“Welcome to the Presidium’s New York office,” Pete said. He placed a hand on Doug’s left shoulder and leaned in. “Looks like Caesar’s Palace in Vegas, doesn’t it?”
“You aren’t kidding.” Doug rubbed his chin as he they walked down the four steps and into the center of the room. He gestured to the statues. “Are these gods and goddesses?”
“Yes,” Olivia said with a snort of derision. “These are a few of Czar Augustus’s mementos from his human life in ancient Rome. For a guy who looks down on humans, I always thought it odd that he surrounds himself with so many keepsakes from his human life. This room leads to the Presidium’s main chamber, which is where official proceedings take place.”
“I would’ve expected decor more like your club.” He continued to look around them, wanting to know any way in or out. “This seems odd.”
“The czars rule for two centuries in each city, and then a new czar takes over.” Olivia kept her voice down, and he noticed her hand resting on the gun at her hip. “It’s like when a new president moves into the White House and redecorates. Augustus was a senator in ancient Rome, so he decorated like this.”
They moved slowly through the massive room, and their movements echoed. As each sound bounced back, Doug realized that the sound waves were helping him see the room. He didn’t know how or why, but he had a multidimensional view of the space in his mind. He’d heard of bats and dolphins using sonar to see and wondered if that was happening to him.
Doug said nothing as Olivia watched him but simply nodded his understanding. His senses were on high alert, and he couldn’t escape the feeling that something bad was about to go down. They continued across the open space to the steps that led to the double doors, but before the four of them even hit the first step, the doors swung open to welcome them.
“Olivia, I’m scared.” Maya clung to Olivia’s arm like a child and refused to move forward. Doug couldn’t get over how completely different she was from when he first met her. Her big blue eyes were filled with tears, making her mascara run down her face. “Please don’t let them kill me.”
“It’s going to be alright.” Olivia wrapped her arm around Maya, and in a motherly gesture, kissed the top of her head. “Be strong and stick close to Pete.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Maya sniffled.
“You’ll be okay, kid.” Pete patted her on the back and then glanced at Doug. “You’re not gonna cry too are you?”
“Fuck you, Castro.” Doug tried to suppress a smile, but he couldn’t stop it.
“That’s enough,” Olivia hissed. “It’s game time.”
They climbed the staircase and crossed the threshold into the meeting room, and Doug fought the urge to let out a whistle. There were five people on a platform, and the one in the center—Augustus.
Wearing elaborate white robes with gold and burgundy trim, he sat in what could be described as a throne. He wore a golden laurel wreath on his head and had the same arrogant look as the painting Doug had seen. The women and men on either side of him were clad in similar robes and seated on small gold chairs.
Olivia, Pete, and Maya dropped to one knee and bowed their heads, but Doug stood his ground and kept his attention on the czar.
“Clearly, you haven’t trained this one in our ways, Olivia.” Augustus narrowed his eyes at Doug. “Your little coven is quite a mess.”
“I’m not getting on my knees for you or anyone else,” Doug said tightly.
Shane appeared out of nowhere and flew to Doug’s side, lowering his voice to above a whisper. “You should do as your leader commands.”
Tension filled the room, but Doug didn’t waver.
“Give it a rest,” Olivia said, rising to her feet. “He’s new, and we have other issues to worry about.”
“Perhaps,” Shane murmured, his face emotionless as he stepped back. “Rules must be followed to maintain order.”
Augustus rose from his spot on the lounge as his dark eyes went to Maya, who was still on one knee with her head bowed. “You must be the little vampire who started this messy situation in my city. Come here, little one.”
Maya sniffled and slowly rose to her feet as she looked to Olivia for reassurance.
Augustus walked calmly down the steps and took her hand in his. Maya, head bowed and eyes averted, sniffled and adjusted the skirt of her small dress as the czar stepped back and looked her over from head to toe.
“You’re a lovely little thing, aren’t you?” His gentle tone was in stark contradiction to the cruelty in his eyes. Augustus was the kind of man who got off on hurting people, women in particular, drunk on his own power. “Have you been making rogues, little girl?”
“No.” Maya shook her head furiously as tears continued to fall. “I swear it to you.”
“Yes.” He sighed. “I doubt you’re lying. I could drink from you and read those blood memories, but that seems… beneath me. Don’t you agree?”
Maya nodded furiously but avoided his glare.
“I don’t care who made the rogues,” he said in a low tone. “However, this mess all started with you and your irresponsible feeding habits.”
“Augustus—” Olivia interrupted.
“But since you are her maker, Olivia,” he said without taking his eyes off Maya, “then really, this is your problem. She is your responsibility, and therefore this is your mess. As punishment for running such a sloppy, unruly coven, this little troublemaker will be put down, and if you don’t find that rogue nest and eliminate it, then you and the rest of your coven are next.”
“It’s too bad you can’t show Maya the same mercy you showed your son,” Olivia said evenly. “But I suppose since he’s your biological son and not your vampire progeny, that’s why you were soft on him.”
Augustus stilled, and Doug saw the monster lurking behind the mask of calm.
“My son,” he seethed, “was sent into hibernation for fifty years by you. He more than paid his debt for his minor indiscretion.”
“Seems like a different set of rules, and if memory serves, the emperor is not a fan of breaking the rules or vampires who do.” Olivia’s amber eyebrows flew up, and a smile lit her gorgeous face as her voice dropped low. “You don’t think you’re above the emperor, do you?”
“I enforce the laws in this region, and it is up to me to decide what is acceptable and what isn’t. In addition, I’m certain that Emperor Zhao wouldn’t want to be bothered with this mess your coven is making,” he bit out. “Your maker offered you a chance to take your pathetic little troop and leave, but you refused. Since you’ve chosen to stay, you will accept my judgment.”
“Fine,” Olivia added quickly. “I’ll contact Vincent and tell him that we’ll leave with him tonight. All of us, including Maya.”
“It’s too late, Olivia.” Augustus glared down at them. “Vincent is gone. You made your choice, and now you and the rest of your coven will live with it.”
Doug watched as the two women on the platform looked at one another briefly before nodding in agreement. The men to the right did the same. The senators seemed more like puppets than freethinkers, and they disgusted Doug. Apparently, humans hadn’t cornered the market on being assholes.
The czar held all the power, and no one was willing to question him or stand up to him. Maya wept quietly, and sympathy tugged at his gut. She was just a kid. Not much different from Brittany or any number of victims he saw over the years. Vampire or not, Maya was a victim of the brutal world.
At least now Doug had a chance to stop a crime before it was committed.
“How about a trade?” Doug stepped forward and stood in the center of the room with his hands on his hips. He resisted the urge to draw his gun because he knew it wouldn’t end well for anyone. Himself, he didn’t care about. He was ready to die, but starting a bloody fight was too risky for Maya, Olivia, and Pete. “Me for her.”
What the hell are you doing, Paxton? Olivia’s panicked voice touched his mind. This is not a game.
“How dashing!” Augustus clapped his hands and looked curiously from Doug to Olivia. “You want to trade your life for Maya’s? Now that is refreshing!”
The senators perked up and whispered giddily to each other, which only irritated Doug. They had been alive for so long, they only found pleasure in the torment of others. Nice.
“Yeah.” Doug jutted his thumb toward Olivia. “Olivia and I will hunt down the rogues. When the job’s done, then you can kill me instead of the girl” He shrugged casually. “No harm, no foul. A life for a life.”
“Doug, no,” Olivia pleaded. She placed her hand on his arm and pulled him to face her. Her brow furrowed, and her voice hovered just above a whisper. “Please.”
Please don’t do this. The pleading look in her eyes was matched by the tone in her voice, and it tore at his heart. Doug swallowed the lump that formed in his throat as he kept his resolute gaze locked with hers. “So, do we have a deal, Augustus?”
“Just when I think I’m bored to tears, someone comes along and spices things up. My goodness, I thought New York City was going to be exciting, but it wasn’t until this rogue nonsense.” Augustus laughed louder and ascended the stairs to his seat. “We have a deal, Detective Paxton. Put down the rogues, and I will release the girl, taking your life in exchange for hers.” He frowned and played with the roping on his robe. “To ensure that you do as I command, the girl will remain here.”
“Damn it.” Olivia dropped her hand and stepped away from Doug, turning her full attention to the czar. “How do I know that you won’t harm Maya before we return?”
“She will stay under my protection.” Shane flew down the steps next to Maya. “I have been a sentry for four centuries and have pledged my life to the Presidium. You have my word that she will not be harmed.”
“How chivalrous,” Augustus said with sarcasm. “You beat me to the punch, Sentry Quesada. You see, neither of the sentries will be aiding you, Olivia. You and your newest progeny will hunt on your own.” Augustus grinned wickedly. “Be back here in forty-eight hours, or I’ll assume that you failed, and the girl will be put down… along with the rest of your coven.”
Pete started to protest, but Olivia raised her hand to stop him. Doug’s focus remained on Augustus, and though his fingers itched to grab his gun, he refrained from starting a bloodbath and let Olivia continue.
“You are absolutely right.” She turned her attention to Shane and Pete. “I would trust any sentry with my life and the lives of my family.” She smiled sweetly at Augustus. “Not that I think our esteemed czar would go back on his word, of course.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He sighed. “Now be gone.”
Doug nodded to Augustus and followed Olivia, Pete, and Shane into the main hall.
“That is one cold bunch of assholes,” Doug said tightly.
Olivia looked at him intently. “Not all of us are like that,” she said quietly.
Doug stared into those pools of green, and the need to touch her, to cradle her beautiful face, clawed at him. He knew she wasn’t a monster. He saw the look on her face when Augustus threatened her coven, and the fear was evident. Olivia was a good soul, and no matter what, she would never revel in the pain of another the way Augustus did.
Doug, however, was another story. Ever since he was turned, all he could think about was finding the bastard that killed Tom and drinking him dry. He tore his gaze from Olivia and headed toward the exit. Looked like he was a monster, after all.
* * *
Chapter 11
Xavier stood on a stool at his lab table in his stained, white lab coat, so engrossed in what he was doing that at first Olivia thought he didn’t notice they were there.
A moment later, he raised his pudgy hand and waved them in without looking up.
“A friend of yours?” Doug had kept one hand on the gun tucked in the back of his pants since they had left Augustus and the senators. She couldn’t blame him. He endured a whirlwind introduction to his new world, and he was handling it pretty well—aside from the desire to kill himself, or more to the point, let Augustus kill him. How on earth was she going to stop that from happening?
“Friends?” Xavier laughed loudly and flew down from his perch to meet them. “You bet your ass we’re friends. I moved my lab to New York just so I could be close to her.”
He leaped into Olivia’s arms and gave her a vigorous hug. She laughed and hugged him back with equal fervor.
“Good to see you, old friend.” She looked at Doug as she held the scientist. “Xavier is the best weapons man in the business, and his inventions have saved my ass more times than I can count.”
“Right.” Doug nodded, and Olivia could tell he was trying not to stare at Xavier.
He was a dwarf, and in his human life, he worked with a circus, living on the rails until his maker found him and turned him. His shock of white hair made him look like a miniature version of Albert Einstein. Xavier gave Olivia a kiss on the cheek before jumping from her arms and flying back to his stool.
“What’s the matter, big guy?” Xavier scooped up two vials of blood and looked intently at Doug. “Never seen a little person before?”
“Well, not one that’s a vampire,” Doug said bluntly.
“Fair enough.” Xavier chuckled and held the two vials out for Olivia. “Pete told me that the synthetic blood from the rogue worked, so I whipped up more. I’m betting that the first dose you took wore off or will soon.”
“It did.” She nodded. “I dusted the one that attacked Paxton.”
She took the vials from Xavier and watched Doug take stock of the lab. She noticed that one of the first things he did was survey the space around him, and it was one habit that would help when they were hunting.
“Here.” She held one out to Doug. “Drink it. It’s a synthetic version of Rogue One’s blood and will help us track him. If he’s in the area, we’ll be able to pick up his scent pretty easily, and it will make it difficult for him to sneak up on us.”
Doug uncorked it, took a whiff, and grimaced.
“Rogues created by rogues are usually a little crazy because they haven’t been properly trained or guided by their makers.” She shrugged and tossed the empty vial into a trash bin on the other side of the room. “The blood you drank earlier was from one of our human donors and had been cleaned.”
“It may be more than that, Olivia.” Xavier scratched his head and smoothed his white hair as he gave her a curious look.
“Like what?” Olivia adjusted the gun at her hip and inched closer to the table.
“I’m not entirely sure.” He pursed his lips. “It could be the essence of the vampire—Rogue One is pure evil. Or he was created by another rogue.”
Doug swallowed again and chucked his empty tube in the trash as well.
“No helping the bad taste, I’m afraid. Maybe if I could figure out why it tasted like that, then I’d be able to fix it.” Xavier hopped from the stool and waddled to the back wall. He pushed a button on the left, and the stainless steel wall slid open, revealing a deadly arsenal. Xavier grinned mischievously and ran a hand over his goatee.
“However, I can help with something else.”
“Son of a bitch,” Doug breathed.
Olivia watched him and smiled. The look on his face could only be described as a kid at Christmas. He ran his fingertips over one of the new guns with an expression of awe, wonder, and excitement.
“See?” Olivia sidled up next to him and elbowed him playfully. “There are some perks.”
“I always did appreciate a nice weapon.” Doug smirked and gave her a sidelong glance. “You’re right,” he said as his eyes wandered over her face. “There are some perks.”
Olivia kept her eyes locked with his and wondered brief
ly if he felt a smidgen of the attraction that she did. Was it possible that he didn’t hate her for making him like her? She opened her mouth but shut it again quickly.
What the hell was she doing? There was no time for childish nonsense or hormone-driven fantasy. She straightened her back and turned her attention to Xavier. She was afraid she might dissolve into a weeping mess, clinging to Doug and begging him not to leave her again.
“Did you finish the UV ammunition?”
“Yes,” Xavier said enthusiastically. He pointed to two large stainless steel guns with laser sighting. “These are the prototypes.” He lowered his voice and looked around, as if worried someone else might hear. “They are supposed to go to Shane and Pete, since they are our sentries, but it looks like the two of you get to try them first.”
Olivia lifted both guns from their spots on the wall and handed one to Doug as Xavier passed each a full ammunition belt. They strapped on the belts and loaded up their new weapons with the ease of experience.
“Impressive,” Xavier said as he watched Doug load his gun. His white eyebrows furrowed. “When exactly were you turned? You seem remarkably comfortable with your new situation.”
“Today.” Doug settled the gun in the belt’s holster. “Why?”
“Hmmm.” Xavier stroked his goatee and looked from Olivia to Doug. “It’s unusual but not unheard of.”
“Really?” Olivia said while inspecting her new toy, trying to seem nonchalant. “I was going to ask you about that. Doug’s turn only took twelve hours, and he slipped into being a vampire the way I can slip into a pair of great heels. Any idea why he seems to be… well… a natural vampire?”
Xavier remained silent but continued to look back and forth between the two of them. Olivia squirmed and couldn’t help but think that Xavier suspected there was more to her relationship with Doug than being his maker.
Tall, Dark, and Vampire (Dead in the City) Page 17