Page 49 of Thorn Evermore
I sense the moment he deflates and resigns himself to telling me. “The Admiral. I got into some trouble with him and this is what he’s making me do to repay him.”
The Admiral. That fucker. I’ve gotta tell Yves he’s encroaching on New Onyx for sure.
“Thank you, Dale.”
“Are you gonna let me go now?”
“Soon. Just one more thing.” I push the button on the inside of my jacket, releasing the hidden wings I had built into it. They’re heavy, made of black leather, and huge, casting a shadow over the trembling preacher. I let my beast out too, fangs gleaming and eyes glowing.
His eyes go wide with terror. “Are you… are you the angel of death?”
“Something like that.”
I lunge forward, sinking my fangs into his neck and guzzling a mouthful of blood as Dale screams for help. No one will come, a fact we both know. I drink just enough to make sure he won’t die, licking my puncture wounds so they heal. Then I use my thumbnail to slash his belly open and drop him to the ground.
Dale, weak and still in shock, stares at me with his mouth hanging open.
“Don’t worry, Dale. You’re not dying here tonight. I’m calling for help.”
“N-n-no,” he moans. “V-van.”
“Oh yes. Your dirty little secret is getting found out tonight.” I pull my phone from my pocket and dial the detective friend we have an… understanding with. He doesn’t ask how we know what we know, using the inside info to take down a lot of the city’s biggest crimes.
“Hello?”
“Detective Stadioli. It’s Thorn. Got something good for you.”
Twenty minutes later, I sit perched on a building, watching the area fill with law enforcement, ambulances, and best of all, media. Stadioli is all over it, having his people search the van while Dale clings to life. He isn’tgoing to die. Death isn’t good enough for a man like that.
Unfortunately, as satisfying as that was, it did nothing to take the edge off my situation. I need to go home and face it. I need Yves, and to confess the chaos still swirling in my chest. And he needs to know about the Admiral. Good times.
I make it back home quickly enough, heading straight to Yves’s unit instead of my own. I’m sure Kyson is still knocked out asleep. I just need to know what I’m supposed to say to him when he wakes up.
The door opens before I even get to it, and Yves smiles in the knowing, big brother way he does.
“What tortures you, Thorn?”
Rubbing my hands over my face, I walk forward until I can press my forehead to his shoulder. “I need advice.”
“Come inside.” He sniffs the air. “You smell of blood. Did you bite your amour?”
“No. Gods, I wish I’d had the nerve, but…”
Yves smiles. “Let’s talk in my study.”
I follow the man I consider my savior in more ways than one, flopping down in one of his oversized leather armchairs. He sits next to me.
“Do you need a drink?” he asks.
“Had one. We should start there, actually. I went out to blow off steam and found Dale McMichael down there.”
“The evangelical guy on TV?”
“That’s the one. This fucker was looking for kids to traffic.”
Yves raises an eyebrow. “How did you know that?”
“One of the local kids told me. Apparently Dale also likes to harass the homeless. It’s gonna be all over the news by morning, but he told me he’s working with the Admiral.”