Page 65 of Bad Medicine

I regained some sense andpulled away from Joe. “I’m good.”

A man and two women knelttentatively beside the human I’d attacked, who was groaning and attempting tosit up. He put his hand to the side of his head. “What the fuck?” he asked.“What the fuck, man?”

“Kait,” Joe urged. “Let’s goinside.”

The bouncers weren’t quite asintimidated as the humans, and they stood side by side as they watched me come,blocking the door with their bulk. One of them lifted a meaty hand. “Stop.”

I opened the edge of my jacketand flashed my badge. “Get the fuck out of my way. And you,” I told the otherone, “get the door.”

For one instant, theyhesitated. But something shivered through the air, and it came from my badge.From me. They felt it—they were vampires, after all—and they didn’t hesitateagain.

“That badge,” Joe muttered.“Get one made for me?”

Once we were inside, I spottedBastien at a table in the back, waiting for me. “He was messing with me,” Itold Joe. “He knew I’d have trouble getting in.”

“What’s his problem?”

I shrugged and headed towardBastien’s table, residual rage still clinging to my insides. Joe would ask meabout it, and I would worry about it. But later. Right now, we’d deal with thevampires. “I’m about to find out.”

I waited for Joe to slide ontothe bench across the table from Bastien before I followed suit. Once seated, Imet Bastien’s grimness with a smile. “Nice guards you had posted outside,” Itold him. “It’s really too bad—and totally your fault—that I had to kill themboth to get in.”

For a brief second his eyeswidened, his nostrils flared, and he half stood. Then he seemed to realize Iwas lying and dropped back down to his seat.

“Sorry man,” I said. “Justfucking with you.”

He tightened his lips. “Youhave your badge. A wolf sanctioned by my own council to do as she pleases tous. You can see how I might have believed you for a moment.”

“So that’s what you’re upsetabout?”

He did smile, then. “Upset,” hesaid. “Upset.”

The huge place was jumping withloud music, dancing, drunk humans, and hungry vampires. The scent of perfumeand sweat was strong, as was the underlying scents of vomit, old blood, anddesperation. I leaned toward him. “Can we talk somewhere quieter?”

“No.”

“Why are you being an asshole?I mean, other than the fact that you’re a vampire and it comes with theterritory.”

“There are daywalkers,” hesaid. “That’s why you’re here.”

I frowned. “Yes.”

“You’ve decided finally to huntthem down and help take care of the problem.”

“So you’re pissed because I’vebeen a little too busy to track the daywalkers? Seriously? Why didn’t you goafter them instead of waiting for me?”

“The council forbade it.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Thatcan’t be true. They told me—”

“They forbade,” he interrupted,through clenched teeth, “me to hunt. I was forced to wait for you to be ready.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I did. Twice.” He shrugged.“As you said, you have been…busy.”

“You could have sent someone tome, Bastien,” I told him, angry that he was trying to find reasons to blame me forshit. “You could have come to me. You could have texted.”

“I didn’t want to leave proofthat I’d contacted you,” he said, emotionless. “So I have been forced to waitfor you to…” He curled his lip and clenched his fists. “To “assemble your team”and make the daywalkers a priority.”