“Corbin, what the hell did you do?” Idemanded. “How does that stake work? How did you kill Roderick? Iwant to know and I want to know right now.”
He frowned. “I got a little help from abusiness acquaintance, that’s all. Don’t worry about it.”
“I do worry about it,” I said. “Whatacquaintance? Are you talking about that weird Goth girl with thepurple hair who was leaving when I came in tonight? Who is she,anyway?”
He sighed. “Just a witch I know. Her name isGwendolyn LaRoux and she has a small business here in town. Don’tworry…” He put up his hands. “She hates vampires almost as much asyou do, darling. But I made her an offer she could not refuse—inreturn, she gave me the means to kill Roderick.”
I looked at Corbin for a long moment but heshowed no signs of drying up and turning into a mummy like Roderickhad, so maybe everything really was all right.
“So…he’s really dead?” I nudged themummified thing on his carpet carefully with one toe. I halfexpected Roderick to come back to life and grab me. Thankfully, hedidn’t.
“He is.” Corbin sounded serious. “One of hisage is extremely hard to kill.”
“Yeah, that’s the understatement of theyear.” I sighed and looked around. “Your office is a mess. And thevase…” I looked at the blue and white shards of the priceless Mingvase lying scattered across the carpet.
“The vase doesn’t worry me—are youall right?” Corbin took me by the shoulders and ducked his head,peering anxiously into my face. “Do you feel well, Addison?”
“I’m fine.” For some reason I couldn’t meethis eyes.
“Are you certain?” He cupped my cheek andwiped something away with his thumb—a tear. “Then why are youcrying?”
“I’m not.” I swiped at my eyes and tried tosmile. “I was just…shocked when I thought you were…were gone.”
“Shocked, hmm?” He looked at me moreclosely. “Perhaps you were upset? Could it be that you realizedthat you could return my love after all?”
“Nothing like that,” I said, pulling awayfrom him. “More like…I didn’t like the idea of the world withoutyou in it.” I looked at him at last. “Satisfied?”
Corbin sighed and for one quick instant alook of infinite sadness crossed his face. Then he smiled. “Notnearly satisfied, darling. But it’s nice at least to know that youwill miss me when—” He stopped abruptly and cleared his throat. “Imean, that you would miss me if I were gone.”
“Corbin?” I frowned at him. “Is theresomething you’re not telling me?”
“Of course not.” He looked around at hisruined office. “Nothing but that you owe me a new office. You’re areal menace with that gun of yours.”
“I’m usually a really good shot,” I said,stung by his teasing. “It was just…Roderick was sofast.”
“But not fast enough.” He arched an eyebrowat me, making me laugh despite myself. “Seriously though, darling,do you realize that between Taylor’s bride price and the lovely butnow-ruined tribute I bought for Roderick, you have cost me over twomillion dollars tonight?”
“Are you serious?” I looked down at thejagged remains of the vase again. “I figured it might run as highas a million but I never thought—”
“Don’t be sensitive, Addison—I am onlyteasing you.” Corbin smiled, a bit too brightly, I thought. “Now ifyou’ll excuse me, I need to get this mess cleaned up.”
“I can stay and help,” I offered, althoughwhat I could do about the bullets embedded in the walls and floorsI had no idea. It was a good thing they hadn’t passed rightthrough—maybe they had been stopped by the soundproofing in thepanels.
“No.” Corbin shook his head. “This is a jobfor professionals. And I must dispose of Roderick’s remainsmyself.”
“What will you do with him?” I looked downat the dried up mummy-husk again and shivered.
Corbin sobered. “He must be sent back to theEmpress. She will not be pleased.”
“Will you get into trouble?” I askedanxiously.
“I’m not worried about it,” he replied,looking away. “As powerful as she is, she cannot hurt me now.”
“Why not?” I asked suspiciously. “Because ofsome kind of vampire law? Something about you beating Roderick in afair fight?”
Although I wasn’t certain how fairhis use of a witchcraft spelled stake was. What did the vampirelaws say about that? I looked at it, still lying there on the floorand couldn’t help feeling like I was staring at a bloated snake.Just the sight of it made me shiver.
“Yes, something like that.” Corbin soundeddistracted. “Now, I really must get to work so maybe you shouldjust…”
“I should just what—run along? Is that it?”I frowned at him. “What’s going on, Corbin? I know when I’m beingdismissed.”
He frowned. “Nothing is going on except whatyou said you wanted. Roderick is dead and Taylor is free ofCeleste—our business is concluded, our relationship over.”
I stared at him for a moment as the wordssank in. Of course I had told him I wanted out as soon as this wasover but now that it was…I felt strangely empty at the thought ofgoing back to our former, official relationship of vampire andAuditor. I remembered the feelings I’d had when I saw him plungethat stake in his heart and pushed them away. I had just beenpanicking, I told myself. Those emotions that had flooded overme—they didn’t really mean anything except that I was freakingout—right?
I cleared my throat. “So…so I should justgo?”
“Maybe you should go spend some time withTaylor,” Corbin suggested in a condescending tone. “Have a little‘girl talk’. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“Oh yes. Really nice.” I swallowed and hearda little click in my throat. “Look, Corbin—”
“Addison, please—I really am busy,” he saidimpatiently. “I need to get a cleaning crew in here and I have somevery specific rituals to go through in getting Roderick’s remainsready for shipment.”
“Fine.” I shrugged, trying to look like Ididn’t care, like his dismissal didn’t hurt. “I guess I’ll see youthe next time I come around to inspect the Fang.”
“About that…” Corbin looked up at me for amoment. “I really do think it would a good idea for you to findsomeone else to do that from now on. I mean, given the, ah,relationship we were so briefly in,
