“Did they show up at his house?”
Malik shook his head. “He heard it through Alistair.”
“Saint is in town?” Nico asked, a bit alarmed. Nico’s distant cousin avoided all of society, even in the little village he lived in.
“I asked him to come,” his father said. “We might need him. He agrees with us that there is something going on.”
“But…it’s Saint,” he said, shaking his head.
“We won’t let him out in society,” his father said with amusement. “He has always tried to avoid it, as you know, and since he has come into the title, he truly avoids it. We need him for his underworld contacts. He will be able to get more information than you can. It's going to be worse once you get married.”
Nico frowned. “I do not see that as a disruption.”
His father shared a look with Malik. His friend turned to him. “I am going to go over to Gray’s and check on the patient.”
“Wait, what did he do about Hurst’s family?”
“He sent around a note and told them that he fell ill and was making a speedy recovery.”
Malik nodded to Nico’s father and left them alone.
“Dammit. I should have taken care of sending a note around to his family.”
“You have been preoccupied, and it was better coming from Gray. People will question you. They will not question a duke.”
Nico nodded.
“And there is nothing wrong with being preoccupied by a woman.” His father’s tone was light, but Nico sensed something serious beneath it.
“Not now. Not when there is so much at stake. I need to focus on the hunt. I have been here almost a fortnight and have gotten nowhere.”
“Yes, you have. You know now that this person is moving within the ton in some way. I talked to Malik about it. Saint is going to search in some of the places you cannot go.”
“Is that an order?”
His father chuckled. “Son, I know now that you will not be able to go to a whorehouse any more than I can. First, you don’t want to. Secondly, I have a feeling once you mate with Cordelia, she will become a walking terror like your mother.” He studied Nico for a few moments. “It has been a few hundred years since we have had something like this. We will prevail.”
“How do you know?”
“In all our history, we have never lost. We might have lost a few of our people. We all must move to our afterlife at some point. Good will always prevail. Do not worry. And it is important to have more of your generation building families. Too many of you have waited too long.”
He heard the admonition in his father’s voice. He knew he deserved it, and until now, he had not had the urge. "Now you have a mate."
He nodded.
"You could not sleep without her by your side, correct?"
He glanced at his father then settled in the chair behind his desk. "It is insane. I have never slept with her until this morning."
"This morning?"
"She spent the night by her sister's side."
"Ah," his father said, nodding. "She is a good woman. I am confused as to why she is not married. But English society only sees what they want to see."
“Yes,” he said. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"
His father shrugged as he pulled out a cheroot. "Do you mind? Your mother hates them, and since she is out shopping with Cordelia, I think this might be the only time I have a chance to do this."
He nodded. "What were you saying about English society?"
His father lit the cheroot and then puffed a few times. "Well, human society truthfully. They only look at the surface. This generation is worse than any other I have known. Although, my generation was quite obtuse. Your mother was considered a wallflower."
"Mother?" he shook his head. His mother was not a flashy woman, but she demanded the attention of most men when she walked into a room. Even humans were drawn to her, but that was usual of such a powerful Carrier.
His father smiled. "She was a bit. Orphaned, no family to look out for her, much like Cordelia. She has family, but they did not do her any good. I am not sure what would have happened if we had not found each other. But, your mother came alive when I made her my mate."
"Came alive?"
"Carriers can be flamboyant but many of them can hide it well. Their true beauty will shine easily as they move into our society, but they make sure that most humans do not sense it. And those are the ones to beware of, Nicodemus. Cordelia is a wonderful young woman from what I can tell. Be careful of her."
"You think that she would hurt me or do something wrong?"
"No. But if you ignore her for what she is, what she makes you, you will regret it. Believe me, there was a point in my life I almost lost your mother. Value Cordelia. Know that she is all that is important in your world."
"I do not think that a woman should control my every thought."
"Oh, my son, you are in for such a challenge with Cordelia, but I will enjoy it. And you will be a stronger man for it. Now, I am going to have a little nap before your mother returns. I understand the wedding will be tomorrow."
Nico nodded.
His father smiled, "Good. I would probably join Malik over at Gray’s if I were you. There is much to discuss, and I would go but the young duke is intimidated by my presence for some reason.”
He looked at his father and smiled. Of course, his father did not understand why someone like Gray would be in awe of him. Seven hundred fifty years old, a leader in the Alliance, and if anything, the stories of his role in their history had been downplayed.
“I am going to go wash up and go over there and talk to Malik and Gray, see if we can gain any more information from Hurst.”
“Are you positive the Made was yelling Suprema?”
Just having the question put to him brought the memory back of killing the Made. Even now he felt ill. “Positive. There was no mistaking.”
“You know the history of that, of the idea there would be one Suprema?”
Nico nodded. It was not truly talked about on the council. The Alliance would like to pretend that nothing was wrong. The majority of them. It made it worse that his father and Gray’s remembered the last time it happened. One vampire, one army, total control. Suprema. The Alliance had been born out of that experience, but all of them seemed to think that they were above it.
“I understand the problem father. Just as you said, we will prevail.”
His father nodded and left him alone.
* * * *
By the time Nico arrived at Gray’s he was feeling sluggish again. He had several hours sleep, but for some reason, he was now tired again. He knew he needed to feed, but of course, he would have to wait until tomorrow for that. It was an overcast day in London, so at least the sun wasn't draining his energy. He followed the footman up the stairs to the room where they were keeping Hurst. When he walked into the room, he was surprised to see the man sitting up and eating. He still looked ill, but he no longer looked as if he were going to die.
"Good morning, Blackburn," Gray said. "I have your license."
"Good."
"Yes, very important as his bride might have second thoughts," Malik said, smiling.
"Sod off," Nico said with little heat. He looked at the viscount. "How are you doing this morning?"
"Somewhat better, considering that my life was completely transformed in one night."
Nico nodded as he sat in the chair opposite of Hurst. "You are lucky, though."
Hust's eyes narrowed. "Please enlighten me, Blackburn. I am lucky? I have to live a life I never wanted."
He could sympathize with the man. Having your entire world turned upside down with no hope of returning to your former life had to be hell. The defiant look on his face stopped Nico from saying just that. Hurst might still appear half dead, but he did not want sympathy.
"And don't patronize me as the duke has tried. I had my life set up for me just the way I wanted it. Now, I have to skulk around an
d look for women to feed off of or I will die. What kind of life is that?"
Nico opened his mouth to explain that they had dispensaries where women were paid for their blood, but Malik interrupted him.
"Well, isn't that just so sad for the viscount?" Sarcasm dripped from his voice, his anger easy to see. Malik always had a bad temper, but he usually controlled it. Malik knew how Borns viewed him so he did everything he could not to show it. But Nico knew better than most that Hurst had struck a chord. "Poor man has to adjust the way he lives his life. Such a pity."
Hurst gave Malik a malicious look, but Nico knew nothing would happen. On a good day, when the viscount was fully well, he could not beat Malik in a fight. Now, though, the viscount could barely walk by himself.
"And don't whine to me about it. I'm Made like you. Want to know how many years? Hundreds. I had no choice just like you. You want to know what happens to Mades who are not saved? They become animals."
Hurst swallowed. "Is that so different from what I am now?"
"You think it can't get worse? Well, ask Blackburn about the one he had to kill recently. He became a beast, unable to control his urges, both sexual and appetite. They became one in his mind. The Made that Nico killed was in the process of raping an eighteen-year-old virgin, who then died from the attack. You think that would be better?"
Hurst said nothing, but Nico could tell from his expression he was horrified. They had told him a bit of their world, but they had not disclosed what could have happened if they had not saved him.
"If it wasn't for us, you would be hunting right now, unable to control what you do," Malik said. "Worse, you would be damned to hell so once you died, which would happen in the next few weeks, you would spend eternity paying for your sins. You were the one who went to the whorehouse, the one who put himself in the situation. So, please, spare us your whining."
With that, Malik shot up out of the chair and stomped out of the room. Nico followed him out, knowing that when Malik was in one of these moods, he could be deadly to anyone who got in his path. He caught up with him in the hallway and grabbed him by the sleeve.
"Settle it down, old man."
He gave Nico a nasty look.
"Remember, you already scare most of the Borns and society. If you go around looking like that, you will definitely allow their fear of the Mades to grow. Whether you like it or not, you are considered one of the elite of the Mades. If you lose it, they will definitely turn on your kind."
Malik pulled his arm free of Nico's grip, but he did not leave. Instead, as Nico had seen hundreds of times before, his friend closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths. When he opened his eyes, he was still mad, but Nico knew he had a firm grip on his temper.
"I could not help it. Sitting there complaining like a little boy who has had his favorite toy taken away."
Disgust dripped from every word. "I don't disagree with you or what you said. I think he needed it."
Malik's lips twitched. "Is that right? You would not have been so blunt."
"No, but he needed it. He was acting like a boy in short pants. He is the only boy in the family, and his father is ill and will not last long. He has been treated like a prince most of his life. So, I agree, this was good for him."
Malik nodded.
"You seem out of sorts. I thought you went to bed early since you disappeared from the ball so fast.”
“You know I can never take those gatherings.” He made a sound of disgust. “I hate the upper classes and their idiocy.”
Nico almost smiled, but from the look on his friend’s face, it would have not been prudent.
“So, it had nothing to do with Lady Diana?”
Malik shook his head.
“Well, it is just as well. She seems a little…delicate.”
“She’s as delicate as a fishwife.”
Nico cocked his head to one side and studied his friend. “I just assumed she was because she became so ill last night.”
“What do you mean?” Malik asked, his words whipping out. His friend was truly interested in the woman.
“The heat of the ball apparently was too much to take. She took to her bed.”
“Has she seen a doctor?”
“Mother took care of her.”
Malik’s eyes narrowed. “I do not have time for this. I am off to my bed. Tomorrow is going to be a very trying day.”
Nico smiled as he watched Malik retreat down the hallway until he disappeared from his sight.
Nico made his way back to the room. They were going to have to work with Hurst on his memory. He did not want him to remember what he went through. The turning of a Made was not pleasant. Nico had never seen it, but he had heard the description from others. It wasn’t easy for the human to change his biological makeup into one of their kind. Being almost drained completely of blood, then slowly coming back to life...it wasn’t something he wanted to contemplate.
The door to the room opened before he reached it. Gray stuck his head out. "He's back in bed again."
He slipped into the hall and motioned with his head for Nico to follow him. He couldn't help but smile at Gray's behavior. Nico might be the top of the pecking line within the Alliance, but his friend was a duke in society. Some things one could not shake off.
He showed him into a parlor and shut the doors behind them.
"He still remembers nothing of the change."
Nico nodded. "And hopefully, he never will."
"But, he did remember what gaming hell he was in that night."
"Hell? I thought he was at a whorehouse."
"He remembers playing cards with a strange man. Said he had dark black hair, average height, and blue eyes."
Nico snorted. "That describes half of London."
"No. He said his eyes were a strange color...like ours."
Nico's blood quickened. "Ah, he met up with one of us, maybe the one who turned him or the one who is collecting them for someone else. What else did he remember?"
"He played hazard for a while, then everything becomes foggy."
"That is very good. What hell was it?"
"Devil's Temptation."
Nico rolled his eyes. "Humans."
"I am not so sure that it is a human who owns it. There are a lot of rumors about the true owner."
"What kind of rumors?"
"Just the usual, about where the man obtained his money, and no one knows his name. He calls himself 'Devil.'"
"As I said before, humans." He shook his head. "I guess we need to make a trip there tonight."
"No, you can't."
"What do you mean?"
"First, you are too conspicuous. Everyone in our world will recognize you and know that your father is more than likely hunting the killer." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides that, you are getting married tomorrow, Blackburn. I have a feeling your fiancé will not take kindly to rumors of you at a hell the night before you marry.”
Nico rolled his shoulders, trying to ease his irritation. "Bloody hell. Okay, so who should we send?"
"Malik said your cousin is in town. Everyone knows his name, but they do not know him by sight. He would probably be very good to send in."
He nodded. "I will have father discuss it with him."
And at the moment, he felt so very tired. He had never been one for daytime hours, but he could not remember getting this tired.
"I should return home to see if there are any more sightings."
He turned to leave, but Gray stopped him.
"Are you forgetting something, Blackburn?"
He stopped with his hand on the knob. "I cannot think what it is. We have someone looking out for attacks in most areas, even in Scotland."
Gray shook his head and picked up a piece of paper. "Your license for tomorrow. Oh, and I arranged to have the Bishop of Canterbury do the ceremony."
He took the paper. "Of course. Thank you."
It wasn't until he made it to the street that the enormity of how his life
had changed hit him. He strode down the cobblestones, wanting a good walk to clear his head. He had never thought to mate. For his kind, sex and feeding were normal, and in their classes, it was not looked down upon for a woman not to be a virgin. They understood the needs of everyone, including Carriers.
He was amazed that Cordelia had made it this long without losing hers. Her Carrier status must have been recognized by others. And she had spent many years within the ton, but apparently, she had been able to hide from them.
He’d been walking several blocks, thinking of their next moves with the investigation, when he noticed a figure following him. The sun was beginning to sink behind the buildings. The ominous feeling was one he knew well. He increased his pace a bit and turned a corner. Then he flattened himself against the wall of the building, waiting for whoever was following him. He saw the faint shadow appear and readied himself for a fight. He pulled his knife from his boot and stepped out. In the next instant, he felt the slam of a fist and he fell back, landing against the cobblestones hard. His vision wavered then slowly faded to black.
Chapter Nine
“Come on, Blackburn, open up those pretty blue eyes of yours,” said someone with a thick Scottish brogue. His head was aching, his body throbbing from what would surely be bruises up and down his back. Slowly, he lifted his eyes. At first, everything looked blurry, as if he needed spectacles, then his vision focused and he found his cousin leaning over him.
“Ah, there you go, sleeping beauty.”
“You bastard,” Nico said and smacked him upside the head.
“Dammit, Nico.” He lifted his massive hand to his ear and winced, but he did back off so Nico could lift himself off the ground. “I can’t believe you boxed my ear like when we were kids. Don’t you know how to fight like a man?”
He ignored Saint’s diatribe because Nico refused to be drawn into an argument with him. There was nothing he liked to do more than argue. Well, other than shun most living beings. He was a big man, bigger than even Nico, and a head taller than Malik. As with most Highlanders, he did a lot of work outside, even if he was Laird of his clan. His bushy beard hid his face, and the dark auburn hair was several inches beyond what was fashionable and definitely in need of a comb. Nico understood why most people thought he was a beast.
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