by Kayleigh Sky
Asa bristled. “I don’t need help.”
Isaac didn’t look offended. He just sat again. “Do you have any water?”
“Yeah.”
Isaac took the bottle. “Thank you. What’s your name?”
“Emek.”
“That’s unusual.”
“I had unusual parents.”
“Are they gone?”
“Yeah.” He took the water bottle back. “Don’t you have any belongings or anything?”
“Yeah. I ran out of food though. It’s right here.” He got up again, went outside, and returned a moment later with a dark colored backpack. “I’ll get us some more wood.”
Asa scooted back until he sat against the wall and took a swallow of water before he put the bottle back in his pack. His eyes slipped closed, but his body started at the clatter of wood falling to the floor. Isaac said nothing and disappeared into the dark again. He made two more trips, loaded the can, and stood in the light, staring into the flames as they rose higher.
Not too much of a kid really. Closer to his midtwenties than Asa had originally thought. A subdued, private expression.
“What did you do?” Asa asked. Isaac turned his face to him but didn’t speak. “In Comity,” Asa added.
“I was a blood donor.”
Honest. Plain. Well, it wasn’t illegal. No reason to hide it, but the truth was unavoidable now. This was a vampire prince’s feeder. And now Asa was going to seduce the king of the vampires. He squeezed his eyes shut while the import of that struck him. A coincidence like that… Not possible. And yet…
He opened his eyes and frowned at Isaac. Asa believed him.
Honest and open. The kid was a walking target. But he had to be tough too. Streetwise. You didn’t feed vampires without learning some hard lessons.
“I don’t know what kind of work you can get.”
Isaac’s face brightened. “Anything. I can do anything. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. My friend said he’d find something for me. I don’t know about you.”
“Can I try?”
Asa shrugged. “You’re on your own. You want to ask, I won’t stop you.”
Isaac grinned as though Asa had actually done something for him.
Using his knapsack for a pillow, Asa stretched out on his side and closed his eyes again. His thoughts flew back in time to Comity and Brillen Acalliona. He saw Mateo and a dozen other faces he had no names for anymore and tried to snag on the last time he’d done something for somebody.
He fell asleep still looking.
10
A Strange Smell
Zev didn’t stir from his chair by the fireplace when the door opened behind him. He shivered as cold air brushed his arm, though the flames pulled his skin tight. His head ached too.
Too much bourbon?
He doubted it. But the room shifted under his chair, the light harsh and pale, though the fire was warm and orange. Objects in the room wobbled, and something like… fear… tickled the hairs on the back of his neck.
Asa.
Why did such things always remind him of Asa? He was long gone, and Zev’s hope that he was still alive was only wishful thinking. Hearing him was delusional. Gone was gone. But… he couldn’t give up hope. Qudim had gone insane when he lost his fated. Maybe thinking he still heard Asa was Zev’s first sign of madness.
He reached for the cup of tea beside him.
“You rang?”
Not bothering to look up, he flicked his fingers at the other chair. “You might as well make yourself comfortable.”
The former cop, now private investigator and head of Zev’s security, stepped in front of him and took the chair on the other side of the fireplace.
Justin, approaching from the side, asked, “Another beverage?”
Zev tipped his head toward Otto. “Coffee?”
“Black.”
Justin crossed to the buffet table by the floor-to-ceiling door. The height of the door was a strange feature but mimicked the floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite wall.
A hedge of Italian cypress hid the sun from view, though that wasn’t a feature Zev enjoyed. He liked the sun but wasn’t going to cut down a dozen trees to get it.
His study was light in color, gold and umber, with simple lines. He felt calm in here with his books and paintings of home. But his study and bedroom were far from the main part of the house, which was why Justin kept carafes and warmers nearby. He returned with Otto’s coffee and silently departed.
Otto ran a hand over his shorn hair and said, “What’s going on?”
Zev lifted his gaze to the mantle then stood and retrieved the red cup. He turned and tossed it to Otto, who caught it in one hand, a startled look on his face.
“What’s this?”
“My birthday present.”
“It’s your birthday?”
“It was. That was one of my presents. Don’t drink out of it,” he added.
Otto stared at him from under his brows. “There’s nothing in it.”
“Why do you always question me?”
“It’s my job. And that wasn’t a question anyway. This is a question—why shouldn’t I drink out of it?”
“It’s poisoned.”
Otto scowled at the cup, set it gingerly on the table away from his coffee, and said, “I’m guessing it’s not on my fingers?”
Zev’s mouth stretched in a tight smile. “You’d have to drink out of it many times.”
“Like lead poisoning.”
“Worse. It causes insanity.”
“Nice friends you have.”
“Oh yes.” Zev smiled again. “Unfortunately for me, at least one of them wants me dead.”
“At least?”
He shrugged. “I’m a king. A usurper to some.”
“No card I take it?”
“Villainous, not dumb, though there was a card. Comosoro Leaders.”
Otto’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Solomon Frenn?”
Zev shrugged. “I’m assuming, though why use the Comosoro name? They aren’t active.” As far as Zev knew, they’d only come into existence after the Upheaval but had probably been an offshoot of a mason’s group from one of the Ellowyn cities. All business owners and fanatics about Ellowyn superiority. They’d taken their name from one of the original Ellowyn cities, destroyed in the war that had brought the Seneras to power. The group had never gone beyond talk though and had kept to the law.
“Who do you trust on your staff?” Otto asked.
What a terrible question. How did he know? Could he look at anyone now and not wonder what they hid?
He swiped at his eyes and took a breath.
Who could he trust?
“Justin and Moss. Justin hired the staff after firing most of them, but you know that. I trust Justin’s instincts.”
“You don’t have that luxury anymore.” Otto retrieved the cup and turned it to and fro. “Who told you not to drink out of it?”
His lips parted, but Rune’s name died on his tongue. “The smell.”
“Yeah, I noticed that. What is it?”
“Lucanith. An ore that enhances the shine of metals like gold and platinum. Jewels, too, I believe. A small amount lasts for thousands of years, making whatever object it’s in brighter and brighter. Too much of it, though, is a deadly poison.”
“I’ve never heard of it before.”
“Neither had I until recently. Not by name, anyway. Humans know nothing about it, and it’s rare, even to Ellowyn.”
“Maybe that’ll narrow things down. Who besides an artist would be likely to know about it?”
“I don’t know. It’s dangerous to work with, but once it’s applied and heated, it’s safe to handle.”
“Just not to drink out of.”
“Not at this amount.”
“Still seems like a clumsy way to do a job.”
“I don’t know who would do it.”
Otto sat forward, elbows on his knees, twirling the gl
ass between his fingers. The gold flowed, forming a leafy design inside the glass. But Otto wasn’t looking at it. He stared at Zev. “Do you know why?”
Zev gritted his teeth. “I told you. I’m a usurper to some.”
“And lousy at giving me information. You know a lot about this ore.”
“I recognized the smell.”
“Clumsy,” Otto said again. “Especially since you say you didn’t know anything about it. You don’t even have common knowledge, but you know it’s poisonous?”
“Ask Jessa about it. He might know.”
“Jessa doesn’t work with glass, but I’ll ask. Easier if you just tell me what you know.”
Zev’s fangs slipped down. He smiled over them. “I’m your king. Best you not call me a liar.”
Otto leaned forward, letting the glass dangle. “Your life is in danger, and my job is to protect you.”
“Your job is to find Asa.”
“That’s a dead end. This—” Otto lifted the cup before setting it on the table. “—is our immediate priority. You need to send your staff away. Justin and Moss can stay. Let Moss deal with your enforcers. Don’t accept any packages, obviously, and don’t entertain any guests.”
“That will soon be difficult.”
“Why?”
“The council of families. We have a yearly coven meeting.”
Otto’s eyes darkened, the perpetual frown line on his forehead twisting. “That. When is it?”
“Two months, but preparations have already begun.”
“Stop them.”
“I can’t. Maybe that’s what they want. A sign of my weakness.”
“Are you weak?”
He smiled over his fangs again. “I won’t run, and I won’t cancel the meeting.”
“Jesus.” Otto pulled his hands down his face then slumped back in his chair. “Is this about the necklaces?”
“Necklaces I don’t have? You lost them as I recall.”
Otto glowered. “In an earthquake.”
“So I don’t have them. Your time is better spent finding Asa.”
“Zev.” Otto’s voice softened and that bothered Zev more than Otto’s usual gruffness. “Sending me after a seventeen-year-old boy who disappeared without a trace sixteen years ago is a wild goose chase. You won’t tell me anything about him, and without a last name, I can’t do much. But I get that he’s important to you.”
“He helped me once.”
“You’re going to a lot of expense and trouble for a thank you.”
“My money.”
“Have you considered he isn’t even alive?”
Every day.
“Humor me.”
“This death threat comes first. It’s not the first, is it? Which reminds me to remind you, I’m your head of security.”
Zev shrugged. “It’s part of the job. As is the coven meeting. I can’t cancel—or postpone it.”
Otto sighed, his stare hard on Zev’s, but thoughts zipped visibly behind his eyes. After a moment, he said, “Move it.”
“Move it? What good will that do?”
“Almost none. Move it anyway, but don’t announce the move until the last minute. Not to anyone.”
“Justin will have to know.”
Otto rolled his eyes and said, “Fine. Justin. And Moss, I guess. How long have you known Justin by the way?”
Zev laughed. “Forever. He was an enforcer until he became my uncle’s butler. I grew up around him. Why?”
“Bit of a cold fish.”
“He’s a vampire. We Ellowyn control our emotions.”
Otto laughed. “Like hell.”
“Justin is trustworthy, and I will consider moving the coven meeting.”
“Do more than consider it. It’s one of very few options you have to protect yourself. Put them on their guard.”
“Perhaps. You keep looking for Asa.”
“In my spare time. My work time is gonna be spent looking out for you. No disrespect intended,” he added.
“Disrespect taken. If I decide to move the meeting, where would we go?”
“How many other places do you have access to?”
“As many as I want.”
“Make it isolated. Ideally, someplace they don’t know about.”
“My lodge,” he said without thinking. Why not? The property belonged to the Gorans, not him. Forest surrounded it. It had a lake with a cabin on the other end that was his too. But everybody thought of it as the Goran’s lodge.
Could he manage a few days alone too?
Maybe.
“Where’s that?” Otto asked.
“Opal Lake. I bought it from Moss’s parents. I haven’t gone up there in years, but I built onto it, so it’s big enough for the families to have their own wings. I can send Justin up early to prepare for guests.”
“That’s fine, but think of another reason for Justin to be absent or send someone else. We don’t want to show our hand. No one can know about this.”
“Yes, you said so. If I agree.”
“Trust me.”
Zev grinned. “You said I wasn’t supposed to trust anybody.”
“For fuck’s sake.” Otto stood and gazed down at him. “That cup was a clumsy move, but take it seriously.”
“It was a message, I think.”
“And I don’t suppose you’ll let me in on what it was telling you?”
Zev shook his head. “If I knew, but I don’t.”
“Right.”
Zev smiled again. “I trust you to figure this out, detective.”
Otto snorted. “Now you trust me.”
A moment later, Zev was alone again, staring into the fire. And like an idiot, he clung to his ludicrous dream that Asa, his blood mate and fated love, was still alive and coming ever closer to him.
Come get me.
But where was he?
The dream had turned from a tingle of fear at the back of his neck into something that tore at him with claws.
Come get me.
His gut churned, and he sat with his forehead in his palms and his fingers in his hair.
“I promise, Asa.”
I promise.
11
A Big House
Vampires emerged from the trees that lined the driveway. Three of them.
Asa froze, startled by the press of Isaac against his arm. He didn’t take his eyes off the lead vampire though. She approached without urgency, giving Asa time to examine her. She wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and a pale blue pea coat. Unbuttoned. Asa’s gaze dropped to the weapon on her hip. She stopped two feet away and stared into his face, her companions taking up positions on either side of her. Asa refused to back up.
“My name is Hadda,” she said. “This is private property. Are you lost?”
“I don’t think so,” said Asa. “I’m looking for Dinallah Manor. I’m supposed to see somebody named Jere Anderson.”
The vampire tipped her head, and one of her companions turned and strode away. After a few yards, he stopped and put a phone to his ear.
“What about you?” Hadda asked, speaking to Isaac.
“I’m looking for work.”
“You’re here together?”
“Yes,” said Isaac before Asa had a chance to deny it.
Asa clamped his mouth shut and waited for the vampire on the phone. They weren’t all bad, he told himself. The female didn’t look unkind. The male beside her gave off no vibe at all. Asa repressed a shiver in the cold air, aware of Isaac’s warmth against his arm. He’d glimpsed some of the manor from the train, but now only trees surrounded them. A white, watery sunlight washed across the gravel. Birds sang and pines and eucalyptus scented the air.
The crunch of footsteps on the gravel drew the female vampire’s gaze away. The one who’d been on the phone bent and whispered in her ear.
She nodded and a smile revealed the tips of her fangs. She turned back to Asa and Isaac. “Anderson is expecting one of you.”
“I won’t be any tr
ouble,” Isaac said. “I just wanna see if there’s work for me. I’ll leave right away if Mr. Anderson tells me to, I promise.”
The vampire’s smile broadened. “I know you will.” She gestured to the vampire beside her. “Nalith will escort you from here.”
Without a word, all three vampires turned away. Asa followed Nalith, Isaac beside him.
After the train, and before Solomon had dumped him in a rest stop parking lot, he’d shown Asa the layout of Dinallah Manor on paper. Two stories sprawled across 15,000 square feet on property that abutted the St. Lucia Mountains. It had several gardens and a large lake on it.
He turned to see Isaac drinking in the sights. The size of the place meant nothing to Asa. His childhood home had been on only two acres but had had eight bedrooms and eleven baths. Overkill for a three-member family, but maybe his parents had wanted more kids. It had only been a house to him, not anything remarkable, and he hadn’t balked when his dad moved them and their surviving furniture closer to his office. The isolation had become dangerous, and their old place wasn’t home without Asa’s mom.
“Wow,” Isaac whispered. “This is even bigger than Senera Castle.”
“What were you doing at Senera Castle?”
“Nothin’. I just saw it. I’ve seen lots of places.”
Amusement twisted Asa’s mouth. He doubted Isaac had been very far outside of Comity before, but hearing that he’d even been to Senera Castle was a surprise. “Who feeds Jessamine?” Acalliona had asked, and Asa had gone blank. He’d only come up with Isaac’s name because Isaac had been Mateo’s friend. Or as much a friend as Mateo ever had, so Asa had heard about him. A popular donor, who’d fed a royal. But legitimate donors didn’t usually go to their clients. And why didn’t Isaac feed the prince anymore? Had the spoiled little crossling moved on? But if Isaac had been to the castle, maybe he’d been more than just a feeder. Maybe keeping the kid close to him wasn’t a bad idea.
Asa shifted the weight of his pack on his shoulder and hurried to keep up with their escort.
The driveway split near the house and curved in front of an open courtyard. Chinese lanterns and Italian cypress grew in heavy clay pots. A wide set of steps led to doors inset with narrow panes of stained glass. They didn’t go inside though. They veered away from the house and followed the driveway out back. Gardens, winter gray and leafless, appeared on the other side of a brick walkway. A series of steps led up a slope to a whitewashed cottage. At the bottom of the slope, sprawling bigger than most houses, was a sixteen-car garage.
