I stumbled into the station still not feeling quite myself. I looked at the clock on the wall, 11:30 A.M. I normally rolled out of bed right about now. Instead, here I was, dressed and out of the house with a mochaccino in hand, ready to deal with Detective Malone.

"Walking a little funny today, Annie girl. Are you feeling Okay? Rough night?" Detective Malone smiled at me. He looked fresh, brighteyed, and bushytailed. Could he be more disgusting? As if he wasn't annoying enough, I added being a morning person to his list of offenses.

"I'm fine, just tired."

"I could have helped last night, you know. Contrary to what you may think, some women have found my kind of magick to be very pleasurable." He puffed up, shook out his sleeves, and turned up his collar like he assumed the role of suave and debonair. Hah!

"Yeah, I bet." I snorted. Sure, many women probably did think of him as sexy. Okay a lot of women did, I have seen them fall all over themselves to be near him. But Malone and I, we were coworkers that was it. I glanced at him over the top of my mochaccino. Damn, there was that look again, like I kicked a puppy or something. But just as soon as it appeared it disappeared, as if I had imagined it. Back to business as usual.

"Let's get to work then. Come up with anything useful from the visions?" His emphasis on the word come did not go unnoticed, but I ignored it.

"No, nothing. Nothing made him stand out. No hair color, eye color, scars, tattoos, nothing. No magick trace. It's like a completely clean slate. All I get is the woman's feelings, emotions, impressions, but even then it's like an edited version. Anything she saw was cleared out. I tried casting a few spells to make things be seen openly but nothing works. This guy is too good."

"Damn, that's what I was afraid of. Oh, well. I have the recorder, let's get the whole vision on file and don't leave anything out, not one moan or orgasm should be deleted, okay?" He looked at me so intensely that I shivered, feeling naked under his gaze. He acted like I was going to tell him about a sexual encounter of my own. Perv. I sighed and agreed to go through it all over again.

Malone turned the recorder on and I closed my eyes, unable to look at him while reliving the vision. He shifted in his seat and made a few of those coughing, throatclearing sounds people make when uncomfortable.

By the time I finished telling the tale my body sizzled in lusty heat, ready to pounce on the first man I laid eyes on. The recorder clicked off. I opened my eyes to Mike Malone. His face flushed. He'd loosened his tie and his jacket had disappeared. I bet he was pitching a tent under his desk. My curiosity wanted to look and find out. I stood up.

"Well, I better go." Damn, his jacket lay across his lap. I needed to get out of that stifling room filled with the scent of him. Why did the jerk have to smell so good?

"Wait, there's something I haven't told you yet." He hesitated a moment, as if pulling himself together, then continued, "I didn't want it to interfere with the vision before we had a chance to record it. We found out a bit of intel. The victim's name was Carrie Stevens. Looks like she had been at the VAMP last night with her friend and roommate, Shelley. When she didn't come home afterward, Shelley called to report her missing."

"We already knew she was at VAMP, we found her right behind it," I said hurriedly, really wanting to get out of there. The room overheated, so hot.

"No, we assumed she had been at VAMP, but no one confirmed it. There are a couple of other bars and clubs downtown she could have come out of."

"Right, so now we have confirmation that a murderous vampire was hanging out at a vampire club. Damn, it's not looking good for the vamps in town." I squirmed and tugged at my collar as I moved toward the door. "He's one of them, not just hanging out in shadows on the fringe anymore. He's in their faces, in their clubs. One of them has to know who he is."

"Yeah, that's why we need you to go talk to Satinka Tala, the owner of VAMP."

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face Malone. "You've got to be kidding me! She's the Other big shot in the city, the top fang. I don't know. I." I couldn't believe my fumbling. Why? I shouldn't be scared of Satinka Tala. Something about her was different, yet familiar. Couldn't put my finger on why, maybe because she wasn't just a vampire; rumor has it she's a shifter, too. Not a Were either, but a flatout shifter, no moon needed.

It probably wasn't Satinka Tala making me hesitant, no something else. Galen might be there. The vampire I totally crushed on. He made me tremble and shake without ever touching meand it had nothing to do with him being a vampire and everything to do with my attraction to him. We had hung out a few times after a mutual friend introduced us at a party, just casual stuff like having coffee and walking in the park. Yeah, witches and vampires did normal things like that, and yes vamps could drink things other than blood

Before meeting Galen I always thought vamps had to stay out of the sun but it seems that was just a myth. Which was great because hanging out with Galen during the day had been niceand walking in a Flint park after dark could prove to be hazardous to one's healtheven if they are Other.

I knew Galen hung out at VAMP, and even worked there for Satinka sometimes. I knew this because I knew things. I was that type of witch. Plus I kinda made it my business to find out as much about Galen as I could, which wasn't a whole hell of a lot, other than he hung out at VAMP and worked for Satinka Tala. Not sure about Galen and Satinka's connection, but I knew he was part of her entourage. part of her inner circle, possibly one of the Guardians. I just prayed they didn't have a more intimate connection, considering my bigtime crush. cough. obsession with him.

Damn, I wanted to see him, even more so now that I was so aroused. That arousal was also the main reason why I shouldn't see him right now. I acted like an idiot around him and he barely seemed to know I existed. He always treated me politely, yet distant. Maybe he just wasn't that into me; maybe we had the whole "just friends" thing going on. Wouldn't that just bite? Pun totally intended.

Hmm, it would probably be for the better if he wasn't interested, my grandmother would have a goat if she found out I dated a vampire.

No really, when Grams got super upset goats appeared. The whole haveacow thing. Bart Simpson didn't get that going first. Nope, my great aunt Bessie's magickal misfirings got the "have a cow" saying started.

That's a long story for another time. A sound pulled me out of my thoughts. Malone had taken off his tie and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt. Taut, tanned skin peeked out. Wow, I licked my lips nervously.

My grandmother would approve of me dating a man like Malone. So would my mother. If she noticed.

I bet my dating a vampire would rouse Mom out of her comalike trance. She was usually so spaced out she didn't know what decade we were in. After my dad was killed she just checked out of reality. But she hated vampires, I knew it. That was ingrained into my upbringing.

Malone interrupted my inner musings. Again.

His chair scraped across the floor as he stood, towering over me. I looked up to meet his gaze.

"Look, Anwyn, we need you to do your job and liaise with the vamps." For some reason, Malone did not look pleased. "And while you're there please see what else you can find out about Satinka Tala's Guardians. There's one specifically that keeps showing up at crime scenes before we even get there, Troy. Try to find out about him if you can and the rest in general. They seem to be stepping on police toes more frequently as of late."

"Sure, Detective. I'll head over there right now." I thankfully rushed out of the office and into the fresh air outside, glad to be away from Malone with his rough personality, rugged good looks, and annoyingly delightful scent.