Magic Graves

"Because I was a hitman for over two hundred years."
    Tammy gulped. I didn't add what I knew; that Bones had been very particular about his contracts. He killed other killers, not innocent people, and most of those people were his own kind. That hadn't won Bones any popularity contests in undead circles, but if Bones thought someone deserved to die, he took the contract, no matter the danger.
    "In a few days, Don should have your greedy toad of a cousin arrested and then it will be safe for you to go home," Bones went on.
    "If you're a hitman, why can't I just pay you to kill Gables?" she asked, recovering. "My birthday isn't for another two months. Who knows if my cousin might try to kill me again, even if he is in jail?"
    My eyes widened at how causally Tammy broached the subject. Pass the salt. Kill my cousin.
    Bones shrugged. "He might, but you'll have to look elsewhere for a hitter. I'm too busy for that now."
    Tammy glanced at my mother, me, and then Bones before her face tightened up. "This sucks," she said, and ran up the stairs.
    Considering I could have been spending the next two weeks on vacation with my husband instead of looking after a spoiled rich girl who was being targeted by killers, I agreed.
    "It'll be all right, Tammy," I called out.
    An expletive was her response. Bones arched a brow and tapped the side of his eye.
    "Say the word, luv. I'll glare a whole new attitude into her."
    Vampire mind control would be the easy way out, but when did I ever take the easy way?
    "She'll come around," I muttered. Hurry up, Don.
    "I'll go talk to her," my mother said.
    Both my brows went up. "You think you can make her see reason?"
    My mother gave me a jaded look as she ascended the stairs. "You forget, Catherine - I've had a lot of experience dealing with a difficult child."
    Bones laughed, with a knowing glance at me that made my mouth twitch despite myself. Okay. My mother had a point.

Chapter Three

    I'd been in life and death situations since I was a sixteen, but those could be handled with some bravery - or recklessness, depending on who you asked - and my knives. A cranky, demanding heiress required a different set of skills. Ones I didn't seem to have.
    Day two during a conversation with Tammy: "So you're married to Bones, huh? How'd you manage to snag him? You know, with your red hair and white skin, you look like a big candy cane."
    Day three: "Boy, is Bones hot . If I were you, I'd be on him five times a day. If you two break up, send him my way, huh?"
    Day four: "Let me out of this room! I'll call the police, the FBI. Let me out !"
    By day five, when Don still hadn't located Gables, Bones and I were ready to take matters in our own hands. If my uncle, with all the resources of the military and the government behind him, couldn't find Gables, then he wasn't going to be found any time soon. Putting our lives on hold for a few days was one thing, but Bones was Master of a large vampire line. We couldn't hide with Tammy for much longer. Soon we'd have to get back to our usual routine; dealing with the intricacies and dangers of life in undead society.
    Not to mention, staying in a tiny house with my mother had ground my sex life to a halt. These walls were paper thin anyway, and with my mother being a vampire, anything we did would be as clear to her as if she were in the same room. The idea of her overhearing every last detail of me getting it on with Bones wasn't romantic, to say the least. Yeah, it was past time to be proactive about finding Gables.
    We drove down a barely used road that dead ended at a large, industrial warehouse. Judging from its exterior, you'd never guess this was a night club filled with creatures the average person didn't believe existed. It was called Bite. Bones had taken me here on our first date, but we weren't taking a trip down memory lane. We were here for information.
    Parking was around the back, surrounded by a thick line of trees that concealed the number of cars from anyone who happened to stumble across the lonely single road. For a secluded spot where immortals could let their hair down, Bite was perfect.
    Of course, the heartbeats coming from many of the people waiting to get in proved that Bite didn't only cater to undead partiers. They're the menu, with legs , Bones had said of the humans the first time he brought me here. It was a willing arrangement. A skillfully executed vampire bite could feel better than foreplay. Plus, some humans hung around vampires