“Damaris!” she screams, and I know my faerie has just come from the way she milks my dick, but I need more. Not only that, but she needs to be gone as she knows too much. I continue to drink. I’ll be hearing from my contact soon, and I need to end her so she can’t say anything to anyone.
“Damaris!”
Where before her scream came from pleasure, it isn’t the case now. I’m able to taste her fear, and she starts to struggle in my arms, but she’s becoming weaker and weaker with the loss of blood. I release her neck, and as I take the last drop of her blood, I look at her. before she was full of life, now she’s still in death. I let her fall onto the bed, and I lick the blood from my lips with my tongue. I wish it could be different, but no one can ever know I was here.
My phone buzzes. “Damaris,” I answer.
“Have you drunk? You need to come now,” a male voice orders.
“Where?”
“We’ll text you the coordinates. Just make yourself part of the crowd after we bring you into the secure area.”
My phone buzzes, indicating a text arrived. “Fine, but I’ll need a cleanup team here.”
The man groans. “What have you done, you bloodsucker?”
“Watch it, dog. I killed her so no one can find me. I’ll send the coordinates and the door will be unlocked.”
“You watch it, bloodsucker. If it weren’t for her, I’d leave you to fend for yourself. Okay, we’ll do it. You have thirty minutes to get here. Otherwise, I’ve given my team orders to leave you.”
He hangs up before I can answer. “That fucking dog, he better watch it.”
I dress in jeans, a black t-shirt, and put my leathers on. I glance at the coordinates and reply with the ones for my location. I leave, unnoticed, and head back to downtown Montreal. During the tourist season, the Old Port is always full, and it’s easy to move around unseen, helped by the partial moonlight. I keep my phone open until I find them.
“Damaris?”
I turn and see a big guy, who I know is a werewolf. “Yes.”
He grabs my arm, and two others join him. “Follow us.”
It’s a step down for a vampire to put his safety in the hands of these dogs, but in these times we need extreme measures if we want to succeed.
We start to walk toward Maisonneuve Boulevard, where I see a limo waiting.
“Enter.”
I do, and they follow me inside. “Where’re we going?” I ask as the limo heads toward the highway.
“It’s better if you aren’t in the neutral zone. We have a safe house at the border between our territory and the neutral zone.” By now, we are at Peel Street and Notre-Dame Street. West, at the limit of the neutral zone, and the limo stops at a small house. We get out, and the three werewolves tell me to follow them.
I enter, the smell of dogs disturbing me. I don’t know what they use the house for, but I can tell they use it a lot. One of them heads toward the kitchen, and I follow him, the rest stay close to the door.
“So, Damaris, we finally meet face to face. I only wish it was under better circumstances.”
I turn around recognizing the voice. “Donovan. I didn’t think you’d be here to welcome me.”
He sits on a chair and invites me to do the same. “The cleanup crew is taking care of your mess.”
My jaws tighten. Normally I would never let him talk to me like this. “You’re lucky you’re one of her favorites. If it were up to me, I’d let you rot in your mess.”
“I couldn’t let her live and allow someone to interrogate her to get to us. Now is not the time.” Why do I need to justify myself to a dog?
“Whatever. You’ve now given us a bigger issue. You can’t try to kill one of yours and not have consequences. She escaped and has not only joined the SIA Investigation Team, but she’s now mated with a half-demon that works there. That’s fucking big. I thought you were the best in your family.”
“You don’t know anything about it. She got lucky. Not only did one of your dogs help Lizbeth, but the alpha is also helping her, which gives her a place to stay where no one can get to her.”
“Watch it, bloodsucker. we need to get rid of her. Our Internal Affairs have started an investigation, and I think yours has as well.”
I’m not surprised, those people at Internal Affairs are a pain. “Do you know who’s behind it?”
“That’s the problem. The head of your Internal Affairs has been bribed, but since the agent, they put on the case is helping Lizbeth, the Investigation Team is helping her.”
“Who is it?”
Donovan sighs. “Casey.”
“Fuck!” I want to hit something.
“Yes, my thoughts exactly. She’s one of the best daywalkers and one of the most tenacious. She won’t rest until you, and maybe us by association, are dead.”
“We’ll be able to restrain her.” I turn at the female’s voice. “Damaris, Donovan.”
We both stand. “Sophia pleased to meet you in the flesh,” I say. For a witch, she’s gorgeous.
“Don’t touch her,” Donovan growls at me. His eyes are yellow, and his wolf is very close to being out.
“Stop, love, he doesn’t know.” Sophia touches Donovan, which tames his beast.
“Mates?” I ask.
She smiles at me. Our mates can be anywhere or anyone, either within our species or from another one, such as with Alto and his human.
“Yes, he is my mate.” She leans in and kisses him before settling in his lap after he sits.
I sit on my chair. “What news do you have?”
“Well, having Lizbeth doing what she’s doing isn’t helping. We need to move faster than planned. Not only is the Investigation Team on our backs, but the witches’ Internal Affairs are also involved now. I guess most of the factions have someone in their Internal Affairs working on it. The warrior witches are working like crazy, which means the Elders know something big is going on. We don’t need that kind of publicity.”
“I had no choice. Only now that dog Alex is helping her. I thought Lizbeth was alone and would be easy to grab after she saw me killing that faerie agent. I was wrong.”
I see Donovan stroking Sophia’s arms as he answers. “Maybe, but the one behind this has said we now only have a month. Before what happened with Lizbeth, only the warrior witches suspected anything, now the rest of the community is involved. Not only that, Kane is watching the demons to see if there is any activity there. We thought we had a wild card with you, but that’s not the case anymore.”
“What’s our next step?”
Sophia kisses Donovan, and I can see their lust for each other. Vampires love to see desire and sex, even if there’s no blood involved. “First, most of the Internal Affairs and the SIA know something is going on. One thing they don’t know is where we’re going to hit. We need that artifact to help us. It’s the only way we can overthrow the community and have it the way we want. We need to recruit more people to our cause, and it doesn’t matter from where. Those fucking warrior witches are a pain right now,” Sophia tells me.
“Fine, which means we need to kill them.”
She smiles at me then. “Well, the good thing is that when they get a call, we know where they’re going and it’ll be easy to set a trap for them. We’ve killed a few, but we need to kill more.”
“One thing at a time. The others can take care of that. Now, what we can do?”
“We need Lizbeth and Kane dead. We need to regroup and focus on the neutral zone,” Donovan tells me.
“What do you want from me?” I have a feeling I’ll be bait, not only to lure Casey but also Lizbeth and Kane. Donovan starts to tell us his plan. It will be fun, just not for them, that’s for sure.
3. Casey
AFTER I PAY THE TAXI DRIVER, he gives me his card in case I need him in the future which is a first. Usually, humans don’t want anything to do with me as they seem to sense there’s something different about me and I give him an extra tip for his kindness. We’ve ended
up in Montreal’s Old Port, which is part of the SIA’s territory, at one of the warehouses. I keep my distance from Damaris’s men. Now I know their smell, they’ll be easy to follow. The sun is intense even this late in the afternoon. I know I only have a short amount of time to do this, as Damaris will want them to report and bring him whatever it is they have for him.
It’s harder to hide during daylight, and I look around for somewhere that allows me to be close, but still gives me some cover. I don’t have my katana with me either, so I need to stay out of sight.
I watch the goon talking to a fat man as they unload boxes from the trunk of a car, a couple of Damaris’s men watching as they work.
“So, my friend, do you think it’ll be tonight?” the man says to Damaris’s goon.
“Shut up! We don’t talk about my master. I hope so, but that depends on him.”
“Sorry, I don’t know all the rules. The only thing that’s good about this job is all the cash I make.” Both continue to unload cases, and I’m guessing they contain something to trade.
“That’s all you have?” Damaris’s goon asks.
At his nod, he gives the fat one a small box, and when he opens it, his face lights up. I’m guessing there’s something special inside. “Happy to do business with him. If he needs anything else, just let me know.”
The goon closes the car trunk and shakes his hand before they walk to the front of the car. “I’ll let him know.”
“Did the master give you instructions where we will meet him tonight?” the fat one asks.
“Yes, but you can’t come, he only wants me. He said he’ll contact you tonight with another mission. I think you’ll go far. You did a good job, but you need to keep your mouth shut. If not, he’ll kill you so fast you won’t even see it coming.”
The fat one crosses his arms over his chest. “That’s not fair, I’ve done a lot of his dirty work for him.”
The goon sighs. “I know and believe me, he knows too. I told you how it works. You get introduced and give your allegiance to him. He’ll give you a temporary mark until you’re worthy of wearing the permanent one, and that’s when you meet him again. Then you’ll know you’re a part of his inner circle like I am.” With this, he shows the man his wrist. I can’t see it, but I know Damaris. It’ll be some sort of tattoo that doesn’t stand out to other humans.
“Fine, I’ll do what you say. I really want to be a vampire and immortal and fuck as much as I want.”
The others laugh. “Well, my advice is to lose some weight and train. When he changes you, you’ll be stuck with that body forever, unless that’s what you want.”
The fat one glares at him. “I know. I’m starting at the gym tonight. I’ve hired a personal trainer.”
The other guy slaps the fat one on the back. “Good decision, that’s what I did when I started and look at me.”
He does have a great body for a human, but I’ve seen better. Even though I don’t have a partner, it doesn’t mean I don’t have sex.
“Fine.”
“Keep your mobile close for when he calls. He doesn’t like having to leave a message if you know what I mean.”
The fat one nods and starts to walk away, passing close to where I’m hiding.
The first goon pulls out his phone again. “It’s me.” He kicks a little stone on the ground. “No, I got the money and the item… Well, the man didn’t have any choice with my friend.” He starts pacing, and I stay hidden, hoping to hear something useful. “Yes, he is eager, he said he’s going to the gym.” He laughs. “Yeah, I don’t think he wants to stay that shape if you change him, Master.”
A chill runs down my spine. Why would anyone want to please that fucking Damaris so badly?
“Yes, he’ll wait for your call when you’re ready.” He hangs up, and I suspect he already knows where to go to meet Damaris. The goon hops into the SUV and heads off. It will be difficult to chase him as I’m on foot and I can’t run at full speed. Since it’s the afternoon, people will see me which can’t happen.
But now I know his smell and his heartbeat. Vampires and daywalkers have a good sense of smell, although not as good as a shifter’s. The one thing we know is that every pulse has a signature. We can match the heartbeat with the smell of their blood—every person’s heartbeat is as unique as their fingerprint. Our hearing is also one of the best, we match other species there. The goon will need to see Damaris somewhere in the neutral zone. If not, they could all be in trouble. I need to wait for night to fall. Today is the first half-moon, in the werewolf community, it brings almost as much excitement as a full moon as they start to feel the effects of the next full moon.
I continue to walk, following the smell when my phone rings and I see it’s my boss.
“Do you have anything yet?”
“Since when do you want to know about my investigations? Especially after stopping anyone from helping me.” I’m still pissed at him, and if he were in front of me right now, I’d hit him.
“Casey, I’m your boss. You need to report in. No one has heard from you in a couple of weeks.”
I’m starting to have difficulty following the smell. Grant is affecting my concentration, that fucking bastard. “I’m working, Grant, I’ll call you later.” I hang up, needing to concentrate on the smell. My walk brings me close to Chinatown just as my phone buzzes again. “What?”
“Oops! Have I interrupted something?”
Fuck. “No, Kane, I thought you were my boss.”
He chuckles. “I guess he’s being a pain in the ass again. I was just calling to check in with you.”
I smile. I know I need to get back to HQ, but it’ll be on my terms. Grant can go fuck himself if he’s not happy. “You have no idea.”
I stop at the corner and see the man I’m chasing enter a small restaurant, but it’s on the human side and out of the neutral zone. “Fuck!”
“You have a problem?”
“Yes. I followed one of Damaris’s goons who led me to Chinatown on the human side. From what I could hear, he’s meeting Damaris tonight to give him something.”
“Where?” Kane asks.
“I don’t know. It’ll be somewhere in the neutral zone, and if he uses a club, he’ll avoid any Alto owns. He’s looking for him too.” I hate not having access to my resources at Internal Affairs, damn my boss. Why he doesn’t want me to use them? Does he have something to hide?
“Are you there?” Kane asks.
“Sorry, just thinking. I’m wondering why my boss is being a pain in the ass. He’s never involved himself in my missions before.” I’m starting to think this whole thing is bigger than I anticipated. I know my boss is not a daywalker but a full vampire, although he’s had no blood attachment to any vampires since his former maker was killed a century ago.
“Do you think he knows something?”
I sigh. “Maybe. I guess it’s muddier than I anticipated. He’s a vampire without his maker, which makes him similar to a daywalker in that he has no blood ties to any of the factions. I think that’s why he’s been interfering. As I said, he’s never involved himself like he is now. Without my information, which is at our HQ, I can’t dig.” I continue to watch the building.
“Are you still in Chinatown?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean he can’t leave through the back. That zone is off-limits for us.”
A portion of the town outside the neutral zone belongs to the humans. The government voted on that law. Some humans know about our community and us and are welcome to come into the neutral zone if they want to mingle with us, but we can’t go to their part of the city. I think it’s because we don’t want to wake the human side of ourselves.
“I know, but come here. We can provide some equipment for you to dig. I know it’s not your stuff, but it’s better than nothing. Greg would love to help you.”
I smile. “Fine, I’m coming. You’re there now?”
“Yep, my mate is asleep, but it’ll soon be dark, and she’ll be awake.
”
“Still can’t change your way of life, Kane?”
“I have, but I was needed here. Lizbeth will join me later. How soon can you be here, Casey?”
I don’t have a lot of options. Maybe one of the other daywalkers can help me figure it out. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes. I’m on foot. See you later.”
“That’s fine, I’ll let the administration know we’re expecting you. Don’t worry, we’ll catch him, and thanks for helping us.”
“It’s nothing, Kane. I need someone to watch my boss too.”
“Come here, and we’ll discuss it. This is bigger than just one case. We’re starting to discover that.”
Maybe he’s right. If my gut feeling is correct, it’ll be hard to investigate when we don’t know who we can trust. I head toward the Old Port and study the people as I walk. I’m amazed by the fact humans always seem to be chasing the clock. Like if they could walk quicker, it would be better for them. Maybe because their life is limited, it makes them grab life faster than us. Being immortal gives me plenty of time. The night rush hour is almost as crazy as the morning one.
I head to the building where the SIA is located. I enter the main hall and head to the elevator and hit the tenth floor. When the door opens the reception is right in front of me.
“Can I help you, Miss?”
I smile. “Yes, I’m Casey. I’m here to see Kane.”
She looks at a piece of paper. “Yes, Casey, I’ll call him, but you need to sign the visitor’s list.”
I comply, and a couple of minutes later, Kane enters the hall. “Come, the team will be here soon.”
It’s not ideal, but it’s something. I need to contact my fellow daywalkers to see how the situation is going at HQ and see if I can lure someone to spy for me.
One step at a time, but I have a bad feeling about this whole thing.
4. The Lady
Somewhere in downtown Montreal
“DO YOU HAVE NEWS?” I ask the group to gather around me.
“Boss, we do, but it’s not good,” the biggest male replies.
“Tell me, Steve.”
Blood Rebellion Page 2
