Free Death's Excellent Vacation by Charlaine Harris, Daniel Stashower, Christopher Golden, Jeff Abbott, Katie MacAlister, Jeaniene Frost, Lilith Saintcrow, A. Lee Martinez, Toni L. P. Kelner, Chris Grabenstein, Sarah Smith, L. A. Banks, Sharan Newman Page B

couldn’t hear the ghost.
You better hurry up and arrest her cousin, Don,
I thought.
    Bones gave me a knowing look. “Told you not to answer your mobile whilst we were on vacation, Kitten.”
    I sighed.
    Tammy ordered, “Take me back to my house,” but Bones ignored her, pulling onto the road and continuing in the opposite direction of where she lived.
    “It’s only for a few days,” I said.
    Or so I hoped, anyway.

Two
    MOST people who’d had three brushes with death—one involving a ghoul—would be scared into a very cooperative state. Tammy appeared to be channeling her inner Paris Hilton instead. Evidently she’d never heard the word
no
before. She was outraged that we didn’t let her go back to her house to pack, and then she was
really
upset once she saw the town we were hiding out in.
    “You’ve got to be kidding.” Tammy gave a disparaging glance at the rustic countryside and overgrown cherry orchard bordering the property where I’d grown up.
    “It’s in the middle of nowhere,” Tammy went on. “You probably have psychotic inbreds living in the woods!”
    She’s suffered a traumatic experience,
I reminded myself again, gritting my teeth.
Cut her some slack.
    Licking Falls
was
in the middle of rural nowhere, but that was the point. It might not look appealing to a young heiress, but for safety, it was ideal. No one would think to look for Tammy here.
    We’d rounded the last turn and were heading down the long gravel road that led to my old house when Bones abruptly stopped.
    “What’s wrong?” I asked, feeling his tenseness like invisible ants marching across my skin.
    “Your house isn’t empty,” he stated low. “And the occupant isn’t human.”
    “Let’s get out of here,” Tammy said, her voice rising. “Now!”
    I had my hand over her mouth even as Bones slid soundlessly out of the car. All we needed was for Tammy to start screaming to really alert whoever the undead intruder was. How the hell had someone beaten us here? We’d told no one we were coming! Instinct made me want to follow Bones, but that would leave Tammy unprotected. I glared at Tammy and ordered her in a low tone to be silent. The power from my gaze rendered Tammy mute at once. Then I let go of her mouth and pulled out a few weapons, all my senses directed toward the house half a mile up the road.
    Relief rolled across my subconscious moments later, causing me to lessen my grip on my knives. Bones must have killed the intruder. Being connected to Bones this way was like hitchhiking on his emotions. In situations like this, it also came in handy.
    I began to drive up the road again, ignoring Tammy’s frantic pokes on my shoulders. I’d compelled her to be quiet, but not to be still, more’s the pity.
    When I was halfway up the road, Bones appeared, a bemused expression on his face.
    “Your mum’s here,” he said.
    I’d slowed on seeing him, but at that, I slammed on the brakes. “She is?”
    Bones nodded and got into the passenger seat. “In the undead flesh.”
    “Catherine?” I heard my mother say, sounding as surprised as I felt. Of course. Even a hundred yards away, with her new hearing, she’d pick up my conversation with Bones as easily as if she’d been in the car.
    A lump made its way into my throat. “Yeah, Mom. It’s me.”
    I hadn’t seen my mother in months. Not since the night I killed the man who’d kidnapped her and forcibly changed her into a vampire. He’d done it just to hurt me, the bastard. It was a shame I couldn’t kill him twice.
    My mother was framed in the front door, watching me as I pulled up. The highlights had grown out of her hair, and her skin was already paler than it had been the last time I’d seen her. Feeling the aura of supernatural energy coming from her was something I didn’t think I’d ever get used to.
    “Hi,” I said as I got out. I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid she might push me away. My mother had always loathed vampires. Now she was stuck as