Being the dutiful cop, I called in the attack. Within minutes, uniforms overran my apartment, all asking questions, only a handful of which I could answer. The woman upstairs whod pushed the body out the window was no help whatsoever. Shed been mauled and lay unconscious until the EMTs got there.
Not until the medical examiner declared that the man had been dead for over two weeks and the EMTs cleared the body from my landing did I finally take a deep breath, though the lingering scent of death continued to turn my stomach. The first responders cleared the room, leaving an older detective in a black trench coat, and a tall, broad-shouldered younger man dressed in black pants, a plum-colored shirt open at the neck and a longish black leather jacket. The younger man moved around my apartment with cat-like grace, his every move dark and sensuous. My breathing grew heavy, my heart rate kicked up a notch. He wasnt wearing a uniform, and he hadnt identified himself as a detective, like the old guy had. What was he doing here and why did my pulse speed up from watching him?
The older man stepped forward, flashing a badge in my face. Officer Danske, Im Detective Thomas with the Paranormal Investigative Team.
With considerable effort, I dragged my gaze from the man in black and fought to process what the detective had just said. Excuse me? My eyes narrowed. Did you say paranormal something?
He smiled. The Paranormal Investigative Teamwere a special investigation team established to handle the unexplainable in the Manhattan area.
My first thought was that someone was playing a prank on metypical hazing of the newbie. But thatman whod attacked me had been a hell of a lot more than a prank. What does that mean? I demanded. Are you like ghost hunters or something?
For some reason, I instinctively looked to the younger man for answers. But he wasnt looking at me. Instead, he lifted a framed photo of my mother, me and my little brother from an end table.
Hey, dont touch my stuff. I strode across the room and jerked the frame from his handsmy first mistake. My fingers collided with his, sending a strong jolt of something very much like electricity throughout my body, setting every nerve ending on fire. What the hell?
I backed away, my gaze claiming his.
His eyes glowed, intense black and shiny, peering into mine as if he could see all the way to my soul.
My breath caught and held. I lifted a hand to my throat, pressing the other to my breast, as if to hold my galloping heart steady. Who the hell are you?
He smiled, his teeth gleaming white, the dark lock of hair hanging down over his forehead glossy black and begging to be brushed to the side.
My hand rose to do just that, only I caught myself before I actually touched him.
The older man stepped up beside us, reminding me we werent alone.
This is Blaise Michaels, a member of my team.
Anger gave me the strength I needed to break the stare between us. Tell your underling to leave my things alone, I forced out between clenched teeth.
Blaise. Detective Thomass tone was low, but intense. Let me handle this. I think she can be of use to us.
The younger mans lips slid into a full, sexy grin. I agree, he responded, then winked at me. You felt it too, didnt you, Katya? he said, only his lips didnt move.
I did a double take. Did you say something?
Blaises eyes widened, a smile curling his lips, but Detective Thomas interrupted him before he could say anything else. Stop fooling around. We have a problem and we need to get to the heart of it. Thomas waved a hand toward the worn leather couch Id salvaged from a street corner. Wont you have a seat? I have a proposition for you.
For the first time since the room had cleared, I wished Id rearmed myself with the other knife from my cooking set before I sat. Im not much of a fan of propositions.
Detective Thomas smiled. I think you might find this one interesting. Based on the M.E.s report, that man you beheaded earlier tonight had been dead for two weeks.
He wasnt acting dead when he threw himself at me.
Thomas nodded. Thats my point. Dead people dont normally throw themselves around or attack people. Thats when my team gets called in to investigate. The creature who attacked you was a zombie.
I laughed out loud, then sobered when the good detective and his flunky didnt laugh with me. You expect me to believe that? My glance passed from Thomas to the man hed called Blaise.
You saw him. Did he look like a rational, fully functional, warm-blooded human? The detectives brows rose as he waited for my answer.
The stench of death still lingered in my nostrils and the cold fingers that had grabbed my ankle hadnt felt like any live person Id ever known. Stillzombies?
We refer to them as reanimated bodies, but to the layman, the term zombies works. Detective Thomas paced the living room floor in front of me, his brows dipping low over his eyes. Theres been a rash of reanimates lately and we havent been able to find the source. Im short of staff and frankly I havent met too many people Ive felt I could trust to keep calm in weird situations and do the job without hesitation. Or willing to keep his or her mouth shut about the paranorms roaming the streets of Manhattan. He stopped and faced me. Until you.
Me? I sat back, my heart thumping hard in my chest. No wait, back up, whats this about more paranorms?
You know, the usual collection of creatures normally considered folktales or myths. When I continued to frown, Thomas went on. Werewolves, vampires, zombies and demons.
I shook my head. Look, its been a long night, I said as I got to my feet. It already had been a long night for me even before I got home. And I think Ive just about reached my limit. I walked toward the door, intent on showing them out.
Blaise stepped in front of me before I could get there. Youve worked the nightshift for the past six weeks right?
Yes. I crossed my arms over my chest, more to cover the tightening of my nipples than anything. So? The man had so much magnetism going on, I could feel myself leaning toward him. What was wrong with me? I hadnt felt an attraction this strong sincehell, maybe Id never felt an attraction this strong. But that was all the more reason to fight it. I didnt like anything that made me feel out of control. And there was nothing controlled about my response to this man.
Havent there been some really strange citizen reports of wolf sightings in the alleys or people claiming to have been bitten by a vampire? Blaises gaze slipped to my lips, and almost instinctively I licked them.
I forced myself to concentrate on his words, though they made no sense. We had those crank calls in Chicago all the time, so what? There are lunatics all over the country.
Thomas nodded. Ever wondered if there was a grain of truth to the reports?
An icy finger of déjà vu trickled down my spine. I had wondered, but discounted it as a little of the crazy rubbing off. Thus, my change of venue from Chicago to Manhattan. That and the stalker coworker who wouldnt leave me the hell aloneuntil he finally crossed the line. No, I lied. I never gave their stories a second thought.
Blaise laughed out loud. Liar. Again, his lips never moved.