by J. A. Saare
"A word of advice," Cillian said in a way that inferred he was addressing me and not Noah. "Let her address and judge your importance before you ask petty and irrelevant questions. Vampires extend invitations to guests who are polite and respect their authority. Prod her before she's extended courtesy, and she'll revoke the invitation she granted, and you'll never be welcome back."
Strange.
Julian hadn't appeared offended by my questions.
Or our presence at Burlesque for that matter.
A hallway at the top of the stairs led to an open area.
We made our way up, and I paid close attention.
I felt like I approached royalty of some kind.
A slim female, with skin like diamonds, was seated in a chaise lounge before a huge fireplace. Her red hair was like liquid flame, vibrant and complimentary to her pale complexion. I nearly faltered when our gazes met. I got a good look at her irises. I'd never seen the color before, an eerie bluish-white.
"Cillian." If a voice could exude pure sex, her's did. "It's been too long."
She extended a hand to him, and he went to her.
He guided her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across her knuckles.
"Not nearly long enough," he replied in a dry tone.
He pulled away, and I tried to focus on scents in the room.
The heaviest aroma in the area came from her skin, which had been slathered with a sugary coconut oil of some kind. There was no way to tell if they were being playful or serious with one another.
"Allow me to introduce you to Noah and Eleonora Cameron."
She took Noah in first, and I didn't like the way her focus lingered on his crotch. I believed werewolves weren't on par with vampire's sexual preferences—Julian had stated as much—but I discovered their tastes varied. I was about to step around him to block her view, when her attention darted to me.
"Look at that." Terror hit when I realized the vampire female saw right through me, perceiving my possessiveness. "You don't like to share."
Why lie? She knew the truth.
"No, I don't."
Noah's head turned. I felt him staring at me. I didn't intentionally jeopardize the case. I banked on her preferring honesty to petty lies. She'd seen my expression. She knew I wasn't going to stand by while she ogled the man I could very well be spending the rest of my life with.
"I wondered why Julian spoke for you. Now, I do."
Since I'd already taken a seat on a toilet, I decided I might as well flush. "Mind clueing me in?"
"You just answered your own question." Her attention flittered from my head to my toes. "You're not like the majority of your kind. You think, act, and react like a human." She seemed amused, pondering me. "You don't know that though, do you? You think you blend right in." Her attitude changed and she said, "Ask your questions before I grow bored. I'm not fond of females in general, especially dominant ones."
I pulled the photos from my back pocket. "We were told a man was directed to you courtesy of Burlesque." I handed them to her and realized my mistake.
I'd put Peter's photo with Floyd's.
Fortunately, she came to Floyd's picture first. "He visited a location we reserve in Nashville, but we did not interact. He remained relegated to a viewing area." She shuffled her hands, the motion smooth as butter, and looked at the other one. I opened my mouth, prepared to apologize. Her chin lifted and she addressed me. "When was this taken?"
"I'm sorry." I went to take the pictures from her, but she moved her hands, keeping them out of range. I wondered if I could talk to her about Peter at all and decided since he'd died, it wouldn't matter. "That photo was taken for another case. They shouldn't have been put together."
"Is that right?" Her head slanted slightly, and a cascade of red hair draped over one of her shoulders. "What happened to him."
"That's classified."
"Is the case ongoing?"
Well shit. How to answer? "Maybe."
"Don't lie to me. It's insulting."
Noah spoke up. "She can't answer."
"Why?"
"I can't answer," he replied smoothly.
I wanted to smile.
"Then I will no longer address you, Mr. Cameron. All conversation will remain between myself and your wife." She shifted her body, clearly moving back from Noah, like he'd become very distasteful. "If I know him, will you answer?"
For the first time in days, excitement coursed through me. She'd seen something. She'd been too standoffish to take interest in a human or werewolf male she'd never met before.
I motioned at the photos. "Do you recognize him?"
"Maybe," she responded, throwing my words back in my face.
"Unless you can provide information on him," Noah said, not backing down, and I felt his hand brush against my back. "We're not at liberty to discuss anything with you."
Her irises turned white.
"I will tell you. If you know him." I wanted answers.
If I got in trouble with the PBI for running my mouth, so be it.
"He no longer resembles the man I knew, but they are one and the same. It's in the eyes. Like windows to the soul. They never change."
"So you do know him?"
"Did I not say as much?"
"How?'
Her lips pursed and her brows arched. "I'm afraid that is information I cannot provide."
"If you know anything about him," I grated through my teeth, trying to be polite, "tell me. He was part of an important case. Any details you could provide would be greatly appreciated."
"Was is past tense, Mrs. Cameron." Muriel's entire presence changed. It almost felt like an invisible wall had suddenly appeared around her. "You used that word in particular. Is there a reason?"
My temper stoked. I'd had enough of her questions.
"He was found near the skyline a few months ago. He'd been bitten and changed, but he couldn't remember anything. Only his name. We were trying to help him."
"You're still using past tense."
"He passed away."
Her focus shot to Cillian.
Although both of their faces remained passive, time lapsed. They were communicating. I didn't know how. After a minute, she looked at me. She sat upright, extending one arm. Her nails matched the color of her hair.
"Place your hand in mine."
Noah hesitated. "Cillian?"
"Cillian does not dictate matters here. If you want answers, I will provide them. If," she said, pausing to look me and Noah in the eye, "you offer something of equal value and importance."
"You can see into memories." Noah didn't sound offended.
He wanted to warn me.
I'd noticed her exchange with Cillian earlier.
The vampire could read minds.
I wasn't sure I wanted her in my head.
"I only wish to view memories with Peter," she informed me. "Think of him, and I will find them immediately."
Peter.
She'd used his name.
Noah picked up on the same thing. His gaze rested on me.
"You do know him," I stated.
Her composure slipped with a mere turn of her shoulders. I wouldn't have noticed had I not been watching her so closely. I grasped the difference in things. Julian and Muriel weren't different from werewolves. Not exactly. They shifted form, too. They could be living or dead.
Muriel had slowed her heartbeat to the point I hadn't heard it before. Blood hadn't been rapidly flowing through her veins. As soon as her motor kicked into gear, her body created scents I could identify.
The information about Peter angered her for some reason.
I didn't wait for Noah's permission.
I put my hand in hers.
Her skin felt different, cool and smooth like stone.
A weird vibration pulsed into my palm.
"Peter Shelby visited here on numerous occasions." She pulled away and made sure our eyes met. "He was extremely popular with the staff and regulars. As a ass
istant, submissive, or friendly companion. He had an open invitation and could come and go as he pleased."
"He worked here?"
"He played here," she corrected, placing her hands in her lap.
"Played is past tense."
Her glare told me to stop being a smartass. "Correct."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"In person? Several months ago. I will have someone look over the calendar and bookings if you like. They can provide precise dates."
She'd given us Peter's full name, which would help.
But how had he come across a werewolf?
"Do you allow werewolves here?"
"You're here," her lips curved into a smile, "are you not?"
Touché. "Then this is important to you, too. It's a safety concern." I didn't dare blame her, mulling over my word choice. "Someone turned him without his permission. He was left to die in the woods." I exhaled, hoping I could connect to the woman. We were extremely different, and I didn't know or understand her species. "Peter didn't deserve that. No one does. I didn't know him long, but he wasn't a bad man. If you know anything that could help, please tell me."
"You feel responsible for what happened. You feel guilty about his circumstances."
I recalled what she'd said at the start of the conversation.
I did gravitate toward my human nature.
"My mom was human. I know how fragile they are."
"Is that why you saved the child in the bank?"
The query caught me off guard. I tried to formulate words to answer.
Thankfully, I didn't have to.
"Others wouldn't have done." She didn't sound annoyed anymore, becoming contemplative. "Some recall their humanity, if they ever had it, but not deeply. I am one of them."
"Then find it again." I went to her and kneeled down. I didn't touch her, keeping space between us, but I made sure the request was sincere. "We have to find out who did this. For all our sakes."
Her eyes changed from bright white to blue. "I will personally look over our records, Mrs. Cameron. I will also survey security footage. If I discover anything, I will contact you."
She leaned close but didn't touch me, tapping a finger against her temple.
"I will be in touch, Eleonora Cameron."
At first I thought she'd said it aloud.
Then I realized her voice seemed to echo.
Telepathy.
"Thank you," I said and meant it.
She waved me away. I made it to my feet and stepped back.
"Niall."
The instant she uttered the name, my ears burned.
An enormous man appeared from nowhere. He stood right behind her.
Magic pulsed from him.
Noah reacted, snagging me by the waist.
He placed me behind him and turned to protect me.
"Noah." Cillian sounded totally calm. "The meeting is over."
A door appeared between Muriel and the fireplace.
The large man picked her up, took a step back, and they vanished.
Holy shit.
The male was no fae or fairy. He wasn't a gnome or one of the horned gods brownies worshipped. I'd heard about his kind. I'd read snippets about them in lore books when I'd been taken to Michael's home for one of his talks. If anything I knew held true, the powerful being created bonds that could never be broken. He could never be killed or die. The supernatural world opened wide. Myth based in reality. Muriel had more than a guardian. She held access to power beyond comprehension.
A Haltija.
Confused swamped me."What the hell is going on?"
The entire evening felt surreal.
I looked at Noah, who looked at Cillian.
"One of you better answer me."
I'd had enough surprises.
Seconds passed like hours.
Cillian pivoted and turned, leaving the room.
Noah grasped my waist and pulled me close.
Then his hands latched onto the flesh between my back and ass.
Before I could say anything, he rested his forehead on mine.
"Angel," he whispered, his voice gruff. "We have to talk."
Chapter Sixteen
Noah left the city and returned to the compound. From there, he drove to a place I knew very well. In a world before reality, when I'd experienced youth, vibrancy, and recklessness as a young werewolf coming into her own, I'd referred to quarry as my own private haven. The spot truly did look like heaven. Especially after a heavy rain. The scents thrilled me, the air far more natural than the smog and gas fumes I inhaled in the city. The place created what felt like a natural center of gravity.
In any world gone crazy, the quarry seemed like utopia.
A group had set up camp on one side, so Noah drove around, putting plenty of distance between us. He chose a spot we'd camped at before, underneath an old black oak. He got out of the truck and retrieved a blanket stashed behind his seat. Since he'd been quiet the entire ride, I didn't break the silence. I followed him to the base of the tree, watched as he put the blanket on the ground, and took a seat on it when he did.
"I didn't know about the Haltija." Noah gazed out at the water. Wind shifted his blond hair, tossing strands around his face. "Cillian might have been aware, but if he did know, he wouldn't have told me. That's private information. He'll expect us to keep what happened to ourselves. No one needs to know what we saw."
"Are you worried fae might come around?"
"No, it's not that. I think it's a test. The vampires want to know if they can trust you. I don't know why, as Cillian is the only one who's ever trusted me."
"You're friends?"
"As much as we can be, given the situation. He's a solid partner. When I work with him, I never question his loyalty. I wasn't underplaying the tension between vampires and werewolves. They don't hate our kind necessarily, but they do hold us responsible for a lot of things. Such as our mistakes. There's a reason they stay out of the news. If they can't cover something up, they influence human thoughts and memories. So you can appreciate why they don't like us asking questions, or becoming involved in werewolf trouble, because it means they're being drawn into matters they can't fully control. There are too many variables."
"Like Hunter Barnes and Sophia Wilkes?" The werewolf and vampire pair that had fallen in love, ran away together, and died as a consequence. They had been on the news. Vampires hadn't been able to cover it up.
"That was a large part of it, for more than one reason. They couldn't control the situation, which exposed several of them. The ones that couldn't remain anonymous left the United States. They won't come back for at least a century, after their faces and identities have faded from human memory."
Vampires didn't have an official spokesperson.
They didn't interact with humans as werewolves did.
Humans didn't like that, but what could they do about it?
"The Coalition of the Sun and Watchers of the Moon are another reason our alliances are strained. You read my files. You know about Hunter Barnes and Sophia Wilkes. But there's something that's not listed. The pair naively talked to the Coalition and Watchers. They hoped they'd be protected by them. They said more than they should have. That's the reason they were killed in Colorado. They'd risked both of our races. The decision was unanimous on both sides."
"Why wasn't that in the file?"
"Vampires acquired the information. They found the right people and dug around in the right heads. Before they'd tell the PBI the truth, we had to agree not to note it on official record."
"What did they tell you?"
"Hunter and Sophia provided names and locations of alphas and packs, as well as the names of vampires in prominence. They also provided locations of several of their nests. They were young, so they didn't know everything, but it was enough. The vampires they mentioned are the ones that left for clearer skies. They were also the ones willing to work with werewolves without PBI involvement."
&n
bsp; "They didn't want their names on record."
"No, they did not."
"There's more, isn't there?"
"Lone werewolves and vampires are working with the Watchers and Coalition now. We don't know who they are, and we don't know why they're doing it. I think that's why Julian had you meet with Muriel. Her information is important, and we'll follow up. But she wouldn't have given any answers without judging you. You touched her, Ray. She might not have taken your memories, but I guarantee she checked one thing. She made sure you weren't an insider."
"Shit." I recalled something extremely important. It had nearly slipped my mind. "Peter recognized the symbols of the Coalition and the Watchers."
Noah turned, leaning on his arm to look me. "He what?"
"He didn't remember why. He just knew it from somewhere."
"And you're just telling me this now?"
"I didn't know about the spies, Noah."
"He could have been working both sides."
"Would Muriel have seen that?"
"Not by touching you. It doesn't work that way."
"I should tell her."
"Yes, you should. When you speak to her again."
"How do you know I will?"
"You two spoke telepathically. I've seen it before. I know what it looks like."
"We should focus on things at home. At least right now."
"I know. That's why I brought you here. We need a plan."
"Has the compound had problems I should know about?" The only way the news would have picked the information up would be through the Coalition and Watchers. So I couldn't be certain. "Have there been uninvited guests?"
"Obviously."
"How bad?"
"At first? It was a nightmare. But the police listened to Michael. They set up hourly patrols. They documented every arrest and eventually warned trespassers what they were doing constituted as harassment. If it persisted, the police were going to release a public statement. That kind of information would make the Coalition and Watchers look bad, so they backed off. They still sniff around, though."
"Now there's a rogue alpha running around." Something the world didn't need to know, but the Coalition and Watchers would announce with glee. "They can't see that. They can't know anything about it."
"If the news gets out, imagine the fallout."
