“No.” The word came out before Harlow could stop herself. “I don’t need her help. I can read it on my own.”
The hardness softened a little into surprise. “You sure?”
“Yes. I’ve been practicing a little.” Very little. Could once even be considering practice?
More surprise. “I’m game if you are. Library?”
“Sure.”
She followed him down, nervousness making her jittery. Reading her mother’s pendant once wasn’t practicing.
Instead of settling into their usual places, Augustine sat next to her. With no Dulcinea to act as buffer, there was no reason for him not to sit that close. She peeled her gloves off and held her palms up.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded, knowing he must be able to hear her heart knocking against her rib cage. “Just be close to grab it out of my hands if… you need to.”
He laid his hand over her forearm, his warmth easily penetrating the sleeve of her shirt. “Hey, if you think you can do this, then I fully believe you can, too. And I’m not going anywhere.”
“Thanks.” She gave him a little half smile that revealed nothing about how calming his presence actually was. Even the subtle, smoky traces of him that lingered in the house when he was gone had become small pockets of comfort to her. She’d lived alone so long, she’d come to think that’s what she preferred. The way she felt being in this house made her question that. And a lot more. She wiggled her fingers. “Let me have it.”
He lowered the amulet into her bare palms.
The second it connected, she closed her eyes and tightened down on her control, but not before a sharp metallic zing snapped along her bones. She gasped in pain.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. Sweat beaded along her spine. “There’s… there’s metal in this.”
“We think silver.”
“I don’t know enough to tell yet.” She opened herself a fraction and let the images hit her. A shudder ripped through her. “Vampires,” she whispered, an angry sob following close behind. More anger built as the visuals came through, snippets of the creatures who’d killed her mother, of them laughing and drinking and hunting down humans like prey. The rage edged her senses in a red-hot haze but also served to clarify the information as she received it.
The scents and sounds that came through reminded her of Bourbon Street. She forced herself to concentrate harder, to find something that would give Augustine what he needed.
His hand was on her arm again. “Harlow, maybe that’s enough—”
“No.” She loosened her control even more, opening a floodgate of new sensations and sights. Teeth sinking into flesh so real pain shot through her neck. She opened her mouth so she could get enough air.
“Harlow, enough.”
His fingers brushed hers but she clamped her hands over the amulet to shut him out. “Not yet,” she insisted. Then she got what she’d been searching for. A building. She grabbed hold of the image, letting it burn into her mind. The stream of information fought her, pushing at her to let go, to let the rest through, but she clung to it.
“Enough.” Augustine tore the amulet from her grasp. “Harlow, your nose is bleeding. What the hell did you just do?”
“I found them.” She slumped back against the couch, gulping air and doing her best to ignore the throbbing ache in her head. She wiped at her nose, her hand coming away streaked red.
Augustine ripped tissues from a nearby holder and gave them to her. Concern masked his face. “At the moment, I don’t care. Are you okay?”
She dabbed at the blood. “I’m fine.” Actually, she had no idea. “I saw a building—”
“I don’t care if you saw a pink giraffe.” He turned toward the door and yelled for Lally. “Just sit still for a minute.”
Lally came rushing in. “What’s the matter?”
“Harlow needs an ice pack.”
“I’m fine.” She took the tissues off her nose.
Lally slapped a hand over her heart. “Oh my. Be right back.”
“You.” Augustine pointed at her. “Pinch the bridge of your nose and sit still or I will never ask you for help again.”
She tried not to smile and failed.
He frowned. “I’m not being funny.”
No, but he was being protective and sweet and although it wasn’t something she was used to, she kind of liked it. “You’re being bossy.”
When Lally returned with the ice, he made her sit for a few more minutes with it over the bridge of her nose. At last, when he was satisfied the bleeding had stopped, he let her talk. Stress still creased his forehead. “Tell me what else you saw.”
“I don’t know it, but I can describe it. I feel like it’s in the Quarter. I got images of Bourbon, but I don’t think that’s where this place is. It’s tall. Three and… a half stories. Yellow with white trim and simple black railings on two floors.” She closed her eyes, the image reappearing with little effort. “It’s on a corner. The bottom floor has a shop. A café maybe. There’s an oval sign hanging above the door. I can see the silhouette of a black cat. A small alley courtyard with some tables and chairs.” She opened her eyes again, her gaze flicking from him to the amulet he now held. “Do you know the place I saw?”
He nodded. “Sounds like a place near Conti. The Chat Noir Café is on that street, that’s black cat in French. That’s got to be it.” He sat back. “Those damn vampires are holed up right beside the Supreme Court building. They must have a good laugh over that one.” His gaze wandered over her. “Are you sure you’re okay? That looked pretty intense.”
“I promise, I’m fine. Dulcinea said it would get easier with practice.” Easier, maybe, but right now she felt like she’d been run over. “They’re in there. I can feel it.” She sat up a little. “I’m going with you.”
He blanked for a moment, then snorted. “Like hell you are. This is real life, not a video game.”
If it was an RPG, she would have decimated them ages ago. “They killed my mother. I have the right to be there.”
“I’m aware of what they did. Which is why I’m going to kill them. Every last bloody one of them.” He stood. “Rest, Harlow. What you did for me by reading that amulet was invaluable. It already makes you part of this hunt, but you don’t have the skills to defend yourself and I can’t spare the manpower to protect you while you’re out there.”
“Then teach me.”
He paused. “Teach you to fight?”
“Yes.” She started to nod but her head hurt too much. “To defend myself. To be an asset and not a liability.”
“You really want to learn, huh?” He smiled. “We could turn the ballroom into a gym of sorts… okay, you’re on. But you’re still not coming on this mission.” He stood. “And if you follow me again, I won’t train you.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I’m serious. I can’t have something happening to you. It would… put me in a bad place.” He started for the door.
His confession soothed a tiny bit of the ever-present ache in her heart. “What about you?”
He stopped, his gaze straight ahead. “What about me?”
“What if…” She looked away for a moment. She should shut her mouth, but the reading had left her emotions raw and open. “What if something happens to you?” The idea of losing Augustine—of being alone again—suddenly hurt worse than the hammering in her skull. “Aren’t you afraid of those vampires? They could hurt you.”
He turned to face her, his eyes holding a light she’d not seen before, his voice softer and filled with the kind of naked honesty she’d last heard when he’d confessed to leading the vampires back to the house. To liking her. He came back and kneeled beside the couch so they were eye to eye. “I have to get rid of these murderers before they hurt anyone else. It’s the job I agreed to when I accepted the Guardianship, but it’s a job I’ve been training for my whole life. They should be afraid of me. I am by far and away the most frightening
creature that lives in this city.”
He linked his pinkie with hers and the sincerity of his words radiated through her bare skin, soothing the pain left behind from the reading. There was no fear in him that she could sense, just the overwhelming desire for vengeance and the crystalline strength of his readiness. He looked into her eyes and smiled. “I will come home.”
Chapter Thirty-two
In less than thirty minutes, Augustine had his lieutenants assembled in the war room at the Pelcrum. Fenton stood near the door while the lieutenants sat at the massive circular table. He planted his fingers on the tabletop and began. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“Whenever you need us, boss. That’s what we signed up for.” Sydra tipped her head solemnly and he got the sense they were all eager to show how loyal they were after Dreich’s scheming had been outed. For the sake of further investigation, he was going to have to let them feel that way until he knew more.
“In light of recent events, I appreciate that.” Beatrice was pale with stress, but her eyes held an unearthly fire. A few killings would do her good. “As to why I called you here. The vampires have been located.”
Cy’s deep baritone boomed over the others. “Let’s go get ’em.”
Augustine put his hands up. “Hold on. We have no intel this time, no way to know how many we’re up against, so instead of storming the building, I want to set up surveillance and take them out one at a time. As one of them leaves the building, one of us follows, stakes them and returns to our post. This way we have none left behind, none that escape.” He raised one finger as his lieutenants listened. “If I don’t get the chance to go after him personally, the leader is to be spared until I can get there. I want the pleasure of killing him myself.”
The lieutenants nodded. Sydra lifted a hand. He nodded at her. “Are we starting this mission immediately?”
“You mean in daylight? Yes. Since it doesn’t restrict the leeches, there’s no reason to wait until nightfall. Because of that, we need our takedowns to be discreet. Also, we’re only carrying weapons that can be concealed. In other words, nothing happens in front of tourists who will only be too happy to whip out their LMDs and video such a thing. We don’t want news of this mass slaying to travel because it could create the need for retaliation among other Young Blood members. I do not want vampires having another reason to seek out New Orleans.” He sat back in his chair. “Any other questions?”
Shaking heads indicated there weren’t. His gaze shifted to the fae by the door. “Fenton, the floor is yours.”
Fenton approached the table, pushing his spectacles up on his nose. “I know you’ve all heard about Dreich.”
Beatrice’s nostrils flared and her bottom lip twitched once. Augustine swore he could see ripples of heat coming off her. It occurred to him she might need this more than he did, just so she didn’t hurt someone else out of necessity.
Fenton strolled around the table until he came to a stop at the right of Augustine’s chair. “The incident is under investigation and we have the full cooperation of the NOPD, as we always do with a crime that involves one of our own.”
“He should be made rek’vamus.” Beatrice’s voice was soft but full of cruel intent, cutting through the quiet of the room like a snake slithering on sand.
Dulcinea sucked in a breath as Cy grunted and Sydra shifted uncomfortably at the declaration. Rek’vamus was akin to being unborn as fae. It was worse than being dead. Any fae so appointed would essentially disappear. They weren’t spoken of, they weren’t thought about, and every trace of their existence was purposefully erased.
Fenton swallowed. “I understand your pain, Beatri—”
“No, you don’t.” Strands of hair around her face lifted in the heat wafting off her. “My husband was killed because Dreich brought those monsters into our city so he could make some extra plastic. Because of his greed, I have no husband.” Her hand cradled to her belly as her gaze dropped. “And my unborn child has no father.”
There was a moment of utter silence as they took in her news. It didn’t seem the right time to offer congratulations.
Sparks glittered in Beatrice’s eyes. “I demand Dreich be made rek’vamus.”
With a nod, Fenton acknowledged her. “I will bring this to the Elektos, but I must tell you nothing will be done until the investigation is complete.” He glanced at Augustine. His apologetic look meant he must be about to go off book. “We cannot be certain that we are truly dealing with a suicide. Or that Dreich was not merely a scapegoat meant to end our search for the one responsible for bringing these vampires in.”
Some of the fire left her face. “How soon before you know?”
Augustine jumped in. “Soon. There was some evidence discovered at the scene that needs analysis. We’re hoping that gives us more to go on.” He stretched a hand across the table toward her. “I miss Olivia every day. There is nothing I want more than her killers dealt with. For now, focus on that with me, because I need your head in this mission. If it’s not, say so. I don’t want you hurt out there. Especially since you’re pregnant.”
She dropped her gaze to the table. “I’m in. I’ll be fine.” Then quieter. “I need this.”
“We all do.”
“Thank you for not keeping me out of it because of my pregnancy.”
“You’re in until you tell me differently.” He glanced at Fenton. “Anything else?”
Fenton looked them over with a sense of pride. “May fate fight with you.” He lifted his chin a little, the stern set of his jaw giving him an even greater seriousness. “Now go ash every single one of those bala’stro.”
Setting up surveillance in broad daylight without being spotted by any of the vampire guards would be tricky. Augustine stopped the group when they were a few blocks from the townhouse. “Sydra and Beatrice, I want you to go up Conti and when you get to Royal, split off, come around the block and return here. I want the location of every guard you see called in as they’re spotted.” They all had their LMD set up as one big conference call, enabling them to hear each other and keep in touch with little effort. “As we kill off a guard, we take their place and use that as our lookout. Then any vampires that come looking for their gang members will come right to us. Those leaving the building will be trailed out of the area and dealt with away from tourist eyes. Remember, be discreet. We don’t want to start a war of retaliation here.”
“On it.” Beatrice nodded and took off, Sydra jumping to catch up with her.
Augustine pointed at Cy. “Let’s use your morphing ability to catch these buggers off guard. As soon as we get the first location, you’re up.”
Cy grinned, a frightening sight on his blocky frame. “I’m ready.”
It didn’t take long. Sydra’s voice chimed through their com cells. “Blue T-shirt, jeans, tan ball cap, lounging on the steps of the Law Library.”
“Got it.” Cy shimmered and a second later, a young girl stood before them. She gave them a little nod, then loped off in the direction Sydra had passed on.
“That is never not going to be weird,” Dulcinea said.
“I can hear you,” Cy called back.
Beatrice came in next. “There’s one on Royal. Holding a takeout coffee with a Times-Picayune under one arm.”
Dulcinea rubbed her hands together. “Here we go.”
“Got another one,” Sydra said. “I’ll take him.” Minutes later a soft oof filled their heads. “And done,” she finished. She sneezed. “Sorry. Ash in my nose.”
The sounds of two more kills followed on the heels of that one, leaving Augustine’s hands itching for his turn, but there were no more guards, so everyone settled in for the haul, each in their predetermined spots to watch for incoming or outgoing vamps.
Hours passed, bringing the occasional vampire through their sights. “Boss,” Dulcinea’s voice filled his head. “I got a female headed right for you. Big straw hat and sundress.”
Augustine grinned. “She mu
st be all dressed up for our date.” He stepped out of the alley he was in and spotted the vampiress coming toward him. He leaned nonchalantly against the wall, sunglasses hiding his eyes. He hoped he looked like a fae tourist out to get some.
As she approached, he made a show of ogling her with great appreciation, a big smile on his face. Let her think she was passing as human so well even a fae couldn’t tell. That should stroke her ego.
It did. She slowed, a coy smile turning up the corners of her mouth. “Hello.”
“Right back atcha.” He peeled off the wall and took a step toward her. “What’s a woman as pretty as you doing all alone on a gorgeous day like today?”
She hesitated like she wasn’t sure she wanted to play this game. Fae blood wasn’t especially tasty to vampires, but many of them believed a fae’s powers could be absorbed that way, making it worthwhile to some. “My lunch date stood me up.” She wrapped a strand of blond hair around one finger, her indecision plain. “I don’t know much about—what are you called? Fae, right?” She smiled.
He nodded, smiling right back because she was definitely trying to work him now. “That’s right, fae.” He decided to work her right back. “I can’t say I know that much about you humans, either.” He sidled in closer. “How about we do a little cultural exchange over lunch, since your date clearly wasn’t man enough for you?”
She laughed and he could have sworn he saw the glint of bloodlust in her eyes. “Here’s to lunch, then.”
He took a step back toward the alley. “I know a great little place not far from here.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
She looped her arm over his, making his skin crawl. “Aren’t you the southern gentleman? I’ve never had one of those before. I mean, known.” She giggled. “You’ve got me all flustered.”
“I have that effect on women.” As they walked deeper into the alley his free hand went to the back of his waistband and got a grip on his dagger. The shadows of the buildings around them gave the narrow passage a soft gloom she didn’t seem to mind.
“I bet you do.” She continued the banter. “I get the feeling I’m being wooed by a real lady killer.”
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