Brom faced McLain. “Do you need a lift?”
“I have my own way back. I’ll meet you there. Don’t be late.” The sly remark caused Brom to smile and nodded.
McLain stepped back into the darkness and transformed into vapor. Moving rapidly through the branches, he staying close to Brom, insuring he didn’t turn to leave.
Brom rode his stallion with the ease of a master. McLain found much to admire about the man. He was confused by Carmen’s fear of her brother, but tonight he would have his answers even if he had to take the man’s blood to get them. The longer Carmen remained missing, the greater the chance he would find her dead. The thought drove his anger. Catherine’s pale features passed through his thoughts as he had held her lifeless body. But her face changed to Carmen’s. Hard terror knocked the air from his lungs as if a charging horse had hit him in the chest. McLain slammed the door on the image. He would find her. There was no other outcome he would permit.
Brom found the road ahead carpeted in thick mist, yet eerily deserted. The trees heavy branches hung low over the road in a canopy of knurled claws. McLain was nowhere to be seen. The speed of his horse threw up the fog in parting clouds as he raced down the path. To have been so close to Carmen last night, yet have her slip through his fingers once again was frustrating. He would have his answers about Carmen tonight.
McLain was different from any other man he knew. He was hard pressed to explain some of the things that occurred around McLain. Brom feared he had found a vampire, but he wouldn’t ask to confirm, not with men like Roy about. A smart man would keep his mouth shut and his eyes open. Besides, McLain seemed to be involved with Carmen, trying to keep her safe. Moreover, at this moment, he needed all the help he could get, especially if Jayce now had her.
When Brom reached the dark mansion, the double doors opened in an eerie welcome for they moved of their own accord. He dismounted and tied the reins to the horse-head hitching post, then climbed the entrance stairs, and walked inside. He followed the candlelight in the wall sconces that illuminating the hall until he came to a sparse looking study. It held one desk, three chairs, and what looked to be a liquor cabinet. A fire burned in the hearth, warming the cold, stone walls and the bare, wooden floors.
He moved in to spot McLain seated in one of the chairs, a crystal goblet of ruby liquid in one hand. Another goblet filled with amber liquid sat near the empty chair across from him in invitation.
Brom sat down, ignoring the drink. “Tell me what has transpired,” Brom asked, sitting forward, his elbows planted on his knees.
McLain’s eyes seemed to glow red behind piercing black pupils. “As I slept, a group of assassins came in and took Carmen. I killed the three that were left behind to slay me, but gleaned no clue as to who had taken her. If you don’t have her...then who?”
“His name is Jayce, my mother’s lover, but first I would know what your feelings are for my sister.”
“She is my mate. And my feelings will not help find her,” he growled.
Brom held up a hand. “Don’t get touchy. It’s time for hard truths. Since I am her only male relative, I stand in my father’s place, and want to know your intentions.”
McLain’s nodded. “She will be my wife.”
“I take it that you are vampire.”
McLain lifted one brow. “I’m not here to speak of myths or any other immortal fable. The longer I wait for information means the difference in finding her dead or alive.”
“Do you love my sister, McLain?”
McLain snarled, unwilling to be forced into sharing his heart. Yet, the question made him think about what he felt. He was possessive, knowing he would keep her with him forever. He could not think of being without her, and yes, he cared more deeply for her than even Catherine. Carmen made his life exciting, passionate, and comfortable, filling the loneliness. But did he love her?
“I don’t know what love is. It’s a confusing issue, but I know she makes my life complete, and means more to me than my own life. Is this answer enough for you?”
Brom sat back in his chair. “Yes, I can accept that. I had to know if you were bound to her before taking the risk I am now. What I tell you must go no further then this room.”
At McLain’s nod, Brom continued. “What I share could mean her death. There is something different about Carmen you need to know.”
“I have all ready figured that, what is it?”
“First, I’ll tell you about Jayce. He is obsessed with power. My mother was a beautiful woman like my sister. She was lonely after father’s death and Jayce showed up. He romanced her, seduced her with flowery words and cheap trinkets. To have a younger man enamored with her caused her to lose her good sense.
I had reservations about him because we come from a very wealth family. So, I checked into Jayce’s background when he started seeing my mother and found he was financially ruined. He had run some scams that failed and had several men searching for him. It wasn’t until the night mother told me that she loved him and would do anything for him that I felt apprehension run down my spine.
“You see, I knew Carmen’s secret, and feared mother would tell Jayce. I found her early the next morning dead. The bastard had made love to her one moment and slid a blade across her throat the next.”
“And this is the man who has Carmen.” McLain hissed.
“Yes.”
“Are you aware that Carmen thinks you are your mother’s murderer?” McLain watched Brom’s expression, searching for any deceit.
Brom looked down, rubbing his brow before glancing into the fire. “I can’t blame her. She caught me standing over mother’s body with the bloody knife in my hand. I didn’t have the will to discuss what happened for fear of putting her in more danger. Jayce stood behind her in the shadows and I feared for her life. As she turned to leave, he followed her. I stayed close but lost him in the dark woods. It wasn’t until I learned about several attempts on Carmen’s life that I moved to step in to take her away until I caught Jayce. However, she jumped the gun and slipped out on her own. I have been searching for her ever since, hoping I would find her before Jayce did.”
McLain rubbed his jaw with thumb and forefinger. “What does she have that Jayce wants?”
Brom’s gaze swung back to his. “She holds the power of the gods.”
McLain frowned, dropping his hand across the armrest. “What are you saying?”
“The Celtic god of war and health, Cocidius seduced my mother and from that union came a child, Carmen.”
“She is a demi-goddess?”
“Yes. Her powers are unique and her blood has the power of life and death. That is what Jayce wants. He thinks to destroy his enemies and bring himself god-like stature, to control everything around him. However, there is a catch to this power, which he doesn’t know about. If Carmen’s blood is taken by force or without her blessing, it means death to the taker. It’s like acid to all it comes in contact with.
“Only if she gives the blood with her whole heart, an offering, and that person accepts it, will the blood give life and strength.” A crooked smile touched Brom’s lips. “I figured you were a vampire when you left unseen from the boarding house with Carmen. Then again, tonight when you disappeared into the fog and beat me back here without a mount. I also know you didn’t take her blood when you could have.”
McLain groaned and sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He bowed his head and ran his hands into his hair. “I now know what happened to your informant that night. He attacked Carmen when I stepped out of the boarding house. When I came back, the vampire was foaming at the mouth, choking on his greed. He had taken Carmen’s blood and it killed him. I was concerned that whatever he had ingested would harm Carmen. She knew it had been her blood all along.”
“Don’t judge her harshly, McLain. Understand, she carries a heavy burden with this secret. You don’t share this information because it could get you killed. I only tell you now, because I can see she has chosen you, a
nd you are her protector. I see the twisted fear on your face. Only love could bring that agony.”
McLain raised his head to meet Brom’s intense gaze. By all that was holy, his gut gnarled in torment. And he didn’t like it one damn bit.
“She is in great danger because my mother couldn’t keep the secret. What I fear from Jayce is that he is going to take her blood and store it, using a drop here and there in someone’s wine to eliminate those who stand against him.”
“So where is this Jayce?” McLain growled. “In taking Carmen, he has sent me an invitation I can’t refuse.”
“He is most often seen in the seeder part of the city, around Stag’s Horn Tavern.”
McLain stood. “Then there is where we go.”
Brom stood as well. “I must send word to Roy that my plans are changed. Then I will meet you at the tavern within one half hour.”
* * *
A stray cat screamed and a black streak of fur passed across the tavern’s threshold.
Brom jumped back. “Hey.”
“Someone else is on the prowl.” McLain sharp gaze followed the feline.
“Hope he has better luck with his search.”
The two men stepped into a loud, smoke-filled room. Boisterous laughter came from one corner where a group of men and ladies-of-the-evening sat around a card table.
McLain leaned close to Brom. “Ask some of the working women if they know where Jayce holds his meeting. I’ll ask the bartender and a few men toward the back of the room. Try not to seem too anxious. These rats can smell gold from two miles away. They can tell you anything to pick your pocket.”
“I feel my skin crawling already from slippery gazes.”
A barmaid shrieked and sprang away from a gentleman’s grasping hands, and spilled a tray full of mugs to the floor with a crash. The patrons sitting around the bar and tables burst out laughing. The maid’s cheeks turned red as she knelt, picking up broken pieces of crockery as they floated in a sea of ale.
The owner stomped over, and backhanded her. “Ya’ll he paying for that spill or you’re out on your ass.”
“I would take it,” McLain pointed to the bloated red-faced owner, “that is the man I’ll have to speak with.”
Brom smiled and nodded, weaving his way through the crowd toward a blonde-haired woman.
McLain strode up to the counter where the stout man had returned and motioned with a jerk of his head for attention. The large man waved then finished serving the man facing him before he turned to McLain.
“What will it be, my lord?”
“Information, it pays well.”
The bartender scratched his chin. “Information comes at a high price.”
McLain nodded in understanding and showed the man some gold coins. Information in the wrong hands could see you with a knife in the back one dark night.
“I need to find a man named Jayce. I was told his cult meetings are held here.”
The bartender snarled. “You won’t find out anything here. Jayce, and his like, murder informants.” McLain probed the man’s mind but only got a man’s features, red robes, and a dark back room. He could take the bartender’s blood and pick all the details from his thoughts. McLain didn’t have the time to wait until the man left the bar and went to a back room or outside on a break. He would have to give the big man a command to visit the storeroom for more wine.
Just then, he spotted a small ragged form duck down and move behind the counter. Grimy small hands grabbed some coins from the moneybox then disappeared around a corner unnoticed by the busy bartender.
There was his informant. He nodded in understanding to the bartender, then turned to follow the small pickpocket. Before he moved from the bar, McLain glanced over the room, making sure no one stood watching him then cloaked himself invisible, following the fleeing urchin, unseen.
The child moved fast. McLain followed him out into the alley and around carts of crates to a hole in the wall of a crumbling building two blocks down. He pushed his way through the hole and entered an abandoned warehouse. Soft scratching came from a room beyond, and he moved silently to the doorway.
A dirty-faced boy around the age of seven stood bent over a small box where he was stuffing his ill-gotten coins. He closed the lid on the scarred box and put it back behind a loose floorboard. Dirt floated down in a cloud from above as a pigeon took flight when McLain materialized.
The boy turned in surprise. The child screamed and backed up, tripping over some empty crates. He scrambled to his feet, terror evident in the widening of his eyes.
“Hold on, lad. All I want is information and I’m willing to pay well. I’m looking for someone, and you are smart enough and sly enough to hold this knowledge.”
The boy’s gaze grew wider. “I know nothin’—I swear.”
McLain pulled two silver pieces from his pocket, showing the shining coins in his palm. The boy craned his neck for a better look and bit his bottom lip. He stiffened, trying to keep himself from reaching for the offered coins.
McLain took one and tossed it to the lad. The boy caught it with ease and bit down on the metal. “The first coin is a gift. I have another here for information and two more coins if I like what you give me.
“You would truly give me money for nothin’ at all?” The boy’s gaze narrowed, his head tilted to one side, no doubt skeptical.
“It is not nothing to me. A man has taken my wife with plans to harm her. I want to reach her before injury is done. But I can’t do it without your help.”
The child straightened his backbone, standing taller, his shoulders rolled back. “What would you be needin’, governor?”
“There is a man named Jayce, though he wouldn’t go by his real name. He runs a cult. They wear red cloaks and meet in Stag’s Horn Tavern where you took the coin.”
The boy’s gaze shifted to the floor and his foot made a pattern in the dirt. “I don’t know what tavern you speak of. I don’t steal, but I have seen the red cloaks.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yea. I know most everythin’ that goes on around here.”
McLain smiled. He wondered if the boy realized he contradicted himself with that boast.
“The leader of the red cloaks goes by the name Ram. They meet once a week and I’ve heard talk of where they go in secret, for rituals.”
McLain tossed him another coin. “All right...I like it so far. Can you tell me where these secret meeting take place?”
“Give me another two coins and I’ll tell ya.”
McLain laughed. “You’re a good hustler. Very slick.” He pulled two more coins from his pocket and held them out but when the boy reached for them, he closed his fist. “First give me what I want. Where do they hold their meeting?”
“The crypt of Lord Charles Montgomery in Shady Oaks Cemetery. It’s the largest stone buildin’ at the center. The Montgomery’s son runs with the cult.”
“Well done. Here are your coins.” McLain handed them to the lad. “You are now under my protection. What is your name, lad?”
“Shifty, governor.”
“If you ever need a place to stay, or need help, look for McLain Dubrinski. There, you will find food and shelter if you so desire.”
The lad’s face broke into a smile and radiated such joy McLain was tempted to take him in. However, he knew he couldn’t, not yet, too many things in his life were unsettled. Besides, he wasn’t even sure he would be alive after tomorrow evening. He had yet to face Menippus. If he didn’t survive, Brom would see to the lad and all he held.
“Shifty, I need you to do me a favor. Go back to the tavern and find a man named Brom. Tell him I’m headed to Shady Oaks Cemetery.” He didn’t want to waste time going back for Brom. Time poured like sand through his fingers and Carmen’s life hinged on holding the last grain.
The lad nodded and caught another coin tossed to him.
Without waiting to see if the lad followed his directions, McLain turned, stepping out of the warehouse and
headed through the back alley. A splash of red, disappearing around a corner caught his attention. Who would be out this time of night wearing a red flag before any cutthroat or thief? Since they were headed in the same direction, he followed to quickly catching sight of a large, cloaked figure, passing behind a few building. The man’s height and width reminded him of the bartender. If that were the case, the man was going to warn Jayce that someone sought information about him. And Jayce, being a smart man, would set a trap.
McLain entered into the man’s thoughts to find out he was indeed the bartender, so he planted a fog of confusion within the man’s mind. The man stumbled then stopped. His hand came up to rub his forehead, a frown marking his face.
McLain raised himself up into the night air, moving closer to the unsuspecting victim. The bartender glanced back the way he had come then shook his head. McLain floated down to stand before him, blocking his path.
The man’s gaze grew wide with terror. He stumbled and lifted his hands out in front of him as if that would stop McLain.
“Going somewhere? You shouldn’t leave your bar this time of night. Haven’t you heard—dangers lurk about?”
The bartender glanced right then left, finding himself blocked in by stone walls on either side. He began to back up.
McLain lifted his lips in a snarl, menacingly showing his sharp fangs. “You can’t escape me. Your life is in my hands. Were you going to warn Jayce of our little talk?” He would know if he held the truth.
“Jayce kills all those who speak of his cult, then goes after their family. I have to save their lives.”
“And you think I will not kill you and leave your body to rot in this alley for rats to feed? Choose wisely. Jayce has my woman and I will have her back with or without you.” This man had no thought for his family. His greed was his motivation.
“Shit!” The man shook his head. “Jayce holds this meeting in Lord Charles Montgomery’s crypt. You will find him there with your woman. A meeting was called only an hour ago. The note said, the Ram had found his prize.”
Satin Chamber Page 7