by A J Brahms
"Aubrey," I called after him and he stopped but didn't look back at me. "If anyone I know comes to harm, I'll know it was you. And more will know about the cup and what it can do, and what you and your Troll did."
He kept walking until he vanished into the shadows. I didn't grab my bag. Instead I tried to stop shaking and enjoyed Occam's comfort on my shoulder before I did something I hadn't done in years.
I melted into the shadows.
I didn't trust him. So I followed him.
I mentioned before how different I was. About my Gifts, given to me by my maker as she took them from the vampires she killed. I had three known Gifts, and one secret. Everyone knew I could speak with the dead, a few knew I could call an army of ravens to wreak vengeance for battle. My third gift, even fewer knew, and that was that I could move through shadows, much like a wraith, traveling from place to place. I didn't do it much because the effort usually exhausted me the further each trip.
But small jaunts, from shadow to shadow, were easy. Especially with the blood Ginny had given me.
I used this to shadow Aubrey. I didn't know if he knew I was there, so I told Occam to hang back, out of Aubrey's sensing range. In a shadow I was nothing but a shade, a ghost of myself, until the light hit me. If I were to melt with the shadows in a room, I would reappear when the light was cast on me.
It was how I'd managed to surprise my Maker's enemies. Another tool to use for her pleasure.
I suspected Aubrey was going to find Julie. He knew how I felt about her. And he knew she could be used as leverage since she'd been used that way with Beau Woodard. But when he didn't take a cab or a have a car waiting, and instead continued to stroll down Peachtree Street, I began wondering if I'd thought wrong about him.
Until he turned into the front door of Crawford Long Hospital.
The first person I thought of was Luke, then his wife and child. I didn't know if the baby had been born yet, but I did know they were vulnerable to Night Walkers. And I cared about them both.
And they were in this hospital.
I wasn't that surprised when I lost him in the hospital and asked the front nurse where Laura Meehan was. I also wasn't surprised when I took the stairs and found Aubrey waiting for me beside the door to the maternity ward. He was leaning against the concrete, hands in pockets.
I was surprised when I heard a lot of footsteps above and below me and saw several Night Walkers, all dressed in black and all of them armed with guns.
"Your biggest weakness as a Chevalier, is that you care, Renwick." Aubrey said as he pushed away from the wall and stared at me again. "I knew you'd follow me. Yes, I know about the melting you do. I knew the Night Walker your Maker stole it from, so it made sense that's how you were able to take Elizabeth's enemies by surprise." He pointed at me. "You're dangerous, Grainger. You need a leash."
"And I suppose, like Beau, you should be the one to hold it?" It was a bold statement, but I was buying time for Occam to contact Aberdeen. I could fight them, but not all of them, especially if they started shooting.
Maybe.
"No. Beau wanted you as a symbol of power. And I will admit, I don't understand Jedediah's hesitation in claiming you as his. After all, he is the Prince, isn't he?" Aubrey pursed his lips. "But something holds him back. I don't know what it is. And such hesitation isn't a good weakness in Prince."
I had a flash of inspiration as I stood there. "You experimented with the cup to make sure it could do what it was created for because you plan on using it on Jedediah." That was it. I was sure of it! It made sense. And Jedediah had believed the cup was safe, locked in up in New York. That was why he'd called me because the cup in the wrong hands was a danger to him.
It was a danger to any Night Walker not wishing to be made human. One drink from the blood changed by that cup and—
I was surprised when Aubrey laughed. And not just a chuckle, but a full out belly laugh.
"Oh Grainger," He actually wiped his eyes. "You really are imaginative. I'm sure that's what originally drew Elizabeth to you. But you see, I don't have any desire to be the Prince of any city. To do that would paint a target on my back. I prefer to aid who ever the ruling Walker may be, and serve them to the fullest of my ability." He held out a hand. "Now, give me the cup, Grainger, and I won't touch your precious friends, or their newborn baby girl."
Baby girl…she had the baby! And now it was in danger because of me.
It was time to stop holding back. I wasn't going to just sit on the sidelines and let these…monsters…do what they wanted. I didn't believe a word Aubrey said either, because I'd never known a Night Stalker who didn't want power.
Occam sang in my ear as I summoned my army. I'd never counted how many I could bring at once, I just knew in this small of a space, it was gonna feel like a lot.
And the great thing about them is, unlike Occam, they were corporeal, one hundred percent.
I held out my arms as the doors at the very bottom of the stairs blew open. The cacophony of screeching, flapping of wings and strength of wind took all of them by surprise. Aubrey's little cadre swatted and gnashed at my babies, but they were fast and they were ruthless. They pecked and clawed as they fought and when I gave the word, they took out the lights, throwing the stairwell into darkness.
It was enough to give me shadows I could melt into and bypass the Night Walkers. I moved past them to the door into the maternity ward and stopped in the middle of the hall as I materialized again. If anyone had been looking, it would have seemed like I came out of nowhere. Luckily, no one was there.
But I could still hear the Night Walkers running and they were climbing the stairs. I didn't see Aubrey, so I was afraid he'd already come up here and was headed to the nursery.
I ran and skidded to a stop at the nurses and station and asked about the Meehans. I got the standard, "Are you family?" just as someone tapped me on the shoulder.
I turned to see Mia looking at me. "Good to see you, Ren," she said and looped her arm in mine. "We've been waiting for you."
We? Who's been waiting? What the hell?
She pulled me to her, my hands leaving the station, just as she whispered, "Do as I say and I won't kill your friends' babies."
Babies? Plural?!
I stood my ground and pulled my arm from hers. "You do and I will kill you, Mia Tavern," I said in the same quiet voice, a tone only Ghouls could hear.
She stepped back and looked at me, from my feet to my head. "You…you're stronger."
I was. I mean I knew that. "And you're in a serious load of trouble when Aberdeen gets here."
"I'm afraid your stone man isn't coming."
That wasn't her voice. That was Aubrey.
I turned and saw him at the door to one of the rooms. The name written on the plate said Meehan. My gaze shifted back to Aubrey. "What did you do to Aberdeen?"
"He used a Christa," Mia said.
Aubrey snarled. "Be quiet, Ghoul."
I knew what a Christa was. Aberdeen had told me about them. They were Holy Traps, made by Vampire blood, created by Alchemists to hold Angels and even Gargoyles, in place. Once inside of one, which looked like a glowing red symbol, the prisoner was trapped until they were released. I know this because I tripped one once, while in Rome, thus releasing Aberdeen Windersham for the first time in over a century. It wasn't as simple as that, but that was the jest of it.
I looked from Mia to Aubrey and back to her. "Are you working for him?"
She looked down. "I—I have no choice."
And then it dawned on me. "You re-ghouled her."
"Just yesterday, after Greybeard believed he'd killed you. But I knew better," Aubrey said. "An unregistered Chevalier. And one who I believe could kick your ass, Grainger."
A Ghoul powered by an owner was a bit stronger than one on their own, but I had to wonder at the power that still coursed in my veins. It felt like I had an Owner. But I didn't. I made a note that if I survived this crazy-town crap, I was going to find Ginny a
nd learn whose blood it was she'd given me.
"Give me the cup." Aubrey was persistent.
"I wasn't lying when I said I don't have it." I looked at him and then did something very stupid and offered him my wrist. "Drink and see if you don't believe me. I'm not carrying it around."
I could see him contemplating the idea of tasting me, but I was pretty sure drinking from Mia had sated his curiosity. I hear we're very tasty. "I don't think you'd put the life of your friend's child in danger. Where is it?"
"At my place."
"Ah, so you want me to go back to where the Stone Man is. Clever."
"No," I spoke to him like I would speak to a slow child. "It's home because that's where I was keeping it. You don't think I'd be running around with it on me, do you?"
He glared at me a few seconds before he motioned to one of his henchmen. This Night Walker was young, still dark haired, and had a face full of scratches. Yeah…he wasn't healing fast cause my Ravens weren't ordinary and they delivered a nice dose of poison in their talons. "Watch over the Meehan family. I'll signal if they need exterminating."
I did not like the sound of that. I hadn't seen Luke or the babies (more than one?!), but I sensed them, just like I sensed the Night Walkers. There weren't as many of them now as there were before. Maybe three. "He's the only one."
"You don't dictate, Ghoul."
"I do when I have the cup."
Aubrey scowled at me and I felt the others leave. "Then let us return to your dwelling, Chevalier. And for your friends' sake, the cup had better be there."
Fifteen
We took a van, with Mia and I in the back. There was one driver, female Night Walker, long white single braid to her ass. I didn't know her, but Aubrey called her Snow.
Nice. Eye roll.
I told them to drive into the parking garage, entered my code and we parked next to my car. I still had the key in my pocket from when I came down to get the cup out, but when I opened the trunk, my bag was gone.
I looked around and checked the lock for tampering. There was nothing to show my car had been broken into.
"Very funny, Grainger."
I held out my hands. "The only reason I came into the garage was to get the cup, Aubrey." I sighed. "I'm guessing when I didn't come back up, Aberdeen came down and grabbed it. He was probably looking for me. So the cup is in the apartment."
No one moved toward the elevator as I did. Instead, Snow stepped in front of me. I looked back. "It's not a trap, Aubrey. Aberdeen has a key to my car. I'm sure he has the cup."
"It's—" Mia said and glanced at her new Master. "The Christa is set on the apartment."
I bit my lips, trying very hard not to laugh. "So…the cup is inside the trap with Aberdeen." Yeah sorry. I had to snicker.
And Snow backhanded me. I took the first hit, but when she went to land a second one, I grabbed her wrist. Lightening reflexes.
"Grainger," Aubrey approached me. "You've been displaying more power than usual. Jedediah always said you were the strongest of the Chevaliers, but I'd never seen it. And yet, you've moved through shadows and commanded an almost unbounded army of blood thirsty ravens. I can sense your anima around, but sometimes I can't see it, when I should be able to." Abruptly his expression changed and he stepped back. "You've had an Ancient's blood."
I nodded my head. "Yes. When Ginny saved me she gave me a vial from the haul she took from Greybeard. The only way that Troll would have Ancient's blood would be because he took it out of an Ancient. Probably a sleeping one."
I stopped when I realized the link between Greybeard, Ginny and Casper.
I put my hands to my face. I never bothered to question how Ginny knew where to find an Ancient, and not just any of them, but the very one who commissioned this Cup of Alemont. But it explained so much, even the ease in which we were able to bribe the manager to take an hour to ourselves in the cave.
But who led who there first?
"You're too smart, Grainger." Aubrey said in a quiet voice. "To answer your question, which I believe you already have the answer too, yes. There was Ancient blood in Greybeard's stash. He'd been collecting it for me, for over a year."
"From Casper Tungsten."
"I don't know where he gets it. I'm not even sure who that is."
His statement rang true. He didn't. "Let's just say Casper, and the Cup of Alemont, are intertwined, Aubrey. Isn't it a mortal sin for a Night Stalker to kill another? I believe my Maker was hunted down for this."
"Your Maker was a bitch and a bully and a monster." He snarled at me. "She asked too many questions and had too powerful a weapon."
I blinked. "You mean me."
"Yes." He took a step away from Mia and I and clasped his hands behind him.
"But you did worse. You actually fed off of one without their consent. You stole from an Ancient."
"I didn't. A Troll did. A creature with no moral compass to speak of." He looked down. "I have over fifty vials of Ancient blood hidden away, ready for when a true Prince comes to power. With it, I can make him invincible."
"I see. So Jedediah doesn't know about this little enterprise."
"Don't think your precious savor is innocent, Grainger. He is not."
I wasn't going to even consider or think about Jedediah at that moment. I was too shocked and horrified at how deep Aubrey had gone to…what? Make money? "Why?"
"Why…" Aubrey arched his brows. "It wasn't for the coin, Grainger. I don't need that, but it was Greybeard's incentive. Trolls love gold, almost as much as Dragons."
Nope. Uh uh. Not going to think that Dragons are real. I'm stick'n to demons from Hell. It was easier to believe.
"Now let's retrieve this cup." And he gestured to the elevator. "Before I make a call—"
The sound of tires screeching caught our attention and I recognized the white Camero as it came around the corner and stopped in front of us, lights on.
Julie.
Snow started for her as Julie got out of her car. I grabbed the white minx by the ponytail and pulled myself on top of her, trying to twist her head to the side. A broken neck won't kill a vampire, but it will put them to sleep for a while until they healed, and then the headache is awful. But Snow was a strong one and had some seriously insane neck muscles. I yelled at Julie to get in the car and lock the doors.
Luckily she was listening and got back in her car and I heard the doors lock before Aubrey jumped on her hood. Mia couldn't do anything because Aubrey was her new Master, so she was frozen to the spot.
Snow did this unexpected flip in the air and I lost my grip, so I flew into a car parked nearby. Smashed the driver's side window and put a body sized dent in it. The impact barely knocked the wind out of me, so I got back up, growled at her and we charged each other again. I wasn't full into my game as I once was, but that was because I was also paying attention to what Aubrey was doing.
Dismembering Julie's prize car was his first job. Once he destroyed that, Julie was a sitting duck. And everyone already knew how I felt about Julie, so he'd either kill her or use her against me as well.
Snow tried to get her fangs into my neck once she threw me on the concrete and pinned me down with her body. Her mouth distended as her jaw widened and I saw more teeth than I ever wanted too. I was also failing at finding any kind of leverage to knock her off of me and she was inches from my neck. A mouth that big was going to rip out my throat, not just drink. And if that happened, there was a possibility I could bleed and actually die.
Poof. Fifty-four years added in thirty seconds.
Then I heard Julie scream.
It was a sound that pierced my own panic and pulled at something deeper inside, something I'd buried so long ago. A gift I kept hidden and swore I'd never use again.
But hearing her voice—I knew Aubrey had her and he could do one of three terrible things to her. He could kill her, turn her, or Ghoul her, and neither were a future I wanted for her. A woman who wanted a family and children. A woman who wanted to b
e loved. A good woman who deserved those things.
And I had a power inside me to stop what was happening, but did I have the courage?
Did I dare reveal what I my Master had made me?
Master…
Yes, she had been my Master, my sculptor and my maker. Until the moment I answered her prayers.
For the first time in thirty years, I withdrew and relinquished what control I had to the darker, more powerful part that was still Elizabeth. To the hunter part of her in the name of Herne. To the more primal nature of what she was, and what she made of me.
My scream became a growl as my body shifted, jerked and changed beneath Snow's grip. I heard her yell as she released me and I writhed but a few seconds on the dirty, oil-strewn concrete. My thinking changed, as did my vision and I was no longer looking at a Master, at a Night Walker, but at….
Food.
Enemy.
Mine.
I knew my teeth were long, longer than they should be on a wolf, but I was larger than the usual wolf. Larger than even the mythic Dire Wolf. Because I was a Maker's Wolf.
I was a Hell Hound, born from the first of the Night Walkers to look up into the moon and howl. I was big, and black, with red eyes and a thirst that if I didn't hold onto, would devour not only the Night Walkers, but the human now fighting Aubrey.
Snow was the smarter one. She intended on fleeing. But to flee would mean to share my secret. And that wouldn't do. So I pounced on her, flattening her behind a car and tearing her apart. Arms first, then legs and then as she stared up at me as so very many of Elizabeth's victims had, I ripped out her throat. It didn't take long for her flesh to turn to dust.
And then I was jumping over the car and landing in front of Aubrey. Oh he had Julie in his arms and he had her neck pulled back. But in his eyes I saw fear. In his heart I sensed terror. And in his soul I sensed…death.
He knew I would kill him, and he wasn't going to die alone. He was going to take Julie with him.
"Canis in sede inferos per nomen sancti sanguis!"
The voice wrapped around my muscles, fatiguing them, stopping me. I was still facing Aubrey, in front of the ripped apart remains of Julie's car. I could smell her blood. I could see her fear of Aubrey.