The Rainmaker

by Petra Landon

“I’ll try” she said. She would.

  Tasia knew that Hawk was more perturbed than he let on. If Hawk was to be her babysitter while his Pack mates hunted for Caro and the Vampires, then Tasia was determined to distract her friend from his concerns.

  She followed Hawk into the Pack Room, coming to a stop as the Alpha engaged an elegantly dressed middle-aged lady. This must be the First Wizard, she realized. If one looked carefully, one could see a slight resemblance with Sienna. While the older Wizard lacked the vivaciousness that characterized her niece, she possessed a familiar easy charm that naturally drew people to her.

  “Do you know David Hamilton?” Raoul addressed the First Wizard.

  “Hamilton. Yes, he’s the ranking Wizard in San Francisco.”

  David Hamilton had attempted to get an audience with her a few months ago, to push for the punishment of a Guardian accused of terrorizing Wizards in his city, the First Wizard recalled. The same Guardian who had history with the Alpha, if she remembered correctly.

  “His daughter, Caroline Hamilton, has been abducted by the Lombardi Vampires” the Alpha announced.

  Sienna gasped and Jason sat up straighter, a frown between his eyes as he stared at Raoul.

  “He thinks to use the local Wizards to press you into giving him Sienna, I presume?” a youngish man with dark hair lounging beside Duncan inquired calmly.

  “That’s my take on it” the Alpha assented.

  “Do you need help to search for the girl, Raoul? I can have a hundred Shifters here in in an hour” the man offered.

  This nondescript man must be Faoladh. Looks can certainly be very deceptive.

  “Thank you, Faoladh, but we have it covered for now. The Wizards, Ancients and Shifters in San Francisco are all searching for Caroline Hamilton.”

  Faoladh looked mildly intrigued by the Alpha’s statement, but the First Wizard looked astounded.

  “How’d you manage that, Raoul?” the foremost Alpha Shifter inquired, an undercurrent of approval unmistakable in his query.

  While not unaware of Raoul’s faults, he had always been fond of him. The boy was destined for great things, but he needed to want them first. That’s why Faoladh had handpicked Raoul Merceau to lead this investigation for the Wizards. He wanted the Chosen diaspora to see what a fantastic job Raoul could do, regardless of his personal feelings about Wizards. In Faoladh’s opinion, their world needed more co-operation and less factionalism, if they were to survive to see a new century. That Raoul was working with other Chosen in the city pleased Faoladh very much.

  “We’ve been exploring an alliance of local Chosen to keep the peace in San Francisco” the Alpha explained. “The search for Caroline Hamilton gives us an opportunity to test this coalition.”

  “Well done, Raoul” Faoladh contented himself with the simple words.

  “If I can be of assistance in any way, Alpha?” the First Wizard offered, choosing her words with care. As Sienna’s aunt, she was grateful to the Alpha for offering her niece sanctuary. Yet, as First Wizard, she could not acknowledge her appreciation publicly, not without making the GCW look bad. This kidnapping had just highlighted the strains being wrought upon the Alpha for his assistance to Sienna.

  “I don’t want you or your Pack to pay a price for your hospitality to Sienna” she said.

  The Alpha contemplated her. “There’s one way you can help, First Wizard.”

  “Anything” she pledged.

  “Get that locket off Sienna’s neck.” He was blunt. Make whatever deals you need, but get that locket off her, he wanted to add. This was no time to play politics.

  Bianchi was after the locket. He had kidnapped Caroline for it. The Wizards had failed in their various attempts to get the locket off Sienna. This was the Alpha’s way of telling the First Wizard to speed it up.

  Lady Esmeralda studied him in silence, somewhat nonplussed by the blunt demand. She had not been expecting such an explicit answer.

  Raoul met her eyes without a hint of apology. This was just the beginning, he determined grimly. There were other, much tougher, questions he intended to ask the First Wizard. The time for putting the lives and welfare of his Pack on the line for the Spell Casters was at an end. If the Wizards were serious about this investigation, then the First Wizard would have to step up to do her bit.

  Lady Esmeralda shot a questing glance at Faoladh, who merely shrugged noncommittally, leaving her in no doubt where he stood on the matter.

  “I need to make a call.” She stood up, her voice steady. “Is there somewhere I can talk?”

  “Please use my private room” Raoul offered.

  “Thank you.”

  As the Alpha turned away with the First Wizard, Sienna turned urgently to Hawk and Tasia. “Are you sure about Caroline?”

  “She was on the phone with Tasia when the Vampires intercepted her” Hawk explained.

  “Rafaelo Bianchi is a psycho.” Sienna fingered the locket around her neck unconsciously. “I hope he treats her well.”

  Sienna mused that the locket was proving to be a major liability. Given what they knew about it, they couldn’t allow it to fall into Lady Bethesda’s hands. Yet, watching friends and the Pack put their lives at risk while she sat guarded in a gilded cage did not sit comfortably with her.

  “He won’t lay a finger on Caroline, Sienna” Jason reassured her, knowing that Sienna had seen first-hand how callously cruel Bianchi could be. The Vampire had ordered his minions to kill Tasia for no other reason than that his men had snatched her by mistake. “That would start a war he doesn’t want. He might be a psycho, but Bianchi’s not stupid. Regardless of any divisions between us, an army of Wizards will hunt him down if he harms the daughter of a prominent Wizard to send a message to a Shifter. He won’t risk all-out war with Wizards over this.”

  Sienna glanced at Tasia’s tight expression, her friend’s face reflecting her anxiety for Caroline. For both Wizards, the memories of a night in Chicago where they’d been captives of Rafaelo Bianchi and his Vampires were still fresh.

  “Jason is absolutely right, Sienna” Duncan chimed in, his reassurance clearly aimed at both Tasia and Sienna. “Bianchi will not harm Caroline Hamilton.”

  Faoladh observed the group silently, watching and speculating on the dynamics between the unlikely set of partners.

  “How can I help, Merceau?” Jason offered as the Alpha rejoined them.

  “You don’t know this city like we do, LaRue.” Raoul was honest. “But once we discover where she’s been held, that’s another story.”

  “We made a good team in Chicago” he said quietly.

  “Yes, we did” Jason agreed. Chicago was still fresh in all their minds, it seemed.

  The heavy door to the Pack Room opened as Luis strode in.

  Luis directed a respectful nod at Faoladh, before addressing the Alpha.

  “Search parties have been sent out, and the leech Mistress is expecting you in half an hour.”

  The Alpha turned to Duncan. “Have Atsá and Maartje direct the search from the Lair. Once we start sharing information with the Wizards and Ancients, we’ll need better co-ordination between all three teams.”

  Duncan whipped out his cell. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “We found her car” Luis remarked. “It was abandoned, the windshield shattered.”

  Tasia glanced at Hawk. This explained the noise she’d heard before Caro’s call was cut.

  “You’re meeting Mistress Franciszka, Raoul?” Faoladh inquired.

  “To persuade her to join the search for Caroline.”

  “Can you?” he asked limpidly.

  “I have hopes” Raoul said with utter confidence.

  In response, Faoladh’s lips twitched with amusement.

  The First Wizard emerged from the Alpha’s Room to make a beeline for them.

  “I’ve made a deal with ElThor. A First One will be in San Francisco in three hours” she said to the Alpha. “ElThor assured me the First One can extract the locket f
rom Sienna.”

  “I’ll have him met at San Francisco Airport, First Wizard” Duncan offered.

  “Thank you.”

  “What did you offer him in return, Esmeralda?” Faoladh asked curiously. He wanted everyone in the room to share information. The time for secrets was past. The more they collectively knew, the better equipped they’d be to tackle Bethesda when she deigned to emerge from the shadows.

  “A briefing from Raoul Merceau on the current investigation he’s running for us. ElThor requested that the briefing come from a Shifter” she explained.

  Despite the First Wizard’s outwardly unruffled demeanor, the request had caused much private soul-searching. ElThor’s open skepticism about Wizards and the subtle hint of his confidence in the Wyrs had shaken the First Wizard badly.

  “If I could trespass on your hospitality for a few hours more, Alpha? Since there’s a good chance ElThor's Ancient might extract the locket soon, I’d like to see this through.”

  “Of course” the Alpha assented graciously. “Both Faoladh and you are welcome to stay the night at the Lair. Duncan will make the arrangements. Please excuse me.”

  He shot Duncan a pregnant glance before turning away. The English Shifter understood that the mantle was being passed to him. While Raoul went hunting, Duncan was being asked to watch over his Pack and his Lair, and the witchling.

  Raoul turned to Luis. “Come, Luis. I need you to watch my back with the leeches.”

  “What a pleasure, Raoul” Mistress Franciszka trilled, coming forward to greet the Alpha.

  The Alpha was flanked by Luis Beltran and Stefan Simeonov, while a phalanx of Shifters stood guard outside the mansion that Franciszka used as her nest. The leech Mistress could be unpredictable, and though Raoul was fairly sure he’d put the fear of whatever Universal Power Franciszka believed in into her the last time she’d dared cross him, he didn’t intend to chance it. Not today, when he had bigger fish to fry. So, he’d brought along a small army with him to reinforce his message, just in case.

  He greeted the Mistress with an old-fashioned bow. She pouted prettily in response, batting her heavily made-up eyes at him. Once upon a time, Franciszka had been a great beauty. Her bones still hinted at it. But, after centuries of being Undead, even the glossy makeup, expensive clothes and costly jewelry could not hide the decay of her physical form. She looked pale and unhealthy under all the heavy makeup, even in the softer light of the candles that lit the room. The Undead did not believe in the modern amenities and their nests usually eschewed electricity for candlelight, though Raoul had a suspicion that the vain Mistress preferred the softer glow of candlelight to showcase her, as opposed to harsher lighting.

  Franciszka glanced over Raoul’s shoulder to the two Shifters that accompanied him. She gave them a once over, ignoring Luis to focus on Stefan.

  “The beautiful Were-Alpha” she murmured. She stared at him greedily, preening a little by sticking out her bony chest through the low-cut bodice of her powder blue velvet gown.

  “Mistress.” Stefan nodded respectfully, his bright blue eyes glinting at her flirtatiousness.

  “I appreciate you seeing me on short notice, Franciszka.” Raoul drew her attention back to him. “I’m here to do you a favor” he said bluntly.

  “A favor, moj drogi!” she exclaimed, his words seeming to catch her by surprise.

  “You warned me when Rafaelo Bianchi came to town. I’m here to return the favor.”

  The Mistress straightened, suddenly more business-like, her flirtatious manner dropping away abruptly. She seemed to sense from Raoul’s cryptic words that he was here to impart something momentous. It was very unlike the Alpha to deliver such warnings, Franciszka knew. Usually, he tended to stay away from matters he didn’t consider Shifter business.

  “What has happened, Raoul?” The dark eyes were suddenly grave.

  “Bianchi has kidnapped Caroline Hamilton” he said bluntly, knowing that she’d recognize the name and put two and two together.

  The Mistress’s face blanched at the news, her sudden pallor obvious, even through the makeup.

  “Are you sure?” she asked, her tone cautious.

  “Pretty sure, yeah.”

  For a minute, she stared blankly at Raoul’s impassive face, before pulling herself together. “That has nothing to do with me, Raoul. Neither I nor any of my Pure Bloods have anything to do with the kidnapping.”

  “Maybe so, but I think you understand how this looks, Franciszka. We all know that Bianchi wouldn’t have lasted a day here without logistical help from your nest.”

  “I warned you about him when he first came here, Raoul.” The words came out defensively. “Why would I do that if I intended to help him? I ordered my Pure Bloods to provide minimum hospitality to Bianchi — just enough to not disobey my Master’s dictates.”

  Raoul studied her, attempting to gauge the right buttons to push. She was rattled, he knew. The question was how much carrot and how much stick would be optimal now to guarantee her co-operation.

  “Bianchi has changed the equation by going after the Hamilton girl, Franciszka. The Wizards know it’s Bianchi who has her. When her father orders vengeance on Vampires, Bianchi will slink back to whatever hole he crawled out from, leaving you holding the ball here. Any Vampire blood spilt in San Francisco will be that of your Pure Bloods.”

  “I can handle the Wizards, Raoul. And my Master will back me up — he’s the one who ordered me to extend our hospitality to the Lombardis.” Franciszka was unfazed. This might create a wrinkle in her relationship with the local Wizards, but she was confident she could weather it. Especially since her relationship with them was pretty crappy to begin with. The fact that neither she nor her Pure Bloods had any direct involvement with the girl’s kidnapping made her confident.

  “Can you afford to fall out with all the Chosen in this city, Franciszka?” Raoul inquired relentlessly.

  “Why would I fall out with other Chosen?”

  “The Wizards, Shifters and Ancients in San Francisco have an alliance of Chosen in place, and are co-operating in the search for Caroline Hamilton. If the Wizards come after you for this, the Pack and the Ancients will stand with them.”

  The Mistress looked dumbstruck by the news. It was clear she’d had no inkling of this new alliance. There was no reason she should — there had been only a couple of meetings to hash out the details between David Hamilton, DiZeyla and the Alpha.

  “Surely you do not blame me for this, Raoul. I was simply obeying orders.”

  “I’ll have no choice on the matter, Franciszka” Raoul reiterated softly. “We have an understanding with the Wizards.”

  The expression on Franciszka’s face now reflected an awareness of the precarious position she found herself in. Falling out with the Wizards was very different from going up against the combined might of Wizards, the Pack and Ancients. The breakdown with the Pack would hurt the most, for the Vampires had never had any kind of relationship with the other Chosen to begin with.

  As the Alpha’s gold-colored eyes held her shocked gaze, she seemed to shake off her stupor. “A local alliance of Chosen” she exclaimed. “Why have the Pure Bloods been excluded from it? We deserve to be part of this, Raoul.”

  “I was planning to bring up the matter at the next meeting, Franciszka” Raoul said mildly, his manner a stark contrast to her passionate outburst. “But Bianchi has made that impossible. Neither David Hamilton nor DiZeyla will agree to include the Vampires after this latest misadventure from Bianchi.”

  Franciszka stared at him, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.

  “The Pack values our relationship with your nest, Franciszka, but not at the expense of our relationship with the other Chosen in San Francisco” Raoul pointed out gently, making sure to get his message through.

  Franciszka’s eyelids slid down to hide her thoughts from the penetrating gaze of the perceptive Alpha while she pondered the matter furiously.

  Raoul waited patiently, con
fident that he had made his point to the Mistress.

  Eventually, she looked up to meet his gaze, her demeanor calmer.

  “What do you want from me, Raoul?” she inquired shrewdly. Franciszka had finally realized that the Alpha wasn’t here to merely deliver a warning.

  “Find out where Bianchi is holding her.” The response was immediate. “And I’ll make sure to let the Wizards and Ancients know where the information came from. I’m not asking you to go up against Bianchi, Franciszka. Just get me the information and I’ll clean this up. I don’t think your Master will disapprove of that.” He was calm and persuasive.

  Franciszka stared at him, her gaze searching his face carefully.

  “With Wizards, Shifters and Ancients looking for Caroline, it’s only a matter of time before one of us locates her. You’ll lose any leverage you have at that point, Franciszka. Time is of the essence here.” The last warning was delivered softly, the gold-eyed gaze intent on driving home the message.

  She seemed to ponder for another long moment before snapping her fingers imperiously.

  At her silent bidding, a tall figure detached itself from the mass of shadows by the walls to come forward.

  “Find out where Rafaelo is holding the Hamilton girl” she ordered imperiously, shooting the Vampire a glance pregnant with intent.

  The Vampire seemed to understand his Mistress’ dictum, for he hastened out of the hall with a dozen other Vampires in tow.

  “I’ll send a messenger to the Lair when I have the information, Raoul” Franciszka said crisply. “I want it clear that I expect to be given entrée into this local Chosen alliance if I do this.”

  “You’ll have my full support on the matter if you come through, Franciszka” Raoul assured her impassively.

  Later, as they drove back to the Lair, Stefan Simeonov inquired curiously. “Will the leeches come through, Alpha?”

  “Franciszka will.” Raoul was confident. “She knows the difference between merely being the uncool kid in class, whom no one wants to hang with, and having all the kids in the school gunning for her. She’ll come through.”

  From the driver’s seat, Luis asked. “Is her asking price too costly for us?”