Wild Side (Dark Side Series: Book 2)

Thirty-Two

Evan was a bit more difficult to track down than expected. I had to buy a couple burners and make half a dozen calls to determine his whereabouts. We'd finally found him at a university down near Austin, Texas, where he was due to give a lecture. Discussing in part, I noted on the flyer in the life sciences department, his trip to Brazil. Evan himself wasn't at the university yet, but preparing at a natural history museum a few blocks down the road where he was a regular researcher or specimen provider or something I couldn't recall. It was getting harder to stay focused with the monster in a cat carrier singing the meow mix song every time I took too long to accomplish a task.

Tash was even humming it as we crossed the busy interaction. The afternoon air was a hot blast of dry wind, the distant horizon charred with rumbling clouds. 

"Why bother waiting?" the vampire groaned, dragging her feet down the sidewalk, covered up although she wasn't about to burst into flames at the smallest kiss of sunlight. She didn't like the sun. Her eyes in particular were sensitive and seemed to retract into thin, pencil-tip pupils. While her reddened skin wasn't bound to get much of a look unless she really cooked, there were a number of folks out there who were bound to notice eyes like that. 

Of course, they'd have to stop noticing her bouncing breasts and booty. The weather down here was a reason for her to show herself off, and she was more than happy to buy a shirt a size too small and then roll all over the bed this morning trying to squeeze into a pair of tight glitterbomb leggings.

"Do you really have to dress like that?" I hissed at her, unable to look past her waist due to the glare. "You know we're going to a museum."

"Last I checked we weren't going to a museum 40 years ago," she said, flipping her brunette  ponytail off her sweaty neck.

If I wasn't worried about Evan I would have found a sweating vampire interesting, maybe. Vampires were animals, an extended transformation if I'd understood it right, so I supposed sweat in (relatively) younger ones like Tasha wouldn't be surprising. 

"Anyway," she continued, letting her nails clink-clink-clink lightly off a chainlink fence to her right. "What's the point of waiting 'til tomorrow night? Who cares if he's offed before or after he gives a talk about whatever bug he pinned in a box."

"Why do you care?"

"I'm thirsty." 

"You can't just kill someone every time your tongue feels a little dry."

"Pretty sure I do," she said, glancing beyond the fence to a deserted lot. "Somethings, anyway."

"Why did Caelan even want you with me?" I asked her, wrinkling my nose. 

"Because we're a great match. Drink the blood, devour the flesh. Waste not." At my frown, she tossed her head. "Because he knows about your grandmother and because I'm a survivor, Marcy. I like red shirts, but I'm not gonna be one. Heard you told him much the same when you gutted him." 

"He told you that?"

"You don't know the power of your own mouth, Marcy. When your grandma skipped town I was just destroyed. First time I saw the sheriff, thought he was dealing with a bad break, you know? He's got manners and one of those soft-sultry accents. Thought he was some good ole country boy who moved up to the big apple and got his heart broke by some fast-talking city bitch. He didn't drink every night, but he did on some and on one such occasion he told me about you. Tell you the truth, I know he's been snakebit, but he's still a damn fine hustler.  Took you walking through my door to realize I got played."

"Sounds about right," I said with a thin smile. "He got a good education in cunning."

"I'll tell ya, he's real good at keeping folks in line, too. And it's fucking eerie, the way he just flips the frickin switch. One minute he's drunk off his ass. Next minute, there's a lick of trouble brewing and he's up on his feet bright-eyed and bristling and you're wondering was he even drunk at all? You saw him buy the beers but are you absolutely sure he drank 'em?" She tipped her sunglasses briefly down. I caught of glimpse of savvy carmine. "You know what I think?"