“Yes.” He sighed. “I doubt you’re lying. I could drink from you and read those blood memories, but that seems… beneath me. Don’t you agree?”
Maya nodded furiously but avoided his glare.
“I don’t care who made the rogues,” he said in a low tone. “However, this mess all started with you and your irresponsible feeding habits.”
“Augustus—” Olivia interrupted.
“But since you are her maker, Olivia,” he said without taking his eyes off Maya, “then really, this is your problem. She is your responsibility, and therefore this is your mess. As punishment for running such a sloppy, unruly coven, this little troublemaker will be put down, and if you don’t find that rogue nest and eliminate it, then you and the rest of your coven are next.”
“It’s too bad you can’t show Maya the same mercy you showed your son,” Olivia said evenly. “But I suppose since he’s your biological son and not your vampire progeny, that’s why you were soft on him.”
Augustus stilled, and Doug saw the monster lurking behind the mask of calm.
“My son,” he seethed, “was sent into hibernation for fifty years by you. He more than paid his debt for his minor indiscretion.”
“Seems like a different set of rules, and if memory serves, the emperor is not a fan of breaking the rules or vampires who do.” Olivia’s amber eyebrows flew up, and a smile lit her gorgeous face as her voice dropped low. “You don’t think you’re above the emperor, do you?”
“I enforce the laws in this region, and it is up to me to decide what is acceptable and what isn’t. In addition, I’m certain that Emperor Zhao wouldn’t want to be bothered with this mess your coven is making,” he bit out. “Your maker offered you a chance to take your pathetic little troop and leave, but you refused. Since you’ve chosen to stay, you will accept my judgment.”
“Fine,” Olivia added quickly. “I’ll contact Vincent and tell him that we’ll leave with him tonight. All of us, including Maya.”
“It’s too late, Olivia.” Augustus glared down at them. “Vincent is gone. You made your choice, and now you and the rest of your coven will live with it.”
Doug watched as the two women on the platform looked at one another briefly before nodding in agreement. The men to the right did the same. The senators seemed more like puppets than freethinkers, and they disgusted Doug. Apparently, humans hadn’t cornered the market on being assholes.
The czar held all the power, and no one was willing to question him or stand up to him. Maya wept quietly, and sympathy tugged at his gut. She was just a kid. Not much different from Brittany or any number of victims he saw over the years. Vampire or not, Maya was a victim of the brutal world.
At least now Doug had a chance to stop a crime before it was committed.
“How about a trade?” Doug stepped forward and stood in the center of the room with his hands on his hips. He resisted the urge to draw his gun because he knew it wouldn’t end well for anyone. Himself, he didn’t care about. He was ready to die, but starting a bloody fight was too risky for Maya, Olivia, and Pete. “Me for her.”
What the hell are you doing, Paxton? Olivia’s panicked voice touched his mind. This is not a game.
“How dashing!” Augustus clapped his hands and looked curiously from Doug to Olivia. “You want to trade your life for Maya’s? Now that is refreshing!”
The senators perked up and whispered giddily to each other, which only irritated Doug. They had been alive for so long, they only found pleasure in the torment of others. Nice.
“Yeah.” Doug jutted his thumb toward Olivia. “Olivia and I will hunt down the rogues. When the job’s done, then you can kill me instead of the girl” He shrugged casually. “No harm, no foul. A life for a life.”
“Doug, no,” Olivia pleaded. She placed her hand on his arm and pulled him to face her. Her brow furrowed, and her voice hovered just above a whisper. “Please.”
Please don’t do this. The pleading look in her eyes was matched by the tone in her voice, and it tore at his heart. Doug swallowed the lump that formed in his throat as he kept his resolute gaze locked with hers. “So, do we have a deal, Augustus?”
“Just when I think I’m bored to tears, someone comes along and spices things up. My goodness, I thought New York City was going to be exciting, but it wasn’t until this rogue nonsense.” Augustus laughed louder and ascended the stairs to his seat. “We have a deal, Detective Paxton. Put down the rogues, and I will release the girl, taking your life in exchange for hers.” He frowned and played with the roping on his robe. “To ensure that you do as I command, the girl will remain here.”
“Damn it.” Olivia dropped her hand and stepped away from Doug, turning her full attention to the czar. “How do I know that you won’t harm Maya before we return?”
“She will stay under my protection.” Shane flew down the steps next to Maya. “I have been a sentry for four centuries and have pledged my life to the Presidium. You have my word that she will not be harmed.”
“How chivalrous,” Augustus said with sarcasm. “You beat me to the punch, Sentry Quesada. You see, neither of the sentries will be aiding you, Olivia. You and your newest progeny will hunt on your own.” Augustus grinned wickedly. “Be back here in forty-eight hours, or I’ll assume that you failed, and the girl will be put down… along with the rest of your coven.”
Pete started to protest, but Olivia raised her hand to stop him. Doug’s focus remained on Augustus, and though his fingers itched to grab his gun, he refrained from starting a bloodbath and let Olivia continue.
“You are absolutely right.” She turned her attention to Shane and Pete. “I would trust any sentry with my life and the lives of my family.” She smiled sweetly at Augustus. “Not that I think our esteemed czar would go back on his word, of course.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He sighed. “Now be gone.”
Doug nodded to Augustus and followed Olivia, Pete, and Shane into the main hall.
“That is one cold bunch of assholes,” Doug said tightly.
Olivia looked at him intently. “Not all of us are like that,” she said quietly.
Doug stared into those pools of green, and the need to touch her, to cradle her beautiful face, clawed at him. He knew she wasn’t a monster. He saw the look on her face when Augustus threatened her coven, and the fear was evident. Olivia was a good soul, and no matter what, she would never revel in the pain of another the way Augustus did.
Doug, however, was another story. Ever since he was turned, all he could think about was finding the bastard that killed Tom and drinking him dry. He tore his gaze from Olivia and headed toward the exit. Looked like he was a monster, after all.
Chapter 11
Xavier stood on a stool at his lab table in his stained, white lab coat, so engrossed in what he was doing that at first Olivia thought he didn’t notice they were there.
A moment later, he raised his pudgy hand and waved them in without looking up.
“A friend of yours?” Doug had kept one hand on the gun tucked in the back of his pants since they had left Augustus and the senators. She couldn’t blame him. He endured a whirlwind introduction to his new world, and he was handling it pretty well—aside from the desire to kill himself, or more to the point, let Augustus kill him. How on earth was she going to stop that from happening?
“Friends?” Xavier laughed loudly and flew down from his perch to meet them. “You bet your ass we’re friends. I moved my lab to New York just so I could be close to her.”
He leaped into Olivia’s arms and gave her a vigorous hug. She laughed and hugged him back with equal fervor.
“Good to see you, old friend.” She looked at Doug as she held the scientist. “Xavier is the best weapons man in the business, and his inventions have saved my ass more times than I can count.”
“Right.” Doug nodded, and Olivia could tell he was trying not to stare at Xavier.
He was a dwarf, and in his human life, he worked with a c
ircus, living on the rails until his maker found him and turned him. His shock of white hair made him look like a miniature version of Albert Einstein. Xavier gave Olivia a kiss on the cheek before jumping from her arms and flying back to his stool.
“What’s the matter, big guy?” Xavier scooped up two vials of blood and looked intently at Doug. “Never seen a little person before?”
“Well, not one that’s a vampire,” Doug said bluntly.
“Fair enough.” Xavier chuckled and held the two vials out for Olivia. “Pete told me that the synthetic blood from the rogue worked, so I whipped up more. I’m betting that the first dose you took wore off or will soon.”
“It did.” She nodded. “I dusted the one that attacked Paxton.”
She took the vials from Xavier and watched Doug take stock of the lab. She noticed that one of the first things he did was survey the space around him, and it was one habit that would help when they were hunting.
“Here.” She held one out to Doug. “Drink it. It’s a synthetic version of Rogue One’s blood and will help us track him. If he’s in the area, we’ll be able to pick up his scent pretty easily, and it will make it difficult for him to sneak up on us.”
Doug uncorked it, took a whiff, and grimaced.
“Rogues created by rogues are usually a little crazy because they haven’t been properly trained or guided by their makers.” She shrugged and tossed the empty vial into a trash bin on the other side of the room. “The blood you drank earlier was from one of our human donors and had been cleaned.”
“It may be more than that, Olivia.” Xavier scratched his head and smoothed his white hair as he gave her a curious look.
“Like what?” Olivia adjusted the gun at her hip and inched closer to the table.
“I’m not entirely sure.” He pursed his lips. “It could be the essence of the vampire—Rogue One is pure evil. Or he was created by another rogue.”
Doug swallowed again and chucked his empty tube in the trash as well.
“No helping the bad taste, I’m afraid. Maybe if I could figure out why it tasted like that, then I’d be able to fix it.” Xavier hopped from the stool and waddled to the back wall. He pushed a button on the left, and the stainless steel wall slid open, revealing a deadly arsenal. Xavier grinned mischievously and ran a hand over his goatee.
“However, I can help with something else.”
“Son of a bitch,” Doug breathed.
Olivia watched him and smiled. The look on his face could only be described as a kid at Christmas. He ran his fingertips over one of the new guns with an expression of awe, wonder, and excitement.
“See?” Olivia sidled up next to him and elbowed him playfully. “There are some perks.”
“I always did appreciate a nice weapon.” Doug smirked and gave her a sidelong glance. “You’re right,” he said as his eyes wandered over her face. “There are some perks.”
Olivia kept her eyes locked with his and wondered briefly if he felt a smidgen of the attraction that she did. Was it possible that he didn’t hate her for making him like her? She opened her mouth but shut it again quickly.
What the hell was she doing? There was no time for childish nonsense or hormone-driven fantasy. She straightened her back and turned her attention to Xavier. She was afraid she might dissolve into a weeping mess, clinging to Doug and begging him not to leave her again.
“Did you finish the UV ammunition?”
“Yes,” Xavier said enthusiastically. He pointed to two large stainless steel guns with laser sighting. “These are the prototypes.” He lowered his voice and looked around, as if worried someone else might hear. “They are supposed to go to Shane and Pete, since they are our sentries, but it looks like the two of you get to try them first.”
Olivia lifted both guns from their spots on the wall and handed one to Doug as Xavier passed each a full ammunition belt. They strapped on the belts and loaded up their new weapons with the ease of experience.
“Impressive,” Xavier said as he watched Doug load his gun. His white eyebrows furrowed. “When exactly were you turned? You seem remarkably comfortable with your new situation.”
“Today.” Doug settled the gun in the belt’s holster. “Why?”
“Hmmm.” Xavier stroked his goatee and looked from Olivia to Doug. “It’s unusual but not unheard of.”
“Really?” Olivia said while inspecting her new toy, trying to seem nonchalant. “I was going to ask you about that. Doug’s turn only took twelve hours, and he slipped into being a vampire the way I can slip into a pair of great heels. Any idea why he seems to be… well… a natural vampire?”
Xavier remained silent but continued to look back and forth between the two of them. Olivia squirmed and couldn’t help but think that Xavier suspected there was more to her relationship with Doug than being his maker.
“Anything unusual for you, Olivia?” He flew to his stool and looked Olivia up and down. “You have turned a few vampires in your day. Is there anything different about his change as far as you are concerned?”
“She can only telepath with me now,” Doug added. “No one but me.”
Olivia shot him a look that could kill. “It’s nothing,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Doesn’t sound like nothing,” Xavier said quietly. He looked back and forth between them before waving his hand dismissively. “Then again, it could be an aberration, you know, a one-time thing. If your telepathy with the rest of your progeny doesn’t return in a few days, let me know.”
Olivia felt Doug staring at her as his voice touched her mind intimately. My gut tells me it’s not nothing, and based on your tense body language, you know more than you’re letting on.
“Tell us more about these new weapons, Xavier,” Olivia said, breaking the mental connection with Doug, which was similar to slamming a door in his face. “What do we need to know?”
Doug swore under his breath and paced behind her with his hands on his hips. He wanted answers, but now was not the time for that conversation, no matter how much she may wish it were.
“Now,” Xavier continued, “if these bullets perform as I believe they will, then you don’t need to hit a vamp in the head or heart. The UV light within the casing of the bullet should turn our rogue friends into dust upon contact. Questions?”
“Nope.” Doug shook his head and rested his hand on the gun at his narrow hips. “Point and shoot. Got it.”
“Thank you, Xavier,” Olivia said before placing a kiss on his white-haired head. “You always come through. We’ll be sure to return these prototypes when we’re done.”
“See that you do.” Xavier squeezed her hand and whispered, “Be careful, Olivia. It’s been a while since you hunted as a sentry.” He flicked his gray eyes to Doug. “It worries me that Augustus is sending you out there without Shane or Pete.”
“It’s a game.” Doug folded his arms over his chest and turned his serious eyes to Olivia. “He wants to see if we can do it. If we do, then he gets the rogues put down and gets to kill me in exchange for Maya. If we get killed in the process, he gets rid of both of us and kills the rest of Olivia’s coven.” Doug shrugged. “It’s a win-win for him and will entertain him at the same time.”
As Olivia and Doug made their way through the catacombs beneath the Cloisters, she tried not to think about what Doug said. It was a game to Augustus. Maya. The rogues. Getting her and Doug to hunt alone—all designed to entertain his bored two-thousand-year-old ass.
Olivia led the way up a dark, stone staircase, and they reached what looked like a dead end, but she pulled an iron handle to her left, and a massive door hidden in the wall swung open. They stepped through the opening and into the Unicorn Tapestry room of The Cloisters. Olivia didn’t miss the low whistle Doug let out when the fireplace closed behind them.
They stood silently in the dark, almost reverently, as Doug moved closer to inspect the famous tapestry.
“I’ve never been in here,” he said quietly. “I’ve lived
in the city for over ten years and never stepped foot in here before today. I was never much of a museum guy, I guess, but if I had known about all the cool shit in here, I would’ve made a point to come. Gotta admit though, I never thought I would come in through a secret entrance in a fireplace.”
“There are several entrances, but this room is my favorite. The Hunt of the Unicorn is beautiful and tragic. Unicorns were hunted to extinction by humans so long ago that their existence has been turned into nothing more than fantasy.”
“Did you ever see one?”
“No,” Olivia said through a laugh. She put her hands on her hips and shot him a playful look. “Just how old do you think I am?”
“Not sure.” Doug faced her with a look of amusement and inched closer. “But if memory serves, it’s best not to answer this question from a woman. It’s a no-win scenario.”
“Well, wise guy,” she said, meeting his challenge. “The unicorns went extinct over three thousand years ago, and for your information, I’m only about three hundred, thank you very much.”
“Don’t look a day over twenty-five,” he murmured.
His bright blue eyes studied her intently as his towering form invaded her space. May I kiss you, Olivia? His mind whispered through hers as he brushed the line of her jaw with his thumb. Olivia nodded silently. There was something both innocent and erotic in the way he asked. The enticingly wicked sound of his voice rippled through her mind.
Olivia’s feet seemed nailed to the floor as he wavered closer, and his legs brushed temptingly along hers. Bathed in moonlight, Olivia held his hand against her cheek as Doug leaned down, gently capturing her lips.
Tenderly at first, caressing her mouth with his, he cradled her face in his hands as though she might break. Olivia sighed as his tongue slid between her lips and tangled slowly, tenderly with hers. He suckled her bottom lip briefly before releasing it and placing a kiss at the corner of her mouth.
“I’m addicted to the taste of you,” he murmured against her lips.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway captured their attention, breaking the spell.
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