Part 41 (1/2)
”You, too.”
”So I'll see you Monday unless the world ends or something.”
”Yeah, or something.”
”You'll call me if I can help?”
”Sure.”
”Tony.”
”I promise.”
”You're lying.”
”I'm not.” If anything came up he thought an actor in the highest-rated vampire detective show on syndicated television could handle, he'd call Lee first.
”Well, thanks for letting me help tonight...”
Even if it wasn't my choice.
”... even if it wasn't your choice.”
Okay. That was a little scary. ”No problem.”
”I mean it.”
”I know.” He listened to Lee breathing for a moment, enjoying the sound.
”I uh, think my battery's dying. I've got to go.”
”Right.” And thank G.o.d for dying batteries, Tony thought, hanging up. So much more believable than ”there's someone at the door” or ”my appendix just ruptured.” He looked up to see Leah watching him, wearing a frankly speculative expression. ”Life was a lot easier when I thought he was completely straight,” he sighed, tossing plausible deniability into the toilet.
”If there's one thing I've learned in thirty-five hundred years,” Leah told him as they crossed the office, ”it's that almost no one is completely anything. We're in the minority.”
”That doesn't change the fact that life was easier when I thought he was completely straight.”
”Can't handle the thought of reality intruding on your fantasy life?”
”Something like that.”
”Listen, if Harry Potter and Gandalf do drop by, we're going to need a bigger bed.”
Tony ignored her. The moment the words had left his mouth, he figured that comment was going to come back and bite him on the a.s.s and, all things considered, that was barely a nibble. ”There's at least one dead out by Simon Fraser,” he told Henry as they exited into the outer office. ”And Amy says there's a s.h.i.+tload of injuries in a pileup on Boundary by the stadium.”
”We got lucky.” Henry dumped a dustpan of broken gla.s.s into the garbage and straightened. ”The residual power of the gate is keeping the death toll down by drawing them directly here where they can be immediately dealt with, and your forcing both weak points to blow open tonight made sure the explosions occurred when there was almost no one at either site. Things could have been a lot worse.”
”You had to feed off Kevin Groves.”
”I've fed off worse.”
”He's a tabloid reporter,” Tony muttered as he picked up Rachel's phone to call the security company, absolutely not thinking of what else Henry did when he fed. ”If there's worse, I don't want to know.”
Tony put down his toothbrush and stared into the mirror in Leah's guest bathroom. Quick shower to get the higher bits the scrubbing bubbles missed. Debris from the recent half dozen soft tacos-gone. Was there anything else he should do to prepare?
”Tony! Sunrise is at 6:52-pick up the pace.”
Apparently not.
Leah and Henry were in the bed when he got to the bedroom, carefully not touching, their respective powers dialed way back.
”Making sure there's no premature communication?” he asked, turning to stroke glyphs into the doorjamb with one toothpaste- covered finger.
”Practicing safe context,” Leah corrected. ”What are you doing?”
”Warding the room.” ”With toothpaste?”
”You didn't have any cough syrup.” With any luck, cavity protection plus whitening and mouthwash would work as well. ”This may be dangerous.”
”This? Using a vampire as a conduit to contact a Demonlord? Can't imagine why you'd think so, especially considering that the last time it almost happened you stopped it with your throat.” She folded her arms under the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. ”Tell me again why I'm going along with this?”
”Because you haven't said no to s.e.x in thirty-five hundred years.”
One dimple flickered. ”Well, it's not a good reason, but it's a reason.”
”And you don't want to die.”
”That's a good reason.”
Wiping the remains of the toothpaste on the towel wrapped around his waist, he set the tube down on the edge of the dresser and approached the bed. ”Henry...”
A pale hand rose to cut him off. ”If you hadn't convinced me, I wouldn't be here.”
”Sure.” He'd been hoping for some kind of rea.s.surance that this was the right thing to do. That attempting to contact Ryne Cyratane was the right decision. It seemed like a naked vampire was as much rea.s.surance as he was going to get.
Tony half expected commentary as he dropped the towel, but either Henry's presence or what they were about to attempt- metaphysically-kept Leah silent. He slipped into the bed on Henry's side as Henry shuffled over and let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. ”Okay. Henry has to be in contact with both Leah and me when this goes down, so I think we need to...”
”Relax.”
”What?”
Leah rolled onto her side and up on one elbow. ”You need to relax,” she said, sliding her upper hand along Henry's chest. ”You're not suddenly directing an X-rated episode of Darkest Night, so let's just forget about hitting our marks, shall we? We're taking part in an ancient sacrament. With a twist.” She frowned. ”And a small chance of death and dismemberment. You just lie back,”
she continued before he could respond, ”and think about whatever you have to. Leave this up to me; I used to do it professionally.”
Her superior tone brought him up to mirror her position. ”You're not the only one with a past.”
”In this bed? I wouldn't a.s.sume I was.”
She still sounded patronizing. ”Just remember, I know things you don't.”