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  “It was first assumed that this dagger must have been dropped by the angel of Hell, based on its dark color. Hence the name it was given many years ago. They were wrong about that as well.”

  I held the dagger up and the light of heaven shone forth, brilliant, seeking every shadow and filling it with that light. Other than Emily, the rest had turned their eyes away from it. She was stronger in her magic and I could tell she was fascinated by the dagger. I withdrew my dagger from my right boot sheath, a close copy I had found, very similar in design and replaced it in my boot sheath with the Sicam Tenebrarum.

  “I so love it when a plan comes together,” I said. The light faded away.

  Rolfe looked at me, appearing almost to be in pain. “So, let me get this straight, Smith. You buy a five-hundred-year-old dagger that has confounded science and magic for a half century, and you just happen to know the secret to activate it?”

  Ooops, I thought, another blunder. I was flat out getting tired of this.

  “Yeah, Rolfe. You nailed it. And it will remain my secret and don’t expect any apologies for it.” I was now determined to not be ashamed of what I was or try to cover up for my blunders. He was just going to have to deal. “As my partner,” I said, “I expect you to both respect such secrets and to back me up if I need back up.”

  Chapter Five

  Rolfe had left a few hours ago. I hoped things went okay at the police station. I had spent some time getting to know Lily and Emily, grounding Emily again before she went to bed. She had not been getting much sleep lately. It turns out, I was not properly stocked for company unless all they ate or drank was chocolate, steak, coffee, and red wine. Fortunately, Hans made a run downstairs for us for some popcorn and sodas. We talked about Emily and her upcoming shift. Lily was confident things would work out. We watched several episodes of a South Court marathon. It involved this evil lawyer named Clive, they would constantly try to kill him off and you would think they succeeded but in the next episode you would always find out that he had somehow escaped, miraculously untouched. I wondered if they had ever heard of the Sicam Tenebrarum? I was almost tempted to give the producers a call but that would pretty much mean the end of the series.

  Stepping out of my shower, I looked at myself in the mirror. I had hoped Rolfe found me attractive. I knew I was his “type”. Not a beauty but a classic face, aristocratic features, short and straight black hair, a slightly olive skin tone. I had the athletic build of most shifters, solid, not slender but not bulky either. I knew he appreciated the fact that I was able to hold my own earlier today at the crime scene, even though that might mean some trouble for us down the road.

  I had made some blunders on my first day but I was resolved to not worry about it too much more. I am what I am, I told myself. Take it or leave it. I wasn’t going to lie or make excuses for being too good or too rich or having an unusual diet. People could either like me or not. I was happy with who I was. This job was a dream come true and even if things had not gone the way I had hoped, I was still satisfied with my first day. I think I had met some new friends, got to meet the pack leader and thoroughly confounded my partner.

  Tomorrow would bring news of how the department was seeing the crime scene. I hoped that girl was able to back our story. It sounded like we had an audience with one of the vamp bigwigs in town, that might generate a few leads on the case as well. Although the FBI would handle the questioning of the vamps that were brought in, we would get a chance to act on leads they might generate. This case involved many areas of law enforcement; it was simply to important not to cooperate and use all available resources.

  Yes, I thought as I settled in to sleep. Overall, I can’t complain. Life should be about surprises, unexpected things, and of course, unintended consequences. I had learned some things today. I was looking forward to day two.

  * * * *

  I was awakened at two a.m. by a call from Rolfe to my cell phone. The other cop shifter, a detective in the paranormal division named Stu Williams was following another lead that could help us find more of the missing. It seems the station had a call from a member of the fae community claiming to know the location of another house used by the vamps. Rolfe was already waiting for me downstairs.

  “Stu is waiting for us at the witness’ home,” he said. “Some old fae who doesn’t speak English very well. All he can understand from her is that it looks like a house. He has offered to drive her and follow her directions but it doesn’t seem like she is understanding what he is saying.”

  As he drove us to the home of the witness, I asked Rolfe about the reaction at the police station. “The girl has confirmed our version but the Captain is still not pleased. If the vamps in custody get a good lawyer they can still make a claim of police brutality. Fortunately, it looks like none of the vamp masters in the city are claiming these vamps as a member of their groups, probably a smart move on their part. The vamps have mostly recovered but are still not talking. They have asked for a lawyer and the judge will probably assign them a public defender in the morning. The girl hasn’t been able to tell us much. The FBI team talked to her but she hasn’t shed much light on who is behind this or other possible locations people are being held. They did say we could interview her sometime this afternoon depending on her doctors.”

  “Ormph erff,” I said, trying to speak over the chocolate I was stuffing in my mouth. I spoke the languages of Faerie very well. It looked like this was going to be a day when my talents would come in handy. I really hoped so. I guzzled down the last of the six-shot espresso I had made before I met Rolfe downstairs.

  As we approached the “home”, I could see it was at the edge of the fae sector, a typical fae shanty. Normally the fae living in this area were half-lings, not fae enough to be accepted in Faerie and not human enough to do well in the human world. Most pure fae that chose to live on this side of the divide were rich and influential. I was looking forward to meeting Stu, we worked opposite shifts, he had the nights and we had the days.

  They were waiting for us inside. A small elderly fae woman sat at the small dinette, some knitting in her hands. Stu was an average size shifter, I could easily smell wolf. His partner was human, a short, sturdy woman who looked capable and experienced. Rolfe made the introductions, and Stu introduced me to the fae at the table. “This is Inlima” he said. “Can you translate for us?”

  There was something bothering me about her. The room was full of glamour and I didn’t think that what she had in her hands was really knitting. I grabbed Rolfe’s arm to prevent him from moving closer to the fae and only had time to say, “Rolfe, there is something not right here.”

  As soon as the glamour was denied, the reality appeared. It wasn’t knitting after all. The fae lifted the machine pistol. Stu had already taken a step forward and got the brunt of the first half dozen rounds with his partner taking the next. I had instinctively moved in front of Rolfe, for some reason I was super fast with that this time but didn’t draw my weapon. I was next. I didn’t like getting shot, at all.

  I took two in the chest and one in my left arm as the fae swept the machine pistol our way. There was a huge boom from above and to the side of my head as Rolfe shot the fae with his desert eagle handgun. The fae, now revealed as male, had some type of shield but the force of that round propelled him back from his chair all the way to the wall behind him.

  That is really some fine shield, I thought as I slid toward the ground, going into shock. At that point the fae had dropped the gun and disappeared, some new glamour I just didn’t have the will to deny. I did sense him heading out the door as Rolfe grabbed me before I made it to the floor.

  “Officers down, shots fired, backup requested,” I heard Rolfe say.

  Chapter Six

  “Silver,” I said. “I hate silver in my body.” Although I was part witch and part fae, both of whom could handle silver, the shifter and vamp parts of me were feeling the pain. “Get it out, get it out.” I had tears running down my face.
/>   Rolfe ripped open my blouse exposing my wounds and felt around my back checking for exit wounds. “Smith,” he said. “You need to shift, otherwise you are going to die on me. That silver is still in you. I can’t make another alpha shift. He was almost pleading with me. I was getting giddy from my wounds and maybe the blood loss, and was almost happy to hear the concern in his voice.

  “My bra is effing ruined.” I could tell it had blood all over it. “I got this from Paris, Rolfe, effing Paris, you hear me? I am going to make that little fae suffer when I get hold of him. I have an iron blade at my place with his name on it. I am going to be fine,” and I knew I was. I could take a lot of punishment but I was not happy at all with the silver. I could feel some blood in my mouth, I had some damage to my lungs, surely. Rolfe was still pleading with me to shift.

  “Shut the fuck up and get me out of this room,” I said. I could feel Death hovering around. Stu and his partner were dead and Death would not gather their souls with me this close. As I said this, I could see the bullet in my arm come to the surface and fall on the floor.

  Rolfe looked at it in wonder. “Now, that’s handy,” he said.

  “Please, Rolfe,” I begged. “Move me to the porch. I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important.” Those two souls were trapped and the bodies would not recover from their wounds. There is nothing more painful than to listen to a soul stuck in a dead body wanting to move on. It almost made me forget my own pain.

  Rolfe picked me up in his arms as if I was a feather pillow. I had my mouth and nose near his neck as he carried me out the door. The smell of his neck was wonderful, full of the promise of pleasure. I could see and hear the pulse of blood just beneath the surface.

  “You have a wonderful neck,” I hissed. “I think I am going to have an orgasm.” I was getting really silly now. I would have to remember this the next time I got shot with silver rounds.

  “Don’t vamp out on me, Smith,” he said and I could sense some amusement in his voice as he sat me down on the small porch. I was glad he thought I was going to live. I think he was surprised that my body was expelling the silver without having to shift.

  “Oh, my God!” I exclaimed as I felt my mouth with my good hand that my fangs were out. “How freaking embarrassing is this?” I asked.

  “I am not going to let you forget this. You better live so I can kid you about this for the next ten years.”

  Oh man. I was in love, but I had known that ahead of time. I swear that Rolfe would have let me drink his blood if I asked. I grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him towards me. “Don’t let them give me any of that saline crap,” I said. “Or any pain meds or meds of any kind. I will just spew all over them if they do. Just blood and lots of it please, they don’t even need to pump it in, I can just drink from the bag if needed. Tell them to take me to the Wachovia.”

  The Wachovia Hospital was the only one in the Capitol that maintained a twenty-four-hour staff of Supe doctors and nurses, for special creatures, like me. I could hear the sirens approaching now and a part of another bullet in my chest rose to the surface and fell down. The two in my chest must have hit some ribs. “Stay with me,” I pleaded. “Make sure they don’t screw me up with anything but blood.”

  I was starting to fade out. The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital, Rolfe sitting in a chair next to my bed.

  Chapter Seven

  “Mine,” I said, pointing to the cup of coffee in Rolfe’s hands.

  “It has cream,” he said.

  “You bastard,” I said.

  “Let me bring you up-to-date, “ Rolfe continued, smiling. “By the time you got to the ER, there was only one piece of silver left and it was already right at the surface. You amazed a few of the doctors here, Smith. There were signs of damage to your ribs the first scan they took, an hour later they could see no sign of damage. A nurse came to clean you up and told me she could see no sign of your wounds. If not for the blood, she said one would think you were taking a nap. I made sure they gave you nothing but blood. Stu and his partner are dead and there is no sign of the fae.”

  “It was a setup,” I said. “They were after us.”

  “No doubt about it,” he agreed. “Any more tips like that one, we are either taking a lot of backup or having them brought to the station. I spoke to the Captain and he said we have the department’s full resources at our disposal. After losing two of our best officers, the entire force is basically ours to call on.”

  “I can’t wait to get my hands on that fae,” I said. “My bra?” I asked.

  “They cut it off,” he replied. I’ve got your boots, your dagger is fine, and your service revolver and purse. Everything else has probably been disposed of. When they cut your bra off, you started mumbling, ‘fucking Paris’ every few minutes. I had to explain to the techs what you were talking about. In retrospect, it was pretty damn funny.”

  “That little elf won’t find it amusing when I find him. I am carrying my iron dagger in my other boot from now on.”

  “Lily and Emily are on the way now,” Rolfe said. “I made sure they are bringing some clothes and chocolates. They are also gonna bring you a six shot espresso, might be cold when they get here but I told them to bring it anyway. I asked them to look for another black bra in your clothes, thought you would like that.”

  This getting shot stuff was starting to pay off. I couldn’t believe the friends I had already made. I have friends, I thought to myself. That made me happy, although that chocolate and espresso had set my mouth to watering. “How long?” I asked.

  “They were just getting up when I called at six am. Markus is bringing them over and they should be here any minute now. James also called and said he reached that vamp bigwig last night. The meeting is scheduled for sundown tonight.”

  “I want to be there. Don’t let the Captain sit me out on this one.”

  “I’ll get you there,” he said. “As soon as the doctor comes back by, they are going to release you. You go home and get some rest.”

  With that, Lily, Emily, and Markus came through the door.

  “I’ll just go file our report, again,” Rolfe said. “I am keeping tabs, Smith. You are really going to owe me. I can’t stand typing reports.”

  Lily and Emily both gave me hugs. Emily sent Markus outside the door so I could change. They had brought me black pants, black T-shirt, and they managed to find my other black bra, nothing special about this one, but it was the thought that made me feel good.

  Then we all heard screams from the nurses desk near the elevators. Markus popped his head into the room as I was putting my last boot on. “Zombies,” he said. I could see this was going to be an interesting day.

  “Stay here,” I told Lily. “Call the cops. Protect Emily. They are probably here for me.” Somebody was getting really serious about seeing me dead.

  Zombies require a necromancer and access to very recently deceased bodies, something you might find in say, a hospital morgue. Somewhere close by, that necromancer was controlling the zombies. Three indicated it was probably a pretty high level necromancer and they don’t work cheap. I went out the door closing it behind me.

  Markus was already down the hall, trying to save two nurses who had gotten caught in the zombies’ path. Two of them had paused in their advance to chew on a nurse and Markus was tying to pull one of the nurses free. Markus was a strong shifter, but a zombie is just about indestructible and unstoppable. When animated, a change takes place making them mindless, nearly unstoppable killing machines full of some substance that immediately replaces anything like holes and slices. My gun would be useless, just making them look even uglier than they were. They do get smaller as they lose more substance but I had neither the time nor the ammo to make that a possibility for even one of them. Controlling a zombie is tough, they are easily distracted by living flesh, instinctively going for replacement material. Two old men and a young girl with a shaved head made up the zombie contingent, probably fresh from the m
orgue.

  The zombie feeding on the nurse Markus was trying to pull free simply backhanded Markus and sent him flying against the wall. The nurse’s arm was torn off as Markus didn’t release it in time. He slid to the ground angry, still holding the nurse’s arm. I could see he was getting ready to shift.

  The one zombie not distracted by chomping on a nurse was almost to me at this point. I had one thing they had not counted on, one thing that would kill anything, including a soulless zombie. I drew the dagger of darkness and stabbed the zombie in the chest by simply letting it slam into the dagger. The light of heaven burst through the zombie, which literally exploded, sending bits and pieces flying everywhere including all over me. Markus had shifted at this point and had his jaws around the young girl that was chomping down on the other nurse. The nurse with the missing arm was now quiet and the zombie threw her to the side, focusing on me. Despite a controller, there is a limit to what zombies can do, they don’t allow for much more commanding other than attack. Simple matter of repeating the same action, letting the zombie impale himself on my blade. This one did get in a slap before he exploded and I fell backward, my head ringing.

  Fortunately, Markus had given me time to recover, he had basically torn one of the girls legs to shreds attacking it from behind. The zombie swung around to try and get a blow at the wolf but the wolf swiveled with her. When I took her in the heart, she hadn’t even seen me coming, I had moved so fast.

  Markus and I stood in the middle of the hall, covered with yuk, bits and pieces of this and that, and smelling even worse. I looked at Markus now standing at my side, a beautiful creature in wolf form. “Good work,” I said. I was thinking a shower was now called for, and another change of clothes. Which, of course, I didn’t have.