by R. E. Butler
“We understand,” his mom said. “Maybe we can video chat next time.”
“I’d like that.”
“You’re being safe and careful, right?” she asked, her voice taking on a stern quality.
“Of course.”
“Good. We’ll talk to you soon, son.”
He ended the call and rested his head back against the wall with a sigh. A door creaked as it opened and Brone stepped out into the hall and shut the door silently.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” he said. Then he cleared his throat. “Well, I was, I guess, since I heard you end the call.”
“No worries,” Cyrus said, putting the phone in his back pocket. “What’s up?”
“While we were all resting, I had some of our coven members working on finding the bomber’s sedan. With the information you provided on the windshield sticker, they were able to narrow the search parameters and we now have a name and address.”
“That’s fantastic. I’m assuming that the family will be going to apprehend the bomber after the sun sets?”
“Yes. We’ve got a team ready to go as soon as it’s dark out, and I’d like for you to join us.”
“I’d be honored.”
And he wanted to kick the ass of the person who almost took him away from Cella and endangered the coven.
Brone nodded in approval. “Meet in Mishka’s office in an hour.”
Cyrus nodded and headed back into his chamber. When he closed the door, he looked at the bed and saw Cella sitting up, the blankets under her arms and a curious smile on her face. “Hi.”
He sat on the bed next to her and gave her a kiss. He kept it short and sweet though. His beloved was very tempting, and he didn’t want to take things too far when they only had an hour before he had to take off. “Hello, sweetheart.”
“You have to go?” she asked.
“I have an hour. They found the bomber’s residence.” Cyrus was thankful that his cousin Aeryn was going to culinary school, otherwise he wouldn’t have known that the pineapple sticker on the windshield was a campus parking permit. That they’d been able to figure out who the sedan belonged to despite the license plate being blacked out was pretty damn cool.
“I know I don’t have to tell you to be careful. I think after the bombing, you’re the definition of that.”
“I’ll do anything to keep you safe, and in order to do that I need to keep myself safe too. It’s a win-win.”
She chuckled, and then sobered. “We’re beloveds.”
He nodded. Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his cheek and kissed the inside of her wrist. He could see both sets of marks on her neck, one side for his tiger’s mating bite, and the other for his vampire. Inhaling abruptly at that thought, he said, “It’s so weird, isn’t it? I almost died, and you brought me back as something more than anyone could have anticipated. I just thought about my tiger and my vampire, and they’re not fighting for dominance inside me.”
“That might be your human side keeping things steady.” She tilted her head slightly. “I can tell when either side is dominant. Your eyes are gold for the vampire and blue for the tiger.”
“What are they now?”
“Gold and blue swirled together. It’s pretty spectacular looking. I think it’s from Mishka, because he’s the only vampire I know with golden eyes.”
“His eyes were gold when he was human?”
“He said they were light brown, but they turned gold once he changed. Brone’s eyes are purple, and that’s unique to his lineage, as well as his double fangs.”
“You didn’t get Mishka’s golden eyes though.”
She shrugged. “When it comes to supernatural things, oddities can be normal. Maybe the combination of mine and Mishka’s blood is what caused you to have the unique eyes. But regardless, I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“Me too. I need to figure my abilities out, the sooner the better.”
“Do you think you can shift?”
“No. I still have some of my tiger, but I can’t really feel him fully.”
“You’ve got telekinesis, that’s pretty unique.”
“Is there a comprehensive list of vampire abilities?”
Her brow rose. “A list? No. Generally speaking, the main ability for vampires is compulsion, to mess with the freewill of humans. It’s an ability that grows over time, but also is stronger in some vampire lines than others. Mishka’s power is very strong, so you should have that ability to some degree. And there’s an inherent beauty with vampires, even if they weren’t attractive as humans, turning makes them better looking. It won’t turn an uggo into a supermodel, but it does up their allure factor.”
“I suppose that’s helpful when you’re trying to convince humans to donate a vein.”
She nodded. “But you’re clearly unique. Even though you were turned and are part vampire, we also became beloveds which means that whatever being a tribrid is, you’re still a shifter.”
He twisted his wrist and looked at the mark she’d given him. “I don’t know what this means for us when it comes to the ambush. I need to know more about what I am.”
“You’re worried about trying to feed from your family.” It was a statement, not a question. And right on the money.
“If Ven hadn’t held me back, I would have attacked Harmony’s bandmates. Once I smelled a shifter, I couldn’t control myself.” He shuddered, thinking about attacking his parents or one of the ambush members. “You said that new vampires have to be watched to ensure they can control themselves. Have you ever seen a newbie try to tackle a human to feed?”
“Um, no. But I have seen some newbies struggling with their control. Some are able to establish control easily and can feed on their own within a short period of time. For others, it can take longer. I knew a vampire who’d been a drug addict when he was human. That tendency to overindulge to the point of almost killing himself carried over into his immortal life, and he was actually imprisoned by the Hunters for a while because he was attacking humans and overfeeding.”
“I didn’t know it was possible to overfeed.”
“I think it’s possible to overdo anything, really. He didn’t want to drink SyBl, and his coven didn’t have a big group of food, so he went out on his own looking for donors, and if someone would refuse him, he’d just use compulsion and force them.”
“How long was he in Hunter jail?”
“A few decades. He’d get released and go right back to his old habits. Eventually he force-fed from a human who was the lover of a large coven’s master, and the master killed him. But that’s depressing, and I don’t want to think about that happening with you. I believe we carry some of our baggage into our immortal lives. He was a drug addict, and as a vampire he couldn’t indulge in that anymore, but the need was still there, it just became about blood.”
“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“I don’t think you will. But it’s a good idea to figure out what you can handle when it comes to shifters before you go walking into a town full of tigers.”
“I’m also wondering if I am still tiger enough to be in the ambush.”
“Midas will have to decide that, right?”
He nodded and kissed her cheek before climbing off the bed. “Right now I need to focus on finding the despicable human and then we’ll figure out the rest.”
“While you’re gone, I’ll reach out to Mishka to see if we can gain access to his book collection. We might be able to find out more about tribrids and your abilities.”
“Sounds good. Anything that might help.”
He changed into black tactical pants and a black form fitting shirt. His gear was stored in Brone’s office.
He looked at himself in the mirror over the bathroom sink. His eyes were mostly gold, with little dots of blue. He let his fangs extend, the tips sharp and dangerous. Cella joined him and slid her arm around his waist.
“Sexy male.”
“Don’t sweet talk me, woman,” he sa
id turning to face her. “You’re tempting enough as it is.”
“I won’t apologize.”
“I wouldn’t believe you if you did anyway.” He kissed her gently. “I’ll keep you posted. I don’t think this will take long.”
“I have to go to the food office for a bit, so I’ll see you when you’re finished.”
He didn’t want to leave but he forced himself to let his beloved go, after a few more kisses and whispered promises for when he returned. In the hall, he fell into step with Ven and Temple as they headed to the elevator.
“How’s it going?” Ven asked.
“Good. And if I didn’t say thank you in the office earlier, thanks. You stopped me from hurting anyone.”
“No problem,” Ven said, pushing the button for the elevator. “We owe you a debt anyway. You saved countless lives finding the bomb, and also helping to figure out how to find the asshole.”
The elevator stopped and they walked out. “I’m not happy I nearly died, but I’m glad I was there to help.”
They met Brone and Rage in Mishka’s office and went over the plans. It was fairly simple – find the human, get him to tell all he knew, rough him up for good measure, and turn him over to the human authorities.
“Everything needs to happen by the book,” Mishka said. “We don’t want the human getting out of prosecution on a technicality.”
“We’ve got it, Boss,” Temple said. “No worries.”
As the males turned to leave, Mishka called Cyrus and he faced him.
“Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“I wouldn’t normally allow a newly turned vampire to go on a mission like this, but you’re not normal by any stretch.”
Cyrus snorted. “Thanks.” Then he shook Mishka’s hand. “Thank you for helping to save my life and also for trusting me to help bring justice to our people.”
“You’re welcome. Cella texted me about going to my storage facility to look for information on tribrids and I’ll give you the codes and keys once you’re back. You can go tomorrow night.”
“Your antiquities are off-site?”
Mishka nodded. “Some things need to be kept in temperature-controlled rooms, and the club doesn’t lend itself to that much spare room. I also like having them separate and secured, in case something would ever happen to the club.”
Cella told him the church had set fire to the club at one point, and while no one had been hurt it could have been a disaster. It baffled him that the church was so callous as to set fire to a building where people were sleeping, in the hopes they’d drive them out into the daylight to die, assuming the fire itself didn’t kill them. Thankfully, the club had daytime guards who put out the fire.
“Thanks.”
Cyrus left the office and caught up to the males in the empty reception area. He glanced at the reception desk, where a framed sign offered assistance to visitors by pressing the “0” button on the phone.
“Where’s Angie?” He took the bulletproof vest Brone handed him.
Rage gave him a long look, and then glanced at Brone. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why reception was empty.
“Ah,” Cyrus said. “Because of me.”
“I don’t want to offend you, but until you know for certain how you’ll react around shifters, we’re unwilling to take a chance on Angie being in harm’s way.”
Cyrus put his hand up. “I understand completely. I wouldn’t risk Cella’s safety for anything or anyone.”
Rage nodded.
The group headed to the garage, where they split into two SUVs. Cyrus was in the lead vehicle with Ven driving and Brone in the second row. Temple, Rage, and two other coven members followed. Forty-five minutes later, they were stopped a block away from a cozy-looking ranch on a quiet street, with the sedan he’d seen parked in the driveway. It was baffling to consider that a place as wholesome looking as this was hiding someone who’d tried to murder a bunch of vampires for no reason other than the fact they were vampires.
Cyrus listened to the plan as Brone detailed it. They would first attempt what Brone called a “nice” approach, where they sweetly asked for whoever the asshole owner of the car was to come with them for questioning. And if that didn’t work – and the general consensus was that it would not – they’d take the male by force. Cyrus climbed out of the SUV, adjusted his vest and cracked his neck. It was time to kick some ass and ensure his beloved was safe.
Chapter Eighteen
Brone caught Cyrus’s arm. “If you feel out of control at all, tell one of us and we’ll help.”
Cyrus checked out his feelings, and hunger wasn’t one of them. “I’m cool, but I promise to let you guys know if I’m not.”
Brone nodded.
Their group surrounded the home. Cyrus stood on the porch next to Temple, who knocked loudly. Inside the home, Cyrus could hear a television and some noise as if someone was putting dishes away in the kitchen. The door was opened by an older man with graying hair and laugh lines around his mouth and eyes. He’d been smiling when he opened the door, but one look at them in tactical gear, and his smile slipped.
“What can I do for you, gentlemen?”
Cyrus sniffed discreetly. This was not the male whose scent he’d picked up at the restaurant. That scent was branded in his brain, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever forget what the male who’d nearly cost him his life smelled like.
Temple smiled, but it wasn’t the sort of smile that reached his eyes. “We’re looking for Jeffrey Windmer, the owner of the sedan in the driveway.”
“I’m Jeffrey.”
Temple glanced at Cyrus in question and he shook his head.
“Are you the only one who drives the car?” Cyrus asked.
“What’s this about?” Jeffrey asked. “I have exterior motion-sensor cameras, and I know there are a number of swat-type men surrounding my home. I don’t want any trouble. It’s only my wife and me who live here, and I assure you we haven’t done anything to harm any of your kind.”
Cyrus sniffed again. The male didn’t smell like fear, only curiosity and wariness. He decided to get to the point. “Someone driving your vehicle set off a bomb at a vampire-owned restaurant earlier this week. It wasn’t you, so we need to know who it was so we can stop them from harming another vampire again.”
A woman appeared behind the man, ducking under his arm and hugging him. “It must have been our son, Jeff Jr. He set off a bomb?”
Jeffrey pushed the front door open further. “Come on in so we can chat. Invite the others too. I’d put on coffee, but I don’t think y’all drink it.”
“Thanks,” Temple said. He used the communicator on his collar to let the others know to come in. A few minutes later, they were crowded into the kitchen with Jeffrey and his wife, Dahlia, at the head of the butcher-block table.
“You’re not surprised about your son,” Cyrus said, drumming his fingers on the tabletop.
Jeffrey shook his head. “I don’t want you to think we expected him to do something terrible like this, and we’re horrified that he did. But a year ago, our daughter got married to a vampire from a coven near her college. Jeff disliked the vampire from the beginning, and we never really knew why. He refused to come to the wedding and started to spout anti-vampire views to us. When she came to visit after the honeymoon, she’d been turned into a vampire and had joined the coven, which is outside of Indianapolis. All we care about is that she’s happy and safe. It was her life to live and her choices to make. She even offered for us to be turned to join the coven, but we’re content being human with limited lifespans.”
“Jeffy on the other hand,” Dahlia said, shaking her head. “When he saw she was a vampire, he went off the deep end. Said she was dead and should be in the ground, blamed her husband for it and threatened to cause trouble for their coven. We kicked him out of the house and told him he couldn’t come back home until he got his head straight.”
“We didn’t hear from him for months, an
d then he showed up the other day asking to borrow the car for a job interview. He didn’t bring it back until almost dawn. I happened to be up for work and saw him drop the car off and get picked up by another one. He looked... crazed. I’ve called him countless times, but he won’t answer,” Jeffrey sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
Dahlia toyed with her cell phone. “What’s going on?”
Temple cleared his throat. “We believe your son has fallen in with the hate group The First Church of Humanity.” He slid a tablet across the table and showed them images of their vehicle and their son at the restaurant, and the damage to the building. “Jeff used synthetic tiger scent to blend in with the workers and planted a bomb in the ceiling of the restaurant. No one died, but one of our males nearly lost his life. Not to mention the thousands of dollars in damage that was done.”
Dahlia put her hand to her mouth as she gasped, her eyes glittering with tears. “We had no idea it was that bad. Our daughter told us about the church, and how there’s a branch near her coven that causes problems for them. She can’t leave her home without a guard for fear of being attacked. Why won’t they leave your kind alone?”
“That’s a question we’ve been asking for years,” Rage said. “Do you know where your son is?”
Dahlia’s hand tightened on her phone, and Cyrus knew she knew the answer.
“What will you do when you find him?”
“We’re going to interrogate him to find out the location of those he worked with, and then we’ll turn him over to the human authorities,” Temple said. “We have no desire to kill or harm Jeff; we need answers and we need to stop the violence against our people.”
“You’ll do your best not to hurt him?” Dahlia asked, looking at her husband before turning her motherly-pleading gaze back to them.
“On my honor,” Temple said. “He does us no good if he can’t talk. He’s a pawn used by the higher ups in the church. We want what he knows and then to let him be handled by the humans. We have bigger fish to fry.”