The Undead Pool

Landon stuck out his hand, and the adolescent gargoyle giggled, ruining the solemn air as he carefully shook it. “Pleasure,” the younger man said. “Do you have some time? I’ve often wondered about the symbiotic relationship some of your people have with demons.”

I was kind of curious about that myself, but I was more concerned about getting home to Ivy. She was watching Nina like a hawk on cheese . . . or whatever.

“You’re welcome to stay the night,” Trent offered.

“Yes, please stay,” Ellasbeth echoed, and I quailed under her insincere smile.

Fidgeting, I looked back at my lounge chair where I had left my shoulder bag. “Ah, thank you, but no. I’d really prefer to be home tonight. Nina needs all the support she can get.”

Ellasbeth’s bristly mien softened. “Oh,” she said, expression closed. “Of course.”

“Nina?” Bancroft asked, and I went to get my bag, crouching carefully so Bis wouldn’t become unbalanced.

“She’s the unwilling scion of the only undead awake in the Cincinnati area,” Trent said.

Ellasbeth looped her arm in Trent’s to look like the perfect executive’s wife. “Rachel’s roommate is trying to break the vampiric addiction he has on her.” I glanced sharply at her. A delicate flush colored her, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say she thought it was a noble endeavor. “Rachel, is there anything we can do? Trent’s research is a hundredfold more sure now. Do you think she’d be willing to chance a reduction in her virus count?”

Shocked, I scrambled for words. “Ah, I’ll ask her, but she’s a living vampire. I don’t think it would help. But thank you. I’ll tell her you mentioned it.”

His arm still in hers, Trent looked sidelong at her in surprise. Ellasbeth was stiff, making me wonder. She seemed to understand, and that was . . . totally unexpected.

“Well,” I said, wishing the girls were still out here. “I’d better get going. Give Lucy and Ray a hug for me,” I said, and Trent nodded. Behind him, Landon and Bancroft were discussing something intently, their backs to us and the words flying back and forth fast enough to make me nervous.

“Thanks for coming over,” Trent said as he edged me away from Ellasbeth for a private word. The memory of our last kiss flashed through me, and I flushed, feeling guilty with Ellasbeth watching, but damn it, we hadn’t done anything! “I’ll see about getting your car to you tomorrow.”

“I’d appreciate that,” I said, seeing Ellasbeth watching me with a long face. “Dinner was great,” I added, waiting until Bancroft finished arguing with Landon before popping out.

Smiling, he ducked his head and Ellasbeth came close, asserting her presence. “Sorry about the hot dog.”

I made a snort of laughter, and Bis’s tail tightened. “I’m sure it was fine.”

Behind him, Landon took on an aggressive stance as he talked to Bancroft. “I think it worth finding out. When will we have another opportunity like this? It’s my risk, not yours!”

“Fine!” Bancroft exclaimed. “I’ll ask her!”

Ellasbeth took Trent’s arm and leaned in. “Was there something wrong with the hot dog?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Trent muttered, then turned to include Bancroft and Landon as they approached, the former slightly soused, the latter having a quiet urgency I didn’t trust.

“Morgan,” Bancroft drawled firmly. “Would you be willing to assist us on a matter?”

I could tell it was just about killing him to ask for my help, and I touched Bis’s clawed feet, his toes carefully spread so he didn’t pinch me. “Depends. What do you want?”

Bancroft glanced at Landon, then back to me. “My assistant wants to determine if the mystics currently coating your aura are from repeated contact with the waves itself, or if you’re picking up free-ranging mystics, and if that is the case, if they’re crossing the line to find you.”

Landon pushed forward. “If they are, then a simple way to end the waves and wake up the masters would be for you to temporarily maintain a presence in the ever-after.”

My first impulse to deny, avoid, and ignore swirled into simply avoid and ignore. I kind of wanted to know myself, but to voluntarily stay in the ever-after? “How?” I asked suspiciously.

“Ahh . . .” Bancroft hesitated, and Landon jiggled on his sneaker-covered feet.

“Rachel,” Landon blurted. “I’d like to take twin readings from, say, here to Cincinnati? One meter in reality, one in the ever-after. We could go cross-country and avoid roads.”

“At night?” Trent exclaimed, and Ellasbeth’s eyes widened.

“In the ever-after?” I said, as appalled as her. “Do you know what happens after sunset?”

“Demons.” Landon’s eyes were unreadable, but his voice held a thread of challenge.

“Sometimes, sure,” I said, tugging my shoulder bag higher. “It’s the surface demons I’m worried about. I know most of the demon demons, but surface demons are like big, smart, hungry rats. You walk anywhere for any length of time, and they’ll find you.”