Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  “We’ll find out soon enough.” Brendan yawned, his exhaustion catching up with him.

  “There’s a bed through there.” Seth pointed. “Go rest and I’ll wake you if that little guy comes back in one piece.”

  “I’ve a feeling he will and I truly am sorry, Seth.” Brendan murmured as he made his way through to a bedroom, sinking down onto the mattress and allowing his body the rest it desperately craved.

  “So am I.” He heard Seth mumble as he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  “My name is Kuan. Seth sent me to help the person that is injured.”

  “Get Valentine.” The guard on the door yelled as the very small Chinese man walked up the stairs towards them. “Stop.”

  Kuan halted and patiently waited, his eyes seeing the disbelief in the guard’s eyes at his sudden appearance on the sidewalk. A few moments passed before a tall blond man rushed out. His cold eyes taking in everything about Kuan.

  “Seth sent you?”

  “Yes. I understand you require someone to be healed and I can help you.”

  Valentine cocked his head to the side. “You’re no Witch.”

  “No,” Kuan agreed. “I’m not. However, I can help, so please take me to the person that is in need of my assistance.”

  Valentine waved two further guards out from their position just inside the large door. “Guard him. Don’t take your eyes off him or you’ll answer to me.”

  “Sir,” The guards said at the same time before taking up position on either side of Kuan.

  “Follow me.” Valentine about turned and strode inside quickly. His long legs eating up the marble floor as he led Kuan to the elevator.

  “What are you?” Valentine asked as they got in and he pressed the button for the top floor.

  Kuan shrugged. “I’m just someone that wishes to help and has the means to do so. I do not wish ill will to anyone here.”

  “You better not,” Valentine snarled. “If you do I’ll be the one to take you down and I won’t be gentle.”

  “Valentine, so much anger inside you.” Kuan looked up into the Vampire’s face. “You need to let it go. It was not your fault that she died.”

  Valentine lurched forward, pushing Kuan up against the back of the elevator, his hand around his throat as he spat out. “What? What did you say?”

  Kuan raised an eyebrow but said nothing so Valentine shook him hard. “I asked you a question. What did you say?”

  “Please release me.” Kuan reached up and gently removed Valentine’s hand. “You need to release the anger you have inside you.”

  Valentine stepped back as the guards studiously ignored the commotion happening in front of them. “We’ll finish this conversation later.”

  “Certainly.” Kuan’s face remained calm and impassive as the elevator doors opened.

  “This way.” Valentine took hold of Kuan’s shoulder to usher him into Cassius’ apartment.

  “Boss, he’s here,” Valentine announced and a moment later Cassius rushed through from the bedroom where he’d been spending more and more time over the past week.

  Cassius gazed intently at Kuan. “You’re Seth?”

  “No.” Kuan stepped forward. “My name is Kuan but Seth sent me and I can help whoever it is that needs healing.”

  “Why should we trust you?” Cassius walked around the much smaller man, taking everything about him in and processing the information quickly. “What are you?”

  “I’ve been asked that many times but all you need to know is that I can help.” Kuan looked up into Cassius’ face. “That’s if you still need it?”

  “Yes,” Cassius said tight-lipped. “However, you must understand my reluctance to let you inside a room where someone lies incapacitated when I have no idea what you are.”

  “I think you need to trust me.” Kuan nodded toward the bedroom door. “I can feel her and she is fading fast, Cassius. Do you wish her to die while we debate whether I am here to help? Or, do we go inside and I save her life?”

  Cassius looked out the door of his apartment, motioning the guards inside. “Stay near and if it looks as if he’s going to do harm then kill him. Quickly. Understand?”

  The guards nodded as Valentine whispered, “With pleasure.”

  Cassius marched towards the bedroom as Kuan, Valentine and the guards followed. As soon as they entered, Cassius could see that Marie was indeed fading fast. “Help her,” he ordered, his heart thudding in his chest at the mere thought of her dying.

  “I will.” Kuan stepped forward, stopping next to the bed and looked down at Rose. “She is very weak and the damage has grown. Were you aware of this?”

  Cassius growled, barely restraining his anger. “Yes.”

  Kuan looked over his shoulder as Cassius tried to hide his concern. “I’ll do my best,” Kuan said as he turned back to face Rose.

  “Your best had better be her full recovery,” Cassius snapped harshly.

  Kuan closed his eyes, placing his hands over Rose’s head and started to chant quietly. A second later his hands started to glow and Cassius gasped as Valentine swore. Kuan didn’t appear to have heard as he didn’t even flinch. The glow growing and lighting the dark room to almost daylight. A slight purple entered the yellowish color that now covered Kuan’s hands, lower arms and Rose’s head.

  “What the fuck is he?” Valentine cursed again as he stepped forward.

  “Don’t care,” Cassius whispered. “If he can save her, I don’t give a shit what he is.”

  As the light completely encased Rose’s head they all saw her hands twitch, then a foot, and finally she gasped as her eyes flew open. As the glowing light disappeared Kuan smiled down at her. “I’m glad you are better, my dear.”

  “Who the hell are you?” she asked as she sat up quickly, her hand flying to her head as dizziness overcame her.

  “Please,” Kuan murmured softly. “You still need to rest and you need sustenance. I feel you have not had food for many days. That needs rectifying. You should be fine in a couple of days once you’ve rested and eaten. If you wait a moment I’ll heal your arm.”

  Again the man held his hands out, this time over the cast on Rose’s arm. Another glowing light appeared and seemed to seep inside the cast for a brief moment before dissipating. “There. All healed.” Kuan smiled at her.

  Cassius pushed Kuan out of the way, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking hold of a hand. “How do you feel?”

  Rose looked around, seeing Valentine and two of his guards standing at the end of the bed. “Hmm, a little awkward. Why are they here?”

  “Go,” Cassius ordered quickly.

  Valentine went over to Kuan and was in the process of leading him out of the room when Cassius stopped him. “Keep him in the other room. I wish to speak to him once I’m done here. Also, can you find Sue to get some food sent up, please?”

  Val grunted. “Okay, boss.” Before leading Kuan and his guards out of the room.

  “Now, how are you feeling? Do you still have the pain in your head?”

  Rose shook her head and was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t feel pain or nausea. “No, I feel fine. Tired and hungry but otherwise I feel okay. Who is he?”

  Cassius beamed at her and her heart sped up. His face changing into one of the most handsome she’d come across with that smile playing on his lips. “I’m not sure who he is but he said Seth sent him. You remember I said a man called Seth was coming? Or, maybe you don’t, you were a little out of it at the time. Anyway, this man, Kuan, arrived and told us Seth sent him and he could heal you. I must admit I was a tad dubious but looks like he’s done what he said he could.”

  Rose kept her face impassive as Cassius spoke, hiding her discomfort at the mention of Seth. To say she was curious about the man that healed her was putting it mildly. If he came here with Seth then she needed to speak to him and possibly get a message out. “I’d like to thank him.”

  “I’m going to go and talk to him. I have
a few questions I’d like answered but when you’ve eaten and I’m finished with him, I’ll let you see him.”

  “Thank you, oh, could you get this removed?” Rose shook the arm encased in the cast.

  “Sure, I’ll get Sue to do it when she brings the food.”

  Rose then looked around the room. “Hmm, maybe you want me to move out of here now? This is your room and I’ve kinda hijacked it for a while.”

  “No.” Cassius shook his head. “You’re staying here until I know for sure you’re one hundred percent okay. I’ll have the doctor return in a day or two to check you over. Just to be on the safe side.”

  *****

  Rose looked into his deep, dark eyes and swore she could see concern for her. That was nonsense though. This was her target. A bad person. Someone that was capable of terrible atrocities. She shouldn’t be thinking his eyes were like dark pools of chocolate. No. She definitely shouldn’t be having those thoughts.

  Cassius patted her hand as he got up. “I’ll be back to check on you soon. Try and rest and eat whatever it is Sue brings you.”

  “Okay,” she mumbled as he left. Her mind in turmoil as she realized Basilius would’ve been expecting updates, information, and news of her mission. Shit. A week had passed and she’d done nothing except lie in her target’s bed. And who the hell was the man that’d healed her? If he knew Seth then she had to talk to him to get a message to Seth.

  This mission was going from bad to worse and she began to think that this man, Allarde, wasn’t quite what Basilius had portrayed. She’d be in deep trouble if she welched on the assignment. Pissing off the new Head of the Council was bad enough but doing so to a powerful Demon was almost suicide.

  Fuck! She shook her head, trying to clear her mind and think. “Okay, I’ll get to work and see if I can find anything that supports the Demon’s information. If not then I’ll talk with Seth and we can take things from there,” she thought quickly, going over everything she’d seen and heard so far. Nothing pointed to Cassius being this fiend that wanted to enslave everyone for the good of Vampires.

  No. If anything he appeared to be someone that wanted peace and was willing to do what was required to gain it. The fact that her stomach lurched when he looked at her had nothing to do with her decision to check him out more thoroughly.

  She could hear him talking to Kuan in the next room and was just about to tune into the conversation when Sue pushed open the door. The woman held a tray laden with food and she was smiling brightly as she came in.

  “I’m so glad to see you awake.” She came over to place the tray on the chest of drawers beside the bed. “We’ve been so worried. I don’t think I’ve seen Mr. Allarde so concerned before.”

  “Really?” Rose asked as her mouth watered at the smell of freshly cooked bacon.

  “Yes.” Sue picked up a pair of deadly looking metal shears, pointing to her arm. “I know they look scary but I’ve used them too many times to count. Here, give me your arm and I’ll have this cast off you in no time.”

  Rose gingerly held her arm over and watched as Sue went to work. The woman made quick work of cutting along the hard cast, bending it open and removing it. Sue placed it on the floor before motioning to the tray. “Anything you fancy?”

  “Bacon and coffee.” Rose almost jumped out of bed to grab the food, only just restraining herself and letting Sue fix a plate for her. “And eggs and that toast looks good too.”

  Sue laughed as she filled up a plate. “Here you go. Sounds like you’re hungry.”

  “Starving,” Rose admitted as she started to tuck in. “Hmm, so he was worried? I must’ve been hurt real bad?”

  “Yes.” Sue sat in the armchair that’d been moved to the side of the bed. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him so concerned before. I guess he’s not used to having beings that can’t heal themselves. He was ready to rip someone’s head off. Not literally, of course, he would never do that.”

  Rose swallowed the mouthful of food and moaned at the glorious taste. “Wouldn’t he? I’d heard he kills without mercy. Isn’t that true?”

  Determined to get as much information from the woman as she could Rose raised an eyebrow as she popped some eggs into her mouth. Sue frowned and shook her head. “No. That is most definitely not true. I’ve worked for him for over two years and, yes, he’s punished those that do wrong, but I’ve never seen him do anything that could be called remotely wrong. He’s a very honorable man, Marie, and he takes his responsibilities very seriously. He looks after us all and I know he wants to do great things. There are, however, some out there that don’t want him to succeed. Maybe it’s those people that you’ve been listening to.”

  Sue’s heartfelt speech caused Rose to look away, feeling a little ashamed. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, Sue. I don’t know him and it’s just what I’ve heard. I don’t know anyone who’s ever met him so I guess they are rumors.”

  “Rumors can do so much damage.” Sue shrugged. “Jeez, look at the Witches. Hunted down like dogs all because of some silly rumor. Mr. Allarde doesn’t believe any of that nonsense. In fact, he’s put out a call to everyone to let Witches know that they are safe here. If they come then he will protect them.”

  Rose almost choked on her toast. Sue quickly handed her a mug of coffee which she sipped. “That’s not something I’ve heard about. Someone willing to help Witches.”

  “No.” Sue looked a little worried. “He’s been getting more guards from close friends in case it causes problems for him. He’ll need their help to keep them safe. That’s if any actually come. The sad thing is they probably won’t. They won’t believe he’s telling the truth.”

  “I can understand a Witch’s reluctance to trust someone. Especially a Vampire.”

  “Marie.” Sue looked over her shoulder to the door, lowering her voice. “He may be a Vampire, and I think he’s about the oldest there is, but, he’s a man of honor and if he says he’ll protect them, then goddamn he will.”

  “You seem rather taken with him.” Rose smiled cheekily as Sue’s face reddened.

  “I care for him,” she admitted. “And let’s be honest, I don’t think any woman in their right mind would kick him outta bed. But, I respect him even more. I’ve seen him working hard to build alliances and he’s also been in contact with those countries that were less affected by the war and are still functioning like normal. Ones that have technology, oil, resources that will help get us back to some form of normality. He’s a good man and I think this country, no, shit, all of us, need him in charge.”

  Rose listened closely. The picture of Cassius Allarde that Sue was painting was definitely not what Basilius had said. Was the woman deluded? Only seeing what she wanted to see? Possible.

  Or, and this seemed increasingly likely, the Demon had lied. What a fucking shock. A Demon that didn’t tell the truth.

  “I look forward to finding out more about his plans when I finally get to work.” Rose continued eating. She would need every last ounce of her strength for what was to come.

  Either carrying out her mission and killing Allarde, or, dealing with the Demon, Basilius.

  “It’s nice to see you awake and looking so much better.” Sue stood. “But I have a lot of work to do so I better scoot. I’ll come back for the tray in a little while. Eat as much as you can, Marie, you need to build yourself back up. You look as if you’ve lost a ton of weight and you were a skinny little thing to begin with.”

  Rose’s eyes widened in surprise. “Hey, I wasn’t skinny.”

  Sue laughed. “You still need to eat.”

  “I’m really hungry so that’s not a problem.” Rose pulled the tray closer, filling her plate with more food. “See you later, Sue, and thanks for this food. It’s delicious.”

  “You’re welcome.” Sue picked up the discarded cast then left the room. Rose playing their conversation over and over in her head.

  “I need to find out the truth,” she thought more than once as she scarfed down almos
t everything that Sue had brought.

  Chapter Twelve

  Cassius sat opposite the man that had healed Marie. Saying nothing as he used every available sense he had to try and figure out what the man was. He had great power, that was clear, but what powers and what he was still eluded Cassius.

  “You look annoyed.” Kuan’s voice soft and a little amused as he stared back at Cassius.

  “I am,” Cassius agreed, cocking his head to the side. “I can’t figure out what you are and that most definitely annoys me.”

  “My apologies.” Kuan gave a small smile. “Your name, Cassius, it means vain, does it not?”

  “What’s that got to do with anything?” Cassius was barely keeping his anger under control. This man was getting under his skin and he had no idea why.

  “Oh, nothing, just an observation. So, Mr. Allarde, what is it you’d like to talk to me about?”

  “How did you heal her?” Cassius knew this man was no Witch but he had healing powers like none he’d witnessed before.

  “I can do a lot of things, healing is one of them. The how is irrelevant. Results are what matter.”

  Cassius only just stopped snarling at the vague answer. “That’s not an answer.”

  “I have no other to give.” Kuan shrugged.

  Cassius changed tactics. “Seth, who is he? Is he a Witch? If so you know he can come here and I’ll keep him safe. I’ve vowed to give Witches a safe haven here.”

  “It is not my place to speak of Seth. If he wishes to come here then that is his choice, though I will pass on the message.”

  Once again Cassius managed to stop himself from snarling but it was getting harder by the second. “You’re quite elusive with your replies, Kuan.”

  “Indeed.” The smaller man shrugged again. “May I ask you a question, Mr. Allarde?”

  Cassius mirrored the old man and shrugged, saying nothing.

  “Tell me, Cassius, are your intentions as pure as they seem? Or, are they an illusion for more nefarious purposes?”