For a Few Demons More

thought of the sleeping vamps, glad the drawers were soundproof. Too bad they weren't smellproof.

Glenn exhaled as if deflating, his attitude changing from that of an aggressive, stymied FIB officer to the neighborhood cop on the corner. 'Since it's you, Rachel, I'll listen. For awhile.'

Okay, that was fair, since I had threatened to bop him with my magic. I glanced at David, and seeing him leaving it all to me, I clasped my hands in my lap. 'The reason you can't find those women in the database is because they aren't in the Inderland files.'

Glenn's eyebrows rose.

'They're in the human files,' I said, almost able to hear the bolts sliding—my life shifting to a new, probably shorter, path.

The fabric of Glenn's suit made a soft sound as he turned. 'Human? But—'

'They came in as Weres, yes,' I finished. I pulled my shoulder bag to my front to sit on my lap, but I wasn't going to tell him I had the focus. He'd probably insist on taking it, and when I refused, he'd get all testosterone- laden and then I'd get all witchy. Best to avoid it. I liked Glenn, and every time I flexed my magic, I usually lost a friend.

From beside me came David's emotionless voice. 'I turned them. I didn't mean to.' His head came back up. 'Believe me, I didn't want this to happen. I didn't think it could happen.'

'It can't,' Glenn said, anger coloring his confusion. 'If this is your idea of a joke—'

He didn't believe me. 'Don't you think I could come up with a better story if I was jerking your chain?' I said. 'I have rent to make, and I'm not going to waste my day down here in the morgue.' I glanced over the sterile surrounding's. 'As nice as it is down here.'

The large man frowned. 'Humans can't be turned into Weres. It's a fact.'

''And forty years ago humans believed it was a fact that there were no vampires or pixies. What about fairy tales?' I said. 'In the old ones, a bite could make a Were. Well, they're true, and the proof is that you will find those women in the human database.'

But Glenn's face said he wasn't buying it.

Head drooping, I said to the floor, 'See, there's this demon-cursed statue.' God, it sounds so lame. 'I gave it to David to hold for me because he's a Were and Jenks said it was giving him a headache. It's bad magic, Glenn. Whoever has it has the ability to turn a human into a Were. The Weres want it, and the vamps will kill anyone to destroy it to maintain the balance of Inderland power.' I brought my gaze up, and though he was listening, I could tell he wasn't ready to give up his secure belief. 'I had assumed there was some sort of additional ritual needed to turn a human.' Feeing guilty, I touched David's arm. 'Apparently not.'

'You bit them?' Glenn accused.

'I slept with them.' David's voice had a defensive edge. 'I have to go. I have to call Serena and Kally.'

Glenn's hand fell to rest on the butt of his weapon. I would have taken offense, but I didn't think he realized it.

'Look,' I said, exasperated, 'remember this May when the riots broke out in the mall between the vamps and the Weres?' Glenn nodded, and I scooted to the front of my chair, not liking his hand on his weapon. 'Well, it was because three Were packs thought I had this Were artifact and they were trying to flush me out.'

His eyes widened. He was starting to believe.

'And if it gets out that it didn't go over the Mackinac Bridge but is in Cincinnati turning women into Weres, I'm going to be a dead witch walking.' I hesitated. 'Again.'

The FIB officer exhaled long and slow, but I couldn't tell what he was thinking. 'That's why Mr. Ray's secretary was murdered, isn't it?' he said, gesturing behind him to the drawers.

'Probably,' I said in a small voice, 'But David didn't do it.' Damn it. Denon was right. Her demise was sort of my fault. Miserable, I pulled my gaze from the drawer. It landed on David, slumped and struggling to come to grips with the deaths of three women. If this got out, we both were dead. My attention rose to Glenn.

'You're not going to tell anyone, right?' I asked. 'You have to keep this quiet. Tell the next of kin they died in an accident.'

Glenn shook his head. 'I'll keep it as quiet as I can,' he said, coming forward to stand in front of David. 'But I'm going to get this on paper. Mr. Hue?' he said respectfully. 'Would you come down with me to the office so we can fill out some paperwork?'

Crap. I slumped into the cushy chair, making a puff of incense-scented air billow around me. 'You aren't arresting him, are you?' I asked, and David went whiter.

'No. Just taking a statement. For his protection. If you've told me the truth'—he stressed it as if I hadn't —'you don't have anything to worry about. You or Mr. Hue.'

I'd told the truth, but somehow I wasn't reassured. I knew I wore a sour expression as I rose to stand beside David. 'You want me to come with you?' I asked, wondering if I might trade my moving out of the church and away from Ivy for some pro bono lawyer work from Skimmer.

The Were nodded, looking shaken but okay in his suit and tie. 'It's all right, Rachel. I know all about forms.' Grimacing with a tired acceptance, he looked to Glenn. 'If we stop at my house, I can give you the names and addresses of everyone I've slept with since taking possession of that… thing.'

Thick lips pursed, Glenn ran a hand over his closely cut hair. 'Just how many women have you had sex with in the last two months, Mr. Hue?'

David reddened. 'Six, I think. I need my address book to be sure.'

Glenn made a small noise, and I could almost see him grant the attractive man more respect. God, men are pigs.

'I'm going to take the bus home,' I said, wanting to be alone—not to mention avoid a trip to the FIB. Jeez, and they were just starting to like me, too.

'It's no problem to drop you off,' Glenn offered. 'I can take the artifact into custody, too. No reason for you to be in danger.'

My eyebrows rose, and I kept my eyes off my shoulder bag. 'It's in the mail system,' I lied, not wanting to go into why I wasn't going to give it to him, 'Soon as it hits my mailbox, I'll call you.' Lie, lie, li-i-i-i-ie, he he.

Glenn's brown eyes narrowed, and I felt myself warm. David said nothing, knowing where it was and apparently agreeing with my decision. Gathering myself, I adjusted the strap to my shoulder bag and headed for the door. This hadn't gone well at all. Maybe I could sell it online and donate the proceeds to the war relief fund, 'cause there was going to be a war.

'Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Hue,' Glenn was saying behind me. 'I know this is hard, but the families of those women will be grateful to know what has happened.'

'Don't tell them I turned their daughters,' David whispered. 'I'll do it. Give me that.'

I glanced behind me as I pushed open the swinging doors. Glenn was hunched in sympathy as he walked beside the smaller man. I searched my feelings and decided it wasn't an act. 'I'll do the best I can,' Glenn said, his gaze rising to mine for a moment.

Yeah, I'd heard that before. What it meant was he'd do his best as long as it didn't mean bending his ruler- up-his-ass rules.

Stupid-ass, upright, uptight FIB detective, I thought. What hurt would it do to bury this from the public? Then I blew out my frustration. I was starting to think like Trent. This was a potential Inderland power struggle, though, not an illegal genetic lab. But women had died, and I wanted him to lie to their families about how and why.

We slowed when Glenn went to talk to Iceman, and David halted beside me. His few wrinkles were deepened by stress, and he looked terrible. 'I'm so sorry, David,' I whispered.

'It's not your fault,' he said, but I felt like it was.

Glenn joined us and gestured David to walk out before us. The FIB officer took hold of my upper arm, keeping my steps slow until David was several paces ahead of us.

'Who did you get the statue from?' he asked as we started up the stairway.

I looked at his dark fingers encircling my arm, remembering that thick folder he had given me listing Nick's crimes. Shaky, I reached for the filthy banister and gripped it as I rose. 'Tell me you'll do your damnedest to keep this locked in a drawer,' I asked. 'All of it.'