wait for dusk

by Drake, Jocelynn

  “Agreed. We need to be sure we take them all out before we leave Budapest,” I said, smirking at his close attention to his scarf. Valerio shrugged, unmoved by my teasing.

  Danaus frowned at us both, determined not to be distracted. “Could that be what Macaire planned all along? Why he’s here now? If we destroy the reigning power players in Budapest, it will leave it vulnerable enough for him to move in and take over.”

  “I doubt it was his plan since he prefers to stay close to Venice,” I replied.

  Valerio reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of supple leather gloves, which he proceeded to pull on. “Besides, Mira has spoiled that plan by claiming Budapest as her own. She may not truly want it, but she is the keeper of this domain now. As keeper, it’s her responsibility to clean out old management.”

  “Which you approve of,” Danaus sneered. “Being as Budapest is so close to Vienna and you’re sure that Mira won’t encroach on your territory.”

  “You make it sound like it’s awful that I approve of Mira’s new acquisition. Of course I like having her close at hand once again.” Valerio paused and narrowed his dark eyes on the hunter as a wicked grin spread across his full lips. “Mira and I have a long history. It would be nice to have her around again.”

  Danaus took a step forward, his hand dropping down to his waist where I knew he kept an assortment of knives. Valerio was taunting him, seeing how far he could push Danaus. I had no doubt that he was also testing how far my relationship with Danaus went. The Ancient nightwalker smiled at the hunter, his fangs peeking out from under his upper lip. I didn’t have time for this chest beating and territorial pissing. We needed to find Clarion.

  “Enough!” I shouted, placing a hand on both their chests. “I need to find Clarion. Do you have any useful suggestions?”

  Valerio laid his hand over mine, stroking my fingers in an attempt to annoy Danaus just a little bit more. I was about to smash my fist into his jaw. Instead I shoved. Valerio simply stood there, smiling down at me. “A coffeehouse called Gerbeaud Cukrászda,” he said. “It’s been around for ages and is located in Central Pest between the Chain Bridge and the Elizabeth Bridge. Any taxi driver should be able to locate it with no problems. I can come along—”

  “No,” I said sharply, causing his smile to widen. I was beginning to think that he and Danaus had spent more than enough time together. I knew that I had already spent enough time with Valerio. This was a case of too much of a good thing. “There are naturi hanging out on one of the islands in the Danube. Last I saw, there were three islands in the region. I want you to go check them out.”

  “This is my punishment. Taking on the naturi alone?” he demanded incredulously.

  “Would I be so cold?”

  “Yes.”

  I smiled up at my friend for the first time, shaking my head. “I’m not asking you to hunt the naturi. I simply want you to locate them for me. Find which island they have claimed as their own. It will be easier for the four of us to hunt them down if we are sure of their ultimate location. Don’t engage if you can help it. Meet us later tonight back at my hotel room.”

  “Aren’t you planning to change hotel rooms? Or are you planning to stay with me in Vienna?”

  “I’m staying at the Gellért,” I said. “I’m not leaving Budapest again until this mess has been cleaned up.”

  “It’s not safe.”

  “Danaus will be there. I’ll be safe.”

  “As you wish,” Valerio said with an easygoing shrug of his broad shoulders. He took a single step backward away from Danaus and me before disappearing from sight. I looked forward to the day when I attained that ability. It would be so much easier than trying to grab a car or a plane or any other vehicle to get from point A to point B.

  My eyes strayed over to Danaus’s face and I winced inwardly. The hunter was not happy with me, and it was most likely Valerio’s fault. Of course, Danaus could also still be upset over my choice to control him than use my own powers. My excuse had been extraordinarily thin and weak. I didn’t think he actually bought it, but then I had been desperate and we weren’t exactly in the best spot to discuss it. To my glee, we still weren’t. The night was fading away and we still had to locate Clarion.

  “I know.” I sighed. “He’s a complete pain in the ass.”

  “Reminds me of someone else I know.”

  “Yeah, well, that could be a long list. You’ll have to narrow it down for me.” We glared at each other before finally turning in separate directions. I looked over at Ferko to find that he had yet to move from where he lay. I didn’t expect him to be unconscious much longer. He’d eventually pick himself up and scurry back off to Veyron to complain about the slaughter of his people. If Ferko was lucky, our destruction of the local pack might succeed in drawing out a few of the nightwalkers. I had a sinking feeling that this entire town needed to be thinned out. Veyron and his gang had a negative influence on everyone there, like a sickness eating away at the brain tissue.

  “How is Valerio going to track down the naturi if he can’t sense them?” Danaus asked, surprising me with his concern.

  I smiled up at my companion as we trudged back through the woods toward the car we had stolen shortly after sunset. “He’s a smart guy. He’ll figure it out. A place where the humans have been murdered at an alarming rate, a heavily wooded area, or just a place where humans are afraid to tread. That’s enough to ferret out the naturi.”

  “You’re using humans as a guide?”

  “Sure, they’ve got a natural sixth sense about danger.”

  “Then why do they flock to vampires?”

  “I never said they were very good about listening to it. Besides, we’re not trying to kill them, just feed off them. The naturi are the ones that actually want them dead.”

  “Nice rationale,” Danaus said as he walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door.

  “Yeah, I thought so.”

  Danaus paused, standing next to the car with the door open. He stared at me over the roof of the little car. “We’re hunting a warlock?”

  “We’re just going to have a nice little chat over coffee,” I corrected with a shaky smile. I was beginning to think that Valerio had the easier task. For a brief moment I thought about reaching out to Stefan and requesting that he come along. However, I pushed the idea away as I climbed into the stolen car. Stefan needed some time to cool off and get back in control of his temper. As surprising as it was to me, he had lost someone important to him simply because she was beautiful. Michelle deserved better than that, and Stefan was determined to give it to her. He would need to kill both Odelia and Ferko to have his revenge. Unfortunately, to help him succeed, I first needed to deal with a warlock that was determined to see me dead.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gerbeaud Cukrászda was stunning. I’d grown accustomed to cramped, dark little coffeehouses with people hunched over laptops or hiding behind a newspaper. But Gerbeaud Cukrászda was an old traditional Hungarian coffeehouse with its enormous arched windows looking out onto the city. Gold gilt and crystal chandeliers hung from domed ceilings, casting the room in a warm glow. Along the walls were rich wood sideboards that held delicate pieces of ancient china with slightly faded patterns, worn by the massive passage of time.

  The coffeehouse was crowded, with people relaxing at small round tables laden with their coffee and frothy pastries that left me briefly longing for my more humans days when I craved things like sugar, milk, and airy whipped cream. Where coffeehouses in the United States were little dens of caffeine sin, Gerbeaud Cukrászda was a palace dedicated to the ancient art of coffee and decadence.

  Danaus and I arrived looking as if we had just survived a fight for our lives. Our clothes were torn, dirty, and splattered with blood. I shoved one hand through my hair, trying vainly to smooth it back and into some semblance of order.

  Danaus smiled at me, catching my eye in a nearby mirror. “You look vibrant,” he said in a low voice, ca
using me to smile as well. He was being far too kind. We both looked a mess and had no business walking into such a civilized setting, but there was nothing that could be done about it. The night was still young, and the longer we remained in Budapest without taking care of this nonsense, the more dangerous it became.

  It was tempting to cover us in a light glamour so people wouldn’t notice our disheveled appearances, but I decided that it just wasn’t worth the energy. Instead I turned my attention to scanning the beautiful restaurant for the one that would most likely prove to be Clarion.

  He wasn’t hard to spot. At the far end of the room was a man sitting at a table alone with a leather-bound book in one hand. He wore a fashionable suit with a dark blue and gray tie. I had little doubt that this person was Clarion. However, what I did find disturbing was that he wasn’t the only magic user in the room. In fact, a quick scan of the coffeehouse revealed at least seven other magic users of varying power strengths in the room, though none was anywhere near as strong. Apparently, Danaus and I had stumbled upon a favorite watering hole for warlocks and witches. Fabulous. Simply fabulous.

  I had known that this very public gathering would be a mix of talking, coercion, and grandstanding, but I didn’t expect that I would be the one outnumbered at this gathering. If I had learned anything in my six centuries, it was that one did not go picking fights with powerful warlocks and witches, and never in their own territory.

  Keep your temper and your weapons to yourself, I warned Danaus as I started to weave my way through the tables toward Clarion.

  I can manage it. Can you? he taunted.

  I was going to try, but I had my doubts. Ferko, Rowe, and Nick had all managed to push my buttons that evening. I suspected that Clarion was going to be happy to do the same once we sat down with him. He had every reason to suspect that he had the upper hand in our little game of cat and mouse. Danaus and I were the outsiders, while he was part of something far larger, which was attempting to kill me and my companions.

  When we got within a dozen feet of the table, Clarion closed his book and laid it on the table as he turned to face us. He rose smoothly from his chair, running his hands over his jacket as if to brush away any nonexistent wrinkles. He smiled benignly at us while his dark brown eyes twinkled with some ill-concealed laughter, as if he held some secret delight that we did not yet know about.

  “Clarion?” I asked as we drew closer.

  “You must be Mira and Danaus,” he said in heavily accented English. “Forgive me, but I noticed your entrance. Or rather, your scan of Gerbeaud. I naturally assumed you were looking for me.” He motioned for us to take the two empty seats at his table while he resumed his seat.

  “Do you frequently receive visitors here that search for you in such a manner?” I inquired politely as I took a seat opposite him. It was a struggle to ignore the grass stains on my shirt and the tear in my pants near my thigh as I sat across from Clarion in his tidy suit and precise manners.

  Picking up the spoon from its place on his saucer, Clarion stirred his coffee a couple times before taking a sip. “Frequently? No. But I am aware of my standing in the community, and I would be the one you were most likely seeking in this place in such a manner.”

  I swallowed my next question as a server came over and took Danaus’s coffee order while I waved him off. Rowe and Nick had already pressed me to my breaking point, and I was in no mood to pretend to be human tonight.

  “And I also deduced that it would only be natural for you to seek me out following your recent claim on Budapest,” Clarion continued. “Congratulations.”

  “So you’ve heard already,” I said, sitting back in my chair.

  “Budapest may be a large city, but the supernatural community remains relatively small. Word travels fast,” he said with yet another smug smile.

  “I find myself reluctant to agree that the supernatural community is really all that small. Though it’s a bit smaller now,” Danaus interjected in a low voice that brought a smirk to my own lips.

  “Since coming to Budapest,” I said, “I’ve noticed that there is a large gathering of nightwalkers here, the Budapest pack was relatively large, and besides yourself there are at least half a dozen magic users in this coffeehouse alone. Not a bad showing for a town of any size.”

  “Forgive me, but what do you mean the Budapest pack was relatively large?” Clarion inquired, his hand stilling on his coffee cup.

  “My companions and I are in town for a variety of reasons,” I said, brushing some dirt off the leg of my pants. “One of them was related to the disappearance of a nightwalker. After some inquiries, we discovered that members of the local pack killed her. Retribution was meted out tonight and the Budapest pack has been nearly exterminated.”

  “Exterminated?”

  “The pack has been culled, reduced, eradiated, destroyed,” Danaus supplied.

  “And you felt that this action was necessary?” Clarion asked, his brow furrowing as he sat back in his chair.

  I shook my head, forcing a frown onto my mouth. “Unfortunately, yes. Pack alpha Ferko refused to cooperate with us, so we had to hunt down anyone who might have been involved with the murder of a poor nightwalker. We had to be sure that her death was avenged. Surely you understand?”

  “Naturally,” Clarion replied. “And have you completed your investigation into the matters regarding Budapest?”

  “Not quite. Danaus and I have come to Gerbeaud to speak with you regarding a few minor little things.”

  Danaus placed his cup of coffee back on its saucer and turned his full attention to the warlock. “Being as you are obviously tuned into the supernatural happenings of Budapest, you should be able to provide us with some valuable information, which will help to shorten our stay within the city. The sooner we can fix matters here, the sooner we can leave.”

  “Are you in a hurry to leave? It’s a shame that you’re not enjoying your stay in our beautiful city.”

  “My time in Budapest has been entertaining,” I said, “but my presence is needed in Venice with the coven. Once my duties to the coven are completed, Danaus and I hope to return to Budapest for a lengthy stay.”

  At that pronouncement, Clarion’s smile wilted slightly, but he caught it quickly as he nodded to me. “Excellent. I’m sure your presence here will have a positive influence on our little community. We tend to be a tight-knit group.”

  “So I’ve noticed,” I murmured.

  “What can I help you with?”

  “The naturi,” Danaus said.

  For a moment Clarion looked genuinely confused, but I wasn’t buying it. “I beg your pardon,” he said, sitting up straighter in his chair.

  “The naturi. Apparently they’ve infested the city. They’re hunting down nightwalkers and humans within the city,” I clarified, but the warlock continued to shake his head at me.

  “This is the first I have heard of it.”

  “That’s a shame.” I sighed. “They are dangerous group who are hoping to wipe out all of humanity and nightwalkers in an effort to protect the earth. In Budapest, it appears that the local naturi have rallied around a ruthless naturi by the name of Rowe. He has dark hair, scars, and wears an eye patch. You would definitely know him if you were to meet him.”

  “I know I would recall seeing someone by that description, but I have to admit that I have not,” Clarion stated.

  I don’t believe him, Danaus said silently to me.

  Nor I. Dead humans or nightwalkers wouldn’t be a particularly bad thing for him.

  “Really? Hmm . . . that is strange, because Veyron assured me that you would know where to find the naturi. They were the initial reason for our appearance within Budapest.”

  “Veyron directed you to me?” he said a bit stiffly as the last of the amusement was wiped clean from his face.

  “You do know Veyron, correct?”

  “Of course. He’s a somewhat powerful figure among the nightwalkers. It is only natural that I am aware of him.
However, our meetings have been extremely limited. I cannot imagine why he might think that I know where to find this naturi called Rowe.”

  “He probably believed that you would be aware of the naturi simply for your own safety,” I said with a wave of my hand. I let my gaze drift away from the warlock to a trolley laden with chocolate confections that smelled heavenly. For a second I wondered if Nick was causing more problems for me. I hadn’t craved food in centuries, but then I hadn’t even been faced with such amazing delights before now. Besides, I was content to let Clarion dangle a little bit.

  “What do the naturi have to do with my safety?” the warlock demanded, finally dragging my eyes back to his face.

  I lowered my voice to a whisper and leaned in a little bit. “Well, even though you are a warlock, to the naturi you are first and foremost a human. And second, the naturi have a history of singling out blood warlocks for execution.”

  “How did you know?” he asked, surprised.

  “That you’re a blood warlock?” I finished with a smile. “I can taste it in your powers. It’s quite easy to spot. You have to remember, I’ve been around the block for quite a long time. I’ve had plenty of time to learn a few tricks.”

  “And you think the naturi would single me out?” Clarion demanded, starting to sound concerned for the first time.

  “Possibly.” I shrugged and then turned my attention to Danaus. “How’s your coffee?”

  “Wonderful,” he said, refilling his cup from the small ceramic pot that had been brought to the table. “We’ll have to come back after everything has been settled.”

  “About the naturi,” Clarion snapped, drawing my attention back to him.

  “Yes, it’s quite possible they might come after you. Judging the energy that is flowing about you, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were drawn to you. You represent not only a power player within the city, but could also prove to be a protector of the humans. You’re a speed bump on the way to their domination of Budapest. They would see you as someone they would need to get rid of.”