by Rhys Lawless
Well, there was no turning back now. Once I’d walked through the door, everyone knew I was here, and they’d be on to me before long.
Surely, as if on cue, I felt the emotional presence of five vampires around me.
“Darius is expecting me,” I said.
No response came through, as if they couldn’t care less about me. They probably didn’t.
“He’s arranged for this meeting,” I insisted.
There wasn’t a vampire in the world that could say no to me. And if the present ones were tempted, they would find out just how powerful I was.
“Time’s ticking, and I don’t think he’ll like to be kept waiting,” I said.
One of the vampires, a darker shadow in the shadow of shadows, stepped in, and I felt his cold hand on mine. I pulled it away.
“Darius is expecting you. He’s not expecting those,” he said and tried to reach for me again.
“Fine,” I said and let him unclip both my spellbooks.
I already knew I was in deeper shit than I’d wanted, but I had to see it through now or everything would have been for nothing.
“Darius will see you now,” the same vampire said, and he yanked me towards the door I knew was on the other side of the entrance.
We went down the first set of stairs, and the vampire tapped on another door in a pattern before it was opened by another vampire behind it.
My vampire guide dragged me through a tunnel, and once we reached the end, we descended another set of stairs before we came out into the clearing.
I still couldn’t see a bloody thing, but I was glad to know that the architecture of the place hadn’t changed in the slightest since I’d been here before.
The edge of the clearing was full of vampires. I could feel their presence, but navigating through their emotions would drain me, so I didn’t dig any further.
“Well, well. Look who’s back.” I heard the husky voice of someone that echoed around the room.
I turned my head from one direction to the other, trying to locate Darius, but it was pointless.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot you don’t have a vampire’s sight anymore,” Darius said, but he didn’t sound like he was sorry in the slightest. “Light the room,” he ordered his lackeys.
I expected to find torches lit everywhere around the room, held by Darius’s clan, but with a sudden flicker, rows of LED lighting illuminated the room, washing the cavern with a subtle but consistent blueish light.
“Is that better?” Darius asked, and I turned around to find him sitting on his throne made of rock with Easton tied up next to him and held in place by two vampires.
I did a quick scan around the edges and there were more than a hundred or so vampires in attendance, all keeping their uneasy glares on me, probably hoping Darius would allow them to feed on me after he was through with me.
“Much,” I replied and looked back at him.
His hair, once held in a bun, was now draped, framing his face with its dark color. His green eyes were reflecting the LED lighting, and my whole body froze under his gaze.
“It’s been a long time,” I said to him.
Darius shrugged.
“Not for me it hasn’t. Or have you forgotten how immortality works?”
I smiled. “I certainly haven’t. But considering how long your vampires live nowadays, I wouldn’t really call that immortality.”
A hiss sounded in my right eardrum, but I ignored whichever hurt, fragile vampire couldn’t hold their natural reflexes in.
Darius rolled his eyes.
“You think insulting us will get you further than kindness?” he asked.
“That’s a question to ask yourselves, really, isn’t it? Considering…well, everything.”
“You wanted to talk to me?” Darius huffed, probably thinking the same thing as me. There was no point beating around the bush or opening old wounds. Not that Darius was great at putting things behind him. “I’m all ears.”
I bit back the urge to make the obvious joke, partly because I wanted to get to the subject and get out of there, but mostly because his ears were covered by his hair. I took a few steps towards him.
His guards moved closer to me, too, defense on the ready in case I tried to hurt their leader.
“Well, I was hoping for a more private conversation,” I said.
Darius looked around the room and then back at me with an arrogant smile.
“Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of everyone,” he said.
I didn’t really have a problem discussing everything in front of the clan, but I knew for sure that Darius would regret it. Not only did I know all his dirty little secrets that could make him lose his throne—and I could use them if I felt so inclined—the subject of my visit was also rather confidential, and once I’d started, he’d wish he’d sent everyone away.
Upsetting him wouldn’t get me anywhere. But the same was the case with talking in front of the clan.
I glared back at him and felt my empathy throw itself at him like a fishhook, and I reeled his mind in.
Look, honey, unless you want your clan to find out how you got your position, this conversation needs to happen privately, I said.
He jumped in his seat, and his gaze darted from left to right, uncertain what had just happened.
What the fuck was that? he thought.
It’s me, idiot. Caleb, I said. Okay, the idiot part was probably not a great idea if I wanted to get on his good side, but if my plan worked the way it was supposed to, I wouldn’t even need to care about keeping things civil.
Darius’s eyes slithered as he looked at me, and I took a few more steps forward so I could retaliate with my own gaze.
How? What are you doing? he asked.
You know I’m a witch now, right? That’s how. Now get everyone out of this room so we can talk like normal human beings. I know you probably don’t remember what that’s like, but I assure you it’s quite good.
“Speak, Mr. Carlisle. Tell us what the purpose of your visit is,” Darius shouted so that everyone could hear him.
Do you really want to humiliate yourself? I asked him.
Darius raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “That’s what I thought.”
Fine. If that’s how he wanted to play it, that’s how I would too.
“Who in here remembers Cromwell?” I asked around the room.
Some vampires looked at one another, but no one raised their hands, even though I was certain there were more than a few vampires that had been in the clan before Darius took over.
“Well, Cromwell was the master before Darius, and he had a successor to the throne. Someone he really appreciated and cared for. And no, it wasn’t your beloved Darius,” I started.
Darius readjusted himself on his throne, biting his cheek and glaring at me.
That motherfucker, he thought.
I warned you, honey, I said.
I continued to address the clan. “Well, that someone is standing—”
“That’s enough from you,” Darius interrupted. “Everyone, clear the room. This is a private conversation between the witch and me.”
I watched the vampires look at one another, unsure what to do. Their curiosity had been piqued, but their master had spoken.
“Now!” Darius screamed, and it took less than three seconds for the vampires to clear the room until only Darius, his guards, Easton, and I were left.
“Finally. Some privacy. Thank you for meeting me, Darius,” I said.
Darius stared at me but didn’t say anything. His eyes creased and his frown deepened.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Caleb?” he asked.
I pursed my lips and looked him in the eyes.
“I think you know very well what I’m doing here, don’t you?”
The clan master smiled. “Oh yes. The witch attacks, I assume?”
I knew Darius wasn’t stupid, and I knew he was acting like that to wind me up. It was working, because I had to fig
ht the urge to launch at him and claw his eyes out. It was a dangerous time for witches, and yet he saw everything as a game.
If I was still a vampire, I’d be sitting up there in Darius’s place and doing my best to protect people instead of killing them to serve a stupid purpose. There was no excuse for murder and death, and yet Darius was taking joy in being part of it. If Cromwell could see him now, he’d be rolling in his grave.
“I want to know why Christian is killing witches,” I said, and Darius joined his hands in front of his chest as if in thought.
“You know, Caleb, it’s been such a long time since we’ve last seen each other. You haven’t even asked me how I’m doing.”
“I can see how you’re doing, Darius. You’ve scammed your way into the position of clan master, you are participating in witch murders, and you’re working with the most evil man alive. I think I know how you’re doing. What I don’t know is why?”
Darius stood up and joined his hands behind his back. He climbed down the three steps in front of his throne and approached me. When he was within a few feet of me, he started circling around me.
“Oh, Caleb. Have you forgotten what it’s like to be a vampire? I thought you are the best vampire that ever lived. Oh, I’m sorry…were.”
He’d thought mentioning Cromwell and his abandonment of me when I’d turned human would hurt me, but I was over that. In a way, I understood it. When Nora had healed me and I’d turned human, Cromwell’s responsibilities and friendship had had to end with it. It had felt like betrayal at the time, but a mortal human and a vampire couldn’t have any sort of friendship.”
“Listen, Darius. I would love nothing more than to play those silly mind games with you, but the longer I spend in your presence, the more witches are dying out in the streets from the hands of your clan. I called a meeting because I thought we were still friends.”
Darius stopped doing circles around me and laughed right in my face.
“Friends? Friends? You haven’t contacted me since you turned into a filthy human. I was certain our friendship was over.”
My empathic shield gave me a little twinge of pain in my heart. Darius was hurting. My apparent betrayal had hurt him. And he couldn’t hide it from my powers.
“Darius, Cromwell forbade me from getting in touch with you or anyone in the clan. You should know that. You’re clan master now. When I turned human, I was no longer allowed to be around vampires,” I explained to him.
He bit his lip and swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he did.
“Very well. So why contact me now? If you couldn’t break Cromwell’s rules and come and find me before, why now?” he asked. I opened my mouth to answer, but he cut in. “Because your witches are dying, isn’t it? Because you could break the rules for your new family but not for your old one. I see how it is with you now, Caleb. I thought I knew you, and yet you still surprise me.”
“You’re being unfair to me, Darius. You would have done the same.”
“I guess we’ll never know.” Darius returned to his throne and sat down, assuming all the authority of a clan master again.
“Why is Christian after witches? And why is your clan helping him?”
“I…I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, Caleb. I have very strict instructions, and I can only share those with…family,” Darius said and turned to look at Easton, and so did I.
Easton’s eyes were red, and tears were running down his face.
“Easton, did they hurt you?” I asked him. “If you’ve hurt him, you’ll pay for it,” I told Darius.
“They haven’t hurt me, Caleb.”
“Then what’s wrong?” I asked.
Easton looked at Darius and back at me and then took a deep breath for confidence before he spoke again. “This was a trap, Caleb. You shouldn’t have come.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Before I could find out, everything went black, and for a moment, I thought someone had switched the lights back off. But it wasn’t the light that had gone off, it was my consciousness.
Thirteen
Wade
Calling it a mansion was probably the biggest understatement of the decade. Lord Moon of Londinium’s house was a palace. Quite frankly, I was surprised it wasn’t listed as a heritage building or a property of the royal family. Although I guess if it belonged to a Lord, it probably was. Not that anyone had ever heard of him before.
The stonework was astonishing and polished as if it had been scrubbed clean to perfection. Or maybe magically maintained. There were turrets on all four corners, and the garden in front of the house was an artwork in and of itself. The trees that lined the path up to the front door were all the same size, and their foliage trimmed so there was not a stray branch in sight. The flower beds on either side of the path consisted of daffodils and larkspur and alternated between the two varieties to give it a vibrant and scenic view.
The fences protecting the house were twenty feet high, and electricity buzzed through them. Even if the electricity wasn’t a problem, there was no gap anywhere for an adult human to fit through, and climbing to the top would impale anyone who even attempted it.
I was standing with Winston and Troy on the outside, behind some bushes so that we weren’t in full view of whoever was behind the CCTV monitors.
“How are you gonna get in?” Winston asked.
Troy raised a finger in the air as if to point out the obvious, but Winston elbowed him.
“I was just kidding. Go on, mate. Do your magic,” he said.
Troy gave him a hesitant smile and turned his attention to the gates, closing his eyes in concentration. The crackling sound of the electric current running through the gate fizzled out, and Troy opened his eyes.
“What about—” I started to ask when the gates slid open with the mechanical whirring of the cogwheels permeating the quiet.
“I’ve cut out the outer perimeter and looped the CCTV. But we have to be quick. If there is anyone sitting in the control room, they will realize, sooner or later, that the video is rather...static.”
Winston and I nodded and stepped out of the bushes toward the front gate. Once we were through, we took the road less paved by stomping on the flowers and hiding in the shadow of the trees. My heart cried with every footstep, but I was sure the fairy queen, if there was one, would forgive us for trekking on her flower children.
This mission was proving far easier than I expected it to be. I didn’t want to let that worry or distract me, but... no! That’s exactly what I was doing. Were we walking into a trap?
When we got to the house, we took turns looking through the windows and inspecting the rooms behind them.
“It doesn’t look like there’s anyone in there,” Winston said.
“Better safe...” I responded and tried to slide one of the windows open, but it didn’t budge.
Winston tried to open the one he was in front of but didn’t yield any better results.
Troy sighed and pushed the window in the middle up and looked at both of us.
“Don’t sweat it. This whole house is under my control. I’ve never seen anything like it. Give me a hand, will you.” he said and nodded towards the open window.
I put my palms together, and he stepped on it, hoisting himself through the window. Winston went next and helped me up after him. Once inside the house—the dining room from the looks of it—Troy closed the window again, and we walked to the door. Winston pressed his ear against it, and I waited for his signal.
“I wanna say we should split up, but fuck knows what’s waiting for us out there. If Lord Moon is a witch, this whole place could have triggers everywhere, and I can’t spot them from here,” Winston whispered.
“I’m not going anywhere on my own. I might not like you much, but at least you know how to fight,” Troy said.
“Yeah, I agree. We shouldn’t split up. But we don’t have much time, so let’s get on with it,” I said.
Winston nodded an
d opened the door that led to the main hallway, which was eerily quiet. If the outside was impressive, the inside was another beast entirely. A crimson red carpet ran along the entire length of the hallway, and paintings framed in gold hung off the walls. I recognized one of them as a John Constable and another one as a Rembrandt. An imperial staircase at the other end led to the upper floors while in the middle, between the two landings, a modern piece of art that looked like an angel made of diamond and onyx stood proudly.
“Whoever lives here is filthy fucking rich,” I said.
“Thank you, Mr. Obvious,” Troy said.
Winston approached a door to the left and opened it. He peeked inside and looked back long enough to tell us to follow him, and we did. The door led down a set of stairs to another floor where we found an even bigger space that could have easily been a ballroom, an apartment, and an art gallery all at the same time. It was definitely not a prison.
“No Wilder here,” Winston said and made for the stairs again.
Troy followed him, and when I joined them back at the foyer again, we were surrounded by men armed with guns.
Fuck. We’d walked into a trap. Just like I knew we were.
“Don’t move!” the man in the middle shouted.
All the men were well-built and had buzz cuts that made them look nearly identical in the dimly lit room. Their chests were bulky from the weight of bullet-proof vests, and they all had earpieces.
Did Troy not know they’d had internal comms when he cut out the power or had he not thought it was important to cut it off? Could he even control the radio waves of the earpieces?
Winston pressed back against my chest as if he was scared for his life and was holding his hands up, but I knew better than that.
“Fifteen?” I whispered as I also started to raise my hands with the hilt of my sword tight in my palm.
Winston’s head moved only but an inch, but the message was received.
“What’s fifteen?” Troy whispered, and I stared at him. He shrugged in response.
“I’m sorry,” I told him.