Chin jutting upwards, his shoulders thrown back in defiance. “I asked you here to help him, not kill him.”
“Gavin’s a vampire. I can sense it. I’ve never been wrong before about a race.” Victor said, ready to throw a spell at the first sign of hostility.
Jackson hadn’t shut down his inner sight and when he examined Gavin, what he saw confused the hell out of him. His sense told him vampire, but his inner sight said human. Except, abnormalities he’d never seen before confused him. Gavin’s muscles bulged one moment and shrunk the next. His ears grew the size of a bat’s and his eyes became large and round like an owl’s then both changed back to human size.
“Wait. There’s something odd. Victor, open your inner sight.”
He waited for the muttered “What the fuck?” from Victor and then continued, “See, odd. I think Gavin needs to explain to us exactly what’s going on here.”
Gavin spoke up, his voice hoarse from either lack of use or excessive screaming, “Don’t want to hurt anyone. Just wanna stop the bastards that took me. More people there, planning on hunting them in wolf form. They laughed. Said nothing left to identify the prey. That’s how they thought of us, as prey!”
He shuddered and visibly pulled himself together. Putting a hand on Karl’s shoulder, he gently moved him aside. Even with that slight movement, Jackson saw how much stronger he was than an average human.
Acting as if Gavin hadn’t nearly launched him across the room, Karl serenely walked over to his desk. The stiffness of his spine and proud lift of his head told Jackson he’d deliberately given his back to his friend. He wanted to prove to the Enforcers they had nothing to fear. Jackson almost laughed. Only a fool thought a vampire was docile. Make them hungry enough and they’ll turn on anyone.
Rolling his computer chair out from behind his desk, Karl positioned it next to the couch. Gavin pushed the couch back into place and sat down. Jackson and Victor remained standing, facing the two men. They both relaxed their stance, but remained cautious. A new vampire could drain them dry during bloodlust.
“I’ll jump to the important bits. At this point, Karl needs to hear the rest. I wanted to protect him from this horror show, but it’ll make him vulnerable.” Gavin glanced at Karl, pain and weariness sitting heavy in his gaze. He muttered, “I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. You’re the only one able to hide me.”
Karl leaned over, resting his hand on Gavin’s head, not even flinching as he made contact with the greasy, tangled mess. “It’s okay. I understand. This is what I do. How about you tell them everything?”
Clearing his throat, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Gavin began, “As Karl told you they abducted me a few weeks ago. Didn’t know where I was at first. Just that I wasn’t in the city anymore. No constant traffic and it smelled different. I wasn’t the only one there. About 7 or 8 other people. Some would disappear while new ones took their place. I didn’t realize what was happening at first. Too scared and in shock. They barely remembered to feed us, so I was dizzy and half crazed from lack of food. One day, maybe night, honestly not sure, they dragged me out of my cage. Brought me to a torture room. Blood coated the walls, the floor and a huge table. They strapped me onto that table, the wet and drying blood sticking to me. I tried to fight them, but I couldn’t. They were so strong, so damn strong.”
Gavin choked up, his voice strangled as the horrible memories overwhelmed him.
He stared at his clenched fists, the knuckles a harsh white. “I expected them to beat me, torture me. Wish they had. What they did was worse. They injected me with something. I had no idea what at the time. My body felt like they’d set me on fire. Every part of me, burning. I thought I was dying. I learned later I should’ve died. All the others did.
“When the seizures finally stopped, they dragged me back to my cage and tossed me inside. Couldn’t move for hours. I spent the time listening. I heard things I shouldn’t, like heartbeats of the other prisoners. Concentrating, testing my limits, I heard them talking. One of them yelled at the two who dragged me into the room. He wanted to chase me, hunt me down and now they’d killed me, made me useless to him.”
Gavin paused, an audible swallow before he continued. “He said no injections, only feed it to the prisoners. The blood too strong and would kill me. Something about vampire cells attacking human cells, destroying them until nothing left and the body could no longer survive. After the main guy finished yelling at them, he said soon they’ll have a hunt. They had gathered enough prey to make for a fun chase.” He spat the last part out in disgust.
“Steadily got stronger. Actually I felt amazing, like bench pressing a car or something. I’d thought my eyesight had adjusted to the dark. Damn, was I wrong. A mouse scurrying in the darkest corner, as bright as day. My hearing, it kept increasing too. Perhaps a day passed when it all peaked. Throughout that day, I had to listen to those bastards laugh and joke about all the horrible things they wanted to do to us, what they had done to the previous captives. They’re sick, truly sick bastards.
“When I felt like there would be no side effects to the injection, I broke out. Actually, I broke the fucking steel bars, bent them until they snapped. Wanted to help the other people, but escaping with them wasn’t possible. I want to go back, rescue them. They don’t deserve to die like that. No one does.”
Finishing his tale, he brought his knees into his chest. His hands linked around them in a death grip.
Nausea rolled in Jackson’s stomach and he swallowed hard. They’d injected a human with vampire blood. A horrible, agonizing death, one that destroyed mentally as well as physically. The victims little better than vicious animals before they mercifully died. Centuries ago, vampires forced their blood into a human as punishment for vile transgressions, a form of punishment long since abolished as too inhumane and cruel.
He didn’t want to hear any more, but they needed all the information.
“Gavin, Karl told us this had to do with werewolves and demons. What demons?” He hated pushing him for more information. Obviously the experience traumatized Gavin. Hell, who wouldn’t be? It was horrifying listening to his tale, never mind living through it.
They needed to know what part demons played, no matter the mental toll it cost Gavin. Still in good standing with the Coterie, Victor could bring in the Enforcers for a rescue. First though, they had to plan which ones to bring. Mage Enforcers consisted of specialty groups, ones trained according to their talents. Their chance of success would increase with summoners, ones used to dealing with demons, Enforcers like Victor and Jackson. He clenched his fist, angry at missing out on this possible rescue.
A shudder ran through Gavin’s frame. He loosened his tight knuckled grip and ran a hand through his hair. Fingers snagged on several knots. Hair entwined around the long, thin digits as he ripped his hand free. Despondent, he removed the strands, letting them fall to the floor.
“The demon is the one who supplied the vampire blood. Said it was from an ancient and pure, unlike Ire. A demon had shown up for payment. Didn’t want money though. At first, it was in its human guise. Looked like an ordinary human.”
He started to shake uncontrollably, unable to continue. Karl sat down next to him and patted him on the back, encouraging him.
“It took one of the women and one of the men, said it liked variety in its food. It dropped its illusion, showing its hideousness. And then it, oh shit, it ripped them apart, ate their insides first. When the demon finished, there was hardly anything left, just tatters of clothes. The werewolves laughed, said they were going to do that to us on the hunt. This was before they injected me. I couldn’t help them. You have to believe me. Wasn’t strong enough. I just... I just closed my eyes. Watching it eat. More than I could bear.” His voice broke, silent tears dripping down his cheeks.
Karl shifted on the couch, comforting him as best he could. He put his arms around the bigger man, trying to cradle him like a child. A gentle hand smoothed the bigge
r man’s hair as he hushed him. Undeniable strength radiated from the delicate man, an elegant dignity better suited to royalty, not an information peddler.
“Please, help those other people.” Karl implored, his rage simmering beneath his words.
“I’m sorry, I want to make sure I have everything correct. They abducted you on your way home and kept you in a cage outside of Toronto with several other people. A demon came with ancient vampire blood, donor unknown. He ate two of the captives as payment. They injected you with the blood instead of feeding it to you. It didn’t kill you, but gave you vampire abilities without the drawbacks. You escaped by breaking the steel bars and made your way back to T.O. Is this all correct?” Victor recited the list without emotion, as if talking about a grocery list instead of horrible atrocities.
Jackson understood why. He needed to distance himself, pretend it didn’t matter. Each horrible case they took would chip away at their souls and humanity if they let them.
Victor had once told him to pretend it was a gory movie, complete with special effects and the always-defeated villain. Jackson wondered how many nightmares made its home in Victor before he’d perfected that stance. Many a times, he heard his friend’s whimpers at night when they were on a stake out together.
Gavin nodded, not bothering to lift his head from Karl’s shoulder.
"On my desk, you'll find a map. Gavin did his best to mark his route. He can't remember exactly where they held him, but I'm sure you'll be able to find the place. There's a description of the buildings."
Victor strode to the desk and snagged the paper. A swift glance before he folded and placed it into his front pocket. "No problem, we should be able to follow this."
“Do you think you’d be able to recognize the werewolves again? If we catch them, can you identify them for us?” Jackson asked.
“Yes. Yes. I’ll never forget their faces, their voices, their horrible laughs. It’s burned into me, no matter how badly I want to forget. I... I don’t want anyone to know what happened to me. That I’ve changed. I don’t want anyone poking and prodding at me to find out why I didn’t die, creating super soldiers. And you know they would. Promise me you’ll never tell anyone or I’ll disappear for good.” Gavin’s voice became steadily stronger and the tears had dried up.
Shifting away from Karl, Gavin straightened, his eyes flat and cold. He meant what he said, he would disappear. Jackson didn’t blame him either. No one wanted to give up their life, become a guinea pig for the government.
“I swear to you by my oath as a mage I will not tell anyone the changes you went through.” Both Jackson and Victor made the promise which neither did lightly. The Enforcer society was thousands of years old, created when oaths and honour meant something.
As they were leaving, Victor turned back, a hand on Jackson's arm to stop him from opening the door. "Karl, you might wanna keep an eye on your cashier. Think he’s selling Ire."
If Jackson hadn't seen the anger blazing in Karl's eyes, he would've assumed the man unaffected as he calmly said, "Thanks, Victor. I'll check into it."
Chapter Thirteen
BACK IN THE car, Jackson asked “What’s with you and Karl? And don’t ask me what I mean. You know what I’m talking about.”
Sighing, Victor gripped the steering wheel. “We met years ago. He figured it was a chance meeting, but the Coterie had set it up. They found out what he had planned and approved. They wanted everything to go smoothly. Paige asked for me personally, said I had a friendly demeanor that wouldn’t put his back up. Said he impressed her. Smart and determined, he actually stood up to her. That’s damn rare. Completely shocked me when she said he told her off.”
Jackson laughed. “Are you shitting me? I’d rather handle demons than go against any of the Coterie leaders, even the human ones. He’s got brass balls. So what’s he’s doing? Giving you information?”
“Nope, something way more important.” Victor smiled, a rare, genuine one. “He’s helping the lost and almost forgotten. The ones the Coterie want to help but can’t, the ones who don’t fall under anyone’s jurisdiction because of the different races involved. Take Karl, for example. The Fae abducted him as a child, kept him as a slave. We didn’t know about him until he escaped. They’d hidden him and many like him. We can’t go charging into Fay to rescue the other slaves as it would’ve caused an inter-dimensional incident. We don’t have enough evidence to prove the Fae stole them."
Shaking his head, Victor continued, "Some Fae became contacts, disgusted by their brethrens behaviour. I can't tell you who and they only deal with Karl. When he found out I’m an Enforcer, he wouldn't talk to me. Took me over six months before he'd trust me again. He's wary and mistrustful with good reason. What he doesn't know is we gave him the "pay off" money for the express purpose of him starting his business. A small handful of us know what he's doing and we help any way we can so he can hide others like him. He’s oblivious to the extent of our assistance though. And you can never tell anyone about him. I'm sure it goes without saying his life would be in danger if the wrong people found out about him.”
Resting his head against the headrest, Jackson mulled over this information. It wasn’t unexpected the Coterie had more going on than he realized, but helping civilians skirt the law? Very interesting. Of course, he didn’t rigidly abide by every single rule. Following the spirit of the law if not necessarily the letter of it sometimes meant the difference between life and death out in the field.
Kept unaware with nary a hint to the true purpose of Karl's shop surprised Jackson. Not that he expected to be privy to every detail of his partner’s work life and contacts, but he could’ve assisted with this. Keeping his mouth shut was part of their job, one he took seriously.
Wondering if he should be peeved or not, he decided his partner made the correct decision. Karl helped many who had nowhere else to turn, no one to trust. His reputation must be impeachable among the desperate. If whispers circulated within the Enforcers, his work would become worthless.
The fewer people aware of Karl, the better.
Victor interrupted Jackson’s musings as he said, “Look, man, I’m sorry about Julia. I wasn’t expecting you to have a woman there and it doesn’t work on men, or at least straight men. Takes a lot out of me to suppress it. Then, I was just so shocked I didn’t think about it. Stupid of me not to dampen it.”
Jackson nodded and dismissed his concerns with a wave. “No worries. I understand.”
He should’ve known Victor would bring up the subject before he had a chance too. And now, his partner would make sure to avoid a repeat.
Victor paused and Jackson had a feeling the conversation drifted into I-don’t-want-to-hear-it territory. “Markus thinks highly of her. He’s gonna kick your ass when he gets his hands on you. Pissed off doesn’t begin to describe it when he came back to Headquarters after she disappeared. Even the Coterie is staying away from him. No one says boo to him except Keeper.”
“Keeper fears no one. I’m not surprised he’s willing to speak to an angry Markus.” Keeper, aka Keeper of All Knowledge, was the one person who controlled the vast library of the Mages. Feared, respected and revered within the mage society. Any question about magic, its lore or its complicated history, Keeper had the answer. Jackson never heard of a time where someone stumped Keeper.
He always had the answer.
Jackson had no clue whether it was due to a spell or if his brain was that good at retaining information.
Dragging his mind away from Keeper, and another enemy he didn’t want to have, he continued. “And if Markus is that angry, make sure you stay the hell away from him. We both know he’d destroy you without breaking a sweat. Hell, he could easily do the same to me if he ever got his hands on me. There’s a reason why he’s our top interrogator.”
Markus refused to allow anyone else to interact with his prisoners. Many wanted to know his secret, how he broke them so effectively, but he wouldn’t breathe a word of his technique. What
ever information he wanted, Markus got, no matter how tough the subject. Jackson shuddered at the thought of Markus having full access to him. Oddly enough, the senior Enforcer never bragged about his successes.
Jackson stared out the window, watching the skyscrapers, condos and office buildings crawl past. They’d been in the PATH for over an hour. Rush hour was winding down and traffic snarled the streets. Pedestrians rushed along the sidewalks, darted in front of cars and impatiently waited for the lights to change. Their entire being focused on arriving at work, worried about being late and possibly getting a black mark in their files.
Thoughts of jobs and careers brought his mind to Julia’s. He turned to Victor.
“I completely forgot how this situation would appear to the Coterie. If they believe she’s in league with me, this would ruin her career. She’s still considered kidnapped, right?”
Victor nodded. “Yep. No one knows differently. I didn’t even know she was willingly with you! I couldn’t imagine why you’d kidnap someone, but figured you must’ve had a good reason. Assuming, of course, the rumours were true. The Enforcers are still looking for her. Markus has turned the city upside down. Shit, man, I can’t believe she’s been with you all this time. Why in the nine hells didn’t you tell me?”
His friend sounded pissed about being left out of the loop. Jackson should’ve told his partner. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t. No, scratch that, he did - Victor’s renowned seduction of women. Julia would’ve fallen prey to it and then his chance with her gone. Women didn't glanced his way again once Victor appeared on the scene. He didn’t begrudge him it since in most cases, Victor honestly couldn’t help it.
“Sorry. I should have told you. I didn’t want to drag you deeper. Bad enough you’re up to your neck in this mess, but helping with a ‘kidnapping’ was too much.” He skirted around the truth; Victor would ferret out the lie if he uttered it. And what he said was true for the most part. If the Coterie ever found out Victor helped him hide, gave him sensitive information, he’d lose his job and possibly his life. He took a huge risk helping him.
Magic Resistant Page 12