by Niranjan K
That won't happen.
It wouldn't. He was certain of it. What he and Ray had was different from what Aiden had with Eve.
“You look distracted,” Ray said.
“Aiden said to give you his number.” Alistair said smiling at Ray.
“Is he gonna give me the shovel talk?”
Alistair laughed. “Knowing Aiden, I would say that's a definite possibility.”
“I love you,” Ray said, kissing him. “Think that'll satisfy Aiden?”
“You don't have to worry about satisfying anyone except me.” Alistair murmured, holding him close and Ray grinned.
“You're insatiable.”
“Only with you.” Alistair said.
They kissed again, slowly this time, and Alistair closed his bond with Aiden.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ray grimaced as he entered his house. The flight had been uneventful, and boring. Alistair had said he would join him the next day.
“I don't need a plane to fly.” he had said, his lips quirking as if in reminiscence.
“You're lucky there are no large water bodies between Verlod and Surgron.” Ray had said.
Jerry was subdued during the flight, muttering occasionally about faithless friends and of the beaches in Saelie. Ray had ignored him when he went off in that line, talking cheerfully at other times to which Jerry only replied in monosyllables. He would have to bring Jerry around somehow. It wasn't a daunting task. Their spats when it occurred never lasted long. He just needed to come up with either something that would convince Jerry or tell him the truth. He preferred the former.
It wasn't that Jerry wasn't trustworthy or that he couldn't handle the truth, but it was something all hunters were firm about. In all their centuries of existence, they had seen that whenever civilians learnt the truth, they attracted the attention of rogue Vampires, and ended up killed. That was a recurring pattern, and Ray was not going to expose Jerry to it. Jerry might be a grown ass man, but there were some things he couldn't handle on his own.
His house needed to be cleaned, and everything put away. Ray was not a slob, but he wasn't one for putting things away either. Not unless there was a compelling reason to do so. Would Alistair be staying with him? He should ask him. Were they at that point yet? But they had been dancing around each other for years, so perhaps they were. Were they moving too fast?
Stop overthinking.
He wanted Alistair with him. It was as simple as that.
His phone rang.
“You reached home?” It was Mom.
“Yes,” he said. “Unpacking, cleaning and going to rest for a bit. That flight is really too long.”
“One would think they would make commercial flights faster.” Mom said. “What with space travel and colonising other planets and all.”
Ray chuckled. “That's why they have the transporters. Flights are supposed to be slow. That is their charm.”
She harrumphed loudly and said, “You'll be careful? I don't like what I've heard so far.”
“Don't worry, Mom. I’ll be fine. How are you doing?”
“The same,” she said. “It seems to get worse with time. I just... Some days it's so hard to believe he's gone... Everything else is the same. Why is it that only Ned had to go?” Ray had no answers and Mom wasn't expecting any. “It feels better when others are here,” she said finally. “It felt better when you were all here.” Her voice wasn't quite steady. “But I can't cling to you kids to make myself feel better. I'm thinking of starting a hunters' training camp. Everyone has been enthusiastic so far.”
“I'm glad,” Ray said, happy and proud of Mom. Would she never cease to amaze him?
“I'll leave you to your things,” she said. “Keep me posted if you don't mind, of any developments.”
“Of course, I don't mind,” Ray said. “I'd love to bounce ideas off you when this starts making some sense to me.”
“Oh, and Alistair said he's going away for a while. Acted very mysterious. Do you know anything about it?”
“I asked him to come help with my hunt.” Ray said, hoping Mom would leave it alone. He wasn't ready to tell people about it yet. Aiden finding out hadn't been intended, and Aiden's shovel talk had been via text.
Hurt him, and the treaty won't protect you.
It had made Ray smile and he had replied something about Jess not going to like it if he offed her favourite uncle.
“Well, he has given his house to Aiden,” she said now, making him drop the phone.
Fuck!
He picked it up, “Sorry,” he said, “He what?”
“He gave Aiden a lease on his House, I think. Anyway, Aiden said he would be staying there. He already got a job in the local school.”
Mom sounded excited.
“You like Aiden,” he said. “This isn't just about Jess.”
“Ray,” Mom sighed. “He... He's good for Eve, and... I just think he deserves a chance with her.”
“Mom, stop playing matchmaker. Eve knows what she wants and it's not Aiden. Besides, you know that we don't choose who we fall in love with. Aiden may be the perfect guy and the perfect father and it's not going to change Eve's heart one bit.” He paused. “Would it change yours if you were in her shoes?”
There was a moment's silence and Mom's voice came, very subdued and Ray felt a momentary pang of guilt. “No, it wouldn't, you're right, but Ray, I didn't invite him to move to Vrelsk. I think that was Alistair.”
“Is everyone a matchmaker?” He muttered. “Why would Alistair give that poor guy false hope? Eve is never going to love him.”
“You may be right, but Ray, I'm really looking forward to having Jess here, and of getting to watch her grow up. Perhaps Eve might like to see her someday too. Anyway, she needs to get used to having them near.”
Ray didn't want to argue any more. Eve didn't have to do anything before she was ready. Why couldn't Mom get that? “Have you told Eve yet?”
“This afternoon,” she said. “At least, I've Alistair to blame if this all goes south.”
Ray laughed. “I'd pay good money to see her confronting him.”
“I would be ashamed if she did,” Mom said. “It's none of her business what Alistair chooses to do with his property. Besides, she doesn't live here. So, it doesn't even affect her.”
“You're going to tell her that?” Ray asked.
“If I have to.” Mom said.
Ray stared at the phone after she had disconnected. Should he ask Alistair? He shrugged. What had he to lose? He sent a text and got on with cleaning.
Alistair's answer came soon.
I would have thought it was self-evident. Daphne is going to be alone and Jess is starting to ask about grandparents. I thought I'd do both Daphne and Aiden a favour.
I love you, Ray sent back. You're the most stupidly sentimental vampire I'd ever met, and I love you more than anything.
I love you too, came the reply, and Ray couldn't stop smiling as he went on his tasks.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ray turned on the voice recorder on his phone as he paced the room. It would be good to have Alistair, but he wouldn't be arriving till the next morning. Even vampires couldn't teleport from one side of the globe to the other. Since there was no one he could talk to about the case, he had to rely on the voice recorder as a journal. Speaking aloud provided more clarity to his thoughts.
“Why juniper?” He mused aloud. “There are cheaper wood carvings available, more beautiful art, more stylish bonsai; those beads were rough and lacked finishing, so why those? Sentimental value? Her mother said she carved them herself, so maybe. But she never wore it, just kept it in her pocket.
And what about the others? The banker, the third victim had the bonsai, which was uglier than the other bonsai plants in his house. His wife said he bought it himself. Others were all gifts. He kept the plant in the back of a shelf, so why buy it?
Why juniper?”
He turned off the voice recorder. An idea was b
eginning to form in his head, but he wouldn't be able to confirm it without doing some checking. But if he was right, it would be better not to let Magnus know. He couldn't let any of the vampires know what he was doing.
His phone rang. It was Magnus.
“There's been another death,” Magnus said. “This time in Miriwok. Surrey is there.”
“I want to see the crime scene and the body,” Ray said. “I also want to talk to the witnesses.”
“Of course.” Magnus said. “I shall tell Surrey to expect you and to give you whatever assistance you need. I'll send you the location.”
Ray tapped his phone against his chin once the call ended. This was a truly fortuitous coincidence. But he had to play his cards closer to the chest. He also needed to call Aiden. There was no one else who could offer him insight if his theory was correct. His phone pinged with the promised location, and Ray was out of the house and in his car in ten minutes. The location was a residential neighbourhood four blocks from where he lived. It was neat rows of houses, all looking the same. He drove to the fourth house where a police car was parked and police personnel were moving around briskly.
Surrey was waiting outside, and guided him to a parking spot near the police car, before leading him inside. The body was on the floor, the wounds on his throat standing out against the pale skin. Ray's eyes took in the living room where the body was and zeroed in on the small carved Juniper figurine on a bookshelf. He went to pick it up, unable to feel the texture through his gloves, and noticed Surrey's discomfort.
“I had to interview witnesses outside.” he said, quietly. “That thing's making me sick.”
“It's supposed to.” Ray said, putting it back. “Do you mind if I examine the body?”
“Forensics are done with it, so go ahead.” Surrey said.
Ray knelt by the body and looked at the wounds closely, taking photographs with his phone. Surrey was standing by the front door, looking outside, probably to turn away anyone who would come in. He examined the dead man's eyes and noticed that the throat had not just been torn out, but the head had almost been ripped off the body. He took a couple of photographs more and checked the corpse's hands and wrists and took a few more photos. He straightened and turned to Surrey.
“I'm done,” he said.
“Any theories?” Surrey asked.
“At the moment, I'm inclined to think that this is more in your alley than mine.”
“Meaning?”
“That juniper made you sick. It would have had the same effect on any vampire. It is more likely this was a human.”
Surrey drew a deep breath. “This changes everything.”
“Of course, I can't be certain, but at the moment, that is my theory.” He paused. “There was juniper in all the victims' houses.”
“Is that the common point?”
“That and their blood groups,” Ray said. “What was his blood type?”
“B positive,” Surrey said. “You're telling me all the victims had the same blood group?”
Ray nodded.
“This is getting more complex by the minute,” Surrey said. “I'm getting a headache just by thinking of it.”
Ray laughed. “Welcome to my world.”
“Do you want to talk to the family and neighbours?” Surrey asked.
“Might as well. Who found the body?”
“The husband. The last thing he remembers is going to bed while the victim was still in the living room, watching TV. He said he was overcome with sleepiness all of a sudden, as if he had been drugged.”
“Did you check the water for traces of sleeping drugs?”
“Will now,” Surrey said. “But if that turns out negative-”
“Back to the vampire theory. But how did they gain entry to the house?”
“As I said, this is just getting more complex, but,”—Surrey stopped and faced Ray,—“If this is a human, then we have a serial killer on the loose, and he has been killing for weeks, going from town to town, and we have been sitting on it, without letting anyone know.”
He sounded upset and he was right to be.
“Let me talk to the husband.” Ray said. “Perhaps we can get a confirmation either way.”
The husband was a thickset, balding man who was obviously devastated enough that most of his answers bordered on the incoherent. “Who would do this?” He kept saying. “Who could hurt Hamilton? He never...he never hurt anyone...he...O god why! He was only a preacher. Why would anyone do this?”
Ray expressed his condolences, feeling utterly helpless in the face of the man's grief. Was this how his Mom was feeling right now? He walked away, before he said something awkward and put on the professional mask. He talked to a few neighbours who also expressed the sudden and extreme sleepiness they all had felt. Later, Surrey walked him to his car.
“Poor bastard.” he said. “The husband, I mean. They had been married fifteen years. To lose someone like this, and to have to be the one to find the body...” He shook his head. “Poor bastard.”
Ray nodded, agreeing. It was always so hard for the ones left behind. The dead were fortunate in a way, like Shane, like his Dad, but he and his family were still here, dealing with the loss and learning how to breathe without them. He got into the car and waved goodbye to Surrey, wrenching his thoughts away from the depressing paths it had gone down.
How lucky he was trained to lie without any changes in his facial expressions or heart rate and breathing. One thing was certain: this was no human. His suspicion of earlier had been confirmed, and he was torn between anger and amusement at Magnus. He was a fool for underestimating a Haspel, and Ray was going to prove it to him. He would wait till Alistair came home before confronting Magnus. Alistair would be the best judge of if that would be the right move.
He went back to his house and added the photos to the folder he had created.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Alistair could feel his heart rate going up as he rang Ray's doorbell. Was he really doing this? Staying with Ray? True, Ray had asked, but Ray never thought things through. Were they ready for this? Ray opened the door, his whole face lighting up, and Alistair felt all his doubts melt away.
“Come on in,” Ray said.
Alistair walked inside, kicked the door shut, dropped his bags and took Ray in his arms. “You don't know how much I've missed you.” he said.
“Likewise,” Ray said, smiling wide.
They kissed, Alistair pulling Ray closer to him till he couldn't feel or think, there was only Ray and their need for each other. It was the need for air that made them break the kiss and Alistair could feel his lips tingling.
“Do you want the tour of the flat?” Ray asked.
“The tour?” His brain seemed sluggish.
Ray nodded. “We could start with the bedroom.”
Alistair felt his face split into a grin. “Subtle.” he said.
Ray smiled before diving in for another kiss and Alistair's back hit the wall, but he hardly noticed, his hands had got under the hem of Ray's shirt and he wanted more. More of Ray's kisses, his skin, more of Ray.
“Bedroom.” Ray gasped against his lips, “Door to the right.”
Door. Right. Oh right. Alistair sped them inside, divesting both of them of their clothes in super speed as well, and they fell on the bed, hands and lips and bare skin and moans, and skin slapping against skin.
“So, how's the case going?” Alistair asked afterwards. They were clean, thanks to his super speed, but still naked.
“I had a breakthrough.” Ray sighed. “But I need your advice. I think I know why Magnus came to me, and it wasn't for my abilities. He was counting on my inexperience. He was thinking the ten years I spent as a vampire meant I wasn't as good as the others.”
Alistair frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Juniper.” Ray said, adding to Alistair's confusion. “And the fact that the leases of the houses or the titles were all in the victim's names, the partially ripped out throats.”
“I'm still in the dark.” Alistair said.
“They were all newly fledged vampires. The Juniper was there to protect their families from them. The sleep? That was probably them practising their powers. I did some digging. The neighbours and families all experienced the same kind of drugged sleep for varying time periods ranging from two months to ten days. Also, their throats. They were beheaded, but whoever did it used their teeth, and their healing powers attempted to mend, but there was way too much damage, and once the connection to the brain is severed-”
“No more healing.” Alistair finished, “Which is why it looked as if the throats were torn out. It was the head that was ripped off. And the leases were in their name, so the other vampire didn't need an invitation.”
Ray nodded. “Exactly. I also talked to Aiden. He keeps juniper items in every room in his house as a precaution. It stands to reason whoever sired them had advised them to do the same. It helps build the immunity of the new vampires to the thing too,”
Alistair didn't know what to think, what to make of the fact that Magnus had lied to Ray, and had foisted this case on to him under false pretexts. Should he be concerned or should he just let it slide? “Magnus had to have known,” he said aloud. “The council knows about every fledgling.”
“Oh, I've no doubt he did,” Ray said. “Thing is should I let him know I found out about his deception or continue to feed his minions the lie that I think a human did it?”
Alistair laughed. “You what?”
“Let them stew on that for a bit.” Ray chuckled. “I think that if whoever attacked them is feral; that would explain the blood group as well. And why these people were killed. The attacker's targeting fledgelings, and they are probably a B positive which in all likelihood their sire wasn't a fan of.”
“That can drive even a normal fledgling crazy.” Alistair murmured. “The sire's presence and approval are what all new fledglings crave for, even more than blood.”
“I have a theory that vampires actually hate the type of blood that they themselves possess. It's not an emotional thing, more of a physiological thing? Would explain why you find it so hard to drink B negative,”