Tooth and Claw (The Harry Russo Diaries Book 2) by Lisa Emme Page A

my hands and looked over at
Nash. He still looked like he was a bit dazed at the whole talking computer
thing. “The face of the ring was rather large and it was square with rounded
corners. It looked like it was some sort of enamel maybe, or a polished agate
with a pearl inlay.”
    “ I’ll do a search of all known symbols of fraternities
and professional organizations. ”
    “It could be a family crest of some sort too,” added Nash,
his detective instinct overriding his shock.
    “ Roger that. I’ll add family genealogies and heraldic
symbols to the search. It may take a couple of hours. ”
    Tess looked at me and then Nash, “So, who wants to watch a
movie?”

Chapter Nine

    The next couple of days were pretty quiet. Nash didn’t stay
for the movie, which was just as well, because it probably would have been
awkward when his sister, Christina, arrived for a ‘cooking date’ with Isaac.
There was definitely something going on between those two, although so
far the relationship had been strictly culinary, at least as far as I cared to
know.
    It had been a relief to just have a quiet evening in after
the last couple of nights, not to mention the fact that we gorged ourselves on
Coquilles Saint-Jacques - trust me you’ve never really eaten scallops until
you’ve tried them this way - and Duck Confit. Living with a ‘foodie’
vampire has its perks.
    Tess nearly busted a gut when I told her about my visit from
the Conclave Elders and what I had done to Elder Marshall. Christina had long
since gone home and Tess and I were just finishing up the dishes. It was only fair
since Isaac and Christina had done all the cooking.
    “Ohmigod! I wish I could have seen the look on his face
when you dragged him across the room,” Tess guffawed, slapping her thigh.
    Isaac on the other hand was flabbergasted. “You mean you
pushed him several feet across the floor and lifted him out the door?”
    “Well, I wouldn’t say I lifted him. It was a lot
harder than I thought and I couldn’t get him off the ground, but I gave him a
big enough push that it got him over the threshold.” I shrugged. I didn’t see
the problem. Isaac had told me to practice every day. “What’s the big
deal?”
    “The big deal , Harry, is that you shouldn’t be able
to move an object or a person of that size.” Isaac still looked a little
shocked. “Tomas has been practicing his entire lifetime and can, at most, lift
a large hardcover book.”
    Now it was my turn to be a little
shocked. “Well, you never told me I shouldn’t try to move big things.”
    “It seems it was a good thing that I didn’t,” Isaac said,
deep in thought. He was probably wondering just how many other ways I could be
a total freak. Good thing he didn’t know about the vampire lie detector yet.
    Just before Tess and I turned in for the night, Bryce chimed
in saying he had found a match to the sigil on the mystery man’s ring.
    “ Ever heard of Count Saint-Germaine or the Marquis de
Montferrat? ”
    “No. Should I have? Who were they and what do they have to
do with the ring?” I asked impatiently. I was tired and wanted to go to bed.
    “ Not they, but he. They’re the same person. He was also believed to be a Prince
of Transylvania, or that was the rumour in 1779, ” Bryce replied, modulating his voice
on the word Transylvania so he sounded like a bad B-movie vampire.
    “So wait a minute, are you saying that Harry’s mystery man
is supposed to be some ancient Prince?” Tess asked. “Is he a vampire?” She
looked at Isaac who put his hands up, signalling he was at a loss.
    Isaac had missed hearing about the mystery man earlier when
Nash was here, so I quickly filled him in. “But, this guy wasn’t a vampire,” I
added. “I’m sure of that.” And I would know since I have a built-in vampire
detector.
    “ I didn’t say he was. If you would quit interrupting me…. ”
Just how you make a computer generated voice sound snippy, I don’t know,