Free Be Still My Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

slashed throats and all their blood was missing.
    Angus studied the photo. No pools of blood under the victims, so they hadn’t bled out where they were found. The police must have assumed the bodies had been moved.
    It was a typical vampire cover-up. Cut a throat so the fang marks no longer showed. The police had concluded the mafia was responsible, and that’s what they would have told Emma.
    Somehow, she knew the truth. The fierce love she’d felt for her parents had transformed into a fierce hatred of vampires. Like himself. Angus sighed.
    “This is strange.” Ian sipped from his drink as he rummaged through the pile of stakes. “They’re all labeledMum orDad .”
    “Her parents were murdered by vampires.”
    “Och, that explains her slaying.”
    “Aye, but I doona know how she figured it out. The Russians told her the mafia was responsible. Why would she suspect vampires? How would she even know we existed?”
    Ian shrugged. “Maybe she witnessed the attack.”
    Angus shook his head. “They would have never let her survive.” He double clicked on her personnel file to open it, then skimmed through it. “She was inEdinburgh when the attack took place.”
    Ian leaned against the desk. “But she’s psychic, no?”
    Angus glanced up from the report. “Ye may be on to something.” Had she somehow witnessed her parents’ murder in her mind? It would certainly explain her rage and need for revenge.
    “Did ye convince her to stop?” Ian asked.
    “No’ yet. She’s verra stubborn.”
    “Well, sheis Scottish.”
    Angus smiled. “Aye. She’s a fierce fighter, too.”
    “Gregori says she’s hot.”
    His smile faded. “Gregori will be lucky if he lives another week.”
    Ian’s mouth twitched. “He complained to Roman about you.”
    Angus shrugged and started typing an e-mail to Mikhail.
    Your next assignment: Locate the vampires who murdered Emma Wallace’s parents.
    It might be an impossible request, but Mikhail would give it his best shot. Angus clicked onSend , then noticed Ian was still hovering by the desk. “Anything else?”
    “Aye. Roman wants to see you. Shanna, too. She says it’s been six months since yer last checkup.”
    Angus shook his head, smiling. Was there anything Roman wouldn’t do for his wife? The man was so besotted, he’d actually opened a dental clinic at Romatech so Shanna could continue her profession in a safe place. Most Vamps had been a bit wary of having a mortal poking around their mouths, so Angus had been the first in line to show his support. Then he’d quietly suggested all his employees get a checkup. Anything to help Roman. The monk had saved Angus’s life and given him a reason to live. Angus wanted his old friend to be happy, but he couldn’t understand how marriage to a mortal could ever work.
    Mortals were so short-lived. So emotional. Their wounds were all recent and raw, whereas a Vamp had the luxury of centuries to cushion the blows.
    Emma Wallace was the perfect example. Her whole life was focused on a passionate quest for revenge. But her life was so short. She should be enjoying it, not squandering it away on some creatures that would still be here a hundred years from now. He really needed to get through to her. And take away the rest of her stakes. He located her profile sheet from the Stake-Out folder and found her address and phone number.
    “Hello?” Ian waved a hand to get Angus’s attention. “Roman is waiting for you. He’s at Romatech with Shanna.”
    “No’ tonight.” The fastest way to Emma’s apartment would be to call her and use her voice to teleport. But would she be there after his silly remark about wearing something sexy?
    “All right,” Ian conceded. “I’ll tell him ye’re joining us tomorrow night forMass. ”
    “For what?” Angus scowled at having his attention drawn away from the problem at hand. “Mass?”
    “Aye. Father Andrew does a Mass for us Sunday nights at eleven. Roman had a room made into a chapel