Free Summoning Sebastian by Katriena Knights Page B

not.”
    â€œYes, I am.” I grabbed my coat. He could argue with me about it in the car.
    Colin called Eric—apparently it was dangerous for me to hear Officer Harrison’s sultry tones over the telephone—and we met Eric at the police station just before midnight. Eric led us to a conference room, which was a few steps up from the usual interrogation room I tended to end up sitting in when I was dragged to police stations. Eric even brought us coffee. It was shitty coffee, but it had caffeine in it, so why fuss?
    Eric and Colin mumbled through some kind of male greeting ritual, which surprised me since Eric didn’t like Colin. Then again, Eric didn’t like anybody with fangs. He had a strong prejudice against Vampire-Americans. If he’d decided he needed Colin’s help, though, he had a vested interest in being civil. I fixed a cup of coffee for myself as well as for Colin, then turned a seat around and sat in it backward.
    â€œHave there been any similarities between the attacks?” I wasn’t quite sure why I asked the question, but it seemed to need asking, and if Eric would give up some of his super-secret police knowledge, I didn’t see how it could be anything but helpful. It had the added benefit of breaking up the testosterone-laden mumbling going on around the table.
    â€œLocation-wise, yes,” Eric answered, unfazed by what could have been construed as a rude interruption. “Not the same locations,” he added before I could point out that blatantly obvious fact. “Similar locations.”
    â€œHow so?” This was Colin, who was now sipping his coffee and listening with a deep frown, his eyes nearly disappearing under the dominant, furrowed display of his unparalleled ability to concentrate.
    â€œThree of the locations were near cannabis dispensaries. Recreational, not medical.”
    I rolled my eyes. I knew all this was going to come around to having something to do with pot. Because of course it did. “Vampires are fighting over weed? Why in the world? Do vampires even toke?” I glared at Colin. Obviously he wasn’t keeping me in the know about the vagaries of his species.
    â€œI assume some might,” he offered unhelpfully. “Is that the only common factor?”
    â€œNo. There’s also been several arrests for soliciting near all those same locations, both before and after the dispensaries opened.”
    â€œFor blood or sex?” Colin asked. I remembered the women we’d seen when we’d found the control chain, and felt like pieces were starting to make sense.
    â€œGood amount of both, it looks like.”
    Colin rubbed his chin. “Turf wars?”
    â€œMaybe. Vamps aren’t allowed to own dispensaries, but I’m sure more than a few work in them. Can’t hurt to keep the security beefed up in a place like that.”
    With a nod, Colin sat up straight and released part of his thoughtful glare. I could almost hear his forehead sigh in relief. “It’s a theory. I think it’s one we can work with.”
    â€œGood.” Eric looked pleased, maybe even enthused. I suddenly envisioned a vampire/human buddy cop movie forming itself between them. I shuddered.
    They were paying me no attention, though, which was fine with me. Bending their heads together over the table, they began to formulate a plan.
    I can’t say I was nuts about what they came up with. It made sense, though, so I went along with it.
    My face must have given something away though, because on the ride home Colin said, “Don’t worry. You’ll make a great hooker.”
    â€œGo fuck yourself,” I told him, and stared out the window while he laughed.
    He really is the shittiest of shitty boyfriends. But I’d been right—I was totally going with him.

Chapter Seven
    Q: So what exactly is your creative process? Some of these songs are pretty out there.
    A: Honestly? A couple hits off a