so it looked like I'd taken a bath in motor oil. Actually, from the smell, some if it probably was motor oil.
I needed to get out of sight as quickly as possible, so I hurried toward the storage room Eddie had commandeered as his command post. The door was locked—obviously Eddie and Kabita weren't back yet—but the lock was easy enough to pick. Less than a minute, and I was inside.
I shrugged out of my stained jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair, wrinkling my nose at both the smell and the mess. I repressed a shiver. It may be hotter than the inside of a sauna above decks, but below decks, the air conditioner was cranked to North Pole levels.
There was blood splatter on my shirt, too, so I unbuttoned it and tossed it onto my jacket, leaving me in my tank top. Fortunately, that was clean. Unfortunately my boots and jeans were still filthy and I couldn't exactly run around barefoot in my underwear. At least the dark colors hid the worst of the stains. I could get back to the stateroom to clean up, put on a change of clothes. Except I hadn't brought a change of clothes.
The door swung open, and Eddie scurried in, Kabita hot on his heels. "Dear God," he said reeling back. "What is that stench?"
"Vampire blood with a light dusting of motor oil. It's very "in" this season."
Eddie frowned at my jacket and shirt draped over the chair. "Good thing you have a penchant for black. Some of those stains are never coming out. You really should change. People might notice."
"Possibly, but I don't have any other clothes."
"You got him?" Kabita asked, ignoring the byplay.
"Yeah."
"Were you able to question him?"
"He wasn't feeling very talkative." I gave them both a quick run-down on the vamp, including the fact that it was a soul vamp.
"I don't like this," Eddie said with a shake of his head. "Something feels very not right."
"You're telling me." I gathered my filthy clothes. "I'm going to take a quick shower." It would get the worst of the gunk off my skin and out of my hair.
"I will have the concierge arrange for rush laundry service," Eddie said.
"Um, great." It would be better than putting bloody clothes back on. "Then I'll put in a call to Trevor. He needs to know about this."
Eddie nodded in agreement. "That's an excellent idea. Clearly there is a reason someone set that vampire loose on this ship, and I can't imagine it was a good one."
I nodded and started to exit the room, but Eddie's voice stopped me.
"By the way, you should both get ready for the ball."
I stared first at him, then at Kabita. She shrugged. I turned back to Eddie. "What ball?"
"Why, the Grande Steampunk Ball, of course. It's the biggest event of the season, and it starts in"—he glanced at his pocket watch—"three hours. We have just enough time to eat and get ready."
"Eddie, I'm not going to a ball."
"Why not?"
"For one thing, I don't have any regular clothes to wear, never mind a ball gown."
Don't worry," he beamed. "I can fix that."
I barely repressed a groan. With my luck, I'd end up in a hoop skirt. "For another, we're here on serious business."
"And that business is completed. The vampire is dead, the immediate threat dealt with. There is nothing more we can do at the moment. We might as well enjoy ourselves."
"He's got a point." Kabita gave me a wicked grin.
I glared at them both. "Fine." I may have slammed the door a little harder than necessary.
Back in Eddie's stateroom, I stripped off my boots and jeans, then put in a call to room service. I was starving. After being assured my meal would arrive within forty minutes, I hustled my way through a shower, finishing as the food arrived. My pile of dirty clothing, including my boots, had already disappeared from the middle of the floor.
Wrapped in one of the ship's wonderfully fleecy bathrobes, I perched on the edge of the bed to enjoy my meal and make a call to Trevor. He answered on the third ring.
"Are you eating?"
I swallowed a bite of my BLT. "Yes. I'm hungry
I needed to get out of sight as quickly as possible, so I hurried toward the storage room Eddie had commandeered as his command post. The door was locked—obviously Eddie and Kabita weren't back yet—but the lock was easy enough to pick. Less than a minute, and I was inside.
I shrugged out of my stained jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair, wrinkling my nose at both the smell and the mess. I repressed a shiver. It may be hotter than the inside of a sauna above decks, but below decks, the air conditioner was cranked to North Pole levels.
There was blood splatter on my shirt, too, so I unbuttoned it and tossed it onto my jacket, leaving me in my tank top. Fortunately, that was clean. Unfortunately my boots and jeans were still filthy and I couldn't exactly run around barefoot in my underwear. At least the dark colors hid the worst of the stains. I could get back to the stateroom to clean up, put on a change of clothes. Except I hadn't brought a change of clothes.
The door swung open, and Eddie scurried in, Kabita hot on his heels. "Dear God," he said reeling back. "What is that stench?"
"Vampire blood with a light dusting of motor oil. It's very "in" this season."
Eddie frowned at my jacket and shirt draped over the chair. "Good thing you have a penchant for black. Some of those stains are never coming out. You really should change. People might notice."
"Possibly, but I don't have any other clothes."
"You got him?" Kabita asked, ignoring the byplay.
"Yeah."
"Were you able to question him?"
"He wasn't feeling very talkative." I gave them both a quick run-down on the vamp, including the fact that it was a soul vamp.
"I don't like this," Eddie said with a shake of his head. "Something feels very not right."
"You're telling me." I gathered my filthy clothes. "I'm going to take a quick shower." It would get the worst of the gunk off my skin and out of my hair.
"I will have the concierge arrange for rush laundry service," Eddie said.
"Um, great." It would be better than putting bloody clothes back on. "Then I'll put in a call to Trevor. He needs to know about this."
Eddie nodded in agreement. "That's an excellent idea. Clearly there is a reason someone set that vampire loose on this ship, and I can't imagine it was a good one."
I nodded and started to exit the room, but Eddie's voice stopped me.
"By the way, you should both get ready for the ball."
I stared first at him, then at Kabita. She shrugged. I turned back to Eddie. "What ball?"
"Why, the Grande Steampunk Ball, of course. It's the biggest event of the season, and it starts in"—he glanced at his pocket watch—"three hours. We have just enough time to eat and get ready."
"Eddie, I'm not going to a ball."
"Why not?"
"For one thing, I don't have any regular clothes to wear, never mind a ball gown."
Don't worry," he beamed. "I can fix that."
I barely repressed a groan. With my luck, I'd end up in a hoop skirt. "For another, we're here on serious business."
"And that business is completed. The vampire is dead, the immediate threat dealt with. There is nothing more we can do at the moment. We might as well enjoy ourselves."
"He's got a point." Kabita gave me a wicked grin.
I glared at them both. "Fine." I may have slammed the door a little harder than necessary.
Back in Eddie's stateroom, I stripped off my boots and jeans, then put in a call to room service. I was starving. After being assured my meal would arrive within forty minutes, I hustled my way through a shower, finishing as the food arrived. My pile of dirty clothing, including my boots, had already disappeared from the middle of the floor.
Wrapped in one of the ship's wonderfully fleecy bathrobes, I perched on the edge of the bed to enjoy my meal and make a call to Trevor. He answered on the third ring.
"Are you eating?"
I swallowed a bite of my BLT. "Yes. I'm hungry
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