Blood Lily (Lilith Adams Vampire Series Book 1) by Jenny Allen

weaving slowly through the dark country roads toward Duncan’s house again. Chance cut the lights as soon as they turned onto the last street. The car slowed to a crawl and Lilith scanned the neighboring houses. They were all dark. The night was quiet except for the faint echoes of dogs barking and cows mooing off in the distance. They parked the car on the opposite side of the shed, shielding it from the view of most of the houses.
    “Okay. I’ll go in, check the house and if it’s clear I’ll signal you. Then you can do your thing.” Chance reached for the door handle but Lilith stopped him with a hand on his arm.
    “I need to go in first.”
    Chance turned to look at her in disbelief. “Oh hell no.”
    She sighed and grabbed a hair tie from her pocket. As she pulled up her wild auburn curls into a bun she looked at him seriously. “Look. Spencer and Miriah have probably trampled all through there, but there might still be something important I can find. I can’t take the chance that you might compromise something that would tell me what is going on and I don’t exactly have time to teach you the basics of forensics.”
    His hand left the door handle and his face became all hard, serious lines. “I cannot take the risk that something or someone might be in there. If you’re dead then you won’t find anything anyway. Besides, Spencer and Miriah have probably done more damage than I ever could. I promise I’ll be careful but I can’t let you in first.”
    “Stop right there.” Her voice was iron strong and her mouth set in a hard line. The surprised look on Chance’s face seemed to indicate he wasn’t used to people disagreeing with him. He better get used to it fast. When it came to her work, she never let anyone compromise her scene. “I know Gregor sent you to keep me safe and I appreciate that, but this is me drawing the line.” She held up a hand to cut off his protest. “I investigate crime scenes every single day without macho backup. Gregor sent me to do a job too and I can’t do that with you underfoot. I’m going in. You can stand at the door. I am willing to indulge you’re overprotective attitude, but not when it comes to work.”
    Chance glared out the windshield sightlessly, every muscle in his face flexed and strained. She could feel the anger roiling off of him in waves. She could almost see the internal battle waging as he gripped the steering wheel so tight she thought he’d rip it right out of the car. Lilith sat perfectly still and tried not to show how nervous she was. Finally, he glanced at her and there was an entire novel of emotions in his face. His voice came out thin and forced. “Fine, but you maintain voice contact at all times so I know you’re okay. You clear a room, then I move in. You are to be within one room from me at all times.”
    She nodded in agreement, not quite trusting her voice at the moment. He still looked like a powder keg. Finally, t he anger leaked out of his muscles and he slumped back against the seat. His voice came out thin and tired when he finally spoke. “You’re even more stubborn than your father.” His smile was forced when he finally looked at her. There was something very heavy in those green flecked eyes, but they had work to do.
    Lilith looked him over once more and then crept out of the car and grabbed her aluminum kit from the back seat. Chance was all calm business when he pulled himself out of the tiny car. His eyes scanned the surroundings with that calculating look that screamed security. He bent down and pulled something from under the seat. The light from the half-moon high in the cloudless sky glinted off the gun in his hand.
    He didn’t draw the gun up to do a sweep around the house like they would in the movies. Instead he held it casually down by his side as he methodically made his way to the front door. She could tell every muscle in his body was drawn tight, just waiting to pounce. Lilith dug in her case, grabbed the