“We should be safe here until whoever it is goes back upstairs.” Even at a whisper, Damian’s voice was too loud. I could see nothing, not even a darker or lighter shade of black. With my eyes useless, all my other senses were heightened. Which might not be a good thing when standing in God-knew-where […]
Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills “Get your motherfuckin’ ass back in the car. Now!” Veronica Walters pressed her revolver’s muzzle into Sidney Martels’ right temple. “By the way, in case you’re wondering, this is definitely not a stage prop. It’s real and I know how to use it.” Sidney Martel, or the individual who was […]
They parked two miles away, creeping through the thin forest, moving quickly and quietly towards the ARLIS compound. Holly made sure she stayed close to Steven, moving when he did, crouching down and holding still when he prompted her to do so. Steven had been charged with escorting Holly and Gary and he kept himself […]
“Are we supposed to be down here?” Fir’s cellar was dusty, dark, and filled with furniture that had seen the wrong end of a bar fight. And while I didn’t know him well, I did know the leprechaun wouldn’t like us wandering around his storage spaces. “Are you going to let it stop you?” I […]
Why did you do it, Lawrence Queen thought, wishing he had not looked at the clock on his phone, not right then. Shit. He looked around Vanderhoff’s office, waiting for the Lieutenant to get off of his own phone and return to interrogating him about his connections to Sebastian Restrepo and any foul play their […]
“They’re unionized.” I stared at Vincent, trying to figure out what he was talking about. My mind wasn’t into studying, and it was obvious. Like a giant zit on a tiny nose. Not that it was my fault. My entire first week at the Dragon had been a disaster. I’d started out by insulting Fir’s […]
Holly removed her jacket and pulled on a thick green sweater. Gary was still taking off his shoes, leaning against the wall by the door. Feeling his eyes upon her as she combed her hair briskly with her fingers, Holly asked, “What?” and he just shook his head and looked away. He threw his shoes […]
Toxic. My entire body burned from embarrassment. One kiss and suddenly he thought I was a vampire junkie. Or dhampir junkie. Whatever. “Look, back off the whole Damian thing, okay? And the dean isn’t going to go for my throat in front of my father. He’s just not. So let me pretend to be polite […]
The day of the raid on the ARLIS compound they had a large breakfast, eating quietly for the most part, only random jokes and stoic requests to pass salt or salsa breaking the still atmosphere. When they finished their meal, Daniel stood from his seat and gave the group a long loving look, saying simply, […]
I plopped down on the couch closest to the windows. My dad and the dean were going at it over the board, grabbing each other’s pieces as if they were playing speed checkers instead of chess. I ignored them; I had a great view of the werewolves circling the gardens from the couch. I could […]
The night was cool and dark, barely a star in the sky. If not for the nagging feeling that she would probably be dead in a few days, Holly would have wished for a nice glass of wine and some mellow music, maybe The Drifters or Leonard Cohen, something classic and sweet. Siting with Daniel […]
I stared at my plate and shook my head. My dad. Eating meat. If he made it through the meal without hurling, it would be a miracle. I focused on my food. I didn’t want to watch my dad choke anything down, and I didn’t want to look at the dean for obvious reasons. The […]
James wasn’t sure of the idea and he gave Daniel an incredulous glance to make sure Daniel understood that fact. Daniel measured his partner a moment before asking, “What? Just say it.” James was as uncertain about voicing his opinion and adding to their exhausted anxiety as he was about Restrepo’s actual suggestion. He stood […]
The dean’s house was a giant Tudor, all grey stone and wood beams slashing through stucco. There were hedges, flowers, and little stone paths carving the grass into geometric swatches. One of the green spaces looked big enough to land a small plane on. As we slammed the car doors shut, something rustled in the […]
The apartment was quiet just the way I liked it. I tiptoed past the dining room into the kitchen. I was ready to sleep. The light in Catherine’s room was on. I went in to say hello and found her packing. She said it had nothing to do with the text that I received at […]
Lawrence Queen wished he had not been a part of that particular conversation. He did his best to appear innocuous and unaffected by the dialog he had just found himself involved in, but he knew by the long steely glare he received from Vanderhoff that he was failing in his attempt. Even after walking away, […]
“Toxic Cinema, #158 – Why Phone Companies Suck” I’m not sure what to say about “Netherbeast Incorporated,” other than its concept of vampires running a big corporation isn’t the way I usually think of my undead. Do we really think Dracula is holding board meetings and dealing with personnel issues? He’s sleeping in dirt and […]
“What are you saying?” Peter gave me a look that bordered on irritation and curiosity. “You are obstructing the case. Did you know that?” “Peter, she’s not missing! I got a text from her.” “How do you know it’s her? Anyone could have sent you this text.” He was right. It could’ve been a temporary, […]
Sebastian Restrepo sat glaring at the map, as did Daniel, James, and Steven Jenkins, the only scientist in the fugitive group with actual military training. Steven had come up through the ranks of the army science corps and had made it through three months of mandatory boot camp, honing a workable proficiency in weaponry and […]
“Human.” And he’d been working for the fairies for eighty-seven years. Which made him… Oh, holy crap. I’d thought a Centenarian was cute. There had to be something icky in that, even if he looked twenty. “How exactly does one go from being human to not human?” Vincent stared at the dance floor, his eyes […]
“Ready?” “Yes,” replied Catherine. I nodded at Fuz. “Here is something for you,” he said. “Put it in your key chain and squeeze if you need me. I’ll be right outside the club and I can be inside in no time.” It was a small gadget that looked like a fob. “Do you really think […]
After hours of debate, Holly gave Daniel a frustrated glare. “It has to be that way, there’s no other choice.” Daniel’s gut was acetous with a combination of not understanding the mathematics for himself and not being comfortable with the reality of their final plan. He knew she was right but there had to be […]
“Toxic Cinema, #160 – So That’s What Vampires Look Like With a Tan.” It’s classic Seventies horror cheese at my house tonight, featuring the perma-tanned George Hamilton as Dracula. “Love at First Bite” has some pretty dated jokes, but even I—a rabid old school vampire fan—have to admit I liked the idea of Vlad moving […]
Holly believed what she was hearing but she didn’t want to. How could she want to hear that, let alone admit it was true? She perspired as she listened, his words emetic to her already fragile physical state. “It was all in place,” Daniel said, “as soon as they got their hands on you two […]