I met Clementine at Frederick’s Hollywood Hills estate, which teetered at the highest elevation and had breathtaking views of Bronson Canyon.
Frederick liked to sit outside after sunset, which was when I scheduled the meeting for. Afterward, he’d head to the club and I’d head home. I needed a night off.
Clementine rolled up in her Mercedes coupé still wearing her sunglasses, only taking them off once she stepped out of the car. She was in her late forties now, but still looked spectacular for a mortal and could rival any high-society debutante half her age. She waddled on high heels and carried a golden handbag big enough to fit a small dog, but luckily, she didn’t bring one. She was never hostile to me, but there was an air of competition whenever we were together—maybe because I’d stolen her life. But on the flip side, maybe she’d stolen mine.
I guided Clementine into the estate. We had to pass through several rooms to reach the living room where Frederick was fixing us drinks behind the bar. He already had an assortment of finger foods out and ready for consumption. He possessed a strange passion for cooking and preparing food he had no desire of eating, like a dry bartender; apparently, it was something he’d loved to do when he was alive, though in all the years I’d known him, he never specifically talked about his previous life.
“Grab a drink,” Frederick boasted joyfully. He had a tinted wineglass filled with warm blood. He fed off enough willing girls at the club, so didn’t need extra blood but liked to keep up the appearance of drinking socially.
“Only one,” I warned, jabbing a finger in his direction. “I have the night off and don’t want to be too inebriated to get home.” I picked up the nearest glass and examined the colorful concoction. His mixed drinks were as fancy as his prepared food.
“There’s not an excessive amount of alcohol in there,” he said. “I go for taste, not potency.”
“Delicious,” Clementine said after taking her first sip.
“Let’s bring the food out onto the deck, so we can enjoy the evening,” Frederick said, coming out from behind the bar.
We each took a plate and glass out onto the massive deck that could have engulfed my entire apartment. We gathered around the fire pit, Frederick and I sharing a loveseat and Clementine sitting adjacent to us, placing the plates on the surrounding brick ledge. It was a comfortable space and a warm evening, so there was no reason to turn on the fire. And besides, vampires didn’t particularly like hanging out around open flames. Not that Frederick never turned it on, but during the times he did, he typically didn’t stay with the rest of the group but preferred to stand back and give a little extra space between himself and the flames.
“How are the preparations for the banquet dinner going?” I asked, getting right to the point. If I didn’t, I knew Clementine would start the small talk and I had no intention of lounging around here for hours listening to her ramble on.
Clementine sighed after another sip of her mixed drink. “These things are not meant to be set up in a week, but we have people working around the clock to make sure everything’s in order. The venue, catering, and entertainment are all secured. The first round of personal invitations has been hand-delivered with the RSVP deadline dated for tomorrow. After that, the second round of invitations will be sent. Since this is being hosted by the Galt Foundation, with a few personal calls made by Damien himself, some of our more high-profile prospects have been willing to change their plans to attend.”
“The media coverage so far has been good,” Frederick said.
“And some of your invited celebrity guests have mentioned the event on social media.” I added.
“You really think they’re going to try again so soon?” Clementine asked. “I mean, it’s always good money regardless, so it’s not like it will be wasted effort either way.”
“I already have it on good authority that the True North Society is planning another strike,” Frederick said, leaning back into the plush loveseat, looking smug. Then he placed a hand on the small of my back, lightly rubbing it.
Frederick had told me about Fiona’s latest visit and the new information she’d shared with him. It hurt that she felt she could no longer come to me; I knew how much she detested Frederick, so the thought that she’d rather talk to him directly than use me as an intermediary was disheartening. But at least she was working toward Sean’s release.
“And you think they’ll do it after the event?”
“That would be most likely,” I said. “Though they’ll want to get you away from the crowd so they don’t cause a scene. Judging by last time, they’ll still want to get you alone before doing anything. I don’t believe they’ll try to shoot the two of you in front of all your celebrity guests.”
“Though it will still be important to wear protection,” Frederick said. “We don’t want any surprises on our end. We want to have the situation under control while making them think they’re at the helm.”
“They’re probably anticipating something since we bested them last time,” Clementine said.
Frederick simply smiled and swirled the blood in his glass. “They’ll try to be extra prepared. But they won’t anticipate that we want to get caught this time.”
28
Matthew
“You don’t have to go through with this if you don’t want to,” I said to Fiona. “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t steal an important opportunity away from you.”
We were sitting in the lobby of Sisters of Mercy, waiting for Mallory to arrive. I’d told them both about Nurse Dalio being held here, and after what she’d done to them, I wanted to give them the option to decide her fate. Fiona seemed more receptive to the idea until I brought up Mallory.
I didn’t see Fiona training with Mallory anymore, only with Zelda or older members she’d come to know from frequenting the facility. Something had happened between Fiona and Mallory after initiation, but Fiona just brushed off my inquiries as me reading too much into it. I rarely saw them in the same room anymore.
“It will be good for me to face her,” Fiona said. She fidgeted anxiously in her seat, her crossed leg kicking wildly. I didn’t know if her anxiety was due to the anticipation of the confrontation with Nurse Dalio or from seeing Mallory.
It became even more unclear when Mallory strolled into the lobby followed by her father. I hadn’t expected Douglas would be joining us, but he seemed to stick his nose into anything related to his daughter.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” Douglas said, placing his hands on his hips as he stood over Fiona and me.
“This was set up for the girls,” I said as I stood.
“You’re here,” he countered.
“I set it up.”
“This bitch nearly got my daughter killed. I want to look her in the eyes as she dies.”
Neither girl acknowledged the other, Fiona refusing to even look at her former nemesis. Maybe former wasn’t the right word anymore. Fiona grabbed onto my arm and hugged it tightly.
“Can we go before I lose my dinner?” Douglas said, gesturing to the hallway beyond the receptionist’s desk that was currently unattended.
I led the others into the main part of the hospital. Fiona remained glued to my arm as we ventured through the bright hallways. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought some of her fear stemmed from her returning to this place after everything that had happened. But she’d told me she came here on her own anyway, to visit a young orderly she’d formed a friendship with. So, it couldn’t be that. And as that thought ran through my head, I found it strange that several staff members greeted Mallory by name, though no one did so to Fiona. This observation also wasn’t lost on Douglas, who was livid that more vampires would even dare to address his daughter. She must have made quite the impression from her time here.
On the way, I called Jack to have him meet us at Nurse Dalio’s holding room, so he could unlock the door. However, Jack was already waiting in the hallway when we walked up with Ashley at his side. The fire
man’s axe leaning against the wall also didn’t go unnoticed.
“I should’ve known I’d run into you here,” Douglas said, a scowl on his face at the sight of Ashley.
“Someone has to keep an eye on you,” she said, nonchalantly.
Douglas didn’t respond but instead folded his arms while Jack unlocked the door. He held the door open, allowing Ashley in first. I followed, pulling Fiona in after me. Douglas and Mallory remained close behind.
“I see you brought the whole group,” Nurse Dalio said, sitting on one of the beds—the one Fiona had used during her stay. “Hopefully, you aren’t planning to draw this out any longer.”
“Your betrayal cannot go unpunished,” I said. “But I’m leaving it to the girls you hurt most to decide your fate.”
Fiona gazed up at me with a sorrowful look and I didn’t understand how she could have any sympathy for this woman after all she’d done.
“Fiona, what do you think should become of her?” I asked.
“She doesn’t always get the say,” Douglas snapped.
“Mallory will get her turn too,” I responded, meeting his scowl.
The room was quieter than I’d expected as Fiona considered the question. She knew why she was there, and I thought she would have decided while we waited in the lobby. But it was almost as if seeing the accused was causing her to reconsider whatever she may have decided earlier.
“She needs to die,” Mallory said, bitterly. “She can’t be trusted, so she doesn’t deserve to live.”
“Spoken like a true Society member,” Douglas said.
“What do you think, Fiona?” I asked, reaching over to stroke her arm.
“I’m not getting any younger,” Nurse Dalio said with a smirk. When everyone turned their attention back to her, she added, “A little vampire humor.”
“I think she should live with what she’s done,” Fiona finally said. “This room should be her tomb. What happens if she’s left here without food? She wouldn’t die, right?”
“She’ll waste away and slowly go insane,” Jack said.
“Then I think that’s a fitting response,” Fiona said. “She is in an insane asylum, after all. It’s time to get a little taste of what the humans have to suffer. They’re not allowed to just die.”
“And if she ever got out, we’d have a rabid, insane vampire on our hands,” Douglas said. “That’s unacceptable. She needs to be put down now.”
“If those are my choices, then I’d prefer to die,” Nurse Dalio chimed in.
“Your preferences aren’t being taken into consideration,” I said. “We have one vote for capital punishment and one for permanent incarceration.”
“Two votes for capital punishment,” Douglas said.
“Permanent incarceration is expensive,” Jack said.
“She was working the system even when I was in here,” Ashley added. “I know I don’t have an official vote, but I’d end this now as well. See, Douglas, if you wait long enough, we can finally agree on something.”
I turned to Fiona because she was the only one who seemed to want to keep Nurse Dalio alive. She still looked sad—like we didn’t have the right to be doing this. I agreed with the majority but didn’t want to force a final decision without some buy-in from her. I hoped she’d come around on her own after everyone else’s comments.
“They make some good points,” I said. “Unless you’re really looking to torture her. I wouldn’t blame you for having such a desire.” I hoped the focus on torture would appeal to her good nature and bring her around.
“Fine,” Fiona acquiesced. “But I’m not going to do it.”
“Mallory, step up,” Douglas said. “Put this vile creature out of her misery.”
“You don’t have to,” I said, turning to Mallory.
“I do,” she said, dropping to one knee and pulling a handgun from an ankle holster.
“It seems you finally get your revenge,” Nurse Dalio said, sitting up a little straighter on the bed. “You always were the fighter.”
“You’re damn right I was,” Mallory said and didn’t hesitate in pulling the trigger, firing multiple sleeper bullets into the nurse’s chest. She looked satisfied with herself when the nurse’s limp body slumped and fell to one side, leaving a long smear of blood on the wall in her wake.
Jack offered the axe. “You still have to finish her.”
Now Mallory hesitated. “Want me to cut her head off?”
“That’s how you get the job done, sweetheart.” Jack looked amused at Mallory’s sudden reluctance.
“I don’t think I can—I don’t want to get blood on my clothes.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Douglas barked and snatched the axe from Jack. With his free hand, he grabbed Nurse Dalio’s limp wrist and dragged her off the bed, letting her body collapse to the concrete floor with a thud.
Everyone stepped back as Douglas wielded the axe and with one full swing severed the vampire’s head, sending it rolling under the adjacent bed. Blood gushed from the wound and flowed toward the drain in the floor. Without having the decency to wipe the blade, Douglas tossed the bloody axe back to Jack.
Douglas turned to his daughter with clear disapproval. He could care less about the blood spray on his clothes, probably because in a few minutes it would turn to ash and fall away—something Mallory seemed to have forgotten.
“Can we leave now?” Mallory whined.
“In just a minute,” Douglas said. “Go wait for me in the hall. I have a quick matter to discuss with Matthew.”
“I’m not a child.”
“No; but you’re my child. So, do as I tell you.”
“Fiona, why don’t you go wait with her,” I said as Mallory threw a fit while leaving the room.
“Why? What’s this about?” she asked.
“I don’t know. We’ll be out in a minute.”
“Maybe I’ll look for Kelsey,” Fiona said and left the room much more amicably.
“What’s this about?” I asked as soon as the girls were gone.
Douglas had pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and was wiping the speckles of blood from his face. “Aaron is being assigned to your strike team,” he said as he folded the cloth.
“No,” I said. “The team’s already been assembled.” When he didn’t react, I turned to Ashley, who looked sympathetic.
“I’m sorry, Matthew. It was an Assembly decision,” she said.
“I didn’t have to push hard,” Douglas said. “The rest of the Assembly doesn’t want to lose good people—and frankly doesn’t have much faith in you. My boy will help ensure the mission’s success and keep these yahoos from the Vampire Order under control. I’m sure you can appreciate the Assembly’s concerns.”
“You’re still in charge of the mission,” Ashley added.
In reality, Syrithia was in charge of the mission, but this move even further complicated the chain of command. Aaron wasn’t going to take orders from me and he’d be relaying more information to the Assembly than I would be—especially any missteps.
“Sure, I am,” I said, turning and gazing down at the bloody mess on the floor. That could very well be me if Douglas had any say in the matter.
“He’ll be reporting to you to get brought up to speed,” Douglas said. “Maybe your team will be able to change the future. It’s a nice thought—knock your kind down a peg and return the world to normal.”
“If he gets himself killed, remember who insisted he be added to the team,” I said.
“My son can handle himself just fine,” Douglas answered. “Focus on the bigger picture, Matthew. I wanted you to hear about this addition from me personally. And it’s helped having Ashley present to keep you from crying to Janice. Make this strike count.”
Douglas turned to leave. “I really can’t stand this place.”
29
Fiona
Besides me stopping into Hot Coffee multiple times a week, the three of us girls hadn’t hung out in quite some time. And now
Alexis was packing up to head down to UCSD. We needed to get together one last time before she’d be gone for several months—not that either of us couldn’t drive the hour and a half to visit her in San Diego but it just wouldn’t be the same.
Our special escape used to be relaxing in Black Star Canyon, setting a little bonfire, and roasting smores, but since the incident—when they’d blacked out and I’d been hauled to a secret space station ninety-nine years in the future—neither of them wanted to risk returning to our old hangout. And it wasn’t exactly like I could promise them there was nothing to be afraid of. We’d lost our teenage sanctuary for good.
So, I offered a new location, one sure to blow their minds. I gave them the address for my new penthouse condo and told them they’d have to check in with the concierge to get access to the top floor. When asked to whom the fancy place belonged, I simply told them I was housesitting.
The girls didn’t know I was now a millionaire. Hell, I hardly believed it myself; I didn’t feel I could adequately explain how I afforded these new luxury items, so it was easier to say they weren’t actually mine.
When I’d checked out the safety deposit box Matthew had given me the key to, I found multiple state licenses and an assortment of country passports along with stacks of cash and another handgun. I didn’t know what I needed all that stuff for, but the new IDs all listed me as being over twenty-one, so they could definitely come in handy.
I hadn’t come to the condo much but it made for a nice escape. I stopped off at the grocery store before heading over to pick up food for snacks, dinner, and dessert; I also grabbed an assortment of alcoholic drinks—mainly just because I could.
I was just finishing the presentation of the pre-dinner snacks when the doorbell rang.
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