Blade on the Hunt

by Lauren Dane

  “Ready?”

  Rowan nodded once and Recht opened the doors and she went inside.

  His rooms were warmer than the hall she’d just been in. The drapes at all the windows had been drawn back and though it was cool outside, many of the doors leading to balconies and parapets had been opened.

  The cart had been left in the small butler’s pantry, so Rowan wheeled it into the main room where Theo had just entered with Enzo at his side.

  He’d cleaned up and changed into something less murdery. A lovely pair of soft pants that were clearly made just for him. Probably a hundred years ago. And a long-sleeved shirt. He wore his favorite, hand-sewn slippers and if his eyes hadn’t been port instead of their normal brown she might have thought him an eccentric professor who probably had loads of students with crushes on him.

  The color meant he still struggled with his bloodlust so she knew to be extra careful.

  “Come,” Theo said.

  She’d already shown him her mark. Once was enough. Hopefully. Instead she took her place next to the cart and began to pour out his tea.

  “You’re angry with me, Rowan.” Theo sat and took his cup and saucer with murmured thanks.

  She was angry with just about everyone, nearly all the time. It was her basic setting. But this made her more protective than angry. More worried for him than afraid of him. As twisted as it was, she loved him.

  She focused on his eyebrows for a moment and then continued to peek under lids and domes to see what Dina had sent up.

  “I’m not angry with you. Did you do something I’ll be mad about?”

  His smile sent a rush of emotion and memory through her and she shut it all away because the last thing she needed was to be soft or distracted by that impish thing he could do sometimes.

  “Okay. Would you like to tell me what happened?” she asked.

  “I’d like some of those dumplings.” He indicated the covered dishes on the cart.

  How he could fit in a dumpling after he may have eaten a whole village of Vampires or humans was unclear. But maybe he didn’t eat a whole village. She hoped he hadn’t.

  Not so much because she felt bad for whoever he’d um, eaten. Because if he had, that Vampire deserved it. Probably. And they would have been part of whatever happened to Rowan so she wasn’t losing any sleep over it.

  But.

  “Sometimes when you’re gone I forget you’ll be back.” His voice was sad and lost.

  He didn’t need to go getting mired down in the past either. “I live in Las Vegas. I work in Las Vegas. I’d been gone from there six weeks so there were several messes to clean up. You know how Vampires get the minute anyone in charge’s back is turned.”

  His grin was nearly boyish. “Did you rough up any of Clive’s people?”

  “Why do you grin?”

  He laughed then. “It amuses me to imagine him ruffled and agitated with you. Heaven knows you don’t care when the men in your life are vexed. I’m pleased you’re focused on him instead of me for a change.”

  “To be completely honest, he’s quite capable of roughing his own people up when they step out of line. That classy exterior doesn’t fool anyone who’s seen him in action.” Rowan wasn’t too worried about Theo that she didn’t warm a little when she thought of how Clive looked when he got worked up.

  She needed to stop that line of thought.

  Rowan reached for her old friend sarcasm. “If Vampires kept their teeth where they belonged I could retire. Sit on a beach somewhere and have cocktails.”

  “Petal, there are other creatures on this planet to make trouble who aren’t Vampires. And you would hate the sand after a few hours. Think about how many cheerful humans you’d have to deal with.”

  She harrumphed but held her tongue. Rowan normally only made very careful jokes when he was in a good mood, she certainly wasn’t going to make things worse when he was so clearly on the edge of losing his shit. His little tee-hee jokes were fine, but they also showed some fraying at the edge of his control. He usually kept his delight that she tortured people to himself.

  He sniffed, vexed as he’d claimed earlier. “You left. And then my Five found some information about a group of Vampires who’d helped Enyo that night. I lent my assistance. I’d hoped to have this finished by the time you’d returned.”

  He paused to finish off a dumpling and she did the same and then had two more.

  “I suppose you’re angry with me. But Enyo nearly killed my child. And then these Vampires, an established house in my Nation gave her succor? They gave her a place to hide from me. From my vengeance. From my discipline. Obviously that is not...acceptable. It won’t happen again. But I won’t apologize.”

  Ha. Like she’d ever expect him to. Plus she didn’t feel bad that he killed someone who broke their laws and helped a murderer like Enyo. Lastly because he worded that last bit so carefully it wasn’t actually clear whether he was saying what he’d done was unacceptable or what they had done was. Theo was so sneaky.

  And then she knew it was the latter when he kept talking. “I took care of some loose ends. As is my right and responsibility. I lead them. I. Do. Do you see what happens when they’re not corrected regularly when they misbehave? I have to take stern measures.”

  Having been on the receiving end of his stern measures more than once, Rowan was glad he never did to her whatever he did to those Vamps. “Can you share the details with me? Who? Where? Then I can work with Nadir to add it to the database we’ve built for our upcoming hunt.”

  “I’ll tell you when I’m along, naturally. I can remember a great many things.”

  Rowan avoided looking over at Enzo or letting her expression change in any way from her calm, slightly blank mask. He could he genuine, he could be testing her. Whatever was going on, she had to step carefully.

  “I think perhaps it might be wise if you stay here. If you’re away, there are those who could use that to move on your position. This is the seat of your power. Your Vampires need to know you’re here and firmly in charge.”

  He narrowed his gaze at her and deep inside she began to conjugate in French to keep her countenance free of any signs of agitation. Of course Brigid didn’t like that at all and the warmth of Her rush of power seeped into Rowan’s bones.

  She didn’t push, but when you had a Goddess for a boss, you paid attention when She did something.

  Theo made a sound, a near growl. Clearly he’d sensed Brigid’s magic. “She is so often inside you, Petal. Can I not be spared tonight?”

  Brigid didn’t much like Theo and he didn’t much like her back. But not only was She part of Rowan, she protected Rowan. Seems like the two had radically different ideas of what protecting one’s charge meant and the Goddess disapproved of what the younger Rowan dealt with.

  “I’m going to be arranging a meeting between all the parties with a stake in this hunt. Mainly the Nation and Hunter Corp.” Rowan hoped to interrupt what could be a twenty-minute long complaint session about the Goddess. She and Clive had been traveling since the day before and Rowan lacked the stamina to dance around to keep people from getting maimed.

  Enzo handed her a brush. The walnut handle was warm in Rowan’s palm. Smooth from centuries of use, this had been the same brush Rowan’s father and her grandfather before that had used to brush Theo’s hair.

  A brush she’d used from the age of three or so, when she began to attend him. “Would you like me to brush your hair now?”

  “Do you think me so easily swayed?”

  Goddess, if only.

  “I can quite honestly say I do not think you easily swayed on any issue.”

  His brows rose and then he smiled like a toddler who’d been caught sneaking a cookie.

  “All right then.” She stood and held the brush aloft. “You know you can�
�t come. You’re going to extract something from me as a bargain to stay here so let’s get negotiating.”

  Theo clapped his hands and moved so she could settle in behind him and begin long strokes through hair as pale as moonlight. Soft. The cool silk of it on her arms and hands as she brushed it was a good memory. Brushing his hair had soothed them both many, many times.

  “You know you’re the only one I allow to do this. Enzo is very good but he doesn’t massage my scalp like you do.”

  Rowan met her cousin’s gaze over Theo’s head. He didn’t react when she rolled her eyes, but she knew he was amused.

  But it was still dangerous. The air in the room was unsettled. Theo gave off angry waves of energy from time to time. He wasn’t under control. He tried though, and that had to be enough until she could figure out another away or until this madness passed and he returned to red alert homicidal and cranky instead of melting the crust of the earth going to destroy everyone crazy.

  “You’re very spoiled.” She brushed and brushed, feeling the tension in his muscles release little by little as she kept up.

  “I am.”

  “Where did you go, Vater? Your Five need to know.”

  “Do you think me so careless as to leave evidence?”

  She kept her tone soothing. “No. I think you’re very powerful and sometimes you forget the human world is different now. They can find so much with one strand of hair.”

  He waved a lazy hand.

  “Don’t underestimate them. I work with humans daily. They’re not as strong as Vampires, but they’re curious and inventive. They already have so much fascination with Vampires that if they knew you really existed you might find armed troops on your doorstep while you are resting.”

  “I still know how to pour boiling oil on anyone attempting to breach my lair.”

  True. He kept giant cast iron cauldrons at the spouts and there was always enough tinder to start a fire and get that oil—already waiting in the cauldrons—boiling hot and ready to kill invaders.

  Some kids had earthquake drills at their houses growing up. Rowan had learned that and laughed and laughed.

  “You think me weak?” He was cranky again, though it wasn’t aimed at her. Not yet.

  “I think you very powerful. A shark sometimes forgets it’s not the only creature with teeth in the ocean, yes? I do not want you to get kidnapped by shadowy government agencies.” Not that they could hold him very long, but it would be quite the mess.

  “Bah, shadowy!”

  “Bah? I work for a shadowy agency. I would be one of the type of people sent to take you. And your household staff. And your Vampires all over the planet. You take this far too lightly.”

  “You said you weren’t angry, Petal, but I think you are.”

  She realized she was. Worried about him too. Fuck it all twice sideways. She wasn’t supposed to be back here wanting to protect him again. Seems old habits died hard and damn if she didn’t love this whackadoodle old weirdo.

  “I’m angry you’re being careless with your safety. I’m not questioning your ability to protect yourself when attacked. But there are elements—human elements—who’d stop at nothing to have you. And there are Vampires who would use this to take over the Nation.”

  “You worry for me?”

  “Of course I do. Where did you go? Let us help or I shall be very cross with you.”

  He stilled and she continued to brush and hoped she masked her fear.

  “I will tell you and I will stay here.”

  She waited, brushing, knowing there was more.

  “I would probably feel far better if I was able to see my daughter more often. You’re very stingy with your time.”

  Stingy? He was so dramatic. “Did I not recover here for six weeks before I went back to Las Vegas? I’m here now and will be for a few more days. Hardly stingy.”

  “You were nearly dead during part of that time and would not do well to remind me of it.”

  Anyone else on the entire planet and she’d have hit him on the back of the head with that brush hard enough to render him unconscious for being so annoying.

  Instead she made herself not yank the brush too hard and waited him out. He’d spill it eventually. After he pouted and complained some more. She needed to have Carey add a few terms to his search list so she’d think on that while mentally scouring Theo’s complaints until she got to the heart of it and finally worded her offer however he needed to hear it so they could be done.

  “I would rather like to see you. And Clive, he’s permanent is he?”

  “He’s not dying anytime soon. Unless he annoys me too much.”

  Theo made a sound and waved a hand. “Don’t avoid the question, Petal.”

  “Yes, he’s permanent. He’s in the family business so to speak. He’s nice to look at. He doesn’t burst into tears when I have to kill something.”

  Theo laughed this time. “Bring him then. I’ll need to invite Warren for another time or he’ll be petulant.”

  “Warren?” Petulant? Really? She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Warren petulant.

  Theo looked over his shoulder at her, chiding. “While the Keep is akin to Vatican City, Germany is in Warren’s territory. Another Scion comes to visit and it only makes all the rest of my children petty and childish about what is fair. Fair. Beings who span into the millennia and they still mewl at me about who gets more love from poppa.”

  Oh that. Vampire politics were so dumb. She’d make a crack, but again, scary old Vampire on the edge and also, Hunter politics were just as dumb so she couldn’t really cast stones. Though maybe she should cast them at people’s heads so they’d be unconscious and she could get on with her business.

  “I know you come to Ireland for your goddess’ holy day and your birthday at that time. I won’t get in the way of that part of your life. I know you belong to Her then. Afterward, I’ll expect you for a week.”

  As Brigid’s Vessel, Rowan returned to Kildaire every year at Imbolc, Her holy day in February. Which also happened to be Rowan’s birthday. She always spent a week or so in Ireland, visiting with the women who revered Brigid. Many of whom had a part in educating Rowan in what it was to be who she was as a Vessel. They were her elders, much like aunts.

  “I can do that. He...well I don’t think Clive will be in Ireland with me, but I can meet him here a week after Imbolc.” Clive tread carefully when it came to the side of her life belonging to Brigid. He seemed in awe and maybe a little scared of it. Which sort of was how Rowan felt about it too so she wasn’t offended.

  He held up three fingers. “One visit agreed on. And the other three times? It’s been far too long since my Keep has celebrated the winter holidays. Come then. We will have trees like the Christians and Druids. Cook will make croquembouche. You will allow me to give you presents and not complain about how much they cost. Not once. I want presents in return. A framed picture or something of that sort. Not a painting. I have paintings of you. No silver, no matter how funny you think that is.”

  She gave in to the smile at the memory of giving him a silver-handled mirror after reading Dracula. She must have been ten or so. He might be old and out of touch in a lot of ways, but all Vampires, no matter how long they’d been around before Stoker’s novel, knew the reference.

  Vampires weren’t bothered by mirrors, but silver did harm them. They were all pretty insulted to be considered bug eaters and crypt sleepers when most Vamps liked high thread count sheets and tended to be snobs about food.

  But he’d laughed when he unwrapped her gift. A good memory.

  Still, there was no way she could just freaking put her life on hold and make the trip from Vegas to high in the Wetterstein four times a year.

  But it didn’t matter. He wanted it and she knew, in the end, she’d agree because she need
ed him at the Keep instead of marauding across Europe where she’d have to watch him every minute so he didn’t start snacking on passersby who looked at him sideways.

  Plus Clive would be getting more face time with The First, which would be good for his career within the Nation. Not that she’d admit to either male that she cared, but it mattered to Clive so it mattered to her.

  And just maybe it was nice that Theo cared enough to use his power with her to demand not concessions to the Treaty, but time with her.

  “I can’t just fly like you and Clive can. The trip takes me way longer.”

  “I’ll send my private jet for you and Clive. That’ll keep him safe for travel as well and you’ll be brought right here to our airfield down the mountain.”

  “I can agree to do my best. Things are chaotic right now so I can’t say yes. I will do my utmost to make it happen.”

  He reached up and patted her hand. And then he gave her the names of the Vampires he’d executed and agreed to stay at the Keep as long as Recht went with her on the hunt.

  Chapter Three

  Clive stalked back down the stairs after ending his meeting with the other Scions. He needed some distance from Warren Farrelly. Being in Germany meant it was Clive on the defensive in the power dynamic. He wasn’t a fan.

  Clive was smarter. Certainly far better looking and more charming. If pressed, Clive believed he would prevail in a physical challenge. But Farrelly had been a soldier in the middle ages and had battled alongside Clive’s father and uncle during the war that brought the Treaty into being. He held Europe ably and, despite his annoying ego, had been a solid ally along with Clive to back The First.

  Warren was a pompous prat who looked at Rowan far too often and for far too long. Made Clive want to rip the other Vampire’s head off.

  Rowan was his. Yes, yes, no one truly owned Rowan but Rowan. But she’d given herself to him. She was his in ways she’d never be with anyone else. Clive found that immensely satisfying.

  When Clive rounded the corner he came upon Nadir.

  “I was just looking for you. Do you have a moment to update me on the situation?” Technically he outranked the Five, but it did no good to antagonize or disrespect them. They were powerful. Feared for a reason. In truth, they were far more powerful than anyone other than Rowan when it came to dealing with The First.