Page 63 of Bad Medicine

Joe and I traded glances. “God,no,” I said.

Mason clapped his handstogether. “So. What brings you to Mason’s tonight?”

I hadn’t planned on beinghonest. I’d planned on being subtle. But unnerved by the Brownie story, Iblurted, “There are daywalkers in Jakeston.”

Joe’s lips twitched but he knewbetter than to laugh at me.

Mason lifted an eyebrow.“Daywalkers.”

Embarrassed, I straightened myspine and remembered who I was. “The council has given me the job of huntingthem down,” I told him. “There are five of them, and I need to destroy thembefore they start making more of themselves.”

“No shit,” Mason said. “They’returning humans into daywalkers?”

I shook my head. “They’returning vampires into daywalkers.”

“Well fuck,” he muttered.“That’s worse, then.” He sighed and focused once more on me and Joe. “If I hearso much as a whisper, I’ll call you. Sometimes a vampire will come in for ashot.” He shrugged at my look of surprise. “It happens, for whatever reason.They’re not strong enough to find their own quality blood, their master hasforbidden them to feed from a human as punishment…” Again, he leaned forward.“I had a lady vampire come in once who refused to feed from humans. She wasstarving but her will was great. Not many bars serve blood, and I get mine fromwilling people in need of a few bucks. I told her there were humans who live inthe shadows she could feast on. They wouldn’t even remember, of course, if shedidn’t want them to. She told me it wasn’t my business and sat in the cornerdrinking blood from a glass until finally, she’d gotten her fill.”

“What’s the difference?” Joeasked. “Straight from the vein or from a bottle, it all comes from a human.” Hewiped his mouth, a little disgusted, as though his imagination was a bit toovivid.

Again, Mason shrugged. “From abottle is different. The magic is missing. Point is, they come in sometimes.Some of them are willing to talk. Some of them need a favor. I’ll do what Ican.” He shook his head. “Imagine vampires having the sun as well as the moon,”he murmured. “We’d all be doomed.”

I stood, and Joe did the same.“It wouldn’t be good for this to get out,” I told him.

“I’m aware, Kait Silver. I’llonly share with people who can help. Now put that badge back on and go keepJakeston safe.” He grinned. “Me, I’ll be okay. I’ve got Brownie.”

No one even looked at us as weleft Mason’s, and I didn’t see the hapless cowboy anywhere. But Brownie stoodat a table chatting with a couple of customers, and I felt her watching meuntil I left the bar. It wasn’t a good feeling.

I was really glad Browniewasn’tmy “ma.”

ChapterThirty

“We’ll start hunting during thedaylight tomorrow,” I told Joe, as we stood outside Mason’s staring across thebusy street at Scarlett’s. Scarlett’s was one of the clubs Bastien owned. “AndI’m going to need to talk to Bastien.”

“Yeah. You’d think the countymaster would know everything that’s going on with the vampires.”

“Problem will be getting him toshare it with me. Vampires don’t like to bring in outsiders. And now that I’vegot this…” I touched the badge on my belt. “I have a feeling he’s going to bejust a little less friendly.”

“You saved his life more thanonce,” he pointed out. “He’ll help you.”

“Wolves and vampires don’texactly get along,” I said.

“You want to see if he’sthere?”

I really didn’t. “Yeah. Wemight as well.”

“Your wolf,” he said, slightlyhesitant. “Is it separate from you? I mean, if you’re shifted into your wolf, isshe not really you?”

I understood both his curiosityand his hesitation. “No. My wolf is me. I’m just a little more…feral when I’mshifted. Sometimes I think of my shift as “her” because that part of me is sodifferent than the woman. But everything inside me, no matter how strong ordifferent, is still just me.”

I’m looking at you, psycho.

“It would be cool,” he said,not looking at me, “to be a wolf shifter.”

I touched his big arm. “Thanks,Joe.”

“So if you bit me, could youmake me a wolf?”

We stood on the sidewalkoutside Scarlett’s, watching the two bouncers posted at the doors and the longline of humans eager to get inside. Did they all know it was a vampire club?No. Probably not even most of them. They just knew Scarlett’s was a good time.