Blood Trail

essentially, given him a position of sorts within the pack. "All right."

    Daniel threw his arms around her legs with what came very close to a bark of joy, and bounded away, throwing an excited, "Come on!" back over his shoulder at Celluci, who followed at a more sedate pace.

    "Hey!"

    He turned, barely managing to snag the towel before it hit him in the face.

    Nadine grinned, tongue protruding just a little from between very white teeth. "You'll probably need that. And don't let him eat any frogs. He'll spoil his dinner."

    "I dunno. He's been coming for my whole life."

    Translation; three or four years. "Does he come very often?"

    "Sure. Lots of times."

    "Do you like him?"

    Daniel turned around and walked backward down the path, peering up at Celluci through a wild shock of dusty black hair. "Course I do. Henry brings me stuff."

    "Like what?"

    "Action figures. You know, like superheros and stuff." He frowned. "They chew up awful easy though." A bare heel slammed into a hummock of grass and, arms windmilling, he sat down. He growled at the offending obstacle then, having warned it against further attempts to trip him, accepted Celluci's offered hand.

    "Are you okay?"

    "Sure." He ran a little bit ahead then came back, just to prove he was all right. "I've fallen farther than that."

    Celluci slapped at a mosquito. "Is the pond far?" He pulled the squashed insect out of the hair of his arm and wiped the mess on his jeans.

    "Nope." Three jumps proved that an overhanging branch was still too high and he moved on.

    "Is it part of the farm?"

    "Uh-huh. Grandpa had it dugged a gizillion years ago. When Mommy was little," he added, just in case Celluci had no idea how long a gizillion years was.

    "Does Henry take you swimming?"

    "Nah. I'm not allowed to swim at night 'less everybody's there."

    "Isn't Henry ever here in the daytime?"

    Daniel sighed and stared up at Celluci like he was some kind of idiot. "Course he is. It's daytime now."

    "But he's asleep."

    "Yeah." A butterfly distracted him and he bounded off after it until it flew high up into one of the poplars bordering the path and stayed there.

    "Why doesn't he ever take you swimming in the daytime."

    "Cause he's asleep."

    "Just when you want to go swimming?"

    Daniel wrinkled his nose and looked up from the bug he was investigating. "No."

    The security guard at Fitzroy's building had already told Celluci that Henry Fitzroy seemed to live his life at night. Working nights and sleeping days wasn't that unusual but added to all the other bits and pieces - or to the lack of bits and pieces - it certainly didn't help allay suspicion.
    "Does Henry ever bring anyone with him?"

    "Course. Brought Vicki."

    "Anyone else?"

    "Nope."

    "Do you know what Henry does when he's at home?"

    Daniel knew he wasn't supposed to tell that Henry was a vampire, just as he wasn't to tell about his family being werewolves. It was one of the earliest lessons he'd been taught. But the policeman knew about the fur-forms and he was a friend of Vicki's and she knew about Henry.
    So maybe he did, too. Daniel decided to play it safe. "I'm not supposed to tell."

    That sounded promising. "Not supposed to tell what?"

    Daniel scowled. This grown-up was real dull, all he wanted to do was talk and that meant no fur-form. Vicki had been lots more fun; she'd thrown sticks for him to chase. "You mad at Henry 'cause he's with your mate?"

    "She's not my mate," Celluci snapped, before he considered the wisdom of answering the question at all.

    "You smell like she is." His brow furrowed. "She doesn't though."

    He had to ask. "And what does she smell like?"

    "Herself."

    This is not the type of conversation, to have with a six-year-old, Celluci reminded himself as the path opened out into a small meadow, the pond shimmering blue-green in a hollow at the far end.

    "Oh, boy! Ducks!" Daniel tore out of his shorts and raced across the field, barking shrilly, tail thrashing from side to side. The half dozen ducks waited until he was almost at the pond before taking wing. He plunged in after them, splashing and barking until they were out of sight behind the trees then sat down in the shallows, had a quick drink, and looked back, panting, to see if his companion had witnessed his routing of the enemy.

    Celluci laughed and scooped up the discarded shorts. "Well done!" he called. He'd felt a superstitious prickling up his spine when the boy had first changed, but it hadn't been able to