Abomination (The Path to Redempton Book 1)

by Kimbra Swain

  We headed downstairs and out the door of the hotel where a cobalt blue Aston Martin Vanquish waited on the curb.

  “You and your cars,” I said as she dangled the keys for me to take from her. I helped her in and walked to the other side of the car and got in. She directed me to the venue, and we prepared ourselves for the fight of our lives.

  We approached the venue. I calmed my anxieties and focused on the task at hand. It was time to put all the anxiety about Tadeas, the compound, Meredith and Sam out of my mind. Our mission encompassed one thing, recon. However, it could take a turn for the worst very easily. We needed to avoid a fight if possible. I did not worry about losing the book. I owed the book. I had no intention to buy it. I wanted to see who wanted it. The auction plan started several days ago, and finally we were here. I doubted myself. I searched over every detail in my head hoping that I hadn’t missed anything, and prepared for the unexpected. Tadeas pulled the Aston Martin up to the curb and got out. A valet met him and he turned over the keys to the young man who looked eager to drive the machine. Tadeas opened my door and offered his hand to help me out. He looked fantastic. I wanted to slap myself for all the fronting about not being in a relationship. My resolve solidified. I knew we shouldn’t, but when he looked at me like he did yesterday after running for our lives, I wanted to melt.

  The venue was down in Bercy just off the Seine. Les Pavillions de Bercy houses several interesting venue spots. The one I procured was called Magic Mirror. It was one of the old magic mirror tents from Belgium. Basically a portable dance hall built out of wood fully restored. These pop-up dance halls were all the rage in the 1920s. It was large enough for a dance floor, but intimate enough to have privacy and hushed conversations. The party would go on for about an hour and those interested in buying the item up for auction would then take seats at the tables around the room while the auctioneer took bids. I fully intended to allow someone to take the book out and with a small casting it would return to its spot in my vault.

  “You with me?” he asked.

  “Mostly,” I replied.

  He turned to me. Concern filled his eyes. “Mostly isn’t good enough. I need you here. All of you. Focus.”

  “I’m here,” I assured him. He took my hand, and we entered the tent of magic mirrors.

  The first person that came into view was Lukas Castille. I gritted my teeth.

  “Lukas?”

  “I do not know why he is here,” I said.

  “He’s not alone,” Tadeas said.

  I decided to speak aloud. “I see that.” Lukas was flanked by four beautiful women all wearing revealing red and black Asian style dresses with golden motifs. “Don’t let their looks deceive you. They are Madam Quan’s Kunoichi. They are assassins and spies, and use their womanly wiles to accomplish their tasks. I suppose Lukas is on good terms with Madam Quan for her to allow him to take four of her girls to Paris.”

  “He was not on the list, I suppose,” he said.

  “No, he was not,” I replied.

  “That going to be a problem?” he asked.

  “I hope not,” I replied. I saw Lukas catch Tadeas’ eye and nod at him. Tadeas nodded back. He looked at me and cocked his head to the side then smiled. He knew. I could not hide from him. I nodded at him too.

  “He knows it’s you. Will he compromise this?”

  “Yes, he knows, and not if he wants to remain regent of the West Coast.”

  “Ruthless.”

  “You have no idea,” I said and smiled at him.

  We entered the main room where a small band played lively music similar to that of the calliope music you hear at fairs and circuses. Groups of people mingled around the room. I looked at them. Most of their faces I had seen as we went through the list of possible guests. Several werewolves, a vampire lord from Sweden, a couple of academic wizards (basically wizards who study magic, but rarely use it), and a few Fae littered the room and talked jovially to each other. On the far end of the circular room from us, I saw a beautiful red-headed young woman flanked by a raven-haired woman with dark haunting eyes. I felt like I had seen her before, but I knew the ginger. Her mother would be pissed to find her here. Her name was Cassidy, and she was Aunt Lianne’s daughter. I suppose that made her a distant cousin. She was no more than 18 years old. As a miracle of the never-aging Fae, my Aunt Lianne produced a child very late in life. Cassidy spent half the year with her father, and half the year with Aunt Lianne.

  “Which one are you intrigued by?”

  “The ginger with the dark-haired woman in the back is Cassidy Theodoard. She is my cousin, and Aunt Lianne would level a city if she knew she was here,” I said. “Keep an eye on her. If things go bad, I do not want her hurt. We need to get her back to Lianne.”

  “Like we needed something else to worry about,” he said and grimaced. I turned and looked him in the eye.

  “We can do anything,” I said. He smiled at me and kissed my hand.

  “Yes wife, we can,” he said.

  Several people approached us throughout the night, and Tadeas took lead introducing me as his wife. A few of them I had met before and were interested to see how he managed to take my name when we got married. I let him roll with the story. He did great making up a believably elaborate reason to hide his true name, and how his love for me was the only thing that mattered. I blushed and leaned into him in the right moments. We were doing great. It was strange how a group of absolutely evil beings could come together to have a bit of chit chat.

  The ones we expected to arrive did not. No Milt. No priest. No grey-haired wizard. The time for the auction approached, and Tadeas stepped away from me for a moment to grab a couple glasses of champagne. Lukas descended upon me like a hawk watching and waiting for a moment to strike on his prey.

  He offered his hand to me and said, “Lukas Castille, businessman, philanthropist and incredible in bed.”

  One of those was most definitely true. I gave him my hand and said, “Annalise Madden, married.”

  “Oh really? You two got married?” he asked letting go of my hand.

  “Seriously Lukas?” I chided him, “Why are you here?”

  “Your assistant said you might need back up,” he admitted.

  “Damn Ashley,” I swore quietly. I could feel Tadeas approaching. He put his arm around my waist and handed me a glass.

  “Carlos Madden, husband,” he said.

  “Lukas Castille, disappointed.” I rolled my eyes. “You know if you are going to hide, you should learn not to roll your eyes and bite your lip.”

  “Heh,” Tadeas smirked and I elbowed him in the side. He just pulled me closer to him and leaned over and kissed me on the edge of my ear. Goosebumps erupted up and down my body and I shivered.

  “Good God Almighty, don’t do that,” I said. He just laughed. Lukas tensed and leered at him. “Apparently my assistant back home invited Mr. Castille to the party for shits and giggles.”

  “Actually, that’s not a bad idea, if we are on the same team,” Tadeas admitted.

  “I like him,” Lukas said.

  “Should I excuse myself and let the two of you have some alone time?” I said.

  “How about the three of us and the ladies go back to my place and have a good time,” Lukas said. “Carlos, you would not believe the things those women can do.”

  “Actually Lukas, there is a young lady here you should meet,” I said ignoring his innuendo and turned toward the grouping where Cassidy stood with the black-haired woman.

  “Who is she? She’s young, and hot!” Lukas asked.

  “Lianne’s daughter,” I said.

  “Never mind. What the fuck is she doing here?”

  “I’m not sure, but if things go wrong, could you be sure to get her out of here for me?” I asked genuinely. “Lianne would burn Paris to the ground with all of us in it, if something happens to her tonight.”

  “Yes, I’ll make sure she gets out. Who is the raven-haired woman?”

  “I’m
not sure. I’ve never seen her before tonight. She’s not on any of my lists.”

  “I’ll go find out,” he said.

  “Be careful,” I advised.

  “With looks like these, I don’t have to be careful,” he smirked.

  “Let us know what you find out,” Tadeas interjected.

  “You take care of her,” he said pointing to me.

  Tadeas nodded at him, and we watched him work his way back around the room to eventually introduce himself to Cassidy and her friend. Cassidy looked out of place here. She was too young to be in this setting. There were far too many predators who would devour her innocence. Perhaps we were too late depending on who her friend was and why she was here.

  “You trust her with him?” Tadeas asked.

  “Yes, because he knows Lianne would do to him what Gregory threatened to do to you, if he did something to hurt her,” I said. “Lukas isn’t all bad. I should keep my personal opinions of him out of the conversation. He was a good proxy. He is an excellent regent. He knows the game and plays it well.” It felt strange to praise him, but the truth can set you free.

  We moved toward one of the darker areas of the tent and watched the scene as an attendant wheeled the book out into the center of the room. It sat inside a warded glass case. The interested parties approached it and studied its features. I watched the book, and I watched Lukas working his magic across the room with the two women. The black-haired woman had attached herself to his arm while Cassidy looked unsure and gave him fawning looks. Tadeas watched me. I sat my glass down and looked at him. “You are supposed to be helping me watch these people.”

  “I’m sorry. I am watching you watch all of them. Studying how you operate,” he said.

  “Nothing special going on. I haven’t even pulled any magic. I don’t want to draw attention.” Speaking of attention, the woman with Cassidy belted out a loud laugh, and Lukas laughed alongside her.

  “Is it possible for you to talk to him like you do me?” he asked.

  “It once was, but I doubt that I could connect to him now. I don’t want to anyway. If he can, he will come back around and give us the information we need,” I said.

  I felt his body tense next to mine. I looked to a table where he locked his focus. I could see a grey-haired man seated at a table across the way, whom I had not noticed before now. He stared at us both. The man nodded to us. So, the GEA was here after all in the form of a Master Wizard. I could feel his power across the room, however he had no intention of letting me feel it until that moment. He had to have been here a while watching us. I did not know whether to move, run or stand still. I closed my eyes, and I felt Tadeas shift his position to block me from the man’s sight.

  “Watch the room,” I said.

  “I’ve got you,” he replied. I reached out with my magical senses to pick up on each and every person in the room. Several people took notice of the magic flowing through the room, but most knew there were wielders here and went back to their conversations. I opened my eyes back up, and Tadeas guided me over to one of the small tables and we sat down. He watched the room intently now.

  “He’s the only one here that can match my skill. The black-haired woman is a necromancer, but not a strong one. Cassidy is in real danger. She is not tainted, yet.”

  “Then we get her, and get out of here. We have what we came to see right?”

  “Yes,” I opened my eyes to try to find Lukas, but I didn’t see him or the two women. I didn’t see the four Kunoichi either. I froze as a dark tall form sat down at the table with us.

  “I do hope the two of you weren’t leaving,” he spoke in a thick British accent.

  “Actually, we were,” Tadeas said, and he started to stand up.

  “That would be a bad idea, Tadeas Duarte,” he said. “If you want to live, and see another day, sit down.” Tadeas looked down at me, and I nodded to him.

  “Fantastic. Now perhaps we can have a real discussion. I dare say, Miss Davenport, I do not like this look on you. It’s too dirty. The glamour is top notch. I can’t even see through it, but I know good and well who you are,” he said. He leaned back in the chair and motioned for one of the servers. “Three glasses of W.L Weller.”

  “I’m sorry I did not catch your name,” I said to him as the server walked away. Tadeas held my hand in order to keep physical contact with me at all times. I shifted my legs in the seat that way I could get to the dagger if I needed.

  “I do apologize. I thought you knew. I am Edgar Donovan,” he offered to shake my hand. I just stared at him. He chuckled and retracted his offer.

  “What can I do for you Mr. Donovan?” I said.

  “Well, the way I see it, Mr. Duarte here has my friend, the priest, all riled up, and he would like a private meeting with him. I suggested that I arrange the meeting, and he leave this place to go to it. And then you and I could have a talk wizard to wizard,” he explained.

  “I have no desire to speak to Father Sergio. You may tell him that for me. And I go nowhere without her,” Tadeas replied, confidently.

  “I will convey that message to the priest. I told him as much myself, but I promised him that I would try if I saw you here tonight. He has already left with a few of our colleagues to go back to the United States and continue our business.” The server returned with the drinks. I pulled in power and waved my hand over Tadeas’ glass and mine. If they had been tampered with the spell would have turned the liquid black. “You do not trust your own hired help. How very skeptical of you.”

  “He knows I set this up. I do not know what he wants, just be ready for anything,” I said. “They are hired help. I always assume there is someone with deeper pockets than myself.”

  “Very smart of you. I knew you were quite savvy. I must say it is a pleasure to sit here and actually converse with you. You are a legend in your own right,” he took a sip of the bourbon. “Oh, it’s fantastic. Do taste it. I know you love bourbon.”

  “Mr. Donovan, I appreciate the bourbon, especially since I’m paying for all of it. I have business that I’m conducting here, and I assume you have a purpose or agenda. I do beg of you to go ahead with this purpose. I do not have time to dawdle with you,” I said.

  “Dawdle,” Tadeas laughed, “that’s a funny word. Yes, Mr. Donovan, please stop dawdling.”

  I could not help but smile at him. “Would you stop before I start dying laughing?”

  “It is a funny word.”

  “That’s very cute. The two of you are bonded. I see that now. That’s very dangerous for the both of you. If one of you dies, the other will either go mad or kill themselves. It would be a sad ending,” Donovan said.

  If he told the truth, and I read no falsehood in him, he just told me something I did not know about the bond with Tadeas. He leaned into me and kissed my cheek, “That’s fine with me. I can’t live without her anyway.”

  Donovan’s eyes turned cold for a moment, and he shook it off. I felt a cool breeze wrap around us. “I have no machinations for you tonight, Miss Davenport. I am here merely to see who would be interested in such a book. The TCA frowns on such items coming out into the open, but I see in your eyes that you do not intend on anyone taking the book today. My work here is done. However, you should know, I was ordered to kill you the next time I saw you. Good thing you are wearing that glamour. I can honestly say I never laid eyes on the blonde-haired beauty known as Abigail Davenport. Wonderful party. Good day.” He turned and walked out the door.

  I picked up the glass of Weller, and downed it in one gulp. Tadeas’ eyes widened. “I should have sipped it. It’s really good. He invoked the TCA. I wonder if the TCA and GEA have ties. Too many damn acronyms. More than likely the TCA has nothing to do with it. He did that for my benefit, because he knows the TCA can’t touch me.”

  He took a sip of his, “Hmm, that is nice. Do we have this at home?”

  “No, but Weller is just a batch of Winkle that didn’t make the cut. I have two bottles of Winkle at home,” I
said not thinking about the bourbon. I focused on the room.

  “I’m ready to go home,” he said.

  “Me, too. Not much longer,” I said and touched his face. He leaned in like he intended to kiss me as he did the day before, but the murmur of the party was shattered by the laugh of either a drunk or crazed woman. I looked away from him and to the woman. The woman who had been with Cassidy caused the commotion. She walked into the center of the ring toward the book. Her hands were covered in blood. I flinched, and Tadeas practically held me down in the chair. I frantically searched the room for Cassidy and Lukas. I saw neither one of them. The woman laughed and drew all attention to herself. She put her bloodied hand on the glass holding the book. It left a deep red hand mark on it. I could feel the souls inside her. The power of the souls consumed her like a drug. I knew she was new to the soul consumption. Necromancers can’t just constantly take in souls without getting addicted. I’m not sure how many she had consumed, but the wildness in her eyes and her demeanor reeked of a full-fledged necromancer tripping on souls.

  “Good evening, ladies and gentleman, I regret to inform you that there will be no auction this evening. The book will be leaving with me. Would the seller of the book please step forward? I have it on good authority that the previous owner is here with us tonight.”

  I shifted in my seat, and tried to stand up. “No. Not yet,” Tadeas said physically holding me down in the chair. “Just wait. See what she is about first.” I started to pull power. The rose gold cuff on my wrist started to glow. I had cast a spell on it earlier to hold stored magic in the case I started to run out. It was full now. Tadeas reached inside his coat and put his hand on one of the 9mm Sig pistols from the vault. The other was strapped to his ankle. Below the table I opened my hand and the four battle orbs I had, floated above my palm. I closed my hand knowing they were close by and my magic could call them in an instant.

  “I know that I must look a sight with all this blood, but a girl has to eat,” she chuckled. The people in the room slowly moved out to the edges. I felt a presence behind us. I tilted my head toward it, and saw Lukas standing against one of the wooden columns. He had blood on his crisp white shirt. His blue eyes were steady but concerned. Tadeas turned his head to him. He nodded to Tadeas and slipped out of the tent through one of the loose canvases that were the walls of the tent.