caught a whiff of the fudge, and it mingled with the sweet metallic scent of her blood. Blood was his candy, or poison, depending on how one looked at it. The potency skated through his senses. He took a deep, shuddering breath. His desire to taste Takala Rainwater was becoming more and more a forbidden temptation. But he would overcome it. He knew what happened if he didn’t. He could become like Raithe again, and that he would never let happen.
She paused at the door of Arlene’s Tid Bits, one eye on Culler, then rummaged through the shopping bag. She came out with a chunk of fudge. She licked it and moaned softly at the pleasure of the taste.
Striker imagined something very similar, only involving her neck or, better yet, the femoral artery that pulsed at the top of her thighs. The unbidden daydream dissolved when two of his agents appeared at his side. One was Katalinga, a lynx shifter. She had dark brown short hair, upturned feline eyes, and wore a brown spandex pantsuit that sheathed her body. She always looked as if she’d stepped out of the sixties. Brawn was a wizard. Tall and built like a wrestler. He had short-cropped auburn hair and deep, serious green eyes. He wore blue corduroys, a pin-striped oxford shirt, and a gray blazer.
“Hello, sir,” Katalinga purred. She had a Swedish accent, which only accentuated her r’s. “Reporting for duty.” She sniffed the air. “What’s that delicious aroma?”
“That would be one of our targets standing in front of that clothing shop behind me.”
“Her blood really smells delish.” Katalinga licked her lips. “We should get a copy of that for the lab so they can reproduce it.”
“Our techs are talented, but I doubt they can invent anything close,” Striker remarked.
He and the B.O.S.P. blood-dependent employees injected themselves with a serum that sustained them for twenty-four hours between feedings. It helped them when they were out on a mission. The serum left an aftertaste in the mouth, a “flavor” as the techies called it. Yet it could never come close to human blood. And he felt certain never equal the taste of Takala Rainwater’s.
The serum supplemented Striker’s usual diet of freeze-dried animal blood that he reconstituted. It was the worst-tasting substance imaginable, but he only drank it for survival, not pleasure. He couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed anything or found joy in anything but his work.
He’d had enough small talk and said, “Keep them safe and in view at all times.”
Brawn had been studying Takala Rainwater as she ate the fudge, and he appeared enthralled. “You mentioned two targets?” he said without taking his eyes from her.
“The other one is in the store at the register.” Striker felt a sudden pang. Was it possessiveness? No, more a feeling of familiarity. What seemed so familiar about Takala Rainwater? He couldn’t lay his finger on it. Other than her aromatic blood, she was nothing to him but a problem. Why should he care who looked at her? “We’ll switch off. You both are on now. I will check out the gate and make sure it’s clear.”
“Affirmative,” Brawn said.
Striker walked down to Gate 5, glad to have some distance between him and Takala Rainwater. He didn’t need distractions at present. What he needed was a moment alone with Culler, to discover what she knew about Raithe and if she was still in contact with him. And he would, tonight on the flight, when he had his full power. If she was charmed, he could break through it. He’d never underestimate Culler again. And Takala Rainwater … Well, he’d enjoy that encounter, probably overmuch. He looked forward to luring her into isolation, discovering her weaknesses and her needs, all the elements of hunting targets at which he excelled.
His fingers reached instinctively for the tiny vial of soil hanging around his neck. Still there. Over the years it had become a compulsion to check it. He was forced to carry it with him at all times during the day. It was the soil that enabled him to stay awake during the day, the earth of his vampire birth, the same ground in which his casket was buried. It was the one thing he shared with Raithe. Over the centuries it had turned to dust from age. He’d been forced many times to go back to Rome and dig up more soil. He had always hoped to corner Raithe there, but never had. One day and soon, he promised himself.
Chapter 5
Takala hardly felt the vibration of the Air France plane in the luxurious seat in first class. It beat being sandwiched into those tiny coach seats where she never had enough room for her long legs and she felt like a canned sardine. If you had to fly, this was as close to heaven as you would get.
She glanced over at Lilly. She had finally dozed off. She wore eye covers, and her blanket had fallen down to her waist. Takala bent and tucked it back up around her shoulders.
Then she reached for another piece of fudge. She’d lost count of the number of pieces she had eaten. It wasn’t only Akando’s defection bugging her; it was Lilly. She knew the longer she waited, the harder it would be to tell her the truth. The only proof Takala had that Lilly was her mother was the photo that she’d lost. She just didn’t trust her own instincts or Lilly right now. She really needed to know if Nightwalker had been right about Lilly. More than likely he was the killer, but she had to be certain.
Since leaving the airport, Takala had felt eyes on her, and it hadn’t subsided. The sensation caused a prickling on her neck that refused to go away.
She glanced behind her at the only other person in first class. The woman wore a knit brown pantsuit. Her dark brown hair was cut in a boyish bob. She was sleeping. Takala decided the jumpy feeling had to be the product of her imagination.
Earlier she had heard a few voices come from coach class, but now the only sound was the distant throb of the jet engines. The whole overnight flight must be bedded down for the evening. She hadn’t seen a stewardess in an hour. What time was it? She looked at her watch. Two o’clock in the morning. They must be somewhere over Europe.
She didn’t know if it was nerves, or the sugar buzz she’d gotten from eating so much chocolate, but she just couldn’t sleep. The light on the complimentary cell phone blinked green, and she snatched it up and left her seat so she wouldn’t wake Lilly.
The Boeing 747 was a wide-body with three aisles. The coach section was full to capacity. She chose the left aisle and walked back to the restroom. As she suspected, most of the passengers were sleeping, but a few glassy-eyed insomniacs were watching movies or listening to music through headphones. She dialed Fala’s cell-phone number.
A sleepy voice said, “Yeah.”
“Fala, it’s me,” Takala whispered so as to not wake up anyone.
“Where are you, and why weren’t you here to welcome us home?”
“Sorry, on a case.” Takala paused at the door to the head.
“You know Nina ran away and got married?”
“Yeah, she told me.”
“She told you before me?” Fala sounded a little disappointed.
“I think she thought you might disapprove.”
“Well, he’s a shifter. That’s not too bad.”
“Rich, too. That always helps.”
They both chuckled at that.
Fala
