by Misty Evans
Maddy sat forward, set her chin on the back of my seat. “What are you going to do about Rad?”
Damn. I’d almost forgotten about him and his fiancé. “No time to worry about that right now.”
“I can’t believe he did that to you.”
Touching the Hello Kitty pendant, I clenched my jaw and stared out the window. “Neither can I.”
As I’d predicted, we arrived at Sweet Investigations eight point six minutes later. JR was fanning an official looking document hot off the ink jet printer in his office. A bunch of the boxes he’d piled in the corners were open, the contents gone, and packing materials everywhere. “What did you buy?” I asked him. “And how much did it cost me?”
He kept his eyes on the floor as he handed me the fake Bridge injunction. “It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“It’s a Christmas present, all right?” Handing me another piece of paper, he knocked a couple boxes out of the way to get back to his desk. “Just don’t go in your office.”
The first Kali law of physics: don’t tell me not to do something.
Folding the papers and sticking them in a cape pocket, I brushed past Maddy, who’d followed me in, and beelined for my office. The room was dark, and as I stepped across the threshold, I reached for the light switch. Didn’t need to. The moment my foot breached the threshold, the lights came on.
A woman’s modulated voice came from unseen speakers. “Welcome, boss. How may I assist you?”
The entire west side of my office had been turned into NASA command control. High-tech flat screens nearly covered it from floor to ceiling. On the sides, a series of clocks showed different time zones from all around the world. Each of the TV screens sprang to life, showing me views of the Bridge Institute, my house, the parking lot outside Sweet Investigations and more. There was one dedicated to Carpathia, another showed the front entrance to Di’s place. A third, Neve’s. I could keep eyes on everyone and everything I cared about.
CNN ran on a lower screen in the corner. Opposite that, one of the Underworld movies was playing.
“Oh, my God,” Maddy said.
“Not God,” the female voice over our heads countered. “Sophia, keeper of the knowledge of all that is righteous and just.”
JR scrambled in behind me. “I know you don’t do Christmas, so, happy holidays, boss.”
Holy hell. For once, I was speechless.
My techie guru headed for the desk. The piles of files and paperwork had been cleaned off, probably by Di, and the old, outdated PC had been replaced by…nothing. The only thing on the desk was a metal cube the size of a cigarette lighter.
“I named her Sophia, after the goddess in Michelangelo’s painting. You know the one?”
Sophia is considered by some practitioners of Gnostic and Judeo-Christian ideologies to be the Mother of All. The Mother of Creation. Wisdom in its purest female form. “The Sistine chapel. Yes, I know.”
“Sophia,” JR said.
“Yes, master.” His solemn eyes jumped to my face, back down. “That, uh, master thing? I was just testing her out. I’ll switch it so she calls you master, instead, if you want.”
“Boss is fine.” I was still somewhat dumbstruck.
“Sophia, keyboard.”
“Yes, master.” A small red light on the cube came on and a red laser keyboard appeared under JR’s fingertips.
Did I mention, holy hell?
He tapped the virtual keys and one of the wall screens, the one of the Bridge Institute, switched to a scene at O’Hare. Terminal 5. “This is just like an ordinary keyboard, but I’ve installed some shortcuts. You can use voice commands for the normal views, but for specific places like the airport, you’ll have to type in the location. Everything you see on screen is also being recorded, so you can go back and look at particular places at precise times. Not only will it help with security protocol, but maybe with cases too. You can type in a subject’s address and Sophia will put eyes on them for however long you want. If you know places they hang out or want to capture evidence about who’s coming to see them, she’ll be able to run surveillance twenty-four-seven if there’s any camera in the area or I’ll install one that she can tap into. There are so many municipal and private security systems and cameras anymore…” He shrugged. “I probably won’t have to rig up many of our own.”
I scanned the screens once more, noticed one I’d missed. “Is that the Vatican?”
Another shrug. This one smug.
“I think it’s official, JR.”
“What?”
“You’re getting a raise.”
Was that a smile? It was over so fast, I wasn’t sure. “You better wait on that until you see the credit card bill.”
“Sophia?” I asked.
“Yes, boss.”
“Give JR a raise.”
“I have given JR a five percent raise, starting with his next paycheck.”
“Make it eight percent.”
“I have given JR an eight percent raise, starting with his next paycheck.”
Maddy was grinning from ear to ear, pacing around the screens. “Sophia? Can you get SoapNet on one of these screens?”
Sophia answered yes and the main screen flipped to two people in a heavy embrace. I snagged her by the arm. “Come on, Maddy, we’ve got some staking to do.”
We said our goodbyes to JR and Sophia and returned to the car.
Chapter Forty-one
“That took long enough,” the gruff War demon said when we climbed in.
Maddy slammed her door shut. “Best. Christmas. Present. Ever.”
Cole gave me an inquisitive eyebrow lift as he shifted into drive and we left the parking lot. “Airport?”
“Chloe’s,” I said.
A set of arms snaked around my neck from the backseat. Maddy’s head leaned into mine as she gave me a hug. “Do I get a raise?”
“You’re not on the payroll.”
“Remind me again why that is.”
“You’re my friend, not an employee.”
“Being your friend is o-rated. I want to work for you.”
“I don’t hire vampires. Too undependable.”
She smacked the back of my head. “But I do stuff for you all the time.”
“True. And you’re fairly dependable. Which is why I feed you, clothe you and let you crash with me on a daily basis.”
She slumped back into her seat. “Merry Christmas to me.”
“What’s at Chloe’s?” Cole said. “Thought we were heading to Carpathia and then hunting down that asshat Toel.”
“We are.” I dug out my cellphone, dialed the Tempter demon. “One more pit stop before Carpathia.”
Chloe was not happy when she finally answered her phone. “This better be an emergency of hell-size proportions, Kali Sweet, for you to wake me at this unlawful hour.”
While it looked like it was closer to midnight outside, it was actually eight o’clock in the morning. Like most of us, Chloe worked nights and slept days. “It is, Chloe, otherwise, I would never have bothered you. I need three or four large bore syringes and I’m on my way to pick them up right now.”
Her light southern accent grew deeper. “Whatever in Satan’s name do you need large bore syringes for? Heart surgery?”
“Close. You do have some, don’t you?”
“Why, of course, I do.” She sighed as if I were a pesky child begging for a piece of candy. “I’ll have them ready when you get here.”
“Love you, Chloe.”
“Um, hmm.” She hung up.
“I’m going to have Sophia put me on the payroll,” Maddy announced from the backseat. “And I’m clocking my hours as of today.”
“Who the hell is Sophia?” Cole asked.
“My Christmas gift from JR.” I pocketed my phone. “Then you better get ready to work, Mads. I only hire the best and I don’t put up with lazy vampires.”
She slung her arms around my neck again. “I’ll help you take out
the bottom feeders, but my real job is going to be taking care of you.”
I exchanged a look with Cole. “If you haven’t noticed, I have a bodyguard.”
She huffed. “Am I not the one who uncovered Rad’s two-timing ass?”
Cole smirked. I unhitched her arms from around my neck, ignoring the sudden pressure in my diaphragm. There was nothing to say to that. The old wound had scabbed over but never healed. Seeing Radison Beaumont, the only male I’d ever loved, in that magazine with Parker Burkett made my stomach twist in a familiar and unwelcome manner.
But I wasn’t that seventeen-year-old demon anymore. I’d lived through his betrayal in the past and I’d do it again if necessary.
Chapter Forty-two
Chloe didn’t just have the syringes ready for me, she met us on the sidewalk in front of her place and climbed into the car with an old timey black doctor’s bag. “I assume this has to do with that dying Master vampire I’ve heard so much about?”
The sky was dark enough, streetlamps were on. The only streetlamp on Chloe’s block that hadn’t been shot out illuminated her smooth black skin through the car window. “It does, but I doubt there’s anything you can do for him. Carpathia’s resident doctor couldn’t.”
She waved at Cole to drive. “What is it you think you’re going to do for him?”
“Yeah,” Maddy piped in. “What are you going to do to Dru?”
I hadn’t planned on sharing my idea with anyone outside of the vamp himself. All they would do was try to talk me out of it or tell me I was insane. “A hail Mary attempt to save his life. The Central Region needs him.” I need him. “If he dies, chaos will erupt in the Undead world. That’s all you need to know.”
Skeptical looks abounded. They wouldn’t be the only ones I’d see that day.
At Carpathia’s gate, we were momentarily stopped since I hadn’t called ahead. The guards on duty knew me, knew I was queen, but someone—Stephan?—had ordered I not be allowed on the grounds. Hmm. Seemed like a certain vampire needed schooling.
I flashed my Bridge badge and a stake at the guard leaning in my window. “Open the gate or die.”
Simple. Works every time. Or at least once in a while.
The large gates crept open. The moment the Land Rover would fit through, Cole accelerated. We drove the circular driveway, stopped at the bottom of the front stairs. The mansion was locked down for the day, windows shuttered. I expected to have to ring the doorbell more than once, but as I jogged up the stairs, my retinue of friends behind me, Oliver opened the door. He hesitated only slightly at seeing me, then bowed low. “Queen Kali. We were not expecting you.”
I didn’t want to hassle the old blood slave and I figured he’d gotten the don’t let Kali Sweet through the doors memo, but no one was going to stop me from seeing Dru. If he was still alive. “I’m here to see Master Alexandru.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
“Is he…did he…”
Oliver took pity on my stumbling inability to say the word die. “Master Alexandru is still with us. His brothers, however, request he not be disturbed in his final hours.”
I figured as much. Removing the faked Bridge document, I held it in front of his face. “I’m here on official business.”
Silence descended as Oliver looked the paper over thoroughly. I wasn’t worried about JR’s handiwork. It would pass inspection, even by Damon. I was, however, out of patience. “Move out of the way, Oliver, or I’ll move you out of the way.”
The slave swept backwards and bowed us through.
Taking the steps to the next floor two at a time, I wound Volante around my wrist and loaded one hand with a cherry wood stake. The house was quiet, most of its occupants in their coffins or beds, and that was good. I preferred not to stake anyone if I didn’t have to.
The minute I hit the second floor and rounded the corner, that intention went to hell. Heading to Dru’s room at the far end of the hallway, an extra layer of magic hit me. A strong layer, laced with royal blood, although not full of it like Stephan’s. Brianna, standing guard at the Master vamp’s bedroom door, shifted the moment she saw me. Every atom in her system went on defense.
Then she saw Cole and her body softened, her fight instinct deflating by a generous amount. Her spicy scented magic flared with desire. Inside my veins, Dru’s blood called to her, and in turn, hers responded. The back and forth see-sawing motion, combined with my dislike of the vampire bodyguard and my slight jealousy of her relationship to Cole, woke my demon. If I’d had fangs, I would have bared them.
She immediately sensed my threat as if it were an accusation, a challenge. It was both of those things and more. No one was going to stop me from seeing Dru, and I was as protective of my bodyguard as he was of me, regardless if it was any of my business or not who he fucked.
Going on the attack once more, Bri crouched and met my gaze full on. “You are not welcome here, Kali Sweet.”
I kept walking straight for those doors. “I’m your queen, Brianna. Move, or I’ll stake you for insubordination.”
She stood her ground, bared her teeth. Ding, ding, ding. The vamp wanted to do things the hard way. My favorite.
Vamp speed is nothing to sneeze at. Vamp strength, either. If I hadn’t already gone a couple of rounds with Brianna at the training center, I might not have expected her to be exceptional in both areas even for a vampire. She led with a roundhouse kick to my face, which I anticipated. It was her go-to move any time she initiated a fight. Blocking it and grabbing onto her leg, I spun her around and slammed her against the wall. The crack of her nose breaking made my demon smile. Then I yanked her by the hair and threw her down the hallway, where she hit the banister, pinwheeled around and took out several spindles.
She wasn’t down for more than a minute, jumping to her feet and running at me. This time, though, Cole stepped in front of her and shut her down. He body-locked her with his arms, her momentum swinging them around, but it was enough. I left him to deal with his girlfriend, opened the door to Dru’s room and led Maddy and Chloe inside.
The room was dark, lit only by the prolific digital equipment on the far end, the shades and heavy drapes drawn against a nonexistent sun. In the center of the bed was a mound of blankets.
I expected Dru’s brothers to be keeping vigil. At the very least, the House physician monitoring his deterioration. There was no one, and where the rest of the house had been eerily silent, his room was filled with the sound of rap music, but even at the fairly high-decibel it played at, it did nothing to mask the sounds of his distressed breathing and the death rattle of his lungs.
In the semi-darkness, Chloe and I shared a depressed look, then went to work. We flanked the bed and I turned on the lamp in the corner so we could find Dru under the covers.
His face was so pale, I would have sworn he was already dead. Maddy snatched up the remote to his equipment and lowered the volume of the music. Chloe opened her doctor’s bag and removed a long stretch of rubber, several syringes and a needle, the size of which made me a little queasy.
Hey, even demons hate needles.
Removing my cape and rolling up my sleeve, I gave her my arm as I sat on the bed next to the vamp. Volante was pulsing against my wrist, so I waved off the rubber tourniquet and let my whip do the job instead. Chloe seemed to know what I was going to do without me explaining anything, so she went to work attaching a glass vial to the syringe.
Averting my attention from that awful needle, I stroked Dru’s face. “Hang in there, Master. I’m going to help you out.”
His eyes moved under the lids but he was too far gone to respond or even open them. I wasn’t sure he’d even heard me. I found his hand under the covers and pulled it out, clasping it tight and trying to will my determination into him. I let my magic rise and blanket him, then reached out with my mind and pushed at his. Stay with me.
Chloe didn’t warn me she was about to stab my arm, so I jumped a little when the needle hit. My demon h
issed as blood poured from my vein and collected in the glass vial. I held my breath and watched Dru’s face.
A second vial filled with my blood. The blood loss was small and wasn’t bothering me. Or so I thought until the door opened behind us and I whirled my head around to see Cole being pushed through by two of Dru’s hulking brothers. Stephan brought up the rear, smirking.
That smirk tipped slightly to one side along with the rest of the vamp as dizziness struck. I leveraged my body against the bed, but moved so jerkily, Chloe had to hold onto my arm to keep the needle in place.
“You are not allowed to be in this room, in this house, demon,” Stephan said. “Get out or I will have you removed from the premises.”
Maddy grabbed my cape, tossed the Bridge document at him. “Official biz, Steve-o.”
“Get the other document out, too.” I nodded at my cape. “As queen of the Central United States Undead, I hereby relieve the Master of Carpathia of his duties according to Canon Law MXIII, footnote 2A. In his place, I take charge of the operations of this House and act as Master until a new suitable Master is secured.”
My demon and I smiled at Stephan as he took the proffered papers and read them through. If there’s one thing that will stop a vampire, besides a good staking, it’s politics.
Chloe was almost done filling the third vial. I released my hold on Dru’s hand, removed Volante from my bicep. She curled over Dru’s body as if protecting him. “I hereby, as queen, and as acting Master of Carpathia, and as enforcer of the Bridge Institute, order all of you out of this room. If you refuse to obey my orders, I’ll have you physically removed from this room, from this house,” I mimicked Stephan. “And just for grins and giggles, from this city.”
He stood his ground, his brothers a silent but formidable wall behind him. “Give it your best shot, Ms. Sweet.”
I knew he was going to say that. Chloe must have too. She withdrew the needle in one swift movement at the same time as I rose, Volante in hand, and snapped the whip over her head at the vamp I most wanted to take a little revenge on. Not for me—because, of course, I can’t take revenge for myself—but for Dru.