If Sam only knew.
“If anyone owes you favors, now’s the time to call them in. The cops are getting nervous about talking to me. If my superiors find out what I’ve done for you, I’m toast.”
Why kill an old woman, unless she interrupted something she shouldn’t have, like someone searching for a stolen book? A neighbor who lived behind Shay claimed she saw a man near Shay’s house the night before the fire. Maybe the fire wasn’t to lure Shay into a trap, but to hide a dead body.
Sam left to make some phone calls, and Cody went toward the infirmary to check on Shay. He’d spent the whole day tracking and following leads. He was fairly sure Nina and Matilda had something to do with Nick and those phone calls.
Coira met him at the door. “Cody, you’re back.” She darted a glance inside.
“What’s wrong? Is it Shay?” He hurried inside. She was in bed, attached to a tube. An iron fist closed around his heart. “Why are you giving her blood?”
Ronan lay on a table near her. He looked pale. “Bree had one of her visions. The mark on Shay’s arm is from a vampire. Her blood is tainted.”
“A vampire? Bloody hell! Why didn’t you call me?”
“We had to work fast,” Coira said.
“Is she okay?” If something happened to her, he didn’t know if he could live, but she actually looked healthier than she had in days.
“She’s doing much better,” Coira said. “Her color is improving by the minute.”
Ronan watched Shay, his expression growing soft in a way Cody didn’t like, and then Cody saw the gauze on Ronan’s arm.
“Whose blood?” Cody asked.
“Mine,” Ronan said.
“She has your blood?” A warrior’s blood was powerful. He’d seen transfusions create bonds between warriors, give them a stronger sense of brotherhood than they already had. What would it do between male and female?
Faelan walked into the room, catching the last of the conversation. “Bree said Shay had been marked. It might be why she was sleepwalking outside. Who knows what the vampires can do? Track her. Summon her.”
Ronan started to say something, but stopped. He looked so pale Cody wondered if Coira had taken too much blood.
Cody touched Shay’s forehead. She didn’t have a fever, and she looked much better. “It should’ve been my blood,” he said, stroking Shay’s hair as Coira removed the tube.
“I know,” Ronan said quietly. “But in this case it had to be mine.”
“Why?” Would he have to fight Ronan for her now?
“I have immunities you don’t have.” His jaw clenched. “I was bitten by a vampire.”
“During the battle?” Cody asked.
“Not at the castle. Two years ago, and I suspect a vampire killed my brother, Cam.”
“Oh my,” Coira said, putting gauze on Shay’s arm.
A harsh breath sounded at the door. Declan stood frozen, staring at his twin. “A vampire? You think a vampire killed Cam? And you didn’t say anything?”
“You knew there were vampires two years ago? Why didn’t you warn the clan?” Faelan asked.
“I didn’t know it was a vampire, then. Nobody believed vampires existed in this day and age. When we saw the vampires at Druan’s castle, I knew I’d made a mistake.”
“Mistake? How could you not know you’ve been bitten by a vampire?” Faelan asked.
“Cam and I were hunting. We destroyed four demons. Something attacked our camp that night. I’d gone to take a piss when I heard Cam scream. The night was so black I couldn’t see what it was, but it was fast and strong. I attacked it, and I don’t know what happened. When I woke up, Cam was gone. I saw the blood where it dragged him off, but the trail disappeared.”
“You never found the body?” Cody asked, slipping his hand over Shay’s. He felt her pulse throbbing softly under his finger. It must be his imagination, but he thought it sped up.
“No. We looked, Declan and I, and a lot of others, but there was no trace of him. At first I didn’t notice the marks on my neck. They were small. When they started burning, I thought they must be scratches from a demon.”
“Damn it! Why didn’t you tell me at Druan’s castle?” Declan asked, face tight with anger.
“I wanted more information first. I think that blond is important. He can give us answers.”
“Why would being bitten by a vampire make you better suited for Shay’s transfusion?” Cody asked. “Isn’t getting bitten a bad thing?”
“I think if you don’t die, you develop immunities to their poison,” Ronan said. “I don’t understand it, but there’s more to it than just draining a victim’s blood. I think I got stronger afterward. My eyesight and my hearing seem sharper.”
“You’re my bloody twin, and you’re just now telling me?” Declan slammed his fist against the wall and stalked out, passing Jamie on the way in. He wasn’t moving fast, but he looked a lot better than he had before.
“What’s wrong with Shay?”
“Jamie Waters, what are you doing out of bed?” Coira hurried over to him and checked his bandage.
“Sorry, Coira, I remembered something I needed to tell Cody.” Jamie walked to Shay’s bed. “Is she okay?” When he saw Cody holding Shay’s hand, his jaw tightened, and he looked away.
“She had what we thought was a scratch on her arm,” Cody said, pulling his hand from Shay’s. He didn’t want to make things harder on Jamie than it already was. “Bree said a vampire marked her. Ronan gave her some blood.”
“A vampire? She’s marked by a demon and a vampire? Is she okay?” Jamie asked, worry shadowing his eyes.
Coira nodded. “Much better.”
“What did you want to tell me?” Cody asked.
“I remember where I heard the name Anson Masters. He was Renee’s client.”
“Are you sure?” Cody asked. “The police didn’t mention it.”
“Yeah. I called Renee a few days ago, to see how Shay was doing. She sounded uneasy. I asked if she was okay. She said she had to deliver a chair to a client, Anson Masters. She didn’t say anything else. I figured she was just in a rush.”
“What do you want to bet he’s the client she didn’t like? Shay thought Renee said something about ‘faster,’ but she could have been trying to warn Shay about Masters.”
“I think so. I checked the invoice for the table. It was in my wallet. His name was scribbled on the corner. I think she was trying to give us a clue,” Jamie said. “She probably sent the table to me because she knew I had a top-secret job. She thought I was military. She probably figured the table would be safe with me.” Jamie gave a humorless laugh.
“She didn’t know you’d be guarding it from vampires,” Ronan said.
Sam stepped into the room. “Did someone say vampires—” She broke off, staring at Jamie. Her eyes flared and she looked away, her cheeks growing pink.
“Uh, we were just talking nonsense,” Cody said. “Sam, Jamie Waters. Jamie, Samantha Skye. You met the others already.”
“You’re Sam?” Jamie asked, eyebrows cocked. He and Sam nodded in greeting but didn’t attempt to shake hands.
“Jamie says Ellis’s boss, Anson Masters, was a client of Renee’s,” Cody said, watching Sam’s blush fade. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her blush.
“Now that’s interesting,” Sam said, pulling her gaze from Jamie. “He left out that little detail. I haven’t been able to find him and wondered if you had anyone you could spare. This guy’s harder to track down than Osama bin Laden.”
He could be Osama bin Laden, for all they knew. Cody was pretty sure Osama was a demon. Some of the wickedest rulers in human history were either demons or minions. “Jamie, think you’re up to helping Sam?” He looked much stronger than he had before.