The Bite of Winter (International Monster Slayers Book 2)

by Bethany Helwig

  “Perhaps we ought to ask him,” the director says. “And see what he knows about this ‘she’ the berserker referred to.”

  Before we move on to Dasc, we decide to try this new information on the shapeshifter that had been working alongside Dasc and then Mr. Webster. Both of them are surprised to see me—Mr. Webster actually looks better now that he doesn’t have access to hideous sweaters—but they each clam up the second I mention anything about a female opposing Dasc. My lucky streak with the interrogations hits a dead end and all too soon it’s time to work Dasc himself.

  Anxiety creeps up on me again and Jefferson must see it too. We stand together outside the shielded door and talk in hushed voices.

  “Just lead with some simple questions,” Jefferson advises, one hand resting on my shoulder while he gestures with his other. “He’s a slippery little devil and even though he says he’ll talk, he’s not going to open up for the big questions. Not until he thinks he has something more on us.”

  “You think so?”

  “I’ve been studying his interrogations,” he says. How could I forget? “He’s actually managed to break some of the agents they sent in to question him. If he wants to talk, let him. It may be lies, it may be deceptions, but at least he’ll be talking and maybe we can catch him slipping up.”

  I gnaw on my lower lip and twist my hands together. “What about the missing people? When should I try bringing that up?”

  Jefferson seems to recede in on himself and I know it must physically hurt him to think of all the horrible possibilities of what’s happened to his missing daughter. He’s desperate for answers and I’m just as desperate to help him the way he helped me.

  “We wait,” he says through clenched teeth like it’s painful even to say it. “That’s his biggest card and he’s not going to show it. Small fish first.”

  “Okay.”

  “You can face him. I’m here. You’re not alone.”

  He gives my shoulder one good squeeze and I nod, ready. He goes to the next door down and disappears inside before the barrier drops before me and I step inside.

  Dasc sits chained to the table, posed as usual. His black hair is untidy and he’s got a terrible purple bruise that runs along his entire jaw and partway up his face. His skin’s a little puffy and though I see him trying to work a taunting smile, he can’t manage it.

  “He looks like a steak left out in the sun too long,” Jefferson says in my ear. I crack a smile and take sure steps to the open chair across from the monster haunting my dreams.

  “Wow, what happened to you?” I say sarcastically and fold my hands together on the table. The other interrogations have warmed me up for this encounter. I am ready. “Did you get hit by a bus? Or did karma feel like giving you a good right-hook to the jaw?”

  “And how is karma’s hand doing?” he says tightly through lips that don’t move much. He must be in a lot of pain. Good.

  “Healing well.” I flex my fingers. “So are you ready to deal or are you going to do something stupid again?”

  “Who says I’ve ever done anything stupid?”

  My eyes narrow. “That mark on your jaw is pretty clear evidence.”

  “Sometimes you have to sacrifice pieces in order to play the game.” He leans forward and sets his shackled wrists on the table.

  “Is that what you consider the people you turn?” I ask. He’s closer than I’m comfortable with but I fear moving back will make him think he has the upper hand.

  “Those people are my people. They belong to me.”

  “They don’t belong to you,” I snap.

  Jefferson whispers in my ear, “He’s trying to rile you up. Don’t let him.”

  Dasc manages a faint smile. “And how are my people doing? How is Moose Lake faring?”

  It seems like a harmless enough question but he’s got to have some ulterior motive in asking. He doesn’t really care what happens to the people whose lives he’s ruined and changed forever.

  “They’re great actually,” I say and rein in my anger. “Better without you around in fact.”

  “Are they now? Oh, I do love to hear they’ve found their independence.” He tilts his head—always the curious dog.

  “Well, better apart from the fact a vampire tried attacking one of them.”

  Dasc’s reaction is instant. His coy little smile and arrogant demeanor vanish and his bright blue eyes pierce me as if he can pull me apart piece by piece to find what’s underneath. He doesn’t say anything and it’s clear he wants me to keep talking.

  “No vampire has been seen in Minnesota for over fifty years, or so I hear,” I say. “The state is werewolf territory. Of course, you already knew that, didn’t you? So, why would they come back now, I wonder?”

  He sits like a statue. “How many vampires?”

  “We’re onto something here,” Jefferson says. “Tell him.”

  “At least two that we know of,” I say.

  There’s another shift in Dasc’s demeanor and he shifts his gaze to the side as his eyes flicker, clearly thinking fast. He must come to some sort of conclusion or plan because he stares me down again.

  “Vampires wouldn’t dare come into Minnesota,” he says.

  “And why not?”

  “Because I told them not to,” he growls. “They don’t touch this state. It’s mine.” He bares his teeth, his inner monster showing through, before he seems to realize what he’s doing and straightens in his chair. “They must be making a play since I haven’t been actively present. I’ve been here. If the vampires are not checked, if I do not make a display of force, they will sweep through.”

  I shake my head. “What would be the point?”

  “Because they hate me, and because I limited their territory to only certain areas. ”

  That’s a surprise. “The vampires actually listen to you?”

  He laughs. It’s a chilling sound. “Vampires don’t listen to anyone, but they fear me enough to know that I will kill every last one of them if they turn against me.”

  “If they’re so afraid of you, then why would they even try antagonizing you? It wouldn’t have anything to do with the coming war you mentioned, would it?”

  His face falls into shadow as he bows his head. “You better pray that war isn’t upon us already.”

  “How about you enlighten me on this war instead of making cryptic chitchat that makes me want to rip your head off?” I snarl. This is getting old really fast. Energy surges down my arms and some horribly violent part of me wants to reach across the table and rip out his tongue.

  “You have to go to the vampires,” he says, and his face lights up as if he’s come up with a brilliant idea. I don’t like it one bit.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Or would you rather have them seek out my werewolves and tear them apart one by one?” he says darkly. “Because that’s what will happen if you don’t.”

  “What exactly are you asking? That we stroll up to the vampires and tell them to stop it? Slap their wrist, maybe?”

  He extends his hands like he wants to touch mine. I instantly recoil with disgust.

  “There is a place where my people and the vampires meet when we have occasion to . . . sort out our differences. You go in my stead as my representative, follow my instructions, and warn them what will happen if the vampires do not leave immediately.”

  I lean back as far as possible and cross my arms over my chest. “So we’re supposed to go handing out your threats for you?”

  “Listen to me,” he says and his voice rises for the first time. “If those vampires cross the border, there will be blood.”

  “I thought you liked spilling blood.”

  This time he snarls and it’s not a human sound. It’s a wolf growling at me. “If any of my werewolves are harmed because of you, there’s no place you can hide, nowhere you can run, that I won’t find you and rip your throat out.”

  If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he actually cares. He’s certainly
putting on enough of a show to try to convince me.

  “And it won’t just be my werewolves that are attacked,” he continues. “Your innocent bystanders will become blood bags bled dry for the benefit, and amusement, of the vampires. I’ve kept them on a leash. If they think they’re free, it’ll be a massacre. And I know that heroic virtue you cling to so desperately won’t let you allow that to happen. Or will you, Phoenix?”

  He’s breathing hard and straining against the shackles holding him in check. It’s all a trick somehow, some ploy. He’s not convincing me. He’s not. Is he?

  “Come on out,” Jefferson says in my ear. “We need to talk.”

  I shove away from the table and make for the door.

  “Your brother’s going to end up with his head on a stick if you don’t listen to me!” he shouts at my back.

  The barrier drops, I wrench the door open, and slam it behind me. Jefferson and Director Knox come around the corner but I hold up a hand letting them know I need a second to calm down. I’m trembling again and clench my fists against the shakes. Seconds later a third person exits the observation room and Draco walks into our midst, a tall commanding presence. I didn’t even know he was here today. I guess he didn’t care for the other interrogations, just Dasc’s.

  “As much as I hate to admit it,” the director says. “I don’t think we can ignore this potential threat.”

  “Are we really believing this pile of crap?” Jefferson says and gestures widely to the door behind which my parents’ murderer sits. “Are we accepting he’s been keeping the vampires in check?”

  Draco’s frosty gaze passes over all of us and rests on Jefferson. “You underestimate his influence. If Dasc believed the vampires would be a threat to his territory and plans, there is nothing he would not do to keep them in check. Incidents with vampires have grown considerably less since Dasc resurfaced. This intelligence may be genuine.”

  Despite Draco confirming something rather horrible to contemplate, he sounds merely bored at the prospect of vampires and werewolves under the heel of a psychopath and the possibility of vampires slaughtering everyone in the state. He’s cold.

  “We have something he desperately wants,” Jefferson says. “We can bargain. If we do this meeting with the vampires, he gives us our missing people. This is the best shot we’ve had so far.”

  There’s hope in his voice and fevered excitement, but I worry it’s misplaced.

  “He won’t do that,” I say quietly, daring to speak. “He knows we won’t let a threat like this pass. We’d take care of it anyway.”

  “We’ve got to try and use this regardless,” the director says. “If you can get him to bargain then we’ll settle the terms, but you have to convince him first. Are you up for this?”

  “It’s not like I have much of a choice.” I draw back my shoulders and nod. “But I’ll do what I can.”

  “Then make sure you get him to agree to terms. I have faith in you, Junior Agent Mason.”

  It’s the most glowing compliment—or compliment of any kind—I’ve ever received from the director. My focus shifts to Jefferson. Even though he tries to hide it, I can see the dark swirl of emotions beneath his stern expression. If I can pull this off, we have a shot at getting his daughter back. If I don’t . . .

  Before I can work myself up about it too much, I walk into the interrogation room. Dasc peers up at me and I ease myself into the empty seat. He doesn’t say anything but his hands tighten on the chains leading to his shackles.

  “We’re going to make a bargain,” I say.

  “Are we now? And what, exactly, is there to exchange?”

  “I want the locations of all the people missing from Moose Lake and anywhere else you’ve taken people from.” I feel calm even though my hands are trembling as I clench them together on top of the table. “Then we’ll play messenger to your vampire friends. And I’ll keep coming here, just like you want. I won’t try to fight you. I’ll answer your damn questions.”

  His eyes spark. “That’s a nice try.”

  “You said you would answer my questions if I answered yours,” I growl. “You knew exactly what I wanted to know when I first came here but you said you’d answer anyway. Or were you lying from the start?”

  “You never answered my first question, though. You aren’t exactly playing along.” He leans towards me so slowly it’s almost imperceptible. “Answer my question, and I may be willing to bargain.”

  “He’s playing you,” Jefferson sighs through my earpiece. “Don’t answer that—”

  I tuck my hand into my hair with the pretense that I’m thinking it over and tug the earpiece out. Without a second voice in my head trying to change my mind, I plow right ahead into dangerous waters.

  “You want to know what I thought of Draco’s timing in coming to my rescue?” I ask. Dasc nods. “He couldn’t have known what was going to happen. Even if he did, why would he wait? He’s been hunting you for who knows how long. He wouldn’t have waited. He would have caught you.”

  A smile flickers across his face. “Was that so hard?”

  “Was there even a point to that question?”

  He smooths out the collar of his white prison garb like he’s adjusting a suit. “Time stretches on into an infinity that mortal minds cannot comprehend. It distorts reality. Logic to you might not be the same logic to someone who’s lived a thousand of your lives.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Patience, Phoenix.” He licks his lips and brings his head low so he can comb his fingers through his hair. What, is he preparing for a date? “Scotland.”

  My breath catches in my throat. “Excuse me?”

  “You wanted a location, didn’t you?”

  “That’s an entire country.”

  “And it’s a big world. Now I’ve narrowed your search to a fraction of that. If you want the specifics, then there’s something else I want from you.” He works past the pain in his jaw to give me a mischievous smile. “I want you to promise me two things apart from bringing the vampires into check. Promise, and I’ll lead you straight to your missing townsfolk. Including, I might add, a certain Genevieve Barnes.”

  “She’s alive?” I breathe, unable to believe my ears. He nods.

  The confirmation is all I need to know I’ll do whatever it takes to bring Jefferson’s daughter home. My chest hurts from my thundering heart.

  “I’ll promise,” I say, jumping in blindly. “What do you want?”

  His smile spreads. “So accommodating. First, I know that Director Knox will want to send in a squad of his code black agents to handle the vampire meet. I want you to go instead.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re the only one that can convince them. You have a werewolf brother. These vampires will rip him apart. You’ll make sure they back off. I know you will.”

  I swallow my fear and ask, “And the second thing?”

  “I want you to owe me a life debt for all the lives I’m returning to you,” he says. Like it’s so simple. Like it’s easy. “The next time you have a reason to kill me or someone else is trying to kill me—which will happen, trust me—you have to pay that debt.”

  A muffled voice shouts behind the one-way mirror. “Phoenix, don’t!”

  “You shake on it,” Dasc says as if there is no interruption at all and extends his hand. “A life debt for the return of all those people.”

  Someone pounds on the mirror and yells at me again to stop, that I don’t know what I’m doing. I would owe Dasc a life debt. I would owe the man who killed my parents a debt to save his life the next time he’s in danger. The next time I might very well be the one trying to kill him. The potential possibilities for damage are endless. What might Dasc do with such a sworn promise?

  Genevieve Barnes. He will take us straight to Jefferson’s daughter who’s been missing for over fourteen years. That alone is worth it, isn’t it?

  “Shake on it now,” Dasc commands. “Or you’ll never see any of your miss
ing people ever again.”

  My heartbeat rises into my throat. “One condition. You never hurt or go after my brother again.”

  He smiles. “Deal.”

  The door to the room flies open and Draco shouts at me to stop.

  I grasp Dasc’s hand and give it one firm shake. What I’m not expecting is a biting heat to wrap around our hands like a red-hot net binding our hands together. I gasp but can’t pull away. Dasc just continues to smile until the heat vanishes and I jerk away from him.

  Even though nobody speaks a word, I know without being told that my promise somehow became permanent and bound in magic.

  A promise I can’t break even if I want to.

  Chapter 17

  I bounce on an uncomfortable bench seat in the back of the van as it heads for the meeting with the vampires. Jefferson sits across from me on the opposite bench with his head bowed and hands restlessly twisting together. Beside us are three other agents and a fourth drives us to our destination. They're all quiet and don't seem particularly inclined to start a conversation. That's okay. I'm too distracted.

  My ears are still ringing from Draco chewing me out. It was truly terrifying to be pressed against a wall and shouted at by a dragon wearing a man's skin with the capability of bringing the whole of Underground down. I had invoked an ancient magic, apparently, that I didn't even know existed by making a devil’s bargain with Dasc. Swearing a life debt to an enemy triggers that sort of thing to happen it seems. Honestly, it would have been a good idea to teach that in my lessons during junior agent training. How was I supposed to know that magically binding contracts are a real thing?

  Director Knox tried changing the plans so I wouldn't be going to meet the vampires myself, but then Dasc refused to tell anyone but me what the secret code words were to verify I am indeed his representative. Once Dasc told me, I refused to tell the director and risk jeopardizing my agreement with Dasc. That ticked off the director. But that was the deal I struck so I'm going to go through with it.