The Stone Warriors: Nicodemus

by D. B. Reynolds

  But he’d done worse than kill her—he’d stolen everything she was. Her magic, her strength, her will, the freedom to govern what her body did. Oh, Nick didn’t doubt that Antonia wanted Sotiris dead. He just wanted to be sure she didn’t die making it happen.

  Feeling the sudden, urgent need to see her, to reassure himself that she was alive, and that their reunion had been real, he finished drying off from the shower with a few quick swipes of the big towel, pulled on a clean T-shirt and jeans, shoved his feet into socks and boots, and went in search of her.

  Taking the stairs a few at a time, he used his key to open the still room door and tried not to sneeze as the scent of herbs and dirt struck his sinuses. He rarely worked in the still room, preferring his office upstairs. And with his own shielded workroom, he rarely had to even pass through this place. He’d show the workroom to Antonia once this mess with Sotiris was over, although he knew she’d prefer to use this one, because of the still room, and also because she wouldn’t want her work affected by his much more powerful and more violent magic. Workrooms were shielded to prevent magic from leaking outward and wreaking havoc, but there was no way to shield against the room itself absorbing at least some of the magic used within, especially when that magic was Nick’s.

  Leaving the still room door open enough to admit some fresh air— which Antonia would scold him for—he saw that the vault door was closed, which meant she was still working inside. He had a choice then— he could either sit among the herbs and wait for her, or interrupt what she was doing and let her know he was there. Opening the vault door without warning was risky. Theoretically, he could be injured when whatever magic she was using broke free, but his power would protect him. He wasn’t worried about himself, however. Antonia would be at much greater risk, since her magic would abruptly whip out of control when the shielding was broken by the opened door.

  He decided on a quiet telepathic hail instead, dampening his mental voice as much as he could while still being assured of penetrating the vault. “Antonia,” he sent, intentionally flavoring her name with his deep love for her. He waited patiently after that. If she was in the middle of something, she’d want to finish.

  When she responded, it was by opening the vault door. “You called?”

  “Did I interrupt you?” he asked.

  “Not at all,” she said smiling. “I was just finishing up anyway.” Walking into the still room, she went directly to the hallway door he’d left open, and with the expected chiding glance in his direction, shut it completely. “The air in here is warm and moist for a reason, oh great one.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t like it.”

  She laughed. “I’m guessing your workroom does not include a still room.”

  “You’ve got that right. I don’t use herbs often in my work.” He pulled her between his legs, where he sat on the stool, and wrapped her in a tight embrace. He needed to feel the warmth of her body and the softness of her curves, and to inhale the sweet scent of her hair. “You smell good.”

  “It’s the magic that your sorcerer nose is picking up.”

  “Nope. It’s just you.” He kissed the top of her head.

  She pulled back enough to see his face. “Is everything okay?”

  He kissed her gently. “It is now.” Nodding at the closed workroom door, he said, “You’ve been working a long time.”

  “I took breaks for snacks and water, and to check my notes, too. But I finished everything I’d hoped to. I’m not ready for battle yet, but I am ready to brief you and Raphael, and the others, on where Sotiris is, and some of what he’s planning. Or at least, who he’s planning it with, including the name of the vampire he thinks will take Raphael down.”

  “Really? Does the guy have a death wish or something?”

  “Didn’t sound like it. Maybe he knows something, or maybe Sotiris is going to help him out?”

  “Well, shit. I can’t ask for anything more than that. All I did was play cops and robbers with everyone.”

  “You’re joking.”

  “I mean, we didn’t run around the neighborhood shooting finger guns and arresting each other, but we did fire a hell of a lot of ammo at a bunch of human-shaped targets, and compete to see who won.”

  She tilted her head in bemusement. “Who did?”

  “Fucking Damian. He always wins.”

  “He was worshipped as a god of war,” she reminded him unnecessarily. “And I don’t have to tell you that sort of adoration has a power of its own.”

  “So he constantly tells me. You want to give me an overview? Ask any questions? Or do you want to save it all for the bi-coastal meeting of minds tonight?”

  “I’d rather save it, so I can get everyone’s input at the same time.”

  “You know, I’m a little surprised that Sotiris would ally with a vampire. He never had much use for them.”

  “He didn’t have any use for our vampires. I think these vampires are a whole different kettle of fish.”

  “Kettle of fish?”

  She shrugged. “My longest-running neighbor used to say it all the time. I picked it up, I guess.”

  “I’m curious to see what Raphael’s reaction is when you tell him who the vampire is. We’re not buds or anything, but I do know that others have tried and failed.”

  “You said you helped save his life once. Was that—?”

  “Yeah. Although what I really did was help Cyn save his life. She did all the heavy lifting. All I did was hand her a key.”

  “That sounds interesting.”

  He grimaced. “Let’s just say, it’s a story for another day.”

  “Is it? Now I’m even more intrigued. Fortunately for you, I’m also tired and hungry. I want a shower and hopefully a nap before dinner.”

  “That’s something I can help you with.”

  “I’m not sure I need your kind of help.”

  “I’m wounded.”

  “As long as I get at least an hour’s sleep before dinner. Okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “LIAR,” ANTONIA said two hours later, as they finished dressing for dinner.

  “Whatever it is, I’m innocent,” he complained, pulling a clean, long-sleeved shirt over his head.

  “You haven’t been innocent since you were ten. No, make that three.”

  He laughed. “You didn’t exactly object, babe.”

  “Don’t call me that. And I couldn’t object—you kept my mouth busy.”

  He tugged her into his arms and kissed her. “I did, and you were amazing.”

  “I’m sleeping in the other room tonight.”

  “There is no other room, and besides, no, you’re not. If you tried, I’d just fetch you back to where you belong. Come on,” he said pulling her back, when she tried to escape. “You loved it. Admit it.” He kissed her neck and she laughed.

  “I’m not going to admit anything. You’re too cocky as it is.”

  He waggled his eyebrows in response, which only made her laugh harder.

  “Goddess, you’re impossible. Now, let’s go downstairs. If you’re not going to let me sleep, you at least have to feed me.”

  “That I can arrange. Or I can arrange for someone else to arrange it, which I’ve already done. Would you like me to carry you down the stairs? Since you’re so tired, I mean.”

  “No. Now behave and get me some food.”

  Malibu, California

  RAPHAEL LISTENED with less than perfect attention while Antonia detailed the methods and limitations of her surveillance efforts, most of which involved various spells she’d managed to attach to Sotiris during his regular visits to her home in Chicago. His own magic wasn’t dependent on spells or ingredients of any kind, other than his own blood, which for obvious reasons, was always with him. So he used the time to stud
y the body language of the people on the other end of this video conference. He’d arranged for the call to go through before everyone was assembled in Florida, not to compensate for his tardiness on the first call—which might be assumed by some, though not by anyone who knew him—but to give him the opportunity to observe the Florida half of their group in the less structured minutes before the meeting began. And after offering the appropriate greetings, he’d continued those observations during Antonia’s initial comments.

  Juro and Jared had both joined the original group in the Malibu conference room, since he’d assumed details of the coming conflict would be discussed during this meeting. They’d both watched video of the previous call and were up to date on what was already known. And he could count on them to remember everything that was happening while he wasn’t listening. In the hours between that meeting and this one, his people had been working as hard as Antonia to generate information on their mutual enemy. Ever since the fight to rescue Gabriel’s mate, Hana, from Sotiris’s clutches just over a year ago, Raphael’s security team had been collecting whatever data they could find on the sorcerer’s movements, property, and wealth. In Raphael’s experience, one of the best ways to nullify an enemy was to cut off his funding. In Sotiris’s case, that was less effective, since he was old and crafty. Raphael’s people estimated that for every bank account or property record they managed to steal, transfer, or delete, Sotiris had two more he could access. One could hide a lot of wealth over several centuries of living. No one knew that better than he did.

  Next to him, Cyn hid her sigh of boredom behind a cough. His mate had an excellent mind and could, when motivated, apply it to the task at hand. But like him, she was waiting for what she called the “meat” of the matter, not interested in the appetizer, which was apparently Antonia’s methodology explanation. He hid a smile of his own and stroked a comforting hand up her thigh.

  “Raphael, the most critical thing I discovered involves your people the most.”

  Antonia’s comment drew his immediate attention. “The vampire ally. There are a few I’m aware of who might think to try, but my own people have verified their recent activities and found nothing suspicious. Did you, by chance, get a name?”

  “I did,” Antonia said with a note of satisfaction. “I don’t know if it’s a first or last name, but Sotiris called him ‘Reinhart.’”

  Raphael frowned, then glanced at Juro and Jared who both shook their heads, indicating they too were unaware of a vampire by that name, much less one who was strong enough to contemplate taking on Raphael.

  “Is it possible that Sotiris is planning to assist this Reinhart through magical means? Challenging me is not without risk,” he said, in a massive understatement.

  “I can’t say with certainty. But Sotiris did make vague references to something or someone who would be waiting for Reinhart upon his arrival in California.”

  Now that was interesting. “So he’s not in California yet?”

  “No. I’m quite certain of that. If I were to guess, or interpret what was said, I would think he’s been moving around almost constantly the past few years. Something happened in Chicago, I think, but definitely the Midwest, that caused Reinhart to go on the run.” She made a face. “That sounds silly, but it’s essentially accurate, I think. Maybe ‘fugitive’ is a better word. None of it made sense to me, but I thought you might have a better understanding.” She looked up from her notes to peer at Raphael. “Do you?” she asked curiously.

  Cyn inhaled sharply, digging her fingers into his arm at the mention of Chicago, whose previous and now dead, vampire lord had tried to assassinate Raphael. Slipping his hand over hers, he soothed silently and answered Antonia. “I do, thank you. I will locate this Reinhart and deal with him myself. He won’t be a consideration by the time we confront Sotiris.”

  “If you’re sure? I can try to get more.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I probably have better sources for this hunt.”

  “If I overhear anything more from the surveillance bugs, I’ll let you know.”

  “I would appreciate that.”

  “All right, now about the rest of Sotiris’s planning . . .”

  Raphael tuned out again, confident the others would pick up anything he needed to know. His mind was racing. Klemens was the former Lord of the Midwest who’d tried to kill Raphael, but he was long dead. If this Reinhart was powerful enough that he thought to defeat Raphael, even with Sotiris’s help, he had to have been someone high up in Klemens’s organization. Fortunately, the current Midwestern Lord, Aden, was part of the new North American alliance, which included every vampire lord on the continent. As Klemens’s successor, Aden would either know of Reinhart, or be able to find out about him.

  Sotiris magical assistance might be a complication, but because it was completely different than Raphael’s own magic—which was considerable—his should be capable of overwhelming the sorcerer’s so-called assistance for this Reinhart, whoever he was. His first task would be to find the would-be challenger, and for that, he’d need to call Aden. Impatient to begin eliminating this enemy, he had to force himself to remain seated, to give at least the appearance of listening to the rest of Antonia’s briefing, until finally the words he’d be waiting for were said.

  Pompano Beach, Florida

  “THAT’S EVERYTHING I have for now,” Antonia finished. She looked up to find Raphael watching her intently. “Unless you have questions, Raphael?”

  He stared a moment longer, then blinked. “No. We’ll pursue the Reinhart matter, and deal with it. Thank you, Antonia. You’ve accomplished more than we could have hoped.”

  “Thank you.” Pleasure tried to heat her skin, but Antonia fought it back with a bit of magic. She’d been away from most people for so long, that even simple courtesy had the power to embarrass her. Especially when it came from a man as inherently charismatic as Raphael. Or Nico. She wondered if the two men realized how much alike they were. She imagined Nico’s probable reaction, and decided not to mention it.

  “If that’s all, Katsaros?” Raphael asked.

  Nick stirred next to her. “That’s all for us. We have time to do this right, I think. I’ll advise you immediately if there’s any indication Sotiris is trying to move up the timeline.”

  “Good. Goodnight.”

  The screen blanked out and she looked at Nick. “Was it me, or did he stop listening at some point?”

  “It wasn’t you. He definitely checked out, but his people were as alert as ever. He’ll count on them to fill him in.”

  “Was I boring, or—?”

  “Hell, no. But once you gave a name to Sotiris’s vampire ally, old Raphael there was working a mile a minute, figuring out how to find him.”

  “Oh, okay. That makes sense. How about you?”

  “I’ll leave the vampire to him.”

  “I know that.” She gave him an exasperated look. “I meant about the rest of it.”

  “The rest is for us, and thanks to you, we’ve got plenty to work with.” He raised his voice to include the others. “We’re meeting here tomorrow at noon. I want ideas, suggestions, information, including blueprints if you can get them, Lili. But basically, bring anything you can find or think might be relevant to an assault on Sotiris’s latest hiding place.”

  Chapter Nine

  Malibu, California

  RAPHAEL WAITED until Juro confirmed that the connection was terminated between them and Florida, then pushed away from the table. Stretching his legs, he looked at the others in the room with him, including Gabriel and Hana. “Suggestions?”

  “Find that fucking Reinhart,” Cyn muttered.

  He smiled and tugged her chair back next to his. “Agreed. Any suggestions on how to do that?”

  She sighed and droned, “Networks.”

  Raphael laughed.
“Such enthusiasm warms my heart. But I think Aden’s network will be the most useful. I’ll call and ask what he knows, and what he can find out discreetly. I don’t want this fool getting word and disappearing before we can catch up to him.

  “Gabriel,” he added, “I’d like it if you could check with the guards here—vampires only—and see if any remember a vampire by that name. A lot of Klemens’s people migrated here before he died. Don’t tell them why. Most won’t ask, but if they do, make something up. But be consistent.”

  “I could say I have a friend who’s asking, that Reinhart’s trying to set himself up in a smaller city in the Midwest or close by?”

  “Keep it vague, and if anyone pushes too hard for details, let me know.”

  “Yes, Sire.”

  “All right. There’s still time to call Aden tonight, so that’s it.”

  Raphael left for his office, which was just down the hall. Cyn went with him, but on the way, she said, “You know it might be worthwhile to call Kate Hunter. Her FBI contacts might turn up this Reinhart guy, too.”

  Raphael winced. Lucas was Raphael’s oldest vampire child and Lord of the Plains territory, which abutted Raphael’s own. He was devoted to Raphael, and at the first sign of a threat would jump in to protect him, which was neither necessary nor wanted, at this point. He was also bloodthirsty and would add himself to the Sotiris battle, just for the thrill of it. And unfortunately, in this case, Kate Hunter was Lucas’s mate.

  “Only if Kate can keep it to herself,” Raphael said, “If Lucas finds out, he’ll start hunting the bastard himself and then he’ll want in on the fight with Sotiris, which is one vampire lord too many. This is Nick’s battle, not ours. We’re just the support staff on this one.”

  Cyn grinned, then kissed him good-bye and went off to call Kate, while Raphael continued on his way to his office. Sitting at his desk, and using the phone dedicated to calls between the North American lords, he tapped Aden’s number.