by Deanna Chase
“That’s probably true,” Dax agreed. But he sure as hell didn’t know how he felt about being Bandu’s beta. He’d only come into the Crimson Valley pack in order to gain information about the missing vampires. He’d gotten almost nowhere on that front, because the moment he’d joined the pack, the attacks had pretty much stopped. Dax was certain it was because he’d been outed as an Arcane agent fairly quickly, but they hadn’t kicked him out. Halston had insisted he stick around and keep his ear to the ground for any new activities that might be brewing.
The only problem was, in the past few months he’d started to respect Bandu. The shifter was a man of conviction, and while his earlier attempts at vigilante justice had been misguided at best, the pack had since taken to providing free security to the city. It had turned out to drastically lower the rate of attacks, and Dax had started to think of the pack as noble in their attempts to do something positive.
On the other hand, if Bandu was hiding something or decided the pack would take it upon themselves to avenge the men and women in the photos, if Dax took the beta position, he’d be the first one to know when the shit hit the fan.
“What do you say, Marrok? Ready to join the cause?” Bandu asked.
Dax turned and stared the other man in the eye, wondering when exactly he’d started to admire the other shifter. Then he held out his hand. “I’d be honored.”
Bandu’s lips spread into a huge grin as he clasped Dax’s hand in his. “Welcome aboard. You’re not going to regret this.”
Dax nodded and prayed the other shifter was right.
9
I walked down the stark white hall and craned an ear, listening for the steady sounds of activity one usually found in the Void building. But the only thing I heard was the tap, tap, tap of Link’s nails on the tile floor. I glanced down at Willow’s wolf. “Where do you think everyone is?”
The shih tzu put his head down and kept moving.
Some help he was. Still, I was soothed by his presence. With Willow missing, he made me feel connected to her. And I was certain that wherever she was, she was soothed by the knowledge that I’d take care of him for as long as needed. Images of Willow and Tal separated and locked in that basement once again took over my thoughts, and I scowled. Where the hell were they? The room hadn’t been anything I’d recognized—certainly not any room I’d ever seen at Cryrique, and I’d seen a fair number of the hidden dungeons.
It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that someone from Cryrique had taken Tal and Willow, but after Allcot’s performance that morning, I didn’t really believe it. I’d already crossed Allcot off my mental suspect list. He was way too erratic and out of control to be the mastermind of whatever had gone down at the gala the night before.
But if not Cryrique, then who? And what would they do to Tal and Willow to get what they wanted? The word torture floated in my mind, and I quickly shut down that train of thought. There was no time to worry about what might be happening. My one and only job was to find them.
I quickened my pace and strode into the research center. Rows of unmanned computer stations filled the room. I stopped dead in my tracks. “What the hell? Where the fuck is everybody?”
No answer, but my phone buzzed and I quickly retrieved the message I’d been waiting for. It was Nicola, Pandora’s half sister.
It’s true. A small pack of shifters carried Pandora off. I saw it with my own eyes. If someone is trying to blame her disappearance on vampires, they are dead wrong.
I quickly texted back. Anyone know anything about Willow and Talisen’s whereabouts?
There was a long pause, then she responded with one word. No.
Frustration clouded my brain, and it was all I could do to stop myself from chucking my phone against the wall. But I needed the damned thing. Killing it would only eat up more of my precious time. Instead, I jabbed at the letters as I typed in, You’re sure? Dax said one of the Cryrique vamps saw an unknown vampire carry them off.
My phone started ringing almost instantly, and Nicola’s face popped up on the screen. “Kilsen,” I answered.
“What exactly did Dax hear about Willow and Talisen?” she demanded.
“Just what I said in the text. He told me a couple of Cryrique vamps saw them carted off by some other vamps they didn’t know.”
“Dammit. Rival hive?” she asked.
“I have no idea. Dax isn’t even here. Do you have someone in mind who could be the culprits?”
“More than I can count.” She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Listen, Allcot is off doing God knows what—”
“He’s here at the Void building,” I interjected. If I was going to build a rapport with them to find Willow, lying wasn’t going to fly. They’d know soon enough where he’d been. “We had to um… neutralize him for a bit.”
There was silence over the line. Then Nicola whispered, “Fuck me. This is a cluster of epic proportions.”
“You can say that again. Listen, Nicola, the tranq dart was unavoidable. As soon as he calms down, I’m sure the director will—”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m certain he’s… over the edge right now. I’ll keep his goons in line as long as I can. But, Phoebe?”
“Yes?”
“Make sure your director lets him out soon or else I’ll come for him myself.” She paused for just a moment then cleared her throat. “My sister is missing, and Eadric is our best chance of finding her.”
“Understood,” I said. She was right. He was the most well-connected vampire in the city. One way or another, he’d find her… but only if he wasn’t locked in the basement of the Arcane building. “If you hear anything about Willow or Talisen, anything at all, please contact me ASAP. I’ll do the same if I hear anything about Pandora.”
“You got it.”
The line went dead and I shoved my phone back into my pocket. I glanced down at Link. “Where do you think everyone went?”
The dog took a few steps forward, glanced around, then looked back at me and tilted his head as if to say “beats me.”
“Son of a biscuit.” I eyed the computers that housed all the research. No doubt they were each password protected. It wasn’t that I couldn’t hack my way into them. I certainly could without even too much effort, but I wasn’t in the habit of hacking government systems. Not if I could help it anyway. Then there was the fact that the research gurus knew where to look for stuff and had a knowledge base stored in their minds that rivaled the computers’. Because the research staff rarely got out into the field, they thrived on gossip and traded in knowledge—confidential, highly classified knowledge. And if an agent could get one of the researchers to trust her, it was like hitting pay dirt.
I had a couple of people I could count on for inside information, but since the room was deserted, I was on my own with only a shih tzu for company. I let out a sigh and sat at the nearest desk. “Time to suck it up and get to work.”
Being that we were in the Void offices of the Arcane, it took me longer than usual to find a way into the system. Most computer security systems were no match for me and my witchy fingers. Unfortunately, my magical abilities had been neutralized the moment I walked through security, and I had to rely solely on my knowledge of computer systems. It was a damned good thing I’d spent a fair portion of my youth joined at the hip with my brother, the computer genius.
Seth’s goofy smile flashed in my mind and that pang of sadness that always lived deep in my bones washed over me. The weight of his loss was more than I could bear, and I quickly shook my head, stuffing his memory back into the hidden chambers of my heart. Everything about his disappearance was too painful, and the best thing I could do in that moment was focus on finding Willow and Tal.
With single-minded determination, I refocused my efforts, determined to find a way into the database. My fingers ached with the effort as I continuously pounded on the keys. A thin sheen of sweat coated my forehead, and I started to wonder if the security was going to get the best of me.
But just as a growl of frustration escaped my lips, the security wall vanished and the main research screen popped up on the monitor.
“Yes!” I clicked the tab that read Identity Search. Another screen came up, and I added in the meager details on the vampire we’d lost the night before. Hair color: red. Vampire age: over one hundred. He was far too strong to be a vampire of the current century. Strength: off the charts. Last known location: New Orleans. There were other input fields, but I didn’t have the answers. Saying a little prayer to the gods, I hit Enter.
An hourglass cursor spun on the screen. In a matter of seconds, it disappeared and was replaced with a long list of names. Beside roughly half the names there were thumbnail pictures of the vampires. I glanced down and groaned. Forty-two pages of results. “Get comfy, Link. We’re going to be here a while.”
The shih tzu let out a whimper and flopped to the floor, resting his head on his paws. I knew exactly how he felt.
I’d made it through nine pages of rejects when I finally clicked on the right record and the vampire in question stared back at me. The word CLASSIFIED was stamped across the screen, and all the information had been blurred. Only those with clearance could see the details. Luckily, the director had given me the full support of the Void on this investigation, which meant nothing was classified if I needed it. Of course, she probably expected me to go through proper channels to secure the clearance I needed, but I didn’t have time for that. Better to hack my way in now and ask for forgiveness later. Especially since the entire research team seemed to be on a field trip.
Settling in, I let my fingers fly over the keys and was gratified when the classified notice vanished and the report on Carter Voelkel flashed on the screen. “I’ve still got it,” I said to myself.
“It appears you do,” a deep voice said from behind me.
Link jumped to his feet and paced behind my chair as if to guard me. In his shih tzu form, he wasn’t intimidating in the least, but I appreciated the effort.
I hit the Print button then turned to give the newcomer my attention. A tall, dark-haired man dressed in a business suit was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing me with suspicion.
“Care to explain who you are and who gave you access to classified records?” he asked. A muscle in his neck pulsed, and tension practically radiated from him.
“Agent Kilsen, and I gave myself access to the records since you all seemed to be taking a siesta.” I gave him a condescending smile and walked over to the copy machine to retrieve my records.
He glanced at the computer station where I’d been working. “Who gave you a clearance code?”
“The director.” It was a complete lie, but I was willing to bet the director would back me up. I had a job to do, and what was a minor detail like an access code? In fact, I was willing to bet she’d be disappointed if I couldn’t hack my way in. The director respected agents who could work their way through just about anything.
The man’s expression hardened. “Well, Kilsen, I’m going to have to confiscate those records until I get confirmation you have the right credentials to be here.”
I laughed and sat back down in front of the computer. “You can try, but I don’t think you’ll be successful. In any case, you can call whomever you want for confirmation. In the meantime, I’ll be right here finishing my research.”
He blinked. “Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to?”
“Nope. And to be honest, I don’t really care.”
“And why is that, Kilsen?”
“Because right this minute, a vulnerable fae and her husband are missing, and if I don’t find her, all hell’s going to break loose in the vampire community. Now, you have two choices. You can either help me, or you can be a thorn in my side. If you choose the latter, I’ll just warn you now that I fight dirty.”
The man stared at me, his expression blank for a moment. Then he threw his head back and laughed.
“Laugh it up, geek boy. In the meantime, I’ll be here infiltrating your files.”
“I’ve got to give it to you. You sure are feisty.” He took a seat next to me and powered the computer on. “How about we start over. I’m Razor, the research director. And normally I’d toss your ass in the cells for hacking into my system, but since it appears you’re not here under nefarious motivations, I’ll just take it as a learning opportunity to tighten up the security walls.”
“Whatever, man. Do what you gotta do.” I gave him a cocky smile. “But I’ll probably still manage to get in if I really want to.”
He bowed his head. “Challenge accepted.”
I shrugged, turned back to the screen, and typed in the one word that might be the key to Willow’s whereabouts.
“Asier,” the man said. “What do you know about that?”
“That?” I asked. “Not who?”
He shook his head. “Definitely not a who. Where did you hear that word?”
“Whoever has Willow told her they are looking forward to Asier’s arrival. If Asier isn’t a who, then what is it?”
“You spoke to her? How?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion and I knew I was losing him.
“Tracing spell. Now, are you going to tell me what I need to know?”
He ran a hand through his thick dark hair, taking a moment to collect himself. Then he stared me in the eye and said, “Asier is a day that comes around every four years. Paranormals who practice the old ways have a celebration and…” He grimaced and glanced away.
“Razor,” I said, dread crawling up my spine. “And what?”
“Fuck.” He turned and faced me. “We need to get your friend the hell out of there.”
“Friends,” I corrected, standing up, ready to fly into action. Clenching my fists, I hovered over him. “What exactly is it you’re not telling me?”
“Your friends are in danger—”
“No shit, jackass. I got that part.”
He pressed his lips into a thin line of impatience. “As I was trying to say, your friends are in danger of being used as an offering.”
“To what? The gods?” I asked, horrified.
“Yes. Over the past couple of decades, a group of paranormals have taken to performing rituals from the ancient text. They believe that by sacrificing sacred blood to the earth they will become more powerful.”
“And this happens on Asier?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly qualifies as ancient blood?”
His face turned ashen white as he forced out, “Fae blood.”
10
I stood up so quickly the force of my movement flipped the chair over. Link let out a yelp and scrambled forward. “What paranormals? Who exactly are we talking about here?”
Razor shook his head. “It’s unclear.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I paced up and down one of the aisles. “Don’t you understand? My best friend is being held by whoever these sick bastards are, and if I don’t find her, that could be her fate.”
“I do understand,” he said, his expression full of a strange mix of sympathy and anger. “All too well.”
I paused and stared at him. His jaw was lifted, shoulders tense, and one fist was clutching a pen. But his dark eyes, they were haunted. Whatever this Asier business was, he’d seen it before. “Tell me everything you know.”
Instead of answering, he spun his chair around and his fingers flew over the keyboard. Within moments, a file flashed on the screen. The name at the top read Amber Frost. He froze for a moment as he stared at the picture of the beautiful young woman associated with the report. She had long blond hair, piercing gray eyes, full red lips, and that same ethereal quality that both Willow and Tal possessed.
“She’s a fae,” I said. It wasn’t a question.
“Was a fae.” He swallowed. “She went missing just over four years ago.”
“You knew her.” Again, it wasn’t a question. The anguish in his tone and body language said it all. Whoever this woman was to him,
she’d been important and he still hadn’t recovered from her disappearance.
He tore his gaze from the computer screen and turned cold, hate-filled eyes on me. “She was their last sacrifice.”
His words weren’t a surprise to me. Why else would he be showing me her file? “Who are they, Razor?”
“I don’t fucking know.” He jabbed his finger on the mouse. The printer roared to life, spitting out the record he’d pulled up for me.
“Vampires? Shifters? Witches?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Probably not witches. As far as vampires or shifters go, look for yourself. The report is right there.”
I moved back to the printer, wondering why he didn’t just tell me what he knew. But the minute I laid eyes on the paper, I understood. He didn’t have the answer. Not a definitive one. No one did. The report indicated Amber had been drained of her blood. That was a clear indication vampires had been involved. But she’d also been ripped to shreds as if she’d been offered to a feral pack of wolves. My stomach turned, and I shook my head, forcing the image of Willow suffering the same fate from my mind.
In all my years as a vampire hunter, I’d never known one vamp that was the slightest bit interested in carnage. They were singularly focused on blood. It was their food, their life force, and also part of their sexual gratification. It was also their preferred way to harm someone. The only exception was when a vampire went up against a fae who regularly drank liquid sunshine, a drug that made their blood taste bad to vampires. The vamps wouldn’t drink from them. They were far more likely to break the fae’s neck, ending the altercation quickly. Shifters were the ones known for bodily destruction when engaging in a death match.
Unless destroying a fae was part of the ritual, I didn’t see vampires having any part of it. I looked up from the sheet, rage coiling in my gut. “There were never any leads?”
“Just one. A lone shifter by the name of Ezan.”
I raised my eyebrows. “No pack?”