by Amber Kallyn
But Shana wouldn’t care, and it would only make their mama worry even more.
Maria set a plate on the table in front of Celeste. The spicy scent of chorizo made her stomach rumble.
“So who’s the giant sitting on your car and are you going to invite him in?” Maria asked.
Celeste strode to the window. Sure enough, Brandon was sitting on the hood of her car, watching the house, scowling deeply, arms crossed over his chest.
“Someone I’m working with,” she replied absently, wondering exactly how he’d followed her.
“Do you want to invite him in for breakfast?” Maria repeated.
“No.” She sat back at the table and began eating, hoping the stupido male fried out in the bright daylight.
***
Waiting wasn’t one of his strong suits, but Brandon stayed on the hood of Celeste’s car rather than barging into the little house.
He’d tracked her by scent, and by something else he couldn’t pinpoint. He’d felt her deep inside himself.
Their strange connection was growing stronger, and he didn’t know how or why, or even where it was coming from.
As he waited, the past circled around him, ready to drag him under. He knew well what it felt like to have a spell cast over him.
Could remember, all too clearly, the things the sorceress had done to him. Made him do.
The woman had been able merely to look at him, and he’d been hers to command.
This... thing... with Celeste felt different. But it galled him he didn’t know what it was. And if he couldn’t tell if his actions were his own or someone else’s, he feared he might go as insane as his brother.
The front door finally opened. Celeste strode out and he managed to push the memories away.
She didn’t speak as she got into her car, but at least she gave him a couple seconds to slide into the passenger seat before slamming on the gas.
After ten long minutes, he asked, “Where are we going?”
She shot him a glare, full of wishes for his demise. “A club. The first victim from last night was there.”
“You spoke with your sister?”
“If you could call it that,” she mumbled.
Her tone struck him. “You don’t get along with her?”
“Shana doesn’t get along with anyone.”
Chapter nine
The drive was tense, silent. When Celeste pulled into a parking lot in front of a towering building that looked ready for a demolishing crew, he glanced at her. “You sure this is the place?”
“Yes,” she replied, anger still riding her tone.
In the center of the building was one lone door, painted bright red. It was garish in the bright light of day. He didn’t spot any runes on the outside of the building, but that didn’t give him much comfort.
Celeste slammed her door shut, then strode across the asphalt. When she reached the building, she banged on the red door.
Taking a deep breath, he said, “I’m sorry. I lost control.”
Her eyes widened as if she knew what it cost him to admit such a thing.
Before she could reply, the door swung open. A burly man, nearly Brandon’s own height, glared at them, his eyes squinting from the sunlight. “Waddya want? We ain’t open ‘till six.”
Celeste flashed her badge.
The bouncer stared at it for a long moment, then slammed the door shut.
“Seriously?” she demanded, banging on the metal again.
“Hold your horses,” the bouncer yelled from inside. “Boss’ll be here in a minute.”
She grumbled, leaning against the brick wall, crossing her arms over her chest. “He could’ve let us in.”
Brandon moved to her side, matching her falsely relaxed pose. “He could have.”
She only grunted in response. The silence between them thickened as she raised her hand and traced the bite marks on her neck. “So how often do you lose control?”
Heat flushed his neck and cheeks. “It’s been centuries.”
“Hmm.”
Straightening, he turned, staring into her eyes. “It will not happen again.”
Her mouth thinned into a near snarl. “It damn well better not.”
The door swung open and the bouncer squinted out at them. “Boss’s ready. Come on.”
Celeste blinked.
Brandon caught the door a second before it could slam shut again and held it open as she walked inside. Though her gaze still spat fire, the tension in the lines of her body was still tight. At least now it was thankfully directed away from him.
The hallway the bouncer led them down was lined with medieval artifacts. Swords hung in displays between suits of polished armor. Brandon eyed one of them, as authentic as those he’d worn six hundred years ago.
Interesting.
The hallway opened into a massive space filled with tables surrounding a stage and dance area. On the far wall, ceiling to floor mirrors reflected the lengthy bar area.
And at the center of the long bar sat a man Brandon could smell from across the room. He leaned close to Celeste and whispered, “Vampire.”
Her shoulders stiffened once more as she held her head high and crossed the room. Worry crept into Brandon’s soul over what she might do. If this guy was legit, politics would be important.
The vamp slowly turned in his seat, his dark gaze briefly flickering over Celeste before narrowing on Brandon. He pushed back his long brown hair, showing the scar down the side of his face, a life threatening injury from when he was mortal.
Few would have the strength to push through such pain, let alone live from such a grievous wound, most likely centuries old.
Proof of the vamp’s strength, then and now.
Magic--strength and age--flowed into the air.
Though it took every last ounce of willpower, Brandon followed protocol and bowed his head. “I am from Clan MacDougal. I have envoy powers from the Council, given by the Judge, Connor Gregory.”
The guy tipped his own head in acceptance, letting his long hair fall forward and hood his gaze. “I’ve met with this Gregory recently. He was here flushing some rats from the mortals.”
“Aye.”
The man stood, hands loose and ready by his sides, though his body thrummed with energy. “You are welcome as long as you obey the rules and keep to the bounds.” He looked at Celeste. “I am Sebastian Lucerne, owner of this club, Black Dawn. What do the fine cops of this city wish of me?” His eyes flashed blood red as his power rose.
She blinked, then took a small step back and glanced at Brandon. He nodded imperceptibly, knowing exactly what game this guy was playing.
She stared at the vamp. “You’re new here. Maybe you don’t know all the rules.”
Sebastian’s eyebrow rose and his power flared. “And which rules would those be?”
“The fine cops of this city don’t take shit from anyone, mortal or not.”
His lips twitched and the press of magic dimmed. “My apologies.”
***
Celeste’s eyes narrowed at the falsity in the man’s voice, but she didn’t comment.
“How can I help you?” he finally said, laughter shining from his now brown eyes. It was better than looking at a reddened gaze, which crept her out.
“There was a woman here last night and I need to know if anyone saw her, or who she left with.”
He blinked, glancing between her and Brandon. “My dear, we have thousands of people coming in and out every night. Asking my people to remember her is like asking them to choose one specific drop of water from the ocean.”
Brandon crossed his arms. “She might have been with the murderer. He’s powerful, has to be from some of the creatures working for him. That should help pinpoint the girl.”
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed and his lips thinned as a shiver worked through his body. He fisted his hands.
“You know him,” Celeste replied.
“Distasteful business, some of the riff raff that c
omes in here.” He pulled out a cell phone and tapped the screen, then said, “Andre, join us at the bar.”
A few seconds later, a man descended from a stairway in the far corner. It rose to the second floor. The man heading their way was tall, thin, his features pinched as if he’d just been eating a lemon. He spoke, his voice nasally and high-pitched. “Sire?”
Sebastian waved to a nearby table. “Shall we sit?”
She glanced to Brandon, who nodded. The short walk to the table was uncomfortable with two vampires right behind her.
Sebastian eased by her, sliding out a chair and bowing. The urge to flick his ear and get rid of his archaic manners filled her. She resisted, instead, moving around the table and pulling out her own chair.
Sebastian smiled, amused once more.
Brandon sat beside her, forcing the others to sit across from them.
“Andre,” Sebastian began, steepling his fingers on the table. “The sorcerer who came back last night. Did you give him the warning I asked you to?”
“Of course.” Andre swallowed loudly, his gaze flickering from his boss to Brandon.
Sebastian slowly unclasped his fingers and laid his hands flat on the table. His left pinky twitched.
Tension grew.
Celeste caught his gaze and bit her lip at the blazing anger in his eyes, the tightness of his jaw.
From out of nowhere, the bouncer crowded the back of Andre’s chair.
“We will discuss this later,” Sebastian said quietly.
The bouncer picked up Andre, chair and all, and before the man could protest, disappeared once more into the shadows.
“Well.” Sebastian stared at his hands on the table. “It seems there are things I must attend to. However, for you, I can tell you that this sorcerer was escorted from my club a few days ago, with the warning never to return. Last night, he was booted once more, but it seems this time, my warning was not given.”
“What do you know about him?” she asked.
“Powerful. But dark. Not someone I wish to be using my club as his personal feeding grounds.” Sebastian smiled, letting his fangs peek out. In his eyes was not a warning, but rather a promise of mayhem.
In that instant, Celeste was glad she wasn’t on his bad side.
“Andre was meant to follow the sorcerer. Once I question him, I will let you know if he has any information of use.”
Celeste slipped out a card, wrote her cell phone number on the back, and pushed it towards the vampire. “I’d appreciate it.”
As she stood, Sebastian glanced at Brandon. “This sorcerer was powerful. Perhaps more so than you have already guessed. Beware of being caught by surprise.”
Brandon nodded, then settled his hand on Celeste’s lower back as they left the club.
“What’s going to happen to Andre?” she asked.
***
Brandon could imagine countless tortures, but he merely replied, “Nothing pleasant.”
She pulled out of the parking lot, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. “That was a bust.”
“Not necessarily.”
“How do you figure?”
“We know at least one place the sorcerer goes. We will find others. And if I read Sebastian correctly, he’ll get something out of Andre.”
Celeste’s cell rang and she grabbed it, answering with a sharp, “Wilder here.”
He listened in to the call.
“CeeCee?” a woman’s voice asked.
“CeeCee?” he repeated.
She sent him an aggravated look. “Yes?”
“It’s Jolene.”
Celeste slowed the car, pulling over into the first parking lot they came to. “How are things?” True warmth filled her voice.
“Fine. Got myself clean for a couple weeks now.”
“That’s really good, Jolene. How can I help?”
The line was quiet for a long moment. Celeste waited.
“It’s... well... I heard you’re the one in charge of these murders?”
“I am.”
“I think I saw something last night. I don’t know though.”
“That’s all right. Tell me what you saw.”
“It was...” The woman went quiet for another long moment, then took a deep breath. “You know the abandoned BioCentre warehouses?”
“I do.” Celeste’s hand tightened, and her eyes flashed with interest.
“I think I saw a girl going in there last night. Thing is, this morning, her face is on the news as another victim.”
Celeste’s knuckles whitened. “Do you know her name?”
“No.”
“Okay. I’ll check it out. You know there’s a reward?”
“I don’t want any reward. These girls deserve better.”
“They do.”
“You’ll take care of them. I know it.”
“Thanks for calling, Jolene.”
The phone clicked, and Celeste lowered her hand to her lap, nibbling her bottom lip.
“So what are these BioCentre warehouses?” Brandon asked.
She flicked her fingers at him as she put the car back into drive. “Can’t anyone have a private conversation around you?”
“No.”
Rolling her eyes, she answered, “It was a big pharmaceutical company. They built this huge complex, then lost their funding or whatever, and never did anything else. The warehouses have been sitting vacant for nearly ten years now.”
As she pulled back onto the street, she said, “There’s something about this that seems... off.”
“You don’t trust this Jolene?”
“That’s the problem. I do. She’s been a reliable snitch for me for a couple years now.”
“What doesn’t feel right?” he asked, watching her face closely.
“The warehouses are a long way from the crime scenes. We know the women were killed in the alleys, so why would they be taken somewhere else first? It doesn’t make sense.”
He marveled at the way her mind worked, but corrected her assumption. “It makes perfect sense, if the person behind this is a sorcerer and performing some sort of ritual before the murder.”
She glanced at him. “What do you mean? I thought that was the point of the runes in the alleys.”
Spreading his hands, he said, “Magic is a complicated thing. And there are so many ways to use it. Some spells are complex, requiring time and patience. If they’re doing something to the women first, then you can bet it’s dark, evil.”
“You couldn’t figure that out from the murders?”
“I mean beyond taking a life.” He repressed the memories as they tried to crawl out of the deep place he’d shoved them into. “There are many things much worse than death.”
Like an eon of being tortured, commanded to do horrible things against one’s will. Like having your very soul belong to another.
Chapter ten
Celeste glanced at Brandon as his voice roughened. His eyes were unfocused, ringed with red, and his jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth. She almost asked what could be worse, but the expression on his face stopped her.
It was full of agony and rage.
“So, we’ll check this place out and see what we find,” she replied, resisting the urge to reach over and take his hand, try to comfort him.
“Perhaps.”
What was it about this man that delved so deep inside her and wrenched her emotions around? She could feel his pain permeating the air. And all she wanted to do was make him feel better, any way she could.
She touched the fully healed bites on her neck and shot him a sidelong glance as she weaved through traffic.
His eyes were unfocused, as if he’d turned inwards, thinking about things that had hurt deeply.
“I should call some backup in,” she said, trying to bring him out of his daze.
“Your mortal cops will be unable to help much, if the one we’re looking for has been there.”
She shrugged, agreeing with him, but not liking the idea
of going in without backup.
“Besides,” he added. “If anyone is there, more cops will only get in the way. Better it’s just the two of us. We can stay quiet, scout the area and see if there is anything to be seen.”
He was silent the rest of the drive, as if once more lost in his thoughts. When she pulled up to the outer gates of the complex, she was unsurprised to see the broken lock.
Brandon got out and swung one of the gates open, while she headed through. They drove slowly between the massive buildings, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
“Stop,” he commanded.
She slammed on the brakes. “What?”
Brandon pointed to one of the doors of the nearest building. The place seemed somehow darker than the others. She shook her head at the silly thought.
He spoke softly. “There are runes all over this place.”
“Guess that makes it easy to figure out where to begin.” She got out of her car, checking her gun and the radio on her belt. “I’d tell you to stay back and follow me, but you might be better prepared for anyone we run into.” She didn’t like admitting it, but she wasn’t stupid, either.
Her gun hadn’t done her any good against the vampires she’d faced last time.
“Good,” he said, his lips curving up a little as his eyes flashed approval. “I don’t suppose I can talk you into staying here?”
“Not a chance, buddy.”
“It would be safer.”
She just stared at him.
“All right. But if there’s magic in there, you need to do what I say.”
Bristling, she nodded.
They approached the door together, then she tapped her foot, waiting while Brandon inspected it thoroughly for any “magic traps”.
Inside, the place was dark. The smell of mud and mold made her gag. She breathed through her mouth, flicking on her flashlight and shining it into the gloom.
Beside her, Brandon grunted. “Warning next time?”
“Let me guess, you can see in the dark.”
“Mostly.”
