The Druid Witch

by J. D. Cavan

“I haven’t seen you in here before,” he replied. He spoke with an Irish accent, which I noted immediately. He was on the shorter side and wore his dark hair slicked back. He was pale, and I sensed it… I was sure that he was a vampire.

  “And?” I said, playing hard to get.

  “And you’re very pretty.” His mouth rose at the sides slightly as if he were suppressing a grin. “My name is Emrick.” He seemed polite, but there was something in his eyes. They twinkled deviously.

  “Nice to meet you, Emrick. This is a very cool place.”

  “Thank you. I own it, with a couple others,” he said. “Would you like a tour?”

  I stared into his eyes. It was obvious. He knew who I was and I had a sense of who he was. Emrick, and whoever owned GothX with him, were the NYC Vampires.

  “I would love one.” What Emrick didn’t know was that it wasn’t just Detective Lila Stone he was dealing with, but Akantha.

  We walked up the spiral staircase and people seemed to get out of our way. I felt many eyes on me as we climbed. We trekked over to the dance floor, and then down the other side of the massive room. Then Emrick walked me down a series of hallways and a stairway and then into a room with a giant vault door.

  He opened it. It led to a staircase going down. He dropped his head and threw an arm out gallantly for me to proceed first. Even me as Akantha hesitated.

  “You want a full tour, don’t you?” he asked. “Our VIP section is down here.”

  I walked through the vault’s door, starting my descent. Even though I knew it would be the case, I still clenched my jaw when I heard the vault door slam shut. Dull lighting allowed me some view as I descended down the stairs.

  At the bottom I entered a dark room made mostly of old stone. Tucked in dark corners of a dungeon room, other vampires sat on chairs at iron wrought tables. Dim multicolor lighting flickered about in the space while techno music thudded softly in the background. There was a fire blazing in a large stone fireplace, but the room was cold and damp.

  Emrick took me to a circular bar made of black stone. White lights lit behind it showed a sparse but expensive supply of liquors. A tall female vampire dressed in tight black leather stood behind the bar.

  “We always offer a free drink to any guest that dares to come here.” Emrick waved his hand toward the bar. The female vampire stared through me. Her eyes were a brilliant emerald color, cold and vapid.

  “Zeffa,” he called the bartender. “Make Detective Stone one of your special martinis.” His pretense was gone. “Now that we’re in the safety of the den, to what do we owe this visit?” He put his hand on his chin playfully.

  “As you probably know, I run things in this city, which means I have to know things,” I replied. Zeffa delivered our drinks. Two martinis. Emrick’s was bright red and mine clear.

  Emrick handed me my glass and politely clinked them together. I took a sip. It was honestly the best martini I’d ever had.

  “What do you want to know?” Emrick asked.

  “That the NYC Vampires follow the rules like every other gang in New York.”

  Emrick raised his eyebrows. “You see, Detective, we’re not ready to make our announcement yet. And that’s a problem for you.” His face darkened. “I am aware that you have a vampire working for you that is searching for us.”

  I was sure he was talking about Nessa, but I wasn’t going to say a thing about it. “Who is the alpha? I want to speak to him. I know you surely aren’t.”

  My Akantha side pressed him. I wanted to knock him off his game.

  “So sure of yourself, aren’t you?” His eyes lit in anger.

  The other vampires materialized around me. I tried to get up, but they all had me in some kind of mind grip. I felt icy cold hands around my wrists, and before I knew it, I was knocked backward off my chair and thrown on a stone table.

  The lights flashed rapidly above me as a smoky cloud rolled over the floor. My hands and ankles were bound to the table as the vampires encircled me. I struggled to release myself, but I had absolutely no powers at all.

  The vampires hovered over me and then split, allowing Emrick to emerge. He wore a cloak with a hood now, his eyes flickering with shards of red. This was some kind of ritual, and I was trapped. The other vampires’ eyes began to shine, and when Emrick’s fangs protruded, so did theirs.

  I lifted my head and tugged at my straps.

  “Relax—this will only take a few a minutes, and then you’ll be with us,” Emrick whispered.

  I felt hands on my head, twisting it sideways, exposing my neck. Emrick shut his eyes and his mouth opened in pleasure. His sharp teeth lengthened, glistening under the blinking lights. I wasn’t going to be a meal for the vampires even though Emrick planned on making me one.

  His mouth came closer to my neck, but then he stopped. “Let her go,” a male voice said.

  Emrick shook himself out of his blissful state. The other vampires stepped away from me. Instantly the straps that held me were released.

  “Emrick, what are you doing?”

  I leaned up and could see him. He was a vampire of enormous stature. He too spoke with an Irish accent, but his voice was deep and had an echo to it. A female vampire, dressed in tight black leather, stood by his side.

  “Making her one of us,” Emrick replied. “She’s a good specimen.”

  “That is not the rule, you know that.”

  “But she came here looking, asking questions,” Emrick explained.

  I spoke up. “I came here to meet the alpha and this is how I’m treated?”

  “My apologies,” he said. “I am the one you seek.”

  “This is Kern, and I am Ciarda,” the female vampire said. She was almost his height, a dominating figure. She had long wavy hair and stunning features.

  “Perhaps you’ve heard of me.” Kern wore a long dark coat. His black hair was tied back, exposing strong cheekbones and a massive jawline.

  I had heard of Kern. He was the Irish vampire who had killed Nessa’s father. It was obvious to me now why Nessa had come to New York City and GothX. She was searching for Kern to seek revenge. Maybe that was Nessa’s brand of healing.

  “My partner knows you well and so does his friend,” I replied. “You’re not very popular with them.”

  Kern laughed loudly. “I suppose I’m not! But I’ve been elected the leader of the NYC Vampires. And that protects me. Your own rules dictate that, Detective Stone.”

  “Yes it does,” I said. Kern was correct, and I wasn’t sure how long we could hold Kern accountable for the murders he committed, anyway. I was pretty sure there was a statute of limitations, like if the crimes occurred centuries ago.

  “Let’s make her one of us,” Emrick interrupted impatiently. He was like an unstable dog with a bone, dead set on making me a vampire.

  Ciarda glared at Emrick. “There is an order here, child.” She ran a hand over Kern’s chiseled features. “He has been elected as the alpha of the vampires. That means the leader of the Society of Justice has to honor that and we must honor her.”

  It was all true. The supernatural gangs were permitted to elect their own alphas without interference. There was nothing the SOJ could do about it as long as they played by the rules.

  “If you don’t know the rules, I’ll spell them out for you,” I said to Emrick. “No criminal activity of any kind, and no making of your own kind. I don’t care how you get your blood, but it better not cost one life.”

  “This works both ways, Detective Stone,” Kern said. “I will fulfill my agreement to the contract, but I cannot be touched. Call off Nessa and Liam.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean.” I pretended that I didn’t know what Kern was referencing. It didn’t matter; he saw right through it.

  “Don’t take me for a fool,” Kern spat. “Nessa has been sniffing around here asking about me. I am sure she is in contact with Liam, and I am sure they want to collect on ancient debts.”

  “That is an old grudge, and not in m
y control.”

  “Detective Stone, need I remind you of the precarious nature of this project of yours? The werewolves are giving us very good reason to believe they are not on the straight and narrow. Providing protection to goblin criminal gangs and breaking your rules…” Kern tisked.

  “I am on top of that—”

  “I’m sure you are, but this issue goes deeper than you know. This city is a powder keg, and I have no problem lighting the fuse. I want a commitment now, from you, that neither I nor any member of the NYC Vampires will be bothered by Nessa O’Shea or Liam O’Brady.”

  Kern crossed his huge arms and stared me down. He leaned in closer. His eyes were frightening, black and empty. I could see Emrick over his shoulder. I was sure he hoped to get a chance to finish the job of making me a soulless vampire.

  I reined in my Akantha side and gave Kern reasonable assurance that I’d deal with Nessa and Liam, even though I had absolutely no idea if I could. I did it mostly to escape the immediate danger I was in. If Kern hadn’t arrived, and I hadn’t struck a deal with him, I’d be walking around as a vampire.

  The thought of becoming a vampire didn’t entirely turn me off, however. It certainly wasn’t the first time I’d thought about it, to be honest. And since Nessa came to town, I’d considered it more often. How could I compete with Nessa? She was a vampire, and I wasn’t.

  But I discounted it every time. Liam had told me once that there were unknown personality changes when a person moved from their human form to the world of the vampire. Plus, I was a druid witch contending with a dark side. What would that even look like? I shuttered at the thought of it.

  Ultimately, I was relieved that I’d survived my run-in with the NYC Vampires. I had knowledge of the alpha, and that was good, but it complicated things badly now.

  I would have to face Liam first, if I could. I was sure he had no idea about Kern or Nessa’s knowledge of him. Then I would confront Nessa and let the chips fall where they may.

  Chapter 17

  LIAM HAPPENED TO BE talking with Dean and Vovk when I walked in the front door of the SOJ. I was eager to tell him about Kern, but also very anxious about it.

  “Liam, I need to talk to you,” I said, in a more serious tone than I intended. Dean and Vovk glanced at each other. I walked into the meeting room. Liam followed me. I shut the door behind us.

  “Am I in trouble?” he asked.

  “Maybe, but not the way you think. I know why Nessa’s here—”

  “To help us?” Liam cut me off. I knew Liam was tired of me being negative about Nessa. I could see his impatience, so I got right to the bad news.

  “Kern is here.”

  Liam was about to say another word but stopped dead. His mouth fell open and then his eyes widened. “How do you know that?”

  “I found him. Nessa knows he’s here in the city, I’m sure of it. But I believe she doesn’t know where he’s hiding. He’s the alpha of the NYC Vampires.” Liam was shaking his head in disbelief. I could tell by his reaction that he hadn’t known, but I asked anyway. “Did you have any knowledge of this?”

  He looked at me with hurt in his eyes. “No Lila, I would have told you.” He began pacing the floor. “It does make sense, though. Nessa’s here to find Kern, revenge for her father. She should have told me.”

  “I’m sorry, Liam,” I said, feeling some satisfaction. I knew my jealousy of Nessa was not a good quality of mine.

  “You were correct about Nessa,” Liam continued. “She had ulterior motives.”

  “It’s not about me being right. She knows you work for the SOJ and that we have rules. Kern’s protected as the elected alpha.”

  I was helping Liam again. I could see he was upset about Nessa, and even though it hurt me, I still didn’t want him to feel bad. Taking care of Liam was a terrible habit, or evidence that I really did have very deep feelings for him. Either way, whatever I had with Liam just wouldn’t go away.

  I hadn’t and wouldn’t tell Liam that in my mind Nessa was a suspect for the escort murders, but I had even more reason to believe that it could be true now. Nessa had the motive to kill and steal money. If Nessa wanted to seek revenge, what better way than to take Kern’s power from him. If she had plenty of money, that would certainly help. She could become the alpha herself, or build another gang to crush his.

  Liam’s eyes flickered. I could tell his mind was working. “Here’s the problem. I want Kern’s head on a spike, too. I always have.”

  “You can’t Liam, and you have to stop Nessa. You’re not some rogue vampire anymore. You work for the Society of Justice now. We uphold the laws.”

  “He murdered her father, the man who helped me become a man. I was there when it happened. He bit his neck and drained his blood. And that’s not all of it.” Liam stopped pacing and ran his hand through his hair. A look of agony fell over him. “Years before that he murdered many of my clan, including my father.” His eyes flared with hatred.

  “I didn’t know.” That was the torment Nessa had said Liam suffered with. Liam held so much of his history secret from me it was impossible to keep up. “But we could lose control of the gangs altogether. The NYPD is already on edge because of the goblins. There could be an all-out war.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you,” Liam said, moving toward the door.

  I grabbed his arm. “We can address this with Kern, but not with violence. I promise you. Just give me a chance.”

  “Address it how?” Liam stared at me.

  “I don’t know yet. I need time.”

  Liam opened the door and walked out. He bumped into Dean, who was obviously listening on the other side of the door.

  Dean sheepishly walked inside. “He’ll cool off,” he said.

  “I hope so. But just in case, find Nick. I need to tell him to get ready for trouble. I’ll see if he can talk some sense into Liam. Where’s Brad? I need all hands on deck now.”

  Dean cringed. “This is bad timing, but you have the wedding dinner rehearsal tonight. Janice’s family has been waiting to meet you. You know the wedding is less than a week away, right?”

  I put my face in my hands. “I can’t do it, Dean,” I sighed. “I’ve got a possible catastrophe on my hands.”

  “Just make an appearance,” Dean insisted.

  Vovk walked into the room looking distracted. He looked at Dean as if he wanted him to say something.

  “One other issue,” Dean muttered.

  I couldn’t put another thing on my plate. I wanted to run out of the room screaming, but Vovk seemed very upset. “Yes?” I asked calmly.

  Dean crossed his arms. “Jessica missed her college interview. Vovk and I are furious with her.”

  I knew Jess wasn’t interested in college, but I didn’t want to tell them—I told you so. “Where is she?”

  “On the roof refusing to talk to either of us.”

  “I’ll go talk to her—”

  “Thank you, Ms. Lila!” Vovk chimed in. “School is very important.”

  “I can’t promise anything,” I said as I climbed the stairs toward the roof.

  * * *

  I COULDN’T HELP but notice the view.

  The sun was setting and it was lovely. Dark shadows were cast over Central Park but the trees were still lit with amazing fall colors. I admired the beauty of it as I settled down next to Jess on the edge of the SOJ building.

  “I knew they were going to send you up here to talk to me.” Jess twirled her long dark hair as she spoke. Thick eyeliner, piercings everywhere, and her long black coat gave her the Goth look she was going for.

  “Then you probably know what I’m going to say,” I replied.

  “That they are trying to do what’s best for me.” She tossed a tiny shard of red brick off the side of the roof. She rested her back on the chimney and peeled off more of the old brick with her nails.

  “Yep. That’s right. Dean and Vovk love you.”

  “I don’t want to go to college. I want to work with
you and the SOJ.”

  “I don’t know if you’ve thought this through yet. This work is hard. It’s a tough life what I do.”

  “Life is tough anyway.”

  Jess had a point. Life was difficult no matter what, no way out of that. So you might as well do what you were passionate about. As much as I wanted to support Dean and Vovk, I wasn’t so sure I agreed with them. I tried another tactic.

  “You have to work this out with them. You’re eighteen and can do what you like, but believe me, you want to have them in your corner. Don’t burn bridges.”

  “You do what you want,” she replied.

  “Not always.”

  “How so?” she asked.

  I couldn’t tell her the truth, that there was a part of me that wished to run away. I would take Liam with me and we’d hide out from all of this crap. Maybe without the distractions and complications, Liam and I would have a chance together.

  “I have responsibilities to other people, ones that I don’t always want to have. I’m not telling you to blindly agree with Dean and Vovk and go to college. I’m just suggesting that it would be best to talk it out with them.”

  I reached out and touched her hand. It was cold and I warmed it with my other hand. She hugged me and I stiffened at first. Then I loosened up. I could tell she felt stuck.

  I sighed. “I’ll talk to Dean and Vovk, see if I can help.”

  She pulled away from me and looked into my eyes. “Thanks, Stone!”

  “And quit taking the chimney apart.” I smiled at her.

  “I want to do more things for the SOJ!” she demanded.

  “There’ll be opportunities, I assure you.” I got up and headed back downstairs.

  * * *

  I WAS ON my way to see Dean and Vovk about Jess when I ran into Nick.

  “Dean told me about Kern, but I’m ahead of you. I know about Kern, and I’ve got more bad news.”

  That’s what I appreciated about Nick—as much as I didn’t want more bad news, I loved that he got right to the point.

  “Go ahead,” I replied.

  “The vampires are threatening the Central Park Pack with retaliation.”

  “For what?”