Chapter 49

I was exhausted. Although the barrier gems were my top priority, I had nothing left to give. It was still daytime and I’d already pushed myself to the limits. I had to rest – and I needed to check on my pets. Fluffy and Shadow had been far from the confrontation with the kushtaka, but I wanted to see them with my own eyes and know that they were safe.

Connor and the others were still in the waiting room looking beat. When I went out, Gunnar, Sigrid and Stan went to check in with Sidnee.

Connor took one look at me, pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. ‘Come on, doe. Let’s get you home.’ With a gentle hand on my back, he manoeuvred me out to the car park and into his backup vehicle, a sporty red number. No doubt he’d had Lee drop it off for him.

The roar of the engine was strangely soothing and, combined with the vibrations, had me struggling to keep my eyelids open. I clung onto consciousness but I was happy when we rolled up to my door. Everything looked okay, and my scalp itched with the wards that Connor had arranged for me. The feeling faded once I was inside.

I was greeted instantly by Fluffy, wagging for all he was worth. I dropped to my knees and gave him a full body cuddle, wrapping my arms around all that unconditional love. As I buried my head in his fur, tears sprang to my eyes. Fluffy was fine and I was alive. There had been some moments… I cut myself off. No point dwelling on the past, no matter how recent it was. Man, I was so tired.

Shadow let out a mrrow and gave a leisurely stretch before deigning to pad over and say hello. He rubbed against me, purring loudly. ‘Hey, guys,’ I greeted them. ‘I’m happy to see you, too. We had a run in with an indestructible monster but we got away and we lived to fight another day.’

‘After shooting it and striking it with fireballs,’ Connor commented drily. ‘It’s not like we turned tail and fled, like Brave Sir Robin.’

My mouth dropped. ‘You know Monty Python?’

‘Doesn’t everyone?’ he quipped.

‘I think I might love you a little bit more.’

His eyes darkened. Crap: it was waaaay too early to say the L word. Fuck my life. If I said ‘like’ now to replace it, I’d make it even worse. ‘Coffee?’ I said brightly instead.

‘Sure,’ he replied easily. To my relief, he was giving me a pass. I bustled into the kitchen and flicked the kettle on then warmed us two cups of blood, one for me to chug and one for Connor to sip. I put his in a wine glass because he was more refined than me.

I fed the animals and let them into the back garden. ‘Toast?’ I called to Connor. I didn’t have much else to offer.

‘That’d be great.’

Once the animals – and us – were fed and comfortable, it was bedtime. ‘Stay?’ I asked Connor, not quite looking at him as I tidied away the dishes.

‘I’d love to,’ he murmured and stilled my hands. ‘The dishes can wait. You’re dead on your feet.’

‘I’m a vampire,’ I joked.

He kissed my neck. ‘Can I use your washing machine?’

‘Of course.’

‘Great. Let’s shower and get to sleep.’

‘Deal.’

Connor took our clothes and put them on a fast wash. A man that did chores without being asked? I was in love.

I turned on the shower and slid in to the blissfully hot water. Moments later Connor joined me. He gently cleaned my back then I returned the favour. It was nice to smell of something other than the sea and I felt better for washing the salt off my hair and skin. The joy of being warm and clean was so great that we stood under the spray until it went lukewarm. We got out and dried off. I eyed my hairdryer, but drying my long hair seemed like too much effort.

Connor read my mind and plugged it in. He tapped the space between his legs and I sat between them as he gently worked his way through the snags and knots. It felt oddly intimate; nobody had done that since I was a child.

Finally he clicked off the dryer and ducked into the utility room to put the wet clothes in the drier. I heard him say a murmured goodnight to my pets. It made me smile.

Connor slid into bed next to me. His body temperature was normally a little cooler than mine but the hot shower had warmed him and it was like cuddling a smooth teddy bear. Like a teddy, there was no heartbeat though his chest still rose and fell from habit, if not from need.

I fell asleep in between one blink and the next.

A feline screech of terror had me sitting bolt upright. My heart was thundering in panic and Shadow’s sharp claws were digging into my arm as he flung himself from the bed. Son of a bitch – that hurt! He scrambled to hide under the bed and that’s when I realised the world was shaking.

When the bed juddered across the floor, Connor threw back the covers, grabbed my arm and tugged me underneath it. ‘Aren’t we supposed to brace in door frames?’ I asked.

‘That’s old advice. These days we’re supposed to hide under something.’

‘Check you out, Mr Old Vampire, full of modern advice.’ He gave me a flat look. ‘Antique Vampire?’ I tried. The banter helped settle me while the world was shaking.

‘I’m not that old,’ he muttered, then frowned. ‘Another damn earthquake.’

Alaska had earthquakes but not this many, and they were definitely getting worse. This was the strongest yet; things were falling off of shelves and out of cabinets. The crashes from the kitchen told me that my mugs were suicidal, smashing themselves against the hard floor. It felt a bit like Beauty and the Beast: the furniture was coming to life and all but walking across my floor.

From under the bed, I watched the wooden dresser bounce ever closer to us and stared at Connor, wide-eyed. ‘This can’t be normal.’

He shook his head. ‘No,’ he agreed. ‘This isn’t normal.’

Three earthquakes within two weeks, all progressively larger and without the promised aftershocks? No, this wasn’t normal. And if it was abnormal, I was betting it had a supernatural cause: the earth gem. That bastard Vogler was involved in this somehow. Either the real gem had been stolen or he was taking the gem out of its protective box for kicks – tectonic kicks.

The judders finally stopped. ‘I’m calling Gunnar. We’re going to go see Vitus Vogler.’ I thought for a moment. ‘I suppose I’d better call Liv, too.’

‘I’ll go with you.’

‘Thanks. I think I’ll need two council members. I swear Vogler’s lying to us and I might need an onsite warrant.’

‘I’ll swing by the council chambers and get the paperwork ready.’

We started to get dressed. Connor dug out my bulletproof vest and held it out to me pointedly. I didn’t argue and put it on under my shirt. He, meanwhile, was wearing yesterday’s clothes; even though they were clean, it still felt like a walk of shame. Everyone would know he’d stayed at mine. Maybe I could persuade him to leave some clothes here in future, just in case.

I bit my lip and started to panic at the thought that I might actually be committing to something – someone – but then I pushed the fear aside and put it in a small box to look at later. Or maybe never.

Connor went to sort out the warrants whilst I sent messages to Gunnar and Liv. I was getting ready to leave – and that’s when the tsunami sirens started to blare out.