“I guess a stake through the heart is the real end game though?” Doug asked humorlessly.
“Sure.” Olivia smirked and arched an eyebrow. “But who wouldn’t that kill?”
“Zombie?” Pete asked, looking from her to Doug. “Gotta get those guys in the head, right?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Doug said wearily. “There are zombies too?”
“Nah,” Pete said through a laugh as he slapped Doug on the shoulder. “I’m just messing with you.”
To Olivia’s surprise, Doug cracked a smile and shook his head. “Still a ball-buster, eh, Pete?”
“Absolutely.” Pete winked at Olivia. The smile on his face faltered, and his brow furrowed with confusion as he kept his focus on his maker. “Looks like we’re partners again, Paxton.”
“What?” Olivia asked as an imminent sense of dread crawled up her back. “What’s wrong?”
His expression stern, Pete held her gaze but remained silent for what felt like forever.
“You didn’t hear me?” he asked quietly. “Are you okay?”
Olivia’s stomach dropped to her feet as she realized what he meant. He had tried to telepath her, but she didn’t hear him. Panic swamped her as she instinctively reached out to touch his mind with hers. Pete? Can you hear me?
“I don’t know if he can, but I can hear you, and it freaks me the fuck out,” Doug snapped. “What in the hell is going on now?”
Olivia and Pete looked at Doug and then at each other.
“What the hell?” she whispered.
“Try the rest of the Coven,” Pete said calmly. He ran a hand over his mouth and looked from her to Doug and back again. “Maybe it was a glitch in the universe or something.”
“Right,” Olivia said in a shaky voice. Trixie, Maya, Sadie… can you hear me? I want you to meet our newest coven member.
“Ha,” Doug said sharply. Hands on his hips, he paced the room. “I should have known that the rest of the broads in your club are bloodsuckers too.”
“Shit.” Pete’s eyes glowed as he watched Doug before turning back to Olivia. “I didn’t hear whatever you telepathed, but it sounds like Doug did. What is going on, boss lady? I don’t like this one damn bit. Doug’s vamp turn takes hardly any time at all, and now you can only telepath with him. Not only is this fucking weird, it’s going to make communicating when we hunt a pain in the ass.”
Van Helsing whined and rubbed against Olivia’s leg. Given how dizzy she felt, it was probably the only thing keeping her from falling down. She murmured soothing sounds and rubbed the dog’s head as he tried to calm her in return. Oreo, seemingly unfazed, had curled up and fallen asleep on the sofa.
“You mean you used to be able to do this telepathy bit with all other vampires?” Doug asked with confusion and genuine curiosity. He crossed his arms over his chest and studied Olivia, while maintaining his distance. “What gives, Olivia?”
Bloodmates. That was the only answer that came to mind, but she sure as hell wasn’t throwing that little bit of crazy into the mix. Olivia squared her shoulders as the queasy feeling in her gut subsided, and she leveled a cold look in Doug’s direction, struggling to keep control over herself and the situation.
“We can only telepath with our maker, progeny, or siblings.”
“Yeah,” Doug interrupted. “But Pete just said you couldn’t hear him, and based on the look on your face, I’m betting that Trixie, Maya, and Sadie didn’t hear your last shout either. So why am I the only one who can hear you?”
“I don’t know,” she said quietly. “It may be only temporary. Maybe it’s something in your blood. At any rate, we have other problems to worry about, like getting you registered with the Presidium, and facing the music with Augustus.”
“Shane and I didn’t have any luck last night. We picked up some scents here and there, but so far, the only one that got dusted was the one that attacked Paxton.”
A series of knocks on the door and muffled giggles in the hallway captured her attention. “I called them down here,” Pete said. “I figured you’d want them to meet Doug. We should get introductions out of the way before we head to the Presidium.”
Olivia nodded. “Brace yourself, detective.” Olivia rolled her eyes and went to the door. She tightened her grip on the knob as she leveled an apologetic look to Doug. “Get ready to meet the rest of the coven and your new family.”
Pete rubbed his chin and nodded to Doug. “Welcome to the family, brother.”
The nervous look on Doug’s face almost made Olivia laugh out loud. She tugged the door open to find Sadie, Trixie, and Maya in the doorway waving frantically at Doug. They flew into the room and tackled Doug in a massive group hug. His arms at his side, he looked at Pete for help but got none.
“Give the poor man some space, ladies,” Olivia said more sharply than she intended. The three women peeled themselves off Doug, but Maya lingered on his arm. Olivia’s fangs emerged, and she lifted her lip as she spoke. “Back off, Maya.”
Maya looked immediately contrite, stepped away from Doug, and sidled in between Sadie and Trixie. Doug just gave them a curt nod and an awkward wave before adjusting his coat.
“Great.” Olivia ran both hands through her hair and forced herself to smile. “You already know Maya. After all, it was her little game that started this adventure. Trixie is our other bartender, and Sadie is our DJ. I think you met them, but now you know them, or at least what they are.”
“Hey,” Trixie interrupted. “Why did Pete call us down here and not you? Are you pissed or something? I tried to telepath you earlier, but it was weird, man. It’s like you weren’t there.”
“When was that?” Olivia asked quickly.
“Not long after you got back here with officer hottie,” Trixie said with a wink in Doug’s direction. “I heard you come in, but when you didn’t answer…”
After she turned Doug and did the blood exchange… that’s when it all changed.
“I thought it was just me,” Maya said quietly, avoiding Olivia’s gaze. “I—I tried to talk to you a little while ago, and when you didn’t respond, well, I figured you were still upset with me.”
Olivia’s heart broke when she saw the hurt flicker across Maya’s face. “It’s not because of either of you.” She looked at Doug, who was intently watching all of them. “I’m not sure what’s going on, to be honest. Listen, until we figure things out, if you need something and I’m not here, then you reach out to Pete. Got it?”
The girls nodded and sat on the couch, making themselves at home once again. Sadie scooped up Oreo, and Olivia could hear purring from across the room. Maya lay her head on Trixie’s shoulder and sniffled as Van put his head in her lap.
They were her family. Dogs. Cats. Vampires. What a motley crew. She looked back to Doug and noticed the look of contempt was replaced with curiosity. A step in the right direction.
“What about the waitress and Damien, the bouncer?”
“No,” Olivia said sharply. “Both are human, and as far as I’m concerned they’ll stay that way. I gave Suzie the week off, and Damien will be here during daylight hours as well.” She glanced briefly at Doug. “He knows about us.”
“How nice for him,” Doug said under his breath. “Listen, this little family reunion is warming the cockles of my no-longer-beating-heart, but can we get this freak show on the road? I want to find the creature that killed Tom and then get this shit over with.”
Olivia’s chest tightened. She tried to suppress the rejection she was feeling, but it was no use. He would rather fry in the sun than stay a vampire and be with her. Awesome.