Tempered (Et Lapis Sanguis Book 1)

by Dawn Ibanez

  Edmund’s hand reached around Elijah’s body. In his palm was a handgun. “Give it to her and leave. I just got a text. There’s a body being fished out of the water.”

  Gus took the weapon and checked it. She expected it to be empty, but he left it fully loaded. “Thank you,” she said. When Edmund nodded, she tucked the gun under Mel’s pillow. “Wake up soon, Melly,” she said before pressing a kiss to her sister’s forehead.

  Gus straightened and looked at Edmund. “That will mean a lot to her.”

  Edmund nodded and left the room. He turned to the two vampires standing guard outside of the room and started giving them instructions. Gus looked at Elijah. “He may be warming up to me,” she said with a shrug.

  Elijah’s hand brushed against hers. “We should go,” he said lowly. “After we check out where this latest body is found, we need to check whatever weapons you left hidden around the Sector.”

  Gus tried not to wince at the idea. She and Elijah made their way to the elevator and pressed the call button. “I don’t want you to think I was trying to wage a war or anything.”

  The elevator doors opened and Gus ducked into the small car. When Elijah followed her, she pressed the button for the ground floor. He looked at her and shook his head. “If your fighting style is anything to go by, I am assuming you have no less than 30 different stashes.”

  She smiled as she faced forward. “Mel wouldn’t let me leave that many. I only have 20.”

  Elijah nodded. His face was stoic as the doors opened again. They exited the elevator and made their way across the lobby. Various people stopped what they were doing and nodded to him in respect. Once they were outside, Gus saw Gabriel pulling the car up to the entrance. “I’ll have to make sure I give your sister a proper thank you gift when she wakes up.”

  “A thank you gift?”

  Elijah opened the door for her and gave her a small, secret smile. “She kept you from turning my sector into a war zone.”

  She didn’t know if she wanted to be insulted by his remark or humored by it. Gus shook her head as turned to duck into the car. The breeze that caressed her face made her stop. She straightened and looked at Elijah. “Do you smell that?” she asked.

  He frowned and slowly shook his head. “Is it the same as yesterday?”

  It was close enough. Gus checked the two knives she carried at the small of her back and continued to scan the area. A small glimmer of light caught her attention. “Got you,” she mumbled as she pulled a throwing knife from her pocket. Her target must have seen what she had planned and struggled to get to their feet. Before they could move too far, Gus threw the knife. She started to run to her target, ignoring the blaring car horns that went off in her wake.

  In the distance, she heard Elijah call her name. She vaulted a bush and saw another shadow leap down and grab her target. Gus drew another pair of knives, and let them fly. One hit the wannabe sniper, the other narrowly missed her target.

  The scent of grass and sunshine was strong as she rounded a corner after the pair. Gus ducked down and slid on her knees as she missed being struck by a block of wood. She drew another knife and launched herself at the cloaked figure. A meaty fist struck her in the jaw hard enough to make her spin around. Gus brought her foot up and kicked the man as she completed the turn. As a large arm reached for her, Gus made a quick, deep cut around his upper arm. She turned and shoved the man face first into the grass and ripped his cloak off him.

  He was human.

  Gus planted her knee in his back and leaned forward. She sniffed at the collar of his shirt and fought the urge to sneeze. It held the scent she remembered but with a slight difference. She gripped his hair. “Who are you working with?” she asked.

  He laughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Abomination.”

  Gus started to pull him to his feet when his head exploded. She closed her eyes but felt his blood splatter over her face. She dropped to the ground and released her hold. Another bullet fired, this one near her ear. Gus felt something tug on her coat and she tightened her grip on her knife.

  “It’s me,” Elijah’s voice rumbled in her ear. He wiped at her eyes and held her close. “You’re by the car. Gabriel is here with you. Try not to kill him. I don’t want to explain his death to his mother.”

  She blinked rapidly and her vision started to clear. Gus looked at Elijah and inhaled.

  The being in front of her was not the stoic businessman he pretended. Nor was he the calm detective he also tried to portray with her.

  What stood in front of her was the Chevalier of the North in all his glory.

  His skin paled. His normally brown eyes glowed gold with power. His plump lips curled back in a snarl as his eyes scanned the area. “Get inside. Stay there until I come for you,” he ordered.

  Gus nodded silently as another shot when off. His eyes narrowed a fraction before he disappeared from her side. A tug on her arm made her bring up her knife. She stopped just before stabbing Gabriel in his eye. She lowered the blade and tucked it behind her. “We need to get to my sister.”

  Gabriel nodded and kept low to the ground as he made his way to the door. He opened it and stood straight while Gus approached him.

  Her eyes widened when she saw a red dot appear on his jacket. “You idiot,” she screamed as she lunged for him. She tackled him just as gunfire erupted again. The glass above them shattered. Gus stayed over him as the doors to the stairwell opened. She looked up and saw men and women in Glaive and Guardsmen uniforms exit. “Stay down! Sniper!” she yelled out.

  A dark form loomed over them. Gus trembled as she felt the shadows wrap around her and Gabriel. “They’ll be fine,” Edmund’s voice said. “It’s you two that need to be protected.”

  Gus felt her stomach twist as the shadows washed over her. She covered her mouth and rolled to her side. As the shadows subsided, she was at the foot of Mel’s hospital bed.

  Edmund knelt over her and pushed her hair away from her face. “A ride in the shadows is what breaks you?” he asked.

  Gus raised her middle finger as she fought to sit up. She looked at Gabriel and saw that he carefully rubbed his head. “What were you thinking? You could have been killed.”

  Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t know. I wanted to give you a chance to get through the doors.”

  Gus rubbed the bridge of her nose and tried to calm her breathing. “Listen to me very carefully.” She looked into his eyes and leaned forward. “You are a human boy. There is nothing that you can do against whatever this is attacking us, except be cannon fodder. Elijah gave me the order to not kill you because he didn’t want to have to explain your death to your mother. And you turn around and throw yourself in the middle of danger. I know you want to help, but sometimes helping is knowing when to stay the hell out of the way.”

  Gabriel lowered his head and looked at his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

  Edmund stood and adjusted his jacket. “I’m going to check on things downstairs. Vega, don’t kill the kid, and do whatever you need to stay safe.”

  Gus nodded and waited for Edmund to melt into the shadows again. She shook her head and looked at Gabriel. “If I take the offer to train at Sector Central, you’re going into my class,” she said as she stood.

  *****

  Elijah found the sniper on the roof a mile away from the hospital. He snarled as he looked at the figure dressed in all black. They laid prone with their rifle trained on the hospital. In the distance, he saw members of his Glaive and Guardsman working to secure the entrance to the Kilmer. The sniper removed the empty clip from their rifle and paused. Elijah moved and by the time the sniper rolled to their back, Elijah has a clawed hand wrapped around a soft feminine throat.

  “Who are you?” he snarled.

  The sniper looked at him with large blue eyes. “I am just a concerned citizen,” she said. She raised her leg to kick at him, but Elijah punched her in the knee. She screamed as her bones snapped under the blow.

 
The scent of her blood was that of a vampire. Elijah snarled and lifted her to her feet. “Why?” he asked as he shook her.

  She grabbed at his hands and chuckled. “Because some things were never meant to exist,” she answered.

  “How many are you?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Her eyes started to drop. “You all would love to know.” Her eyes opened when he shook her again. “But it’s not time yet. Things aren’t quite perfect.”

  Elijah frowned as the scent of sweat and grass assaulted his nose. The girl smiled and opened her arms. “Perfect for what?”

  “For the Ripper’s return. As soon as those two bitches are put down, the Ripper will savage this sector.”

  Elijah’s hand twitched and her neck broke. Her limbs went limp and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. He dropped her to the rooftop floor and reached into his pocket for his phone.

  Before he could pull out the device, Edmund appeared from the shadows. “What should I do with that?” he asked.

  Elijah frowned as he looked at the woman. “She probably doesn’t have any more information. Execute her.” He went to her discarded cloak and found a small microphone. He lifted it to his lips. “I will not allow you to continue to run around my sector. Consider your only warning. Leave now, before I will hunt every last one of you down.”

  He straightened and looked at his second. The woman he caught was wrapped in shadows and bound. “Where is Augustina?”

  “She and Gabriel are in the hospital. They’re with her sister.”

  Elijah nodded as he looked around the rooftop. “There are more of them,” he said. He brushed his hair away from his face and looked at the woman at Edmund’s feet. “Take her to the Tower. When she wakes up, I want to know how to track her co-conspirators.”

  Edmund frowned as he leaned over the woman. “I’ll make sure she can’t harm herself to escape questioning.”

  Elijah flexed his fingers and curled his hands into fists. The entire evening was telling, and he didn’t want to face what was revealed.

  Augustina Vega meant more to him than he wanted to admit. And not only was she hunting the person that hurt her sister, but whoever it was hunted her as well. The memory of her covered in blood chilled him. The rage he carefully hid came to the fore, ready to attack anyone that meant her harm. Elijah didn’t say anything as he went to the ledge of the building and looked at the ten-story drop.

  His strength was growing exponentially as the years passed. It had taken him no time to find the sniper and get up to this height. He and Monica would have to discuss his condition, but it would have to wait until he shut down this cult or whatever they were.

  Elijah turned slightly to Edmund. “Once you’re done with her. Please take Augustina, her sister and Gabriel to the manor. Once Christine hears of this, she’s going to panic. Make sure someone tells her that her son is fine.”

  Edmund stood and shoved his hands into his pockets. The woman that had been at his feet was slowly sinking into the shadows around her. “He may not be once your Augustina is done with him.”

  Elijah turned to him fully. “What happened?”

  The amusement on Edmund’s face did nothing to ease his anxious thoughts. “Apparently, Gabriel rushed headlong into danger. Vega covered him, and I got them out of the line of fire. Once they parted, she started to lay into him. I won’t be surprised if she starts forcing him to train with her.”

  Elijah fixed his hair once more. Edmund wouldn’t just make up a story to ease his feelings. If the vampire dared to do something like that, he would have left him in England. “I need to go to the docks.”

  Edmund shook his head. “Go, see your woman first. You look like you’re about to start pulling people apart.”

  Elijah stepped to the ledge and took a deep breath. There was no way he could guarantee her safety if he saw her. But he couldn’t deny the urge. “I’ll meet you at the hospital,” he said before jumping from the building.

  A simple landing that cracked the sidewalk and a quick run later, Elijah was at the hospital entrance. Members of his Glaive gave him a quick salute before returning to whatever task they had been doing when he arrived. That was one thing he knew he could count on. He surrounded himself with some of the best. And they all had high standards.

  Elijah stopped running when he came to the floor Esmeralda was on. He looked around and saw Monica issuing orders to her staff. He walked over to her. “How are your people?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “More terrified than anything.” She looked into his eyes, and Elijah knew what haunted her.

  He touched her hair. “I’m taking them both out of here. I can set up a room in the manor for Esmeralda. You know my people will take care of her.”

  “I wanted to give her a dose of your blood or maybe Edmund’s. Since you two are the most powerful in the sector, that could give her a chance to wake up.” Monica turned to a nurse that ran over to them. “What’s wrong?”

  The situation had nothing to do with either of the Vega women, so Elijah tuned them out. He made his way to Esmeralda’s room. He frowned when he saw Gabriel sitting next to Esmeralda. “Where is Augustina?” he asked.

  “Here,” she said from the bathroom.

  Elijah turned and saw her. She had a towel in her hands and her face and neck were cleaned of the blood that covered her earlier. He didn’t saw a word as he approached her. She stepped back into the bathroom and swallowed as he cornered her. “Are you hurt?” he asked.

  She shook her head as he closed the door. “My pride. Nothing that needs any real healing.” Her voice took on a breathy quality that Elijah liked. “Did you find the sniper?” she asked.

  “She’s being taken to the Towers.” He reached out and cupped her face. The savage thing that lived inside him wanted to claim her as his. He wanted to hide her away from anything that would try to harm her. But he knew she would never allow that. She was too busy trying to sacrifice everything for her sister. “Say you don’t want me,” he told her. He knew what he looked like. He knew that the comparisons to the monster that shaped her would not stop. But he would give her the one thing De Leon never dared. “Anything that happens from here is because you want it to. Not because your sister is a bargaining chip, but because you want me as much as I need you.” He closed his eyes as she touched the sides of his face. “I will walk away from you, but you need to be the one to send me away.”

  She stepped closer to him. “We’re going to have to talk about your habit of cornering me in bathrooms,” she said softly.

  He opened his mouth to reply when her mouth covered his. He felt the way she trembled against him and wrapped his arms around her. She ran her fingers through his hair and Elijah’s world righted. He lifted her against him and chuckled when she tangled her legs with his. He broke the kiss and chuckled as he touched her face. “Trying to trip me? Really, Augustina.”

  She blushed as she lowered her feet to the floor. “It’s a habit,” she said before pulling him back to her kiss. He welcomed her tongue into his mouth and moaned when she jumped into his arms.

  Elijah coaxed her legs up around his waist as he pressed her against the near wall. He could smell her arousal and his craving for her heightened. Elijah tangled his hand in her hair and devoured her mouth.

  A light knock came to the door. “I’m going to take Gabriel to see his mother. Dr. Levy is working on Miss. Vega’s discharge. I’ll be back shortly,” Edmund’s voice said through the door.

  Elijah broke the kiss with Augustina. “He needs to work on his timing.” His grip on her hair tightened for a moment before he released her hair.

  She kept her arms around his shoulders and looked at him. “You’re moving her somewhere more secure, aren’t you?” she asked. When he nodded, she sighed. “I would do the same. But after that, we need to get to the docks. There may be something down there worth finding.”

  He pressed another kiss to her lips. “I want to put you in a bubble,” he mumbled
against her mouth. When he looked at her closed expression, he shook his head. “I would never dare, but that doesn’t mean the desire isn’t there.”

  She nodded. “As long as we’re clear on that.”

  Elijah felt the corners of his lips tilt up in a smile. “We’re very clear on that.” She lowered her feet to the floor and he stepped back. He frowned as he saw a piece of flesh in her hair. “We need to get you into a shower,” he said lowly.

  She frowned as combed her fingers through her hair. “Will we have enough time after we get Mel settled?”

  He reached for the bathroom door. The way she looked at everything as if they were a team soothed that savage beast in him. “I’ll make the time,” he said opening the door.

  Monica walked through the door and frowned at them. “Am I going to forbid you from the bathrooms?” she asked.

  Augustina squeezed his hand before moving around him. “This time was my fault, Doc.” She went to her sister’s side and took the gun from under the pillow. “Next time we’ll get a proper room. Maybe.”

  Monica glanced at Elijah as a smile crossed her face. “As long as it’s not in my hospital, I don’t care,” she said. She focused on Augustina. “I want to try something for your sister. But I wanted to run it by you first.” Monica revealed the syringes and vials of blood she carried her in her pocket. “Are you feeling any adverse effects from Lord Elijah’s blood?”

  She shook her head as she went to her sister’s side. “You think vampire blood can heal her, and she’ll wake up.”

  Monica nodded. “I do. But you know that we normally don’t practice that here. The last thing we need is for humans to start attacking random vampires for their blood.”

  The laugh that escaped Augustina was dark and dangerous. Elijah shook his head at his chief of staff. “That is not the discussion for right now.” He gestured to the blood in her hands. “Who did you get that from?”

  “Captain Albert was kind enough to donate two vials. One for Mel, the other for my study.” Monica held up her hand to stop any argument he was about to make. “He was the one who suggested that I study his makeup. I think something about his shadows scared him, and he wants to find out as much as he can before taking it to Lady Victoria.”