by Tena Stetler
“No, not right now…” He paused as if reconsidering. “At least not that I know of. Actually, we live a pretty normal life. Take certain precautions, which are second nature to us. That’s why Hannah is so excited to have you and Brandy visit. We are somewhat isolated by our own design. The Coppervales, who are like family, are our only close neighbors. Hannah works from home or flies to Colorado occasionally, but her company has no idea what I am. She kept her maiden name when we married. When we let our guard down or relax, we depend on the safety of this house.”
He paused again, shifting in the chair. “Your being in town, unprotected and unaware, makes you a possible target under the cover of darkness. Well, I guess Brandy, actually, since you don’t sleep much. Now that I think of it, requiring little sleep is an added benefit to Brandy’s safety.” He took another swig of coffee, eyeing Stefan warily.
Unable to sit still any longer, Stefan stood and walked to the kitchen window. “Let me get this straight. If we hadn’t come to visit, we could still be at risk because Brandy is related to Hannah, who is married to you? You weren’t angry that Brandy came back to me but that she came back from Ireland at all.” He whirled around to face Tristian.
Tristian considered and poured more coffee in his cup, adding sugar and cream, stirring it slowly. “Exactly. You’re a quick study, Stefan.”
“I should be. I am, or was, a creature of the underworld. My ties to it were dissolved when I moved to Whitefish and even more so when Brandy entered my life—until recently.” Stefan was beginning to get a picture of what was really going on here and didn’t like it one bit.
“That’s why you married Hannah and didn’t tell her parents till well after the fact. Until you felt it was safe for them to know. Huh? They still don’t know that you are an enforcer, do they? Have you ever met Hannah’s parents?”
“No, it’s safer for them. We’ve not been married long but have been committed for a while. I didn’t want to bring her into my life, especially after Bruce nearly lost Angie. Thank you, by the way. You were gone before I had a chance to properly thank you for saving her. But Hannah convinced me that she could handle the lifestyle.” His eyes softened momentarily as he peered at Hannah.
“I didn’t save Angie. You did. I just happened upon her in my search for the Labrys.”
“Be that as it may, I’m indebted to you.”
Stefan’s lips twitched. Having a person such as Tristian indebted to me could have great possibilities.
Hannah nodded solemnly, putting her arm around Tristian as he continued. “What I didn’t foresee was her free-spirited sister and now a vampire, who may soon join our little family, all living within my realm of reality.” Tristian closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “I’d still like to know about the incident that caused Brandy to land on our doorstep a couple months ago. You don’t have to go into personal details.”
Stefan shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and paced. “It’s beginning to make sense now. It wasn’t me Synn was after. It was Brandy. I was in the way. Is that possible, Tristian?” Stefan hissed between his teeth, clenching and unclenching his hands as he felt the burn of his fangs poking through his gums. “You should have warned us earlier.”
“First of all, I had no idea the man that broke Brandy’s heart was you, a former Vampire Council’s assassin. A vampire I respected and trusted. You need to tell me what happened before I tell you what I suspect.” His tone was cool and his demeanor calculated.
“Guys, you are scaring me.” Brandy said quietly, chewing on her bottom lip as she looked from one to the other over the rim of her mug. She took a sip, wrinkled her nose, and set the mug on the table.
All the color had drained out of Hannah’s face. Her lips were set in a thin line.
“Tristian, let me see if I got this right,” Stefan said in a dangerously calm voice. “Synn, the girl from the radio station who caused all the trouble, is a demon or a creature from the underworld. She wanted me away from Brandy so she could get to her and, in turn, at you. Instead, it backfired. Brandy left and ran straight to you, unaware that was the safest place she could go. Yet you still didn’t tell her. Synn remained in Montana on the off chance that Brandy would return to me, which she did. However, before Synn’s plans could be revised, we came knocking on your door.”
Tristian nodded slowly in agreement, avoiding his wife’s look of disbelief. “Taking calculated risks is part of my job.”
“Not when it includes innocents out of your realm of protection.” Stefan huffed, out a breath.
“I didn’t know she’d left Ireland.”
Brandy sent Stefan a warning look.
He relaxed his stance. “When we were first introduced to Synn at the radio station, Brandy felt there was something odd about the woman, like she wasn’t human. Because Brandy didn’t touch her, she couldn’t confirm it. As it turns out, she was exactly right.”
The quick glimmer of surprise on Tristian’s face before he schooled it into a blank expression indicated he didn’t know as much as he thought he did, and that worried Stefan.
“Did Brandy tell you that her house was vandalized, reeked of sulfur, and there were scorch marks on her floor? Or that the crime scene resembled a hiker’s death scene she’d investigated weeks prior? They all lead back to you, don’t they? Have I missed anything?” Narrowing his eyes, Stefan stared menacingly at Tristian.
“No, I am afraid not.” Tristian shifted his gaze to the floor, then turned to look at Brandy, his jaw clinched. “I wish you’d told me about your house and the investigation.”
“How was I to know, Tristian?” Brandy said, her eyes blazing.
“Why the hell didn’t you warn Brandy? If I had not been what I am, she would be dead or worse right now,” Stefan growled. “You thought I was a danger to Brandy! I kept her safe till someone made the connection between you and her.”
“Stefan, please! Getting angry isn’t going to help anything now.” Brandy’s calm voice did nothing to cover the rage in her eyes.
Scooting his chair closer to Brandy, he draped his arm around her, giving a little squeeze. “Tristian…Hannah, I think you’d better spill everything. Right now” He regained control of his temper, his voice more reasonable but determined.
“You’re right,” Tristian conceded. “First, let me explain how we seem to have gotten to this point. I’m not an irresponsible person. I haven’t lived this long by being careless in my profession or personal life. I take all necessary precautions to keep myself, and recently my family, safe.” He leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers.
“A few months ago, I received a tip that there was trouble brewing in Montana. Before I could act on it, Brandy was on my doorstep. We didn’t know what was going on, but the demon apparently did. That’s why she stuck around, knowing there was a good chance Brandy would return.”
“You shipped Brandy off to Ireland for her own safety.”
Tristian took a deep breath and blew it out, running his fingers through his hair. “Brandy only told us she was in a serious relationship that had gone bad. No mention of a third party of any kind. I took that to mean it was over.”
“Making assumptions in your line of work is dangerous.”
Ignoring Stefan’s innuendo, Tristian continued. “My first mistake. In my defense, if there is one, gryphons don’t keep their commitment a secret, nor do they commit to a one-sided relationship. She must have seen something in you that you didn’t even see in yourself. You didn’t know she had committed to you long before she left, did you?”
Stefan blew out a breath and answered quietly, “No, I didn’t understand a lot about Brandy’s people until she returned. We’re still not committed.”
Tristian’s eyes darted to Brandy and back to Stefan, then he nodded, “Oh, really? Then you certainly don’t understand Brandy, but I’ll leave that to her to explain. It’s none of our business.” He shot a warning glance to Hannah, who glared at him.
“Anyway, I n
ever investigated further, thinking you were out of the equation and she was safe in Ireland. The first we knew Brandy had returned from Ireland was when she called a few nights ago.” Tristian shoved to his feet. “I’ve never faced such a dilemma. I blame myself for not understanding that family relationships take more attention than I realized. I rarely made mistakes till I met Hannah, and that’s a long story for another time.”
“We’ve nothing but time at the moment,” Stefan said tersely.
Rolling his shoulders, Tristian heaved a frustrated sigh. “Fine. I was born into one of the most powerful magical families that ever existed. Our ancestry goes back thousands of years. I am human, but a warlock.”
“I’m aware,” Stefan said.
“My family’s Book of Shadows is one of three that contain powerful spells cast to seal the portals of Hell over two thousand years ago. The other two contain the additional spells. When woven together, they prevent undesirables from entering the mortal world through any of those portals. Family members hid the Books for safekeeping. Over the centuries, their locations became blurred making maintaining the enchantments difficult. Apparently, this was why some ancient calendars didn’t go past the year 2012.”
Stefan let out a low whistle and shook his head.
Tristian shrugged. “I guess they figured the odds were against the world surviving if the gates or portals were breached. The end of 2012 came and went without noticeable major breakdown. Many considered the stories passed down from generation to generation to be old wives’ tales.”
“But they weren’t,” Hannah interjected as her husband paced the floor.
“What they didn’t account for was the escalation of man’s inhumanity to man causing rips in the fabric of time. With the spell that kept the undesirables contained weakening , the lower-level dark demons are again able to escape at different intervals through the breaches and cause havoc in our world. The situation will only get worse as their numbers increase.” Tristian crossed the floor and took his seat, handing his cup of cold coffee to Hannah. “Could you warm it up?
Stefan’s lips twitched as Hannah looked as if she were about to shove that cup where the sun doesn’t shine. But to his surprise, she popped it in the microwave for a few seconds.
Listening intently, Stefan glanced over at Brandy occasionally as she was staring in disbelief at Tristian.
“As the spell weakens, it allows the more powerful demons to slip through and try to gain control of our world. Recent attacks blamed on terrorists are not necessarily so. Locating the Books has taken precedence among magical families. In turn, our efforts make the demons more desperate to get their hands on all three Books and destroy them.”
“Which we can’t let happen,” Hannah insisted.
“Obviously.” Tristian glanced at Hannah. “What no one knows for sure is how the spell was cast and by whom. Or why it has been allowed to deteriorate without being monitored in recent years. Something must have happened to those that cast the interwoven spells without proper arrangements made for continuation. It’s my responsibility to find out and see that things are put right, then the spells renewed, before it’s too late.”
“That’s a tall order for anyone,” Stefan said.
“The demons that were in the mortal world when the spells were put in place don’t want the spells to expire either. They don’t want to share their domain. Most live among us and have become decent allies. My sister, Angelique, as you know, is married to Bruce, the Western Hemisphere’s Demon Overlord, who owns the premier hair salon, The Wycked Hair, in Washington, D.C. All the power players in D.C. frequent his salon. It really helps us keep our fingers on the pulse of demonic and magic creature activity. That is how I discovered what happened to you and Brandy in Montana.”
“Tristian, I know your sister is married to a high-level demon but always wondered how that happened? Especially since you are a slayer working for a demon?” Stefan raised an eyebrow.
“The same way Brandy took up with a vampire,” Tristian growled. “You just can’t control some things, but you can bet I sure tried! Failed miserably.” He shifted in his chair and took the mug of steaming coffee Hannah handed him. “Thank you.”
She leaned over and whispered loudly, “Next time, do it yourself.”
After taking a sip, Tristian glanced at Hannah and continued wearily, “The demons have integrated themselves into our society, using their magic to attain wealth and power. You’d be surprised at their identities. There are large groupings of them in Washington, D.C.; New York; and Los Angeles. As long as they maintain a low profile, mind their own business, and don’t create problems, we leave them alone. Once they use their power against mortals for evil or self-gain, we take them out and acquire all their wealth.”
“Well, that explains your house and lifestyle,” Stefan muttered, glancing around.
“Yes, I am very good at my profession,” Tristian said icily.
The silence was deafening as they looked back and forth at each other, considering the ramifications of all that had happened. There was no way he and Brandy could return to Montana right now. Even the promised visit to Ireland could be in question.
Stefan finally broke the silence, saying stiffly, “Okay, so where does this leave us, Tristian? Returning to Montana would be difficult, if not impossible, without putting ourselves or others around us in danger. Why would they want to use Brandy to get to you? Why not go after Hannah still? What would they gain?”
Brandy’s eyes glistened with tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Hannah was in no better shape, except fury burned in her gaze. Tristian looked from Hannah to Brandy and then his eyes met Stefan’s. Looking over at Tristian, Stefan was surprised to see a terrible anguish in his eyes. This situation has taken a toll on him as it has everyone. Alone, Tristian couldn’t expect to protect everyone; worse, he couldn’t protect anyone in his current state of mind.
“It’s a guess, but possibly they think I know the location of the Books and would use Brandy to force me to either tell them or turn over the Books. If I had them, which I don’t. They apparently thought it was easier to get to Brandy than Hannah since she has the protection of this house and me. She doesn’t stray too far from here or protection. Our home in Colorado is also protected with strong magic.”
“This is a goddamn deadly game of cat and mouse, and no one wins.”
“That’s about it.”
Brandy caught Stefan’s eye and slightly jerked her head toward the stairs leading to their bedroom. He nodded in agreement. “Would it be safe to take a trip, say, to Ireland?”
After a long pause, Tristian nodded slowly. “Possibly, at the moment.” He rubbed his chin with thumb and fingers. “Actually, Ireland is one of the safer places because the Irish people take for granted that magic exists. Magic creatures in Ireland are very protective of their Emerald Isle. Therefore, the demons would more likely be discovered and destroyed there than in other places in the world.”
“Are you looking for the Books and researching what happened to cause all of this to unravel?” Stefan asked.
Tristian’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as he hissed out a breath. “We are monitoring the situation and continually looking for the Books, but so far, nothing. However, I have learned that certain events triggered some answers, but recently we’ve hit a dead end. Not to mention my employer expects me available to do my job.”
“It’s going to be a dead end for all of us if you don’t discover something soon,” Stefan said, stretching his arms above his head and rolling his head from side to side, trying to get the kinks out of his neck.
“Don’t you think I know that, bloodsucker?” Tristian’s face flushed beet red as the vein at his temple pulsed. His hands clenched and unclenched at his side as he stood ramrod straight.
Brandy unceremoniously slid from Stefan’s lap as he rose. She jumped to her feet and slipped neatly between the two. “I think you both need some space. Let’s split up for a bit and c
onsider all that we’ve learned today. We’ll meet in the family room in a couple of hours when tempers have cooled.”
Tristian took a step backward as his color returned to normal, though his face was still unreadable. “Yes, seems like a good idea.” He wrapped his arms around Hannah, who clearly stiffened at his touch. They walked toward the other end of the house.
“I’d say by Hannah’s expression and body language Tristian has a lot of explaining to do.” Stefan said with smug satisfaction as he swept a surprised Brandy up in his arms, kissed her soft lips, and carried her up to their room. He lowered her gently to her feet, and he closed the bedroom door.
“Tristian has the reputation of being a badass. Guess that is well earned,” Stefan said grimly. Striking a match, he tossed it into the stack of wood in the fireplace. With a whoosh, the flames shot up the dry wood. In no time, a roaring fire gave a warm, comfortable feel to the room. Brandy ambled over, put her arms around his waist, and laid her hot cheek against his cold back. She slid her hands beneath his shirt and delicately caressed her fingers over the contours of his bare chest—a ritual he truly enjoyed.
“Play for me, Stefan. Please. It relaxes me, as it does you.” She kicked her shoes off and sat on the floor in front of the fireplace. “I can’t believe what Tristian just told us. How can that be?” She shook her head. “It’s got to be some kind of perverse joke.”
Stefan reached over and picked up his guitar, strumming his fingers absently across the strings as he considered Tristian’s words. “I don’t think it’s a joke.” If the situation was as dire as Tristian said, was it possible for them to find the Books and stop the dark demons while keeping Brandy safe? He’d let those thoughts simmer while he mindlessly strummed his instrument.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the little stone fireplace, he wrapped his callused fingers around the strings of the guitar and began playing the melancholy tune he’d started in the days following Brandy’s departure. He’d never had the heart to finish it, but now his fingers moved over the strings in a light-hearted, upbeat finish to the tune. Brandy reached over and grabbed a pillow from the bed, stuffed it under her head, and stretched out on the floor next to him, her hand resting on his knee.