The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires

"Portia, are you sure—" Sarah started to say, doubt evident on her face as we approached the fuzzy portal.

"Reasonably sure. I've examined the evidence and can't come to any other conclusion. Deep breath, everyone. It's showtime!"

"I can't believe the only time I'm visiting heaven is in the pursuit of some crime or other," Sarah grumbled as we marched to the center of the town square. The usual business prevailed: people talking in small groups around the center well, the shops doing their brisk trade, other people busily hurrying hither and yon. At the sight of us materializing in the center of their activities, everyone froze.

"Hello, again," I said, recognizing a few (albeit startled) faces from the hearing. Theo?

An equally startled silence filled my head. Portia? What are you doing in the Court?

Doing what you asked—resolving one of our problems. Where are you? I think I'm going to need a little help in getting my prisoner to the mare. The people in the square seem to be stunned into some sort of a fugue state.

Theo seemed to share their reaction, at least for a few seconds. Prisoner?

Yes. I kidnapped Milo Lee's wife and brought her here.

A soft sigh echoed in my head. Portia, do you have any idea how the Court is going to react to you kidnapping a mortal and bringing her here? As if we weren't in enough trouble—

Carol Lee took advantage of my distraction with Theo to twist herself out of my grip, racing toward the doorway that led back to the land of reality.

"Oh, no you don't!" I took a leap that would do a broad jumper proud, flinging myself at Carol, just catching the heel of her shoe as I fell. She went down just as my head cracked the cobblestones, but I didn't let go of her despite the stars that seemed to weave around in front of me.

"Such an entrance you apparently desire to make," a male voice drawled as I got to my knees, shaking my head but keeping a firm grip on Carol's kicking foot. "I could almost imagine you were trying to get my attention."

"Think again," I ground out as I got to my feet, hauling up my still-struggling prisoner.

Gabriel the cherub pursed his lips as he eyed first the woman bound with silver-grey duct tape, then me. I blew back a strand of hair that was sticking to my lip, and lifted my chin, trying to look poised and in charge of the situation.

"I see you've added abduction to your resume," he said, the corners of his mouth crooking upward. "As if murder wasn't enough?"

"Portia didn't murder anyone," Sarah said, coming forward to give me a hand with Carol as she continued to fight her bonds, her eyes wild. "If you knew her, you'd realize that she's incapable of something so immoral."

Carol flung herself backward, her head knocking into mine as she tried to kick my legs out from under me. I sidestepped the back kick, yanking her bound arms up and hissing in her ear in as mean a voice as possible, "You try that again, and I'll break both your arms."

Gabriel's eyebrows rose.

"There are, naturally, different interpretations on the word 'immoral'," Sarah said, looking as if she was about to explain the whole circumstance to Gabriel.

"Don't bother trying to make him understand," I interrupted. "Gabriel has his mind already made up about me."

"Gabriel?" Sarah's face took on an awe-struck cast. "Gabriel?"

"Not that Gabriel," he said, looking annoyed. "What is it with you mortals? Is there only one Gabriel you know?"

Sarah nodded, disappointment rife in her eyes.

"This Gabriel is a cherub," I said, catching sight of a familiar form skulking along the edge of a building, staying well into the shadows. "And not a particularly nice one. Come on, Carol, we have a little business with some friends of yours."

"I could make a comment about your niceness as well, virtue," Gabriel called after us as we left him. "But I am too much a cherub to do so!"

"What's his problem?" Sarah asked in a whisper, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"He's a bit pissed that I refused to let him seduce me. Or so I gather—honestly, it could be just about anything. I may have breached some sort of Court etiquette or something, and offended him. I've never felt so out of my depths in my life."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Sarah gave me a reassuring pat on the arm. "Gabriel may be a handsome devil, but he's no Theo."

"Indeed he isn't."

Theo's eyes were shaded by the brim of his hat, but I could see the light color of his irises even before I got up close to him.

Not a good sign.