by M. L. Briers
“Let me guess – says your anonymous caller…” Nathaniel offered and the alpha snapped his eyes back to the man and growled long and hard.
“Someone is killing my pack…” Reed growled.
“Someone is also killing humans…” Nathaniel said and the alpha’s eyes narrowed on the man, taking the information in, “and she’s trying to help stop it. Which is probably why she was targeted.”
“She killed a she-wolf – that won’t go unanswered.” Reed snarled.
“I did not, would not, and have not killed anybody. Wolf. Human or bloody well Vampire…” she said and Julian snorted with amusement. “I reserve my right to change the would not, to might, in his case.” She eyed the vampire for a long moment, but his smirk didn’t fade.
“And I’m supposed to take your word for it?” Reed bit out…
“Why not? You took the word of an anonymous voice on the phone.” Nathaniel offered back.
Reed thought about that for a long moment. His brow furrowed and his eyes snapped towards Morgana. She shrugged.
“What can I say?” She offered the alpha. “You’re going to believe who you believe…”
“She’s not that kind of witch. I’ve know her for years and she wouldn’t even kick a puppy…” Nathaniel offered, and at the sound of hearty growled warning; he winced. “No … insult intended.”
“You don’t appear to like her…” Reed turned his attention towards Michael and the vampire shrugged his broad shoulders.
“She’s a witch. She serves a purpose…”
“Leech…” Morgana offered back.
“Do I think she does dark magic…?” Michael thought about it for a moment…
“Tick tock, Michael…” Nathaniel sighed.
“No. I don’t think Nathaniel would have a use for her if she did.” Michael offered to the alpha.
“Thank you…” Nathaniel pushed back up to his full height. “So, that four of us to your one mysterious caller – do you still plan to kill her without proof?”
Reed bit down on his desire for revenge. His jaw worked as he debated everything that he knew … and tried to figure out what he didn’t.
“No.” He finally bit out.
“An apology might be nice … I did have to drink Satan’s blood, and not by choice.” Morgana eyed Michael and the vampire started a slow grin back at her – his fangs were down and she sneered back at him.
“About that…” Nathaniel turned towards Michael and the vampire shrugged.
“You said not a scratch. She has none…” Michael lifted his hand and motioned towards the witch.
“Now … she has none now…” Nathaniel said, swinging his fist and landing a punch on Michael’s jaw.
Morgana couldn’t help herself when she gave a small gleeful cheer…
“That’s what I get for saving your life?” Michael asked, rubbing at his sore jaw and eyeing the witch with contempt.
“That’s what you get for force feeding me your blood,” Morgana offered back, as she tipped her chin up in the air in defiance.
“Fair enough. I’ll know better next time,” Michael offered back.
“And what about the state of my shop?” Morgana looked at Nathaniel and the vampire sighed.
“I don’t do housework…” he offered back in a dry tone.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
~
“This is your lead?”
Nathaniel strolled down the hallway, sidestepping students as they eagerly went about their daily slog of learning, carrying too many books, and juggling them with takeaway coffee cups filled with caffeine and overloaded with sugar, and turned his nose up at the ones who had forgotten what a shower was for.
“Don’t shoot the messenger…” Morgana tossed back.
“Shoot? Never…” he offered her a small smirk back and she knew what he was thinking – it was in his eyes as they glance over at her.
“You just don’t like the fact that the man is a professor, because it doesn’t make you the smartest person in the room…”
“Academic learning does not make you the smartest person in the room – wait until some of these great unwashed get out in the world – they’ll flounder like an injured fish in the open sea…” he snorted his contempt.
“Someone’s feeling cheery today…”
“Someone went on a wild goose chase, while the goose was hunting one of my own.” Nathaniel tossed back, and Morgana caught the annoyance in his tone and the caged look in his eyes before he snatched his gaze away back away from her.
“Well, just think – in twenty years the man will be losing his marbles and you’ll still be … you.” Morgana went to push open the door that stood ajar, but Nathaniel got there first and opened it for her.
“After you…” He grinned down at her and she arched just the left eyebrow at him.
“Age before beauty…” she grinned back.
“That’s what I said – after you…” Nathaniel’s grin widened, but it disappeared when she deliberately elbowed him in the ribs on her way into the room…
“Maybe not twenty years…” Morgana muttered as her eyes took in the professor.
If that really was Harold Jacobs, then he either aged well or he’d been a child genius.
“Professor Jacobs?” Nathaniel said from over her right shoulder, and the man reluctantly flicked his eyes up from the mound of paperwork that cluttered his desk…
There was a look in the Professor’s eyes that lasted for just one heartbeat that said he recognised what Nathaniel was – a spark of worry crossed his brow – and he wrenched his startling blue eyes from Nathaniel to Morgana and back again…
Morgana hadn’t expected the man to be in his late twenties, at the most early thirties. She certainly hadn’t expected him to look like he belonged on the pages of a high end men’s magazine as one of the models, and she really – really hadn’t expected him to know a vampire when he saw one.
“Can I help you?” Harold Jacobs pushed up to his feet.
There was an air of nervous apprehension about him, and Morgana didn’t like it. Humans weren’t supposed to know about vampires and the ones that did were supposed to have their memories wiped, or in the unlucky, for them, circumstance that memory wash didn’t work – taken out for the good of the species … and she’d led Nathaniel to a man who obviously knew exactly what had walked into his office…
“We should go…” Morgana offered the muttered whisper to Nathaniel. He turned his eyes down to the woman and saw that it wasn’t just the Professor who seemed nervous…
“Too late,” Nathaniel said with the blankest expression that she had ever seen him wear in her presence.
“Nathaniel…” she hissed back.
“Professor…” Nathaniel tossed the door closed behind him. He seemed more menacing to Morgana in that moment than he’d ever done before. “We’re looking for someone and we were told that you might know where to find her.”
“And who might that be?” Harold asked as if he was asking for a menu.
Morgana didn’t buy it and she could bet that neither was Nathaniel. The man was a vampire and could sense deception a mile away.
Add to that the fact that they were so damn good at reading body language and micro-expressions, and the good Professor was very bad at hiding them … the man was toast.
“Daniella Dubonnet.” Morgana said, sidestepping the vampire; she put herself in a position to ward of Nathaniel should she need to do it, and she was really rooting for not needing to do it.
“Sorry…” Harold gave a small shake of his head like he had no idea what she was talking about.
“Come now, Professor – we both know what I am…” Nathaniel said.
He noted the way that the man’s eyes narrowed for just a heartbeat, and the way that Morgana was strategically positioning herself across from him. He even saw the witches hand twitch as she drew her magic to her fingertips…
He had to wonder how far she would go to protect the human
against him…
“Yes,” Harold said.
It would have been pointless denying it. He knew that the vampire had a read on him – his tone – his heartbeat – the little beads of sweet that were gathering at his hairline…
“Then let’s just say that I can get that information from you if needs be…” Nathaniel offered him the not so veiled threat, and Morgana’s hand twitched at her side again…
“Nathaniel…” she whispered, just loud enough for the vampire’s ears.
“Unfortunately, I think not…” Harold said, and before Morgana could react the vampire was around the desk and in front of the Professor as the man snap turned towards him…
“Nathaniel…” Morgana said it louder that time.
She had her magic right there in the fingertips of her hands and even if she didn’t want to use it – she just might need to…
“You can stare into my eyes, Vampire, but I take a brew of Mistletoe and Rowan Ash every day. I doubt you’ll find much.” Harold said and Morgana wanted to groan as the man offered the vampire too much information.
“Look, we just need to follow a path to dark magic and we were told that Daniella could help,” Morgana said. “That’s it. That’s all. Nobody needs to get hurt here or anywhere else…”
“Dark magic…” Harold repeated with a small nod. “And why do you think Daniella can help you with that? Can you not reach out yourself?” He eyed Morgana for a long moment and she eyed him right back.
“I’ve tried…” Morgana admitted and caught Nathaniel’s head as it snapped around on his neck, and she felt his eyes on her. “There are wards that prevent me getting close.”
“I told you…” Nathaniel berated her.
“And why would you think I’d do anything you told me too?” She shot back at the vampire. “Especially when there are human lives on the line.”
“The murder’s…” Harold said as Nathaniel opened his mouth to berate her again.
“Murder’s?” The vampire asked, a little too innocently.
“I’m aware of them,” Harold offered.
“Well, we know there’s dark magic…” Morgana offered back.
“And what do you think Daniella can do for you?”
“She’s allegedly got more power than most, and she dabbles in the dark side…” Morgana offered back.
Nathaniel folded his arms across his chest and watched the witch work. She was good in the persuasion department and she seemed to have gotten the professor to talk, and yet, he felt the rather unfortunate need to pound the man in the face – just for the fun of it … or that was how it felt.
“I wouldn’t say dabbles…” Harold corrected her.
“Would you say where she is so we can leave?” Nathaniel demanded and the professor finally turned his eyes back towards the vampire.
“I can get a message to her for you – what she chooses to do with that information isn’t up to me.” He offered back.
“I…” Nathaniel rocked forward on his feet and Morgana took a long step towards them…
“That’s fine,” she said.
“Is it?” Nathaniel turned his attention towards her.
“If she’s a white witch then she’ll want to stop the killing as much as we do.” Morgana shot back and waited while Nathaniel rolled that over within his mind…
“Fine…” he bit out, preferring his way of garnering the information over hers, but if the man was true to his word and he’d ingested the mistletoe and Ash brew, then he knew he didn’t stand a chance – save torturing the man – in getting what they needed.
“Leave me your names and a number and I’ll see she gets it,” Harold reached for a pad and pen and offered it across his desk to Morgana.
“How are you not dead?” Nathaniel bit out, bringing the man’s attention back towards him as Morgana wrote what the man asked for.
“I could ask you the same question.”
“Funny, vampire humour – love it,” Nathaniel’s voice dripped with acidity.
“I’m not just a pretty face,” Harold offered back, dryly.
“You know what I mean – someone must have left you alive…” Nathaniel was more than interested to know who that was.
“Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil…” Harold offered back.
“Monkey see monkey do…” Nathaniel said on a shrug, and Harold twisted his head on his neck and frowned. “Were we not throwing out stupids?”
“Don’t mind him – he doesn’t like that you’re the smartest person here,” Morgana offered her words as she pushed the pad and pen back towards the man…
“Two out of three ain’t bad…” Nathaniel said with a smug smile towards her, and she raised just the one eyebrow back at him. “I liked that song…” He mused.
“Before my time,” Morgana offered with a smirk that annoyed Nathaniel and he turned his eyes back towards the professor.
“Before my time too, I’m afraid.” Harold’s lips pulled upwards, but only slightly. Morgana snorted a chuckle.
“Well, I’m sure that you’re aware of the concept of a bat out of hell…” Nathaniel’s tone was threatening. Too threatening, and Morgana rolled her eyes and groaned at the man.
“Let’s go Batman,” Morgana tossed back over her shoulder as she started for the door.
“I think we still need to have a conversation about who left you alive…” Nathaniel bit out. “But, we can save that for another day.” He said with a tone that sounded a lot brighter to her ears, and she was sure, Harold’s, but she didn’t turn to look at the man as she went to pull the door back open and found Nathaniel’s hand on the door knob.
“Gee, such a gentleman,” Morgana bit out, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
~
Morgana was still pouting as they arrived outside Nathaniel’s front door. She’d wanted to go home to crash, and Nathaniel had other ideas. It had become a bone of contention between them.
“If you stop pouting I will order in your favourite food. If not you can eat whatever slop I cook,” Nathaniel said as he unlocked the door to his apartment and listened to the sound of the footsteps that followed on behind them.
He knew that step well. Knew the way that every person on his floor walked – memorised it so that he knew when trouble was walking his way and when it wasn’t, and so that he didn’t get caught by surprise and accidentally kill someone.
That step belonged to his neighbour, Belinda.
“I don’t have a favourite food.” Morgana bit out on a small sigh just so that he knew just how unhappy she was with the latest turn of events.
“Chinese, there’s always left over cartons at your house…”
“And how would you…?” Morgana stopped talking the instant that the woman appeared around the corner of the corridor, coming in their direction.
She noted the instant recognition of both parties and relaxed just a little. The thing at the shop with Reed still had her nerves a little fried. Not to mention the fact that she actually thought that Nathaniel was going to kill the Professor – she made a mental note to check back on the man on a regular basis – although, by the time that she’d realised the man was dead then it would obviously be too late, but still she needed to know…
“Belinda…” Nathaniel nodded his head and the woman’s smile grew wider. That annoyed the hell out of Morgana, although, she wasn’t quite sure why.
“Nathaniel…” Belinda offered back – her smoky tones did little to dissipate that annoyance in the witch – if anything, it only heightened it.
Morgana rolled her eyes to the ceiling and counted to ten as the two neighbours had a moment. If cheesy music started to play out of one of the other apartments; Morgana swore she’d zap someone…
She jumped at the sound of her mobile phone going off. The musical tag that she’d assigned to Maxi made her groan inwardly … a blast of somewhere over the rainbow from the Wizard of Oz sent her eyes up to Nathaniel’s as he frow
ned at her, and she snatched at her mobile phone as she motioned for him to let her into the apartment…
Nathaniel did just that, and she used her magic to snap on the overhead lights as she went inside and left him on the doorstep chatting to the walking – talking Barbie doll.
“Yeah, Maxi…?”
“Reed feels badly…” Maxi’s first words shocked the heck out of Morgana.
“Seriously?” She demanded, and Maxi stayed silent for a long moment on the other end.
“He didn’t know that I know you – otherwise he might have asked my opinion before he went in there like…”
“A moron hell bent on ripping my throat out?” Morgana shot back. “He’s there, isn’t he?” She demanded and there was a long silence again before the seer answered.
“He’s … close,” Maxi offered awkwardly.
“You’re dating the psycho beast from hell?” Morgana hissed quietly into the handset…
“I’d say dating is a strong word or a loose term…”
“You’re sharing bodily fluids with the psycho beast from hell?” Morgana shot back.
“That sounds about right,” Maxi offered back.
“You’re lucky I didn’t neuter him,” Morgana bit out.
“I called because he asked me too. He’s honourable – if not a little dense when it comes to figuring out that someone is setting him up…” Morgana knew that one was aimed right at Reed, and she heard him grumble a growl in the background. “He didn’t want there to be any bad blood…”
“Bite me,” Morgana sneered and heard another, longer growl rattle down the phone line…
“Morgana…” Maxi berated her.
“I know all brawn and no brains – it’s going to take a while and I suggest he stays out of my way until then.” Morgana offered back.
“I hear on the grapevine that you’re looking for Daniella…”
“You know her?” Morgana hissed in disbelief.
“I know of her – she’s all cosy with some old professor dude…”
“Not so old…”
“But definitely cosy.”
“Like … you and Fido?”