"We never saw her go in, so we assumed you went there to meet her," Brice admitted. But then he stopped, looking around to make sure no one was close enough to listen in. "She let me live. She told me she's tired of killing, and she let me live. She demanded my shirt because I put three bullets into her - "
"Which would've just pissed one of them off," Thane pointed out.
Brice nodded. "Yeah. She ripped a man's throat out with her hand. She snapped another's neck. She crushed the priest's heart in his chest while she was drinking from him. I panicked, and she let me fucking live!"
"In that first club?" Thane said. "I thought I was saving the thrall. I was nice to her, flirting with her and shit. She kissed me, but when her hand hit the ward, I froze. Full-on shock. She looked me right in my eyes, slapped her hand over my mouth, and asked me how many were in there. I told her. I didn't try to bullshit her because I was thinking too hard about how I could get away from her without causing a scene, right? It was like she respected that."
Brice nodded. "Did you really let her get away like they said, or is she just that strong?"
"I don't honestly know," Thane admitted. "She busted my ass, drained me a few times, and I was wiped the fuck out. I let my grip on her slip, she bolted, and I was a few inches away when she went through the window. I don't feel like I let her get away, but I know she drained me hard."
"Is she going to come after me?" Brice asked.
Thane could only shrug. The problem was that the thought made something twist in his gut. It felt a lot like jealousy. He didn't want Dahlia chasing another hunter. She was supposed to only notice him, damn it. They had something, even if he didn't know what the fuck it was. Never mind that she had a girlfriend she seemed pretty attached to, and she made no effort to convince him that things between her and Mei were nothing.
But he didn't want to share her with Brice too! Fuck that. Unfortunately, he also couldn't stop her. Whatever Dahlia was doing, she was going to damned well do it. He couldn't tell these people that she was over six hundred years old. He couldn't explain the things he'd already learned. So far as the rest of the Church knew, he'd only seen her that once.
When they reached the back of the building, he and Brice went their separate ways. Thane moved to the Bishop's door and knocked. Like always, the man took his time about calling for Thane to come in. When he stepped into the room, the man was sitting at his desk again. This time, the Bishop had a cup of coffee beside him and a stack of papers before him.
"Good morning, Thane," he said.
"Good morning, Bishop," Thane replied politely.
The man waved him to a chair, but didn't wait for Thane to sit before he started speaking. "Would you like to explain to me why you're talking to a demon?"
"I heard about Brice and the blonde," Thane told him. "A few seconds ago, actually. He told me they followed her from a pub. It happened to be the same pub I was at the day before yesterday. I also wasn't the one who picked the place." Thane pulled out his phone and set it on the desk between them. "I still have the messages from the woman I met on Tinder. She told me the time and the place. I'm starting to wonder if she was too good to be true."
"What do you mean?" the Bishop asked.
"Late twenties, attractive but not slutty, well educated, religious, and a teacher," Thane said. "Kinda sounds like the perfect woman, right?" Swiping at his phone, he woke it up, unlocked it, and then opened the app to show the Bishop what he meant. "I agreed to meet her for coffee. She picked the place and wanted me to go that day, but I was working until the next morning. I asked if she was available the next day, and she picked the time."
"And you're telling me this because..." the man asked.
"Because that's why I was at the pub," Thane explained. "That woman has marriage potential. She said she wasn't opposed to changing churches when she found that my tie to this one is because I have family in the clergy. Things were going great, too, right up until I admitted I couldn't have children."
"And the demon?" the Bishop pressed.
"Is she a shape-shifter too?" Thane asked. "The only woman I noticed in that pub was Cora. We talked for a while - I can tell you all about her cat. I was getting ready to ask her for a second date when it all went sideways. She slapped the shi - " He stopped himself. "Uh, the crap out of me. Got pissed because I led her on, should've told her I couldn't have kids, and I honestly thought it was just a bad date, sir. I never saw the demon. In truth, I was kinda trying to figure out if Cora was the kind of girl to invite me back to her place."
It was a lot of stretching the truth, and a bit of complete bullshit, but Thane delivered it as if that was exactly what happened. When the Bishop took his phone and began reading through their short conversation, Thane could tell the man believed him. Hopefully, he hadn't talked to anyone in the bar, because the whole incident in the bathroom would have been mentioned. But if he just read the messages, Thane should be safe.
Eventually, the Bishop handed his phone back. "Why do you think the demon was there?"
Thane licked his lips before answering. "She let Brice live. We talked on our way over here, and there's one thing we have in common. She caught both of us off-guard. We both froze, knowing she was going to kill us. I don't know if that negates her abilities or what, but it's all I've got."
"We think she's following you," the Bishop said.
"Then keep a tail on me," Thane told him. "The last thing I want is that creature to catch me alone, because she almost got me once. I know you say she's a vampire, but she's not like any I've seen before. I'm not sure I could take her down on my own, and I really don't want to try."
"Well, we found where she was staying. Checking the hotels in the area, there was a room registered to a Dahlia Sorensen. The man at the front desk said a tall blonde and an Asian woman had been seen coming and going for a week. That's right in the area, but they were gone by the time we got there. Priests found bloody clothes in the trash, including the shirt she took off Brice."
Which was something Brice had mentioned, so Thane just nodded. "Do we know which way they went?"
"We will," the Bishop assured him. "Should I assume you'll want to be called in on this hunt?"
"Yes, sir," Thane agreed, because he couldn't really say anything else.
"Even if it's your day off?" the man pressed.