Department 57: Bloody Crystal by Lynne Connolly

Author:Lynne Connolly [Connolly, Lynne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Vampire Paranormal
Publisher: Loose Id LLC
Published: 2011-10-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

But they wanted her to behave normally, to go to work and ask Dave about taking time off. She was owed some vacation time anyway, so this might be a good time to take it. Before the season got into full swing, when Dave might be more reluctant to give her the time.

Kai escorted her to work, but he did it discreetly. He employed a technique Cerys had never heard of before, something he called “fuzzing.” She guessed it was akin to the technique she used to distract people when she was feeding so they wouldn’t remember. She didn’t realize it had a name. It confused the mind, made people see what they expected to see rather than what was actually there. So they didn’t see a tall man with eerie light blue eyes and long, silver hair—they’d all see someone slightly different. Anyone watching her would describe the man she was with differently. She guessed that meant he was in secret agent mode. Because call it what they liked, that was what he was. Some kind of Talented Bond.

She had to unlock the doors, which was unusual, although Dave had given her a key. Kai, about to fade away, as much as a six-feet-four man ever could fade away, halted. “What is it?”

She shrugged. “Dave usually sees me and comes to the door. He’s probably in the cellar or something. Maybe one of the pumps needs a new barrel.” She hated the cellar. So cold.

“I’ll come in with you.”

She didn’t argue. It was daytime, and while that meant she was mortal, it didn’t mean the same thing for Kai, who had informed her that he was an anthro, not a shape-shifter. Apparently that meant only part of his form underwent a change. So fucking what? she thought, but she didn’t say it. She still wanted to see him in his merman form. She’d bet his tail was enormous.

Having got the main lock undone, she entered the building. It felt dark and cold. The other staff would be arriving soon; it was only a fluke that she’d arrived first. That, and she’d wanted to sound Dave out about taking time off without anyone else there to wreck her pitch. Dave didn’t like giving anyone time off, but if she got in first, she had a better chance.

“Strange.” Her voice sounded hollow in the darkness. She went behind the long bar and snapped on the lights, all of them, going down the bank of switches methodically. She didn’t bother with the atmospheric, evening lights. She wanted full illumination.

A flash of red on the buff tiles attracted her attention. A pool of red, glimmering in the lights.

Kai cursed and pushed past her. “Stay back.”

But she took a few steps, enough to show her that Dave wasn’t going to give her any time off work anymore. Dave lay in a pool of blood, his head, battered and bloodstained, turned toward them. He’d been beaten up, then killed. She didn’t know how, but she couldn’t see any gaping holes that might, in her limited experience, show bullet wounds.

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