The Veiled Monarch

by Shae Bryant

  "Are you the new Darius?" I chuckled.

  "He is." Catherine chimed in.

  "A little easier on the eyes than Darius." I wasn't lying when I said that.

  Louis was a tall man with a lithe build and a beautiful head of jet black hair. He had a rather striking appearance that caused most people to look twice at him. I can't say he was traditionally handsome by any means, but there was something about Louis that worked.

  He laughed, "Thank you. Let's go right to work. We've got something interesting to look into."

  Louis handed both Catherine and I some print outs that I was sure came from reports in Central Florida. I recognized the State seal on the paperwork. How did The Veiled Monarch get hold of these reports?

  "Louis? How legal is this information?" I had to ask.

  "That depends on your definition." Louis steepled his fingers, winking at me, "Some places willingly give us information. Others we have to dig for."

  I had no further questions. The report had a familiar name on it — Chloe Neason. They were her drug tests from the hospital in Central Florida. Quite a bit of the drugs were fairly standard painkillers, but a few were inconclusive.

  Catherine frowned, "Unknown substances?"

  "That is what I'm most interested in." Louis leaned over the desk, tapping on the paper, "What do you both make of it?"

  "They tested for everything? Including illegal drugs?" I checked the report. It already confirmed my question.

  Louis nodded, "They did. So what are these other substances?"

  "Chloe said she thought she was shifting without the full moon. So did Erin. But, both of them confirmed they were so drugged that they didn't know if it was true or not." Catherine looked disturbed when she read over the transcription of Chloe's statements.

  I jerked my head up, "Louis. Do you think the Iron Oath has their own drugs they're experimenting with?"

  "I do." He said, "Nothing else makes sense. If you look at the statements from their survivors, every one of them say the same thing. They were shifting without a full moon, but the drugs kept them from being able to confirm whether it was true. Reality was completely blurred while they were on whatever the Iron Oath put in their system."

  I felt sick. None of this shocked me, but I couldn't believe that they had actually done this to people. We may be called Non Humans, but we are still people. The fact that the Iron Oath was using us for experiments was enough to make my stomach turn.

  Louis must have noticed my expression, because he took the paper away from me, "I don't know how or where we start with this, ladies. All I know is that I want to look into it. Both of you did a great job with the Miami-Dade PD. I think you'd be able to help me."

  "We need to get all the reports and tests we can on the victims." Catherine looked sheepish, "I hate to say that I wish Faulkner were around still. He might know where we can get the information."

  Louis sneered, "Ugh. Don't even pretend you mean that."

  "This could be a wild goose chase, you know that?" I stared at the papers on the desk, having no clue where we would begin with an investigation like this.

  "We might never know the answer." Louis agreed, "But we're going to try."

  While I was busy on my first night at work, Vince sat alone in his living room. He was taking one of his coveted evenings alone where he sat and did nothing the entire night. A book might be attempted or perhaps a show, but what he most enjoyed on those nights was simply sitting and doing nothing. Vampires are weird.

  He tilted his head up, looking at the window in front of him. Soft lights from his front yard blurred his reflection staring back at him. An outline of palms swayed back and forth, bringing a reflection of a familiar face in and out of view.

  "Do you truly think I didn't know you are here?" Vince called out to the window.

  There was a snicker behind him and Faulkner's hand rested on the chair, "But did you know it was me, Vincenzo?"

  "Of course I did. I'd ask what you want, but I don't care."

  "It's been centuries, old friend. It's time." Faulkner bowed his head low.

  Vince stood up, turning around to face the man who was once his closest friend, "Very well. How shall we do it? Stakes? Fire?"

  "No." Faulkner had a sad smile when he handed Vince a thin wooden stake, "This is the only one I have. Drive it through my heart."

  He twirled the stake around in his fingers, "Excuse me? What are you saying?"

  "Give me my chance to be free."

  "Free?!" Vince scoffed, "After all this time? After everything you have done? You simply want to be free!"

  Faulkner sighed, walking away from Vince with a wave of his hand, "Oh, don't be ridiculous. Are you still mad over your wife and son? Is that it? It happened in the eighteenth century!"

  "Yes I'm angry!" Vince flew at Faulkner, grabbing his shirt collar, "I loved them! You loved them too! Constance was like a sister to you! You called Robert your Nephew! Yet, you killed them in cold blood!"

  "Because you wouldn't listen!" Faulkner yelled at him, refusing to struggle, "You always fell for women who were Human. Always watched them waste away in their twilight years. I tried to warn you then to leave that ridiculous sentiment behind!"

  "What I do with my life isn't your choice, Theodric!" Vince drew in close to Faulkner. The whites of his eyes were beginning to turn red with anger.

  Faulkner swallowed hard, turning his gaze to the ceiling, "I didn't want to do it, Vincenzo! I had to. I hoped you would listen to me if I did. But you...? No. You couldn't. You had to get your revenge and ignore the warnings."

  Vince sputtered, "Warnings!? Do you call that a warning!?"

  "Yes! I thought I taught you better than that!"

  Vince let Faulkner go with an irritated flick of his hands, "Even now you think you made me. You still think you have some hold over me after mentoring me all those years ago."

  Faulkner relaxed against the wall, giving Vince a feeble smile, "I did make you who you are today, Vincenzo. Please, for the sake of that...give me my rest. I am done."

  Vince stroked his chin, watching Faulkner closely. His face was pale, and growing gaunt; his eyes were hollow and tired. There was no way he could fight Vince in this state. It must have been days since he fed. He truly did come to die.

  Suddenly, Vince had an idea. He grabbed Faulkner by the shirt and pulled him close, grinning at the weakened Vampire. "Oh no." He rasped, "You are not done."

  He started to effortlessly drag Faulkner across the marble floor towards the facilities closet just past the dining room. Faulkner scuffed his shoes on the floor, trying to get away.

  "What are you doing?" He cried out.

  "Do you think I am going to give you the satisfaction of a quick death? Did you truly think after all you have done — after all the people you murdered? Oh, no. You will not receive the death you're asking for!"

  Vince opened a sliding door hidden just behind a china cabinet. Inside was a hallway that led to an unfinished room. At one time, someone could have been creating a panic room. Now, it was a cold room with concrete walls and a single skylight up above.

  Faulkner winced when his body was hurled against the far wall in the room. Vince barred the doorway, waiting for Faulkner to understand exactly where he was. This was no room. It was a tomb. The skylight had a partially opened cover that looked out at the night sky. This skylight would be very easy for Vince to control from elsewhere in the house.

  Vince was going to leave him here in a slow and agonizing death. First, he would waste away to skin and bones from starvation. The sun sickness will slowly take him. Each day, he'll feel a little more of it until he's left as nothing but a mindless husk of a Vampire.

  "Vincenzo!" Faulkner reached out towards him, "Do not shut this door!"

  Vince smirked at him, "You taught me about revenge, Theodric. Something I have to make myself forget every single day. It's only fitting I remember it just for you. One's heart doesn't die when they turn. Unless they let it
. I almost made that mistake twice. Yours died centuries ago and you became a monster. It's time you're locked up like one."

  The door slammed shut behind Vince. Vince leaned against the closed door, closing his eyes and letting out a long sigh. Faulkner was left alone in the darkness, unable to do anything except wait for the morning to come.

  Three hours later, I was off work, and rolling into Vince's driveway. The two bikes parked in front told me Chloe and Leo were both at home. That was the last thing I wanted to deal with. If Leo told Chloe, she would tell her parents. Then, they would all know.

  Brutus greeted me at the door, wagging his entire rear end, and giving me his best dog smile, "Raina! You're back! Hello! How was work? Did you see? Chloe and Leo are here. It's great! We played in the yard, and they took me for a walk!"

  I hugged my dog, petting his ears while he kissed me hello, "I'm glad you had a good day!"

  Two pairs of eyes were staring at me from the kitchen island. Chloe shook her head slowly, "I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Leo."

  He crossed his arms with a look of triumph, "You owe me dinner!"

  "Really!?" I rolled my eyes.

  "You do know he's like...five hundred years old or something, right?" Chloe looked a little disgusted.

  I started to stomp up the stairs towards Vince's room, "This has been discussed!"

  Both of them broke into hysterical snickers at my reaction. I'd find out later that they planned on teasing me a little. It seems I played right into it. Leo picked up a small suitcase, jingling his keys at Chloe. The two of them were finally getting their weekend in Orlando.

  I heard them both scurry out of the house and zoom off in Leo's car. They were likely very excited to enjoy the all expenses paid trip courtesy of Vince. He had given Leo one of his cards, and told him not to worry about money for the weekend.

  Vince sat alone on the corner of his bed, not acknowledging Leo and Chloe had left. Something was weighing heavy on his mind. Brutus came into the room and sat down next to him, thumping his tail on Vince's leg until he agreed to pet him.

  "Hey." I sat down next to Vince, "Are you OK?"

  He forced a smile, "It's been a trying day. That's all. I finally tied up some loose ends from my past. It served as a reminder of who we once were."

  Vince had it worse than most Non Human groups. Vampires were a very nasty thing up until the early twentieth century. And Vince was old enough to remember what they were like. I often wondered how much of it he was involved in. Old news clippings gave me some clues to his ventures in the Arizona Territory. I was certain he was responsible for a few murders and fixed political campaigns in the area. But, that wasn't him anymore. It hadn't been for a long time.

  "Try not to think about it. Druids have their nasty past too. And we all have our individual demons to deal with."

  Vince snorted, "You? From my understanding you were the model child who tried to gain her parents approval."

  I burst into laughter, "What? Alright sure. We'll go with that story!"

  "So there's something you haven't told me." He huffed.

  "There's a lot I haven't. And a lot you haven't told me. So we're even."

  We both sat there in silence. The air conditioner hummed outside, and Brutus' soft panting reminded me that he needed some food. I stared at the blank TV in front of me, watching Vince through the reflection in the screen. His face was downcast, and his hands rested on his lap. He was genuinely upset over this.

  I was never very good at the comfort thing. Don't be a Detective, Raina. Just try to be a person for once. I took his hand, giving it a light squeeze.

  "Have you eaten yet?" He broke the silence.

  "No."

  "I'd like to have dinner." Vince stood up, taking his keys from the dresser.

  I sighed, tugging at my shirt, "I really don't want to deal with this yet, but I knew the discussion was coming."

  "No. No!" Vince managed to laugh, waving his hands back and forth, "I don't want you for dinner. I would like to go somewhere and buy some food. At a restaurant, preferably. Aren't you hungry?"

  "I could eat."

  He frowned at me, "You are being ridiculous. You know very well what I'm asking."

  "It's not a date." I stood up, grabbing his keys out of his hand. He was a horrible driver anyway.

  "Yes it is and it's time we had one! Are you coming or not?" He crossed his arms, trying to look annoyed at me.

  I grinned, "I guess I am since I have your keys."

  "You are a very difficult woman!" Vince took his keys back from me, walking out of the room, "And this is indeed our first date, whether you say so or not!"

  "That's not how this works, Vince. It's the twenty-first century. A date is a sort of mutual agreement now." I had to admit, I was very much enjoying how frustrated he was getting.

  He whirled around to face me, "Are we agreeing on it?"

  "Yes." I laughed, "Let's go. I'm starving."

  "Well...good!"

  As we walked down the stairs, I took his arm, "So, what did you do tonight anyway?"

  "I locked Faulkner in a secure room and left him to die in a long and painful death."

  I laughed, "I wish you did. Seriously, what did you do?"

  Vince shrugged his shoulders, "I read an old book by the pool."

  "Good book?"

  "The best ending I have read in ages."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Ruined Vacation

  Leo held Chloe's hand while they walked through the lobby of their hotel. It was a perfect morning to experience some theme parks. The sun was streaming through the wall of glass doors while a cool cross breeze blew through the lobby.

  The two of them kicked their legs in unison while they sat on a cozy sofa, discussing their plans. Would it be breakfast and then a theme park or breakfast at a theme park? The smell of fresh pastries, fruit, coffee and sizzling bacon wafted out of the nearby restaurant. It was a tempting reason to stay in the hotel just a little longer and have some breakfast there. Splurging a little and having breakfast delivered to their room was the final decision.

  Leo opened the door, waiting for Chloe to walk inside. He was making every effort to give her the most wonderful weekend. After the last few months, both of them needed a break. A luxury hotel room with a picture window that overlooks a lake was a great start to the relaxation.

  Chloe stopped just inside the door, eyeing the balcony intently. "Leo...?"

  "What? What's wrong?" Leo turned to the balcony, staring at it with wide eyes.

  A man stood on the balcony watching the two of them. He and Chloe both didn't recognize the gentleman, but they both recognized the badge on his belt. An anvil in front of a fleur-de-lis.

  He slid the balcony door open, approaching both of them slowly, "Mister Moretti. Miss Hernandez. I'm Jacob Stuart. I need to speak with you both."

  "Leo, call 911!" Chloe shouted, bounding across the room to grab her phone.

  Instead of calling the Police, Leo ran towards the Iron Oath officer. He wrapped his arms around Jacob's waist and shoved his shoulders into his chest, knocking them both on the ground. Jacob struggled against Leo, but he had already grabbed Jacob's arms and pinned them behind his back.

  "Don't! Stop! I don't want to hurt you!" Jacob protested, "I need you both to listen to me. I want your help!"

  Leo pressed on Jacob's back, "Chloe, call my Dad! If he's not awake, call Raina!"

  "Come on Dad...!" Chloe shifted from one foot to the other, waiting for the phone. When Brian answered she shouted, "Dad! That Iron Oath guy he's...yes! He's in our room! Now!"

  The garbled shouts over the phone couldn't be made out by Leo or Jacob. Though, it was clear Brian Neason was incensed. Chloe hung up and frantically sent text messages to both Vince and me.

  Jacob rolled back and forth on the floor, "Don't call the Police! Please! Just listen to me!"

  "What do you want?" Leo thumped him on the back of the head.

  "I want your help!" He ye
lled, "Both of you. I tried to get it from Catherine, but she won't listen to me. You are both young and strong."

  "You're sick!" Chloe narrowed her eyes at him.

  Jacob jerked his shoulder to one side, rolling Leo away from him. Leo made a move to tackle him again, but Jacob put his hands up in surrender. He turned his head towards Chloe, smiling at her like a Father would when they were proud of their child.

  "Oh Chloe. We were on the verge of a breakthrough!" Jacob took a few steps towards her, "You led us to it. You were so close...so close to harnessing that beautiful magic. I could have kissed you."

  Chloe wrinkled her nose, "You're gross! There's no magic."

  "Yes there is." He smiled, "It's an ancient magic that we thought was lost. But, all of you have it. I was so proud of you."

  "That's enough!" Leo balled up his fist, running towards Jacob. He reared back and caught Jacob square in the jaw. "Get out!"

  Jacob closed his eyes, grabbing his jaw with his hand and rubbing it. His lip was bleeding from the side and a large red mark formed on his face. He opened his eyes, staring at Leo and Chloe both.

  "I know you aren't willing to talk now. When you are, we'll meet somewhere, and we'll talk. I can't let this go."

  Chloe's phone rang. The contact list told her it was her Mom calling. When she went to answer the phone, Jacob threw the room door open and ran out. Leo took off after him, shouting for him to stop. It was too late. Jacob slid into an opened elevator and quickly shut the doors. He was gone.

  "Leo!" Chloe chased him, "... Where did he go?"

  Leo stabbed his fingers towards the elevators, "He ran!"

  "I don't think I want to go anywhere today." Chloe said quietly, gripping Leo's hand.

  He sighed, leading them back to the room, "We'll get our trip one of these days."

  My phone vibrated on the nightstand next to me, warning me that I had overslept again. Brutus snuffled around in the sheets, pawing at my leg to wake me up. The incessant buzzing on the glass table was enough to drive him crazy. I petted his head, reassuring him I was awake and grabbed the phone.