“Seems you had a very enlightening day.”

“Shit, did you know I have a sister?”

Solaris took some powder out of a silk pouch and sprinkled its contents onto a charcoal briquette. Myrrh and frankincense simmered in the brazier. She took her time, her movements deliberate. Raven took the opportunity to calm down, watching the smoke swirl upward.

“Yes, but only recently was I able to receive that information, which was patchy at best. Frank filled in the blanks. More importantly, did Frank tell you what I confided to him? Those powerful sorcerers are close. I don’t believe they’re here on Mirabelle, but on Hannah’s Vineyard instead. More will die.” She paused. “Raven, there’s a deep hatred connected to Tobias.”

“Not surprising.”

A violent crash sounded, and broken glass flew into the room. Raven jumped up, the adrenaline rush activating her Lamai instincts. With long-reaching fingers, the intruder grabbed for Solaris, but missed his target. Raven lunged toward the trespasser, clutching his shoulders and flinging him back onto the couch. Silver-blue eyes stared back at her.

She muttered, “Derrick.”

As he struggled to reach Solaris, Raven could see his fangs had fully formed and he craved blood. Breaking free from her grip, he attempted to grab Solaris. He jumped and landed on the heavy desk, knocking over the brazier. Solaris prayed in the corner to her loa for protection.

With one flip of her wrist, Raven pinned him down. Her knee dug into his chest, her fangs unsheathed and ready to kill.

“No…” he pleaded. “It’s what he wants… Don’t!”

In an instant, an engraved silver blade sliced through the air and lodged in Derrick’s aorta. Enough blood spurted from the wound to indicate he’d already feasted tonight.

Solaris wiped the unknown victim’s blood from her face with the hem of her skirt.

“Are you all right?” Raven asked her trembling friend as she knelt next to Derrick, feeling for a pulse.

“Is he d-dead this time?” she asked.

“Yes. I’d say the combination of the magick infused into your blade and the silver itself killed him. He wasn’t that strong-yet.”

The door of Solaris’s office broke off its hinges as a massive, grimacing beast with golden eyes pounced on the desk, claws digging into the fine wood. The wolf howled into the night. His black fur shimmered in the lamp light. He began to tear at the corpse, ready to rip into its chest, but soon caught the scent of death in the air. In a glimmer, he changed to his mortal form and tossed the body aside like garbage.

“Are you hurt?” Bo asked, taking Raven in his arms, searching for any wounds she might have suffered. “Solaris, are you okay?”

Solaris paced. “I’m fine, Bo, but I’m afraid I’ve killed this man.”

“You had no choice.” Raven walked over to Solaris and gave her a reassuring hug.

“I suppose I’ll have to close early tonight,” she said. Picking up her phone, she hit the speed dial marked Victor, her head of security and a Lamai. “Clear the place, Vic, we’ve had an incident… That’s all right, you acted accordingly. You stayed at your post. I’m fine, but I need to fire Mick. He should have been in here.”

Bo surveyed the room. “Mick? Is he new?”

“Yes, he’s been here for a few weeks and is supposed to be at my side at the slightest hint of trouble. He’s Lamai, and,” she glanced at Raven, “well, I don’t have to tell you about your ability to hear sounds beyond a human’s capacity.”

Raven knew this event had taken its toll on Sol. She was a healer, and taking a life went against all her beliefs, even if that life was no longer human and she was acting in self-defense.

Raven nodded, looking sadly at Derrick’s body. He didn’t deserve this. “You should get cleaned up, Sol. I’ll call the office and get the body out of here and down to the morgue.”

“Damn! I can’t remember the last time I was attacked-by anything. I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” she said.

“Maybe you need to rework your charms around the place,” Bo remarked.

Solaris shot him a foul look.

He held his hands up in mock surrender. “I’m just suggesting,” he said.

Raven called out to her friend. “Hey, Sol-thanks.”

The priestess ignored Bo. “Don’t mention it.” She walked to the door, looked back and shook her head. “Mick!” she called as she stood by her office door.

“Yes ma’am,” a low voice grumbled.

“Get your things, you’re no longer needed here. Hey! What’s that crap under your nose? I told you, no drugs!” Solaris reprimanded.

“Miss Sol, I don’t do drugs-you had me tested a week ago. I-I don’t know what happened.” The young Lamai tried to explain his way out of this predicament as he wiped the white powder off his upper lip.

“I have zero tolerance here. I need to be able to depend on my people. Sorry, Mick,” she said as she headed for the stairs. “Get another blood test, and if you come up clean, I’ll give you a better reference. Otherwise, don’t list me as your last employer.”

Raven stared at Bo, unable to fathom what had just happened. “Derrick stopped me from killing him. He said, ‘That’s what he wants.’ This vendetta of his is connected to my father. Solaris was in the middle of explaining what she found out psychically when Derrick came crashing through the window. Courtier wanted me to kill Derrick-but why?”

Bo held her tightly. “I don’t know. But we’ll find out.”

“I have a sister,” Raven said, searching his eyes, hoping to find some sanity there.

Bo softly kissed her. “I know, sweetheart. I saw my grandfather this afternoon. He told me. According to him things are not as they appear to be. You and I must be careful.”

“I’m always the last to know,” Raven complained as she leaned into his muscular form.

Flashing lights blinked on and off, lighting up the night as the officers arrived at the scene. A lone partier stood on the corner, wistfully playing his harmonica. More and more, the influences of the south were making their way onto Mirabelle.

What else was in the winds? It had to be powerful magick, without a doubt, and men who knew how to wield it.

Gary Davis rushed in, his hair spiked with what looked like super bionic-strength hair gel. He’d apparently been out partying, though he was still on call. Raven’s young assistant almost plowed right into her.

“Whoa… I’ve got it, Davis. You can go,” Raven said.

His face lost all color as he recognized the victim. “I-it’s the guy-the missing body! H-how did he get here? What the hell happened? Y-you’re full of blood, Dr. Strigoi. Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, Gary, really. Go. I’ve got this.” She walked over to her co-worker and put her hand on his shoulder. “I’ll explain this to you someday soon. For now, go back to your date and don’t worry about me.”

He looked at one of the officers, shaking his head. “She never calls me by my first name. Shit, this must be bad.”

The officer shrugged, winked at Bo and began snapping pictures of the crime scene. Gary left the scene appearing more puzzled than when he walked in. Joe Menendez soon arrived, and he and Bo worked in concert, processing the scene and questioning any potential witnesses.

After they were finished, Bo dropped Raven off at her office, where she spent the next six hours performing an autopsy on the man she knew only as Derrick.

In a normal human body, the internal organs are of certain sizes and weights. The heart of an ordinary adult male, for example, would weigh about ten and one-half ounces. The liver, the largest internal organ, can weigh up to three pounds.

The organs in a vampire’s body are smaller, though, allowing room for the growth of arteries and veins. The exception is the heart, which has to pump the extra blood. It always doubles in size.

Always-no exception.

Raven and other Lamai born of different magickal or human beings had the same sized organs as a human, with only slightly larger hearts. Their cellular make-up changed due to the combination of human and magickal DNA.