Death Curse: Chapter 15

[ratherastory]

Chapter 14

I awoke feeling as though my chest was being crushed. I wheezed, gasped, and flailed until I finally managed to dislodge Mister, who had decided to go to sleep on my chest. He grumbled at me and stalked to the foot of the bed while I checked for broken ribs. Finding none, I reached out and scratched him behind the ears. To my surprise, he let me, which tells me that something was up. Mister is usually more aggressive in his affections toward me, preferring the football method to the more conventional pet-and-purr routine of regular cats.

"I guess even you got worried, huh."

He head-butted me, which I took as a yes, then jumped off the bed and stalked out of the room, obviously having important things to get to. Cats.

I was actually feeling kind of shaky, and the thought of food and, more importantly, coffee, was really enticing. I showered as quickly as I could (the cold water wasn't nearly as pleasant now), shaved, and found some clean clothes before heading to the kitchen, brushing the tips of my fingers against the wall to help keep my balance.

Elaine was up before me, but not for long, judging by the state of her hair and the fact that she was still in a lavender tank top and a pair of grey cotton draw-string pajama bottoms. I found her in my kitchen, making coffee in my stove-top percolator.

"You save my life and you make coffee. Marry me?"

She flinched visibly. "A bit early to make that sort of joke, Harry," she said gently.

Sometimes, I can be a colossal ass. "Sorry." I seemed to be apologizing a lot lately.

The phone rang, and I leaped on the opportunity to get away from the whole pile of awkward I had managed to create with just one sentence. "I'll get it. It's been a while since I've been able to answer my own telephone." I hurried away before she could say anything else, and picked up the receiver.

"Dresden. How are you?"

"Heya, Murph. I'm okay, but judging from your tone, I'm wishing I'd had coffee before answering the phone."

She snorted. "Tell me about it. Look, I don't have time to talk right now. Are you feeling up to coming down to a crime scene?"

"Yeah, sure. Elaine patched me up like new, you saw. Where are you?" I grabbed a pen and a scrap of paper and scribbled down the address she gave me. It was near the docks.

Figures.

Elaine handed me a cup of coffee when I returned to the kitchen. "I don't suppose there's anything I can say or so to convince you to stay home and take it easy?"

"Not short of tying me to a chair, no. Besides, I'm kind of on a deadline here. I've only got a couple of days before this makeshift seal of yours goes bust, right? So that means I have to figure out how to get rid of this curse, and the best way to do that is to find the new vampire in charge."

She shook her head. "I don't like it. I don't have to tell you how dangerous and downright stupid it is for you to go off by yourself, right? The ritual could fail at any time. We'll probably have to do it again at dawn tomorrow, when the astral tides shift. If it wears off before then, you could collapse."

It wasn't exactly encouraging news. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I don't see what choice I have. The alternative is to stay here and stew in my own juices."

She made a move as though to reach out and touch my arm, but thought better of it and pulled her hand back to her face. "At least let me help."

"I can't take you to the crime scene. Murphy has enough trouble explaining me, let alone if I bring a hot young woman with me."

She ignored the comment. "I've got contacts. I'll see what I can get from them."

"What sort of contacts?" Okay, so maybe I've become a little paranoid in my old age. Being paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you, after all, and erring on the side of caution has never steered me wrong.

"Why don't you let me do some asking around, see if I can get started on the theory of this stuff. Even if you find the vampires, and even if they conveniently and politely tell you exactly what they're up to and how to stop it, it can't hurt to have a Plan B."

"All right." I tore my scrap of paper in half and wrote another number on the blank half. "Here's the number for Billy. Ask him to show you around the city. Your contacts aren't exactly local."

"The werewolf?"

"Right. He and the Alphas are always up for a good time of hunting evil things. I think they've been a bit bored lately anyway. It'll give them something new to chew on."

She groaned. "That's terrible."

I grinned. "Thank you, you've been a terrific audience. I'm here until Thursday."

"I take it back. You're terrible," she returned the grin. "Anything I should know about them? I didn't exactly have much to do with them last time I was here. A bit busy with other things, you know."

I nodded, not wanting to revisit her last stay in Chicago in too much detail. Too painful all around. "On that note, I have to go. Murphy hates it when I'm late."

"At least have something to eat." Elaine protested.

I was already shrugging into my coat. "I'll grab something on the way." I grabbed my staff, tucked my blasting rod into my coat, and headed out the door, only to have the world suddenly spin on its axis. I clutched at the door frame to keep my balance, and heard Elaine gasp behind me. A moment later everything righted itself, and I straightened, waving a hand at her. "It's okay, I'm okay."

"Harry?"

It's amazing how much she can insert into just one word. "Just got dizzy for a moment. I'm okay, I promise," I turned toward her and gave her my most winning smile. "I'll see you later."

She hesitated, looking as though she was just dying to say something, but apparently thought better of it. "Okay, Harry. Just be careful."

I grinned. "You know me."

Elaine gave me a rueful smile. "That's exactly the problem."

Chapter 16