3 Minutes to Midnight: Urban Fantasy Midnight Trilogy Book 1

by L. M Hatchell

  “But then who is Il Maestro?” Phoenix asked, desperately clawing through her mind for another explanation, one that might actually make sense.

  Aria looked at her, confused. “Where did you hear that name?”

  “Raphael. He said Il Maestro had given him his orders.”

  “Il Maestro was Darius’s Sire. He was notoriously psychotic. If we’d known earlier of Darius’s true origins …”

  Aria shook her head. “Il Maestro can’t have given Raphael his orders. He’s dead. Darius killed him many centuries ago.”

  So that was it. There was no other mysterious bad guy waiting in the wings, laughing to himself as they all ran around blaming the wrong person. No answer that would make the truth any more palatable.

  “Why?”

  It was the only thing Phoenix could think of, the one word that kept repeating itself in her head.

  In an instant, her mother’s face hardened, her eyes almost glowing with the anger that radiated through them. She grabbed both of Phoenix’s hands in hers and squeezed so tightly it hurt.

  “He’s evil, Phoenix. Everything you know about him is a lie, an act. You must remember that.”

  “What did he do to you, Mam?”

  Overhead, the sun dimmed and a fierce wind began to blow. A shiver ran down Phoenix’s spine.

  “What he did to me is nothing.” Aria’s voice was as cold as the ice that settled in her green eyes. “What he did to your father … he will die for.”

  “Woah, careful!”

  Phoenix was so caught up in her own thoughts that she had somehow completely missed the mountain of wolf standing on the stairs in front of her. As a result, she found herself face to face with Ethan’s bare chest, his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

  Even distracted, it was hard not to appreciate the broad expanse of muscle only inches from her. Dark hair covered Ethan’s chest, adding to the animalistic aura that came off him in waves. A light tan showed no signs of stopping as it followed the impressive v-taper of his waist into the well-worn jeans that hung low on his waist. All helpfully accented by a teasing trail of hair that led downwards.

  Phoenix shook herself and looked up to meet a quirked eyebrow and teasing grin, both of which faded when Ethan took in the haggard look on her face.

  “How did the talk with your mother go?”

  Phoenix sighed and slumped down onto the step as she leaned her head against the wall. “As expected, I guess. She’s so angry.”

  “It’s not really surprising.” Ethan sat down beside her and his body heat pushed away some of the chill that seemed to have settled permanently within her.

  She shook her head. “I know, but this seems different. She’s not angry about what was done to her. She’s angry about my dad. Only she won’t tell me what happened to him.”

  Beside her, Ethan went still.

  “You know?” Her tone was accusing. She didn’t mean it to be, but why should he know when no one would tell her?

  Ethan shook his head. “No, not for sure, but I have an idea.”

  He held up a hand to stop her before she could interrupt. “I’m not going to tell you what I think. Suffice it to say that if it was my mate, I would kill him too.”

  She wanted to argue, but the look that clouded his features stopped her and his ferocity sent a shiver down her spine.

  “Did Aria tell you why he took them?” he asked, quickly moving the subject along.

  “The prophecy …” That stupid word seemed to echo on repeat in her head. No matter what she did, she couldn’t seem to escape it. “Darius has been encouraging it all along.”

  There was no surprise on Ethan’s face, and she guessed it was logical given the events that led to this point. But as Phoenix recounted her mother’s story, she just felt numb, as if she was talking about someone else’s life entirely.

  “I don’t understand how I could have been so wrong about him.”

  Her shoulders sagged, and she put her head in her hands. It was as if the uncle she loved had died. Only, she couldn’t mourn him, because in his place stood a monster that made a mockery of every memory she ever had of him.

  Ethan was quiet for a moment before wrapping an arm around her, pulling her close. “We’ve all been wrong about people before.”

  ***

  “Repeat that.” Darius strode into his office and closed the door firmly behind him. He kept his expression calm, but his blood was simmering at a temperature that would rival an erupting volcano.

  The vampire standing in front of him tried valiantly to maintain eye contact, but a stain on the desk in front of him was too fascinating to ignore. “It appears they hacked into our security systems, Il Maestro. The guards on duty were tending to a code one alert when –”

  A hand silenced the vampire. Darius wasn’t interested in hearing any more about the incompetency of his security team. They would be dealt with later.

  “Raphael?”

  “Has not returned, and we haven’t been able to trace his phone.”

  Darius said nothing, merely nodding his dismissal of the vampire as he picked up the ballpoint pen on his desk and twisted it absently around his fingers. Raphael, for all his twisted inclinations, was Darius’s most trusted vampire. If his head of security hadn’t returned, there could be only one explanation.

  Stabbing the pen into the mahogany desk, Darius stood.

  As he made his way through the winding corridors of the lair, vampires moved swiftly out of his trajectory; their natural survival instincts wisely warned them against any form of engagement.

  Reaching the hidden doorway to the underground chamber, he paused. There were no obvious signs of disturbance, but every instinct told him something was amiss.

  Not stopping to light any of the torches lining the wall, he strode down the stone steps, easily finding his way despite the complete darkness.

  The broken lock on the floor was the first clue that his instincts were correct.

  The empty cell was the second.

  Chains hung impotently against the wall, mocking him with their vacant shackles. His bellow of rage shook the very foundations around him as he ripped the heavy door from its frame and flung it across the room.

  As he stalked from the chamber, he mentally assessed the situation. His leverage was gone, and his head of security most likely dead. It was safe to assume Phoenix was now aware of his true role in events and wouldn’t be quite so amicable going forward.

  He needed to move quickly. The witches had better be ready.

  “It’d be suicide to face him ourselves. We need to let the Council deal with this.” The words came out of Ethan’s mouth, but they didn’t sit well with him.

  Night had begun to fall once more, and he’d called everyone for a meeting in his living room to agree a plan of action. Their venture into the lair hadn’t gone unnoticed, and it would only be a matter of time before they had vampires breathing down their necks. They needed to be prepared before that happened.

  “Ethan’s right.” Marcus’s voice was quiet as he shuffled slowly into the living area, supported by Aria.

  Phoenix jumped up from her seat on the sofa and rushed to his side. The healing sleep, combined with supernatural blood, had worked wonders in healing Marcus’s wounds, but his skin remained paler than death and his movements were stilted; pain caused him to wince as he was moved to the sofa where Phoenix propped up cushions behind him.

  “Darius is very old,” Marcus continued, “and more cunning than you ever could imagine.”

  The words were spoken without inflection, and without emotion, but Ethan could tell the pain they caused. The anger on Aria’s face didn’t go unnoticed either; it was obvious the thought of giving up her revenge didn’t sit well with her.

  “Why would the Council help us? Or believe us for that matter?” she said, green eyes flashing. “Darius sits as one of their Witnesses. We are nothing more than lawbreakers in their eyes.”

  Ethan nodded his acknowledgemen
t of her words and forced himself to ignore the flinch it elicited from Phoenix. It would do them no good to deny the truth. “That may be, but Darius risks exposing us all with his actions. The Council won’t take that chance.”

  “How do we know the Council aren’t in it up to their necks?” Shade pushed away from the kitchen table and made a beeline for the fridge. He pulled out two fresh bags of O negative blood and handed one to Marcus before tearing the other open with a slice of a fang.

  “He has a point,” Phoenix said, obviously reluctant to agree with Shade about anything.

  Ethan heard the weariness in her voice, noticed how she gripped her father’s hand a little bit tighter, and wished he could make it easier on her somehow. But the Council wouldn’t take his word as truth; they’d need proof. They’d need to see the hybrid.

  “The Council’s edicts go against everything Darius is trying to do. They created the barriers that protect our world and they have no reason to see that effort undone.” Ethan could see scepticism on a number of the faces staring back at him. He could even understand why they felt that way, but he needed to believe what he said was true. If the Council had turned their back on their own edicts, they didn’t stand a chance.

  He focused his attention on Aria and appealed to her the only way he could. “You’ve just gotten your family back. Is revenge worth losing them again?”

  He could see her anger fight to hold firm against the truth of his words, the battle raging visibly on her delicate features. Finally, her shoulders slumped and she shook her head.

  “Are we all in agreement then?” Ethan asked as he held up his mobile, a strange mix of numbers and symbols visible on the screen.

  A weighted silence was the only answer, and Ethan felt no victory as he made the call.

  ***

  Phoenix tugged nervously at the sleeve of her leather jacket, idly noting the strands of thread that had come loose as a result of the bad habit. The room around her was filled with the hum of conversation, a multitude of languages and accents blurring in an excited babble of voices.

  “Remind me again why we’re doing this,” she said as she glanced sideways at Ethan.

  “The only way we’ll get to the Council is by going through the Council Liaison Office first. If we can prove to their rep that we’re telling the truth, we can be assured the Council will get our message.”

  Ethan leaned casually against the large glass window, seeming completely unimpressed by the panoramic view of Dublin that spanned out into the night beyond.

  “I get that, but why here?”

  Nate had explained the role of the C.L.O. to her while Ethan was on the phone stating their case. Bowing to the demands of the Council’s guard dogs irritated the snot out of Phoenix, but she accepted the necessity. What no one had explained, was why she now found herself standing on the seventh floor of the Guinness Storehouse, twiddling her thumbs while night covered the city and the vampires undoubtedly began their hunt.

  “I agreed to meet their rep, so long as it was on our terms. I won’t risk your safety any more than I have to.” The intensity in Ethan’s brown eyes was at complete odds with the relaxed slouch he’d adopted, and something about the juxtaposition made Phoenix shiver.

  Needing to focus on anything other than their upcoming meeting, Phoenix stared out at the lights of the city, becoming mesmerised as they blurred together in a kaleidoscope of colour. Even in the glass enclosure of the Gravity Bar, the sickening smell of the hops filled her nostrils, over-powering the various aromas of perfume and aftershave surrounding her. Abi had never understood why Phoenix disliked the smell of the Guinness brewery so much, but it always reminded Phoenix of an odd mixture of vomit and chipper chips.

  Thinking of Abi now, she wished her friend was here to complain to about such trivial concerns. It felt like an age since she’d last been back to the pub. The hourly texts from Abi filled her with guilt as she responded with assurances that everything was fine and she’d be home very soon. It killed her to lie to her friend.

  “The hybrid, I presume?”

  The man’s voice broke clearly through her thoughts, and Phoenix turned to find herself face to face with the C.L.O. representative. A well-tailored grey suit clothed an average-height body, and clean cut brown hair framed a reasonably handsome, but largely non-descript, face. Everything about the man was forgettable. Even his signature seemed vague and intangible to her.

  His question was directed towards Ethan, and the smile on his face didn’t quite reach his grey eyes. The man held out his hand – again directed solely towards Ethan – in a gesture that seemed to hold a lot more weight than a mere greeting.

  Ethan looked at the offered hand and then back at the rep, his face expressionless. “The hybrid’s name is Phoenix,” he responded coldly.

  The man’s smile faded marginally and he dropped the ignored hand. He turned reluctantly towards her and nodded in acknowledgement. “Indeed.”

  A brief grimace was quickly replaced by a politician’s smile as the rep gestured to the single empty table beside them. “Shall we?”

  With a sigh, Phoenix pulled up a chair next to Ethan. She’d known it would be like this. How could a representative of the Council not view her with disdain? But she thought he might at least try to hide it better.

  “Maybe I should begin by introducing myself. My name is Vicktor, and I’m the head of the Council Liaison Office.”

  The head of the C.L.O. came himself? I thought this was just a formality?

  “I act as a liaison to the Council on highly sensitive cases, such as this one,” Vicktor continued, glancing pointedly in her direction.

  As he droned on about how unique their situation was and how it must be handled with the utmost care, Phoenix found herself growing impatient. Every minute they wasted was one more minute Darius had to track her and her parents.

  “Look,” she interrupted, sitting forward in her chair, “Ethan already told you everything we know. You’ve seen the illusive hybrid for yourself and verified my existence. Now can you please put us in touch with the Council so we can get this matter resolved and go about our lives?”

  “Ah.” Vicktor leaned back and rested his chin on steepled fingers. “I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple now is it?”

  “What do you mean?” Phoenix asked as a sense of trepidation caused her stomach to flip.

  “Well, you’re correct that I have indeed verified your existence – your signature is unlike anything I have ever encountered before. However,” he paused, “I have not yet verified the story regarding your parents’ fate.”

  Ethan placed a hand on her arm, stopping her before she could respond.

  “I made it clear on the phone that Aria and Marcus would not be presenting themselves before you or the Council. Not unless you can guarantee that past transgressions would be exempt from punishment.”

  Vicktor shifted his attention fully to Ethan, sitting forward in an obvious challenge to the heated energy flowing his way. “You’re saying that Aria and Marcus have parted company?”

  “What? Of course not!” Phoenix leaned forward to break up the pissing contest that was no doubt about to start between the two men. They didn’t have time for this.

  “So, they would not be past transgressions we are speaking of, would they?”

  Vicktor sat back in his chair once more, a small, victorious smile settling on his face.

  She stopped in her tracks, realising too late the trap she’d walked into. Ethan had been adamant her parents stay behind, and she’d agreed it was safer. But she hadn’t understood, not really.

  Phoenix stood, knowing Ethan would follow her lead without argument. “This meeting is over. Thank you for your time, Vicktor.” And with that, she turned and walked towards the lift.

  It wasn’t until the doors of the lift closed that she released the breath she was holding. She slumped against the mirrored walls and tried to force herself not to panic. What had she just done? They needed the C
ouncil to stop Darius. What if Vicktor refused to help them now?

  “We’ll find another way,” Ethan said, as if reading her thoughts.

  Plucking at the threads on her jacket, she bit her lip. “He can’t keep the information to himself, can he? Surely he’d at least have to notify the Council that there’s a security concern.”

  Ethan nodded and rubbed her arm comfortingly. “It would be a big risk not to. And I’ll speak to my father, he’ll help us get a message to the Council, just in case Vicktor doesn’t.” The last words were almost a growl. Ethan’s opinion of the C.L.O. rep was clear by the very mention of his name.

  When the lift reached the ground floor, they made their way through the throngs of tourists in silence and out beyond the large, black gates to the waiting night. Heavy clouds hung overhead like ink stains in the sky, and the damp pavement served as a reminder that rain was never far away.

  “It’s not going to be safe for you once the Council knows,” Ethan said. He stared ahead and avoided her eyes.

  “Was it ever safe for me?” She laughed wryly.

  He gave her a small smile in acknowledgement before shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. “No, probably not. But –”

  “But you think the Council will come for me now too?”

  Ethan sighed as he finally turned to her. “I honestly don’t know. Technically you haven’t broken any edicts, but your parents have, and the Council will want their pound of flesh.”

  “They avoided the Council before, they can do it again.”

  He watched her closely.

  It took a moment to click. Having spent so long alone, Phoenix had forgotten what it was like for her life to be closely linked with anyone else’s fate. The realisation hit her like a ton of bricks.

  “And if they’ve to run … I’ve to run,” she said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself.