Blood Song

reached back into the glove compartment and grabbed a bottle of suntan lotion. SPF 30 would have to

do. I could already feel my skin reacting where it was exposed to patches of sunlight. The smel of

coconut, aloe, and chemicals fil ed the car as I slathered thick white liquid on my exposed flesh, hoping

what I was about to do wasn’t as stupid as I thought it was.

Pay phones aren’t easy to find in the cel ular age. The days when Superman could pop into the

nearest phone booth have been gone longer stil . About the only place you can find a usable public

phone is at the occasional convenience store, and even then it’s just as likely to be out of order.

Fortunately, I was on campus. I knew of at least three convenience stores that catered to students.

Surely one of them would have a phone I could use. I left the parking lot with a particular 7-Eleven in

mind.

The first store had a phone, but the cord had been severed. I struck pay dirt at the second shop. The

phone was even in the shade. Yeah, there was graffiti on it, but the cords were al attached, it wasn’t

covered with anything sticky or awful, and when I picked it up I got a dial tone. I dropped a pair of the

coins I’d rummaged from the ashtray of my car into the slot and dialed Gran’s number from memory. I

let it ring eight times. No answer. Since she didn’t have voice mail or an answering machine, I hung up.

But I have voice mail. Maybe she left a message. I dropped the coins back in the slot and dialed the

number of my mailbox. Unfortunately, the recording told me the service was presently unavailable and

suggested I cal back later.

Wel , that was a waste of money, but I’d definitely be checking back frequently. It might be the key to

my own past.

After scrounging around between the seats, I found more change. I dropped another pair of coins in

the slot, dialing a different number.

The phone rang exactly once before a businesslike female voice answered. “Police, Detective

Alexander speaking.”

“Hey, Alex.” I greeted the woman on the other line with breezy familiarity that was only a little bit

forced. I like Vicki’s lover. The three of us have had dinner a few times since they met, including,

apparently, the birthday party. But I have to admit it’s been a little bit awkward. Maybe Alex and I are just

too much alike—both hard cases with a sarcastic bent. Whatever the problem, things between us have

always been just a little strained. Stil , we both love Vicki to pieces. She’s my best friend and Alex’s

lover, so we al pretend everything’s peachy.

“Graves. I just got the weirdest cal about you.” Alex’s voice was gruff but not unfriendly. “A friend of

mine from downstairs cal ed, said there was a report of you getting bit by bats and being taken for

medical treatment, but nobody could find you at any of the hospitals. Then, when they checked out the

site of the supposed attack, there was no evidence of anything. The al ey was clean. Which is just

fucking weird.”

“Wel , I was attacked. I was damned near kil ed—apparently some time after Vicki’s birthday. So there

should be evidence if they look hard enough.”

“Are you al right?”

I thought about how to answer that for a few seconds. The cops didn’t like monsters. Would she

consider me one? I hoped not. But what was the point in lying? First time she set eyes on me she’d

know the truth. “Yes, and no. Ever heard of an abomination?”

“No. What’s that?” Her voice was tired, resigned, like she didn’t real y want to know but knew she

needed to.

I explained what had happened and as much of what it meant to me as Jones had had time to impart

—not much, real y.

“If that’s true, then the master that bit you is going to be after you—and you’re liable to wind up with

bloodlust.”

“I’m not a monster, Alex. I’m not going to be a monster. I’m just a human in need of a good dentist.”

My voice was cold, hard, and uncompromising.

“I hope you’re right.” Alex’s voice was as hard as mine had been, maybe more so. Then again, she’s

a cop. “But let’s get this real clear right up front. If you ever show signs of slipping over that edge I’l

take you out. No hesitation. Vicki or no.”

She would. I knew it. In fact, I was counting on it. “If I slip over that edge, I want you to.”

There was a long moment of silence between us, each of us lost in thoughts that were best unshared.

I didn’t want to think about bloodlust, the urge to look at my fel ow humans as snack food, but I needed

to. I needed to think about that and so many other things. But if I did, I was liable to lose it, and that

could get me kil ed. So, I forced the fear and worry down hard, knowing even as I did that I’d pay for it.

Denial is a great short-term coping mechanism. Long-term it’s pretty destructive, but hey, I just wanted

to get to the long term.

I broke the silence before it got too uncomfortable. “Can you get me the address of the al ey? I’m

going to have to see if I can get a hunt sanctioned, then see if I can get any evidence and track the

bastard down while it’s stil daylight.”

“No, Celia. You don’t understand. And I’m not al owed to explain some of it to you. Suffice it to say that

the al ey your friend sent us to is clean. Someone even hauled away al the trash. The rest of the

neighborhood’s a dive, but my friend swears you could eat off the pavement in that al ey.”

“What the—” I blinked a few times with shock. “That’s just … bizarre.”

Her tone said she agreed. “Like I said, weird. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to get rid of the

evidence of something—presumably your vampire attack. My friend would like to know why.”

“So would I.”

“They’re going to see if any of the shops in the area have video surveil ance, but he’s not particularly

hopeful, considering the neighborhood. Obviously, he’l want to take your statement.”

“How soon do I need to be there?”

“Sooner is better than later. Go to the front desk and ask for Gibson. I’l tel him to expect you.”

I sighed. I didn’t want to do this. But if I played nice with the cops, they were more likely to issue the

warrant sanctioning my hunt and I might be able to keep my concealed-carry permit. If I didn’t agree to

the questioning … wel , paperwork can be lost, delayed, misfiled, al kinds of things. They wouldn’t do it

to get me kil ed. In fact, they’d probably be hunting for the bastard who did this to me just as hard as I

was. But they’d keep me out of it. I didn’t want out of it.

She laughed, but not like it was funny. “You sound so martyred. It won’t take that long. Besides, if you

cooperate he may be wil ing to pass along what little information they’ve been able to gather. The

master vampire that tried to turn you is going to try to either kil you or finish bringing you over. And

someone went to a lot of trouble and expense covering this up. You’re going to need al the help you

can get.”