by Lauren Dane
“Once I finished saying it I knew it was bullshit. She’s old. Old enough that she’s lost people she’s loved. Old enough that I figure she doesn’t let herself make friends too often because of that. It seemed from the moment I met her we were destined to be friends.” They were each unique, born of struggle and violence, hardened by strife. There was recognition at the foundation of their friendship.
“One last thing. You made a solid argument for why we should have included Genevieve on this trip so clearly my exceptional training has indeed turned you into a very good Hunter.”
He blushed and she tried—and failed—not to be charmed.
“I’ve mainly gotten over my original distrust of her. As long as she doesn’t come between us or between you and anyone else you care for, I think I’m more than okay with her being part of our crew.”
“Good. I think we all work better when we’re not distrustful. I’m going to read through some of this stuff Susan forwarded along.” Rowan held up her laptop. Her old mentor had sent updates on the investigation into the whereabouts of the remaining known traitors to Hunter Corp. that had resulted in multiple deaths including the final knife in the back of the old Hunter Corp. structure.
Too bad for them that what they’d done was make Hunter Corp. leaner and faster. And a whole lot angrier.
They were getting assistance from someone with experience in hiding from seasoned investigators. Probably the same group that tricked the Blood Front into thinking they were going to get support in a war against humans when really it was all about draining them of their power to give it to...something else.
For what? Most likely the usual. Influence. Money. Magic. Delusions of grandeur. Whatever it was, she’d figure it out and they’d find each and every last Hunter who’d betrayed their secrets, exposing Hunters in the field who’d been targeted for assassination.
At her feet, Star nosed Rowan’s ankle with a snuffling snort. Reassuring in her own doggy way. They were on the right track. She hoped.
Chapter Nine
A soft shake of her shoulder brought her from her nap. Rowan opened her eyes to look up at the gorgeous Vampire she married.
“We’ll be landing in about half an hour,” he said, bending to kiss her right there in front of everyone.
She was too addled by sleep to stop him or even scowl, which is probably why he smirked at her briefly as he sat on the nearby couch.
Rowan hadn’t meant to sleep again after leaving Clive to his rest. That sort of napping usually left her muzzy and thick, especially when she was traveling more than three time zones. But once she’d closed her laptop and finished her snack, exhaustion had washed over her and she’d given in to the temptation to just snuggle down into the blanket and close her eyes for a few minutes.
And here she was, trying to shake off the hold of an unusually heavy sleep. There was something she needed to remember but it was just out of reach. She waved away an offer of coffee and guzzled down several glasses of water before they landed.
Even when she got to the row of waiting cars, she was too cottonheaded to make a snarky remark about having so many people with them they needed a school bus. Or maybe one of those super stretch party bus things people had their bachelorette party in.
She began to perk up as she slid into the car, the buttery soft seat caressing the exposed skin on her arms. The thought of Clive’s expression as they sat facing a stripper pole in a neon light bathed party bus cheered Rowan’s spirits even as the unsettling feeling that there was something she needed to do and know shadowed her thoughts.
“Are you all right?” Clive asked as they pulled away from the airport. The drive to their London house and home base of operations would take about forty-five minutes at that time of night so she leaned back and not so discreetly watched him drive.
“I’ve been trying to wake up. The sleep I had wasn’t...it wasn’t normal or usual. It’s coming to me the longer I’m awake. I remember that I had a dream. The details of the dream are fuzzy but there was a symbol in it. But the symbol isn’t clear either. Like it’s just right outside my reach. I’ll remember it when I’m supposed to. I think.”
“You believe this was a prophecy dream?”
Rowan took a deep breath and thought it over. “I haven’t had many. None before I was twenty-five or so. It’s one of Brigid’s gifts. Which doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily have them more often. All this Vessel stuff is fairly unique to the individual human and the deity they host. Some Vessels are very strong and take on the supernatural powers or magical gifts of the deity they’re sharing their bodies with. Some deities hold the consciousness of the Vessel nearly all the time while others, like me, have the opposite balance. I guess we’ll see.” She shrugged.
“You will have Genevieve do that spell to be sure you’re not the target of some terrible magic,” he said, tone clipped.
“Just because you’re worried doesn’t mean you get to boss me around and be all snotty. There’s no reason to think I have anything like what you did. I haven’t taken in anyone else’s magic but yours.” She guffawed.
“But what if that’s how you got infected?”
She rolled her eyes, knowing he couldn’t see her but also that he’d know it anyway. “If Genevieve said you were clean, you were clean. At this point, it was a dream and there’s no need to rush to some terrible conclusion. But this prophecy stuff, all the things Carl says and does, it’s all like this. Bits and pieces. Metaphors and songs. I’m not sure it’s supposed to be easy. I mean, I’d totally prefer it to be super easy and clear, don’t get me wrong. But that’s never how it seems to work out.”
His laughter was bitter at the edges and it bled through their link.
“So. Anyway. Physically I’m fine. I’m starting to wake up. I’ll have tea when we get home and change into barging-into-a-black-market-Blood-Front-Vampire’s-house clothing. I take it we’re not talking an open-air market like the one in Los Angeles?”
“There were some memories of such things but they were faint so I believe those were older. When Lyr was here, he did private, high-end business with this particular Vampire. I should have a name waiting for me when we arrive home. I had Alice working on some descriptions and the general area. I told Warren enough that he’d be satisfied but not enough to clue anyone in who might work in his inner circle if they’re a leak.”
“This Vampire is old? Like your age old?” At nearly five centuries and a member of a very ancient Vampire family, Vamps Clive’s age were extraordinarily dangerous. “Baby Vamp? It helps to know what we’re up against.”
“Most Blood Front Vampires come from old families. The opulence of the furnishings in the very posh town house the Vampire sorcerer does business in, coupled with the clothing and mannerisms tell me this one is no different. He was afraid of Lyr. Reverent.”
“So he’s not stupid.”
“Indeed. I’d say two fifty or thereabouts.”
“Okay. So there’s no way a Vampire with that much age can hide what he is. Not from beings like you and me. But he’s got magic so there’ll be glamours and hide in plain sight spells. Genevieve will be a help on that.”
Rowan briefed him quickly about Genevieve’s impending arrival and the slight dustup they’d had over Rowan not telling her earlier.
It wasn’t until they pulled up to the gate that Rowan realized what else she’d forgotten. She whipped around in the seat. “Star! Where is she?”
“She’s most likely in the car with the others. I have a very strong feeling Star will make her way here however she pleases.”
“I’m her mom. I’m supposed to know where she is at all times. I suck as a dog mom.”
“Quit that immediately,” he murmured as they pulled under the portico to the side of the house. “Look at the front steps.”
Rowan followed where he’d pointed and saw Star sniffing around the s
ide garden, happily dashing from bush to tree to flower as she got to know the place.
“Thank the Goddess. I mean, yes, I did realize that with all the quarantine they do here with dogs that there’d be a problem but she assured me in her doggy way that things would be just fine so I believed her and then I guess I didn’t but there she is. Our magic dog.”
Rowan got out and headed toward Star so Clive kept an eye on her as he supervised the loading of their things into the house.
Betchamp approached and bowed slightly. “The grounds are clear, Scion.” He caught sight of Rowan and Star heading into the house. “When we landed, she was nowhere to be found. She’s a good sign, that dog.”
“I think so too,” Clive said. “Come along inside. We’ve work to do.”
* * *
They strolled down the street, her arm in his, and though they were doing surveillance, Clive couldn’t help but be proud. His wife was magnificent.
Even dressed in wide-legged trousers and a fitted blouse she looked dangerous and sexy. The magic and power rolled from her in waves.
They’d decided not to try very hard to tamp down their power levels as they were out and about. No one knew he was in town but Warren. Not even his parents knew they were in London. But there were plenty of powerful Vampires prowling London at that time of the night so they blended in by being who they were.
Now if that Blood Front Vampire looked closely enough he would see just how unique Rowan’s power was and that Clive was not just powerful, but more powerful than anyone else out on the sidewalk that night.
But as Rowan had pointed out more than once, most people were too lazy to see what was right in front of them so hiding in plain sight was the most expedient way to do things.
He didn’t have a name yet, but he would. He could sense which flats and town houses had Vampires in them as they strolled past. He had enough of Lyr’s memories to recognize the street and the front steps of the place he’d met this black market contact so it was just a matter of time.
“I can nearly pretend that we aren’t hunting a murderous traitor. It’s a really nice night,” Rowan said as they paused to look in a shop window.
The thought of just having a nice evening stroll with her was a very pleasant one. They rarely had the opportunity for such things and he needed to make it a priority.
He was always thinking they’d do it after they finally finished this or that case or investigation but right after they finished one, there was another.
Maybe they’d find a way to do it within the context of an investigation instead. As this was possibly the only way he’d ever get his wish for a post midnight walk about town with her.
“Belgravia seems the perfect neighborhood for Vampires. Excess and wealth on display is the norm,” Rowan told him as they turned up the next lane.
“I believe your father has some real estate here somewhere.”
She snorted. “Of course he does. He’s all about ostentatious displays of wealth and power. In fact he’s got more than one house here in London. He purchased a flat near the Motherhouse back when I first came to London to work with Susan. It pissed me off so much, which was his aim, most likely. Humans and Vampires alike would stay and keep an eye on me. I’m positive he’s got hundreds of surveillance photographs of me flipping the camera off. I also routinely broke in while they thought they were tailing me and fucked with their shit.”
He laughed, pulling her closer. “I haven’t heard this one yet. Tell me more.”
“I used to steal all their toilet paper. I’d pop open their car door to leave the light on all night to run the battery down. They got cameras on the car park though so I had to get way more creative and target the house more.”
“Naturally. What would be the point otherwise?” he teased.
“You make fun but that’s exactly right. The point was to let them know I was there and that I knew they were there too. And that I could just waltz in and loosen all the screws in the bed frames.” She laughed at herself then, the dark tone making Clive doubly glad all that energy had been directed at anyone but him. “It took two nights for the first bed to collapse. They also spent thousands on exterminators.”
“I’m dying to know even though I also understand I’ll regret it.”
Her laugh was light then, all his as she leaned in to bump her head against his shoulder. “I infested the whole place with lice. Twice. Bedbugs. Roaches.”
As amused as he was by her antics and insatiable will for revenge, a chill slid down his spine at the thought of how her father could have chosen to receive her message.
He hadn’t even needed to say that part aloud because she spoke. “To be honest with you, sometimes I just waited for him to come and kill me himself for it,” she murmured before she slowed her pace slightly.
Clive scanned the rows of front steps and tiny fenced gardens, letting himself remember. Taking a taste of the air as he did. There it was.
“On the corner. Purple flowers on the steps.”
“That’s what I felt. There’s power in the air.”
Clive slowed slightly as they approached the place he identified from Lyr’s memories. Rowan quickly texted David, who would set up surveillance on the back and side of the house so if the Vampire inside tried to run, they’d have him.
After a few short minutes, David texted her the go sign.
“Genevieve and David are in place. Let’s go say hey, how you doin’ to the occupant.”
Leave it to Rowan to have fun at a time like that. But she did, emanating far more amusement and deviousness than fear. That didn’t mean she wasn’t wary. It was impossible to miss the way her gaze flicked from place to place as she sized up the situation.
They walked up the steps and she leaned over, pressing the bell for long seconds. Clive had to school his features because she made him want to laugh at the way she did it twice more.
She could pester anyone to a full-blown rage. That was one of her myriad talents. Currently one he could appreciate far more because someone else was the target.
Finally, the door was opened by a servant. Not a human but a low-level Vampire. Clive knew it wasn’t the Vampire he was looking for at first glance.
“I’m looking for your master,” he said without preamble. He let his power flow between them so the other Vampire understood it wouldn’t do to let them wait long.
“Who should I say is calling, Sir?” He stepped to the middle of the doorway. Low-level, yes, but this butler had been classically trained. If Clive were an ordinary Vampire he’d have missed the fear. Admirable.
Rowan sighed more than loud enough for the other Vampire to hear. “Is he here or what?”
“I will tell you once I have your name.” The Vampire had no idea who he was dealing with.
“My name isn’t your business unless your master is here.” Rowan waited a beat and then pushed her way past him and into the foyer.
The servant, sputtering and uncertain, turned to speak to her and Clive flowed in behind him but left the door unlocked for David and Genevieve to follow when necessary.
“Miss, I must insist you wait,” the servant said to Rowan in what he had no idea would be the greatest futile gesture he’d ever know.
Rowan turned, rolling her eyes. “Do I look like a Miss to you? How about you tell me your name and then if your master is here and stop wasting my fucking time.”
Clive had figured he’d handle this part but once Rowan got started, it was best to just let her go unless he was ready to fight with her over supremacy, especially when she was already doing just fine.
Clive took stock of the doors and the stairway to his left. The Blood Front Vampire was up there. He knew that for certain.
“You need to leave.” But the words were slightly breathy as he trailed after her. Clive understood it. He quite often felt the same when his wif
e just did whatever she wanted. The other Vampire, who he’d heard tell Rowan was called Chauncy, had just realized what a dangerous being had just breezed through the door.
Clive opened doors, peeking inside as he watched Rowan wear Chauncy down. Finally when he knew the first floor was clear, he stepped to Chauncy and locked his gaze on the other Vampire.
The servant had some protections, as did those who worked for Clive. No Vampire wanted anyone to come, roll his staff and get access to his life without permission.
But those protections were flimsy when a Scion level Vampire attempted to get past them. Which he did rather easily.
“What is your master’s name?” he asked softly.
“Roderick.”
Just one name. He’d never hear the end of that from Rowan, who already spent most of her time mocking the stupid things Vampires did. But Clive knew who this eponymous Vampire was. And what family he came from.
“Where is he now?”
“Upstairs salon.”
Rowan said to Clive, “Deal with him. I’ll get this Rod dick down here pronto.” She went to the front door and opened it, reaching around to push the doorbell.
And kept pushing.
“Are you coming down here or what, Rod?” she called out in the brief seconds she let go of the button. “My friend said you had some spells to sell and I’ve got money in my pocket. Stop wasting my time,” she added as she stomped on the gorgeous parquet floor at her feet. Then for good measure she knocked over one of the large modern vases that had towered to each side of the entry.
Clive winced. Chauncy had stopped struggling and simply watched Rowan do her thing. She could be so sneaky no one would have heard her or seen her. But this was his favorite Rowan. Fierce. Brash. Fearless. Without a fuck to give.
“I mean, I can come up there to get you,” Rowan yelled as she came to stand at the bottom of the stairs. “It’d be seriously embarrassing for you though. To have a human come into your home, break your rich guy shit, mark your expensive floors with the heels of her shoes and instead of coming down to meet this poor defenseless human and kick her out, you hide under your bed and hope I just walk away. I have a really short attention span, but I also have a really strong sense of vengeance so I’m good with moving in just to make your life an endless series of terrible moments until you come down here or escape out a window up there like a coward. Are you just a load of hot air with too much fucking money to buy ugly ass vases? I should break them all just on principle.” To underline that, she walked to the other vase and tossed it over.