“I’m supposed to be dead, right?”
“Yes.”
“What if someone sees me?”
“You’ll be moving so fast that even if they do catch a glimpse, they’ll think they saw a ghost.” Her lips curved into a smile. “Time to fly.”
“Fly?” he asked skeptically.
“Like a bird.” Olivia arched one eyebrow and leaped like a bullet into the night sky. “Or a bat.” She dropped down and hovered in midair, staying there for a moment, while Doug gaped. “What’s the matter, detective? Chicken?”
“Not on your life.” Doug’s blue eyes crinkled at the corners as he looked at her mischievously. “How about a little coaching for a newbie?”
“Remember when you were in the tunnels tonight and you ran like the wind?”
“Yeah?” He peered over the edge at the steep drop but leaned back quickly.
“Did you think about it, or did you just do it?”
“Shit.” A grin cracked his handsome face, and he rubbed his head, reminding her of a little boy. “You’re right, but this is a little different, don’t you think? I mean, running is one thing, I’ve been doing that my whole life, but flying is another.”
“Use your mind as much as your body.” She winked. “From what I’ve seen so far, you’re good with both.”
Doug gave her a cocky grin, meeting her challenge, and in one giant leap, he shot into the air. Olivia watched as he swooped through the sky like a stealth bomber, until he finally stopped and hovered next to her. His eyes were alight with excitement, and his body hummed with power. Now she was the one gaping like a stunned sheep.
“What’s the matter, Olivia?” he murmured wickedly as he drifted closer and his foot tapped hers. “You act like you’ve never seen a guy fly.”
“I guess I didn’t expect you to do it like you’ve been doing it all your life.” She shook her head in wonder. “You were
His features darkened. “I was born to be a
He flew ahead through the inky night towards the Village. As they sped through the city night together, she prayed he would eventually forgive her.
They landed on the roof of the medical examiner’s building, and Olivia once again marveled at how easily Doug stepped into his new life—into her life. He had been quiet since they took flight, but she sensed the tension in him as he absorbed the sounds and sights of the city in an entirely new way. His brilliant blue eyes scanned the roof as they walked to the door, but Olivia stopped him before they went in.
“Hang on.” She placed her hand on his chest as her other hand rested on the doorknob. His muscles flexed beneath her fingers, and much to her relief, he didn’t flinch or shrink away, but held her gaze, meeting her challenge. “Stay behind me, and follow my lead.”
“I’ve been in the medical examiner’s office more times than I care to count, and I know my way around. I may not have been supernatural, but I managed just fine.”
“I know that.” Olivia dropped her hand and cursed herself for not saying the right thing. She turned her back on him as she opened the door. “I just think it would be wise to avoid contact with the humans. Your ex-girlfriend might freak the fuck out if her presumed-dead ex walked into her autopsy room in the middle of the night.” She tried to keep the hurt and jealousy out of her voice but failed miserably. “Let’s make it quick, and then we’re heading back down to the Village.”
“How did you know about Miranda?” Doug’s fingers curled around her bicep, and Olivia fought the rush of lust that followed as his hand pressed into her arm. He furrowed his brow as he loomed over her, his mouth temptingly close. “You seem to know a lot more about me than you’ve let on. Why is that?”
“We don’t have time for this.” She tugged her arm free and yanked the door open. “Stay close and follow me.”
“Whatever you say,” Doug bit out. “But this conversation isn’t over by a long shot.”
Olivia flew down the empty stairwell to the bottom floor with Doug hot on her heels. As soon as she opened the door, the distinct scent of Rogue One slammed into them violently, knocking every other thought out of her head.
Her fangs erupted, and Doug growled in her ear before he pushed past her and raced to the double doors of the autopsy room with his gun drawn. Olivia swore under her breath and flew down the hallway after him.
She blew through the double doors and found Doug on the floor cradling the lifeless, bloodied body of Dr. Miranda Kelly. Sadness tore at her for the loss that Doug was suffering, but the scent of the rogue lingered, not allowing any time for mourning. Gun drawn, she surveyed the surroundings.
“They fucking slaughtered her,” he growled. “Why? Why did they come here and kill her? What possible motivation could they have had to hurt Miranda?”
Olivia watched through sympathetic eyes as Doug placed a kiss on her hair and gently laid her broken body on the floor—anger carved deep into his features as he rose to his feet slowly.
“I can still smell that piece of shit, and when I find him, he’s going to pray for sunrise and a quick death. I’m going to dissect his ass like a frog in a high school biology class.”
“The blood doesn’t bother you?” Olivia watched him carefully and noted that he seemed immune to the overwhelming scent of blood, which was unheard of for newly turned vampires. By all accounts, it should have triggered his bloodlust and hunger, driving him mad with thirst, but the only emotion he experienced was rage.
“No,” he rasped. Doug looked around the room with his usual inspecting, intent gaze. “The place is destroyed. Maybe they were looking for something. What could she possibly have had that they would’ve killed her for?”
The computer was smashed, her files were strewn around the room, and blood spattered much of the floor. She glanced to the camera in the corner. It was torn from the wall, so whoever was in here knew enough to take out the camera. Olivia glanced at the autopsy table.
“The blood in these drains is fresh.” Olivia leaned closer to get a clean scent. “It’s not Miranda’s blood. Maybe Rogue One let one of the rogues get picked up by accident?”
“What do you mean?” Doug squatted next to Miranda.
“The healing doesn’t usually start for almost twenty-four hours. If Rogue One has been busy making new vamps, or his rogues have, then maybe they got sloppy, and a vampire that was in the middle of the change got picked up and mistaken by the humans for dead.”
“Maybe.” He stood, his face stamped with anger. “Or maybe it woke up on the table and killed her?”
Doug went to Miranda’s desk and picked up the open file.
“Son of a bitch,” he whispered before turning to face her. “Moriarty. He was the guy she was working on.”
Olivia nodded, but before she could say anything, the subtle sound of wind whistling down a tunnel captured her attention as she swung her gun in the direction of the refrigerator compartments. Doug drew his gun right along with her, and they moved toward the noise.
One of the square stainless steel doors was open a crack. Olivia knew it led to the network of tunnels beneath the city. She pressed one finger to her lips and motioned to the partially opened door before yanking on it. It was empty, and the trap door that led into the tunnels was wide open.
“Sloppy and frantic,” she whispered. “They killed her and escaped through there. Come on. We’ll track them.”
Doug didn’t move. He was looking at Miranda’s lifeless body, and Olivia knew he hated the idea of leaving her. She couldn’t blame him, but they didn’t have the luxury of taking her with them.
“We have to go, Doug.” Olivia laid a hand over his. “The only thing you can do to help her now is find the vamps that murdered her and put them down.”
His intense blue eyes filled with fury and flicked to hers briefly before he dived into the open drawer and slipped into the tunnel below. Olivia slid in behind him and closed the trap door, shutting it securely. The last
