Pray for Dawn

EIGHT

Stepping out of the hotel, I was able to finally draw in a deep, semi-cleansing breath. For now, I was away from Ryan and Themis; I could handle this task on my own terms, or at least as much as Mira would allow me to. I had no doubt that she had her own set of plans and most of it would not include me, but the situation would be handled when it came to that particular impasse. We were in her domain, and for now, I was content to let her take the lead until we actually located the culprit behind the girl’s death. I didn’t trust her to properly mete out justice if the killer was a vampire.

“Where are we headed first?” James asked, as we paused just outside the hotel at the corner of Bay and Bull streets. The night air was cool, forcing me to partially zip up the front of the leather jacket.

“We need to see the girl’s apartment,” I stated. “Check to see if we can get any leads.”

Mira smirked at me over her shoulder, her eyes seeming to dance with laughter. “I would have never guessed it.”

“What?” I asked, though I really didn’t want to know the answer.

“You watch those murder investigation shows.” She snickered.

“Mira.” I tried to sound dark and threatening, but it was impossible when she was grinning like an idiot up at me.

“Come on, Danaus. Tell me!” She continued to push, pinching my forearm as I came to stand beside her.

“All of them,” I finally admitted, knowing she wouldn’t stop until I told her. Mira threw her head back and laughed, falling sideways into me. I stood beside her, waiting for the light to change, having no idea where we were walking to since we were pointed away from River Street, where the girl had lived. Yet, at that moment, I didn’t really care. I was standing, back in Savannah, with the creature that had saved my life more times than any other in my long existence. We had our differences, and they were substantial, but there were times when they seemed to melt away, like during the heat of battle or when she just smiled harmlessly at some ridiculous jest. Mira would always be my enemy because of what she was, but sadly, she was also the closest thing I had to a friend.

After nearly a minute, Mira’s laughter subsided and she straightened. Then with an absolutely serious expression, she looked up at me. “Me too.” The light turned and Mira crossed the street, heading down Bull Street toward Johnson Square.

I caught up with her as she stepped onto the sidewalk again, flashing me another mocking smile.

“You’re a pain in the ass,” I grumbled. “Where are we going? The girl’s apartment is back there on River Street.”

“Already scoped out the area?” she said, arching one brow at me. “My car is this way. We’re going to dump off your bags and then walk back to the apartment.” Mira suddenly froze, her gaze jumping around the shadowy square filled with enormous live oak trees that stretched their great arms out in all directions, creating a network of thick limbs. By the fountain to our left, I could sense a vampire; an extremely nervous one.

I reached behind me, palming the knife from the small of my back. The act, while smooth, jerked Mira back into motion. She tightly grasped my wrist in one hand while laying a second restraining hand on my chest. “Slow down.” She carefully positioned herself in front of me. “She’s in the square.”

“So.”

“Rule One for my domain: Johnson Square is the demilitarized zone,” she said, pushing me back a step when I moved to cross the street to officially enter the square. James edged around me, trying to get a better look at what had Mira and me so excited. “Everyone knows there’s no fighting, no spell casting, and no hunting in this square. Same goes for Forsyth Park, and Chippewa and Monterey Squares.”

“So, she’s hiding out in the open?” It didn’t make any sense. Why would this frightened vampire be pacing Johnson Square? I knew for a fact that the naturi didn’t abide by the rules that Mira had set down for her domain, considering the slaughter that had occurred in Forsyth Park just a couple of months ago.

A frown pulled at her full lips as her eyes darted over to the park. “She wants to meet with me.”

“A meeting? This is how you schedule meetings?” I mocked, loving that I finally had the chance to rib her a little. “You know cell phones are a great, convenient way to communicate. I really didn’t think you’d be so reluctant to accept this century’s technology.”

“Asshole,” she snapped, releasing my hand. “Put the knife away before I give you a new place for you to store it.” Mira darted through traffic using her gift of vampire speed, leaving James and me to catch up a minute later when there was a lull in the traffic.

When we got across the square to the small fountain on its eastern side, Mira was already standing next to the other vampire. She appeared to be a young woman, somewhere between the age of twenty-two and twenty-eight when she had been reborn, with long, dark brown hair that hung wild about her shoulders. She was talking quite animatedly until her wide eyes fell on me. Her mouth fell open and she attempted to step away until Mira grabbed her arm.

With the water cascading behind them, I couldn’t make out their conversation despite my keen sense of hearing. The only thing I could make out was the frightened vampire saying “I’ll tell them,” before Mira released her. The vampire looked at me for a second and then ran.

By the time I reached Mira, she was cursing in Italian. The steady stream of water garbled some of her words, protecting the secrets that had been told at this spot over the years.

“Good news?” I asked when I finally came to stand beside Mira.

“No, I—” She stopped herself mid-sentence, shoving one hand through her hair as she paced a couple feet away from the fountain and back again. She stopped again and looked up at me before returning to her pacing. “Something has come up. You and James should go back to the hotel. I have to take care of this and then I’ll come back for you.”

“No.” Dropping my bag on the ground, I grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her still so that she was forced to meet my gaze. “You’re not going anywhere without me. What’s going on?”

“Nightwalker business.”

“We don’t have time for this,” I reminded her, releasing her shoulders.

“I know, but I can’t put this off. They already know I’m here.” She paced back toward the fountain and stared down at the dancing water that seemed to sparkle in the distant lamplight. The hand wrapped around the handle of one bag tightened, causing the leather to creak.

“What’s going on? Does this have to do with the murder?” James inquired before I could. I had the sickening suspicion that she intended to work on the investigation without me. I didn’t trust her to leave the evidence untouched or to take out the murderer with me there.

“No!” she snapped, turning sharply on her heel to face me. She was already frustrated by the sudden turn of events and pushing her wasn’t helping her mood. And in truth, I wasn’t feeling particularly patient either. The longer I stayed in Mira’s domain, the more I felt like a perpetual outsider. I crossed my arms over my chest, balling my hands into fists.

The nightwalker ran her left hand through her hair again, pushing some errant strands from her eyes. She stared at me in silence, a slow smile slithering across her face. “Fine. You can come, too, but James has to remain behind. After this little meeting, we’ll pick up James and then we can go to the woman’s apartment.”

“Where?” I inquired, the wary word becoming lodged temporarily in my throat. A knot of tension tightened in my stomach and I fought the urge to reach for my knife. I knew I wasn’t going to like this at all.

Mira started to walk again, ignoring my question, but I could feel the laughter and amusement bubbling from her.

“Danaus?” James asked, looking more than a little lost and confused. He wasn’t the only one.

“Go back to the hotel. I’ll call you when we get back,” I said before picking up my bag again and following her. “This isn’t a game, Mira,” I called after her. “I will defend myself if I am attacked.”

Mira laughed deeply and spun around to face me. I didn’t feel it like usual—it was just a sound. “We’re in my city this time,” she said, walking backward. “They won’t touch you unless you strike first. It’s all a matter of whether you can behave yourself.”

From the square, we walked a couple of blocks to the east until we reached one of the city’s few parking garages. At the back corner of the third floor, Mira stopped in front of a black car and sighed. There was an almost peaceful look on her face as she gazed down at the sleek vehicle.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” she whispered, not even looking up at me when I came to stand beside her. “I got her a few days before James showed up. I ordered her months ago after Knox banged up my M5.”

“You like cars?” I asked, unable to keep the skepticism out of my voice.

Mira snorted and looked up at me like I had lost my mind. “This isn’t just a car!” she cried. “This is a 2010 BMW M6 with a five-hundred-horsepower, V10 engine. This exquisite piece of steel, glass, and leather is a work of art.” Then to my shock, she bent down and placed a gentle kiss on the hood of the car. “She’s my baby.” With another sigh, Mira walked around to the trunk, trailing her left hand over the car’s sleek lines in a loving caress. She popped the trunk using a remote and dropped in the bag she had been carrying, then stepped aside so that I could place mine beside hers.

After thirty seconds on the road with her, I realized that it wasn’t the supple leather seats, the impressive sound system, or the curvaceous lines that screamed of sin and seduction that drew Mira. No, it was the raw power that she had at her fingertips. With the tires squealing, we tore out of the parking garage and through a maze of streets to the interstate, pouring through all seven gears like water rushing down a narrow gully.

A smile lifted her lips and her eyes never wavered from the road as she weaved between the widely spaced cars on the expressway. Despite the breakneck speed, I felt safe. She wouldn’t do anything to threaten the existence of her “baby.” And she was right. The car was an impressive symphony of sex and power that fit Mira perfectly.