Tempered (Et Lapis Sanguis Book 1)

by Dawn Ibanez

  Augustina leaned against the door frame. Her eyes were trained on the pile he also stared at. “What are those?” she asked.

  “Case files.” He shook his head and refocused his attention on her. Her long black hair fell down her back in waves. Her eyes were slowly turning back to their normal brown, not the crimson red that caused him to stop the fight. The change in her eye color was another trait that told the world she wasn’t completely human. Her kissable lips thinned as she straightened and approached his desk. He leaned against the top of the flat surface and faced her. “They’re from a case nearly 300 years ago. Edmund thinks there are some similarities and wants me to look it over.”

  “You sound like you don’t want to.”

  He looked at her. She laid her entire history in front of him and didn’t demand his in return. They had been so focused on her entanglement with this killer, no one dared to bring up his own. Elijah sighed and moved to his desk chair. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I don’t need to. I lived it.”

  He quickly flipped through the files and found the final victim. Elijah brushed his thumb over the small worn photograph that should have been in a family album somewhere. He inhaled as he gave the file to her.

  Augustina frowned as she picked up the file. “Nicholas, Rachel,” she read. She fell quiet as she skimmed the page detailing the woman’s death and life. “Next of kin, son. Elijah Nicholas age 8.” She looked at him with stunned eyes. “Who would do this?”

  He shook his head. “The papers all dubbed him as The Ripper. Lady Victoria, then Queen, hunted for the perpetrator but with no success. After my mother’s death, the killings just stopped. No one knows what happened, but Edmund thinks they are starting again.”

  She closed the file and returned it to the top of his pile. “Do you?”

  Their eyes met. “That’s what I’m trying to prevent.”

  Augustina nodded and turned her back to him. She made her way to the bathroom and paused at the door. “We’ll find whoever this is and get to the bottom of it all.” She nodded to him once more before going to take her shower.

  Elijah wished he could share her confidence. The Ripper had been both myth and nightmare to him. He picked up the file and opened it again. He had to remember his mother wasn’t the only victim. There were others out there that needed to know what happened.

  And he needed to find a way to bring closure to them all.

  A gentle knock sounded on the door. Before he could call out for whoever it was to enter, Monica opened the door. He frowned at the doctor as she came into the office and made her way to his desk. “Most people wait before they enter a room.”

  Her eyes rolled as she went to sit on at the side of his desk. “You want to know what she is nearly as much as I want to tell you.”

  “Augustina is in the shower.”

  “How’d she do on the grounds?”

  Elijah’s memory stirred. She came out of one toss in a roll. She then made her way to her feet. The two trainees worked out a way to double team her, and it worked, for a few moments. Augustina mentally went back to the pits where losing was not an option for her. “She nearly killed my trainees. After all of this is over, maybe I can persuade her to train my Glaive. There are a number of them that looked interested at the prospect.”

  Monica nodded and sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand the way you all think.”

  Elijah felt his lips tug. Monica always acted as if she had no idea what drove vampires to fight. “You don’t like the idea of having more power under your thumb, Doctor?”

  She shook her head. “Vampire, Glaive, Guardsman, or Human. If I have you on my table, I have the ultimate power. Not you. And no, I don’t need any more.”

  Elijah nodded as he continued to look at the old files. “Do you have any news on the autopsies?” he asked.

  Monica nodded. “It’s like I thought. The other two victims I found also had anomalies to their DNA. Not as much as the Vega girls but enough to be noticed.”

  It all led back to Augustina and her sister. He frowned as he thought about his conversation with Gideon earlier. “What did you find out about them?”

  She shook her head. “She’s the patient, not you. Yesterday she wanted me to tell you. I don’t have that permission now.” Monica stood. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab a few things from downstairs and hopefully she’ll be out of the bathroom and able to make decisions for herself.”

  “Don’t be stubborn, Monica,” he said as he stood.

  She rounded on him. “I will be stubborn. And that’s the reason why you want me here directly under you.” When he opened his mouth to reply, she held up her hand. “You and Dominic both want people around you that are more than just your lackies. And I will not betray my patient just because you want to know what’s going on first. She needs to know about herself more than you do. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

  Elijah was quiet as she stormed out of his office. He leaned back and rubbed his face. She was right. The main reason why he wanted her around wasn’t because of their shared history. He wanted her around because she told him the hard truth. She kept him in his own lane when he would bulldoze over everyone else for information. It was something both she and Edmund had in common.

  He closed his eyes as his mind turned over the small cues he had. Augustina was someone with fire magic. He was positive that was her element. Some vampires could learn to harness magic with age. The two trainees earlier would need time and practice to hone their abilities. But vampires could not have children. It was part of their curse. The only creatures that could sire children and harness magic were Fae.

  “Our father was as human as they came. And I only have trace memories of my mother. She was beautiful and loving.”

  Her words made him think. There were two main factions of Fae. The Seelie or Light Fae and the Unseelie or Dark Fae. Elijah continued to stare at the bathroom door. Her mother could have been an Unseelie noble. That would explain the beauty Augustina remembered. A frown crossed his face. The Unseelie didn’t have a nobility the way the Seelie did. Under the Unseelie King, there were only his Princes. There were no women.

  The door to the bathroom opened and a cloud of steam heralded her entrance. Augustina wore one of his suit shirts over the Glaive pants she wore before. Her feet were bare of both boots and socks as she made her way over to the desk. “I hope you don’t mind. The pants were salvageable. But the top needs a good wash.” She sat in the chair opposite him. “Where’s Dr. Levy? I thought I heard her out here.”

  He nodded. “She ran out for a minute. It appears that she didn’t want to tell me what your mother was and how you could be connected to the murders.”

  Augustina shook her head. “If that’s your way of fishing to see if I had anything to do with it, you’re crazy.” She curled her legs up under her and Elijah wondered if she would vault the desk. “I would never do anything like that to Mel.”

  He nodded. “I know that. I just have to make sure all angles are examined.”

  Her facial expression settled, but her body still looked poised to attack at the slightest provocation. “So, what are you thinking?”

  Elijah’s mind was trying not to wander at the sight of her in his shirt and nothing else. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Before she left, Monica said the two victims we found had the same anomalies as you and your sister. I couldn’t ask if it was because you were the same species or if you had the same qualities in your heart.”

  She laughed. The sound was something dark and deprecating. “Next you’re going to tell me we can fight whoever this is with love and the power of friendship.”

  He shook his head. “No. But if we can find a patter in their victim choice, then we can get ahead of them.”

  Augustina’s limbs uncurled from under her. “So, what am I?”

  Elijah shook his head. “I don’t know. Since you are the patient, she felt like yo
u needed to hear it first.”

  Her brown eyes rolled as she jumped to her feet. Augustina paced across the room only to pause when the office door opened again. She looked at Monica and frowned. “How’s Mel?” she asked.

  Elijah wanted to shake her. Her every thought was about her sister. The woman in front of him had little to no self-preservation. “We need to focus on what you are. After that we can care for your sister.”

  Monica help up her hands. “Let’s just calm down,” she said diplomatically.

  Augustina growled as she moved away from the good doctor. Elijah went to the other side of his desk and leaned against it. He motioned for Monica to sit and nodded when she did. He looked at Augustina and knew she wouldn’t settle down. Not until she had a chance to check on her sister herself.

  Elijah looked at Monica. “You wanted to wait until she was here. She’s here. What is she?”

  Monica turned and looked at Augustina. “Both you and your sister have Fae blood. From what I’ve been able to determine, your mother must have been full-blooded Seelie. The others have the same make up but in lower quantities. So maybe a grandparent somewhere back down the line. But that could be why they are being targeted.”

  Augustina was still as she absorbed the information. She raised her face and looked at Monica. “Is there a database on who’s a Fae child and who isn’t?”

  Monica shook her head. “There was no way we could implement something like that. It’s too invasive.”

  “So, we still have no way of finding the person doing this. Thanks, Doc.”

  She turned and went to the door. Before she opened it, she looked at Elijah. “I’m going to get my stuff from the training room. I’ll meet you by the car when you’re ready.”

  Elijah could only nod as she walked out of the room. He turned his attention to Monica. “You think her mother’s Seelie?” he asked.

  She nodded. “It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.” Monica shook her head. “It would explain how she was able to put Warren in traction like that. It would also explain how she was able to fight in the training ring earlier.”

  Elijah nodded absently as he looked at his mother’s picture. “Have you checked on any of the women of Whitechapel? Were they used for something, or were they simply someone’s dinner?”

  Monica shook her head. “There’s still a few tests that I need to run. I’ll call you as soon as I have the results.” She stood and went to his side. “You could do a lot better for Consort,” she said with a smirk. “You could also do a lot worse.”

  *****

  Gus walked into the locker room and frowned when she saw a small cluster of women standing in front of where she stored her clothes. “You ladies want something?” she asked.

  They looked at each other for a moment. Then the woman she spoke with earlier stood. “How did you do that?” she asked. “None of us have been able to get even one of those three down. You laid them all out. How?”

  “Yes, please tell us,” a voice said from the side.

  Gus looked over and saw the woman she faced in the ring. She went to the locker she had been assigned and opened it. “The short story is, I spent some years in a fighting pit. You learn to win quick.” She looked at the shirt she had started the evening out in, and then to the one she wore. Gus pulled her coat on.

  Her former opponent stepped in Gus’s path to the door. “Both Johnny and Rob won’t be able to fight or train for days.”

  Gus stared at her. She wanted to fight for her friends, but she knew if they went back into the ring, Gus would win. “I don’t know what you want me to say,” Gus told her. She then looked at the women around her. “In the pits, there was an unspoken rule. What happened in the pit stayed there. And as someone who the Glaive is supposed to protect, I would rather have someone that knew when to dodge and defend themselves, than a powerful vampire that depends on his magic to take out a target.”

  The woman’s lips pressed together. “Normally we can take on just about anyone,” she mumbled.

  Gus shook her head. “You’re used to fighting people that fight like you. On the streets, anything can happen. You have to trust in your training to get you out, and you have to be determined to be the last one standing.”

  “Can you teach us?” was a voice from the crowd.

  The one she helped before smiled. “I’m pretty sure you’d be better than a couple of the other instructors here.”

  Gus looked at the women around her. “I’m supposed to be helping Lord Elijah with something. Otherwise I would be at the hospital taking care of my sister.” She shook her head and went to the door. “I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up or anything. But I can’t.”

  She walked out of the locker room and saw Edmund waiting for her. She frowned as she approached him. “What?”

  His expression was sour as he looked at the locker room door. “What plans do you have for after this investigation?” he asked.

  Gus shook her head. “No clue. I don’t think Lord Elijah will let me go on the run again. He’ll probably throw me in prison.”

  He looked her over. “Do you deserve to go to prison?”

  She laughed as she started down the corridor. When he fell into step beside her, Gus shook her head. “I’m not going to answer that,” she said.

  “Neither would I. But ask yourself, once this is over, do you really think Lord Elijah would be content with letting you go?” When she stopped, Edmund shrugged and gestured to the elevator. “It’s something you really should think about. Lord Elijah is becoming increasingly invested in you and your sister. I don’t think simply walking away is something he’ll allow.”

  Gus frowned as the elevator doors opened. “He won’t keep me prisoner,” she said in a whisper. It was something she felt down to her marrow. Elijah was keeping her close, but he hadn’t made her feel like she was a captive at all.

  “He won’t.” Edmund stepped onto the elevator with her and pressed the button for the lobby floor. “But he also won’t let you simply walk away either.”

  Gus rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. Things between her and Elijah were complicated. And they only promised to get worse. She looked at Edmund. “And what about you? Yesterday you couldn’t wait to get rid of me. Now you want me to train members of your Glaive.”

  He nodded. “Lord Elijah isn’t going to let you go. He’s infatuated with you. And you’ve proven yourself in a fight. More members of the training regimen will want to learn how to fight the way you do. As a matter of fact, I think Mary is plotting how to come at you the next time she challenges you.”

  Mary must have been the woman she fought. Gus rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. Fighting had always been an outlet for her. At least here she would be in a somewhat controlled environment. And she could make sure those that protected in the North were good at their job.

  “I’ll think about it,” she said as the doors opened.

  As she left the elevator, Elijah stood with Monica and they were talking with Gabriel. Gus stopped walking and grabbed Edmund’s sleeve. When he looked at her, she gestured to Elijah. “He normally takes in people, doesn’t he?”

  Edmund looked at Elijah. “Lord Elijah is a complex and simple man. Like you, he cares for those he decides are his and will fight any and all to keep them safe. As Chevalier, he sees this as a privilege. The entire North is his, and he’ll protect it as best he can.”

  “Why do I hear a but in that?”

  “Because you see his greatest vulnerability. You both share it.”

  Gus looked at Edmund sharply. She released her hold on his sleeve and went to Elijah’s side. She knew exactly what he was talking about. De Leon called her out on it repeatedly.

  Her weakness was her habit to protect everyone, except herself.

  Elijah looked at her. His dark eyes taking her in as she joined him. He stepped back and gestured for her to walk in front of him. She nodded as they left the building as a group. She and Monica climbed into the bac
k of the sedan while Elijah sat next to Gabriel.

  Gus frowned as she realized that somehow, Elijah was starting maneuver his way behind her personal shields. And if she wasn’t careful, he would be almost as precious to her as Mel was.

  Chapter 10

  The beeping would annoy Mel. Gus glared at the machine monitoring her sister’s heart rate. She would have given anything to get the beeping to stop. She would give even more for Mel to wake up. Gus brushed her thumb over her sister’s knuckles. “You know I suck at sitting by your bedside,” she said softly. “And they cleaned you up. So you’re not all done up like you would normally be. You kinda look like death warmed over.”

  She hadn’t expected a response from Mel, but the steady beeping broke her heart. Gus leaned closer to Mel’s ear. “I need for you to wake up. Melly.” She touched her sister’s hair and played with a loose lock. “It’s always been the two of us. I won’t be able to make it if you’re gone. We survived losing Papi. I can’t lose you too.” Gus leaned her head on the pillow next to Mel’s. “You’d be proud of me. I’m working with the Chevalier of this Sector. Elijah seems like a stand-up guy. He’s going to let me get the bastard that did this to you. I’d like for you to wake up so you could be around when that happens.”

  Gus continued to play with Mel’s hair. She glanced at the door and saw Elijah and Edmund watching her. “Would it be too much to get her a gun?” she asked.

  Edmund frowned. “She’s unconscious. Why would we give her a gun?”

  Gus let Mel’s hair slide from her finger. “Because she sleeps better with protection.” She was careful as she touched her sister’s cheek. “And our time with De Leon left marks on her too.”

  Elijah approached the bed and stood next to Gus. “Are you sure she’ll rest easier? I already have members of the Glaive outside.”

  Gus looked at him and smiled. “You’re going to give her a guard she doesn’t know? While she’s down the hall from the vampire that attacked her a couple of nights ago? Do I need to spell out how badly she would take that?”