The Veiled Monarch

by Shae Bryant

  After we gave our statements and information on the deceased, the officers told us we could return to our friends. Brian was still stumbling over his words, trying to spill out as much information on Erin as he could. The officers were sympathetic to him, but they had to follow procedures in a case like this.

  We all sat in the waiting room while Brian was taken through the double doors. A cry of joy was followed by a woman screaming Brian's name. It was Erin. She was alive and well. All of us cheered.

  Isaac and Catherine hugged each other. Anika was so elated that she grabbed Ronan and Kevin both, kissing each one on the cheek. Vince grabbed my hand and swung it back and forth. We both exchanged a joyful smile.

  It took two more days for Erin to be released. We opted to find decent hotel rooms and wait with Brian. This was started as a group and it would end as one too.

  Catherine found herself spending some time with Anika while she got to know her newfound life. It did her some good to have Anika's gentle guidance. Kevin and Ronan both slept for most of the two days. The stress had exhausted them. Isaac and Brian did not leave Erin's side. The hospital graciously allowed Brian to remain with his wife.

  I found myself spending evenings in the lobby talking with Vince. He turned out to be an entertaining conversation partner. He told me stories of Virginia, and embarrassed Leo with stories of his childhood and regaled me with tales of his old estate in the UK. I had so much less to offer in terms of stories, but Vince listened intently to any I had to tell.

  Finally, Erin was released with orders to visit her Doctor when she got home.

  A few hours later, our small caravan arrived at The Veiled Monarch. We walked in to the offices where Louis greeted us.

  "Welcome back Vince...and everyone else." He smiled, "I heard everyone had quite the adventure."

  Vince rolled his eyes, "You have no idea. We have more questions than answers now. Has Leo arrived?"

  "He's on his way with Chloe."

  Brian grinned, "She's about to be really happy."

  Erin bounced with joy, already wiping her eyes. "So am I."

  "I can't wait to see this." Catherine watched the door with anticipation.

  Anika smiled, "Me either!"

  Two bikes pulled up in the alley and the buzzer on the back door rang to the desk. Louis checked the monitor, looking up at all of us with a smile. Leo and Chloe had made it. They both walked in, looking confused when they saw us standing there. When Chloe laid eyes on her Mom, she broke into a sprint towards her.

  "Mom! Mom!" She shouted.

  "Oh God, Chloe!" Erin cried.

  Erin put her arms out to welcome Chloe. Both of them held each other in a tight embrace. Happy tears started to stream down their faces. Brian dropped down to his knees, wrapping his arms around both his wife and his daughter. A few of us were misty eyed at the reunion. Now was the perfect time to quietly walk into Vince's office and leave the Neason's to their happiness.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Tip Off

  Isaac, Kevin and Ronan opted to leave and go home. We were all tired, but some of us felt like we needed to stay just a little longer. I needed to remain with Catherine. This was a situation that needed to be handled at home. I understood that her new community would help her settle in, but none of them could help her face our supervisor.

  Leo walked into the office with a grin, "You found her. Vince...that's amazing."

  "We did." Vince nodded.

  Leo leaned over on Vince's desk, "Alright. What really happened in Georgia?"

  He ignored Leo's question with a flippant answer, "Quite a lot. Louis, would you make sure we find a good donor for a few days?"

  "Sure." Louis smiled, "Welcome to the group Catherine. We'll do everything we can to get you settled."

  "Argh!" Leo banged his hands on the desk in frustration, "Seriously! What happened!?"

  "A lot." I repeated Vince's answer.

  Leo refused to accept that, "What was it? The Iron Oath? Faulkner?"

  Vince spun to face Leo, "How did you find out about him!?"

  "How do you think?"

  "Did Chloe tell you about this?" Vince pointed towards the door.

  I grew rather defensive myself, unhappy Chloe shared this information with Leo. Both Catherine and I joined in with Vince, admonishing Leo for asking so many questions. He was growing more and more aggravated with us, trying to keep up with who was yelling at him. Finally, he slammed his hand against the wall.

  "Stop it!" Leo yelled, "I got most of this from Vince! He thinks I can't hear when he talks to people in the house, but I can. I asked Chloe questions. She answered them. That's all. This isn't her fault. Do you guys honestly think I wouldn't figure things out? My Dad is Vince Moretti. Come on, you can't just hide this from me forever!"

  Vince closed his eyes, his voice dropped low, "Oh Leo. I wanted you to have a normal of a life as possible."

  "Vince." Leo calmed down, standing next to his Dad, "You knew this would happen eventually. There's no way you could have thought I'd stay oblivious."

  "Yes. I knew. I only hoped it would take longer. That's all." Vince gave Leo a rather miserable look. He very much regretted that Leo was reaching the point where he could no longer ignore Non Human issues.

  Leo tried to smile, "Hey? You protected me for almost nineteen years. So, thank you. Now will you please tell me what happened in Georgia? We can start with the obvious." Leo motioned towards Catherine.

  "I'm not that obvious!" She huffed.

  "You have fangs."

  Catherine quickly covered her mouth, "I'm hungry, OK?"

  Vince rubbed his temples, "We do need to sort this problem out, don't we?"

  "We can start with how I'm going to explain this to the department." Catherine said.

  Leo nodded slowly, "Yeah. I can see that being an issue."

  "OK..." Vince rolled his eyes, pointing towards the door, "Leo. Out."

  "No." Leo planted his feet.

  "NOW!"

  "Vince! I want to help!"

  "You can't help with this! Unless you want to be a donor and I will not allow it. Go comfort your girlfriend." Vince pursed his lips at Leo, growing more annoyed with him.

  Leo crossed his arms, "She's pretty damn happy right now."

  "Language!" Vince admonished him.

  Leo threw his hands in the air, "VINCE!"

  Someone had to step in before these two got into another argument. I put an arm around Leo's shoulders, guiding him towards the door. "Come on Leo, let's go. I've never been a donor and I'm not starting now."

  "Yes. Indeed. Both of you, out!" Vince pointed to the door again.

  "Fine!" Leo stomped out in front of me.

  I turned around to give Vince, Catherine and Louis a confused shrug. Was I this bad as a teenager? We probably all were. Though, I doubt Vince remembers when he was a teenager.

  When Leo and I left, Vince slumped into his chair, "What is the appropriate age to move out these days?"

  "You could kick him out?" Catherine offered.

  "No. It would never work." Vince shook his head, "I'd miss him too much."

  After Catherine was all settled and the Neasons finished the never ending hugs, I took Brutus and went home. Catherine was to stay at Vince's until she could get metal shutters installed in her apartment. That night, she had to face one of the more difficult parts of all of this. She had to face Darius and the department. Of course, I was going to be right there with her.

  That evening, Darius sat across from Catherine. He rested his elbows on her desk, "Tell me again what happened? I need to make sure I have an accurate statement."

  "Darius, we told you twice!" I narrowed my eyes at him.

  "And your story is full of holes, Detective." Darius leaned forward, "Not to mention both of you were arrested in Georgia with Vince Moretti and Anika Hines. Which one of them did it, Catherine?"

  Catherine threw up her hands, "Darius, please!"

  He smacked the desk, "Which one!
?"

  "You don't believe us." I stood up, pacing the room, "I can't believe this. You're going to get her fired, you know that?"

  Darius sighed, leaning back in his chair, crossing one leg casually over the other, "I said I want the true story. After I hear the story, we'll see what's going into your statement."

  Catherine and I both stopped and stared at him.

  Catherine tilted her head, "Wait. What are you saying?"

  "I want the true story, Detectives. I want to know for myself. No one else."

  He was serious. His face had no sign of anger anywhere. Only concern for Catherine and for me. Darius wanted the truth, so he could help Catherine transition easier.

  I slid into the chair next to him, "She would have died, Darius. She did. When I found her, she wasn't breathing."

  "Raina don't!" Catherine pleaded with me.

  "No. For once, I'm not lying." I shook my head.

  Darius nodded, "And who did it?"

  "Anika."

  Catherine closed her eyes, preparing to tell Darius the truth, "I remember everything. I felt myself slipping away, and Raina was yelling. Anika came in along with Vince. I was almost gone. If it weren't for Anika..."

  "Miss Hines saved you." Darius cut in.

  Catherine nodded, "She did."

  He thought about this for a minute, "I need some time to work on something. Your statements won't be officially taken from me tonight. Catherine is too distraught and confused. She needs to seek help from the Vampiric community. Raina, you're too shaken to give a proper statement after what you witnessed. I've given you both the time off to deal with things."

  Catherine sunk down into her chair, "I'm fired, aren't I?"

  He couldn't help but smile at her when she shook his head, "No. You're being treated exactly the way we treat a victim of an illegal turning."

  "Darius, you're getting awfully sympathetic to us these days. What's going on?" I gave him a curious look.

  "Raina, do you know how you were all arrested?"

  I chuckled, "Yeah. We were put in handcuffs."

  He rolled his eyes, "The Police Department got an anonymous tip along with convincing evidence that the shipping company was a front. Someone even sent them building plans that showed them the underground area."

  I opened my eyes wide, "You are kidding me..."

  "He wanted them to find Erin!?" Catherine slapped her face with an open palm, "I don't get it! What is this guy trying to do!?"

  "Who?" Darius asked.

  "His name is Faulkner." Catherine answered him.

  The mention of Faulkner's name caused Darius to sit up straight, "Oh God. He is involved in this!? I want you both to be careful. My report tonight is saying that Detective Escobar brought in a distraught Detective Kleyman. I gave Detective Escobar instructions to put Detective Kleyman in touch with Miss Hines, so she could get the help she needed from the Vampiric community. Then, she needs to register with the NHR. Once Detective Kleyman's mental state is a bit better, I'll be taking statements."

  Catherine's face fell, "I have to sign up for a NHR. I didn't think about that."

  "Welcome to the club." I started to pull up the initial paperwork on my laptop. I'd done a few registries in my time.

  "Finish the registration and go home. Both of you. I don't want to see you here for two days. After that, we'll come up with something." Darius walked out of the office.

  Getting Catherine a registry was very easy to do. I took her information and copied her IDs. Then, I entered all the information of her previous addresses, schools and known family members. Every new question caused Catherine to wince a little. Now she saw how invasive having a Non Human Registry was. Every move you made was tracked and scrutinized.

  Catherine and I left the office together. She got on her bike and I opened the door to my car. We stood there staring at each other, not exactly sure what to say. Everything had gone so wrong and so right. We found Erin and got rid of an Iron Oath front, but at what cost?

  I gave her a melancholy smile and grasped her hand, squeezing it tightly before I got into my car. That one gesture said everything we needed to say to each other. I was just grateful Catherine had people who were going to help her get through this.

  The following night, Catherine arranged to ride to Isaac's house. As kind as Vince, Anika and Louis were being — they weren't exactly as close to her as Isaac. She needed a friend. Not a pep talk or a lecture on how to utilize your newfound abilities.

  She pulled up to the old home near the dealership. Isaac was sitting on a front patio along with Brian and Erin. He stood up to greet Catherine, grabbing her in a friendly hug.

  "Hey Cat. Planning to hang up the bike now that you're with the fancy fangs?"

  She frowned, "That's not funny."

  "No it isn't." Erin said, "Especially not after helping me."

  Isaac mumbled an apology while Brian stood up, "How are you doing?"

  "I'm not used to this yet." Catherine stood near the patio, looking at all three of them. "I...you all don't mind me coming around anymore, do you?"

  Isaac laughed at her, guiding Catherine to a lawn chair, "What? Of course not. You're still my friend. Nothing changes that."

  A very relieved Catherine sat down with Isaac, Brian and Erin. They started out with some small talk, feeling a little awkward about bringing up the situations surrounding Catherine and Erin both. Finally, Catherine brought up the inevitable.

  "How are you Erin? I'm sorry I didn't ask right away. It's been a weird few days."

  "Better." Erin smiled, "I still don't remember much. I remember being grabbed. After, everything is such a blur. There were so many drugs in my system that I don't know what was and was not real."

  Everyone stayed quiet. This was a subject none of them wanted to press any further. Erin was one of the few people in the world who survived the Iron Oath. Most of them had the same story — they barely remembered what they went through. Whatever drugs they used caused their victims to blur reality. Most of them could never give a true account, because so much of it seemed to be a dream.

  "I'm just glad you're OK." Catherine smiled, patting Erin on the leg.

  "Me too." She agreed, "How did things go at work?"

  Catherine shuffled her feet on the ground, "Darius told me to take two days off. He didn't believe our story, so we told him the truth. He's going to help us come up with something when we give our official statements."

  Isaac nodded in approval, "He's a good man. I'm glad he's helping you."

  After another awkward silence, Brian shifted in his chair, "We're not going to get anywhere sitting here saying nothing. I know we're all still dealing with what happened, but maybe we can give each other a little break."

  "How do you figure?" Isaac asked.

  Brian laughed, standing up and walking over to the bikes in Isaac's driveway, "I saw we need a ride."

  All four of them agreed with that. Sitting down and drinking would do nothing to help. Getting all of them on the open road for a bit of "wind therapy" was the right idea. Isaac roared onto the road first, followed by Erin, then Brian and Catherine took up the rear.

  They just rode. Turning from one place to the next, following curves until a road sign showed them a familiar place. Isaac turned them onto the highway, going South past the county lines until the Greater Miami area disappeared behind them.

  The highway narrowed. Palms and cypress trees replaced the houses. Sawgrass palmettos and endless fields of crabgrass replaced manicured lawns and parking lots. The sandy ground below the highway gave way to open water and a large bridge connected the rest of Florida to the Keys.

  Catherine told me later it's the open road that does it for her. The feeling of the wind whipping into her face, the smells all around her and the noises that ebb and flow. Something about it makes her think through her problems and come up with a resolution. She says it's a type of freedom that she experienced when she rode a motorcycle for the first time. That freedom ne
ver seems to go away.

  Isaac, Erin and Brian tend to agree with her. That night, the four of them rode for hours. They had no destination in mind. All they wanted to do was leave Miami behind and watch the road open up in front of them. For a few hours, there was no Iron Oath, no victims, no Vampires, no Werewolves and no Humans. It was four friends cruising along the highway.

  Once they decided to turn back to Miami, the hour was growing late. They found themselves sitting in an all night diner with windswept hair and tired bodies. Erin and Brian sipped coffee while Isaac ignored his cup in order to entertain the table with some old riding stories.

  The first sign of dawn started to ease itself over the horizon. Catherine stood up to leave. No one mentioned why she was leaving. They didn't want to ruin the night they had together. Instead, they all hugged each other and parted ways, going home to sleep soundly for the first time in weeks.

  Two days later, Jacob Stuart stared at his monitor. Just above his immaculate desk was a large plaque of the anvil with a fleur-de-lis, advertising the Iron Oath's Orlando offices. He eagerly clicked on the results of the initial NHR records for Ms. Catherine Kleyman and learned forward in anticipation. Once Jacob saw the records, he pushed himself away from his desk and cursed.

  Faulkner sat down in a cushy chair near Jacob. He had been watching the reaction with a bored expression. Once Jacob started to throw office supplies, Faulkner sighed.

  "What is it?"

  "They figured something out!" He shouted, "No one is going to be arrested for turning Catherine Kleyman. Their stories are concrete and they all corroborated with each other!"

  Faulkner chuckled, "They're smart."

  "I'm not in the mood today, Faulkner. We got so close this time!" Jacob slammed his fist against the door.

  "Close to what, Jacob? Your goal? How close did you get this time?" Faulkner pushed his chair back and stood up, casually looking through some files.

  "I know she could have shifted!" Jacob growled, "The possibilities, Faulkner! That is important! Had we done it...we would have harnessed what we had centuries ago. Before you were even turned."