by Lynsay Sands
“Because I can read the descriptions from your mind and that you have not recalled the name,” he said simply.
“Oh. Right.” She felt her face heat up at the idea that he was reading her thoughts, and started running back through them, trying to see if she’d thought anything she needed to be embarrassed about.
“Maybe it would help you remember his name if you thought back to when you first heard it,” Magnus suggested. “Do you remember when Stella told you his name?”
“Not really,” Allie admitted apologetically, even as she tried to search out the memory. Distracted by the task, she muttered, “I mean, it’s been four years since she told me the truth.”
“A hectic four years too, from the sounds of it,” Tricia said, her voice sympathetic.
“Yes,” Allie acknowledged absently, her mind on when she’d heard the name of Stella’s sire. It must have been when she’d first told her the story, of course. She made herself remember the room they’d been sitting in, and tried to imagine she was back there with Stella telling her what had happened to her. After a moment, she frowned and muttered, “I remember his name started with an A like mine and it was strange. I’d never heard it before. It sounded like amazon, but wasn’t amazon. It was Ackermon, or Addabon or—”
“Abaddon,” Lucian growled.
Allie’s eyes popped open. “That’s it!”
“Dear God,” Mortimer said quietly, and then glanced to Lucian. “Basha and Marcus are in San Francisco following up on a report of a possible sighting of him there.”
“Call them back to Toronto,” Lucian said grimly. “Basha needs to be here.”
Nodding, Mortimer started to rise, but Lucian waved him back to his seat. “After we finish here.” Turning to Allie then, he asked, “Stella lived in British Columbia when she was attacked?”
“Yes.” Allie nodded firmly. “Vancouver.”
“When she arrived on your doorstep the night she died, did she specify who had found her? Did she mentioned seeing Abaddon himself there in Calgary?”
Allie shook her head. “She just said, ‘They’ve found me.’”
“So Abaddon himself could still be in Vancouver,” Mortimer said slowly. “He might just be sending crews out, first after Stella and the boy, and now after Allie and the boy.”
Lucian shook his head firmly. “He will want the boy too much. He would not wait behind in Vancouver and depend on clumsy new turns to find him.”
“But why would Abaddon want Liam so badly?” Tricia asked with confusion.
“He wants to create another Leonius,” Lucian said with grim certainty. “He spent his entire life playing puppet master first to Leonius and then to his son. With them gone . . .” Lucian’s mouth firmed out. “This would be a perfect opportunity for him. The chance to get his hands on another child to corrupt and twist into a third Leonius.”
“But both Leonius and his son were no-fangers,” Sam pointed out. “That’s why they were crazy. Liam is an immortal. He won’t be insane like Leo and his father and likely to do the things they were willing and even eager to do under Abaddon’s tutelage.”
“What is a no-fanger?” Allie asked with confusion, but might as well have saved her breath. No one answered her; instead, Lucian responded to Sam’s comment.
“You do not think that if Abaddon got his hands on Liam young enough he could twist the boy’s mind?” Lucian asked dryly. “From what we have heard, Stella was a perfectly normal young woman, yet look at how she changed after her encounter with him.”
“Yes, but that was like a temporary madness from the turn,” Sam argued. “And Liam is already immortal.”
“It was not being turned that drove Stella to do the things she did,” Magnus said quietly. “It was the manner of the turn. The way their captors waited until the need for blood forced her and her husband awake and then tossed in bloodied victims to be rent apart.”
“Yes, but Liam is already an immortal,” she repeated. “He could not do that to him.”
“Not as part of a turn,” Magnus agreed. “But he could just lock him up without blood for days or weeks, wait until he is in desperate need and mad with blood lust, and then throw in victims who have been cut up so they reek of it.” He paused briefly and then shrugged. “Combine that with a few other tricks and treats and you would either have another Leonius, or the boy would end up dead and Abaddon would look for another victim to try to turn into his next Leonius.”
Lucian grunted in agreement and then turned back to Allie. “Did any of the rogues you have spotted the last four years fit Stella’s description of Abaddon?”
Allie scowled at him briefly, still wanting to know what a no-fanger was, and just what they were talking about; but knowing she wasn’t going to get any answers just now, she finally shook her head. “Stella said he looked like an accountant, unremarkable. Not one of the vampires I’ve seen has looked like an accountant. They’ve been shabby-looking, with grungy clothes, and either bald, or with hair overlong or just plain long. Even so, they’ve all been gorgeous, not unremarkable.”
“Gorgeous?” Sam asked with surprise, and then glanced around as she commented, “I would think he’d concentrate more on size and strength than good looks.”
“Abaddon prefers men,” Lucian announced.
“Oh.” Sam sat back.
“One of the men at the apartment last night might have fit Stella’s description,” Magnus said thoughtfully, and when everyone turned to look at him, he continued. “While the rest of the men piled out of the vehicles to approach the building, there was a man who remained in the passenger seat of the van and watched. He was unremarkable in looks, but better kept than the others. His hair was short and his clothes clean.”
Lucian stood abruptly, nearly knocking his chair over in his haste. Turning to Mortimer, he growled, “Time to get Allie and Liam out of here and down to Port Henry.”
“Should I send extra Enforcers?” Mortimer asked.
Lucian considered the question briefly, but then shook his head. “We need all hands here to search for Abaddon. He does not get away again.” His gaze shifted to Tricia. “I want you and Teddy at the house.” When she nodded, he continued. “And I will call Victor and have him and DJ step back into the game for this. With the four of you and Magnus and Tybo there too, Allie and Liam should be safe enough.”
“Should I call Basha and Marcus now, then?” Mortimer asked, standing as well.
Lucian shook his head. “I will.”
There was a moment of silence as he left the room, pulling out his cell phone as he went, and then Mortimer stood too. “Harper’s pilot is down at the garage with Anders. I’ll call down and tell him to ready the helicopter to go.”
“I guess I should get our Go bags.” Allie pushed her chair back from the table and stood. Everyone else stood up as well, but she ignored them and headed out of the kitchen. She considered going into the living room to fetch Liam first, but then decided to leave him to play. She could fetch him on the way back to the kitchen.
Allie didn’t make it halfway up the stairs before she had to stop. Her heart was thumping away at a rapid tattoo that she didn’t just feel in her chest, but her neck and arms too. It was more than a bit alarming, as were the sudden shakes that attacked her. Stopping on the steps, Allie tightened her tingling fingers on the rail and closed her eyes against the spots suddenly exploding in her vision. She barely heard Magnus’s concerned voice over the sound of her own heartbeat before her legs suddenly went out beneath her.
“Well?”
Magnus glanced up at Lucian’s impatient question as the man strode into the room, followed by Mortimer. They were in the bedroom Allie had slept in last night. He’d scooped her up as she’d fainted and carried her up here, barking over his shoulder at Mortimer to call and find out when Dani would get there. Unfortunately, it had turned out that Dani had been stopped on her way out of the hospital by another emergency. It had held her up, but only briefly this time. She’d be
en done and on the way when Mortimer had called. She’d arrived just minutes after Allie had fainted and was now finishing examining her.
“She is pale, clammy, breathing rapidly, and suffering from tachycardia. Rapid heartbeat,” Dani added as she recalled she was speaking to laymen. “She needs a blood transfusion.”
Lucian scowled at her for her trouble. “We suspected she needed a blood transfusion. In fact, Mortimer told you that, or should have, when he spoke to you.”
“He did,” she admitted.
“So? How long will that take?”
Dani peered back at Allie and then sighed. “I need to do some tests, Lucian. A blood count, blood typing and crossing . . .” She shook her head. “I need to take her to the hospital.”
“No,” Lucian said at once.
“No?” Dani turned grimly on the man in full doctor mode.
“She would not be safe in a hospital here,” Magnus explained before Lucian could bark at the woman. He knew that was the main concern. If Abaddon got his hands on Allie . . . Magnus didn’t even want to think about that. Losing his life mate before he even got to claim her would be . . . He didn’t want to think about that either.
“You’ll just have to arrange a guard for her at the hospital, then,” Dani said firmly. “Because she needs—”
“Abaddon is after her and the boy,” Lucian interrupted abruptly, and Magnus wasn’t surprised when Dani paled. When last in Canada he had heard the tale of how Abaddon’s previous pet, Leonius Livius, had kidnapped Dani and her younger sister and the horrors that had ensued. She, more than anyone, would understand the danger Abaddon posed.
Dani turned to peer at Allie briefly, and then straightened her shoulders and began digging around in the black bag she’d brought with her. “I’m going to take a couple of blood samples. One of your men will have to deliver it to the Argeneau labs for testing. I’ll give her a sedative and travel to Port Henry with Allie so that I can monitor her on the way there, and be there to give her a transfusion when they call with the results.”
“Is a sedative necessary?” Magnus asked with concern.
“Travel is stressful. Hell, this whole situation is stressful,” Dani added grimly. “Her heart can’t take much more stress right now. It’s already under pressure trying to get blood where it needs to go when it has little to work with. Once we give her a transfusion she should be fine, but until then she is better off asleep.” Pausing in gathering vials and needles, she glanced to Lucian and asked, “They’ll be able to get the blood I need in Port Henry? Their blood bank has all blood types?”
“Yes.”
Nodding, she turned back to her bag. “Then we should be able to leave in a few minutes. But someone needs to call Decker and explain what’s happening. And I’ll have to call my office so they can cancel my appointments for the next couple of days.”
“The next couple of days?” Sam asked with surprise as Mortimer pulled out his phone and began to punch in numbers. “Surely a transfusion doesn’t take that long?”
“No,” Dani admitted. “A transfusion only takes a couple hours. Four, tops. But she’ll need to be monitored for at least twenty-four hours afterward to be sure she isn’t having adverse reactions, and I presume Lucian won’t allow her to be hospitalized in Port Henry either?” she asked, looking toward the man.
“No,” Lucian said at once.
“Then I will need to monitor her,” Dani said on a sigh.
“Oh,” Sam said with a frown, and then glanced to her husband as he began to speak into his phone.
Mortimer was short and sweet. “Abaddon’s in town. Dani’s flying down to Port Henry with his latest target to look after her. If you want to join them, you had best get your ass here now.”
Apparently, Decker didn’t waste time asking questions, because after a pause and a grunt, Mortimer put his phone away and announced, “He was already on his way here to start his shift. He’ll be here in ten.”
“Is there enough room on the helicopter for everyone?” Magnus asked before anyone could say something else. The number of people making this trip was growing by the minute. They were now at eight by his count, and in his experience, most helicopters could only handle six passengers and the pilot. Of course, there were larger helicopters too, but he wasn’t sure how large Harper’s helicopter was.
Clucking with irritation, Lucian turned to Mortimer. “How quickly can we get a plane here?”
“I’ll call and find out,” Mortimer assured him, heading for the door.
“Tell them it is a top priority,” Lucian called after him.
“I did not know there was an airport in Port Henry,” Magnus commented as Lucian turned back.
“A small municipal one about four miles east of town,” Lucian said. “Teddy and Victor will have to arrange ground transportation to the bed and breakfast from there. Speaking of which, I had best go call them and inform them of the change of plans.”
Magnus watched him leave, then turned back to see Dani inserting a needle with a tube holder on the end into Allie’s arm. She popped a vial into the tube holder and then asked, “What does Abaddon want with this woman?”
“It is really her son he wants, I think,” Magnus admitted as he watched blood fill the vial. “Although he might take Allie to tend to the boy.”
“Why does he want the boy?” Dani asked, switching out the now almost full vial for an empty one.
“We believe he wants to turn little Liam into another Leonius,” Sam answered.
Dani gaped over her shoulder at them with dismay. “That sweet little boy I saw downstairs with Teddy?”
When they both nodded silently, her mouth tightened and she turned back to what she was doing with a muttered, “Another Leonius. God help us.”
“Lucian’s call sure put the fire under the women’s feet. Elvi and Mabel have been rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to ready everything.”
Magnus tore his gaze from where Allie lay across his lap and looked at the man driving the police SUV that he, Allie, Dani, and Decker were in. Teddy Brunswick, police chief of Port Henry and Katricia’s husband, had been waiting at the airport when their plane landed. Victor Argeneau had been with him and was transporting Teddy Jr., Liam, Katricia, and Tybo in a second SUV, one that was unmarked.
“Are there enough beds for everyone?” Dani asked with concern.
“Oh, yes,” Teddy assured them. “It’ll be a bit crowded, but they worked out a way to fit everyone in nicely. Fortunately, they let the bed and breakfast bit slide when they had the babies. They were kept hopping with the newborns, and between that and the restaurant they were too tired and busy to keep up with guests too,” the man explained, and Magnus knew it was for his benefit. From the talk on the plane, he was aware that Dani and Decker visited Port Henry a couple of times a year at least, so probably knew all this.
“The girls are just getting to an age where Elvi and Mabel could probably manage guests again,” Teddy continued. “But they aren’t sure they want to be bothered.”
“Constantly having guests in the house would be a big intrusion on their family lives,” Magnus commented, brushing a tress of long light brown hair away from Allie’s face.
“Exactly,” Teddy agreed. “Elvi and Mabel didn’t mind so much when it was just the two of them. They made it their lives, I guess. But now that they’re both married and have kids . . .” He shrugged, and then added, “It’s not like they need the money. The restaurant is always crazy busy. And, of course, Victor and DJ both have money of their own.”
“How do DJ and Mabel like living in their own house?” Decker asked as Dani took Allie’s pulse.
“Love it,” Teddy assured them.
It was Decker who turned in his seat to explain. “Mabel and Elvi lived in Casey Cottage together when DJ and Victor met them, and the two couples lived there for a time after, but then the house behind Elvi’s came up for sale and DJ and Mabel bought it.”
“What a mess t
hat was,” Teddy said with amusement. “They liked the position of it, being so close to Casey Cottage, but not the house itself. Did a big renovation. Gutted it from the studs out, knocked down walls here and there to make it more open concept, and refitted it all real nice. Then they took down the fence between the two properties. The backyards are just one big shared green space now and they’re all happy as can be.”
“That sounds nice.” Dani released Allie’s wrist with a satisfied nod and sat back in her seat.
“And real convenient in this situation too,” Teddy assured her. “The teams that guard Miss Chambers and her son at night will be sleeping at Mabel and DJ’s house during the day, and the day guards can sleep there at night. A good thing too since there are so many of you. Harper, Drina, and Stephanie are here as well,” he informed them. “When he heard so many were coming, Harper suggested that perhaps he should take the girls back to Toronto, but Lucian said no. Drina’s a good Enforcer, and Stephanie’s been training as one. He wanted them to stay just in case Abaddon managed to track Miss Chambers and her son here.”
“Is that likely?” Dani asked with concern. “Did Abaddon know she was at the Enforcer house? And even if he did, we flew down here. He can hardly track a plane. Can he?”
Decker’s voice was low and soothing as he assured her. “Lucian would hardly send Allie and Liam to Port Henry if he thought Abaddon could track them here. Not with all the immortal children presently living in the area. He is just being cautious.”
“Yes, sir. Better to be safe than sorry,” Teddy put in, and then added reassuringly, “I’m certain Lucian will track down Abaddon in Toronto. Meanwhile, we all get to enjoy a nice little visit down here. Kind of a family reunion for Stephanie, really, what with everyone she considers family being here at the same time for a change.”