I don’t suppose there’s a database of pictures to show me the strongest vampires?
Sounds like something Aaron will have. We can use the encrypted app to ask Aaron or Nathan to send it to you.
I looked at Ryan. “Any chance you have pictures of any Strigorii stronger than Abbott? How many are there?”
“Yes, and not many. I’ll have pictures put in your room.”
“Thanks.”
“I take it your wolf has let you know the specific dangers?”
“Not all of them,” Cora said from my right, without leaning around me to look at him. “Just the one I’m most concerned about.”
What else is there?
The danger a powerful vampire will turn you, or that they’ll take control of your mind and make you kill people or supernaturals with your light weapons, or that—
Okay. Enough. Promise me you’ll shoot me in the head if they start making me hurt innocents.
I’ll disable you. I won’t promise to kill you.
I looked to Ryan and worded my request differently. “Promise you’ll put me out of commission before you let me hurt innocents? Preferably in a non-fatal way, but if you have no choice then do what you have to.”
“That’s a promise I’ll have no problems keeping.”
“We won’t have to, because she’s going to hold her shields strong,” said Cora. “I can help her now, if she gets into trouble, though we need to be in close proximity.”
“I figured.”
I’ve almost always had one of the heavyweights with me on missions — Aaron, Nathan, Mordecai, Randall, Abbott, or some combination of them. I killed Surtr without help, but I was also badly injured — and my heroes weren’t far away when I called for help. I was headed to Africa, and the only person with me I trusted was Cora. Well, and Tyson and Kane, the two lions Nathan had offered for hire to Ryan.
But the lions and Cora wouldn’t be with me when I was on duty. No predatorial mammals or reptiles would be in a room with the gazelles. A few predatory bird species would help guard the inner perimeter, but Ryan didn’t want many of them together at once, as a group of predatory birds could still spook the gazelles.
I went over all of Ryan’s notes and pictures a few more times before we landed, and was focused on my surroundings in the Nairobi airport, which didn’t feel much bigger than our tiny Chattanooga airport. We made it through customs without incident, and I smiled in relief at Tyson and Kane, waiting for us near the baggage claim area. A man I didn’t recognize was with them, and I sent sensors out. He came across as a shifter, but his energy was lighter than that of the lions.
“I am Hami,” the large, ebony-black gentleman said as he offered his hand. “And your red hair tells me you are Kirsten. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Hami will be your partner when you’re on duty,” said Ryan. “He’s multilingual, and he’ll likely sense danger before you.”
Hami pronounced his name without much of the H sound, and with the emphasis on the second syllable. However, Ryan’s pronunciation rhymed with Tommy, but with a soft H instead of a T.
I worried I’d slaughter his name if I attempted it the way he said it, so I copied Ryan. I shook the large man’s hand and liked him immediately. “It’s nice to meet you, Hami. This is Cora.”
“I know about your Cora, and I’m intrigued. I look forward to getting to know both of you.”
Hami’s hair was cut super short, millimeters long, so you could see his scalp through the hair. He wore black dress pants and a black dress shirt. The two lions wore jeans and t-shirts. I’d brought plenty of black pants and black blouses, since the ‘uniform’ for those working the inner perimeter was all-black and dressy. Ryan wanted the outer perimeter dressed in a number of ways so no one would be sure whether they worked for him or not.
“You picked up the tribute?” Ryan asked Hami.
“I did, and the Alpha is expecting us to stop by his residence on the way to your hotel.” Hami turned to me. “I apologize. I tried to negotiate so you could freshen up after your long travel, but he insisted.”
“It’s fine,” said Cora. “Randall assured us it’s merely a formality.”
The local wolf Alpha’s home wasn’t as large as Randall’s, but he seemed to have a lot more acreage. Where Randall greeted people on his back deck, the local Alpha waited for us on a large front porch. The home was beautiful, with huge, multi-paned windows so they looked like clear tiles instead of sheets of glass.
Cora and I got out of the vehicle alone and walked to the porch in the dying light. The Alpha stepped onto the lawn to greet us, and we stopped a few feet from him.
Cora carried the cooler with fifty pounds of assorted meat. She kept her gaze lowered, but I looked the Alpha in the eyes and offered my hand. “I’m Kirsten O’Shea. Thank you for welcoming us into your city. Randall Bevering sends his greetings.”
Cora settled the cooler at the Alpha’s feet and stepped back to my side.
I hadn’t expected the Alpha to be so old. He looked sixty, which might mean he was a hundred. He didn’t look old and frail, and I saw wisdom in his eyes. If he were younger I’d call him an old soul, but this man had lived a long time and learned much.
“Young wolf, please look up.”
Cora met his gaze and I sensed the power shifting and settling between them. It didn’t feel hostile — more like a not-so-casual testing and feeling.
“I mean you no harm,” Cora said, and I immediately understood her power signature was stronger than his. I’d been told many times that she could be an alpha in almost any other pack, and I felt the truth of it between these two.
“I know, young wolf. Please enjoy our fine city, and keep your charge safe.” He looked to me. “I’ve heard much of you, and I ask for one thing before you leave my presence. Please, show me your weapon of light?”
Randall had warned me he might want to see, and I was prepared with terms of my own. “No photography or video. Are we being recorded?”
“We are,” said Kane as he walked to us from the vehicle. “You’ll need to shut down all recording equipment before she’ll show you,” he told the Alpha.
“Of course.” The aged Alpha lifted his left hand and let it drop. “It’s as you’ve requested.”
Kane dipped his chin to let me know we were clear. I wasn’t sure how he knew, but Nathan trusted him, which meant he had my trust as well. I pulled a pen from my pocket and imagined a knife blade on the end, turning the pen into a handle. The blade was no bigger than a pocket knife, but no one needed to know I could make a knife without a handle. I only left it a few seconds before absorbing it back into me.
“I’m sure it’s more impressive when it’s a sword, but since you came from the airport, I suppose the pen was your only option. Tell me, is that a tactical pen?”
“It is.”
He nodded. “Thank you for the tribute. Should you need to stay longer than previously arranged, please have Randall let me know.”
I put my tactical pen back into my front pocket as Cora said, “Thank you for your hospitality and welcome.”
We turned and left with Kane a few steps behind us, and no one spoke until we were off the dirt road and back onto the main highway, headed towards the skyscrapers in the distance. The sun had set while we were at the Alpha werewolf’s house, and night folded around us. I didn’t have to worry about lions outside the vehicle though — I had two lions inside with me.
Chapter 11
“I got a look at the man I believe to be the Strigorii,” said Kane. “He’s ugly as sin, and you know what that means.”
I picked up on fear from Cora. At my questioning look, she said, “Vampires generally turn men for two reasons — their beauty or their barbarism.”
“How tall? What race?” Ryan asked.
“Five eight, give or take. Eastern European? Long hair, oozing power.”
Ryan handed the lions his phone, “Keep flipping right, see if it’s any of the
se men.”
Kane flipped through at least a dozen before landing on one and handing it back.
Ryan glanced at it and handed it to me. “The biblical King Menahem, who currently goes by Griffin.”
“I don’t remember him.”
“He was one of the Israeli Kings who ruled during the whole golden calf thing, but Menahem was especially cruel, and his sexual tastes are even worse than Nebuchadnezzar and Caligula, who are also powerful vampires. Rinaldo often shows up when Griffin does. Caligula seems happiest to keep to himself these days. He’s a famous porn director, and the men and women come to him without him having to go looking.”
As much as I wanted to ask about Caligula, I shook my head and focused on the two I might encounter. “Menahem is Griffin, and Nebuchadnezzar is Rinaldo?”
Griffin was hideous, but Rinaldo was attractive. I could easily see both as powerful kings despite Rinaldo’s modern-day suit and Menahem’s college professor attire.
“What do I need to know about them?”
“Griffin is more powerful than Abbott,” said Ryan, “and they detest each other. Rinaldo and Abbott get along okay for social functions, though they aren’t friends and appear to make sure they don’t move close to the other’s territory. I honestly don’t know which would be more powerful, though Rinaldo is known for his ability to break past the mental shields of the strongest supernaturals.” He sighed. “He does it with finesse, so many don’t even know he’s inside.”
“If you kill another old one, you’re going to have to talk to the Concilio again,” said Cora. “We want to avoid that.”
“If you have to choose between dying or killing, kill first and we’ll sort the legalities out later,” said Tyson. “The Amakhosi will be most displeased if you get yourself killed.”
I grimaced. “I’m aware.” I sighed. “If Griffin and Abbott are enemies…” I didn’t want to finish the sentence. Being under someone’s protection was good right up to the point it made you a target. I changed direction. “I’m here to do a job, the damned vampires will have to take a number and get in line. I’d love it if I could get a nice meal, walk the facilities, and then get a shower and fall into bed.” We’d arrived at the Chattanooga airport at two o’clock yesterday afternoon, and now it was nearly eleven o’clock at night on the following day — which I was pretty sure was three o’clock at home. I was exhausted, though, and didn’t think I’d have any problems falling asleep.
“We’ll walk the facilities tomorrow, and we’ll order room service tonight,” said Ryan. “I need to find out who Griffin brought with him before I risk putting you in his path. We have two days to acclimate before the conference starts.”
Kane and Tyson had already checked in, so we didn’t have to worry with the front desk. We had a three-bedroom suite — one for Cora and me, one for Hami, and one for the lions. Ryan reminded me he rarely needed to sleep, and said he’d either find an unused bed or crash on a sofa when no one was around. I had a feeling he had another place to sleep, because I didn’t think he’d let himself be vulnerable around two lions and a wolf.
“Room service menu’s on the coffee table,” Kane told us as we trooped in. “Everything we’ve had so far’s been good.”
I stood and watched as Cora, Hami, Ryan, and the lions cleared each room as if they’d trained as a unit for how to do it when they entered. I was pretty sure they hadn’t, but it was still a little freaky. I’d trained enough for missions at Drake that I knew my part most of the time, but I felt like the sole civilian in that moment.
“Are you sure I’m not going to be more trouble than I’m worth?” I asked Ryan.
“Depending on Griffin’s goal, you might be. Hami isn’t susceptible to mind control, and we have reason to believe you can keep Griffin out at least long enough for Hami to knock you out.”
I nodded. I didn’t want anyone using me like a marionette. Knowing Hami could put me out of commission if I warned him he needed to was a huge relief.
I’d brought black yoga pants and a black shirt to sleep in, complete with fuzzy black socks. I knew Cora and the lions would prefer it cold. Nearly everything I brought was black, which had simplified packing. I showered and changed while we waited for the food, ate when it arrived, and fell into bed seconds after I took my last bite.
It never occurred to me the vampire would try to take over my mind while I was so tired. Perhaps if I hadn’t been exhausted, I’d have thought of it, but then there wouldn’t have been a problem in the first place.
I was underwater in my dream. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. It was dark. No, it wasn’t water, it was heavier. Oil. Pudding. I couldn’t push up — the substance was too heavy. I was trapped. It was a dream, so I woke myself, but I still couldn’t move.
Not up, anyway. I scooted my foot sideways, touched Cora. Relief flooded my system and I kicked. Hard.
I barely touched her, but it was enough. Her brain met mine, my shields increased, and now we were both trapped, but we could breathe.
This was nothing like the way Abbott had tried to crack my shields, and I took a few seconds to analyze what this vampire was doing.
He’d bypassed my conscious thought and taken over my involuntary muscles. Since I don’t control them with purpose, he’d found a crack. A way in.
Instead of kicking him out, I wrapped my metaphysical arms around the energy inside me. I’d felt the way Xaephan drained my energy, and I attempted to do the same to this vampire.
And it worked.
I drained as much energy as I could in the seconds I had before he realized what I was doing and disconnected, and I gasped for breath when he was finally gone.
Our door was pushed almost closed but open a few inches, and the lions were at the door within seconds of my gasp, followed closely by Hami.
“I feel him,” said Hami.
“Are you okay?” Kane was at my side, sniffing me, and Cora popped his forehead. “Back off, cat. She kicked his ass and made him run away with his tail between his legs.”
“I couldn’t until I had your help,” I told her.
“We’re tired, you’re weak,” said Cora. “I was going to take you to commune with some trees tomorrow, to try to get your energy built back up. Planes always drain you.”
“Electromagnetic fields, I think. Or maybe just the people packed in like sardines.” It wasn’t so bad when we flew on Aaron’s private planes, but it still affected me. “I’ll be better when I’m not tired and drained though. You’re right about that.” A glance at the clock on the bedside table told me I’d barely slept an hour, which made sense. The more I slept, the more rested I’d be. He waited until I was in whatever sleep phase he needed me in, and he’d attacked.
That’s the thing about the really, really old ones — none of them are stupid.
Tyson stepped to me and held his hands out to the side. “If you’ll allow it, I can give you energy. Nathan taught me how you like it.” He moved his hands to his front, palms up, and I didn’t argue. Tyson has his own Pride in Atlanta and is a powerful lion. Kane is his half-brother but a good bit younger. When Kane’s lion demands he lead in a few years, the humans have agreed to split the Pride with no bloodshed. Nathan had arranged for us to spar and work out together, and I was comfortable with both men.
The second my hands rested on Tyson’s, palm-to-palm, warm feline energy soaked into me. He didn’t push hard and fast, but let me dictate the speed and volume. I shuddered as the hot, spicy power filled me, but I forced myself to remain open to it. I’d feel like I had the flu for a few days, but it was a small price to pay for getting topped up.
When the power started hurting, I counted to twelve in my head before I pulled my hands away. “Thank you. You have beautiful energy. You won’t have trouble replenishing?”
“He’s fine,” said Kane. “We made arrangements with the Pride and our King. We can top you up as often as necessary.”
“Where’s Ryan?”
“Out,” said Ham
i. “I will watch over you while you sleep, and will wake you should I sense you’re in distress.”
I shook my head. “No. He won’t get back in.”
“You need to talk to her about what you are,” Cora told Hami. “I don’t want to have to watch my words.”
“I am an African Harrier Hawk. I am not a natural predator of gazelles, so they do not fear me.” I could listen to his accent all day. When the old ones don’t use contractions it often annoys me, but Hami made it sound sexy.
“He can scent better-than-human but not as good as me,” said Cora. “His eyesight is extraordinary, and he has excellent hearing.”
I leaned forward, looked at the comforter, closed my eyes, and took a slow breath in. A few seconds in my lungs, and I released it even slower than I’d breathed it in.
“Good to know, and I look forward to hearing more at breakfast. Cora and I are going to merge our shields and go to sleep that way. We’ll leave the door open to make sure everyone can hear and smell and see us, but we’re going to sleep in this bedroom without anyone in here. Ya’ll can do what you want from out there.”
Cora and I have touched each other enough, we’re no longer awkward. Between sparring, working out, practicing our meditations with physical contact, and joining our auras — we think nothing of touching and hugging. Sometimes, it feels intimate with her, though there’s nothing sexual.
I have to admit, after hearing about her nine straight days with Adonis, part of me wanted to kick myself for turning him down. I didn’t regret it, and I’d make the same choices if given them all over again, but it might have been nice to not have an attack of the morals.
I rolled to my side with my back to her, she spooned in behind me with her arms around me, and we joined our auras again. Easy as pie, which is only easy if you buy the crust premade and the filling in a can, but whatever. It was easy.
Fear weakens you, but so does overconfidence. In the back of my mind, I wasn’t positive I could fight him again and push him out, but I didn’t let the thought take hold. I was strong, I have strong shields, and Cora and I were working together. I ran him off once, I could do it again.
Defining Human (Only Human Book 4) Page 8