he hadn’t already been married, I’d have said he was the perfect match for Emma Landingham.
“Good morning, Emma … Kevin.” Lackley’s voice was much cooler than usual when he spoke to
them. He knew my name but didn’t greet me. I wasn’t surprised.
He looked at Emma. “Dr. Reynolds explained to me that there’s been an …
Graves.”
Kevin glared at the good doctor, who flinched a little under the heat of his gaze.
“I did say you had the situation in hand,” the doctor mumbled.
Lackley spared the doctor an eloquent
was a smal , mousy little man with a receding hairline and a slight paunch that didn’t show when he was
wearing a lab coat. He seemed to be a fairly good doctor but a poor politician. Today he just couldn’t
catch a break. No matter what he did, he’d be pissing somebody off.
“You did. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t personal y check to make sure that a potential y deadly monster
hadn’t been brought onto the campus.”
I smiled and hoped the fangs didn’t show. “I’m fine, President Lackley. But thank you for your
administrative booty. So long as I paid my tuition on time, there wasn’t much they could do to me. I
could be as sarcastic as I wanted—provided I didn’t appear to be a threat.
I saw the muscles in Lackley’s jaw tighten, but he didn’t say a word in response. So I turned my
attention from him to the third man in their happy little group.
C. J. “Rocky” Rockford was the head of the campus security forces. We’d had occasion to run into
each other, and while he knew he probably shouldn’t like me, he did. We even went to the shooting
range and worked out in the gym and weight room together occasional y. “Hey, Rock.”
Rocky’s a big guy, former boxer and tough as they come. His skin is deep brown with copper
highlights. He keeps his hair cut short enough that you can see the scalp beneath it. He isn’t a
handsome man, but he is
“be nice, until it is time
black nylon satchel. I was betting I knew what was inside: holy items, a stake, a mal et, and a saw
—your typical vampire kit.
“Graves. What happened?” His voice didn’t sound particularly friendly this morning and he was
rubbing his finger along a ridge of scar tissue at the bridge of his nose. He does that when he’s
nervous. I couldn’t say as I blamed him. Never makes things easy when the ultimate boss takes a
workout partner.
“I don’t real y remember much about it. I should be dead, from what I’ve gathered. But I’m not and,
despite the fangs, I remember who I am. I was out on the slab until just a few minutes ago.”
He blinked a couple of times in surprise but final y managed to ask, “Hit? Here on campus?”
Kevin answered that one. “No.”
“Then why is she here?” Lackley’s gaze locked with Kevin’s and neither of them seemed inclined to
back down.
“It was my fault.” Emma spoke quietly. “I’m a level-four clairvoyant. I knew Celia was in serious
danger. I cal ed my father and brother and told them what I saw. My brother went to get her. Dad’s in
Chicago on business, so he cal ed Dr. Reynolds. Nobody wanted to risk what happened in that
emergency room in Denver, so he brought her here and brought the equipment in. The restraints on
this table are graded to hold an uncontrol ed ghoul if need be. We figured they’d be strong enough to
handle whatever she became.”
I was surprised. Emma’s gift is sporadic at best, and usual y only works in connection with people she
cares about. I wouldn’t have put myself on that list. She’d saved my life. Of course, she’d turned around
and risked it a couple hours later, but stil . I turned to look her in the eye. “Thank you.”
She blinked, obviously startled. “You’re welcome.”
“So, you admit to bringing a potential y dangerous monster onto campus and not reporting it.”
Emma flushed at the implied criticism. “I did report it. To the local police, over the phone, while Dr.
Reynolds was giving Celia the blood transfusion.” She met Lackley’s gaze head-on, her chin thrust up
in defiance. “And if you check the voice mail for your office, you’l find an urgent message from me.”
Lackley didn’t rise to the bait. “What did the police say?”
“They said they’d look into it.” She turned to me then. “When I cal ed back they said there were no
dead bodies at that address, or even in the area, monster, human, or otherwise.”
I blinked. That made no sense. None. I blinked a few more times, trying to process what she’d just
said, without much success.
“The officer I spoke to seemed to imply that I was being hysterical. He was polite.
But I got the impression he considered me a nutcase.”
Whatever he’d implied, they were most likely working on it. She probably hadn’t made a particularly
good impression—she could be a raging bitch in heels, and they wouldn’t take to it. But somebody was
probably doing the legwork. They take talk of monsters and dead bodies very seriously.
“For the record.” I turned and spoke directly to Lackley. I didn’t want Warren and the others getting in
trouble for saving my life. From the sound of it, they would. If not from the university, from the
authorities. Endangering the public is a serious crime. I couldn’t do much about that, but I could deal
with the university brass. At least I
alumni package.”
“I know.” Could Lackley have made those words any drier? Of course, I didn’t real y blame him.
Bayview, like every institution of higher education, was always in need of donations. Someone had
come up with a bright idea that would get alumni donors to fork over more cash. It was based on the
same principle as gym memberships—and the same assumption of attrition. Offer a limited time deal.
Donate a certain hefty amount and they reactivate you as if you were a student. You get ful benefits
—use of the athletic facilities, student discounts,
Most people who could afford that level of donation real y didn’t need the benefits. The first time it
became inconvenient, they’d stop signing up for classes, and that would be that—the university would
