by Ayer, T. G.
The kid sprang to his feet, clutching my arm so hard his ragged nails bit into my skin and drew blood. But I didn't brush him off.
My attention fixed on the man who strode inside. He was tall. Maybe a full head taller than me. Muscles bulged under the cotton of his long-sleeved white shirt and he'd dressed like he'd grown up wanting to be a spy. The only thing missing were the dark glasses which I suspected he'd left behind on his desk, wherever that might be.
Good thing he ended up being a spy because he looked far too grumpy to be the kind of person to live a life that didn't make him happy. He'd be a danger to his fellow man.
"What the hell is going on here?" His voice rang around the room, the metal helping to bounce the sound ominously around us.
Cassie's cheeks paled slightly but she stood her ground. "We had a survivor."
"A survivor who has set off every alarm in the building." His voice grated on my ears.
"What did he do to set off the alarms?" Cassie might have sounded sweet but there was a cold edge to her tone.
"Where do I start?"
"Paul--"
"Don't Paulson me." Dislike and resentment simmered in both words and tone. "Just because the people upstairs want her doesn't mean she has the right to break all the rules."
His voice was iron.
I didn't know him and I already didn't like him. "He's my problem. Not yours. I'm not asking for Sentinel's help. There's a guy I know who will be more than happy to take him."
Paulson's black eyes widened. "You think that because you have a solution to the problem, it's okay to break our rules?"
Really didn't like him.
I stepped into his personal space. Stabbed an index finger into his chest. "Look. Paulson." I spit it at him. "Those are your rules. My rule is 'Don't kill innocents'. Which is why he's here." I jerked my chin to the poor kid who'd remained utterly silent during our exchange.
Paulson glared down at where my finger drilled into his sternum.
I didn't move, and when he lifted his gaze back to mine his eyes were hot, hard, and bitter. Enemy. If he hadn't been one before he was now.
He twisted away to face Cassie, breaking my contact. "Just get him the hell out of here," he grated. "Before I decide to throw the three of you into Decontamination." And he stalked off.
I listened to his retreating footsteps. Paulson, for all his bluster, couldn't do anything about my choice except to make a lot of noise.
Like Cassandra, he and Sentinel had little control over what I did that wasn't entirely case-related. The case was the vamp-demon, not its victims. They didn't care about the victims beyond the fact that they might be a danger to society. Our young vamp didn't look like much of a threat. Even Paulson with his panties in a bunch knew as much.
Right now, Paulson, in his ignorance was making a huge case for me opting to work for the High Council.
I turned back to Cassie. "Friend of yours?"
She pursed her lips and glared at the empty doorway. "Walter? He's not all that bad, really." Then she sighed. "To be quite honest, he's a right arsehole. There is really no way to say it nicely."
The boy let out a soft sigh, and collapsed, my lunge toward him too late. I couldn't grab a hold of him in time and he hit the floor with a thud, his grayed skin a stark contrast against the black tiles.
Cassie sighed and held out a hand. "Here I was thinking I should follow protocol and bring you two to Sentinel first." She snorted in disgust. "Come. Let's get the boy to safety before Paulson changes his mind."
I grabbed onto her hand and leaned forward to hold onto the kid. "Can you get Larsson to take us straight to Storm's place?"
She nodded within seconds Larsson appeared and whisked us from the room.
CHAPTER 5
WE REAPPEARED IN THE SPARSELY-decorated waiting area of City Deep, Storm's shelter. Storm, who had no last name as far as I knew. The same Storm who was a friend of Grandma Ivy's, and who--early in my career when I'd needed direction--had pointed me at Tara for weapons.
Storm was formidable, an Immortal who devoted his time and considerable clout to City Deep, the city-based clan that comprised all species, welcomed all strays, and helped them get back on their feet by teaching them the necessary skills for a fresh start.
Storm seemed too good to be true, but he wasn't. He was the best of the best and we were all so glad for it.
As our feet met solid ground, I tightened my grip around the boy's bony frame. Cassie helped me lift him and seat him on the sofa behind us.
"Watch him," I told her. "I'll fetch Storm."
Cassie arched her brows. "What? You trust me alone with him?"
I rolled my eyes and hurried out of the small front office and across the corridor to Storm's office. The place was quiet, as evening always were with Storm placing priority on homework before fun.
Storm had taken over a small hotel on the South side and converted it into his own shelter for kids. Dozens of homeless children lived here under his guardianship. They attended the local school and got themselves back on track all while he ensured they behaved themselves. So far, he seemed to be making a success of it.
Lily and Anjelo were both excellent examples of his success.
Storm had saved Lily Marks, my Lynx walker sidekick and friend, from a life on the streets. But for his intervention she'd have probably died of a drug-overdose. Many Walkers who struggled as she had with an inability to shift fully, often turned to drugs.
Anjelo Alvarez, on the other hand, had left Tukats our panther clan home in the mountains to follow in my stupid footsteps. Thanks to Storm he'd been able to steer clear of a lot of trouble until he reconnected with me.
He'd remodeled the entire ground floor of an old hotel, sectioning off areas for his personal apartment, maintenance, and office-space for himself and Chloe Murdoch, his Healer Mage assistant. The lobby he'd converted into the waiting room in which Cass now sat with the boy, and the old restaurant into a general dining and common room for the students who drifted in and out of the place.
The old hotel rooms had been converted into dorms for the dozens of people he took under his wing.
His door sat ajar as I reached it, a sure sign he was available. I knocked lightly against the frosted glass that made up the top half of the door and waited only seconds until a deep, sexy voice bade me enter.
I pushed the door open and walked in to find Storm was not alone.
A girl looked up from the side of Storm's desk, her hands filled with a stack of files. Her heart-shaped face, and deep brown eyes were familiar.
She gave me a shy smile and waited. Without the pasty makeup it would've been easy for me not to recognize her. But a few weeks back she'd been standing on the side of the road, barely sixteen, wasting her life in the world's oldest profession.
Her pimp had turned out to be a wraith whose life I'd happily erased, probably leaving his prostitutes with nobody to force them to keep working. I'd given this girl Storm's card for the Shelter and told her come to him if she needed anything. I thanked Ailuros she'd actually listened to me.
"Kailin," said Storm as he got to his feet. With his looks the man could be a supermodel--the cheerful smile on his way-too-beautiful face, the wide strong jaw that inspired trust in the kids and people around him, those deep eyes that let everyone know how much he cared. All that beauty and he spent his time here, helping people. Gorgeous and admirable.
"Hey," I said, coming to a halt in front of his paper-strewn desk. "You need a secretary."
"I have one," he waved a hand at the girl. "And we have you to thank for sending Niki to us."
I gave her a warm smile. "I'm so glad you came."
"You remember me?" she asked, her cheeks reddening.
I grinned. "Of course, I do." I jabbed a thumb at Storm. "Has he been good to you?"
"Better than I deserve," she said, her eyes darkening.
"We all deserve better than we think we should get," said Storm, his tone gently chiding as
he watched her. She gave a small smile and he continued, "Now Kailin, what can I do to help?"
"I have a new addition for you," I said. "But only if you want him. I'm not entirely sure you will, so I haven't left him on your doorstep in a cardboard box and taken off. He's in the waiting area with Cassie."
Storm nodded and rounded his desk. "Very well. Let's have a look at him."
He hurried off toward the waiting area with Niki and I close behind him. I wasn't sure she should witness Storm's assessment, but he knew me well enough to know chances were high I'd be bringing him a paranormal. His decision.
Just inside the door, Storm stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. "Niki, if you can get that filing finished, then you'll have plenty of time for your Chemistry homework." It wasn't a suggestion, but he phrased the command so nicely no one would argue with him.
Niki nodded and began to turn away. Then she stopped and looked straight at my face. "I want to thank you for what you did that day. You didn't need to save me, considering how I spoke to you. But you did, and for that I will always be grateful."
I smiled. She'd been a foulmouthed little creep that night and even Lily hadn't been impressed. But Niki had made the right choice and listened. Gotten out of the game. "I did what I always do. And you can thank me by making a good life for yourself. You've got a nice start here."
"I will. I promise." She did one of those little finger-waves and headed down the corridor.
I watched her leave, her thin body now slightly more rounded after a few weeks of decent food and no drugs. I gave a small nod as one success story walked off, then turned back to the waiting area hoping Storm would agree that another potential success story sat on his sofa.
The boy lay on his back on the sofa with Storm bent low studying his neck. Cassie stood a few feet away hovering a little like a protective parent.
I joined Storm. "How bad is it?" I asked, afraid of the answer.
"It's not reversible." His words killed the air.
Hope drained from me as if I'd been mortally injured. "So we can't save him?" Poor kid.
Storm shook his head. "Not from the vampirism. But once he's healed, we can rehabilitate him to live a relatively normal life in society."
My gaze snapped to Storm's face. "But he's been turned." Even I didn't think it was possible for a vampire to survive in the normal world.
"He's been turned, yes. But, with help, he can get back to a more healthy stable state. We can give him the support he needs. He hasn't spoken yet, but I'm pretty sure he's too old for school so we can find him some kind of proper work to do."
The boy's gaze shifted to Storm's face. "Hack . . ." he whispered.
Storm frowned and looked questioningly at me.
I shrugged. "Hacker?" I asked and received a weary nod from the boy.
Storm smiled as the boy watched him through half-closed lids. "Good. I have some IT work that needs updating."
That teased a smile from the kid. Encouraging.
"What's your name?" asked Storm.
"Baz," he rasped. "Sebastian Ross."
"Nice to meet you, Baz," I said giving him a nod over Storm's shoulder.
Storm straightened. "Right. We'll get him settled and I'll have Chloe come and give him a once-over." He turned to Cassie. "Infirmary?" he asked.
She was about to take Baz's arm when a gentle voice spoke from the doorway. "Niki said you needed me."
We all turned around. Chloe Murdoch stood in the doorway radiating calm as if it was something she sprayed on every morning like a fragrance. Her soft auburn curls were piled up on her head, delicate tendrils drifting to her shoulders. In her fifties she could easily pass for thirty.
I gave her a happy grin and gestured to the sofa. "Yes. The boy. Baz. He needs you."
Chloe went straight to him, and placed her pale hand on his dark arm. "Right, young man. All you need to do is relax. I can feel the tension and fear in you. You don't have to be afraid of anyone here. We are all here to help you."
When Baz glanced at Cassie, I stifled a snort.
"Yes," I said, keeping my features neutral. "Even Cassie."
His gaze flicked from Cassie's weak but encouraging smile, to my face, and then up to Chloe's. I'd bet the older woman's kinder features were much more attractive than either of ours. Poor kid had been through far too much.
His shoulders sank into the cheap satin pillows beneath him, as if an invisible layer of tension had weighed him down for all this time and had only now been lifted.
Chloe crouched down, her hand stroking his shoulder inches from his ravaged neck. "How do you feel?"
He nodded and his teeth glinted white against his dark skin. A soft smile if it were possible to ignore the sharp point of his canines.
"Tell us about yourself." Chloe continued to stroke. "That way we can get you the best kind of help."
"I'm from London." He said it a little defensively, his well-educated accent becoming more pronounced. "Born and bred."
And I understood. People of color didn't fit that well into the general idea of a highly educated Londoner. You'd think more along the lines of white. But for me, born-and-bred was enough.
When nobody challenged his claim, not even the only other Brit in the room, he said, "I went to Eton, studied programming. But I f- . . . I mean I was stupid. This guy got in touch with me on a programming forum. Wanted some sort of complicated code. We met. And yeah, now, I'm here."
"Was it the demon we killed?" I asked softly.
"You killed him?" He seemed to want confirmation even though I'd already told him the demon was dead.
"Yes. You don't have to worry about them anymore." I focused my attention on him. "How long were you in the house?" I didn't want to ask him how long he'd been beneath the floor.
His mouth twisted. "About two months. They took me there when I refused to write their program. I heard them say that once they turned me, I'd have no choice."
"Did you write it?"
He shook his head. "You killed him and the others will find the place empty when they get back."
Cassie was already hurrying out the room, phone in hand, to let Sentinel know that more vamp-demons were expected at the house.
"What was it they wanted you to do?" I asked softly, hoping he had the energy to keep talking. Judging by the gray undertone to his dark caramel skin, I didn't think he'd last much longer. And neither did Chloe. She gave me a stern glance.
Baz cleared his throat. "Hack into MI6."
The silence in the room pierced my ears.
"Why?' asked Chloe, now too intrigued to stop him.
"A terrorist," Baz said "One of their own. He was in trouble with MI6 and on their kill-list. He wanted off."
I'd bet he did. "Did you give them anything?"
He grinned. "Just a program that keeps going into an endless loop. They'll figure it out eventually but for now they will think it's working."
"Clever," said Chloe as she got to her feet. "Now, I think it's time you got some sleep. When you're rested, you can shower and change. In the meantime, we'll find a healer for that wound and see if we can also find someone to remove some of the virus."
"Remove it?" I asked, as Baz rested his head back against the sofa. Our questioning was taking a toll on him.
Chloe lifted a shoulder. "Only some of it. One of our skilled healers would be able to suck it out of his system, but he'd still have the virus in his bloodstream. He'd have to have regular visits as it builds up, but it will enable him to live a fairly normal life."
I blew out a sigh of relief just as Cassie entered the room.
"It's been fun ladies and gentlemen," she said. "But duty calls." Storm and Chloe nodded at her. Baz lifted his head from the pillow. "And you," she told him sternly, "behave yourself. Don't make me come back here to sort you out."
"Yes ma'am," he said with a weak smile.
It didn't take anyone long to see through Cassie. All bluster, but just a big marshmallow inside.
As Larsson appeared, I said, "Sure." I gave the small group a wave. "Take me home. I need a shower."
Cassie nodded, took my outstretched hand, and we melted away into the ether.
CHAPTER 6
THE SHOWER IN GRANDMA IVY'S en-suite was running when Larsson dropped Cassie and me in my living room.
I felt a rush of anticipation as I dropped my backpack beside the kitchen counter and headed to the sink. Seeing Grams when she came home, however brief her stay, was something I looked forward to and our teatimes were a pleasure I couldn't miss.
Even if we had company.
Things had been crazy for the last few weeks, so nuts that I'd barely noticed the absence of Cat, our pet feline. The last time I'd seen her was before I'd been thrown into the wraith world and found out my Mom was still alive. After that shock to my system I'd barely had time to think about mundane stuff like cats who have the habit of running off for weeks on end.
It's true when they say that dogs have owners but cats have staff.
I spent a few moments diligently scrubbing remnants of the demon's blood from my fingers before grabbing the kettle and filling it for tea.
"Ivy," Cassie said, giving the closed bedroom door a glance. She knew Grandma Ivy Odel pretty well. "Tell her I'm sorry I can't stay and chat. Sentinel wants me back at the vamp's hovel, overseeing this op."
She kept her backpack firmly on her shoulders and gave me a twist of a smile. "Have you thought any more about Sentinel's offer?"
I glanced up as I switched the kettle on. "I've given it a thought or two."
How was I supposed to turn her down? The Grande High Councils offer to join the Elite Corps was much more enticing than anything Sentinel or Omega could offer. But it will remain confidential until I confirmed my decision.
Cassie sighed.
"Why?" Although Cassie was a new friend she'd already gotten pretty close to me, and I suspected it was purely because I missed Tara's comforting presence so much. With my Fae bestie gone off to Ailuros-knew-where, I felt a bit on the lonely side.