In truth, Nicky was surprised that Isaac still managed to not only obey the laws but to enforce them. A lesser Shadow Walker enduring what Isaac had would have gone rogue a long time ago. But now was not the time to dwell on the past violence that had befallen Isaac. It was time to focus on the recent violence that had befallen his own family.
Nicky knew the moment they crossed the invisible boundary of the shroud that Wendat had erected around the manor. Isaac faltered in his steps, momentarily disoriented from the shift in reality. Nicky knew that feeling well. It was slightly disconcerting to be walking towards an empty horizon and then to suddenly have an entire building appear before your eyes.
“I’m sorry, I can’t tell exactly where the line is,” Nicky offered when Isaac finally oriented himself.
“I see you had my sire help you out,” Isaac commented, falling back into step with Nicky.
“Yes, we couldn’t chance Armand returning so Wendat erected a shroud,” Nicky replied. “It’s also allowed my family to sleep at night. I’m deeply grateful for your sire’s talents.”
“Aren’t we all?” Isaac said bitterly before lapsing into silence as they made their way up to the manor. When they reached the French doors off the pool area, Nicky paused and turned back to face Isaac.
“He misses you, Isaac,” Nicky said and he felt a dark anger surround the other Shadow Walker.
Nicky knew it was probably a lost cause to try and reason with Isaac about this but the loss of Olivia had him thinking about the importance of family. His impulse to heal family dysfunction was probably better put to use with someone else. The problems between Isaac and his clan had been festering for nearly a century; Nicky was a fool to think that a few words from him would heal the rift. Still, something inside him was demanding he try.
“Beatrix misses you as well,” Nicky added and Isaac’s eyebrow twitched but that was the only indication that Isaac had heard him.
“I am here as the Enforcer,” Isaac said, his voice edged with cold steel. “My task is to carry out the requests of the High Council, not discuss my personal business, Nicomachus.”
The formality of his words was enough to tell Nicky he was on a fool’s errand. The centuries of friendship between them meant nothing to Isaac anymore. There was no longer any separation between Isaac and the Enforcer. He had become the job. And it was killing him.
Unfortunately there was little Nicky could do to help. He needed to focus on his own clan and their needs. As he led Isaac into the manor and to his study, he became increasingly agitated as he thought of his loved ones being interrogated by the icy Enforcer.
“You can speak with them in here. Feel free to arrange the furniture into whatever interrogation setup you wish,” Nicky said, his own voice bitter. “I will go summon them for you, Enforcer.”
“Nicky.”
The informal name had him pausing at the door. “I promise this won’t take long. I will just get enough to satisfy the Council and then I’ll be gone so you may mourn in privacy.”
Nicky was shocked to see a glimmer of sympathy in those dark eyes. Maybe there was still hope for Isaac to get back the light inside him.
“Thank you Isaac,” he replied sincerely before leaving him to summon Cordelia. She was the only one who had spoken with Armand and would have the information Isaac would want. Hopefully after that, the rest of the questioning would go fast and they would be done with the whole thing.
He went to the lounge where he had instructed everyone to gather to await Isaac. He found them there and he paused in the doorway to listen to them.
“I remember one time Olivia and I found this giant daddy long legs in the back garden,” Mary was telling the others. “She scooped it up and put it in Demetri’s shower and you should have heard him scream. Seriously, it sounded just like Janet Leigh in Psycho.”
Everyone laughed except Demetri, who huffed in indignation. “That thing was huge and, I swear, it lunged for my throat.”
“A Shadow Walker scared of spiders,” Gabe chuckled. “Yep, I’ve officially seen everything now.”
Even Demetri had to laugh at that and Nicky’s heart warmed as the others joined in. Perhaps the events of Olivia’s murder hadn’t been the deathblow he had anticipated. The healing had already started and he liked to think it was because it was what Olivia would want.
“Cordelia,” he called out, regretting he had to interrupt them. “Isaac would like to speak with you now.”
She looked to Gabe, who had his arm around her shoulders, and he gave her a reassuring squeeze. Nicky’s newfound optimism grew as he watched the two of them. They had managed to find happiness in this tragedy and he knew wherever Olivia was, she was smiling at the couple.
Cordelia followed Nicky out of the lounge and he tried his best to prepare her for what would happen in the study.
“This is nothing to be nervous about. Isaac will simply take an official statement from everyone for the High Council’s records. You need only tell him what happened and then it will be over.”
“Don’t worry Nicky, it’ll be okay. We’ll all be fine,” Cordelia replied, smiling with assurance.
He felt the urge to weep at the kindness in his child’s eyes. That was his job. He was supposed to be the rock in this situation, yet here she was, his fledgling, stepping up to support him.
“You are right, we will be fine,” he told her with a smile and then continued on his way to the study. “Come, let’s be done with this.”
When they reached the study, Nicky was relieved to see that Isaac had not taken him up on the suggestion to rearrange the furniture. Instead, Isaac sat on one of the ottomans, in front of one of the taller chairs in the room. He had done his best to place himself so that he would appear smaller in stature to those he was speaking with. He had also doused most of the lights in the room, giving the place a cozy feeling.
The male definitely knew what he was doing.
“Have a seat. I just have a few questions to ask you, it won’t take long,” Isaac said, gesturing to the chair in front of him. Cordelia hesitated a moment, her eyes still roving over Isaac’s body. It was rare to see Isaac in the presences of females and so it was easy for Nicky to forget that to the feminine persuasion, he was incredibly attractive.
Nicky gave her a slight nudge towards the chair and Cordelia came back to earth, dipping her head as her cheeks reddened and she took her seat.
“You were the one who saw Armand, yes?” Isaac began and Cordelia nodded.
“When I heard he was in the house, I went with Mary and Demetri to search upstairs. I found him in one of the guest bedrooms. I tried to stop him but he shadow walked before I could get my hands on him.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
“Yes, he did some posturing, like telling me this was just the beginning. He said that everyone was going to hate me for what happened and that he would make everyone in my clan come to regret me being a part of it.”
“Anything else?”
“That’s pretty much it. I don’t remember it word for word but that’s the gist of it. He didn’t make any direct threats against anyone or reveal any specifics about his plans. To be honest, he was a bit over the top with the melodrama. I think he’s watched too many soap operas or something.”
Nicky couldn’t stop himself from laughing aloud at that. Isaac didn’t even arch an eyebrow in appreciation, merely continuing to write on his notepad.
“Thank you for your time Cordelia. If you remember anything else, your sire knows how to contact me.”
Cordelia seemed surprised that it was already over but Nicky was just thankful that Isaac wasn’t drawing it out. Everyone knew who the guilty party was but until he could be found, the Council would try to appear that it was doing something in response to the attack.
“Come on, I’ll walk with you.”
Nicky led her out of the room, surprised with how serene she appeared. Despite the intimidating air around Isaac and the fact she had to relive
the harsh words Armand had said, she seemed relatively happy.
“You seem to be holding up well. Does it have something to do with your guest?”
She smiled in that secret way all females could and she nodded her head. “Gabe has been very kind to me during all of this.”
“Good, I’m glad for that.” And he truly was glad. It was good to see a romance springing to life within the walls of the manor. After such darkness, a new light was welcome. Life went on, as they said.
Still he had to remember that he had a fledgling on his hands with Cordelia. A newly minted Shadow Walker in love could be a recipe for disaster. It could quickly turn from passionate love to passionate hate or deadly obsession.
“Just promise me something Cordelia. Any time you feel that you might lose control of yourself, you come and find me or Mary.”
She looked at him and he knew that his request would sound odd to her but he needed her promise nonetheless. She would understand soon enough if her changing played out like any other. The emotions would try to take over and if she wasn’t careful, she could lose herself to them.
“I promise,” she made the vow with sincerity and he embraced her.
“Thank you, my child,” he whispered in her ear before letting her go. “And truly, I am happy for what you have found.”
She would need a shoulder to lean on over the next while. As much as he could try, he had a sinking feeling that he would not be able to shield them forever. Something sinister was brewing in their world and the first shots of what he feared would be a horrible war had been fired in his home. What he feared even more was that Olivia’s death would not be the last time violence was brought to his doorstep.
***
Armand stood outside a warehouse down at the docks, the pungent odour of the lake water filling his nostrils. It was ten minutes past the time Matthew had told their potential recruits to be here and the faint murmur of voices drifted from behind the warehouse walls.
They were getting anxious, thinking that this had been a waste of time and that he wouldn’t show. Perfect. He wanted them to believe that their participation meant little to him. No one liked the stench of desperation.
Armand nodded to Matthew who pulled open the metal door that squealed in protest. The voices inside went silent in an instant, all heads turning his way.
He strode through the door with purpose, head held high, eyes never resting for more than a millisecond on any one Shadow Walker. The crowd parted before him and he walked straight through, forcing them to turn and follow his path until he was standing before them.
It was a fairly small group, no more than twenty and they were all young males. Exactly what he wanted. They would be easy to forge into the tools he needed to accomplish his goals.
“I’ve asked you here tonight because you have a certain reputation among our kind. Some of you have been sanctioned by the High Council. Some of you have avoided being caught for your past indiscretions. You’ve shown that you understand the true nature of our kind, the nature that the High Council tries to bury.”
He could see the piqued interest in a few eyes while the rest still regarded him skeptically but he continued, unaffected by their doubt.
“Our nature is to dominate. Our nature is to kill. We are hunters and yet we hide ourselves away from our quarry, as if we fear them. We act like parasites when we should be at the top of the food chain. All of these injustices are because of the High Council. Tell me, how many of you gathered here have ever even met a member?”
None of them stepped forward.
“Not a one of you and yet they claim to speak for us. They are relics from a time long gone. They delude themselves into believing that they are at all relevant to the world around them. They know that they are obsolete and so they hold tight to whatever power they have left. They leash us, like their own pack of dogs, tossing us only the scraps. How is that fair?”
A ripple of murmured agreement swept through the crowd, as they looked around at each other, nodding their heads.
“I say it is time that we demand more. The time for being yoked by the elders of our kind is over. It is time for us to embrace our true nature. We are predators. We are meant to hunt and kill. We are meant to be what humans fear when they are alone in the dark. It is time we embrace our place as those living nightmares.”
A cheer went up from some of the assembled. They were lapping this shit up like starving animals. This is just too easy, Armand chuckled to himself.
“The High Council needs to go,” he declared, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand for emphasis. “I say it is time to take the battle to them. It is time to wage war on the oldest members of the High Council. They are the strongest and when they fall, the rest will crumble beneath our feet.”
Barks of contemptuous laughter came from the few who remained doubtful despite his rousing words.
He sneered in their direction. “You’ve let their lies scare you. You have been convinced that because you are young, you have no chance against the older generations. You are wrong. The oldest are not untouchable, I speak from experience. For those who join, I promise you that this night, I will show you how easily the older generations can bleed.”
He saw the interest pique in the remaining doubters. Shadow Walkers were a curious lot; offering them a mystery was a near perfect guarantee that they would be intrigued.
“Now you may think this is an all-inclusive organization but you would be wrong. This is an invitation-only venture. You are here because you have potential but you have to earn the golden ticket.”
Ah yes, now the challenge. This tactic had little to do with mental manipulation. This was pure battle strategy. He wasn’t going to be saddled with a bunch of useless morons. He wanted the best of the best and they needed to prove themselves worthy.
“You will pair off and fight for the right to be asked. Consider it an audition. We aren’t looking for just a demonstration of physical strength. Those who show a true thirst for violence will jump to the front of the line. You want change? Prove it with blood. For those that win an invitation, you will be given the chance to wreak devastation, those who want no part of this are free to walk out that door.”
The group was silent as they eyed one another, sizing each other up, looking for the first person who would defect. If one led the way, those with their own doubts would follow him like sheep out that door. It was the nature of humans and Shadow Walkers alike.
And indeed one of the larger Shadow Walkers turned and began to head towards the door and he was followed a few seconds later by two more, the smallest and weakest of the bunch. Everyone’s eyes moved between the retreating Shadow Walkers and Armand, watching to see how he would react to the defection. He stood there, expressionless as he watched the large male near the door.
A sharp hiss split through the air followed by a deep thunking sound and the large male stopped in his tracks. He stood stock still for a moment before his body gave out and he dropped to his knees. The impact with the concrete rocked his frame and his head rolled off his shoulders, hitting the floor with a sickening thud. His body crumbled beside it, a large pool of blood forming around his severed neck.
The smaller males that had been following behind him froze in place, eyes as wide as saucers as they stared at the dead Shadow Walker no more than two feet in front of them.
“I’m sorry,” Armand chuckled and everyone’s attention turned to him. “I should have said that those who want no part of this are free to try to walk out that door. No guarantees that you’ll actually make it.”
The two Shadow Walkers finally tore their eyes away from their fallen comrade, their bravery gone with him and they quickly scurried back to the group. Matthew emerged from the shadows at the back of the warehouse where he had been hiding, the modified crossbow resting on his shoulder.
Matthew had been proving to be more and more of an asset. Not only did he obey orders, Armand had discovered that he had more than a few connect
ions of his own.
One of them was to a male who had a penchant inventing interesting weapons. Matthew had been a fan of his work for quite sometime and had known the perfect one for tonight. It had been fitted to shoot circular saw blades at twenty miles per hour. If the shooter was accurate, he could take off a head with the squeeze of a finger. And Matthew had been very accurate tonight.
“Alright boys, let’s get this started.”
Armand watched as the first pair was decided and the rest backed off to form a ring around them. As the first blows were landed, the crowd began to cheer and Armand watched.
Not the two fighting but the faces of the spectators. He searched for pleasure in their eyes, looking for the ones who were relishing the sound of each blow landed and the smell of spilled blood. Like he said, he wasn’t just looking for the strongest. He wanted a couple loose cannons in his back pocket, the kind of Shadow Walkers who relished destruction and chaos.
He was building an army and dangerous psychos were more than welcome. Especially considering what he had planned for his captive back in the cabin. Those shiny new tools were going to get quite a workout tonight. Armand had every intention of using Remy’s pain to solidify his role as leader of these minions. And when he had that, he would execute the revenge that had started all of this.
Chapter 15
As Gabe left Nicky’s study, he had a new appreciation for why Shadow Walkers obeyed their laws. He would never want to find himself on the opposite side of a guy like Isaac. Not that Isaac had said or done anything particularly threatening. He only asked a few questions about what had happened and that had been it.
No, what had Gabe cautiously eyeing Isaac was the fact that despite squatting awkwardly on a paisley ottoman in Nicky’s high-class study, he still appeared ready to use deadly force at any moment. It wasn’t that Gabe was afraid he would hurt him, it was that he knew if he wanted to, he could hurt him. Badly.
He walked by the lounge, checking in to see if Cordelia was there but he only found Demetri and Marcus at the pool table. The Shadow Walker hadn’t let Marcus out of his sight since the funeral. Judging by the fact that Marcus was already halfway through a bottle of scotch, he needed to be watched over.
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