I was about to suggest we move on when I saw Storm place his hand on her lower back and urge her toward the elevator. I was goin’ to have to be quicker if I wanted to shut Storm out of the game.
We bypassed street level and went straight to the basement. ‘Twas blues night and the mood could no’ have been more different from where we’d just been. The music was slow, subdued, somebody doin’ a cover of “The Thrill is Gone”.
I did a double take when I realized the bass player was none other than the oldest vampire known to Black Swan. Even behind gray shades, there was no mistakin’ ‘twas him. ‘Twas impossible to tell where he was lookin’ behind the glasses, but he seemed to be lookin’ at Elora.
Paddy.
Kay got us a table. Elora listened to music, while the rest of us looked for clues as to why the disappearances were originatin’ from that spot. Storm pointed to his watch when it was time to eat.
They gave us the corner booth Kay had asked for. We could have got in a lot sooner, but we were willin’ to wait for the spot with the view. Elora might weigh more than the rest of us, but she ate a lot less. Ate less, but enjoyed it more, from all appearances.
Storm was settlin’ up when Kay said, “Two and a vic. Eleven o’clock.”
I grabbed Elora’s forearm and pulled her attention with a look that I hoped was deadly earnest. “Stay here,” I said. “Do. No’. Move. From this table until I come back.”
We followed the trio Kay had identified out the front door, but they had vanished into thin air.
“I’ll go this way,” I said.
“No,” Storm stopped me. “Stay with us. You know the rules. No less than two.”
I wanted to argue, but the reasonable part of me, however small, knew he was right. I could no’ strenuously object to Elora bein’ unnecessarily reckless with our future if I was no better. I nodded and followed behind the two of them, keeping tabs on our backs.
For some reason, which I could no’ explain in a hundred years, we all silently agreed that we needed to go south, away from Times Square. There was no discussion, no argument, no agreement. After so much time as a team, we worked together like a single hunter with six eyes, six legs, six arms. I do no’ know if vampire dream, but if they do, I’m pretty sure we’re their nightmare.
Findin’ nothin’ on the first block we ran a grid pattern back and forth turning to check each alley way as we passed it. Nothin’. Absolutely nothin’. Fifteen minutes later we knew we’d lost them and further lookin’ was pointless. We came to a stop, breathless, but charged up by the emotions of the chase.
“We lost ‘em. Might as well head back and pick up Elora,” Kay suggested.
We should have gone back to the Bistro, collected the beautiful outworlder and been on our way. But she was no’ there. We asked the hostess to check the Ladies’ room. Kay went upstairs to look around while Storm and I tried the Underground. She was no’ there and neither was the band that had been playin’.
They’d been replaced by a guy on a stool with an acoustic guitar. I wish I could say I was so concerned about Elora that I did no’ notice he sounded lame as a wet noodle, but I can no’ lie about music. I imagined she was in the buildin’ somewhere. If I had known where she was and what she was doin’, I would have been out of my ever fuckin’ mind.
My teammates and I had just come together at the street level entrance to confirm that Elora had left the buildin’. Great Paddy. I was just, at that point, beginnin’ to learn that the woman simply would no’ do what she is told.
I was just takin’ my phone out of my pocket when she ran into the bistro lookin’ breathless. And beautiful. I hated that she looked beautiful, because I was no’ pleased with her. Like Kay had said the night we met, New York is crawlin’ with vampire.
I was first to reach her. “What part of stay here and do no’ move did you no’ understand?”
Instead of objectin’ to my tone, which surprised me, given what I knew about her, she grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and pulled me toward the door. “Get them now. Let’s talk outside.”
“How do you expect me to get them when you’re busy pullin’ me out of doors?”
I did no’ wait for an answer, but caught Kay’s eye and motioned toward the door. She pulled the three of us into a little huddle.
“You left with another vampire right behind you. So naturally I followed.”
“NATURALLY?!?” I said. “Elora. There is nothin’ natural about runnin’ down vampire. ‘Tis a highly skilled proposition. If everybody could do it, well, I do no’ exactly know how to finish that sentence…”
“Just let me finish,” she said. “I followed him and killed him before he could become a problem for you.”
I’m fairly certain that I lost the ability to feel my face at that revelation. None of us, meanin’ B Team, said a word in response. We were probably all three too stunned to make our mouths work. She looked between us expectantly, waitin’ for feedback.
Finally, I repeated the news, no’ believin’ it could be part of my reality, but just tryin’ to confirm that I was no’ havin’ a very bad dream. “You went after a vamp with no back up.” ‘Twas no’ a question so much as a test of veracity.
“Well, somebody needed to do it!” Paddy help me. I wanted to throttle my own mate. She must have seen the emotion overtake me because she said, “Do not start hyperventilating!” That only served to drive my fury right off the livid cliff.
At that point, Kay found his voice. “Somebody needed to do it? Elora, that was truly a dumb ass thing to say, but maybe it fits, because I’m starting to think you are one.” The exasperation in his body language and tone of voice almost seemed to match mine. “Why don’t you just take us to the scene?”
Elora nodded and started walkin’ that direction. As we followed she explained exactly how it happened. I glanced at Storm, who seemed to have been struck permanently dumb. Two and a half blocks away from the club, she turned into an alley as she was sayin’, “So I asked to see his fangs and he showed me. Then I gave him wood.”
That’s when we heard Baka laughin’ it up. ‘Twas worse than I’d thought. No’ only did she leave the eatery when I told her to stay, she went after a vampire, and Istvan Baka went after her. Criminently.
“Gave him wood!” It seemed that Baka could no’ stop laughin’. ‘Twas a testament to the phrase ‘need to get out more’. “This just gets better and better. She killed him with a toothpick that she grabbed out of some fellow’s mouth as she ran by. Did you know that?”
B Team, all three of us, turned to look at Elora in unison, temporarily forgettin’ all about Baka.
She looked between us like nothin’ more significant had occurred than a stroll in the park. “What?”
“And did you tell them that Sol is waiting to see all of you in his office as soon as you get back? No matter how late?” Baka continued.
“I hadn’t gotten to that part.” She said it through clenched teeth. “Yet.” Then she gave him the finger.
Storm turned on me lookin’ for all the world like that was my doin’.
“Why be glarin’ at me?” I asked. “She’s the one who gave him the bloody finger!”
“Because. Rammel. Somehow I see yer bluidy influence all over this. I don’t think she even knew what a rude gesture was before she started spending time with you!”
Well, that was almost certainly true, but that was no’ the time to own it.
Baka started laughin’ all over again. “Better and better,” he said in that weird accent. “I haven’t had so much fun in… well… ever.” He patted his shirt pocket. “I need to take notes. I’m putting this in a book.”
Kay decided to intercede before things escalated. More. “Okay. Everybody settle down. Let’s hitch a ride with clean up. We’ll get back faster and sort this out.”
Elora looked properly horrified for the first time. “You mean ride with the, uh, body?”
Go figure. She’d had no problem killin’ the thing
, but did no’ want to be near the remains.
“If you can kill it, you can ride with it,” Storm said, echoin’ the sentiment all three of us had no doubt heard in our heads. Then to Baka he added, “You’re relieved.”
“Fine by me,” said the leech, throwin’ a grin over his shoulder at my mate. Great Paddy.
“By the way, you’re all bloody welcome,” Elora said before flouncin’ away a few yards to lean against the brick wall with her arms crossed in front of her and a pout on her mouth. That was fine by me because I needed a break to cool down and I could keep an eye on her while I was doin’ it.
Nothin’ more was said when clean up picked us up. ‘Twas also deadly quiet on the ride back to J.U. When we got on the elevator, Elora pushed the up button.
“Oh no, you don’t,” Storm said. “He wants to see all of us. You, too.”
She rolled her eyes like a teenager, but got in with us.
As promised, Sol was waitin’ up in his office, rollin’ one of those small black cigars between his fingers, and starin’ straight ahead.
“We went…” Storm started, but Sol held up his hand to stop him from sayin’ anything further.
“I want to hear it from the young lady.”
I knew she would bristle at bein’ called ‘young lady’, but I was so out of sorts, I did no’ care. Very much.
She retold the events of the evenin’ from her point of view. It would have sounded perfectly reasonable, I suppose, if she was an experienced vampire hunter.
“Any of the rest of you have anything to add to that?” I glanced at Storm and Kay. None of us said a word. “I’ll let you know if I have further questions. You’re dismissed.”
Really? I thought. That was it?
Storm and Kay got off the elevator at the Hub without a word. They did no’ need to tell me they would be sharin’ a whiskey or two. ‘Twas what I would have been doin’ if I did no’ feel obliged to walk my girl to her door. I do no’ think I’d ever felt so bereft. No’ even when Lan died. I was that sure that she was goin’ to be the end of us.
When we reached her door, I said exactly what I was thinkin’. “Will you be the death of me then?”
She turned to look at me with sympathy, even if she was completely unrepentant. “I didn’t do it to worry you, Ram. I did it because I was worried about you.”
I could no’ stop myself from pressin’ close to her. Knowin’ how close she’d been to two vampire, on her own, ‘twas impossible to deal with the idea. I buried my face in her neck and breathed deep. Night bloomin’ jasmine. Too delicious for words. She was warm and supple and fit me perfectly, head to toe. Just as I had that thought, I felt her tense.
I would never take from her what she was no’ ready to give. So with a little growl of agitation, I pushed myself away and walked on to my own door without lookin’ back.
CHAPTER 20
Ram
By the time I woke the next mornin’, I was in a mood to let the past be in the past. It was easy. We would no’ be puttin’ Elora Laiken in a situation to come in contact with vampire again. Combinin’ work with a celebration outin’ had been a bad idea that would no’ be repeated. Ever.
I’d slept in, had breakfast, and when Elora was still nowhere in sight, I decided to take a peace offerin’. A cocoa peach latte, guaranteed to get me in the door.
“I have news,” I said when she opened a crack.
Eyein’ the cup in my hand, she asked, “Is that a big?”
I smiled. “Would I bring you anything less?”
Blackie pushed his head ‘round Elora’s thigh to say hello and wagged his tail.
She opened the door wider and took the cup from me. “You know he likes you.”
“I like animals. They like me.” I bent down to give the big boy a scruff between the ears, but he flopped over to his back for a tummy rub instead. Well, why would Elora no’ have a demandin’ pet with a mind of his own? I rubbed his tummy and laughed at him, too.
“Well, there’s no accounting for taste.” She sat down at the dining desk. “It better be good news because that’s the only kind I want to hear today.”
“'Tis. Today’s the day I report to the infirmary for clearance. In a couple of hours I should be officially off the D.L. Fit and ready to return to duty.” She scowled, even though she’d just taken a swig of the drink she called nectar of the gods. “What’s wrong? You do no' look happy.”
“I have mixed feelings. After what happened last night, well, it punctuated what you’ve been saying, that those things are fast and strong and that they have big teeth. You lost a partner. The same thing could happen to you or Storm or Kay.”
I could no’ believe she was bringin’ this up, just as I had decided to forgive her and let bygones be bygones. “Elora…” I started, but then I heard what she was sayin’ to me. I mean I heard what was in her heart, beneath the words. “And if that should happen you’d feel alone in this world.”
She moved to the couch and sat down at the end, lookin’ out the slidin’ door, but no’ answerin’. I took that to mean that I was right.
She was always so upbeat, so together, and enthusiastic. I did no’ stop to think about how much pain she was hidin’ behind that. ‘Twas easy to forget that she’d lost everything that she knew when she’d survived passage to my world.
I sat down next to her. “Look at me,” I said. I could tell she did no’ want to and suspected why. “Look at me.” I said it softer.
Turnin’ toward me I watched two tears runnin’ down her cheek. I cupped her jaw with my right hand and used my thumb to wipe them away. “Ah, my darlin’ girl. You truly will be the death of me.”
‘Twas as if I absorbed her sadness into my skin when I came in contact with her tears and I rededicated myself to the proposition of seein’ to her happiness. I could no’ change what had happened in her past, but I could move mountains to insure her future. If that’s what it took.
She pulled away and swiped at her face. “When do you go back to work? Officially?”
I dropped my hand and sat back. “Right away. We’ve been slackin' long enough, makin' it hard on the others.” She nodded, but seemed lost in melancholic thought. I wanted to assure her that I was no’ goin’ to die young. I had too much to live for. I opened my mouth to tell her so, but learned that ‘tis near impossible to lie to a mate. If I was a carpenter or doctor or politician, I might be able to say the words. But a vision of Lan poppin’ into my head told me I was no’ in a line of work that enabled promises of long life.
So I settled on what I could say honestly. “Listen to my words and please hear me. Most knights die of old age, in comfy beds, with great-grandchildren standin’ all ‘round. What happened to Lan will make us all the more careful.”
She searched my face, lookin’ deep into my eyes like she was lookin’ for the truth of it. I let her look and read my feelin’s to the extent she was able. Then I was ready to re-establish equilibrium.
“Your coffee’s cold, but no matter. Come to lunch with me. That French onion soup you like is on the blackboard today. We can take Blackie out for a frisbee afterward if you like.”
I was rewarded with two things, the smile I love most in the world and the company I love most in the world sharin’ lunch with me.
Three hours later, I’d had a decent workout between frisbee with Elora’s dog and a couple of hours on bio level. I’d just finished a shower and was gettin’ dressed when my phone buzzed on the counter.
The text was from Sol. My office. One hour. Acknowledge.
I had to give the devil his due. The man was a master like no other when it came to economy of words, the very antithesis of Irish culture.
I assumed he wanted a final answer as to who would be our fourth, which drew a very large and involuntary sigh from me. Lookin’ up at myself in the mirror I smiled, realizin’ that I felt nary a twinge from the ribs. All healed. Namin’ Ghost as my partner was a bitter pill. I had to look for posies along the path where
I could find them.
‘Tis an understatement to say that I was surprised to see Elora in the conference room when I arrived. I could no’ imagine why she would have been called to sit in. I looked at her, lettin’ my curiosity show on my face, but she gave away nothin’. Hmmm.
I stopped at the side service for a cup of tea, knowin’ that there would be the usual banter about pussies and tea, but no’ carin’. Sometimes a lad needs tea like his mother made and nothin’ else will do. Such an occasion had just presented itself.
I sat down at the table, seein’ that Storm and Kay were equally perplexed, and stirred my tea.
“Ms. Laiken is going to give a short presentation. Please give her the courtesy of hearing her out before expressing your opinions.” Sol nodded toward Elora. “You have the floor.”
I stopped stirrin’ and rested the spoon in the saucer. If I had known what was comin’ I would have poured a cup full of Irish whiskey instead.
I could see that Elora was nervous. ‘Twas the first time I’d seen what anxiety looked like on my girl, but ‘twas unmistakable and it had all my neurons firin’ on red alert.
She moved to stand at the head of the conference table, in front of the blank presentation screen, and began.
“I would like to be considered as a replacement for Sir Landsdowne. I’m the best candidate and I have several good reasons to support that claim.
"I have probationary security clearance. I’m reasonably intelligent. I’m not just trained in hand-to-hand, I’m the trainer. I also have experience with a variety of weapons. I’m familiar with policy and can recite most of the Field Training Manual on request. I am stronger than the strongest knight has ever been. I am faster than the fastest knight has ever been. I can’t be hypnotized. I have had my inoculations. I am resourceful in finding weapons when vampire are afoot and have successfully neutralized the enemy in the field. I’ve established a working relationship, of sorts, with the point per… uh, vampire. I have bonded with B Team. I know them. They know me. We’re comfortable together.
Knights of Black Swan, Books 7-9 (Knights of Black Swan Box Set Book 3) Page 49
