by Colleen Tews
Chapter 33
Before Brutus and his small gang of ruffians got to my house I snuck a few necessary items from the basement into my bedroom closet. I hid a nine-millimeter under a large mound of shoes, the katana under my bed, sheathed knives between the mattress and headboard, and a small .22 under my pillow. The small gold key that kept my new roommates out of my secret stash was looped through a gold chain around my neck. I then put my diary in a safe place, too. Meaning I put it in the broken nightstand. I figured it was the least suspicious place because no one was dumb enough to hide something important in such an obvious spot.
After last night’s little run with near disaster, Brutus, Billie, and Lester had taken up residence in my house. They met Albert. He was the only person allowed in my bedroom. In fact, Albert slept on a cot in my room. With all the unwanted guests there was nowhere else for him to rest.
I had an armed escort to the Caravellie’s mansion. The heel of my leather boots clicked with each step up to the front door. Under my favorite tan suede trench coat was a lady’s favorite outfit, a little black dress. The collar dipped low and revealed a sensible amount of cleavage. Long sleeves hid knives on my forearms. The dress’s short skirt fanned out with a nice swirl for easy access to the .22 secured in a high garter belt holster.
My bodyguard, or my next victim depending on how you looked at it, was dressed in his usual garb. Brutus had enough weapons to stop an army. He even brought his sword out tonight. I tried not to stare ever since he strapped it to his back.
Brutus did a secret knock and the doors magically opened for us. Well, not magically, two guards at the door opened it for us from within. They accompanied us to the dining hall. Inside the room were the Commissioners of each House, minus the Gancheru representative. He was once again absent from the festivities. What was the deal with that House?
They all sat at a round table. Any talk fell silent as we entered. The guard at the front door slammed it shut. The click of the latch securing itself into place was so loud I jumped.
“Jumpy tonight?” He glared down at me. Brutus was almost a foot taller than me; even with the enhanced legs I was still short. But his height wasn’t what was intimidated me. It was the unknown factor he brought to the table. I couldn’t judge what he would do from one minute to the next because I was mixed up by my own emotions.
“Wouldn’t you be if you were being used as cannon fodder?” I slid off the trench and folded it over my arm between us.
He smiled that toothy grin that suggested reprehensible thoughts that if he had his way would lead us all into trouble. “No. I would be anxious and exhilarated, but not jumpy. Why do you think I took this assignment? I’m going to be the first to get a piece of that asshole, and then I’m gonna rub your boyfriend’s face in it.”
“It’s amazing,”
“What’s amazin’?”
“How incredibly honest you are about your flagrant disregard for your superiors, and yet they still hold you in such a high esteem. Grump and Raphe put you in the best position they could think of where you’d be able to kick some ass, which you love. Yet, you still don’t have an ounce of respect for them. It amazes me how bullheaded you are.”
His brow furrowed perplexed by how candid I spoke to him. I doubted any woman did that to him. Except perhaps Meisha, she would talk to him as directly as I. He smiled past his confusion. “It shouldn't, but thanks.”
It took me a second to realize he wasn’t thanking me for telling him how I saw things, he thanked me because he genuinely took what I said as a compliment, instead of the slap in the face it was intended to be. “You’re welcome.” I patted him on the shoulder, didn’t fight the urge to wipe my hand off on my skirt, and proceeded to my seat.
Vinchenzo was at what could be considered the head of the table; dressed in a fine black tailored suit. Dressed to match her fiancée, Elizabeth sat at Vinchenzo’s right hand with her flaming red hair done up in a French twist.
There were two seats open. One was next to Bunny; she took the meeting’s notes. Her makeup and hair were as colorful as ever. She wore a black t-shirt shredded across her chest revealing gold netting underneath that expanded down the length of her arms and baggy black pants with huge pockets. Brutus took that seat. That left me with a seat next to a man I assumed was the Vivek Commissioner. He was tall, well built, and well dressed in a luxurious navy blue suit. The top of his head was combed back in a thick wave of black hair. His hair wasn’t as dark as Raphe’s but close. He stood as I neared him.
“Thank you.” As ladylike as possible I slid onto the chair.
“You are most welcome.” His eyes looked like two pools of melted chocolate icing under manicured eyebrows and long lashes. He had a hawk nose, a small upper lip over a full bottom lip, and a cleft chin. “Anthony.”
“I’m Veronica. It’s nice to meet you.” He might be part of one of the deadliest House’s we had in our society but so what. He was pretty.
“The pleasure is mine.” Anthony reseated. Before he got situated he repositioned an old, brown leather duffle bag. The flap of the bag flopped open. I caught a quick glimpse of several books with faded print and worn bindings before he refastened the clasp. I was surprised the bag held that many at once.
He gave me a questionable grin and a studious eye. All I could do was shrug and smile back. What can I say? I was curious by nature.
Vinchenzo interrupted before I said anything. It must have been a dad thing; a force of habit that developed over hundreds of years of your children living under the same roof. “If you two are done flirting down there then I would like to call this meeting to order.”
“We aren’t flirting.” I defended myself. “If I were flirting it would be much more obvious than a quick shrug of the shoulders.”
A happy-papa grin lightened his face. “Well, whatever you call it, knock it off and let us get down to business. We wouldn’t want your bodyguard to report back any unwanted news to Raphe.” He spit out the word bodyguard like it wasn’t the first word choice he had in mind.
“Yeah,” Brutus snorted back. Then he realized what he said. “Wait, no, don’t make her stop Vinnie. Let her keep goin’. I can’t wait to share all the juicy details to her boy-toy.”
Bunny smacked his shoulder and all was right again. My fellow Vadimasian had my back. “Thanks Bunny.”
“Welcome.” She said in a perky voice that contradicted her punk-rocker façade. Then she returned her little notebook. There was more than meets the eye to this bashful vampire.
“Are we done yet?” Vinchenzo asked. When no one answered he continued. “All right then, let us begin. Now this meeting was called by Raphe in regards to the numerous attacks by Lucian. It seems this tyrant is stepping up his ‘A’ game. And by ‘A’ game I mean he has begun attacking vampires not only in view of the public but also in their homes. We don’t know how he discovered the information but there are speculations of a traitor among us.”
“Yeah, Grump mentioned something like that to me at the Christmas Eve party.” I interrupted Vinchenzo.
Vinchenzo pursed his lips together in an auspicious scowl. “He told you this that long ago?”
“Yeah, I thought you knew. I mean obviously you know because you just said you did.” I tiptoed over word landmines.
“I did not know until last night.” He glared down at the table as he compiled his thoughts. Elizabeth placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m okay. And with the news of Lucian’s true House this was probably expected.”
Anthony beat me to the question I was dying to ask, “And what House is that?”
Vinchenzo looked up from the table. He tried and failed to hide his pained emotions behind a staunch vault-like expression. “Lucian is from the Kaiser House. It is a disgrace to everyone who once proudly called themselves Kaiserians. I can imagine the reason he didn’t share this information with me sooner was because Lucian and I hale from the same House.”
“Then how can he slip in and out of
shadows? I’ve heard of Kaiserians that can hide themselves but not the way he can.” I pushed my way back into the conversation. This new information couldn’t be accurate. Lucian wouldn’t keep something like that from me. Would he?
The answer was yes. When you knew a vampire’s House you potentially knew their strengths and weaknesses. As understandable as it was he had lied to me. Of course that was before he fully trusted me. No point wondering if he would have told me now that he went poof.
Vinchenzo drummed the table. “I don’t know how he is able to manipulate shadows the way the Ravana House can. The fact he can use shadows to walk through Origin makes it harder to pinpoint where he will strike next.”
Bunny stopped writing.
“Sorry Bunny,” Vinchenzo said. “Supposedly Origin is the place between worlds, If I’m remember my studies in Ravana mythos properly.”
“You are.” Anthony beamed at him. Teacher’s pet?
Brutus shifted in his seat. “And it’s getting harder to fight him when he does show his face. We don’t have the numbers to fight back. The cowards in this town piss me off. A lot of vamps watched him step from one floor to another in a blink when he set that fire last night. They ran like little chicken shits. He was flaunting his shit to scare them and it fuckin’ worked.”
“Are you sure they’ve left?” Bunny asked. Though she kept her eyes focused on the pages in front of her.
Brutus leaned over the armrest. He crooked his arm on the back of the seat. “Whatcha mean?”
“I don’t know.” Bunny sank low in her seat. She tilted the notebook back and leaned it on the edge of the table. “I just asked if you were sure they left town.”
She peered over the top of her notebook and looked at me for aide. The small hairs on the back of my neck perked up. In my mind I felt rather than heard a mental rapping in my head.
I always kept my mental shields under lock and key. Lucian was the only person I had spoken with telepathically and with good reason. After that crazy fit I had with all those voices from my House running rampant in my head I kept things as quiet as possible. It was bad enough with my own thoughts. However, Bunny stood up for me.
With a lot of concentration I dropped my shields down enough to let her in, but not allow her to look about. I envisioned a large damn releasing a small amount of water over the crest of the concrete barrier. “Yes Bunny.”
Her eyes widened, pupils dilated. “Could you tell them what I am thinking about the runaways? I don’t like the way Brutus is looking at me. And I don’t want to piss him off.”
“I’ll try. What do you think you figured out?”
Her thoughts appeared more like a movie. The images came quick. I saw people paraded about like cattle to the slaughter by big men with machine guns. Another flash popped in my head of people bowing on their hands and knees to great king standing on a castle’s balcony.
When I believed I understood what she tried to convey I closed my eyes and envisioned the damn sliding back into position. “Brutus?”
“Yeah, what?” He snapped at me. One eyebrow arched with intolerance as he gave me a sideways glance.
“Has Lucian’s army gotten bigger since he first came into town?” There was no quirk in my voice. No snootiness in my tone.
His eyebrow returned to its normal scowling position. “According to the Gancheru, yeah, why?”
“Perhaps Lucian is recruiting from the people who have run away. Our numbers are dwindling. His grow every night. It’s that do or die mentality. Only it’s join me and live or don’t and I keel you.” I flared the last word to try to lighten the foreboding mood we were entering.
Vinchenzo entwined his fingers. “You think he plans on using our own people against us?”
“And people from the other Cabal cities in the region.”
“That would make sense.” Then he leaned back in his chair and folded his large arms over his bulky stomach. “What do you propose we do about it?”
To my amazement he was asking me. I was stumped. I was sure everyone at the table saw how flustered I was by the question. I was the last person to ask. Then again, perhaps I was the best person they had to ask. I shrugged my shoulders and blurted out a reasonable answer. “First we'd have to find out who he turned over to his side.”
Anthony leaned in with his elbows on the table. “Then my House can summon the suspect and interrogate him until we discover Lucian’s hideout. We can strike where he least expects it by making a direct assault in Lucian’s own backyard. Brilliant.”
He beamed with the wondrous idea we stumbled upon together. Anthony gave me a congratulatory pat on my forearm. His hand paused. He felt the wrist sheath.
I pulled back my arm to my lap under the table. Anthony gave me the its-okay nod, which told me he wouldn’t tell anyone and that he understood my precautions.
Brutus caught the interaction between Anthony and I. His eyes narrowed with distasteful disregard.
Elizabeth pushed up from the table. "That settles things. Brutus after you take Veronica home check in with Gancheru and see what they can dig up. Anthony finalize the spells you'll need. And Vinchenzo." She stroked his upper arm. "Would you like me to contact Grump for you?"
He held her hand against his arm. Her small hand disappeared beneath his palm. "Thank you. I'll get in touch with Khel and Raphe. Well done everyone. Meeting adjourned."
Chapter 34
It was a short, quiet drive home. I figured with everything that happened at the meeting Brutus would have been more talkative but he sat there silent. Sometimes I felt the weight of his stare. I hoped he was just checking me out like any man would. However, I had a sinking suspicion that he didn’t think about me like I was a piece of ass.
The remote opened the garage and I pulled the mustang inside. Turning off the engine, I sat back in the seat. “What?”
“What?”
“Exactly. You were Mr. Talky-talky at the meeting. Now you’ve clammed up and have been staring at me the whole way back here. What’s up?” I focused solely on the steering wheel. Maybe if I didn’t look at him he wouldn’t push that last nerve. I would have hated ruining the upholstery.
“I don’t know what you mean.” He got out of the car.
Dang it! I’ll be damned if he thought he knew something. I hadn’t slipped once. Okay, so he noticed that I wore a knife to the meeting. He probably assumed I had more weapons on me; and he was right. Being armed didn’t link me to Lucian. We were in the middle of a war. It was foolish not to arm oneself.
I slammed the car door and entered the house through the connecting door in the garage. I didn’t mean to but I stomped through the kitchen. Then marched into the dining room and up the stairs to my room. “Albert.” I pushed open my bedroom door and discovered he was on the cot. I closed the door like a normal person not like the mad woman I was a second ago. “There you are. We need to talk.”
“What seems to be the problem?” He stood while he asked. Then he remade the black sheets on the cot. Once his bed was made he buttoned up his white button down shirt and tucked it into his black slacks.
I filled him in on what happened. Then I jerked off my coat and tossed it on the bed. He followed me, which made it easier for me to whisper. “Now Brutus is watching me like a hawk.”
“You plan on killing him anyway.” Ever the man of logic in my life, but he wasn’t saying anything I hadn’t already thought about. My blood made him more in sync with the way I thought.
“Not with Billie and Lester here. Three against one aren’t favorable odds for me. Been there. Done that. Barely escaped. No the timing has to be perfect.” I hopped onto my bed to remove my boots. “Besides I still have Father Khel to handle, I doubt I'll be able to kill him. There is something about him that just screams power. And figure out someway around the seemingly inevitable attack against Lucian, if he isn't dead already. I’ve got to play this right to give Lucian and Sasha a chance to either get away or to fight back."
Albert sat
down beside me. I found his fresh out of bed warmth soothing. I rested my head on his shoulder. I felt the beat of his pulse against my forehead through his shirt. It wasn’t until then that I realized I had not fed tonight.
I rubbed my face against his shoulder like a cat rubbed its head against an owner’s hand looking for affection, rounding my cheek high so my mouth was poised close to his throat. I smelled the life that flowed through him.
Albert cleared his throat. His action skipped my mouth off his throat for an instant. “Hungry?"
“Am I that obvious?” I staggered upright with a horrific sense of vertigo. With both hands flat on the bed I tried to stop the world from tilting one way or another.
“Aside from the way you played with my neck, actually yes.” He mocked me. “You are paler than normal. Your speech is slower.”
“My momma always said I was easy to read.” I slumped onto a pillow. My stomach churned with that familiar icy burn.
I stretched out my legs and lied flat on my back. I closed my eyes while as I concentrated on anything but the burning that spread and constricted of my veins. Heated topics worsened things.
The sag of the mattress shifted. Albert slid closer to me along the edge of the bed. He ran his soft hand across my waist and down to the opposite side.
I opened my eyes and saw him unbuttoning his shirt. He pulled one arm out of the sleeve. The shirt dropped behind him clung to his other arm. With his neck and chest bare Albert served himself to me.
I took hold of the scruff of his neck and I pulled myself up. I met him halfway. He turned his chin up, giving me full access to his jugular. I wanted to savor the moment. I wished to take all of him. His scent, his state of mind, but there wasn’t time. There was no way of knowing how long before they found a turncoat. So I wasted none of it. Like a drunken prom date in a rush to tear off her dress I tore into him.
His rich blood, strengthened by the vampire blood given to him over a hundred years, tasted exotic and exhilarating. It poured from his vein like a warm fountain into my mouth. His salty sweat mingled with the blood giving it a new diverse taste that I was not used to experiencing. I enjoyed every mouth-watering drop.