Why would he need something like this?
The sheer size seemed ridiculous to him. Something this big had to hide some big secrets. He came here for answers and ended up with more questions. Unfortunately, his spell to open the front door lock would do nothing to help him get into this safe. Perhaps there was a spell for this in his father’s book.
He put everything back the way he found it and hurried out the door. The elevator ride down was filled with wonderings of what the vampires were up to now. Could this be from the imprisonment of their kind? Was this the beginning of their revenge?
The bell dinged and the doors opened. Dhane went to step off and froze at the sight of the woman standing before him, looking at him with a quizzical expression on her face.
“Dhane?”
Oh. Shit.
“Hey, Lila, how are you?”
“Uh, fine. What are you doing here?”
He searched for a good lie, but was coming up short. Why on earth would he be at the vampire’s penthouse when nobody was there?
“I was actually looking for you. I wanted to get with you about that rain check for dinner. Are you free?”
“Actually we just ate. I was coming back to hang out while Charles is feeding his other hunger.”
“Oh well, I guess another rain check then.”
She smiled but had suspicion in her eyes. It sucked to lie to her like this, but until he knew how deep she was in and what her boyfriend was up to, it was the only way. Now if he could just stop avoiding eye contact with her.
“If you want, you can come up and hang out while I’m waiting.”
“Actually there’s a friend I should check on.”
“Amelia?”
I wish.
“No, you don’t know him. Look, be careful with the vampire, okay?”
“This, from the man who was sleeping with a werewolf and a vampire at the same time? You’re one to talk about being careful. I can take care of myself.”
With a nod they exchanged places, her onto the elevator and him off it. The door started to shut, but before it was closed, it opened again.
“By the way, Samantha wanted me to be sure to tell you hi.”
The door shut again and Dhane stood silently in the lobby. This was the last thing he needed, a distraction. Samantha was a very attractive woman, tall and blond, though a bit thin for his tastes. Her eagerness to say hi was curious.
He hurried out the door and down the street until he reached an alley. Ducking inside, he began a series of twists and runs through the darkness, making sure he wasn’t being followed for once. When he felt secure, he made his way to the old vampire territory.
Into the sewers he slipped and quickly found his way to Demian’s home. At first all was quiet and he wondered where the vampire might be. Feeding perhaps? Footsteps in the water signaled his return home.
“Who goes there? Who invites himself into my home, my home?”
“Demian, it’s me.” Dhane sat on a crate as the vampire approached.
“Dhane, son of Algernon, welcome, welcome. What brings you to visit me?”
“I need the box I asked you to hold onto.”
“Yes, I will bring it to you, if you are sure. Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Demian disappeared down another sewer line and returned ten minutes later with a bag. He opened it and pulled out a box, roughly the size of a cigar box. Engravings and inscriptions covered the box.
“If you need more help from Demian, I will be here.”
“Ever think of moving into the Grand? There’s room for you.”
“Thank you but I am better on my own, safe and free, free and safe.”
Dhane nodded. It was funny to him that they had become friends like this. Now he knew the truth about his father, and more about his mother, it was a little clearer why. This vampire had been friends with his father. And Algernon wasn’t quite the monster they all thought him to be, but he still did unforgivable things. As he stared at the box once belonging to his father, he wondered if he should really open it, and use what lay inside.
“You must have reason to open the box, but your father always had reasons, many reasons. Don’t let good intentions lead you to his side.”
“Thanks again, Demian. I’ll keep that in mind.”
He rose and shook hands with his friend before strolling down the sewer and climbing the ladder that lead out. On the streets above, he headed for the Grand and wondered what he really wanted to do. Hopefully he would have an answer by the time he got there.
12
Five months earlier…
The white house on Lavender Avenue was three stories and big. Clearly the owners had money, or did when they lived here. The yard was huge and surrounded by a white picket fence. Flowers and bushes were still kept up by someone, the flowers aligning the walkway and bushes across the front of the porch, and a guest house could be seen out back.
Dhane unlatched the gate and strolled up the walk to the house. His heart was racing even though the woman told him nobody lived here anymore. Still, what if someone did answer the door? What would he say if it was the daughter, and she really was his mother? He felt like puking now.
Creaking stairs beneath his feet broke the quiet of the morning. At the top of the steps he took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell. The elegant chiming echoed through the house, but as expected, nobody came to answer it. A glance in the front windows revealed a cozy home that looked ready to be occupied at any time.
“Excuse me,” a voice called out from behind. “Something I can help you with?”
The approaching man looked to be in his forties, strong, with well-tanned arms. He was wearing a hat over his short black hair and carrying a pair of working gloves. Through the gate and straight up the walk he came, his eyes not leaving Dhane for a second.
“Yeah, I’m looking for the owners of the house, or their daughter.”
“Nobody has lived here in quite some time. And no, I don’t know where they’ve gone.”
The man was obviously the one taking care of the yard, and even if the guy knew anything, it didn’t appear like he was going to spill it. Dhane took one more glance in the window before nodding to the man and starting down the stairs. When he reached the gate, the gardener called after him.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“Dhane, why?”
“Oh, I’ve actually been waiting for you.”
Fishing through his pocket, he retrieved a key and held out his hand. Dhane just looked at him for a minute, not really sure what was going on. Finally he walked over and held out his hand to take the key.
“What’s this for?”
“The house. I was told to give it to you if you ever showed up.”
“By who?”
“Can’t say.”
An irritated look came across Dhane’s face as he looked at the key. Not telling him who or why brought more questions than it answered.
“You’re giving me a key, but you won’t tell me who wants me to have it?”
“I can’t say because I don’t exactly know. When the family left, they left an envelope with instructions for the yard and payment. One day about four years ago, I found another envelope on the door. This time it had that key with instructions to give it to ‘Dhane.’ Also said you have the right to do whatever you see fit, so if you have any other instructions, let me know.”
“Nah, just keep doing what you’ve been doing, I guess.”
Dhane walked back to the front door and slid the key into the lock. With a turn, it clicked and he pushed his way into the house. A stale air hit him, and he realized it was true that nobody had been in this house for a very long time.
Dust covered everything inside but otherwise it was fully furnished to live in right now. He checked things out, room by room, floor by floor, starting with the main one. Most of the house was very basic, exactly what you would expect. First floor contained the main rooms, including a kitchen,
parlor, dining room, and living room.
On the second floor he found a huge library, but only the most common of books could be found within. An office revealed the father, possibly his own grandfather, was an accountant who dabbled in real estate.
The third floor contained the bedrooms. The master bedroom was large and decorated elaborately, from the king size canopy bed with all the frills, to the antique dresser, wardrobe, and nightstands. A walk in closet still housed clothing, the jewelry box still had some jewels, and there were slippers sitting just under the edge of the bed on both sides.
He continued his exploration with the daughter’s room. Looking through papers, he quickly found her name to have been Marissa. Now he was getting somewhere.
Unfortunately, that was all he could find of use. Everything else was frivolous items, though she had to of been at least twenty-two the last time she lived here. She had apparently not packed anything, as her empty suitcase was in the closet and there didn’t appear to be any clothing gone.
Looking through the top shelf in the closet, he found mostly shoes and some stored keepsakes, but one thing kept catching his eye. For some reason, a vent had been put inside the closet, just above the inside of the door.
Dhane dug around in the desk drawers on the second floor and found a screwdriver. Back to the bedroom he went, and he unscrewed the vent and found it didn’t lead anywhere. Instead, there was a journal inside, along with a shoebox of pictures.
Sitting on the bed, he sorted through the pictures and wondered who all the people inside were. Undoubtedly some were his father. Once he had looked them over, he opened the journal and glanced through. Inside, he found a few key entries, which began to piece together what happened to his father and mother. He slapped the book closed and left with the book and the pictures. The truth was finally starting to come to light.
13
Present day…
A quick trip up the private staircase brought Dhane to the safety of his apartment. He had made his decision about the box and its contents. He wouldn’t open it, at least not yet. Once he was sure he was safe, sure he was capable of handling it, he would take the risk.
After storing the box in a compartment in his closet, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a Pepsi. A few gulps and he headed to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Eyes closed, almost a sleep, a thought occurred.
Is Amber still guarding the library?
With a curse he got up and headed out the door, down the stairs, and towards the library. Judging by the commotion down the hall, she was still guarding it. Halfway down the hallway, a voice shouted for him from behind.
“Dhane! What the hell is going on?”
Cassandra was storming forward and clearly pissed off. He stopped and waited for her to reach him, then followed her down the hallway. They reached the library and standing in the doorway, taking up both double doors to the library, Amber stood in werewolf form, snarling and growling at the other visitors.
He recognized Xander among the people, leaning his shoulder against a wall and looking bored as he now sported a short ponytail, but nobody else was as laid back at the moment. At least three were vampires, two others likely werewolves. The remaining two, it was anyone’s guess who or what they were. All of the others were highly angry. Amber spotted Dhane and turned back to human form.
“No one has entered, sire. You have my word.”
Dhane could feel the glare from Cassandra without even looking. She didn’t say anything to him, but instead turned her attention to Amber.
“Stand down, immediately.”
Amber looked to Dhane, and he nodded. Stepping aside, the others all piled in, except for Xander. He waited silently in the hall with Cassandra, Amber, and Dhane. Once they were alone, Cassandra turned first to Amber.
“You should not be guarding anything here, as that isn’t your job.”
“That’s my fault,” Dhane interceded. “I asked her to keep everyone out until I could talk to you about things.”
“You don’t have the authority to make that kind of decision. I let you back on the council, but you are not a ranking member, and since you disappeared for half a year, you don’t know what the hell is going on around here.”
“I’m sorry, but it was really important and I couldn’t find you.”
“I was gone on official business. The people waiting in this hall include potential additions to our council, who were already given full access to everything here. Now you’ve made me look like an ass. If you don’t mind, I need to go do some damage control with these people, and I’d appreciate it if you weren’t out here when I’m done.”
He nodded and she stormed into the library. The doors shut and Dhane took a deep breath and exhaled. Looking to Amber, he felt bad for getting her involved. He really didn’t think things would go like this.
“Sorry Amber, hopefully she’s not too pissed at you. If she starts in, make sure to remind her that I’m at fault.”
“No sire, I trust your judgment. You will explain your reasons to her and all will be good again. I will wait here to make sure everything is okay.”
“Thanks.”
Dhane started down the hallway and wondered how badly he screwed things up. On top of things, he hadn’t gotten the proof he needed from Charles’ penthouse. Would Cassandra even believe him? These thoughts swirled in his head as Xander caught up to him.
“Don’t worry about this whole deal; I’m sure she’ll work things out with them. I’ll put in my two cents to help smooth things over.”
“Thanks Xander. Why didn’t you just order Amber to stand down or force your way in?”
He laughed loudly at the question, a laugh that echoed in the hallway.
“Amber is fierce, both in loyalty and in fighting. As timid and quiet as she seems in human form, she’s just as vicious in werewolf form. No werewolf would want to go against her. Tell me, why did you ask her to guard the library anyway?”
“I have suspicions that I’m not yet able to prove.”
“Fair enough. If you need my assistance, you know where to find me. Now to the main reason I wanted to talk to you: Amelia.”
Amelia.
With his focus on Charles and finding out what was going on, he had been able to keep his mind off of her. This was just what he needed, Xander putting her back in his head.
“I understand if she doesn’t want to see me. I deserve that after pushing her away and then leaving for six months on top of it.”
“She doesn’t want to see you, but she needs to anyway. I’ve seen her connection to you, and it’s unlike anything she’s ever had. Don’t give up on her, but don’t hurt her again either or you’ll gain an enemy in me.”
With a pat on the shoulder, Xander turned around and went back to the library. Dhane returned to his apartment and went straight into his room. Lying on the bed, he realized Cassandra’s words were about more than just what happened tonight. She was hurt a lot deeper by his departure than she let on.
Fuck me.
There was one thing he could do to try and fix things, or at least help. He had to figure out what Charles was up to and get proof. This sneaking around was starting to get annoying. Maybe he should just confront the problem head-on.
He had two options: confront the royal vampire or go to Cassandra with his concerns. Considering how things had gone so far today neither was a good option. It would always come back around to wild accusations with nothing to back them up.
That did it. He dug out the box from his closet and opened it. Inside was an old spell book, thick and heavy, which once belonged to his father. The one they had previously found was only a smaller, portable copy. It was just for adding notes while you were out, not a full scale volume. This one was the real thing, full of magic much older than anyone in the council probably knew.
Flipping through the pages, Dhane finally found something that might work. Now he just needed a lemon from the store and he would be all set for this adva
nced corrosion spell.
He slipped the book back into the box and reconsidered his hiding place. Nobody knew about the book to even come looking for it, but any nosy person could find it on the closet shelf. There had to be a better place.
An idea crossed his mind and he headed out the door and made his way to the roof. With the wind whipping around him, he searched for a safe spot and found loose bricks near one corner. After removing several of them, he carefully slid the box in as far as he could and replaced enough bricks to cover it.
The remaining bricks were scattered around the roof, to hide where they had been removed from. Now the book was secured, he shot back downstairs and out to the street. It was time to get the proof he needed.
14
Cassandra stepped out of the library and took a deep breath. Everyone had settled down, with a little help from Xander on the werewolf side of things. At least Dhane hadn’t ruined everything.
“You were a little harsh with him, no?”
Amber closed the library door behind her and walked down the hallway with Cassandra. For a while, it was dead quiet between them.
“He could’ve ruined what we’ve been working so hard for. This joint council could take the pressure off the witches and lead to peace for everyone. It’s very important.”
“I understand, but that wasn’t just about the library.”
Bitch!
She knew Amber was right, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. If not for the fact that he had connected with Amelia before he left, and that she knew he was alive and not in danger, Cassandra would’ve spent the past six months fearing the worst and searching everywhere for him. She had a right to be angry.
“I know. I guess there’s some healing that needs to happen between us.”
“You will have sex with him then.”
Cassandra stopped dead in her tracks with a look like she’d just bitten into a rotten egg. Amber turned and looked at her, feeling as though she’d said nothing wrong.
“No, that’s not going to happen. We’re close, but not like that.”
Magestorm: The Embracing Page 4