Elena cocked an eyebrow. “Where's
the proof?"
She was right. I didn't have any. It was simply a matter of my word. "I think you're lying,” Elena accused angrily. I shot up from my seat. “What?"
"You heard me. I think you had some sort of vampy craving and wandered off in the middle of the night,” Elena theorized. “But you bit off more than you could chew and got your ass kicked. And now you're trying to blame it on Lucas."
"How can you accuse me of that?” I asked in disbelief. "He sent a swarm of Sprites to kill us,” Toby pointed out. "You don't know that,” Elena countered. “From what you and the Goblin said about the interrogation of this creature—and might I addillegal interrogation—it would have said anything to save its life. It gave you Lucas’ name and suddenly the same person snatches the Vampire out of her apartment?” She crossed her arms. “I find it a little hard to swallow." "Ease up, Crusty,” Karl said, charging across the table toward Elena. “Those friggin’ Sprites did try to kill us! I was there.” He stepped back and kicked the Sprite's jar for good measure. “And suckhead may be a cold-blooded killer, but she isn't a liar.” The Goblin let his words die realizing he was defending me. Spinning on his heels, he gave me the hairy eye. “Wait a minute. You hate me. Why the hell am I defending you? She's a liar and a bigot!" "Shut up, Karl,” I spat out of habit.
"All right,” Maynard said, finally intervening. “I've heard enough. Knock it off,” he looked to me and then to Elena, “bothof you."
I looked angrily at Maynard while pointing at the Witch. “What isshe doing here anyway?" "She's here to help,” Maynard said with a grin. “And you should be grateful for that." My mouth dropped open. “What?"
"She got your and Toby's suspensions dropped,” Maynard explained. Lifting my hands in surrender, I dropped back onto my couch. Apparently I had been taken from my reality and returned to Bizarro World. “I don't understand." Maynard held up his hand and nodded. “Be patient.” He reached into his pocket and produced two black billfolds. Flipping them open, he revealed our gold badges and Brimstone identification cards. Setting them on the coffee table, he slid them to us. “I sent her in to take a look at that Vampire nest. She confirmed your conclusion that a Cleaner Witch couldn't have created that magnitude of spell. She also found that the Vampire we have in lock up, Garrett Asp, was the former nest's Master. He corroborated the facts in exchange for a plea bargain." I knew all of this. But beyond my conclusions about the nest's fate, I hadn't reported any of it to
She was right. I didn't have any. It was simply a matter of my word. "I think you're lying,” Elena accused angrily. I shot up from my seat. “What?"
"You heard me. I think you had some sort of vampy craving and wandered off in the middle of the night,” Elena theorized. “But you bit off more than you could chew and got your ass kicked. And now you're trying to blame it on Lucas."
"How can you accuse me of that?” I asked in disbelief. "He sent a swarm of Sprites to kill us,” Toby pointed out. "You don't know that,” Elena countered. “From what you and the Goblin said about the interrogation of this creature—and might I addillegal interrogation—it would have said anything to save its life. It gave you Lucas’ name and suddenly the same person snatches the Vampire out of her apartment?” She crossed her arms. “I find it a little hard to swallow." "Ease up, Crusty,” Karl said, charging across the table toward Elena. “Those friggin’ Sprites did try to kill us! I was there.” He stepped back and kicked the Sprite's jar for good measure. “And suckhead may be a cold-blooded killer, but she isn't a liar.” The Goblin let his words die realizing he was defending me. Spinning on his heels, he gave me the hairy eye. “Wait a minute. You hate me. Why the hell am I defending you? She's a liar and a bigot!" "Shut up, Karl,” I spat out of habit.
"All right,” Maynard said, finally intervening. “I've heard enough. Knock it off,” he looked to me and then to Elena, “bothof you."
I looked angrily at Maynard while pointing at the Witch. “What isshe doing here anyway?" "She's here to help,” Maynard said with a grin. “And you should be grateful for that." My mouth dropped open. “What?"
"She got your and Toby's suspensions dropped,” Maynard explained. Lifting my hands in surrender, I dropped back onto my couch. Apparently I had been taken from my reality and returned to Bizarro World. “I don't understand." Maynard held up his hand and nodded. “Be patient.” He reached into his pocket and produced two black billfolds. Flipping them open, he revealed our gold badges and Brimstone identification cards. Setting them on the coffee table, he slid them to us. “I sent her in to take a look at that Vampire nest. She confirmed your conclusion that a Cleaner Witch couldn't have created that magnitude of spell. She also found that the Vampire we have in lock up, Garrett Asp, was the former nest's Master. He corroborated the facts in exchange for a plea bargain." I knew all of this. But beyond my conclusions about the nest's fate, I hadn't reported any of it to