Kiss a Vampire Box Set

Chapter 3

Chapter 3Devin waited in his room until he was sure everyone had left and gone to work, then he went to the kitchen. It was good to have accomplished something. There was still some coffee left, and he poured it into a cup before putting the last things in the dishwasher. Everyone had put their plates in, but not the tray or the utensils he’d used to cook. He guessed it was only fair he’d be the one to clean up. It was his day, after all.

He got the dishwasher started and wiped all surfaces before sipping on the coffee.

“How do I share it?”

He jumped and almost dropped the cup as Murrie walked into the kitchen but did his best not to look like he’d been about the scream in terror. “What?”

“You said to share my schedule. How?” He waved his phone.

“You go to settings and sharing and then you add me.”

Murrie handed him his phone. “Fix it, oh mighty god of planners.”

Devin smiled and grabbed the phone and invited himself, then he checked his phone to make sure he had access and handed Murrie’s back to him. “There you go.”

Murrie opened the cupboard above the refrigerator, and Devin spotted several bags of chips, popcorn, and a stack of chocolate bars. Oh, there is a snack cupboard. “I put the M&Ms in the pantry.”

Nodding, Murrie turned to the pantry. He grabbed a bag and poured it into a small bowl he placed on the kitchen island.

“You bought twenty bags.”

“Should last a couple of days.” He pushed the bowl toward Devin. Murrie always gave him M&Ms. He picked a blue. The blue were his favorites. They all tasted the same, but blue was the first thing Murrie had fed him when he’d walked into the room where he’d been with Mars. He shuddered at the memory but put the chocolate in his mouth.

“I thought I’d steal a bag.”

“You can steal as many as you like. If we run out of something, add it to the shopping list.”

Devin met his gaze. “The shopping list?”

“In the app.” Murrie grimaced, but Devin believed he got it. They placed their orders online and added stuff to a list during the week. It made sense.

“Which app, and what’s the login?”

Again, Murrie pushed his phone toward Devin. “It’s the red one.”

Devin held back a laugh. “The red one?”

“Please save me, Devin. Take over the shopping.”

“Erm…” It was not what he’d expected. “I have no idea what people like or need or how much we’re to buy of everything.”

“I don’t know either!” Murrie threw his hands in the air.

“But you’re doing the shopping every week.”

“And you’ve seen the result.”

Devin hadn’t. He hadn’t paid attention. He didn’t know anything about the people living here—didn’t know what they liked to eat, what they liked to drink, or if they had any allergies. Three years and he didn’t have a clue. His lungs shrank and he fought to breathe.

“You don’t need to. I didn’t mean to overwhelm you. I’m super grateful for what you did with my schedule. I didn’t mean to freak you out with the shopping.”

“No, I…it’s okay. I’ll download the app, but I don’t want to be responsible.” He fiddled with the phone, got the app, and got Murrie to help him log in. He found a list function. “I add here if there is anything I want?”

Murrie nodded.

“And the last day to add is?”

When Murrie gave him a blank stare, he tried again. “The delivery is on Mondays? So Sunday is the last day to add things to the list?” Would make sense.

“Oh, no, we don’t have a set day. They always come in the morning since I can’t guarantee anyone will be here during the day, but when you send a list in, they come the day after. We get a bill at the end of the month for everything we’ve bought.”

“Any day? For small things, too?”

Murrie was watching him. “Yes. You can have them come every day if you want. Was there something you needed?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t checked what we have.”

“Okay, if you need something, don’t hesitate to add it to the list, and if you need it tomorrow, you send the order in.”

Devin nodded.

“I have to do some work before the hairdresser arrives. Thanks for the schedule.” He held the bowl of M&Ms up to Devin so he could take one, then he took it with him when he left.

With a sigh, Devin opened the refrigerator and then the freezer. What would he make for lunch?

* * * *

Mars did his best to sound polite and considerate as he asked Rina Volkov, the missing wolf’s mother, about her routines and activities, but interviews weren’t his strong suit. He could go undercover, if he had to, could break a few bones to get confessions, could use his mental abilities to intimidate or scare his suspects, but to talk to a female sick with worry over her missing daughter wasn’t something he excelled in. He should have brought Hanna. Rei had been smart. Hanna was the gentlest of them. Rei might be the calmest, so together they made a great interviewing team.

People most often misjudged Hanna and believed she was the weakest of them. She was not. She was tough as nails when she needed to be.

Faelan, whom he’d brought, was staring at the photos on the wall. Mars did his best work alone, and when he needed someone to come along, he brought Murrie. Today, Murrie was on a tight schedule. He grinned as he remembered. Devin had done a good job. He didn’t know what Murrie’s schedule had looked like, but judging by the look on Murrie’s face, it had been bad.

“I’ve already told the police this.”

Mars looked at Rina and tried to keep the surprise off his face. “The human police?”

She grimaced and shifted her weight on the couch. “My husband is human.”

Wow, had it been in the information they’d been given? If so, he’d missed it. “The female’s father is human?” Cordea, he should use her name. “Is she…eh…can she shift?” Damn. Faelan should take over the questioning. It would be better if a wolf shifter asked the questions instead of a vampire. Or maybe not. He could feign ignorance about shifters, and if he stepped on any toes, it was because he didn’t know any better.

“Partially.”

“Partially, as in…” How did you shift partially?

“She has the senses, smell, hearing, quicker reflexes, but not shifter strength.” Rina wound her hands. “She can shift her teeth, and on occasion when she’s been scared or in pain, there have been claws. She fractured her wrist a couple of years ago. It was the first time we saw claws.” She stared into the distance, her face pale.

“How’s her healing?”

“Somewhere in between. Not as fast as a true shifter, but not as slow as a human.”

Mars nodded. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Volkov.” He handed her his business card. “Call me if you think of anything.” He got up but lingered before leaving the room. “Why did you call the human police?”

“Oh…” She held on to his card as she looked him in the eyes. Some shifters avoided meeting his gaze since they believed he’d control their minds, but Rina wasn’t afraid of him. “My husband called. He only said our daughter was missing. It was the humans who sent out the search party.”

Mars kept his mouth shut, but what the hell had they been thinking? Shifters had a great sense of smell, but a party of humans would’ve muddle up the scent trails, not to mention they seldom found people fast enough.

As if she could hear him thinking, she added. “He panicked. They searched everywhere here in North Woods, but—” She grimaced. “—unless they killed her right away, which I don’t think they have, it would make no sense to keep her around here.”

“Do you have any idea who they are? Did you catch any scent? Vampires? Shifters? Something you didn’t tell the human police?”

“No, I wasn’t at home when she went missing, and when I got back, there were too many scent trails to sort anything out. The human police were already here.” She gritted her teeth. “My husband did what he thought was best. He trusts the human police more than he trusts a group of shifters. It’s a natural response to turn to your own people when in panic.”

Mars gave a short nod. He didn’t agree. If he had a child, and they had gone missing, he’d contact shifters. Vampires strength and speed exceeded theirs, but when it came to finding a missing person, he’d still have gone to the shifters. Their sense of smell was phenomenal.

They made it out into the car before he looked at Faelan. “Anything strike you as odd?”

He pursed his lips and his dark hair fell into his eyes in the most annoying way. Mars wished he’d cut it, so he wouldn’t feel the need to constantly push it out of his face. “Nothing other than them contacting the human police.”

“Did they think we wouldn’t care because she’s a crossbreed?”

Faelan frowned. “Maybe. It’s not accepted, is it? Are they living in a pack, or has she left her pack to be with him?”

Mars got out of the car, jogged up the stairs, and rang the doorbell. Rina opened, her eyes brimming with tears, and he muttered a mental curse. “Sorry to disturb you again. I have one more question.”

She nodded.

“Are you part of a pack?”

She jerked back. “Eh…no. When I met Mikhail, they wouldn’t accept him as part of the pack, and when I got pregnant, we moved. I didn’t want to risk my child being shunned.”

He nodded. “You moved from where?”

“Terrena.”

Mars had never been to Terrena, it was a small city, but the prickling sensation was back. Didn’t Devin come from Terrena? Or had been taken in Terrena, at least. He’d have to ask, and he feared it would cause Devin to panic. f**k. He’d been doing so well this morning.

“So you don’t think your old pack has anything to do with this?”

The frown was instant. “I haven’t had any contact with them in eighteen years. We moved when I got pregnant, and Cordea turned seventeen last month. They’ve never met her.”

“But they know she exists.”

She shifted her weight again, and Mars wondered if it was a sign she was nervous about something. “I guess. But if they meant her harm, why wait eighteen years to act?”

“Perhaps death isn’t the goal? Perhaps they want to use her for something.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, he realized his mistake. Those were the kinds of speculations he could discuss with his team, not the mother of the missing child. She gasped and tears rose in her eyes. s**t. “It’s only a speculation. We will do our best to find her, I promise. And if you think of anything, anything at all, contact me.”

He got into the car and snarled.

“What?” Faelan looked up from his phone.

“They moved here from Terrena.”

“So?”

Mars started the car. “Devin was taken in Terrena.”

Faelan let go of the phone. “But Devin is human, and it was three years ago, longer. He’s been with us for three years.”

Yeah, he was right. It was most likely not connected. He still wanted to ask Devin a few questions, though.