Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(91)

Gem chortled. “When he got bored, he put some of Wyatt’s personal things in there. Spooky got so mad that he hid Shepherd’s weapons all over the house. Viktor had to intervene before World War III broke out.” She rolled toward a beanbag chair, eyes on the big TV. “Oh, you have a good one on!”

Glinda the Good Witch waved her sparkly wand and made ruby slippers magically appear on Dorothy’s feet. Memories flashed through my mind of holidays with my daddy. He’d be out front, firing up the big grill to smoke a turkey while I stayed warm inside, watching The Wizard of Oz. I briefly wondered which I missed more—my father or the sense of normalcy.

On the L-shaped sofa, Claude was shirtless and sprawled out like a cat in the sun. Though he remained motionless, his nostrils were flaring. During sleepless nights, I had a habit of taking midnight walks around the mansion, and Claude had followed me on two occasions. He didn’t skulk in the shadows and hide his presence either. It should have creeped me out, but Claude sometimes had a quiet way of showing his support that I appreciated. His Chitah personality traits made him different from most men—he wouldn’t hesitate about entering someone’s room and offering physical comfort if he sensed they were distraught. Gem had told me that Chitahs had a thing with sleeping on one another—male or female—and there was nothing sexual about it.

Luckily, he hadn’t gone as far as climbing into my bed.

Claude slowly got up and swaggered toward the vending machine. “Give me a dollar,” he said, swatting Wyatt on the head. After inserting the bill and pressing a button, he turned around and tossed something at me.

I caught a package of cookies and nodded my thanks as he ambled back to the sofa, one leg of his grey sweatpants bunched up below his knee.

Wyatt patted the leather chair next to him. “Take a seat, buttercup. I’m doing some last-minute work for the trip.”

The chair creaked when I sat down. We hadn’t discussed the case at the dinner table. In fact, I didn’t really know anything outside of what Viktor had told me. “Who all is going?”

“You, Christian, Viktor, and Blue.”

“Not Shepherd?”

Wyatt cracked open a can of root beer. “Viktor spent a lot of time working through each case scenario, and Shepherd’s out with the rest of us. You’ll probably be up against one or more Vampires, so Christian’s obviously going, and you’re immune to almost everything. Blue can fly to safety and do surveillance, and Viktor’s going because he calls the shots.”

“How many Vamps do you think we’re talking about?”

Wyatt gulped down half of his drink. “Don’t worry, Shep’s gonna hook you guys up with impalement wood.”

“Why is Christian automatically in?”

“Charming, memory scrubbing… the usual. Plus he can break a man in two, so there’s that.”

“It’s Chitah and Shifter country up there,” Gem pointed out. “Well, that region anyhow. Technically it was once inhabited by an ancient race of Sensors before the settlers moved in. I’m not sure why they disbanded—”

“Enough with the history lesson, Professor Plum.” Wyatt rolled his eyes. “That girl was an encyclopedia in her past life.”

“Where in Canada are we going?” I asked.

Wyatt stretched. “New Brunswick. I’ve already got your fake passports and paperwork. I think you’re going to a private airport, so from there, who knows.”

“I still don’t get why Shepherd’s not going.”

Gem shrieked when Wyatt let out a shameless belch. “Caveman,” she muttered.

Wyatt flashed a grin and winked at me. “Shep’s a Sensor. He can’t heal like the rest of you. Blue and Viktor can do all that shifting. Anyhow, Viktor knows what he’s doing. He’ll have a tracking device so I can pinpoint your location. I need to stay here and man the station.”

“Sounds like a cop-out.”

“If you get yourselves in a pickle and I’m not here, who you gonna call?”

“Ghostbusters?”

Gem laughed. “She got you on that one, Spooky.”

It made me wonder who would have gone in my place had I declined Viktor’s offer. Shepherd was a tough guy, but going up against a Vampire was another matter. Claude would be a good contender given his Chitah speed and tracking ability.

I twirled a ballpoint pen around on the desk. “How cold is it there?”

He tossed his grey beanie aside and raked back his disheveled hair. “Well, it was twenty-five degrees today. The daytime isn’t so bad; it’s what happens when you’re stuck outside at night with no shelter, and it drops to four degrees. Just make sure no matter where you guys end up that you find shelter, even if you have to strip naked in a bear den and huddle together for body heat.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to join us?”

“No, but take pictures.”

I got up and rested my arms over the back of the chair. “Chitah country, huh?”

No wonder Viktor wanted me along. Not only did I have the power to blast a Chitah with my energy, but I was also immune to their venom.

“Ah, my hero!” Wyatt chanted.

I looked over my shoulder to see who he was talking to.

Kira floated past me with a tray in her hand. The smell of french fries quickly filled the air, and Wyatt’s eyes widened at the large bowl of what looked like homemade fries. They were steak cut and seasoned with salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.