He shrugged me off, “I’m not part of their clan, and they have no jurisdiction over me.”
Staying crouched behind the car, I watched as the Russian casually walked past the clinic and turned around, while obviously watching the proceedings.
When he returned, he knelt down beside me. “Let’s go see what’s going on. The doctor’s office window is off to a small garden, maybe we can listen in.
Making our way through to the garden from the next street over, I found myself wishing for the tennis shoes and jeans I’d worn before, not my suit.
I could hear voices before we even neared the window. Alexei sucked in a deep breath before shaking his head. There were some things you just didn’t do and eavesdropping on other moroi was definitely one of them.
I had to know though. I risked death by doing this, but I had to hear the truth.
As Alexei took off, a woman’s voice cracked like a whip from inside. It was Elsbet. “...am always doing the dirty work. Me. Don’t tell me you didn’t want this just as much as I did. Only I had the stones!”
“There’s no need for vulgar language. I’m trying to protect the Clan, and I need to know the truth to do it.” Aurev told her, deadly steel in his voice.
The window was opened outward, and a puff of smoke billowed out. It was the same kind Dr. Seals smoked.
“Please, you’re burning her. Please take the handcuffs off. Please?” Mary pleaded with him.
He ignored the doctor, “Tell me when this began.”
Elsbet cried out, and fear went up my spine.
Was he torturing her?
“Put the shields on her wrists.” Movement came from the room. “I’d like to get to the bottom of this, and I’ll do that with or without your help.”
“For you. I did this—everything I’ve ever done has been for you.” Her defiance softened. “But instead of rewarding me or finally seeing me, you try to arrest me. You chase me, you burn me with silver! You’ve never appreciated anything!”
“I know how smart you are. I know you deserve better. I thought I was progressive, but instead, I’ve found myself tripped up by the human world. But Elsbet, you never asked me for more. Why didn’t you ask for more?”
A mournful sob was taken away by the wind. “You should’ve known what I wanted.”
“Maybe,” his tone soft, but unyielding.
There was a long pause in which the door opened and closed again.
“Where did you take Mary to?” She asked.
Aurev’s baritone, replied, calm, careful, “She’s just outside so that you and I can talk alone. I can’t turn a blind eye to what you’ve done. You abused your position in Chronos to take advantage of your progeny. You falsified documents, you lied, you betrayed the entire clan and me, not to mention your family.”
Peeking in through the window, I caught a glimpse of the personal assistant in the small office. She’d always been an elegant, sharp and shrewd woman. Her dark red hair lay slack in a simple ponytail instead of the usual perfect coif.
Her emerald eyes were defiant and her manner formal.
The guards had shackled her wrists and ankles.
Seeing Elsbet like this, in silver chains that burned her skin, made me cringe.
Aurev frowned at her. “You’re a high-ranking member of the Clan and Chronos, but this is treason.” He paused, “Can you tell me your side of the story, starting at the beginning?”
She shook her head, her beautiful eyes sparkling as they met his. “I know you must hate me. I know I’ve done something…unforgivable…but you have to help me.”
“I’ll do my best by you. But I’d like some answers.” My gaze flipped between her mascara smeared eyes.
Shaking the handcuffs again, she spoke fiercely, “I love this clan. I’ve served you for almost three hundred years. I’ve always been loyal.”
“I know,” he told her softly.
Her gaze roamed the room, and she sucked in a calming breath before speaking. “The Butcher has been a menace since I can remember. She’s murdered hundreds, maybe thousands of moroi and many, many more humans.” She gulped before meeting his eyes again. “She killed two moroi that I created, TWO. They were tortured, experimented on and then systematically murdered. And no one batted a damn eyelash.”
Her voice sent chills up my spine.
“Did you know Amy was my maker?” He asked.
Snorting out a sardonic laugh, she nodded. “Yeah. I’ve known for a long time. Do you remember in the 1970s, in Lebanon, Amy was captured? Caught and released after killing several moroi and humans yet again. And I remember you saying, ‘Something needs to be done about Amelia.” She shook her head, “So, I did. I contacted Mary, who’d been researching the change of humans into moroi, legally, of course. I asked Mary to help bring that murderess to justice for what she’d done. Mary found primates in Africa that carried a disease. Amelia was working in Johannesburg and Forest made sure Amelia used some of those primates in her lab. The jump from primate to human was all Amelia. She’s the one who spread the disease.”
Elsbet shook her head, her eyes staring intently at the desk. “We never knew it would be that bad. We hadn’t thought that humans would spread it—all—over—the—world so quickly.”
They sat in silence, Elsbet’s own judgment hanging on her shoulders.
Finally, when she gazed back up at her maker, she spoke again, “I’ve donated hundreds of millions of dollars toward curing AIDS, and it’s cured now.”
“Not specifically because of you.”
“No, I know that what we did was terrible, but what Amelia did was worse. She intentionally spread the HIV virus.”
“Okay, so what about OVC? The vampire plague?”
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I hate that word—vampire.”
Aurev raised a brow and waited for her to continue.
She frowned. “Amelia was responsible for murdering millions of humans, and no one cared. The freaking GC went on as if nothing happened. They knew she’d done it. Mary, Forest, and I all made sure that everyone knew who was responsible.”
“Because they thought I was giving the orders?”
“Yes,” she gasped out. “But she went free and more moroi and humans were tortured and murdered. I couldn’t let it stand.”
“So, how did OVC come about?”
“Aurev,” She pursed her lips until they looked like a bow. “I just wanted to make things right. At first, everything was hypothetical. Mary had been leading the moroi DNA research, and I asked her if there was a disease that left humans unharmed but hurt moroi. She said there were a few viruses that kind of did that, but nothing was lethal. Time went on, and I forgot about that conversation. Then I got a phone call. She said that she’d figured out how to use different pieces of viruses to create one deadly disease.”
Craning my neck, I could see my dark angel’s back. He rocked back stiffly in the doctor’s chair, fingers drumming the desk when the red-head stopped talking.
“Did Mary know that these orders were from you?”
“I…No, but you’d said that something needed to be done. You said that.”
“Then what happened?”
“I gave Mary the go-ahead to begin her work,” Elsbet’s words reluctantly left her lips. “She thought you’d given the order.” Looking up at my Aurev from beneath her lashes, she continued. “It took several decades. The virus was based on the HIV virus in primates.”
“Did at any time Mary question you about her work?”
“Not directly, but when she was reluctant, I reassured her that however distasteful, it needed to happen.”
“You do understand that there are only a handful of moroi that are Amy’s age? If any of the elders found out what you have done, what I allowed…”
She interrupted him, “You’re not at fault! I would take the blame.”
Aurev held up one hand, “No. I am responsible for my Clan members’ actions. If anyone found out what you and your progeny
have done, I would be held responsible. I am responsible for trusting you.”
Fear crept up my throat, and I tried to swallow past the lump. There would be no good outcome for this situation. Silently, I fell back into a crouch below the window. When one of the guards knocked and interrupted, I carefully made my exit.
Meeting up with Alexei down the block, I spotted several cigarette butts littering the ground beneath his feet.
“Are you okay?”
Nodding, I swallowed hard and my eyes pricked with tears of relief. “I heard enough.”
The Russian flicked his smoke and ground it into the dirt with his boot.
Voices could be heard, and down the street, we could see a gap between the building and the police vehicles.
Dr. Mary Seals stepped out, attired neatly as usual in a deep purple suit and matching high heels. Guards surrounded her; she looked tearful and her face blotchy.
My breath caught in my throat as Aurev stepped into the sunlight, his face grim, body language unreadable. The big boss wore one of his tailored suits and matching fedoras. He had the nerve to tell me I dressed in the past, when he still wore a hat everyday.
My heart thudded as I watched. Aurev conversed with the guards before placing the doctor in special moroi handcuffs and loading her into an unmarked car.
When Aurev straightened, his gaze landed on Alexei. The Russian decided it was time to leave and darted away through an alley.
Aurev hesitated before searching the area.
When his eyes landed on me, I stiffened, and he called out my name, “Hazel!”
Holding my ground, I felt my lip tremble and steadied myself.
Aurev held his hat as he jogged over before slowing to a walk.
“I’ve been sick with worry. I tried calling you.” He said as he neared me.
I covered my face with my hands, and tears sprung to my eyes. I let out a loud sob but shook my head. “I’d thought it was you…but Elsbet…” I finally managed to gasp.
Nearing me, he said, “It was Elsbet. I knew I had a traitor in the top ranks of Chronos. After looking at the thumb drive you gave me and talking to a few people, I caught my assistant handing out orders I never gave.”
Wiping my face with my hands, I managed, “You should’ve confided in me. I could’ve helped.”
Aurev wrapped me in his strong embrace, the scent of home and rain comforting me. “Yeah. I think that goes both ways. I wish I’d had you on my side from the beginning.”
I looked up into his face. “Then why’d you send me away? Do you really want me to learn to live on my own?”
“Partly, but mostly I wanted to keep you out of this mess. I couldn’t risk losing you.”
“Elsbet told me you blamed me, she said you had me locked in your apartment to await punishment. Did you ever really think I was the traitor?”
He shook his head and laughed. “No, no. That’s all Elsbet. After looking at the thumb drive, I had my suspicions. Then you disappeared, and I thought she’d done something to you until I traced you to Trenton.”
Holding onto his lapels, I listened to his heartbeat. “I was outside Mary’s office. I heard Elsbet confess to you.”
“I know. I felt you.” He leaned away and touched my cheek with his finger. “Come with me. Let me explain everything.” My hand fit perfectly in his.
As we began walking back to the clinic, he spoke, “This is a terrible business.”
“Ms. Smith ordered Dr. Seals to create the disease,” I said matter of factly.
“Yes, what a waste,” He sighed, his eyes downcast. “I made Elsbet over two hundred years ago. I thought I could trust her. I thought that if anyone betrayed me, betrayed Chronos like this, it wouldn’t be her.”
We stopped near a black BMW. Aurev took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles. “I know I was heavy-handed before, but you were acting so strangely, I couldn’t figure out what was going on with you.”
I breathed out a laugh, “You can’t always protect me, you know that? You’ll need to trust me, confide in me.”
“I know, we both do.”
Shifting, I searched the quickly emptying street as all the vehicles began to disperse.
“I can’t go back to New York with you,” I told him after clearing my throat in emotion.
Shaking his head, he asked, “Why not? I love you. Being apart, worrying, I don’t ever want to feel that again.”
“I love you too.” I couldn’t look at him, it hurt too much. “As much as I hate to admit it, you were right. I can’t even function on my own as a moroi. How can we truly be partners when I’m such a failure?”
Gently cupping my face, he frowned. “Any fault is because of me.”
My voice was muddled with emotion, and I tried to clear my throat, “I need to find my own place in the world.” Tears overflowed and began to run down my face.
He grimaced. “I never meant that. I was trying to get you away from Chronos, away from the traitor.” Running a hand through his stylishly cut dark hair, he let out a shaky breath. “Just come back, come back to me.”
“I will. I need some time.” My heart skipped a beat at my own words, but I’d never been one to shy away from the truth and what I needed to say.
A single tear ran the length of Aurev’s chiseled cheek, falling into his mouth.
I’d never seen him cry before.
“All right, if that’s what you want.” He told me.
Shaking my head, I didn’t trust myself to speak anymore.
I began walking away, but turned back when Aurev called out to me.
“Here,” He held my passport, ID and credit cards. “Elsbet had this in her bag. I hadn’t known she’d taken them.”
Sighing, I took the blue book and cards. I wrapped my arms around his trim figure one last time. Squeezing me tightly, he kissed my face.
“I’ll be waiting.”
I smiled and nodded before pulling myself onto my tippy toes. I kissed his soft mouth, our lips slightly parted before pulling away.
“I just can’t believe Elsbet framed Amy,” I said.
My dark angel shook his head, “She didn’t think Fred, I or the Global Council would ever do anything about Amelia…Unfortunately, I guess she was right. It just wasn’t in us to try to rein her in. We couldn’t unless she became a major threat. Elsbet made sure Amy would become what all of us feared she could be.”
“Hmm…” I thought. “All these years.”
He tilted his head and tapped his ring against the open door of the car. “You’re stalling, are you sure you don’t want to come with me?
“I’m sure, but this isn’t goodbye,” I told him.
“Well then, I won’t say it,” he smiled and touched my cheek in a soft caress.
I turned and headed down the street to my hotel. I knew that if I stayed with him one more moment that I would get into his car. If I got into his car, I wouldn’t be able to leave his side. I wouldn’t do what I needed to do.
Back in my room, there was a single sheet of paper slid under my door.
It read:
Hazel,
It’s been fun. You know where to find me if you need me.
- Alexei
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Everything flows and nothing abides, everything gives way, and nothing stays fixed.”
– Heraclitus, Greek philosopher.
Aurev’s smile played in my mind as I hopped my flight to Thailand. I’d always been a decisive person until love entered the equation. Then I became a mess and began second guessing myself.
I needed to prove that I could live on my own before coming back to New York, and if Aurev still wanted me and still loved me, then we could be together.
The timing had just never been right.
I could tell myself and everyone else that I needed space, or that I needed to be on my own, but in my heart, in my soul, I knew what my hesitation was: Love.
I thought that losing Leo had been the darkest moment of my l
ife. But that love was nothing compared to what burned inside me for my dark angel. If I allowed myself to fall into that black hole of deep connection with Aurev, there was no way I could make it out alive again.
Getting drawn into Aurev, I was as helpless as a moth being drawn into the flame.
Laying there in bed, I second-guessed my decision to walk away from my dark angel. After tossing and turning all night long, I walked out of my small cabin and down to sit in one of the hammocks on the empty early morning beach.
Small crabs scurried in and out of holes in the sand as I swung in a gentle breeze. I’d thought that in running away to this beautiful place, I could run away from myself. This thought made me laugh cynically.
When an older man walking along the beach smiled and spoke to me in French, “…And my question is why such a beautiful young woman would be alone. But, finally, I figured it out. You are on your honeymoon, but the wedding did not happen.” He told me.
I tilted my head and answered him back in French. “No, nothing like that.” I smiled sadly.
He sat on a large square bench near my hammock. When I noticed no one about, save the clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen of the resort, I moved to sit next to him.
“Maybe you can cheer me up a little,” I said, smiling and calling up glamour to make him forget me and the next several moments.
The man stilled, his tanned leathery skin going slack. Fear and a bit of anxiety ran through me but I called up my courage.
Shifting to sit on my knees, I carefully tilted his head back and focused on the blood running through his veins.
My fangs refused to obey, so I closed my eyes and thought of Alexei and the way he’d so easily given his blood to me; that spicy human scent of his, the way he roughly kissed me in that roguish way of his.
My fangs finally obeyed, sliding out. Careful not to touch the man too much, I bit him and began to drink.
However, my gag reflex began to kick in when I smelled the sea salt on his skin mingling with blood and sweat from the tropical heat. He didn’t smell bad, but the entire situation disgusted and sickened me.
Shades of Red Page 61