I took a slow breath, knowing by Ivys widening pupils that she was feeling it, too. Nina was getting better at channeling her undead master. Either that, or new hormones were being turned on the longer the master was inside her brain. I was betting it was the latter, and probably part of the perks of putting up with someone being inside you.
A faint yelp from the parking lot turned me around, and I wasnt surprised to see Wayde jogging up the sidewalk, the I.S. officer from the van limping behind him. Nina made a small noise when he ran right over that patch of holy ground, clearly not pleased.
I thought you were staying in the car! I shouted as Nina sourly gestured to the surrounding I.S. officers to let him pass.
Giving them space warily, Wayde slowed as he approached, his eyes widening as he glanced at the body, then did a double take. You yelled, he explained, then looked again and swore under his breath. I came. Thats my job. What the hell is that?
Someones mistake, I said. They asked me out here because they thought I did it. I got mad.
Sir, Nina started, and I wondered why he/she used any term of respect at all.
Hes my bodyguard, I said tightly. You know that. I dont trust you. I should walk away from this, but Im here, and Im going to take a look. He stays. Got a problem, take it up with my mom.
Jenks laughed as the undead vampire looked through Ninas eyes, assessed the situation, then nodded, Ninas stance taking on a faint swagger at odds with her slim figure. He may stay if his talents include keeping his mouth shut.
Wayde exhaled, seeming to lose body mass and tension, but it all came back when he glanced at the body again. Uh, sorry it took me so long to get here, he said to me. I had to get around limp dick there.
I looked behind Wayde to the retreating I.S. officer. He had his hand on his nose, and I think he was bleeding if Ninas sharp eyes on him meant anything. Fresh blood and the scent of a fight were like champagne to the undead, and my estimation of Wayde wavered. A good bodyguard could have gotten by the I.S. officer without drawing blood.
Dont worry about it, I said as I glanced at Ivy and she shrugged almost imperceptibly. I appreciate it. And despite my doubts, I did. Regardless of having broken the cops nose, hed clearly been doing his job if the I.S. had been shadowing me and all Id gotten was a faint feeling of unease. I wasnt helpless, but another pair of eyes and fists usually kept incidents from ever happening. The best bodyguard was one who didnt have to do anything but be there.
Jenkss wings clattered as he took off from my shoulder, clearly struggling from the weight of his extra clothes. November was the cusp for pixies. Most were hibernating by now, but Jenks and his family would winter in the church, and if the day was warm enough, Jenks would brave the cold.
We gonna watch walkie-talkie vamp have a blood orgy, or are we going to look at someone elses? he said snidely, and Nina gestured to the pair of I.S. officers who had been nervously lurking nearby. The better-dressed one jogged forward with the printout and handed it to Nina before backing up. Id be cautious, too, if my superior had been lusting after someones nosebleed.
Ive sent a copy to your church of the information weve already gathered, Nina said as she handed it in turn to Ivy. I want this back. Its my copy.
Ivy took it, her lips tight with repressed anger. Something was bothering her, something more than the body. I looked past Nina to the body again, repulsed and yet riveted. My God, the man had only one hand left. It was thick and malformed, bending in as if cramped, with a thick, horny, inflexible skin. The fingers looked as if they were made of dough and just stuck on. The other hand and both his feet were perfect cloven hooves. If anything, he looked like a faun, only everything was perverted and disproportionate. There were no such things as fauns, never had been, but perhaps mutilations such as this were where the fable had gotten started.
Feeling ill, I looked away, noticing that the blood-drawn pentagram under him was one made to gather power from an external source. Jeez, I hoped this had nothing to do with me. The man looked as if hed been in his midtwenties, fit apart from the half-goat thing.
How many have there been? I asked. They might only have asked me out here to see if I had done it, but now that I was here, I was going to find out who had. Ivy, too, was studiously looking through the packet of information, clearly eager to take the run. There were a lot of papers. The I.S. wasnt known for being meticulous about data gathering, meaning this had been going on for a while. They should have come to me sooner.
Spinning gracefully, Nina turned to the body, looking at it as if it were a painting on a wall. This is the third incident. His name was Thomas Siskton, and he was a university student, missing since last week.
Jenks whistled by rubbing his wings together, and then he darted to the railing, standing on it and facing the body. There hasnt been anything in the news. Youd think a hoofed university student with horns would make the papers.