Ussier’s hands slid into his pockets, and he pursed his lips slightly as he stared at the floor, absorbing my words. Without looking up, he spoke. “Where are Corvin and this doppelganger now? I need answers and this shape shifter may have some.” Ussier glanced up, peering into my eyes intently.
“I don’t know where the doppelganger is at the moment. It is my belief that it has targeted Jacob specifically, so I’ve sent him away. Even if the creature doesn’t search for him, I don’t want Jacob in the city when Alette is unbalanced and searching for blood.”
Ussier’s eyes narrowed. “Ancient One, someone… something is going through a shitload of trouble to bait you. This is obviously personal, unfortunately it’s spilled over into my domain. Vampires have been destroyed; someone in my inner circle has had their home invaded. I really don’t have to answer to anyone, but I hold myself accountable to my people, so I need concrete answers. Bring me Corvin. He may have seen or experienced something in his encounter that could give us a lead.”
It was a demand from someone I’d given my loyalty to decades ago when Ussier had taken control of the city, and as such, it was hard to ignore. My protective instincts railed against the demand and Ussier’s tone, even as I knew he had the right. I almost refused outright, but I couldn’t afford to alienate Ussier at this point.
“I’ll admit I have made my share of enemies over the last two thousand years, most recently the Syndicate, which you have assured me is no longer a threat. Not that it matters. They would not have had the capabilities to do what has been done.” I leaned closer across the table. “I’ll have Jacob call you. Maybe he’ll be able to shed some light on the events, but I doubt it. I think that once I figure out why I’ve been targeted, I’ll know who is behind it. And make no mistake, I’ll see that they are destroyed or handed over to you.”
“Ancient One….” Ussier’s features softened, and his brow furrowed. “Kristair….” His soft baritone dropped to almost a whisper. “A phone call will not suffice. We need the psychic impressions the doppelganger would have left on Corvin. For that, I need Jacob. You know this. From what you’ve told me, this is the best course of action at this point. It is what the others will demand.”
Ussier’s gaze swept over me, studying my reactions, both visible and imperceptible. He was the best in the city at finding out the truth, what was said and unsaid. “Of course, that may prove inconvenient for whatever secret you’re keeping from me. You need to give me options, old man.”
I studied Ussier, reassured by the vampire lord’s use of my name. “I understand. We’re both merely trying to protect our own, my friend.” I hesitated, weighing my options. I needed answers, and Ussier could do what I no longer could: delve into another’s mind, follow the psychic trail, and maybe he could also make sure that Kayla was no longer in a position to be possessed. It was a gamble, and all I had to go with were my instincts. “Who do you have in mind to read Jacob?” My lover was going to be absolutely livid with me, but I could see no help for it.
“Lisabeth.”
I hesitated. The voodoo child was an undefined element. She was perfectly capable of going her own way for reasons known only to her, but as far as I knew, she was utterly loyal to Ussier, and she had no fondness for Alette Dupree. “This is not to get back to Alette.” I waited for Ussier’s nod. “The person possessed, at least in this morning’s case, was Kayla. Whoever controlled her was doing their damndest to get me to kill her.”
The furrow that had begun to chip its way into the stone visage of Ussier’s brow became deeper. “I can understand your reluctance to share this with me. Ancient One, I… I thank you for trusting me with this. I won’t betray your trust.”
A surge of relief went through me as Ussier relaxed and shook his head. “Kayla—fuck. We need to move on this. I’ll go with you to Jacob. I know Lisabeth creeps Corvin out, so I’ll be there to hold his hand.”
“Ghedi, not to be blunt, but Lisabeth creeps you out.” Ussier grinned, flashing his dimples, acknowledging that truth. I checked the time on my watch. At this rate it would be well after sunrise before I got back to my lover and daughter. “I’m sure you have several things to take care of before you leave on a jaunt.” I quickly ran through the entire encounter that morning as Ussier listened intently, and then I filled him in on where we were staying.
“Hugh’s with Alette now. I think I’ll take Deke, Artemise, and a couple others with me and follow the trail from her backyard to that tunnel. We’ll see what we pick up.”
“That will give me time to get to Jacob and prepare him and Kayla for your arrival. Tomorrow night won’t be too late, I trust?”
“We’ll be there.” Ussier’s features turned to stone again, and when he shook my hand, his grip was hard. “Be careful, old man. Someone’s gunning for you hardcore. I’ll be pissed if I get to Vermont and find out that it’s burned to the ground and you with it.”
“You won’t be the only one. I’m sure I’d hear Jacob complain about it for the rest of eternity in our graves.”
Chapter 17
I COULD sense Kristair’s every mile as he came closer to me, though in my impatience his approach felt like a damn crawl. My head ached; my brain felt bloated with my constant effort to reach him, to keep that tenuous link open between us. I thought I’d go mad if I felt it snap one more time. And the waiting, the wondering, was making me a downright churlish bastard.
It was a beautiful morning. The sun shone down on gently rolling green hills, stretching up into tree-covered mountains. The town lay not too far southeast of the cabin, the creepiest place I’d been in a long time. There was something very old world about the ambiance, like the inhabitants were locked in another time or place. And everyone seemed to look at me sideways, suspicion written on their stony faces and evident in their New England twang. Of course, that could have been my own paranoia talking.
Even now, with the sun shining and the trees dappling the yard with gentle shadows and the fresh breeze, there was an air of menace. Of course, I was being hunted, most likely by friends now as well as enemies. That would have given anyone a complex.
I had thought we’d fit in better. After all, the town I’d grown up in wasn’t much bigger than this, and I was sure this place had its share of outsiders, with the train station and tourists eager to see the leaves change color. I needed to force myself to stop dwelling on the town and its aura, or else the feeling of eyes watching me would get to be too much.
I topped off my coffee and snagged another apple cider donut. They were amazing. We’d found this little place just outside of town that sold them when we’d gone exploring after we picked up Steve. The cabin was still quiet. Kayla and Steve were probably still asleep, and who could blame them? It wasn’t even seven yet. Kristair wasn’t here yet, and still he fucked with my schedule. I took my coffee and donut out onto the porch so I wouldn’t disturb them.
Poor Kayla had woken up an hour into our trip north, disoriented and hurting. She hadn’t remembered a damn thing, but after I explained everything that had happened, she had insisted on keeping the handcuffs on. Lord, she’d looked so damned pitiful. It seemed wrong to see her like this, so wan with dark circles under her eyes, her face drawn in worry. But when she started teasing me about having matching bruises on our cheeks, I knew she’d be okay.
Steve had been so furious when he’d seen her, though. Enough so that I wondered if I’d made the right decision bringing him into this, but damn, he loved Kayla. I knew that. And if I were in his position, I would have wanted to be with the one I loved too. He’d have killed me if I hadn’t told him. There was no way we could have kept it from him, and he would’ve freaked when she didn’t return home. I couldn’t do that to him.
I reached my mind out to Kristair, pain lancing through my temples. He was still a couple hours away, and I could sense a bone-deep exhaustion, never-ending whirling fear, and a quiet sorrow that tore at me. Yet I still couldn’t soothe him. I didn’t even know if what
I was sensing was entirely real or if I was getting the impression just because I knew the man so well. The moment I had a chance, I was going to drag Kristair back to our room and make him get some sleep. I would have bet he hadn’t slept at all after we left.
“I thought you were done with the whole enjoying nature thing, Jake.”
I coughed down a swallow of hot coffee at the sound of the strangely choral voice and spun around to see Tony sitting on the porch railing, grinning at me. “Holy fuck,” I breathed, a laugh bubbling up and chasing away some of the brutality of the last week. “What brings your ugly face here?”
“I thought I’d check in on you. It’s been awhile, been busy. ’Sides, I didn’t think they’d notice me sneaking here at this point.”
“Oh shit, yeah, aren’t there rules against that? You’re not gonna get in trouble, are you?” I strode forward and caught him in a hug. “Hold on before you get yanked away.” I ran over and stuck my head in the front door. “Steve!” I hollered.
I almost snickered when his head popped out of his bedroom, glaring darkly at me. “What the fuck’s your problem, Corvin?” he hissed. “Kayla’s still sleeping.”
“Come here for a minute.” I gestured to him and opened the front door wider.
“It can wait. I don’t want to—”
“Don’t be such a fuckrag. Come on, you’ve got to see who’s here.”
Steve’s face darkened even more, and he shot me a murderous look as he came out of the bedroom and eased the door shut. “This had better be good, Jake, or I’m going to kick your ass right out of the state.”
“Just shut up and trust me.” When Steve approached, I grabbed his arm and hauled him out onto the porch, ignoring his furious, low-voiced protests, which cut off as soon as he saw Tony.
“Tony! Hot damn,” Steve crowed, pulling free and going forward to hug Tony hard. “I swear you’re the fucking Energizer Bunny. Damn, bro. Nothing keeps you down.”
For a few minutes, it was just chaos of confused conversation, all three of us trying to talk over each other until Steve waved us to silence. “I can’t hear myself think. You go first, Tony. I already know what this tool has been up to.” He thwapped me in the back of my head, chuckling as I shoved him back.
“It’s been interesting,” Tony said, hopping back up on the railing. Damn, he looked good. The haunted expression had faded from his eyes. There was a confidence about him, an air of vital power and a knowing, ancient look in his gaze. “I was just getting ready to fill Jacob in. What are you two doing in Vermont?”
“Dude, your voice is fucked up,” Steve said. “What the fuck you do? Swallow a radio or something?”
“Don’t you know anything?” I gave Steve another little shove. “Tony’s one of the almighty Ascended now, connected to the cosmos and all that shit.”
“Oh yeah, sorry, Tony, I still haven’t accepted that you were a vampire; it’ll take me another decade at least to swallow that you’re a god.”
“A god?” Tony almost seemed to choke on the word. “Hardly, I can just kick your ass across the cosmos now. So come on, what are you doing here?”
“Later.” I waved my hand. There would be time enough to talk of murder and being on the run. “What trouble have you stirred up now?”
“Me? I’ll have you know that I’m just an innocent bystander in everything I’m about to tell you.”
Steve and I exchanged glances and grinned. “I call bullshit on that one,” Steve said.
“Ha, seriously. This one is your old man’s fault,” Tony said, teasing, and suddenly everything sharpened inside my mind.
I straightened, pinning Tony with an intent look. “What do you mean? Are the Ascended pissed because of what he did?” Oh man, that might explain so much, but if they were behind the attacks, how did we stand a chance at fighting them?
“Pissed? Nah.” Tony tugged on an earlobe in reflection. “I’d say more befuddled that anyone would give up what he gave up. I think they were rather glad he was gone to be honest. He was fucking up their mojo with his connection to you and constant attempts at an escape. I think they might’ve even let him go without him having to trick them, but Nerissa wasn’t willing to let it go.”
“You’re killing me, Tony, I swear to god, out with it man.” It was good to have confirmation that the Ascended weren’t gunning for my lover, though it still left the question: who? I wondered if I could wheedle the answer out of Tony. I was sure there were rules against it, but there was no harm in asking, right? Having him take a sip of the all-knowing Kool-Aid for our sake.
“Well, there’s this sort of split between the Ascended now. Those that liked things the way they were and those who are interested in a little more interaction. Kristair’s choice had made some of them see that there could be more than just meandering through the cosmos observing and studying. How much more could we learn if we got involved too? I’m not saying trying to shape things, but like right now, talking with you two instead of just checking in on you.”
“You check in on us?” Steve asked.
“Hell yeah, though I have to be discreet about it. The hardliners get all offended if we peek into our old lives instead of moving on. It’s not that I’m pining, I’m just curious, you know? I haven’t done it in a while though, I’ve been trying to lay low and divert attention away from me.”
My lips twitched in amusement. Tony had been Ascended less than a year and already he had blundered into trouble. “Hey wait, this isn’t ’cause you helped Kristair, is it? They gunning for you because of that?”
Tony looked pleased. “You picked up on that? I thought you might, or I guess Kristair could’ve told you. I didn’t really get into trouble for it. They weren’t happy, but what’s done is done, and I think some had issue with his memory being suppressed anyway. No, I’ve been ducking those among the Ascended who seem to want to make me the ringleader for their new faction.”
“Oh sweet baby Jesus,” Steve muttered. “How do you get yourself involved in these things?”
“It’s a talent.” Tony grinned. “But I really don’t want the job. All I’m interested in is doing my own thing and staying out of trouble. If they want to be all revolutionary and usher in a new era for the Ascended, I’m not going to stand in their way, but I have no damn intention of being their flag bearer either. Kristair’s lucky, if he was still with us, they’d probably try to shove him into the position. I can’t believe we’ve been the only ones to ever buck the system in millennia.”
“Yeah, but I can’t imagine that it’s easy to defy a group mind,” I said. “Especially if you’re the only voice calling for it.”
“Well, there’s quite a few more now, and it’s keeping the old-schoolers busy trying to rein the rest of us in. So what have you two been up to besides getting down and dirty with Kayla and Kristair?”
Steve scowled, I fisted a hand in my hair, and Tony looked between us, sitting up straighter. “What’s going on?” he asked, his strange voice ringing.
“You mean you don’t know, Mr. All-Knowing Ascended?”
“Be nice, Steve, he’s been busy gallivanting the universe and ducking trouble. Even he can’t be everywhere at once.”
“Stop fucking around and tell me,” Tony insisted.
“You mean you can’t read our minds?” I couldn’t help but rag on him despite the seriousness of the situation.
“Do you really want me to?” Tony gave me a direct look. “I didn’t want to intrude. I’m sure there are things in your head you’d rather I didn’t see.”
“Good point. Okay then, it’s a long story, but here’s the gist: Somebody’s been possessing people and using them to kill vampires.”
“They’ve been using Kayla,” Steve interrupted.
“What?”
“Will you let me get this all out?” I glared at both Steve and Tony. “Save the interruptions and questions for later. Yes, they were using Kayla for at least one of the killings, but we haven’t been able to figure out
if she was used for them all. She doesn’t remember doing it. Given that she’s been in Baltimore and the murders were in Pittsburgh, I doubt it. Steve would’ve noticed if she was missing for hours on end often.”
“Actually, I might not have,” Steve said with a troubled frown. “She’s been putting so many long hours into the shelter, and I’ve been running around trying to drum up grants and getting local business involved. She’s been quiet and withdrawn lately, and I thought she was just pushing it too much, you know? But every time I tried to get her to step back and take it easy, it became a fight.”
Well, so much for easing Kristair’s worries with the possibility that it wasn’t Kayla the entire time. “That’s not all, Tony. The vamps in Pittsburgh are all stirred up and looking for blood. Kristair sent us away to lay low for a bit until we come up with some answers for them.”
“How the hell did you get involved in the first place?” Tony asked.
“Yeah, I’d like to know that too,” Steve said. “I thought you said you left all the supernatural shit behind when Kristair returned.”
“Ussier called in a favor.” I shrugged. “He needed somebody who could move around in the day, since at the time, we thought it was simply a vampire hunter. And then we thought that it might have something to do with Kristair’s research before he became an Ascended. But the last two victims yesterday morning had nothing to do with that, as far as I know. Oh, and before I forget, we also have a clone of Kristair running about who wants to make me his pet bitch.”
Silence met that statement, and Tony’s eyes went wide. “Well, okay then. Clearly, I was right when I came back to visit you. You need a keeper.”
“Jake….” A troubled expression crossed Steve’s face. “What makes you think it’s a clone? Maybe Kristair’s just lost his fucking mind. Look at what he did to Kayla. I mean I know you love him and all, but he’s old as shit, he’s got to have a few kinks and bents. He’s been a killer for a long time and….”
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