Free Vampire State of Mind by Jane Lovering Page B

Google him?’
    Liam tapped a finger on his keyboard. ‘Couldn’t get anything. Maybe using a false name?’
    I chewed my lip. ‘Could be, I suppose. Not like an Otherworlder not to want us to know
exactly
who they are, though. Do you reckon Zan would have anything on him?’
    â€˜Hard to tell, if he’s using a false name. We could try getting a furtive picture of him, but that’s your job not mine. Last time I did the “concealed camera” thing all we got was four shots of the inside of my pocket and an inexplicable photograph of a pigeon.’
    â€˜Oh no, I am
not
creeping around taking secret photographs. Can’t you just describe him to Zan?’
    â€˜I’m not sure Mr Social Phobia has a baseline to go from, we’d have to start with defining “walks upright” and I haven’t got that many years left to me. Picture would be better. You could pretend it’s for your “album”. The special, secret one you keep under your bed …’
    I threw my phone at him. This was getting to be a pattern; if I wasn’t careful I’d need a new one.

Chapter Eight
    The Hagg Baba restaurant was located in one of York’s better streets, one where the cobbles still stood proud. Its simple, understated exterior bore only the carefully symbolic sign, and mirror-effect windows of any other York eaterie, only the folded-back shutters and faint slaughterhouse-whiff of the fresh blood cocktails gave it away as an Otherworld favourite.
    â€˜What’re these for?’ Rach fingered the black shutters as we went past.
    â€˜Blocking out the light. It’s as good as midnight inside for the creatures that can’t take daylight. Ghouls, that kind of thing.’
    â€˜Oh.’ She glanced around to see if anyone was looking, and then adjusted her underwear with a swiftly subtle hoik. ‘These tights are murder.’
    â€˜It’s worth it, you look very nice.’ Rach was clad from head to foot in borrowed dark-blue satin, while I wore a more serviceable knee-length dress in a kind of black-and-red embossed velvet material which looked as though it had been copied from the walls of a Chinese takeaway. My dark hair was piled up on top of my head and pinned loosely in place, a style that was meant to look carefree and relaxed but actually made me look more as though I’d been in the vicinity of a small detonation. I caught my reflection in a window and cursed under my breath. I’d made a real effort tonight, but I was still one windy day and a mixed-wash accident away from presentable.
    A uniformed man took our coats, and Rach hissed at me, wide-eyed, ‘Is
he
a vampire?’
    â€˜No. Human.’
    â€˜Oh.’ Disappointed, she stared out of the windows into the street outside. ‘How about him? Over there? The foxy looking guy with his arm around the blonde?’
    â€˜Human.’
    â€˜Oh,
blast
.’
    â€˜Can you really not tell? Doesn’t looking at a vampire make you feel all …’ I waved an arm in lieu of words, ‘
odd
?’
    Rach gave me a look. ‘You mean horny? I’ve heard about what they do, how they mess with your head to get you to – do whatever they want.’ She gave a half-scared, half-hopeful shiver.
    â€˜They can. But for some reason it doesn’t work on me.’ I shrugged. ‘Don’t know why.’
    She turned away to stare around the restaurant foyer. ‘But then you’ve always been a bit strange yourself, Jessie, haven’t you? Maybe that’s why.’
    Gosh, thanks Rachel.
    We were shown to our table (not a good one, right at the back, but at least handy for the toilets) and sat down. I adjusted my dress carefully, so as not to let the three tranq syringes I had in my pocket show, which would be the equivalent of pumping a shotgun in a crowded bar.
    â€˜What’s that lump in your skirt?’
    â€˜Ssssh, Rach! Just a