Sharpen the Blade (The V V Inn Book 6)

by C. J. Ellisson

  Drew sits back with a satisfied look on his face. “I knew it! When he snuck up on Emiko in the hangar and stabbed her, I knew he had to be doing something to hide himself from us both.”

  Paul shoots up from the table again, this time making it all the way to his full height, his pale complexion looking almost waxen in the conference room’s lighting. “What the hell? I didn’t do anything special. I swear it! I’m not a manipulator vampire. I just wanted to go unseen for a little bit.”

  Rafe motions with both hands for him to return to his seat. “Calm down, Paul. You’re not a manipulator—yet. She’s saying you’re carrying the trait. What you did to sneak up on Emiko unseen is proof you may evolve into one over time.”

  “With practice and hard work,” Vivian adds. “It’s not an easy skill to master, trust me. Took me almost two decades. And I was coerced into using my skills daily.”

  Something she says triggers Asa to say, “You said the Tribunal has a list of all the vampires you’ve turned?” She nods. “Who else is on that list?”

  Vivian looks to Rafe, an unprecedented show of unease flicking across her visage. “I’m not sure,” she says. “It’s an old list. There’s only one turn from this century that I remember reporting.”

  “That you remember?” Paul asks, dismay over her phrasing showing in his expression. “Do I have a loss of memory to look forward to as well?”

  She grimaces before answering. “No, nothing like that. I altered my memories, on purpose, by sheer force of will. Essentially, repeating over and over the lies I wanted to believe, to protect any manipulators I may have turned. And as far as I can tell, I also never reported them to the Tribunal.”

  Drew leans forward, matching Rafe’s pose, his forehead creased in concern. “Does that mean there might be more manipulators like you running around, and you have no idea who or where they are?”

  She sits back in her chair, her lids lowering halfway, and folds her arms across her middle. “Perhaps.”

  The room breaks into loud chatter, everyone vying to be heard at once. The predominant question of how she altered her memories is the one repeated the most. Reluctantly, the couple reveals what Dria did to protect the vampires she created and how the knowledge of her past lies hidden in her journals. Their names are only recorded in the journals, the ones casually stored in the couple’s office on the main floor above us.

  Rafe explains his desire to electronically scan the journals and perform a search for terms and phrasing in the digitized versions, speeding up their hunt for who they’ll need to track down. Asa agrees to help with the scanning and they make plans to start immediately after the meeting.

  Asa raises a hand slightly to call attention to himself. “Hey, guys, something you said about the list they have got me thinking. Did anyone see the list Persephone and Rolando had? You know, clear enough to read it?”

  I straighten in my chair, knowing this aspect lies solely on my shoulders. “I got a quick look at it. But a lot of shit went down at that time and I wasn’t studying it to memorize. I only recall that I was surprised some of the names on it were women’s names.”

  Asa’s forehead furrows. “Would Cy Whitfield be on the Tribunal’s list of your recent turns?”

  Rafe and Vivian look at each other for a moment, perhaps doing that silent communication thing they do, then Viv nods. “Yes, he’d be on the list. We should call to warn him.”

  “But you’re sure you reported him, right?” Asa pushes to make certain.

  “Of course. He showed great control over his blood lust and was on his own long before anyone else I’d turned. Why, Asa? What has you so worried?”

  He looks a little sick to his stomach, but he forges ahead. “I think Cy tried to get into my head when he was here last.”

  My temper rises, do these idiots know nothing of communication? “And we’re just hearing about this now? What the hell?”

  He shrugs. “I wasn’t sure if I was right. The sensation stopped as soon as I called him on it, and then he denied ever trying to mesmerize me. The incident started with simple questions, and then he attempted to press me.” He motions with his chin to our master vamp. “He was very curious about you, Vivian. I refused to answer his questions, and he dropped the topic completely after I accused him of trying to of read my mind. I would have told you the moment you arrived if I’d thought the incident was vitally important, but I didn’t think it was something I should relay over a phone call.”

  Concern crosses Rafe’s face as he reaches for his wife’s hand. “Is it safe to assume he could have been a late bloomer as far as manifesting manipulator traits?”

  “I don’t know,” Vivian replies. “If you recall, I cut him loose way before the one year mark hit—wasn’t it closer to three or four months? And thanks to changing my memories, I didn’t think to look out for the possibility he could be a manipulator further down the line.”

  “How long does it normally take for the trait to manifest?” Drew asks.

  “I’m not sure.” Vivian’s slim, pale fingers massage her right temple while she stares down at the table. She turns her head slightly to meet her husband’s intense eyes. “Logically, signs would appear before the first year, right? Or how else would I have known to not report them at the one year mark to the Tribunal.”

  Rafe murmurs his agreement and several of us nod around the table.

  She looks up, her clear green eyes holding a shadow of uncertainty. “Okay, then. That’s a start. I could also have gone into their minds to try to discern if the ability was present.”

  I wonder if the time frame of when she changed them, meaning in relation to her own age and level of power, would come into play. “Could some of your turns have taken longer to show signs of the power?”

  “You mean like how Rafe mentioned the possibility of Cy being a late bloomer?” The redhead lifts a shoulder in indecision. “Regarding latent vampire traits, I’m sure anything is possible.”

  Drew speaks up, “What about the opposite end of the equation, could other fledglings manifest the trait sooner than earlier turns? Specifically, how long was Paul a vampire before he projected his invisibility illusion to Emiko?”

  Paul responds, “I think it was only a few weeks, right?”

  “Yeah, that sounds right,” Drew agrees with a nod.

  A chill goes down my spine as a new thought occurs to me. “Conceivably, just like the powerful blood we sell in the bar, which is stronger as the vampire ages, Vivian’s inheritable traits could have evolved as she aged. Which means a genetic tendency toward becoming a manipulator for each later turn would be increased.”

  Rafe picks up on what I’m saying, a gleam of interest in his eyes. “You’re suggesting, in her older turns the trait may have presented itself or not, like a crap shoot, but as she aged and grew in power over the centuries, the chance of almost every turn becoming a manipulator would be much higher?”

  A quiet settles in the room as the importance of our musings sink in.

  Eric clears his throat before he speaks. “Why are we guessing? Why not just look in your journals?”

  Rafe smiles, a mild look of wistfulness on his face. “Ah… we’re hypothesizing because the knowledge is buried in over ten thousand handwritten pages in some very old books, that’s why.”

  “Then we really should get on that, shouldn’t we?” Eric asks. “I volunteer to help read them if you need it.”

  A chorus of volunteering sounds around the room before Vivian holds up a hand. “I appreciate you all wanting to help. But I hid this knowledge for a reason. Asa will help scan the data into a computer, but only Rafe will be permitted to read what’s in the pages. I’m sorry, but we can’t risk it.”

  Pat says, “Okay, I can respect that. Even though it would no doubt be fascinating and possibly scary as hell, I understand where you’re coming from. But let’s get back to the issue Asa mentioned with Cy. It sounds like he could have the traits. And you guys said he’s on their list, right
?”

  I shift in my seat, clenching and unclenching one fist over and over again. “I can’t say for sure if his name was on the list. But it sounds like it would have been.”

  “I have an idea on how to discover if his name was there or not,” Vivian says. “How about I go back into your memories and see if I can read who was on the list?”

  “Will that work?” Paul asks. “Because if it will, I think there are some old recipes I’ve misplaced that I would love to know again.”

  “Another time, Paul.” Vivian smiles and shifts her attention back to me. “It might work.”

  “Which is more important,” Asa asks, “the names on the list and reaching them first, or finding out who wasn’t reported to the Tribunal to begin with? Aren’t the unknown vampires in your journal safe at this time?”

  “Yes, for the most part. But if we plan to stop Persephone and Rolando from forming a new Atlantis, then we’ll need manipulators on our side. There’s no way I can stop them by myself.”

  Eric raises a hand. “Hold up for a second and bear with me. I know you guys already have this set in your heads, but I need to get a grip on it. So… The first focus is on the Tribunal’s list. And then… after Rafe reads the journals, we’ll work on finding the people Persephone and Rolando don’t know about?”

  A grimace forms before I can push it away. “Yes and no. We wanted you all informed of what was going on and to get your input. And yes, we’ll need help in locating the people on the list the Tribunal has. But—and here’s the ‘no’ part—the main task of physically tracking down the names in the journal will not fall to any of you, but to Rafe, Viv, and me.”

  Eric and Pat nod, but Drew and Asa look annoyed. Drew turns out to be the first to voice his concerns. “You guys get to have all the fun and we’re stuck here in the summer, hoping we don’t singe and die from the never-ending sun.”

  Asa’s annoyance lessens, like he wasn’t thinking along those lines, but he doesn’t respond.

  The good humor Vivian showed all evening winks out, as if it was never there. “Would you rather face my unknown offspring and hope you can convince them to side with me, the absentee maker who has left them alone for decades or centuries? By all means, Drew, if you think you can do a better job than me, feel free. I would gladly stay here, safe and fortified, and wait for the danger to come to us.” She leans closer, a deadly spark in her eyes. “When all is said and done, and the proverbial shit hits the fan, I know I’ll survive. That’s one thing I never doubt. But will you?”

  Drew backs down, looking like he’s swallowed a crow, no longer full of bluster. After a moment, our master vampire looks around the room, meeting the eyes of everyone individually, waiting to see if anyone else wants to speak out. She sits back and nods, apparently seeing what she thought she’d see.

  What can you say when the most powerful person in the room calls you out, forcing you to admit you’re not strong enough to handle the job? You silently take it, that’s what.

  “All right, gang,” Rafe says after a moment. “You’ve all got the main gist of everything we know. Let’s meet back tomorrow night to reconvene and report on where we are. Despite not allowing anyone to read the journals, we’re all in this together and I want to keep the communication lines open.”

  “Jon,” Vivian says as the I prepare to bolt out of the room. “Please wait for me in our office upstairs. I’ll attempt to read the list from your memories before you head home for the night. Oh, and don’t forget to bring us dog food in the morning,” she adds with a smile, reaching down to stroke Candy’s head again.

  I nod in a jerky dip of my head and leave, followed closely by Paul and Drew.

  Vivian’s voice trails behind us. “Asa and Eric, could you stay for a moment please? There’s something we’d like to speak to you both about.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  ERIC

  My stomach clenches, just like it used to in the Army when a commanding officer asked to speak to me. I never knew what the hell it was for at the time, the request always made me feel slightly off-kilter, and I would mentally run through everything I did recently to find fault.

  Asa glances my way with raised eyebrows. I don’t respond, having no idea what the two of them could possibly want with us.

  When everyone leaves, even the lingering Pat, holding out for an invite, Rafe shuts the door. Asa’s eyes widen a little in concern.

  This doesn’t look good.

  Vivian waits for Rafe to return to his seat before speaking. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll come out with it. We think we may have hired your brother, Justin.”

  Asa’s brow furrows. “What’s that now?”

  “That makes no sense,” I say. “How could you have hired him? And why would you?” My head shakes in disbelief. “Neither of us even knows where he is.”

  The redhead nods. “If I was hearing it like this, I’m sure I’d feel the same way. I wouldn’t believe the claim until I saw him with my own eyes.”

  “What makes you think the new hire is our brother?” I ignore the niggling in my gut reminding me our family name isn’t all that common.

  “He grew up in New Jersey, like you two did,” Rafe says, “has two brothers he hasn’t seen since he was a young teenager, he left the country with his mom fifteen years ago, and he’s the name of the brother you two are missing—Justin Monson.”

  Asa’s action mirrors mine from a moment before, and he shakes his head from side to side. Disbelief is apparently strong in both of us on this one. “Sure, it’s not a common name. But come on.” Thoughts tumble across his face, like he’s trying to make sense of their claims. “You want us to believe you stumbled across him… where? At some airport on your way home from Argentina?”

  Vivian reaches toward Asa, but drops her hand when she sees him pull back slightly from the table. I wonder what that’s all about?

  “He did security work in Buenos Aires for the vampires, as a wizard for hire. He helped Rafe when I was taken by Coraline, and he proved helpful again when we went back later to track Rolando.”

  Asa asks, “Isn’t he the wizard you originally thought was the killer? The one that helped you piece everything together with the mythical creatures coming back to life?”

  “Yes,” she says. “I know it sounds crazy that we meet your brother in such a roundabout way, but I’ve had odder occurrences happen in my life, trust me. Sometimes the Fates conspire to make things fall the way they’ve perceived. Other times it’s dumb luck. I think this situation is a little of both.”

  “What about our mother?” I ask. “What ever happened to her? Did you find her, too?”

  “I’m sorry to say,” Rafe answers, “but according to Justin, she died in a house fire six years ago.”

  “And why didn’t he try to find us when she died?”

  “You’ll have to ask him. Assuming we’re right.” Rafe glances between the two of us, drawing his phone from his pocket, and tapping the screen. “Have a look at this. Tell us what you think. It’s his employee photo.”

  And there, in full color, is a mature version of the brother I never thought I’d see again. Older, more defined facial features, but there’s no mistaking the mischievous glint in his eye I remember from childhood, or the familiar cowlick of hair near his forehead. “Well, holy shit. I think that’s him.”

  After Vivian and Rafe drop the bomb on us about our brother, they leave. I hear them speaking quietly to each other as they ascend the stairs from the old workroom in the basement, which lies just beyond the command center’s sliding wall door.

  “What do you think?” I ask Asa as we join Pat, and settle into chairs in front of the wall of terminals. “Could it really be him?”

  “There’s no denying the picture looks like him,” Asa replies, staring at a spot above the glowing screens.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Pat asks, kicking back in his seat and propping his feet on the desk.

  “Vivian and Rafe m
ay have hired our long-lost brother.”

  “Justin?!? Get the fuck outa here. How? What are the chances of that happening?”

  Asa raises his eyebrows and scratches his bald head. “According to Vivian, the ‘Fates,’ as she called them, often conspire to bring situations into alignment.”

  Pat’s face scrunches in disbelief. “What kind of feel-good happy crap is that?”

  I grab a squishy stress ball off the desk and toss it straight up, tracking its progress to catch it on the downward descent. “No idea, dude. Sounded like horse shit when she said it.”

  Pat leans forward, taking his feet off the wood and dropping them loudly to the floor. “But could it really be him?”

  I toss the ball again. “No idea.”

  Asa’s hand darts out and grabs the ball before it can land in my hand, tossing a self-satisfied grin my way. “Guess we’ll find out tonight. Can you wait that long, or would you like to meet him when I’m sleeping?”

  I can’t stop the smirk from forming. “Sleeping? Is that what we call it now when you’re literally dead to the world?”

  “Screw you. Yeah, we’re calling it sleeping. As in, the restorative sleep a vampire needs so he doesn’t accidentally drink down his annoying little brother.”

  Jon walks in, a harried look on his face. “Just checking in on you two before I let Vivian into my head. How are you doing with this whole lost-brother-conveniently-appears-in-your-life-fifteen-years-later thing?”

  A smile creases my pale brother’s face. “Leave it to you to pare the entire situation down to one odd sweeping generalization.”

  “Hey, I call ‘em like I see ‘em. But in all seriousness, I’d love to be able to have a relationship with anyone from my family. Count yourselves lucky.” He shoves Eric in the shoulder. “As in very lucky.”

  “Lucky if it’s him,” I say. “If not, it’s just some weird guy with our brother’s name.”