man. Because my first lesson wil be to teach you that only the strongest can truly, deeply love. And if you have no woman in your life, you wil understand the reason why.” Vayl was at least kind enough to turn away, so the stark and sudden pain in Aaron’s eyes was an emotion he didn’t have to hide or, later, be ashamed of.
But if the son had been stricken, the father was pained as wel . I could detect a note of longing in his voice, the kind I’d heard before when he’d suggested we could be a great Vampere couple. I’d refused then, and now I saw the same terrified denial on Junior’s face. But suddenly it was like I’d stepped up on a platform where I could observe Vayl from a total y new angle. And I realized how lonely he’d been al those years with no family to get him through the empty days or share the laughter with. Not that he’d found much to cal humorous, much less entertaining, in his early years as a Rogue. Even less so when he’d entered into a Vampere Trust. In fact, when we’d first started working together I’d become convinced pretty quickly that the dude had completely forgotten how to have fun.
I stepped up and slipped my hand into his. When his eyes dropped to mine I put al the love I felt for him in my smile. The black bled from his pupils like a healing bruise, replaced almost instantly by honey gold with flecks of the warmest amber. “I’m so proud of you,” I whispered.
“Way to represent,” agreed Cole. He stil sat at Raoul’s knee, his hands flopped between his legs like he didn’t even have the strength to cross them. He winked at Vayl. “We attached guys gotta stick together.”
Vayl’s eyebrows practical y shot off his forehead. “What happened up there?” He took a threatening step forward.
Suddenly Cole found the energy to raise his arms in protest. “I promise you, I am over your girl forever. Although she’s awesome, I’ve got my eye on the prize now.” He nodded so definitely that Vayl instantly checked himself. Cole’s eyes danced. “Hey, Jaz. I just realized. Someday, if it al works out, I’m gonna be your nephew. You know what that means, right? Magicians at my birthday parties, and trips to the zoo, and—”
“Stop!”
“Right. You’re absolutely right.” He made the zippy-lippy motion. However, he pointed from me to him and back again a couple of times and then mouthed the word “relatives” before subsiding into happy-grin land.
I was suddenly readier than ever to go kil the Rogue Vayl had targeted. Stil under the assumption that we’d only encountered a slight detour in our original plan, I asked Cole to move his car to one side of the drive so I could back mine out.
“Where are you going?” he asked as he grabbed the open door to help himself to his feet. As Raoul fil ed him in, I strode toward the garage, assuming Vayl would fol ow with the rest of the group trotting more or less cooperatively behind. That was usual y how it worked. Except I’d taken half a dozen steps when I realized nobody was fol owing me. Not even Jack. I turned around.
“Jasmine,” Vayl said tiredly. “She is doing it again.”
The four men had gathered in a circle at the front of Cole’s Lumina. Al of them had riveted their attention to the ground at their feet, as if they couldn’t believe Kentucky bluegrass managed to thrive this far north of the state line. Jack trotted around them, occasional y sticking his nose between their legs, but he didn’t like what he saw enough to stay in one place for long. He’d pul his head back, sometimes jumping like he’d been startled, and begin his rounds again.
I joined the circle, Vayl and Raoul moving back to give me room. As expected, Astral lay in the middle, flat on her back, waving her feet in the air while she cackled like a drunken hen. “Cluck, cluck, hic-cluck.” From the mini-projector in the back of her throat a startlingly realistic hologram replayed a series of images just like the ones we’d seen the last time she’d pul ed this stunt. I’d come in in the middle, so I missed the skier flying off the cliff and the painter fal ing from the ladder.
But I did make it in time for skateboard-crashing-off-the-garage-roof guy and hang-glider-dumping-into-the- ocean dude.
“Cluck, cluck, hic-cluck,” said Astral.
“Do you think it’s worse?” I asked.
Vayl crouched for a closer look. “It seems about the same to me. But then, this has been going on for two days now. How did she get so much footage?” he asked as six kids went tumbling off a toboggan.
“Wel , she does have access to al the FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security databases. Plus she’s an Enkyklios, and who knows what those Sisters of the Second Sight have recorded while they were globetrotting, trying to get al the info they could on the world of
“So that’s what it’s cal ed,” murmured Aaron as he watched a figure skater blow a triple axle.
“But…” Raoul motioned to Astral, whose clucking was so convincing I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d laid an egg. “Why?”
Vayl glanced up. “I think perhaps Bergman missed a wire or two the last time he reattached her head.”
They al looked at me. I raised my hands. “Hey, I feel terrible about that incident. But honestly, Bergman shouldn’t have made her self-destruct button so sensitive.” They gave me the point and went back to Astral watch. Final y Vayl said, “We cannot let this continue. What if she chose to emit some vital intel igence in her video feed instead of some fool slipping off his roof while trying to anchor his Christmas lights?”
“I agree,” said Cole. “You should cal Bergman.”
Al eyes came to me. Again. “Yeah, but he’s…” I sighed. “Fine. But if he cries, I’m handing the phone to one of
I left the circle as I dug out my cel and dialed his number. The series of clicks that preceded the ring lasted
