Replacement

by Wojciech Cram

  back to Blaise.

  "Okay," she said slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "That's better than nothing I suppose," she said, and I felt pleased for remembering what

  could be a vital piece of information. "But it still isn't enough. We're in a huge city, Ash. Half of the women here wear nail varnish."

  My pride fell at her words, processing that she was probably right. But still, surely all of the little details would eventually create an entire picture. Drumming my fingers against my

  leg, I was vaguely aware of Blaise reaching over to grab a small bottle. I look over to see her pull a face as she sipped whatever was inside it. I lifted an eyebrow as she set the

  bottle down, resuming her position on the couch. "Home remedy," she stated at my look, before adding, "for the hangover."

  I harrumphed, before returning to the drumming. The only thing I could think that would help, was telling Blaise about Jez. I knew I could trust her not to spill to anyone, especially

  no one in the Night World that would be interested in a wild power going missing. Blaise had cut all ties to the Night World once Thea left and her Grandmother was murdered,

  unwilling to side against what they were fighting for. Even if she refused to become a damned Daybreaker, she wouldn't rejoin the Night World after what they'd done.

  "Jez is missing," I stated, seeing Morgead blanche from the corner of my eye. I couldn't tell what bothered him most: me telling Blaise the truth, or the words themselves. Blaise's

  eyes widened as she sat up, her eyes darting between Morgead and me. "Goddess, Ash. No wonder you two are so on edge, why didn't you just tell me?" I was glad that she wasn't

  flipping out over what I'd just said, or pissy that we hadn't told her sooner, but I couldn't let myself feel grateful long. Not with Jez still missing.

  "It's not exactly common knowledge," Morgead growled from the doorway, his eyes harsher than they were just seconds ago. "And we'd like to keep it that way," he added with an

  accusatory glance in the witch's direction.

  Blaise straightened up haughtily, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Morgead a sickly sweet smile. "Your secret's safe with me," she said, somehow managing to sound

  sincere and mistrustful at the same time. I rolled my eyes as glimmers of the old Blaise shined through the concrete walls she'd built around herself.

  "Look," I continued, seeing Morgead readying a biting retort that would result in an argument. "We have reason to believe this witch took Jez, so it's kind of important that we find

  out who she is."

  "I bet it is," Blaise drawled, relaxing back against the sofa once more, fiddling confidently with the edges of the blanket. "I mean a wild power going missing could end up being

  pretty disastrous. Especially if something happened before you could get to her."

  I sighed in annoyance as more and more of the old Blaise shined through the cracks in her walls. When I'd been an evil vampire dick head, I'd liked Blaise because of her ruthless

  and manipulative ways, but right now it was something we really didn't need.

  Aware of how Morgead was bristling with thinly concealed anger, I stepped in before everything could go pear shaped. "Look, Blaise. You see why we need your help, so please, try

  and think of anyone at all who fits the description. And you can also add to the list that this person probably dabbles in dark magic, and has reason to kidnap a wild power."

  Blaise looked deep in thought, tapping a painted nail against her chin. A small mischievous smile turned up the corners of her mouth and I sighed in dread. It was like someone had

  flicked a switch, turning off the drunken mopey Blaise, turning on the young witch that trampled over people for fun. "Well," she said, drawing out the word, making us wait for

  whatever she had discovered. I could see in her eyes that she'd come up with information. "There is someone, who may be the one your looking for. I've never met her in person of

  course, but word on the street is that she's quite the powerful witch."

  "And?" I prompted, my nerves on edge at this new lead. This information sounded promising. Any witch who wanted to detain a wild power would have to be strong. "Who is it,

  where is she?"

  Blaise let out a tinkling laugh, one I knew had drawn many a man to an unfortunate end. Tilting her head, she studied me, the eagerness in my eyes, undoubtedly enjoying toying

  with us. "Well, I don't know that yet, but I could make a few calls. A few of my old friends from circle Midnight will know who your mystery witch is, and where to find her."

  "Great," I said, rubbing my hands together. Finally we might have something solid to set our hopes on, to hunt. If this witch was the one who had Jez, she better look out, because

  she had no idea what was coming for her.

  "Lets do it then," Morgead said, taking a few steps forward as the possibility off a lead sent a new round of energy through him too. I could see the anticipation of a hunt in his

  eyes, made even more dangerous by the fact that the life of the woman he loved was on the line. "Make the calls," he urged, beginning to pull his cell phone out of his pocket.

  "I'd be glad too," Blaise said sweetly, and I felt my chest tighten at her tone, knowing what she was about to say before she even said it. "But of course that sort of favour comes at

  a price." I just sighed frustrated, angry but unsurprised that Blaise would have a catch. I knew full well that unlike the bar tender back at the club, we couldn't try to bargain with

  her, the best course of action would be to just give her what she wanted. I knew Blaise too well to not see this coming, no matter how annoyed it made me.

  Morgead however, wasn't quite as understanding or patient. "Why you little bitch," he snarled, taking a threatening step forward. Whilst Morgead may have been one of the most

  intimidating vampires there was, it had less than no affect on Blaise what so ever. She smiled in amusement, further antagonising a seething Morgead. I almost face palmed at the

  scene I was witnessing, knowing Morgead's reaction was exactly what Blaise was looking for.

  "Nothing in this world in for free, Hun," Blaise said with a mock shrug of sympathy, which seemed to destroy any form control Morgead had. He lunged at the witch, fangs bared

  and eyes glittering deadly.

  Before Morgead could make contact I dived into him, shoving him out of the way and causing us both to crash through the coffee table. A guttural snarl ripped itself from his throat,

  as he tried to shove me off of him. "Don't," I warned, pinning Morgead to the floor with all of my strength.

  I could hear Blaise chuckling softly behind me, completely unfazed by the fact that Morgead quite clearly wanted to kill her. I was in half the mind to let him, but knew that it would

  never get that far anyway.

  Blaise may have fallen apart since Thea left, but she was still a Harman and a direct descendant of Hellewise. If Morgead became a real threat by laying a hand on her, there was

  no way he was walking out of here alive. Not even Morgead could fight against a Harman witch, especially one as ruthless as Blaise.

  "This is what she wants," I hissed in his ear, desperately trying to calm him down. He was no use to me if he was dead, or to Jez for that matter. He continued to struggle against my hold, the strength behind them making it hard to keep him down.

  "If you kill her, we'll have absolutely no way of finding Jez," I hissed again in his ear, knowing that it was probably the one thing that could get through to him. It worked.

  Reluctantly his struggles stopped and his muscles gave up there fight. He glared at me, looking as if he wanted to tear my throat out too, but put up no more fight.

  I carefully climbed off of him, ready to pin him back down again if he lunged. I held out a hand to help him up, but he ignored it, pushing himself to his feet and dusting himself off.

  I could al
most see the daggers shooting out of his eyes at Blaise, but he didn't try anything as he made his way back to his position against the doorframe. I noticed him taking

  calming breaths as his muscles trembled. I had to feel sorry for the guy. Today had been a rough day.

  "What's your price?" I asked, turning back to my cousin who was sitting on the couch, looking very pleased with herself. I couldn't bring myself to be mad, having witnessed this

  sort of thing from her too many times for it to have any affect on me.

  I silently prayed that she'd ask for money, something that we could get easily. Thierry had no shortage of cash and I knew he'd pay up any amount if it meant finding Jez. Still, I

  wasn't naïve enough to think money was what she wanted. The most valuable thing to a witch wasn't currency; it was spell ingredients.

  "I want blood," she said, straight to the point. All traces of amusement disappeared from her face as she made her demand. I frowned in confusion. "Blood?" I asked, wondering if

  she wanted us to take up some kind of revenge against someone.

  "Yes, blood," Blaise confirmed, crossing one long leg on top of the other. Despite the fact she was wearing a grubby pair of jeans, she look every bit the businesswoman. "As in

  yours, and his," she said, nodding to where Morgead was leaning in the doorway. "As well as that of everyone else in circle Daybreak."

  A sense of dread built up inside me as I kneaded my fists into my temples. Couldn't she have asked for something more reasonable? How could I give her the blood of my friends at

  circle Daybreak, knowing full well that giving that sort of material to Blaise could only end in disaster?

  "I'm not giving you my blood," Morgead piped up, anger making his tone vicious. Blaise shrugged leaning back, an apologetic look on her face. "No blood, no phone call," she said, a

  cruel gleam in her eyes. "No wild power," she finished. I got ready to tackle Morgead again but he stayed where he was, bunching his hands into tight fists, making his knuckles go

  white.

  "Why don't you go and wait outside," I told him, knowing that Blaise would keep pushing him until he snapped. He shook his head furiously. "I'm fine," he snapped, his stare not

  leaving Blaise. He was so focused on his hatred for the girl that he didn't notice me walking up to him until I put a hand on his shoulder.

  "Morgead," I said, standing in front of him as to block his view of Blaise. His eyes met mine, and I saw the pain and anger of having his soul mate taken smouldering there. "I can

  handle this by myself," I said, patting his shoulder reassuringly. Before he could reply, I continued. "Look, why don't you go back downstairs, get something to eat. You're going to

  need your strength for when we find Jez."

  He stood still for a moment and I thought he would refuse me again, but he gave a sharp nod, pushing himself away from the doorframe. "I'll be back in half an hour," he said,

  aiming his words at me, but setting his eyes on Blaise.

  She gave him a smile in response, waving flirtatiously at him. "I look forward to it," she said. He gave her a withering look before spinning on his heal and disappearing down the

  hall. The slam of the front door indicated his departure.

  "Did you really have to antagonise him?" I asked, taking a seat next to the witch on the sofa. "Did you really have to ruin my fun by sending him away?" She returned folding her

  arms neatly and staring me down.

  "Yes, I did," I said, but couldn't help the small chuckle that followed it. She rolled eyes and held out a delicate hand towards me, palm up. I stared at it for a second in confusion, my brow creasing. "What?" I asked. She let out an annoyed sigh, clearly not pleased with my lack of being able to read her mind.

  "Phone," she snapped, wiggling her fingers for emphasis. Understanding dawned on me, and I reached into my back pocket to take out my cell phone. I smiled as she snatched the

  phone out of my hand, beginning to dial. "So you're helping us," I said smugly, nestling back against the couch. Of course I knew she'd help us all along, but I didn't think it would

  be as easy.

  "For payment," she returned, giving me a pointed look, making me aware that she'd expect me to follow up on that payment. "I never actually agreed to that," I said, knowing that

  it wouldn't be an easy task to get everyone at circle Daybreak to donate a vial of blood.

  She stopped dialling, tilting her head like a cat would, sizing up its prey. "Then I guess I won't be needing this," she sighed, holding the phone back out towards me, deleting the

  number she'd just typed. I looked at her in disbelief, then at the phone, and then at her again. "Seriously, Blaise? You would seriously risk Jez getting killed and bringing the

  apocalypse down on us just because you're too stubborn to do this without getting something in return?"

  "Would you risk the same things by refusing me?" She returned quickly, already knowing what my answer would be. I gritted my teeth at her logic, hating the fact that she could

  play me and everyone else so well.

  We stared at each other for what felt like an hour, our gazes locked in a battle of wills. We both knew that I was the one who had more to lose, but my stubborn nature fuelled me

  to hold out, trying to get her to lower her price. I'd be perfectly willing to give up a pint of my own blood, but I couldn't make the others do the same when they had no part in this

  deal.

  "Tick, tick, tick," Blaise drawled, every letter standing out, as it bounced off her tongue. "That's the sound of Jez's life running out."

  A growl ripped itself from my throat at her heartlessness. "I can do this all day Ash," she said, fiddling with her nails. "But I'm guessing you can't wait that long," she added, and I

  knew as well as she did that she was right. Jez might not have long left and the more time I spent bargaining with Blaise, the less time she had.

  "Okay," I burst out, the word physically paining me. I just had to hope that the others would think a vial of blood was a fair price in return for Jez's life. "I'll get you the blood, just make the call."

  A mischievous smile lit up her face as she whipped the phone back towards her, dialling quickly. "You better make sure I get that blood fast. I'm sure there's a lot of secrets that

  you wouldn't the Night World officials getting hold of, say a missing Wild Power for example. It wouldn't do you well to get on the wrong side of me, Ash." I gave her a tight smile,

  nodding my head. "Oh, I know," I said, knowing full well that Blaise wouldn't hesitate to move against circle Daybreak if we pushed her. And I had to admit that she probably knew more of our secrets than we probably would have like thanks to Thea.

  "Hello," Blaise said, holding the phone up to her ear as someone answered her call. "This is Blaise Harman…" from there on I tuned out of the conversation, no matter how hard I

  tried to stay focused. There was a lot of witch talk that I didn't understand, so I had to trust that Blaise knew what she was doing.

  Three phone calls later, Blaise finally hung up and turned to me. "I think I've got your girl," she said, looking very pleased with herself. Excitement bubbled up inside me at her

  words. We'd found her! We could hunt her down and get Jez back! Assuming that she actually had Jez, but I didn't want to think about what would happed if she didn't.

  "Well, who is she?" I prompted, ready to jump up as soon as I had the name, hanging on the edge of my seat. Blaise pursed her lips, eyebrows raised as if saying "Nice try." I

  sighed frustrated, running an annoyed hand through my hair.

  "What?" I asked, probably a little too harshly, but I didn't care at this point. I just wanted to find Jez, to know that she was okay so I could go home and see MaryLynnette. I was

  still anxious about leaving her for this amount of time.

  Blaise let out a small, dainty cough. "I need a deposit first," she said, producing a vial seemingly
out of thin air. I eyed it warily, not pleased in the slightest that I would be giving my blood to a witch like Blaise. She could quite literally do anything with it, and I didn't want to think about all of the spells she could do with just a drop.

  Before I could change my mind, I sunk my fangs into my wrist, drawing blood. Snatching the vial, I watched as the dark red liquid rolled lazily into the glass container. Once it was

  full, I reluctantly handed back the vial. "Pleasure doing business," she said, corking the vial and putting it aside.

  I shook all thoughts of blood out of my thoughts as I focused on Blaise, finally getting what I came here for. "The witch you're looking for is a girl called Selene Verrette. She's

  nineteen years old and lives here in the city, in a small apartment on the outskirts." I was ready to jump up then and there, to search every apartment on the outskirts until I found my cousin, but a look from Blaise made me stop.

  "Since I seriously doubt that she'll be keeping Jez at the place she lives in, I wouldn't bother going to her apartment." I was about to protest that we had to start looking

  somewhere, but before I could, she held up a hand to cut me off. "Her boyfriend owns a warehouse, apparently it's very secluded, and is in a Night World run area. The kind of

  place where no one will bat an eye at mysterious behaviour, or any screams." I didn't know whether that was a good or a bad thing. On the one hand, it was unlikely anyone would

  try and stop us from rescuing Jez. However, it also meant they could be doing anything to her, if she was even still alive.

  "My source also told me that the boy friend was killed a couple of weeks back. Raven Holmes, he was murdered in the street along with two of his goons. Apparently he was a right

  nasty piece of work, but Selene has dropped off of the grid since his death. Left circle Midnight, cut all her ties, hasn't been at her apartment."

  "Do you have the address of the warehouse?" I asked, my blood turning cold. The boy friend had a lamia name, leading me to believe that he was a vampire. Nine out of ten

  vampires were in league with the Night World, working to bring on the apocalypse, which would be a very bad thing for Jez.