by Nalini Singh
"Ellie," he said, curling a tendril of scent around her senses.
Fur and champagne and the promise of agonizing sin.
Tensing her muscles against the impact because she knew damn well he did it only to test her, she gritted her teeth until the first wave passed. "Is that a report on the victims Ashwini's team found?"
A nod, features grim. "The one named Brooke has the most broken bones and internal injuries, but her chances of survival are nonetheless better than the ones Cornelius fed on."
"It's certain, then, that it's Cornelius?" Elena had kept up with the ongoing situation despite her other duties. The request for assistance from her hunter pal had come in only forty-five minutes before; she'd spent the rest of the day flying across wider New York. Raphael had asked her to take a Legion squadron and visit the well-behaving vampire leaders.
An indication that their control of their people has been noticed, and a reminder that the Tower never stops watching.
Having seen bloodlust in action a number of times as a hunter, the carnage sickening, Elena had no problem with doing what she could to ensure their city didn't descend into a bloodbath. As it was, the men and women she'd met today had all been on edge. News of Anais's and Severin's detainment at the Tower, entwined with the blood-chilling fear of the others who'd come face-to-face with a coldly furious Raphael the previous day, had spread through the community like wildfire.
Elena had reassured the vampire leaders that Raphael had noticed their attention to their duties and that they were in no danger of being called to a meeting with a pissed-off archangel. Her simple presence, the fact that she knew their names, had been enough to drive home Raphael's second point while simultaneously making the leaders feel appreciated.
Her wing muscles ached from the hours of flight, her body exhausted, but it had been worth it to reinforce the calm of the city. Even the Quarter had been free of any hint of bloodlust when she'd dropped by prior to answering Hilda's call for an angelic assist. Her Guild colleagues had begun to utilize her in specific incidents where an aerial view would be helpful and it gave Elena a way to keep her hand in, even as she spent more time on Tower business.
Her hunter soul, however, wished she'd been able to help Ash and Janvier also, the ugliness of what they'd discovered enraging her. No one had the right to do that to another living being, to take sick pleasure in the terror of another.
"My gut says it's Cornelius," Dmitri answered now, dropping the report on his desk. "It all lines up too well--the way the victims are emaciated, the red and cream feathers, and the fact that Giorgio spent half a century in Lijuan's court at the beginning of his Contract. That last's something I've just learned." He put his hands on his hips, raised an eyebrow. "But Janvier and the hunter are chasing this trail. What can I do for you, esteemed consort?"
Her fingers itched for a blade. "Have you seen Raphael?"
"Ah." He walked closer. "I'm afraid one of your favorite people has come to visit."
"If you tell me Michaela is here, I'll have to stab you for being the messenger." Raphael had personally escorted the other archangel out of his territory prior to the battle, after Michaela pretended to be pregnant to gain their sympathy--or for some other Machiavellian purpose they hadn't yet worked out.
"Such kinky things you say, Ellie." A purr of sound, before the scents around her became intoxicating enough to strangle her breath.
"Dmitri, stop baiting Ellie." Having entered behind Elena, Honor went to poke her husband in the side, a scowl on her face. "What are you doing to her?"
Wrapping an arm around Honor's shoulders, Dmitri held her close. "Keeping her strong." His eyes watched Elena, unblinking as a predator's. "Her scent susceptibility is a weakness others haven't yet learned to exploit, but they will."
Elena wished she could disagree, but, bastard though he was, Dmitri was right. Forcing air into her lungs, she said, "Spit it out. Who's here?"
"Caliane."
Her mind simply refused to compute that. So did Honor's, judging from the way her jaw fell.
"Caliane?" they both said in unison.
"Yes."
"But she's an ocean away!" Elena pointed out in desperation. "She can't just leave her city and fly over." Elena had spoken to Raphael about Naasir's report of Caliane's loneliness, but he'd said nothing about his mother visiting so soon. "What about the shield that protects her people? Lijuan's generals are just a short flight away."
"It appears Raphael's mother has secrets like any Ancient," Dmitri said, a faint curve to his mouth. "I've been in touch with Venom--the shield is active, and Venom didn't even know she was gone until I called him. Caliane told her people she would be sequestered with her maidens for some days."
Elena rubbed her face. "Oh, God," she moaned. "My mother-in-law has arrived for a visit and the house isn't even ready! Is she there?"
Amusement open, Dmitri said, "She was spotted by a far-advance scout--Raphael has flown out over the water to escort her the rest of the way home. You have at least an hour and I've alerted Montgomery that a suite needs to be made up." The drugging tendrils of scent retracted, the vampire taking pity on her. "Trust your butler."
Excellent advice, even considering the source. "I need to get home, change." She had grease and blood on her from the capture, the acrobat having led her and Hilda into a junkyard. "Why didn't you give me a call earlier?"
"The sire stated an hour's warning would be enough. It's all the time you need."
According to whom? Elena wanted to yell. "Damn it, Honor, what do I do with an Ancient mother-in-law who thinks I'm a bug?" One that had infested the life of Caliane's beloved son.
39
The other hunter winced, lifted her shoulders. "Sorry, Ellie. I don't have any experience in that field." Biting down on her lower lip, she snapped her fingers. "Wait, didn't Keir come in last night? I bet Caliane likes Keir."
"You're a genius!" Kissing the other woman on the cheek, Elena ran out the balcony door and swept down to the infirmary floor. Keir was amused at her panic but promised to join them for a late supper if Caliane was not exhausted and wanted company.
"She has come to see her son, Elena," the healer said, his hand gentle on her cheek and his eyes warm. "I think she will require little entertaining."
Hoping that was true, and that Caliane would decide to ignore her for the most part, Elena flew homeward, the Legion fighters who fell in with her silent shadows. The Enclave house was lit up like a glowing beacon, and Montgomery--damn, but the man deserved a raise--had set up hundreds of tiny candles in the snowy yard, each protected from the elements and the wind generated by angelic landings by a glass cage.
It was astonishingly beautiful from the air.
Landing in the circular area that had been left clear for that purpose, Elena walked inside to find the house in a bother. It was highly efficient, but everyone had somewhere to be, and no time to waste. Montgomery actually had a hair out of place. "Guild Hunter," he said, his relief obvious. "I took the liberty of putting out one of your gowns in readiness."
"Great, thanks." Elena took the stairs two at a time, while Montgomery kept pace with her. "Is there anything else I need to handle?"
"I've prepared the blue suite for Lady Caliane, and Sivya is ensuring we'll have plenty of dishes for her to choose from," he said as she walked into her and Raphael's rooms and began to unstrap her weapons.
Crossbow, knives, the throwing stars Ash had given her, the blade sticks that had been a gift from Mahiya. Leaving it all in a pile on a table, although she usually made sure to clean and neatly store her tools, she began to unlace and pull off her boots. "It sounds like you're on top of things." She frowned, tried to think like a consort. "Run her a bath so it's ready and at the right temperature when she arrives. She's had a long journey."
"Of course."
"And get a few flowering potted plants from the greenhouse," she said, remembering the lush gardens of Amanat. "Put them in her suite and her bathing chamber."
"I'll do it now."
"What about clothes?" Elena's head jerked up. "If she came alone, she might not have brought anything." Nothing of Elena's would fit her, Caliane being smaller and with more curves.
Montgomery looked momentarily green, but pulled himself together with commendable speed. "I'll contact the tailor. He must have a suitable piece he can alter quickly, and I'll have him work through the night to produce others." The butler pulled the door shut behind himself.
Tearing off her clothes, Elena showered at the speed of light, then slipped into the dress Montgomery had chosen. It was wildfire white with a haunting shimmer and, as far as gowns went, it was comfortable, being a column that began at her neck and skimmed down her body, but split into four overlapping panels at the hips.
The overlap meant her modesty was preserved, while she had the ability to stride about--and to fight. The back was open to accommodate her wings; she normally didn't like showing that much skin, but it worked with the severe front, and honestly, she was happy not to have to figure out any straps or wing-slit buttons at the moment. Button the collar at the side of her neck, the closure discreet, and the dress was done.
Montgomery really deserved a raise.
Brushing out her hair, she pulled it into the twist Sara had taught her, then anchored it using Mahiya's blade sticks.
Still feeling naked and weaponless, but knowing she couldn't plaster herself with knives, had to find more baubles instead, she opened the wooden jewelry box that sat on the vanity. Her eye fell on the sweet, sweet blade that Raphael had given her. The sheath and handle embedded with gemstones, it appeared decorative--and could slice through bone if used correctly.
Yes, her lover knew her.
"I love you, Archangel," she said with a smile as she fixed the soft black sheath around her upper arm, the blade sparkling shiny and fancy in contrast to the white of the dress.
She poked small diamond earrings into her pierced earlobes, dusted on makeup, and, deciding that would have to do, raced on to the next critical thing on her list--a face-to-face call with Jessamy. The slender angel's eyes, a rich burnt sienna, went huge when Elena told her what was about to happen. "This is a highly unusual situation, Ellie," the other woman said, flipping rapidly through her books. "You are greeting an Ancient who is the mother of your consort, but he is also an archangel." Lines marred her smooth forehead. "It all complicates the usual order of things."
"Give me something, Jess," Elena pleaded. "It's her first visit to our home." Caliane had Slept for over a thousand years, rising to consciousness less than a year past, during Lijuan's first overt attack on Raphael. Since then, Raphael's mother had remained in the lost city that had arisen with her, focusing on the well-being of her people.
Elena ran a hand over her face. "It's critical I make a good impression." Not because she cared for Caliane's approval, but because Caliane was Raphael's mother.
If her own mother could come back, could pierce the veil of death, she thought on a wave of grief that had never ceased to hurt, Elena would want her and Raphael to be friends, to like one another. The latter was improbable with Caliane, but at least the two of them could have a cordial relationship that might, in, oh, ten thousand years or so, thaw into mild liking.
"This will have to do," Jessamy muttered. "It's an account of a younger archangel greeting an Ancient. You're not an archangel, but as Raphael's consort, you carry his status by association in this situation."
Five minutes of swift instruction later, Elena headed downstairs, the slippers that matched her dress in one hand. Leaving them by the door, she went into the kitchens to discover controlled chaos. Waiting for a pause in the movement, she said, "Thank you. I know it'll mean a lot to Raphael that you're giving his mother such a welcome."
Smiles on each and every face, the stress draining away.
She made sure to personally thank Montgomery as well. Maybe she didn't know exactly how to be a consort, but she knew the members of a team functioned better with acknowledgment. And these people were all part of her team now--part of her family.
Then the rain, the crashing sea, was in her mind. Guild Hunter, I give you a five-minute warning.
A five-hour warning would've been better. She slipped her feet into the flat evening slippers and headed out into the snow to find that Montgomery had arranged for a pristine black carpet to be rolled to the landing area. We're going to have a discussion when you get home about your idea of appropriate prep time. Though she had to admit he'd been right to cut it so fine--the rush had given her no real time to stress.
A kiss against her mind. I did not wish to steal your enjoyment in chasing your vampire rat.
What did I tell you about your new sense of humor? Conscious of Montgomery walking briskly outside, to stop several feet behind and to the left of her, she looked toward Manhattan.
Raphael's wings were as distinctive to her in silhouette as they were in color, his wingspan extraordinary against the night sky, the white fire of them dazzling. That had to be Caliane by his side, smaller but with the same exquisite flight control.
A full squadron flew at their back.
Dmitri must've organized a welcome escort, but the escort fell back halfway across the Hudson, and it was Raphael and Caliane alone who landed in front of her. Eyes of excruciating blue and hair of midnight, there was no doubting they were mother and son.
"Lady Caliane," Elena said, stepping forward with both hands extended as Jessamy had decided would be acceptable. "You are welcome in our home."
Part of her was expecting the Ancient, dressed in weathered red-brown traveling leathers but with a bearing as regal as always, to reject the overture. She was ready to pretend it didn't matter, for the sake of keeping the peace, but Caliane's fingers closed over her own, the power in her bones a hum against Elena's skin.
"I thank you for your generosity," Caliane responded before breaking the handclasp. "I should've sent word of my journey."
"This is your son's home," Elena said, going with her gut. "You are always welcome."
Raphael's eyes met hers. You are kind to my mother, hbeebti. I think she is embarrassed at her impetuous behavior now that she is here.
Thanks for the heads-up. Smiling at Caliane, Elena waved toward the house. "Everyone is excited to meet you."
Caliane hesitated for a second, then fell in step with her. When Elena introduced Montgomery, Raphael's mother was pure grace, as she was with the other staff members who'd lined up to meet her, every single one spic and span.
Showing Caliane to her rooms afterward--her fingers discreetly crossed that Montgomery had managed to arrange a gown--Elena said, "Please take your time. We'll wait for you in the library. The dining room is a little too grand for family."
"Consort." Caliane's eyes were intense, her expression unreadable.
Elena's hand tightened on the doorknob, the hairs rising on the back of her neck. Her primal hindbrain recognized Caliane as a threat, screamed at her to run, but of course that wasn't an option. "Lady?"
"This house . . . it has a heart. I am glad my son lives in a house with a heart."
Unsure whether that was a compliment or a simple statement, Elena inclined her head and left Caliane when the Ancient made to walk to the bath. She didn't blow out a relieved breath until she was in the master bedroom. Walking straight into Raphael's arms, she let him wrap his wings around her and the two of them stood there, ready to face this extraordinary visit as they'd faced everything else: together.
*
Ashwini dreamed of Felicity, woke with the young woman's face at the forefront of her mind. It frustrated her beyond bearing to know that Giorgio and Cornelius remained free to exercise their perversions. Leaving the bed to find Janvier on the balcony on his phone, she put on a large T-shirt, stuffed her feet into thick socks, then went out to hug him from the back.
He was wearing just his jeans, his body warm against her in spite of the cold. Turning, he held her close with one arm a
round her shoulders as he spoke to Dmitri. "Giorgio has been connected to Lijuan," he told her before returning to his conversation.
She could see from the lack of a smile in his eyes that there'd been no further breakthroughs. Stifling the urge to scream at the sky, she pressed a kiss to his chest, then ducked inside to shower and dress. She was putting her hair in a ponytail when she heard the sound of angelic wings nearby. Glancing out the balcony doors, she was just in time to catch the heartbreaking light of Aodhan's wings sweeping back up.
Janvier walked in with a duffel the next instant. "Fresh clothes."
"What exactly do you have on him that he'll play courier for you?" she asked, bemused at the idea of being with a man who could call in angelic help like she could a ride from a fellow hunter.
Walking backward into the bathroom, he winked. "That is between me and Sparkle, my khoobsurat and gorgeously dangerous Ashblade."
Happy despite her raw emotions at the sense that Felicity remained lost, unable to move on, she left him to his shower and walked into the kitchen to make coffee. "I'm not giving up," she said to the ghost of the woman who'd been punished for wanting only to believe in hope, in a future where she was cherished. "The evil pieces of shit will go down. I promise you that."
A wintry sigh across her skin that made it pebble, her breath suddenly frosting the air as her lungs fought to deal with the sudden, excruciating cold . . . then warmth rushing back into her, and she knew that for the moment, Felicity was gone.
The kiss on the back of her neck ten minutes later was accompanied by the fresh, clean scent of soap and man. Facing him, she held up her coffee, having already eaten a couple of pieces of toast. "Sip?"
He nodded and took a drink, absorbing the pleasure of the taste with a sensuality that made her lower body clench. The chemistry between them was impossibly more powerful this morning, their bodies having learned exactly what they could do to one another.
Indulging herself by caressing him with her gaze, she caught the fine edge of tension in the line of his jaw. "When did you last feed?" She put aside her coffee.