Infernal Enchantment (Firebrand Book 2)

by Helen Harper

  ‘It is known throughout the city that the Knightsbridge area is for my people only,’ he said.

  My voice was flat. ‘You’re referring to pickpocketing, burglary and mugging.’

  ‘Oh no.’ His expression was one of mock shock. ‘I mean proselytizing. My people use Knightsbridge to spread the word of God. Other people are free to evangelise in other areas, but it is an unspoken rule that they will not venture into Knightsbridge.’

  I just managed to avoid rolling my eyes. Evangelising, my arse.

  ‘Therefore,’ he continued, ‘when we see someone else … preaching, we suggest that they find other areas to work in.’

  ‘Whatever happened to love thy neighbour?’ I enquired.

  Webb gave me a long look. ‘Do you want to hear this or not?’

  I gestured towards him. ‘Go ahead.’

  ‘On the day in question, one of my team happened to notice another missionary in the area. He appeared to be following a vampire and seeking to … convert them.’

  I stiffened. ‘It was obvious that she was a vampire?’

  He shrugged. ‘It was to my team member. They followed the missionary and saw him approach the vamp. They witnessed the brief attack and subsequent death from the other end of the street.’

  I thought about the CCTV footage I’d seen. No doubt that had been when Moira’s shaven-headed attacker had looked up.

  Webb continued. ‘My team member was concerned about what they’d witnessed so, to ensure no further trouble arose, they followed the attacker.’ He held up the envelope. ‘Straight to the address you’ll find in here.’

  I sucked in a breath. This information, if it were real, was pure gold. ‘Your … missionary didn’t approach?’

  ‘No. They called it in and were advised to pull back.’

  ‘Why? If the attacker was encroaching on your turf, why give him a free pass?’

  ‘He killed a vampire.’ Webb smiled at me. ‘It seemed wiser to keep out of the way and let the likes of Lord Horvath deal with him. Of course, I didn’t realise that the vampire Lord had the police in his pocket.’

  My eyes flashed but I didn’t rise to the bait. ‘And Regent’s Park?’ I demanded.

  ‘What about it?’

  ‘You’re blackmailing senior politicians for access to it at full moon? I shouldn’t have to tell you that blackmail is a crime.’

  Webb tutted. ‘It’s not blackmail, it’s merely an agreement between civilised parties.’

  ‘Who are these politicians? What have you got on them?’

  ‘Honestly, DC Bellamy, you don’t want to know. Suffice to say that they haven’t broken any laws. They have embarrassed themselves and are seeking to conceal their embarrassment from the public. Further investigation on your part is not necessary.’ He jerked his head at the four alpha werewolves. ‘Neither, I suspect, is it desired.’ He waved the envelope. ‘Do you want this address or don’t you?’

  I gritted my teeth and took it from him. ‘Who is the potential recruit? Who do you want transformed?’

  I caught a surprising flicker of sadness in his eyes. ‘No-one to interest you.’ He tipped his head. ‘Thank you for your help, DC Bellamy. It is appreciated more than you know. Until next time.’ And with that, he strode away.

  I stared down at the envelope. I had the distinct feeling that I’d made a very bad deal with a very bad devil. I sighed and stuffed it into my back pocket then turned to the alphas. They were all preparing to leave. That was unfortunate because I wasn’t done yet. ‘Stay where you are,’ I called. I marched over to them.

  Lady Carr sighed. ‘What now, Detective?’

  ‘I need to run some names past you.’ I took out the sheet of paper Fred had given me. ‘Patrick McGuigan.’

  Lord McGuigan’s face darkened. ‘What about him?’

  ‘He died two years ago, right?’

  ‘Of natural causes,’ he replied stiffly. ‘Not all diseases are cured by wolf transformations.’

  ‘Why did Patrick die?’

  McGuigan glared at me. ‘Lupus.’

  I made a note. ‘Jane Sullivan.’

  Lady Sullivan jerked. ‘She’s dead too.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘She fell. She slipped, lost her footing and fell off a cliff while on holiday.’

  I checked the next name. Like the Clarkes’ son, not all werewolves changed their surnames to match their clans. ‘Thomas Kennilworth?’

  ‘He was in my clan.’ Fairfax gazed at me. ‘Also dead. It was a car accident. Last year.’

  ‘Uh-huh. How about Margaret Hoy?’

  Lady Carr stared at me. ‘She was mine. She died from sepsis from a wound incurred during a full moon. What exactly are you getting at? Is this related to Julian Clarke?’

  ‘It is,’ I said grimly. ‘Those four werewolves were all buried at St Erbin’s Church too.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘We need to exhume their graves.’

  All the werewolves looked alarmed.

  ‘Julian’s body was missing,’ Lady Carr said. ‘Do you think…?’ Her voice trailed away.

  ‘I do,’ I said. ‘But I need official permission from each wolf’s next of kin to check.’

  ‘Because of his parents’ insistence, Julian was an anomaly,’ Lady Carr said. ‘It is typical for each alpha to be next of kin for all their wolves. I can give you permission for Margaret.’

  The other three nodded, indicating that they were doing the same for their respective wolves.

  McGuigan’s brow creased. ‘This isn’t ghouls?’

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘I don’t believe so. They don’t gain anything from the bodies of werewolves. These days they get their, uh, needs satisfied by home delivery.’

  He blinked. ‘Really?’ If even werewolf alphas like him believed the old stories, then the ghouls had no hope.

  ‘As far as I can tell,’ I said.

  ‘But if that’s the case, why would those graves be empty?’

  ‘I have no idea. However, if they are empty, I will find out what’s going on.’ I glanced at Lady Sullivan. ‘I do have my uses, beyond my physical attributes.’

  ‘I’m beginning to see that, Detective.’

  Only beginning? I told myself to remain professional. Moving away from the others, I motioned to her to join me. ‘Did you bring it?’ I asked.

  ‘Bring what?’

  My answer was terse. ‘The DNA testing kit.’

  ‘I…’ she blinked. ‘Yes, but…’

  ‘Hand it over.’

  She reached into her bag and withdrew a small plastic vial and a cotton swab. I ran the swab round the inside of my mouth and dropped it into the vial before returning to her. She seemed nonplussed. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said.

  ‘I made a deal with you. I gave you my word.’ I injected as much conviction into my voice as I could. ‘And although you didn’t keep your end of the bargain, I got what I wanted. I have enough honour to see my promise through to its end.’

  Lady Sullivan’s eyes turned ice cold. ‘You’re trying to shame me, DC Bellamy.’

  ‘I don’t need to shame you,’ I told her. ‘You’ve already shamed yourself.’ I pointed at the vial in her hand. ‘I want a copy of any answers you find. If you leave anything out, I’ll find out about it sooner or later and…’

  ‘I won’t leave anything out.’ She paused. ‘For the future of Clan Sullivan, I give you my word.’

  I actually believed her. I nodded. ‘Good.’ I turned to go.

  ‘One more thing, DC Bellamy,’ she said. ‘If I may?’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘It would be in all our interests if you did not tell Lord Horvath about what happened between us. He has a great deal to contend with since his vampire was killed, and I wouldn’t wish to add to his woes.’

  She was more scared of Lukas than I’d realised – and more concerned about his intentions towards me than she should be. ‘I won’t lie to him,’ I told her. ‘But I won’t volunteer the information.’
/>
  ‘Thank you. I appreciate that.’ She hesitated. ‘And I am genuinely sorry about what happened. It was an error on my part.’

  I nodded to acknowledge that I’d heard her. Then I walked out.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I could feel the beginnings of a headache pushing at my skull so I swallowed a couple of ibuprofen tablets as soon as I hopped out of the shower. Then I opened my wardrobe. What did one wear to dinner with a vampire Lord? Given what kind of day Lukas had endured, I knew he wouldn’t give a rat’s arse what I was wearing but I wanted to appear respectful. It was effectively a business meeting, so I certainly shouldn’t look too dressy. In the end I chose a pair of dark trousers that would allow me freedom of movement and a slightly more formal blouse.

  I examined my face in the mirror and thought about all the female vampires I’d met over the last few weeks. I was the least glamorous person Lukas knew. With that thought in mind, I carefully applied a layer of foundation, a dusting of blusher and a slick of mascara. It made me appear less tired – but I was still the same Emma.

  I resisted the temptation to wipe it all off again and grabbed my coat just as the doorbell buzzed. I nipped over to the window and glanced down. Lukas, wearing a smart coat and a grim expression, tilted his head up at me. I waved and headed down to the ground floor.

  As I reached the foot of the stairs, the front door opened and my neighbour Will stomped in. He caught sight of me and glowered. I’d inherited the third-floor flat as part of my position within Supe Squad; before that, Tony had lived there. After Tony had gone missing, I’d pretended to be Tony’s niece to get information from Will. He still hadn’t forgiven me for it. Neither did it help that I’d taken Tony’s job as well as his home; Will was not a fan of supes – even when those supes included Lord Horvath.

  ‘This building is my home as well as yours,’ he sniped, jabbing his finger at me. ‘Don’t invite that vampire in. The last thing we need is to give a bloodsucker free access to all our blood.’

  ‘You know that whole invitation thing is a myth, right? If a vampire wants to come in, they’ll come in.’

  ‘And I have no interest in your blood,’ Lukas called from the doorstep.

  Will shuddered.

  ‘You have nothing to worry about,’ I said, trying to soothe his anxiety

  He clumped past me. ‘Tell that to Anthony Brown!’ he threw over his shoulder.

  I sighed and watched him climb the stairs, then I headed out to join Lukas. ‘Sorry,’ I said.

  ‘Your neighbours are not your fault.’ He gazed at me. ‘You look tired.’

  So much for the make-up. ‘It’s been a long day.’ I bit my lip. ‘You look tired too.’

  He laughed humourlessly. ‘We’ll make quite a pair when we both fall asleep in our soup.’

  I managed a smile. I drew closer and angled my head to look up at him. ‘How did it go today?’

  Lukas ran a hand through his hair. There was a frustrated pain about the movement that made my heart go out to him. ‘It was tough,’ he said. ‘Very tough. There aren’t a lot of us and, with our longer lifespans, I don’t have to deal with this sort of traumatic occasion very often. That’s a good thing, of course, but it means that it hurts more when it does happen.’ He let out a harsh laugh. ‘Sorry. You know about the power of grief. You lost your parents, and then when your boyfriend…’ He shook his head.

  I bit back the old impulse, born out of years of practice, to tell him that I hadn’t lost my parents. They’d been viciously killed by a man called Samuel Beswick who’d slaughtered them in a senseless rage and who had been locked up for his crimes ever since. Instead I touched his arm gently, feeling the warmth of his skin through the material of his coat. ‘Grief is neither exclusive to one person, nor the same for everyone. Allow yourself the time you need, Lukas. It’s not a weakness, it’s a strength.’ I hesitated. ‘Let’s cancel dinner.’

  ‘No. I need this.’ He gazed at me. ‘And I’m hoping you have some information for me.’

  I bit my lip. ‘I do.’

  Grim satisfaction lit his expression. ‘I knew I could count on you, D’Artagnan.’

  ***

  I’d learned since I started this job that vampires ate solid food like the rest of us. They had to supplement their diet with fresh blood in order to survive, but they didn’t drink O neg as often as I’d assumed. Not that human blood was in short supply; people literally lined up to be given the ‘honour’ of having their veins opened by a vamp.

  Rather than stay in the area and have other supes to deal with, Lukas suggested that we head away from both Soho and Lisson Grove and aim for a small pizzeria a couple of miles away. Given the circumstances and the day that all the vampires had just endured, I persuaded him to send his driver home. Lukas folded himself into Tallulah and I drove.

  Lukas held the pizzeria door open for me. The maître d’ either didn’t recognise him or was too well trained to show it, and we were led to a small table towards the back without any fuss. I glanced round. The interior was cosy and intimate – certainly not the sort of place I’d have imagined finding the Lord of all vampires. Perhaps that was the point.

  ‘We can go somewhere else if you like,’ Lukas said, noting my expression.

  I smiled. ‘This is great.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it.’ His black eyes held mine. ‘People always seem to think that I only want to hang out in fine-dining establishments. Don’t get me wrong,’ he added, ‘they can be excellent. But sometimes all you want is simple food cooked well. I’m not in the mood for any fuss.’

  ‘I don’t blame you,’ I told him quietly.

  He acknowledged my words with a tilt of his head. ‘And you? How are you doing?’ He paused, as if he were choosing his words carefully. ‘Is your job at Supe Squad going well?’

  Buffy’s clever eyes and ditzy manner flashed into my mind but I pushed the image away. Today had been an anomaly and, if I thought about it, I was proud of how I’d dealt with the situation. ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I actually feel like I’m getting a stronger grip on things. And while I still have a long way to go, I’ve already learnt a great deal about supes.’

  ‘What did you think of the ghouls?’ Lukas asked.

  ‘They weren’t quite what I was expecting,’ I admitted. I told him that the werewolves also seemed to believe that ghouls still robbed graves and a small smile crossed his mouth.

  ‘Old stories and beliefs persist,’ he said, as the waiter poured us glasses of water. ‘I doubt that the clans have given the ghouls much thought up ’til now. They live peacefully and under the radar,’ he shrugged, ‘so there’s little reason to seek them out and find out more about their kind.’

  ‘You obviously have.’

  He smiled. ‘You have Kennedy to thank for that. He spent a lot of time telling me that I should learn from all supes, not just those who are so numerous that they demand attention. I expect part of that comes from him being a satyr. There aren’t many of them around either, and they have their own reputations to contend with.’

  I grinned. I’d done my research and I knew exactly what Lukas was referring to. ‘They’re supposed to be sex-obsessed, randy buggers, you mean.’

  ‘Indeed.’ Lukas took a sip of his water. ‘Speaking of Kennedy, how is the crossbow training going?’

  I held my hands up, displaying my red-raw fingers. ‘I have a few war wounds,’ I said cheerfully. ‘But I’m making progress.’

  Lukas reached across and took my hands in his. His touch was surprisingly gentle. ‘I can help you with these,’ he said.

  I knew what he meant. His saliva held healing properties; a few delicate licks and my skin would return to normal.

  I shook my head. ‘These are hard won,’ I said. ‘They’ll heal on their own and I might gain a few helpful calluses that will help in my future attempts with the bow.’

  A flash of something akin to respect lit Lukas’s eyes. ‘Very well.’

  We exchanged a smile, then I
drew in a breath and reached for the envelope which Devereau Webb had given me. ‘I think I’ve found Moira’s attacker. He doesn’t know we’re onto him but I have his address.’

  Lukas’s eyes dropped and he stared at the envelope, though he made no move to take it. ‘How did you find him?’ he asked quietly.

  I outlined what had happened with Webb. Lukas scratched his chin. ‘I haven’t heard of this Shepherd.’

  ‘Neither had I until today. He’s the king of a small empire that focuses on petty crime and intimidation. He’s well known to the police in CID, but he’s not stupid enough to expand his enterprise to the point where he loses his control and the police get enough evidence to charge him with his crimes. I wouldn’t say he’s particularly dangerous physically, but I do think he’s very clever.’

  ‘Can he be trusted?’ He nodded towards the envelope. ‘Can this information be trusted?’

  I’d spent the last few hours pondering this very question. ‘I believe so. I get the impression that Devereau Webb lives his life by a distinct code.’ I paused. ‘And that right now he needs supes more than supes need him.’

  Lukas held himself stiffly. ‘You were right before. About Moira’s killer, I mean. Don’t get me wrong. I want to rip his throat out, but you need to deal with him as the law sees fit.’

  I exhaled. I hadn’t realised I’d been holding my breath. ‘Thank you,’ I said quietly. ‘For what it’s worth, I don’t believe he meant for her to die. I know that’s cold comfort but—’ I gestured helplessly.

  Lukas nodded. He understood what I was getting at. ‘I’d like to be there when you question him.’

  I’d expected nothing less. ‘I can make that happen.’ I checked my watch. ‘I thought I might take him unawares and pay him a visit after we’ve finished here.’

  ‘Good.’ Lukas’s expression altered. ‘Now let’s order some food and talk about something else. I need to be reminded that there’s more to this world than horror.’

  ‘What would you like to talk about?’

  He leaned forward, the intensity in his eyes deepening. ‘You.’