Magic Graves

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    Tiny gold sparks danced in Curran's grey irises. He was thinking dirty thoughts and the wicked edge in his smile made me want to slide next to him and touch him.
    We had to wait. I was pretty sure that having hot sex on the floor of Arirang would get us banned for life. Then again, it might be worth it..
    I raised my tea in a salute. "To our date."
    He raised his cup and we clinked them gently against each other.
    "So how was your day?" he asked.
    "First, I chased a giant jellyfish around through some suburbs. Then I argued with Biohazard about coming and picking it up, because they claimed it was a Fish and Game issue. Then I called Fish and Game and conferenced them into the Biohazard, and then I got to listen to the two of them argue and call each other names. They got really creative. Also the Mercenary Guild is having some sort of arbitration to decide who's in charge and apparently Jim think that I'm supposed to break that tie. Because I am a veteran and the Consort, and the Pack apparently owns some percentage of the Mercenary Guild."
    "Not looking forward to it?"
    "I'd rather eat dirt. It's between Mark and the veterans led by the Four Horsemen, and they despise each other. They're aren't interested in reaching a consensus. They just want to throw mud at each other over a conference table."
    An evil light sparked in his eyes. "You could always go for Plan B."
    "Pound everyone to a bloody pulp until they shut up and cooperate?"
    "Exactly."
    It would make me feel better. "I could always do it your way instead."
    Curran raised his blond eyebrows.
    "Roar until everyone pees themselves."
    A shadow of self-satisfaction flickered on his face and vanished, replaced by innocence. "That's bullshit. I'm perfectly reasonable and I almost never roar. I don't even remember what it feels like to knock some heads together."
    The Beast Lord of Atlanta, a gentle and enlightened monarch. "How progressive of you, Your Majesty."
    He cracked another grin.
    The male necromancer in the booth next to us reached under the table and produced a rectangular rosewood box. Ten to one, there was some sort of jewelry inside.
    "Your turn. How did your day go?"
    "It was busy and full of stupid shit I didn't want to deal with." Curran drank his tea.
    The blond woman opened the box. Her eyes lit up.
    "The rats are having some sort of internal dispute over some apartments they bought. Took all day to untangle it. "
    The woman plucked a golden necklace from the box. Shaped like an inch and a half segmented collar of pale gold, it gleamed in the feylanthern light.
    I poured us more tea. "But you prevailed."
    "Of course." He drank his tea. "You know, we could stay over in the city tonight."
    "Why?"
    "Because that way we wouldn't have to drive for an hour back to the Keep before we could fool around."
    Heh.
    A scream jerked me off my feet. In the booth, the blond necromancer clawed at the necklace, gasping for breath. The man stared at her, his face a terrified mask. The woman raked her neck, gouging flesh. With a dried pop, her neck snapped, and she crashed to the floor. The man dove down, pulling at the necklace. "Amanda! Oh my god!"
    Past him two pairs of red vampire eyes stared at us through the window.
    Oh crap. I pulled Slayer from the sheath on my back. Sensing undead, the pale blade of the enchanted saber perspired, sending wisps of white vapor into the air.
    The dull carmine glow of vampire irises flared into vivid scarlet. Shit. The restaurant just updated its menu with fresh human.
    Flesh boiled on Curran's arms. Bone grew, muscle twisted like slick ropes, skin clenched the new flesh and sprouted fur, and enormous claws slid from Curran's newly thickened fingers.
    The vampires rose off their haunches.
    Curran stood up next to me.
    I gripped the hilt, feeling the familiar comforting texture. Bloodsuckers reacted to sudden movement, bright lights, loud noises, anything that telegraphed prey. Whatever I did had to be fast and flashy. The blood alone wouldn't do it, not when every table was filled with raw meat.
    The window exploded in a cascade of gleaming shards. The vampires sailed through, like they had wings. The left bloodsucker landed on the table, the remnant of the chain hanging from its neck. The right skidded on the slick parquet floor and bumped into another table, scattering the chairs.
    I dashed to the left, pulling Slayer as I sprinted. Curran snarled and leaped, covering half the distance to the right bloodsucker in a