The Scarlet Deep

by Elizabeth Hunter

  “He’s older than me, cradle robber,” Brigid said. “Don’t encourage him. The two of you are terrible.”

  Anne heard Murphy come behind her and slip an arm around her waist.

  “Then he’s learned from the best,” Murphy said, smiling at Carwyn. “Hello, Daniel. How are you?”

  Daniel’s smile fell. “Murphy.” His eyes dropped to the arm around Anne’s waist. “Well, I see you’ve moved on from Emma, but don’t you always?”

  Anne’s smile froze, even as Murphy’s fingers dug into her waist.

  “That was a long time ago, Dan. She was just a human.”

  “Typical.” Daniel’s lip curled. “And she was ‘just a human’ to you. She was my friend.”

  Carwyn stepped between the two vampires. “Gentlemen,” he said, keeping his voice low, “this is neither the time nor the place. Daniel, Murphy is an invited guest. Do not bring shame on your sister’s hospitality.”

  “It’s fine, tad. I’m leaving.”

  Brigid said, “Daniel—”

  “I’ve my own place in town,” Daniel said, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be around. Anne…” Daniel turned, and his warm eyes almost caused her heart to thump. “It was truly lovely to meet you. I’ve heard so much from Gemma. I’ll look forward to seeing you again.”

  “Thank you, Daniel. You too.”

  Murphy’s fingers dug in again, and she felt her fangs drop. His possessiveness did not sit well with her, especially in a formal setting such as this. He was marking his territory like a neighborhood dog. She peeled his fingers away the moment Daniel was out of sight.

  “Pardon me,” she said. “I have a message for Jetta that Mary wanted me to pass along.”

  Chapter Eleven

  MURPHY’S FANGS THROBBED as he watched her walk away. Gemma and Carwyn were silent. Brigid was glaring.

  “What?” he asked them, sipping his drink.

  “What was that?” Brigid said.

  “I’m not going to explain myself to you lot.”

  Carwyn craned his neck around to shoot a pointed look at Anne’s retreating figure. “Maybe you should. Just to practice.”

  “Daniel is very young and has a limited perspective on something that happened thirty years ago,” Murphy said.

  “Just a human?” Brigid asked.

  “I do not view humans as viable long-term romantic partners,” Murphy said. “I never have.”

  Brigid frowned. “That’s true. You didn’t proposition me until after I’d turned. I’d forgotten that.”

  Murphy glanced at Carwyn uneasily, Gemma’s warning about not breaking antiques in the back of his mind.

  “Don’t mind me,” Carwyn said with a grin, throwing his arm around Brigid’s shoulders. “I won.”

  Brigid elbowed him. “Stop.”

  “It’s true though. Murphy’s still chasing his woman.” Carwyn looked over his shoulder again. “Not very successfully.”

  Murphy narrowed his eyes. Anne was talking with a very tall Swede who looked like an underwear model. Really, the Scandinavians needed to stop turning humans solely for their looks. It was very bad policy. The man’s hair was almost to his waist. Ridiculous. How could that not be a detriment in a fight?

  “As amusing as all of you are,” Gemma said, “I need to go make sure that Jetta’s people are settled and find out who will be attending the meeting tomorrow night. Excuse me.”

  “Gemma, can you introduce me to…” Brigid pulled out a piece of paper. “Gunnar Jarlson? He’s their security chief, and Roger wanted me to grab him when he got here.”

  “Of course.”

  Murphy watched the women walk toward the Scandinavian vampires, Carwyn at his side. Then Gemma was introducing Brigid to the tall blond talking to Anne.

  “His name is Gunnar?” Murphy asked.

  Carwyn nodded. “Security chief. Quite good from what Terry’s man says. Been working with Jetta for thirty or forty years. They might be related.”

  “They all look related.”

  “Ha!” Carwyn shook his head. “They’re an impressive sight, for sure. Tall, blond, and immortal.”

  “Viking vampire assassins,” Murphy said, barely stifling a sneer. “Sounds like the subject of a bad romance novel.”

  “I disagree,” Carwyn said. “That sounds like a rather excellent romance novel. You realize that when they raided Ireland many of the women ran after them, don’t you? I think it’s something about the hair.”

  “Shut up, Carwyn.”

  “I am the one with the adoring mate. Just pointing that out.”

  “Adoring?” Murphy glanced at his fierce young enforcer. “Oh yes, the fawning must be quite tiresome. I don’t know how you put up with it.”

  “It’s difficult, but I manage.”

  THE meeting the following night was as tedious as Murphy had expected, though he might have simply been in a foul mood because Anne had locked him out of her room. He’d never been able to catch up with her at the party, and by the time dawn rolled around, she was firmly ensconced in her suite, while Murphy was forced to his own very cold—if admittedly comfortable—bed.

  Evening started with a knock on his door from one of Brigid’s men, who needed to confirm his itinerary, then a quick drink from the refrigerated store of cow’s blood—still vile—and a shower and change of suit.

  He needed to swim. Murphy hadn’t touched the water in days, and the pool Terry had was salt. He needed freshwater. Needed a good dousing in the river or a lake nearby. Perhaps it would take the edge off when he spent night after night wearing his civilized face without the relief of beating anyone up.

  “Boss?”

  He heard Brigid calling from the entryway. She was the only one with the code to his room.

  “I’m in the bedroom, Brigid. Be out in a moment.”

  “Roger confirmed your itinerary. Since there are no changes, the same security team will be with you as there was last night. Anne’s people are the same too.”

  He paused. “Did she confirm that she was going to the meeting?”

  “Of course.”

  Excellent. He’d be able to corner her in the car.

  “She did have another meeting with Jetta earlier though. So she’ll be meeting you and me there. Carter and Lands will be going with her. Roger is also sending two of his men.”

  He curled his lip. “Fine.”

  “Boss?”

  “Yes, Brigid.”

  “About Anne…”

  Murphy stepped out of the bedroom, still adjusting his tie. “Yes?”

  Brigid took a deep breath. “Is there something wrong with her?”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think I remember the look I’ve seen on her lately.”

  “What look?”

  “The hungry one. The one that says she’s thinking about her next fix.”

  This was one of the reasons he put up with Carwyn in his city. Brigid’s skills of observation were uncanny.

  “I’ve thought the same,” he said. “I’m watching her. Apparently, this is something her sister was aware of. Her sire too.”

  “She’s having issues with bloodlust?”

  “I think so.”

  Brigid looked flummoxed.

  “But why? I know she doesn’t like animal blood, but I’m much younger than she is, and I’ve been able to—”

  “Everyone’s different, Brig. We all have our own appetites.” He trusted Brigid, but only Anne had the right to tell her friend of her more unusual needs. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  “I will too.”

  “You’re a good friend.”

  “I know.” She eyed him from head to toe. “Looking sharp, boss.”

  “Thank you. Now, let’s go wrangle information out of Vikings, shall we?”

  TWO hours later, it was Anne who finally broke through the doublespeak that Jetta’s team had perfected.

  “I don’t know about you,” Anne said, interrupting Jetta’s secretary, “but wh
ile the illegal weapons trade is troubling, that’s not something the human authorities can’t handle. Aren’t we here to talk about Elixir?”

  “But the weapons are coming in through Russia,” the man said. Murphy couldn’t remember his name.

  “But Russia is not attending the summit, are they?” Anne leaned forward. “I’m not a politician. You’re going to have to spell it out for me.”

  The man exchanged a look with Jetta, who nodded.

  “We know that the Dutch have a special relationship with the Russians,” he said. “If they expect us to share information about the Elixir trade, then we want a halt to the weapons. Our human governments have very strict weapons policies and part of our responsibility is supporting that.”

  Rens Anker had been silent throughout the meeting. The quiet man had arrived shortly after Jetta the night before, but with far less fanfare. If Murphy hadn’t known what Rens looked like, he never would have guessed the tall, academic Dutchman was anyone other than an assistant. He was thin in a way that led Murphy to believe he’d not been wealthy in human life. His angular face and dark hair should have made him stand out among all the Norsemen at Terry and Gemma’s house, but he somehow managed to blend into the woodwork.

  It was a pleasant enough face. Kind, even.

  But his eyes were wary.

  Anker smoothed his tie down the front of his shirt. “The Russians will do what the Russians will do. To think that my brother or I have any kind of influence over them would be false.”

  “So they do not use your satellites?” Jetta’s secretary—who Murphy was beginning to believe was her attack dog—pointed out.

  “I didn’t say they don’t use our satellites,” Rens said. “Nor will I confirm it. I would do neither, as discretion”—he pointedly looked at Jetta—“is very much part of what my clients pay me for. There are many, many organizations, both human and immortal, who are valued clients. But that does not make their business mine.”

  “What is your business, Rens?” Murphy asked quietly. “Your shipping interests have shrunk every year. Why are you here?”

  “Mr. Murphy, I believe—as I’m sure we all do—that the stability of the human blood supply is a problem that knows no borders.” He spread his hands. “And thus I am here to offer what I can to stabilize it.”

  And not answer questions.

  “What exactly are you offering?” Murphy asked.

  “Information. When I deem it useful.”

  A few quiet sounds of frustration were scattered around the room.

  “And who are you to decide what is or isn’t useful?” Jetta asked. “The Russians—”

  “The Russians have their own problems, such as weapons proliferation,” Rens said. “And the lovely Dr. O’Dea is correct; this is a problem the human authorities can deal with. Elixir is not. And that—I am sad to say—has been as much a problem in our small country as it has been in any of yours. Possibly worse.”

  Gemma asked, “What is your current status?”

  “Our immortal population is very concentrated in our city centers. Many of the clubs and underground bars our donors frequent have been infested. We’re facing a real problem if we can’t find a cure. Hundreds of humans have been contaminated. The human authorities are baffled because we can’t hide all the deaths. This is the problem we are facing. Now, what problems are your countries facing?”

  Anne slid Murphy a note.

  So the spy offers information first?

  He quickly responded. By doing so, he controls the direction of the conversation and puts all of us in obligation to him. Anker has laid out the parameters of what he is willing to share and avoided questions. Never underestimate him or his brother.

  Understood.

  Terry was the next to speak, looking to Gemma, who nodded before he began. “It’s no surprise to anyone that we’ve been hit in the UK. The North Sea and the Baltic countries seem to have been the first affected by this, which is why I wanted to speak to everyone at this table first. We’ll talk to France and Spain tomorrow. The Americans will be here later in the week. In Britain, I can confirm over three hundred human infections, mostly centered around three clubs here in London—and we’ve had thirteen vampire infections.”

  Anne asked, “The status of the immortals infected?”

  “Eight have living sires,” Gemma said. “We’ve sent them to their sires with the instructions we received from Katya Grigorieva’s lab in California. That’s all we can do.”

  “And the humans?” Murphy asked.

  “Isolated those who belonged to us,” Gemma said. “But we can’t keep everyone prisoner, especially if they’re not aware of our true natures. We’ve watched them. Our doctors don’t think it’s transferable, even by bodily fluids. We’ve tracked those in the general population, and so far, none of them have spread the infection to anyone else. Elixir needs to be taken directly for infection to occur.”

  Murphy saw Rens taking notes and Jetta exchanging meaningful glances with her secretary.

  “We are not as concentrated,” Jetta’s secretary said, “but we have seen infection as well. Five immortals and one hundred twenty-three humans. Also centered around two nightclubs in Stockholm, both owned and frequented by immortals. We’ve taken care of the infection in a similar manner. I am curious about our Irish friends.”

  All eyes turned to Anne and Murphy.

  “As most of you know,” Murphy began, “Ireland had some of the first confirmed cases of both human and vampire Elixir poisoning. It was Brigid Connor, my security chief here, who detected the pattern among the missing, and Carwyn ap Bryn, her mate, who was involved in the Battle of Rome where Livia was killed, who finally gave us the answers about what was infecting our population. Unfortunately, because we were not aware of the drug, we had some of the highest rates of infection at first. There have been humans and vampires affected, many of whom are now dead. After the initial surge, I laid down very specific rules about feeding that those in my territories have been following for over two years now.”

  Murphy heard a few muffled laughs around the room.

  Jetta raised an eyebrow. “What? You told your people not to feed from humans in clubs, and they obeyed you?”

  “Yes.”

  His one-word answer seemed to shock the room into silence.

  “Because of that,” he continued, “we’ve had far lower rates of vampire infection in that time, though we’ve had similar numbers regarding human infection.”

  “Why Dublin?” Rens Anker asked.

  “It’s a good question.” Murphy turned to Anne. “Dr. O’Dea?”

  Anne said, “As most of you know, Dublin has become a magnet for university-aged humans under immortal aegis. There are students from all over the world in the city because it is well controlled and considered quite safe for both humans and vampires. We believe Dublin may have been targeted because of this. There was also a doctor in Dublin, Ioan ap Carwyn, working with the original researcher who uncovered the Elixir manuscript. Ioan was doing research that made him a target. And though he was killed, some of Livia’s allies, the ones who killed Ioan, stayed in Dublin. We believe they were the ones who received the initial shipments.”

  “What happened to them?” Rens asked.

  “They’re dead,” Murphy said, the pain of Jack’s betrayal still a sharp lance in his chest.

  He felt Anne’s hand reach for his under the table.

  “So.” Terry quickly changed the subject. “Kids get infected in Dublin, go home for holidays or when they graduate. Just another way to spread Elixir.”

  “Are the humans that stupid?” Jetta asked. “I realize they’re mortal, but—”

  “Don’t forget,” Anne said. “Elixir is a drug, even though it doesn’t give a typical ‘high’ and doesn’t present as one initially. Effects and timing vary from person to person, but almost all humans who take it feel wonderful and healthy at first. It improves their looks. If young people get their hands on it, they will
want more.”

  Jetta said, “That seems like a madness of its own kind. Isn’t it simple enough to smell them? Don’t those who have taken Elixir smell of pomegranates?”

  “They do,” Murphy said. “But the scent can be masked, and both the smell and taste are intoxicating to our kind. Vampires who drink from an infected human want more. They’re not always able to think rationally.”

  “Especially if they’re young and their sires are living,” Brigid said quietly in the corner behind Murphy. “The risk is considered a thrill.”

  Murphy continued, “And whoever is behind this continues to innovate. We’re currently holding a group of infected humans that was shipped into Dublin recently. They are quite far advanced in the infection, but that may be as much a consequence of the smuggling as the Elixir. It appears the idea was to seed them into the local immortal population. The humans were told they were going to be domestic servants. We don’t know who shipped them from the Black Sea or where they were ultimately intended to go.”

  “Damn Russians…,” Jetta muttered.

  “The Russians don’t control every port on the Black Sea,” Rens Anker said.

  “They control many of them.”

  “That investigation is ongoing.” Murphy tried to get the meeting back on track. “From the beginning, I’ve found the best way of controlling the spread of this drug has been to offer information among my people as freely and as quickly as possible. Secrecy only leads to more infection.”

  Rens said, “You don’t worry about creating a panic?”

  “What could I tell them that wouldn’t be worse whispered in shadows?” Murphy asked. “By sharing what I know, they feel free to come to me if they suspect any of their humans or employees are infected. They’re more alert to smuggling. More aware in their own business dealings. Secrecy will only lead to misinformation and create greater panic, not less.”

  Jetta and her secretary were exchanging more pointed looks.

  “Anne,” Jetta said, “Northern Ireland has also seen infection, yes?”

  “It has. It’s a small population—also mainly urban—but there have been cases. Over fifty humans infected. Only three vampires.”