by Keri Arthur
Suggesting he was reporting my every move to someone. Keep an eye on him. If he makes a move toward me, or if anyone else joins him, let me know.
Will do.
I continued winding my way through the streets. I’d barely reached Sixth when Cat said, Jonas is near, though he wears a disguise.
I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder and kept on meandering. What does he want?
She hesitated. He needs to talk to you.
Tell him I’m being followed.
He says he’s aware of that. We told him where you’re going, and he said he’d see you there.
I frowned. That could be dangerous given I’m being tailed.
He said he won’t sit at the same table or acknowledge you in any way.
Okay then. I paused. And my follower? Where’s he currently?
He’s looking into a shop’s front window six back from your current position, but on the other side of the road.
I again resisted the urge to look as I swung into the walkway that led to Seventh. I came out half a block down from Seven Sins, and not far away from the building where Nadel Keller—the man I’d initially intended targeting to get information on Winter Halo—had drawn his last breath. Dream didn’t muck about when it came to loose ends, even one as remote as Keller.
Seven Sins came into sight. I paused just inside the entrance, my gaze sweeping the small but pleasant front room. The place wasn’t crowded, and there were only three tables occupied—one by a couple, one by two women sharing a platter of sweets, and, at the back of the room, a gray-haired, craggy-faced man of indeterminate age.
Jonas, in disguise.
I walked over to one of the tables near the window and sat down. A waitress immediately walked over; once I’d placed my order and scanned my RFID chip to pay for it, I crossed my arms and leaned against the table, staring out the window as I said, Is there a problem or is this just an update?
The latter, mostly.
Mostly? A smile teased my lips. Does that mean you were desperate to see me?
If I were to say yes, how would you respond? Amusement ran through his mental tone.
I wouldn’t be averse to hearing it, though I rather suspect it’s more a case of needing to pass information, and not wanting to keep using the ghosts as go-betweens.
That would also be true, though it doesn't mute the strength of the original intention. His amusement faded. Nuri’s kin have managed to install recording equipment in the chancellor’s quarters—
How the hell did they manage that? I cut in. Isn’t she guarded twenty-four seven?
Yes, but Nuri isn’t the only earth-capable witch within her family, and they have... various ways of getting what they want. Although none of them hold her power or experience.
Naturally, given none of them had survived a rift and had their life span extended and abilities sharpened. When did this happen?
Because if it was before last night, then they might just have captured either Hedda Lang or Dream herself taking on Karlinda’s form.
It was operational by last night, but I can’t say at exactly what time, he replied. And we won’t be able to access the recording until at least tomorrow evening.
I frowned. Access it? Does that mean it’s not wirelessly connected?
It does indeed, he said. We had to go old-school, because all transmissions in and out of Government House, the House of Lords, and the homes of all officials are monitored twenty-four seven.
Wouldn’t that be problematic when it comes to deal making or information that requires the highest security?
Yes, he said, but there are devices and codes in place that can be employed in such situations. We know them, but can’t use them given this is an unapproved operation.
Because if they did, they’d alert the very person they were trying to entrap. And Hedda Lang? Are you trying a similar tactic within her office?
No—we’re working on something else.
The waitress returned with my coffee and macaroons. I gave her a smile of thanks, and then said, You’ll have to excuse me for a second—I promised Cat and Bear we could try linking so they can understand how good these things taste.
Seriously? The amusement was back.
Yes. Sweets like this weren’t offered to déchet, Jonas. We got what our bodies needed for growth, nothing more and nothing less.
After getting to know your little ones, I find that a rather sad fact.
Indeed it was. Cat, you first.
As she whipped through me to create the deeper-level connection that we’d used before the rift, I concentrated on trying to reverse the polarity of it—or at least equalize it. She pulled free, but the connection remained sharp. Not only could I see through her eyes, but—if her gasp was anything to go by—she could now see through mine. I bit into the macaroon. It was every bit as good as the first time I’d tasted it.
That’s lovely, Cat said, awe in her mental tones. And unlike anything I’ve ever tasted.
An ache was beginning to stir behind my eyes; a warning the deep-level link was starting to drain my strength. Cat, you need to disconnect and give Bear a go.
She immediately did so, and a second bite had him echoing her words. He didn’t linger either, but the ache remained when he broke the connection. I rather suspected that, given their silence, it had also drawn heavily on their own strength.
Let’s not do that too often, I said.
No, they agreed, mental tones weary.
But at least we have something interesting to share with the little ones, Bear added.
I raised my eyebrows. Meaning everything you did with Jonas wasn’t?
That’s business, Cat said, sounding all grown-up. Very different.
I snorted softly, finished the rest of the macaroon, and then picked up my coffee, holding the mug between my hands as I continued to stare out the window. There was a dark-haired man five doors down who seemed to be spending a very long time contemplating whatever lay inside the bakery’s window. My watcher, I suspected.
Has Nuri managed to find enough mercenaries to guard the vampire base and its tunnel? I asked.
Yes, because we’re pulling people from every operation we can, and we’re also installing battery-operated UVs across every entrance and in the tunnel. His tone was grim. We’re hoping it’s enough to stop any vampire or wraith attempt to regain control of the area.
If Dream is Hedda Lang, could she order a corps assault?
She can, but she’d first have to gain House approval, and then Julius Valkarie would have to sign off on it.
So we have time?
But not much.
Trepidation stirred. Don’t tell me Nuri’s had another of her future insights.
We’ve three days, he said, mental tone flat. If we haven’t stopped Dream by then, it’s all going to go to hell in a handbasket.
As declarations of doom went, it was right up there with her statement that if I didn’t find the missing children, no one would. Of course, in the end it had been a combination of Jonas and me that had found them, and I really hoped this one could be similarly sidetracked.
Because we were now battling more than just the mad desires of three people. We were fighting for the safety of our city, if not our world.
Did she say how?
I bit into the second macaroon, but the heavenly sweetness suddenly tasted bitter. It seemed fear could kill taste buds quicker than anything else.
It involves the lights, just as Penny warned, he said, which is why we’re currently using every resource we have within the government and without to check the identities of everyone who has access to the grid. But again, it’ll take time.
Especially when identities are easily enough faked.
I could feel his smile through our link, though it held little in the way of warmth or amusement. Having used them ourselves for many a decade, we’re more than capable of spotting a dummy identity when we come across it.
What do you want me to do, gi
ven Dream is having me followed and obviously suspects my Catherine identity?
He hesitated. We need you to maintain cover. While she’s relegating her attention and her forces to ensnare you, she’s not paying attention to what else is going on.
And if she does ensnare me? I asked. Or worse, simply decides to get rid of me?
She won’t kill you, he replied. Not immediately, anyway.
I frowned. Why not? It makes far more sense for her to simply get rid of me. While I’m still alive, I’m capable of causing her problems.
Yes, but you are now also involved with Charles. The Fontaines have been a powerful force within the House for years, and she cannot afford to have him offside at a time when her plans are nearing fruition. She will need to have concrete evidence against you—or at least against Catherine—before she can act.
The need for evidence was why she was having me followed, obviously. But that wouldn’t be the end of it, and it was those unknown plans that were worrying me.
Charles has said he can’t gainsay the chancellor, I said. Why would it be any different when it comes to Hedda Lang?
Because one controls the House of Lords, he said, and the other is merely a government official, no matter the fact that she is second-in-charge of the Department of Home Defense.
There’s one rather large problem in that particular statement, though, I said. Dream is assuming Karlinda’s identity. What’s to stop her from ordering me killed?
The fact that she can’t—not without the order first going through the House for approval.
Which didn’t mean she couldn’t convince Charles I was up to no good and have him do something about it. But even as that thought crossed my mind, I discounted it. Charles was, at his core, a kind-hearted, old-fashioned gentleman who believed in doing what was right by Central. Dream might have talked him into breaking into my home, and she might be able to convince him to interrogate me or check out the lumps and scars on my body in greater detail, but he would go no further. He wouldn’t kill—at least not without reason and, even then, not without proof. It just wasn’t in his nature.
I finished my coffee and put the cup down. The dark-haired man who’d been inspecting the bakery for an overly long time was nowhere in sight. I doubted he’d be too far away, however—unless, of course, someone else had taken his place. Dream knew what I was, and would suspect I’d be more likely to spot a tail than the average person.
I’m meeting Charles for dinner tomorrow night, I said. But I’m not risking going back to his apartment to read him more thoroughly. Nuri’s not the only one getting bad vibes about the whole situation.
If you do think Charles will betray you—
It’s no greater a risk now that it has ever been, I replied, even as I crossed mental fingers to void the lie. You were the one who warned me that he’s a government man, after all.
Yes, but—
You’ve already said Dream won’t outright kill me, I cut in, and anything else I’ll escape from.
And if she can’t, Bear and Cat intoned, we’ll all help her, won’t we?
Once again I felt Jonas’s smile, and this time it warmed places deep inside. Indeed we will.
I finished off the remainder of the second macaroon and then rose. If there’s nothing else, I’d better leave. Lingering might raise too many suspicions.
Be careful in Charles’s company tomorrow night.
I glanced his way as I moved away from the table and gave him a smile. And you make sure you keep me updated, or I shall ask the little ones to harass your ass.
His answering smile was quick and bright, and even though he wasn’t wearing his own countenance, still sent my pulse rate skittering. It’s impossible for them to do any more than they currently are.
Are you sleeping?
He paused. Yes.
Then they can do more.
His laughter ran across my thoughts and tugged a wider smile to my lips.
Then perhaps we should agree to share the company of Cat and Bear, so that messages can be relayed in good time.
A good plan, I said, and walked out.
I hesitated, looking right and left, and didn’t spot my tail. Either he was watching from inside one of the nearby retail stores or he had indeed swapped over with someone else.
I took my time making my way back to the apartment, and then did nothing more for the remainder of the evening but rest and eat. After everything that had happened over the last week or so, it was a rather nice interval.
And one that instinct said I’d better enjoy.
At six the following evening I got ready for my date with Charles. I decided to dress more conservatively than usual—the tunic I chose was loose rather than figure-hugging, and the side split only went as far as my knee—in order to send an indirect message that he wasn’t to expect anything of a sexual nature this evening.
Shall we accompany you? Cat asked as I gathered a shawl to ward off the evening’s chill from my shoulders.
I hesitated and then shook my head. “Keep an eye on the apartment, just in case anything untoward happens.”
I didn’t really expect it to, but it was always possible that Dream would use my time away to do a thorough search. I’d hidden my uniform and guns as best I could, but a decent scanner would undoubtedly uncover the latter.
I headed out. The evening air was even colder than I expected, and a light drizzle was falling. I pulled the shawl over my head and shoulders, and kept to the building side of the sidewalk, using the various awnings and overhangs as added protection.
Zendigah’s was a small three-story building situated on the corner of Second and a cross street into First, and its interior was as shadowed as any of these places ever got. A large hearth dominated the small front room, and the fire belted out so much heat I started sweating almost as soon as I entered. There were a number of leather sofas and high-backed chairs scattered around the room, and all of them were occupied. I knew without looking that Charles wasn’t here—his preference was for a table on the top floor.
A waiter made his way toward me and gave me a welcoming smile. “A pleasure to see you again, Catherine. Lord Charles Fontaine awaits at your usual table. If you’d please follow me, I’ll take you up there immediately.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
We made our way through the small room and up a rather steep set of wooden stairs. The second level held six well-spaced tables, all of which were occupied, and another fireplace belting out heat. As we went up to the next level, I had to hope the heat wasn’t repeated; otherwise, the pinpricks of sweat dotting my skin might become a flood.
Thankfully, it was marginally cooler up on the final floor of the building, as the flames in the hearth had been allowed to die down. Like the level below, the end wall here was entirely glass, and it gave a direct view down the cross street and into the park. Charles’s table—the one he always got, no matter how busy the place—held the prime spot for that view.
He rose as we approached. “Catherine,” he said, his voice holding a very slight edge that I couldn’t quite place. “It’s lovely to see you again.”
I gave the waiter a smile of thanks as he held out my chair, and, once seated, I said rather formally, “A feeling that’s mutual, I assure you.”
“Would you like a drink before you order, madam?” the waiter said.
I hesitated, and then said, “What would you recommend?”
“A predinner aperitif such as champagne, perhaps?”
“That would be lovely, thank you.”
He nodded and disappeared. I crossed my arms and leaned back into the chair. “So how have you been, Charles?”
He smiled. “A little out of sorts, I must admit. The events of the last few days have been... unexpected.”
“A statement I certainly agree with.” And one that had my instincts stirring, although I wasn’t entirely sure why.
“Yes.”
He paused as the waiter returned and poured a small a
mount of champagne into my glass. Once I tasted it and nodded my approval, the waiter topped it up and disappeared again.
“Please believe I had no control over the events that unfolded,” Charles added. “And I certainly had no intention of frightening you in any way.”
“That I can accept,” I said. “But was the gun in my face truly necessary?”
“Of course not, and I told Karlinda as much.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And her response?”
He grimaced. “She rather crossly reminded me that I was the one who’d insisted on being accompanied by an armed guard.”
“But isn’t she, as chancellor, always accompanied by a guard whenever she is out?”
“Indeed, but she is not someone who likes being placed in an awkward position, and that is exactly what happened.” He picked up his wine and took a drink. “I’m not in her good books at the moment, I fear.”
“Does that really matter? You’re a member of the House now; what possible sway can she have over you?”
“None,” he said. “But it’s nevertheless a bad idea to put her offside. She holds the balance of power, remember, and if any legislation I bring to the floor is locked, she’s the one who will have final say on whether it’s passed or not.”
“Ah,” I said. “I didn’t realize.”
He raised an eyebrow, speculation flaring briefly in his eyes. “I still find it very surprising that you cannot remember the intricacies of the government and the House of Lords when it is something that is taught at a primary level.”
I forced a casual smile. “It is not as if I’ve had any reason to remember such things over the course of my life, Charles. I am a sexual masseuse, remember, and the politics and problems I deal with on a daily basis are very different to those faced in the House of Lords.”
He laughed softly. “I guess that is totally true.”
A statement that oddly sounded as if he didn’t believe me—or, perhaps, didn’t believe my other statements. I drank some champagne, my wariness increasing. “I do hope you haven’t permanently fractured your relationship with her. As angry as I am, it was never my intention to cause harm to your professional standing.”