognac eyes and then her shoulder lifted in a shrug. "Si. I suppose it is."

Bones and Spade exchanged a glance. I thought I saw the spiky-haired vampire smile.

"Aside from the obvious, Francesca, what do you want in return for supplying information?" Bones asked, getting back to the subject.

"You to take me," she replied at once.

"Not gonna happen!" I spat, squeezing him possessively.

Three sets of widened eyes fixed on me. That's when I realized that what I had a firm grip on was no longer his hand.

Spade started to laugh even as I turned beet red again, yanking my hand back and fighting the urge to sit on it for my own good. Dear God! What had gotten into me?

Bones's lips twitched, but he didn't join in the growing chuckles that had Spade dabbing at his eyes.

"That's not what she means, luv," he said in a carefully neutral tone. "Francesca means that with the head of her line deceased, she wants to be under another vampire's protection. I could claim her as one of mine, thereby 'taking' her. Although I'm still under Ian's yoke, he hasn't exercised any of his authority over me in a very long time, which is why I haven't bothered to challenge him to be on my own. I've had more freedom this way, and because of our understanding, I wouldn't need his consent to take Francesca on. Though under normal circumstances, getting his consent would be the proper way."

Thankfully, this was complicated enough to distract me from groping him further. "Why wouldn't you want to be on your own?" I wondered out loud to her.

"Masterless vampires are open game, ni?a. There's no accountability for any cruelty done to them. Like with your nations. If you are a man or a woman with no country, who do you appeal to when you're in need? Who defends you?"

"That's a damn brutal system you people operate under," I said, glad to have a heartbeat.

"Don't be so na?ve," she said sharply. "It's a far kinder structure than the one you're in. How many humans starve to death each day because your nations refuse to care for their own? Even still, how many Americans die from illnesses when treatment is readily available but withheld if they can't afford it? Vampires would never allow any of their people to go about hungry or in poverty. Even Hennessey, who is a beast, would consider it a personal insult to have anyone belonging to him in such a con***ion. Consider that. The worst of our kind treats his people better than your countries treat their citizens."

"Francesca..." Spade had stopped laughing.

She waved at him. "I'm finished."

I wasn't.

"If you bloodsuckers are such paragons of virtue, then why haven't any of you stood up to stop Hennessey from plowing through my kind? I mean, Bones tells me about how five percent of everyone walking isn't alive, so there's a lot of you! Or is it that the kidnapping, rape, murder, and consumption of humans doesn't rank as important?"

Bones smoothed his hand on my arm. "Kitten, perhaps-"

Francesca bolted out of her chair. "Wake up! What Hennessey's doing is nothing compared to what humans do! Each year, over fifty thousand teenage Colombians are sold into slavery across Europe and Asia, and that isn't by vampires! In the Congo, over a hundred thousand women have been brutalized-by the rebels, and the soldiers in their own military! Pakistan still has areas where 'honor' rapes and killings of women are ordered by the courts, and yet your country and the rest of the world do nothing about it! Vampires may tend to their own business first, but if we were to truly start policing this planet, we'd get rid of the humans, who are the greatest evildoers-"