“I’m really grossed out.” Sami mock-gagged. “I can’t believe you looked at my mom naked. I’m crushed.”
Rafael rolled his eyes to the sky. “I hate my life.”
To my surprise, Aric clapped the vampire on the shoulder as he passed. “You know she tortures people when she’s feeling agitated. You must’ve expected this.”
“Perhaps I thought she would grow up eventually.”
“Hoping for miracles at this point in her life is too much.”
“Apparently so.”
I found myself taken aback by the shift. “So ... you’re not going to fight?”
“Not now,” Aric replied. “Even if he did see her naked, it was long before we were married. I did ask him to watch her, although back then if I thought he was peeping in her window I would’ve ripped his head off. I can’t really get worked up about something twenty years in the past.”
Zoe made a face. “Where has the love gone?”
We reached the abandoned vehicle. It was a Ford, one of those SUVs that looked like every other SUV on the road. Somehow it had careened from the road, jumped a ditch, and collided with a tree. The front end of the vehicle was mangled.
“This thing is totaled,” Aric noted, running his hand over the bent metal. “Whoever was driving was going fast.”
Gunner cocked his head. “Maybe they were being pursued.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Aric held Gunner’s gaze, something unsaid passing between them. “This isn’t the sort of road people would automatically speed down. Locals would know better and outsiders would err on the side of caution.”
“So, we’re saying vampires were chasing the people who own this vehicle?” Zoe didn’t appear as interested in the vehicle as much as the uneven gravel on the side of the road. “Isn’t that a little 30 Days of Night?”
I was surprised by the reference. “The movie with the vampires in the snow?”
Zoe nodded. “The vampires in it are more realistic than the romantic ones those Twilight books ensnared teenagers with.”
On that we could agree. “Vampires aren’t generally feral,” I remarked.
“Thank you.” Rafael beamed at me. “Finally, a voice of reason. I can’t see vampires chasing a vehicle in the middle of nowhere. What good would that do?”
“Food,” Sami answered automatically, hopping in the road, used to amusing herself. “They probably went on a low-carb diet and lost their minds without potato chips. That’s why I’m never going low-carb.”
Aric snickered. “She gets that from you,” he informed his wife with a wink. “As for the theory that the vampires were hunting for food, while that’s possible, I don’t know if it’s probable. There are better ways to feed, ones that don’t involve leaving a wrecked vehicle and a mystery behind.”
He had a point. I moved closer to Zoe, who was fixated on something on the ground. “What do you think?”
“I think there were shifters here.” She straightened. “The prints are obvious.”
Aric jerked up his head and focused on his wife. “Where?”
She inclined her head and he crossed to her, his eyes trained on the ground. It was obvious the moment he saw the evidence she was referring to. “More than one shifter.”
Zoe nodded and met Rafael’s gaze over the hood of Aric’s truck. “At least five. What did you find when you were out yesterday? You’ve been conveniently tight lipped about things.”
Rafael let loose a sigh that was more weary parent than annoyed friend. “I have sources all over the state. Just because I’m loyal to you, that doesn’t mean I can out the others.”
“I’m not asking for names,” Zoe snapped. “I want to know what information you managed to uncover.”
Rafael shifted from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable. “I told you I’m still waiting for my sources to get back to me.”
“You’re hiding something.” Zoe folded her arms over her chest and jutted out her chin. “Spill.”
“I have nothing to tell you. As soon as I get actionable information, you’ll be the first to know.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You’re so full of it.” She went back to studying the vehicle. “This makes zero sense.” She strode to the passenger door and tugged. It refused to open.
“It’s locked,” Sami said sagely.
Zoe pinned her daughter with a “well, duh” look. “I never would’ve guessed.”
“Don’t be snotty,” Sami complained. “It’s not my fault Rafael won’t tell you. It’s because you have such a big mouth. I’ve been telling you that since I was born.”
“Another trait you get from your mother,” Aric muttered under his breath. He dropped to the ground, eyes narrowed. Gunner was right next to them and they were obviously intrigued by something they found in the gravel.
I decided to let them work together for a bit and focused on Sami. “Come over here,” I instructed, holding up a hand. “I want to show you something.”
Sami didn’t immediately acquiesce. “You’re not a pervert, are you?”
My mouth dropped open. “What the ...?”
Zoe chuckled low in her throat. “Unfortunately, she gets that lovely part of her personality from her father. He’s so worried about boys that he’s warped her brain.”
“I heard that,” Aric called out. “I’m not the one who warped her brain. That was that stupid show you let her watch.”
“What show?” I asked Zoe.
“Outlander,” Zoe replied with a smirk.
“Jamie Fraser is so hot,” Sami gushed, taking on a far-off expression. “He’s a hero to boot.”
“Sami just watches the show for the ‘history,’” Zoe teased.
All traces of mirth fled Sami’s delicate features. “It’s true. Jamie is a hero and he does heroic things, but the history is what I’m interested in.”
“That’s why he’s shirtless on your screensaver,” Aric taunted.
“It’s historic!” Sami’s tone turned shrill. “People didn’t wear shirts in the olden days.”
Despite himself, Aric looked amused and caught Zoe’s gaze. “Did you tell her that?”
“She didn’t have to tell me,” Sami fired back. “I know because I’ve seen the pictures from when you guys were in college. You’re hardly wearing a shirt in any of them.”
Aric was clearly perplexed. “That’s hardly the olden days.”
“Mom says you had to watch movies on discs back then,” Sami
