by LJ Rivers
“Total lie. Humans all have different odors, of course, but there’s this earthy scent they all give off that vampires do not.”
Rosamund nodded.
“Anyway,” Petra continued, “they appeared out of nowhere and confronted me, asking me where you were.” She looked pointedly at me. “They used the name MacKay, not Anker, though, but I pieced it together. I think one of them was the same man who attacked us Friday night. They kept saying how you hadn’t been home for a few days, and they wanted to know where you were hiding. When I told them I didn’t know, they became aggressive. Karl moved in front of me and flashed his fangs at them in a warning. They didn’t back off, though. Instead, the three of them got into a fight. I was so scared. I couldn’t get in the middle of a vampire brawl, so I edged toward a fence. When one of the vamps tore into Karl’s jugular and ripped through his neck, I shifted, escaping through a hole in the fence.”
“Two,” Leon said thoughtfully. “At least we know there’s more than the one we knew about. Although, that is troubling.”
“May I be excused now?” Petra asked, clearly fighting to keep the floodgates shut.
The Solis crossed her legs and sighed. “Go, wash up, but do return to the party within an hour or so. It’s important that you show your face, Schatzi, but it’s enough that you make an appearance.”
Once Petra had left, the three of us exchanged glances.
“I’ve heard about dhampirs,” Rosamund said, “but it always sounded like an urban legend. I still can’t believe it’s true.” She reached over to touch Leon’s forearm. “Should I be scared? Do you think they’ll attack my cats?”
He shook his head. “I think their main objective is revenge. They’re clearly busy hunting shield witches.”
“Yes, I heard about the other one. Two shield witches showing up in Berlin in as many days. Something is up.”
“I believe the other one, Naunet, knew about Cam and the dhampirs, and came to warn her. She was murdered before she had the chance to tell Cam what she knew, but the connection is hard to miss. My only hope is that two dhampirs is the extent of our enemy.”
She shuddered. “I wouldn’t hold my breath. This seems to me like a long time coming, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are all holed up somewhere. Perhaps if we could find out where, we could torch them all.”
“Maybe we should look into that when we return from Copenhagen,” Leon said, to me more than her.
“Copenhagen?” Rosamund’s eyebrows arched with interest. “Are you going to visit Edwin?”
I sucked my lips between my teeth, having forgotten that she knew him, too. “He was found dead a few days ago. At his girlfriend’s house, apparently. I didn’t even know he was dating.”
It took me by surprise when Rosamund let out a whine sharp enough to cut glass. Outside, a few people turned their heads, though no one entered.
“Was he murdered?” she hissed.
“Same MO,” Leon confirmed. “I’m taking Cam to the memorial on Wednesday, but we’ll leave tomorrow to make sure we get there in time.”
Rosamund touched the white stone on the pendant she was wearing, her slanted eyes filled with fury. The calm and collected woman I had first met melted away, revealing the predator within. “I’ll claw their eyeballs out and feast on their hearts while they’re still pumping.”
After our conversation, we returned to the party. The kids wanted me to play hide-and-seek for a while, and I happily indulged them, grateful for the distraction. Still, I couldn’t help but notice the increasing number of men moving around the perimeter of the house. Rosamund had called for backup, and I didn’t think these were cats. Maybe eighty per cent of the people at the party were female, while the few men all shared similar slim frames and narrow eyes. The new arrivals, on the other hand, were all V-shaped torsos and square jaws. I had no doubt the cats were fierce and strong fighters, but they were not all muscle and fury like these men. Were they witches? Maybe werewolves?
Reinforced security or not, the rest of the party carried on without any frightening incidents. Food kept coming from the kitchen, and I wondered where the guests put it all. I could taste the spices and savory scents in the air on my tongue. The cuisine was mostly birds and fish, and no red meat as far as I could tell, and the guests cleaned their plates time and time again.
I helped myself to some salmon from a nearby tray and nibbled on a stick of cucumber when Noelle strolled to my side. “Hi, Noelle.”
She crossed her arms, reminding me of her father. “Papa says he’ll be gone for a few days. I don’t mind staying here, but you’d better make sure he comes back in one piece.”
I covered my snicker with my hand. “I’ll guard him with my life.”
“That’s all I ask.” Allowing her arms to fall to her side, she lifted herself onto the edge of a fountain not currently flowing with water, and waved her feet. “Can I sit here for a while, next to you?”
“Sure.”
“You have no idea what a relief it is. I love staying here, but the house is always full of people and their conflicted emotions, and I get the worst migraines.”
I leaned against the fountain next to her. “No problem. I have nowhere to be until sunset.”
“You have really gorgeous eyes, like honey and gold mixed together. Did you get that from your mama or your papa?”
I choked on a piece of cucumber, then rinsed my throat with a swig of beer. “My father, I think, but all I have to go on is a blurry, old photo of him, so I don’t actually know what he looks like. My mother’s eyes were a deep blue, I recall.”
“My papa always says I got my mama’s stunning eyes and complexion and his stubbornness.”
“Stubborn, huh? I can see that. Not a bad trait to have if you use it wisely.” The stone fountain stood in the shadows and was cool to the touch, which was a repose after a day in the burning sunlight of early summer. “Do you ever miss her?”
“How can I miss someone I don’t remember?” she asked.
“I miss my father all the time,” I admitted. “Well, not so much him as a person, but the idea of him. I miss the things we never got to experience together, and the things a father does that he never did with me. I do remember my mother, but she fades a little more every day, and I miss her too.”
“Did she ever braid your hair and sing to you?”
“All the time,” I said with a smile in my voice.
“My papa did that for me, but I’m too old for that now. Besides, I’ve got the OTs and Petra to help me. Her hair is silky and straight, but she’s always going on about how much she envies me my curls.”
I carefully touched a lock of her tresses. “This you got from your dad. I promise, I won’t let anyone lay a finger on him.”
She nodded, gazing wistfully at the crowd. “Want to know a secret?”
“Always.”
“Gustav is in love with that woman over there. It took me a while to realize it, but his energy tend to flare whenever she’s around.” She inclined her head to indicate a middle-aged woman by one of the picnic tables. “He’s also too scared to tell her. But I know how they both feel, and I can’t tell them.”
“Why not?”
“Papa says it’s wrong to meddle with people’s emotions. They need to figure things out on their own. Sometimes, it’s OK to give people a nudge, but most don’t appreciate someone telling them to their face how they feel.”
I knew what she meant. Feelings were difficult, often mingled together and confusing. They were hard enough to sort out on your own, let alone have someone point them out to you.
“I should go comfort Rosamund.” Noelle hopped off the fountain.
I stole a glance in the Solis’ direction. She was smiling and working the crowd, from what I could tell. “She seems fine.”
“I don’t know what you talked about earlier, but she’s heartbroken. She puts up a good front. Inside, though,” she lowered her voice, “she’s crying waterfalls. I’ve rarely sensed
so much grief.”
Noelle took a shuddering breath, as if steeling herself to walk away from me, before she straightened her spine and strutted into the crowd.
My own grief kept coming in waves, shifting between sorrow and anger. Most of all, I wanted to find the bastard who took Edwin’s life and make him suffer. That thought kept me on my feet. It gave me a purpose, and I would be damned if I allowed his death to go unpunished. Assuming the guilty was a dhampir, I wanted to take his magic away and watch the life fade from his eyes as I ended his miserable existence.
Chapter Seventeen
Strained voices came from the other side, and Leon braced himself. The veiled leaders were all there when he opened the door to Saga’s study. The room looked exactly the same as the first time he had seen it. Recesses in the walls with neatly arranged pots, jars, bowls, and mortars gave him the sense of stepping into some herbalist’s den, which wasn’t far from the truth. Saga’s powers weren’t rooted in herbology, but her Phoenix ability drove her to all living things, which plants and herbs were a part of. She might take energy from them if she needed a boost, though a single plant couldn’t add more than maybe a second or two to her lifespan.
The intensity in the room rolled over him like an ice-cold wave as he stepped over the threshold, showering him with conflicting emotions. He steadied himself and inclined his head at each of the leaders in turn. Rosamund, Saga, Ursula, and Albrecht were seated around the oval table in the center of the room, and the voices died as they laid eyes on him.
Leon took a seat between Saga and Albrecht, leaving one chair empty.
“And where is the shield?” Ursula asked. Her black hair was arranged into a crown on her head tonight, a few strands left loose to curl around her cheekbones.
Saga folded her small hands on the table. “Her uncle passed away, so she won’t be joining us this evening.”
Ursula arched an eyebrow, straightening in her chair to look down her nose at the rest of them. “I was expecting her to show.”
“So was I,” Albrecht cut in. The Alpha of the largest pack in all of Germany had a demanding presence, and the power in his voice was undeniable to anyone who heard him speak. Leon read his sentiments easily enough, as Albrecht was rarely conflicted about what he was feeling. Albrecht was proud, strong-willed, and at times extremely stubborn, but his mind was on his wolves first and foremost in any given situation. Right now, he was feeling left out, which in his mind made him unable to properly prepare for potential threats against his pack. Camryn represented an unknown, and the chartreuse colors in the air marked the Alpha’s concern. “I’m the only one here who hasn’t had a chance to meet this woman. I need to know if she can be trusted.” He put his massive arms on the table, his broad frame demanding attention as much as his words.
Leon considered himself above-average height and fairly muscular, but sitting between Albrecht and Saga made him feel small and inferior, like prey stuck in the middle of two predators. The most dangerous predator in the room, however, was sitting across from him. Ursula was the worst kind of predator, the one you didn’t see coming before it was too late.
Saga drew in a deep breath and gave Albrecht a reassuring glance. “You’ll get your turn soon enough,” she promised. “For now, we should be concentrating on the threat at hand. It troubles me a great deal.”
Rosamund shifted in her chair, sitting sideways as she crossed her long legs. Her energy was all over the place, even though none of that showed on the outside, and Leon was certain he was the only one to take notice. A jumble of colors surrounded her, making it difficult to pinpoint where her mind was at. “My main concern is whether my cats are being targeted or not. Some have expressed concerns about their safety and wonder why we have yet to retaliate. I couldn’t very well blame the attack on some mythical creature no one believes in, and Petra has yet to learn the art of discretion. So now they all think a vampire is responsible and want me to confront the queen.” She gestured at Ursula.
The vampire queen picked her fang with one sharp fingernail and shrugged. “No cats are dead, are they? If anyone has a reason for concern, it’s the inumbratious. Karl was well liked and had a gentle soul for someone of our kind. His death is a tragedy, but moreover, it’s a source of unrest. By our alliance, no veiled person is to attack another. The days when we hunted each other have long since passed, or they should have. Loyalty and trust is something we have spent decades building, but like a tree that grows stronger by the years, it can be cut down in seconds. My people do not take kindly to this threat, nor should they. They want justice, and I am inclined to give it to them. One way or another.”
“You say dhampirs killed your vampire?” Albrecht asked, the table creaking as he leaned forward. “Why not just tell them that?”
Ursula all but rolled her eyes at him. “Because, Alpha, that would cause even more of an uproar. Imagine what people would say if they found out I had let these abominations be born. They would think I wasn’t fit as queen, and even more frightening, they would disregard the laws and regulations set in place, assuming the Fauve to be powerless. Vampires are born hunters, born to succumb to their instincts. You should recognize these desires, wolf, as they are much like your own. Unlike you, however, vampires—the inumbratious—are not wired to bond like a pack. They are likely to retaliate if they don’t believe I can protect them. We must uphold the laws and show punishment served for breaking them. If not, we’ll have an uprising on our hands. No one wants that.”
The room went eerily silent for a few beats before the chair groaned as Albrecht leaned back and raked his thick fingers through his copper hair. “I get it. I’m not sure what my wolves and I can contribute with at this point. This seems like a matter best solved between vamps and cats, since you’re the ones involved. Sending men to guard Rosamund’s property today was out of friendship, but don’t expect me to make it a common occurrence.”
Rosamund’s lips twitched, but she stayed silent, still battling the turmoil of grief, desires, and regrets inside, which to Leon lay like a pulsing veil around her. She was in a lot of pain over Edwin, worried about Petra, and obligated to her pride. And if the vampires did retaliate, the cats were likely to lose. It was a lot to bear.
“Witches are involved, too, and you cannot run from this either, Alpha,” Ursula said cooly. “You wolves agreed to this alliance, and as such, you must honor it. I expect you to aid us any way you can, going forward. If these dhampirs turn out to be plentiful, they could just as easily come after your pack. They do not discriminate against the veiled kind. They consider anything and anyone of our world as abominations fit to be exterminated.”
“All right, I will honor our agreement. But why do these monsters hunt their own?” Albrecht asked.
Ursula gave him a scathing glance. “The human and vampire sides of them are unable to reconcile, which drives them mad. No exceptions. They blame the veiled world for making them what they are.”
A strip of moonlight fell through the open window, illuminating half of Saga’s face, leaving the rest in shadow. “If they are as powerful as legend suggests, Ursula, how do we fight them?”
“Camryn,” Leon said under his breath.
Ursula tapped her fingernails on the table. “That one troubles me too. The dhampirs were the biggest threat two hundred years ago. Back then, there were hundreds of them. If we assume there’s maybe only a handful of them left, two that we’re aware of, I believe they can be defeated as long as we band together. This shield, on the other hand, is a different story. I don’t like the potential dwelling inside her. None of you witnessed what their kind was capable of. Not even you, Saga. But I remember. They were as glorious as they were horrifying. To be perfectly candid, it all turned out for the best. Two birds, one stone. What’s to stop Camryn from turning on us?”
“She wouldn’t—” Leon objected.
“The Fauve is the reason her kind was wiped out. She may find cause to go after us herself once she realizes this. I, f
or one, do not wish to become a sitting duck when she takes my magic away.”
A flare of scarlet and silver colors erupted in Rosamund’s aura. “You’re wrong, Ursula. Camryn represents hope, and considering the betrayal her kind suffered, you owe Cam her life, not a death sentence. This young woman is without a doubt powerful, but wouldn’t you rather have her on our side than to make her an enemy?”
Ursula licked her fangs in thought. “I will consider your words, Solis. My judgment on the matter is still to be decided.”
“I’ll be keeping a close eye on her,” Saga said. “She is quite fascinating, and Rosamund makes a valid point.”
“She’s not one of your little experiments, Saga,” Rosamund bit out.
A flash of silver appeared in Saga’s Arctic blue eyes as she leaned into the moonlight. “Do not put words in my mouth. I’m on Camryn’s side in this, and I happen to think it’s best to keep someone like her close. It is not my intention to harm her or to push her out. But she needs to learn, and more importantly, so do we.”
While Leon was relieved that Saga was on Camryn’s side, the clan leader’s desire for knowledge and power shone through. Her intentions might be to Camryn’s benefit for now, but was it in the long run? Saga enjoyed toying with magic, and her longevity often made her crave excitement in a life that could become tedious as time dragged on. As it stood, Camryn needed all the support she could get.
“Well,” Albrecht said in a yawn, “I haven’t met the woman, so consider me Switzerland for now.”
Rosamund brushed her hand over the tabletop. “I believe that settles it. No one harms Camryn as long as she doesn’t become an obvious threat.”
“Very well,” Ursula said. “I will agree to that. For now.”
“As for our dhampir problem, Ursula and I have to deal with our people. My suggestion is to tell them we have a couple of rogue vampires from out of town wreaking havoc, but that we are working together to get rid of them. This will appease my cats.”