“Chief Cipher,” I told him, “it’s going to be a long enough night as it is. Why don’t you let me explain what went on and take that as my statement? Two hits in one.”
His lips pressed together in a straight line as if he wanted to disregard what I’d just said. But he also had vampire politics to consider. With this many Heads of Houses in the room, and an explanation that would be due soon about my deceit, he reluctantly nodded his assent.
“Very well, Agent Vane. But be specific.”
Two other agents came in to start processing the scene and Cole gave them brief instructions where to start. As they got to work, Adalyn continued to clean me up, very careful and clever in ensuring that the Heads of Houses saw the extent of my injuries. She gave me a knowing look as she did so, and I could see the gratitude in her eyes. What she must have felt when Cole had apprehended Romeo … It would have chilled her to the bone. The sudden knowledge that he had been so close all this time would have given her a shock. But we'd caught him, and she was evidently grateful.
Telling them all in detail what had occurred—excluding the part where I controlled Florin—their gasps of horror and surprise came in at all the right places. Donn was furious that his Courtier had been mixed up in such a plan. Lillith was horrified that Parris was so destructive considering he was such a good friend of hers. Ramses said nothing as his concern was all for Bernard as I relayed my story to them, piece by piece.
There were a few wary looks thrown my way, mainly from Donn, but he could look all he liked. I’d told the truth, sort of, leaving out only the part related to my gift. And the part about Romeo being Marco’s son. I knew it was my place to declare everything that had happened, but I needed to talk to Marco first before the vampires got to him.
Marco had put me in harm’s way, but he’d had nothing to do with the prison escape. He’d been blackmailed into keeping quiet about it all, by the looks of it, and he may know more about Parris’ plans to exploit the needs of the vampires that we could use. I needed all the leverage I could to keep Bernard out of hot water when we revealed the truth about our relationship. And until then, I was keeping quiet on the rest until I found out more from the head vampire of the Atlantis House.
Vampire politics be screwed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“GIVE ME A minute, will you, Faraway?” I asked the agent who’d just loaded Marco Perduto into the back of a solar cab.
Cole had fielded a few questions that had come at the end of my statement from the Heads of Houses. He’d ended up snapping at Donn after he’d told them of my true reasons for being in Darkwood. Donn had dared to demand they put me in front of the Consilium for not obeying the protocol of a request order when they’d discovered I was undercover. But Cole had shut him up, warning that if he didn’t back off, he would take them all in for harboring a criminal on their lands. Not only that, Cole then went on to say that he would be speaking to the Consilium himself about the so-called ‘Revolt’ Parris was heading up, and that all vampires would be questioned to suss out those who supported his treason. Donn soon shut up after that.
Cole had ended his discussions on a lighter note, saying he would meet the Heads of Houses the next day before submitting his final report to the Consilium. That would give the vampires the chance to demonstrate that they did not stand with Parris and his regime. It would also give them the chance to show what they were going to do about filtering out those who had. That also meant their problems had become a lot bigger than a lowly, human, interfering Enforcer Field Agent. I was soon forgotten as they headed back off to the ballroom to placate their fellow vampires.
The onsite doctors had come to help transport Vienna and Bernard to a place where they could have a vampire’s version of a blood transfusion. Finally, Cole had released me to go ahead and get a lift back to a Healer Hub while he, and I quote, ‘sorted out the mess I’d left behind’. That’s gratitude for you.
Before I’d gone off to the Healer Hub, I’d asked a few questions to learn which solar cab they were transporting Marco back in—separate from Romeo’s, thank goodness—hence my diversion.
“You sure about this?” Faraway asked me, as his hand hovered by the door of the solar cab Marco inhabited. I nodded.
“Just five minutes. I won’t be long.”
Faraway looked at the bandage on my neck. “Five minutes.”
He opened the door and I climbed into the back of the cab. When Faraway didn’t close the door behind me, I leaned over and shut it myself.
Taking a seat opposite a handcuffed Marco, I jumped straight into it.
“Want to tell me why you sent Parris sniffing in my direction?” I asked without remorse. The Head of House simply stared back at me as if he wasn’t quite sure what I was on about. “Look, Marco, I only have five minutes and I haven’t told my boss yet about Romeo’s relationship to you. Nor have I mentioned the part you played in keeping him disguised and hidden from everyone else.”
“I’m not quite sure what you’re going on about,” he told me, his face smug. But after I gave him a very brief run down about what had just happened in the barn—including the part about Parris being dead and gone—his attitude suddenly dropped away.
“Romeo is my son,” Marco explained, sighing. He looked tired and so unlike the proud vampire who’d sat before me only a moment ago. “You have to understand that I did what I had to do to protect him.”
“And to protect your position as Head of House?”
“Of course,” he nodded gracefully, “but I’d promised Romeo’s mother on her death bed that I would take care of him. And take care of him I did. Until that fateful night.”
“You mean the night that he killed and raped all those women?”
“Yes,” he replied, and he had the decency to look ashamed.
“I take it Parris found out?”
“Romeo was stupid. He knew he was supposed to keep who he was a secret, but he liked to push the boundaries. He bragged to Parris that he could walk in daylight, that he had a gift. When Parris probed, he discovered the truth of it. Then he held it over my head. He told me the details of his plan to bring the vampires together to revolt against the system. He said he would do it by force, if necessary. He wanted me to put someone of power in his path who he could feed off, someone who would give him the power he needed to convince the other vampires to follow him.”
“And that would work?”
“Who knows? But that’s the belief of the House of Strix. They truly believe they originally gained their so-called power to shift all those thousands of years ago by drinking from the shifters. They all think they’re being forced to bow down, made to be weak, by the outlaw of drinking from those of power. He was borderline mad.”
“So you decided to shove me in his path. Why? I’m not powerful. I’m just a psychic.”
“Oh, you’re more than a psychic, Terra. Surely you know that?”
“I’m a psychic,” I said through gritted teeth. “It’s on my paperwork. And I’m treated like a lower class citizen because of it. Trust me. I know what I am.”
You used to, a thought came to me, unbidden, and I shuddered, pushing it aside.
“Do you think that no one did a little digging when Bernard announced he was bringing you to Darkwood?” Marco added when I said nothing. “Thing is, Darkwood residents do not like threats. And you, my dear, were a threat because you work for the PCA.”
I laughed, exasperated that I was such a problem to the vampires. “Really?”
“Really. And you’re lucky they don’t have the capability to dig very deep. But I did. And in the short time I had to look into your background, what I found confused me.”
I shifted in my seat, not liking where this were going. “And what did you find?”
“I have friends everywhere. It pays to in this day and age. And I have someone who I trust who works in Immigration. He shared your file with me.”
“Those files are confidential.”
&nbs
p; “I know. But you don’t have to worry. Your Summary of Assessment sheet was missing.”
“My what?”
“The second part of your testing. And that alone wouldn’t have interested me, if it hadn’t have been for you peaking the charts in every one of the tests. Even I know that’s unusual for a psychic.”
My world seemed to teeter on the edge of a blade with that scrap of information. Partnered up with what I’d just been capable of, I felt like I was falling down a rabbit hole where there would be no return.
“You’re reaching, Marco,” I told him eventually. “And you’re making very big assumptions.”
“Am I? Your testing was overseen by a Finder, one who protects you as if you were his own. You have friends in many places, and many who watch out for you; and you made it as an EFA. One of the few humans ever known to have done so. You don’t think that all these people, in these high positions, know that there is something special about you? You don’t think they’re keeping you close, and safe, because of that?”
“No,” I told him honestly. “I don’t.”
“Then we’ll have to agree to disagree. But know that you were the main topic of conversation at our last Head of House meeting. And what the others did manage to find out about you was shared. I kept quiet on what I’d discovered. There was no need to have stirred the pot. After sharing your escapades and the trouble you seem to fall into, they were concerned enough about you without my input.”
“This is ridiculous. I’m a nobody. I’m the bottom of your pathetic food chain. I’m not a threat, even as an EFA.”
“Preach all you wish. But I think you underestimate yourself. Unlike the many who won’t be doing that after tonight.”
“Why? Because Parris and Florin attacked me?”
“No, my dear,” he chuckled. “Because you survived.”
Staring at him, I couldn’t move my eyes from his. He knew things. Things I didn’t want to acknowledge. And I didn’t feel safe with him knowing any of this.
“Florin’s selfishness saved me,” I told him, holding his gaze.
“Believe what you wish,” he leaned forward and lowered his voice, “but we both know Florin wasn’t brave enough to try and stake Parris in the back.”
Not flinching, I remained where I was, his face only inches from my own.
“Then I take it we both have our secrets,” I said, subtley reminding him of his own deceit.
“We do. And I thank you for keeping mine.”
“I’m not sure if I should yet.” I let out a deep breath and leaned away from him. “Know that I’ll cover my back. I’ll protect myself with a contingency should you ever want your secret to die with me, Marco. But I think losing you as Head of House now, what with everything that Parris threatened, would shake the vampires up too much. It’s best to let his regime die with him, so others don’t have the same idea. I’m sure the other Heads of Houses would agree with me.”
A bang on the door jolted me out of my skin. “Five minutes are up, Vane,” Faraway shouted through the dense metal. Shouting back that I was on my way out, I looked down at Marco’s cuffed wrists.
“You’ll be out by tomorrow morning, no doubt,” I found myself saying. “Even if Romeo tells his side of the story.” Without me admitting who Romeo was to Marco, in truth, there wasn’t much evidence to hold him regarding his charges for anything more.
“My own pleading of ignorance will make certain of it,” he agreed.
“Alright.” I went to leave, to open the door, but I hesitated. “Romeo was pissed at you for not coming to his aid. Hence why he went to Parris. He didn’t speak like someone who was part way through a reform program at the prison.”
Marco let out a sigh. “I think I already knew that the day I let him go.”
Nodding in acceptance that a death sentence may be Romeo’s only option in the future, I reached out for the handle.
“I thought you would be okay with Parris,” Marco said quickly, as if he’d been hovering over saying the words.
“Why?” I asked, turning to face him.
“I tried to charm you at the ball. When I asked you to get the champagne. And again when you came for tea, I asked you to call me Marco. It didn’t work, and so I thought you were powerful enough to resist his charms. I also thought that by inviting you for tea to conveniently run into Romeo dressed as Fleur, you may recognize him and therefore end their blackmailing misery. But I also knew it was a long shot.” He rubbed at the day’s growth on his jaw. “I saw through your little facade from the beginning, I’m afraid. The timing of your arrival was off. For an Enforcer Field Agent to arrive at Darkwood not long after Romeo had escaped … And I, unlike the rest of the vampires—not including Parris and Florin, of course—knew he had escaped. I was able to put the pieces together. I thought dangling him in front of your nose would be enough to fish him out. To put an end to Parris’ game. And maybe it would have worked if not for them pouncing on you this evening.” He let out a long sigh. “I didn’t think for one moment that Parris was a real threat to you. Or that Florin was working with him as part of his stupid cause. For that, I am sorry.”
“Yeah, well, I was stupid enough to walk into their trap.”
“But you beat them?”
I wasn’t admitting to anything, so I said, “I was lucky. Have a good night’s sleep, Mr. Perduto.”
He laughed then put his cuffed hands on my arm. “You have no need to feel threatened by me, Terra. I would never wish you any harm.”
“Yeah?” I replied. “You’re one of the few vampires who feel that way at the moment.”
“Maybe I just know the truth.”
“And what’s that?
“This world is going to be a lot more fun with you in it.”
The knowledge in his eyes at that statement made me realize he knew a lot more about me than I thought. A lot more. But before I could say anything else, a bright light hit me as the door swung open. Faraway gave me a look of indignation that I hadn’t hurried out on his demand. And he looked pissed that I’d inconvenienced him by actually making him worry about me.
Ignoring him, I jumped out of the cab. “Behave yourself, Mr. Perduto,” I said, turning to face Marco once more.
“I always do.” He smiled. “And should you ever need anything …” The suggestion hovered in the air, but I said nothing. Faraway slammed the door closed, blocking Marco Perduto from my sight.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
THE NEXT MORNING, I woke up greeted by sunshine and a few messages on my transmission pod from concerned friends and family. It looked like the grapevine had been lit up with my fun-filled evening, especially when Kaleb had tattled on me with minor details before I could even get the chance to speak to them myself.
I would contact them all soon, but right now, I just wanted my solace. And my breakfast.
A knock on my door convinced a few curses to fall out of my mouth. I pushed the frustration of being disturbed aside and went to answer it.
When I opened the door, a much healthier looking Bernard stared back at me. “Morning,” he said with a bright smile. I could see the blood had done its work on his injuries. There was barely a bruise on his pale face, and his ruby lips were back to their natural color. It was such a relief to see him up and well, so much so that I threw myself into his arms with a cry.
Bernard held onto me, tight enough to feel it, but not tight enough to break me before he carried me inside.
Two coffees later, we were sitting on my bed, not quite certain what to say.
“I’m sorry,” we both said at the same time. But it was enough to break the ice. His laughter fed mine, and then, with that, we were back to normal.
“I’m sorry that I dragged you into this,” I told him, and he reached over and took my hand in his own.
“Ramses told me about your version of events. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
“Why? You only did as I asked. They attacked you and left you for dead. I should nev
er have asked for your help.”
“I knew they were up to something,” he said on a sigh. “Parris was more obnoxious than usual, and both him and Florin seemed quite pally at the last Head of House meeting. Or so Ramses told me. They weren’t exactly friends before that so it roused both of our suspicions. Ramses also said that they’d done some digging on you and brought it to the table. Something was off. Not right. That’s what I wanted to tell you the night Kaleb was attacked. But with everything going on …”
“You wanted to warn me.”
“I wanted to tell you to watch your back, pack up and go home. But I thought that the situation had resolved itself when you said you wouldn’t be coming back to Darkwood. I was wrong.”
“I walked in and both judged and underestimated the vampires. That’s on me, Bernard. Not you. I went in blind because of my ignorance. I thought I knew all there was to know about operating in their world. But in truth I knew nothing as I looked down my nose at them. I was wrong.”
“I was wrong,” Bernard claimed as if devastated by my confession. “When I was keeping my eye on Vienna, I saw Florin approach her. He attacked her after that, then bundled her into a car to take her off somewhere. I followed the tracks and found them at the barn. But I didn’t realize both Parris and Romeo would be there, too. They took me out, and I was useless to the both of you.”
“I should never have dragged either of you into this. None of this would have happened if I’d just waited for the request order like Cole had said. I’m so sorry.”
“Are we going to keep saying sorry all day?” he asked, a smirk playing on his lips. “It could become quite tiresome near the end of it.”
I gave him a meek smile of agreement then changed the subject. “How has Ramses been with you?”
I waited with bated breath for his answer, hoping that his friend hadn’t fallen out with him over our deceit.
“He’ll be fine. I think he was as surprised and as shocked as the rest of the Heads of Houses at the detailed statement you gave in front of them. And he became angry when he discovered the part his own servants played in drugging us. He’s investigating that, and I believe he’s acting like a bear with a sore head with everyone in his house at the moment—including Neffy. Cole has made some serious accusations against them all, and he’s done so in that clever way of is. He’s got enough on them to weave a tale of treason and accusation for harboring a fugitive to present to the Consilium, and the Heads of Houses know it. But they also know how lucky they are that he’s going to meet with them first. This looks very bad on the vampires. Very bad.”
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