“Ok, fine. If that’ll make you feel better,” Gabi capitulated, trying to sound more put out than she really was. She knew Ian wouldn’t blab about how bad the injuries were. They had an understanding; she would follow his medical advice when she came to see him, and he wouldn’t baby her, or rat her out to Kyle and Byron. They both pushed the boundaries of the agreement at times, especially Gabi when it came to getting back to work, but it worked pretty well.
“And your sight too, Ian can check that while you’re there,” Byron insisted.
Gabi pulled a face but agreed to that too.
“Now, everyone is here and we’re all on tenterhooks wanting the details of this whole incredible story,” Byron continued. “You being kidnapped to have a meeting with a Master Vampire has got everybody positively buzzing with speculation.”
“Yeah, incredible is a good way to put it. Let’s go through and I’ll explain as best I can,” Gabi said.
Byron led the way through to his games room at the rear of the house, where the billiard table had been converted into a conference table with an easy slide-over panel. Comfortable chairs were arranged evenly around it, pens and pads of paper sat in neat piles, and a glass of chilled water stood on a coaster at each chair. The Council members were scattered around the tea table in the far corner of the large room. Meryl had outdone herself in the snacks department; scones, muffins, a cheesecake and a pecan pie all called invitingly to Gabi from the little table. All the Council members were present and accounted for.
Athena was dressed, as usual, in a neat, businesslike suit, this one in a pale grey, with a lilac blouse and shoes. She already had her cup of tea and a single muffin on a plate and was heading to the table. She nodded an icily polite greeting to Gabi and Kyle, and sat down, opening a slim leather briefcase to pull out a PC tablet and ignoring everyone around her.
The others were far more enthusiastic in their greetings and concerns over Gabi’s injuries. Margaret was a Shapeshifter Elder; having reached the venerable age of eighty-three she rarely shifted anymore, but she was as sprightly as any fifty year old Gabi knew. She was warm and grandmotherly, and she showed genuine concern for the Hunters and Crews in their dangerous work, but she had a backbone of steel, an uncanny ability to unravel any mystery, and a memory for detail that rivalled a computer. She fussed over Gabi and asked how her eyesight was, and then checked up on Razor and Slinky, like she was asking after someone’s children.
Irene was standing next to Margaret. She was a quieter type who wasn’t given to social chit-chat; when she spoke it was generally to say something quite profound. The tall, slender, middle-aged brunette was also a Magus, a powerful one. She was the Senior Magus of the City, and one of the people who had voted Athena onto the High Council. Gabi knew that this woman saw more than you really wanted her to. Irene had the ability to see auras and she also seemed to have some innate sense that told her when someone was lying or glossing over the truth. She quirked one eyebrow when Gabi tried to pacify Margaret’s concerns over her injuries by telling them it was just a shoulder strain. Gabi prayed she would leave well enough alone and silently thanked Kyle when he pushed a cup of coffee into her hand. She was grateful she had shoved a container of painkillers into her pocket; she’d need them before the meeting concluded.
Rounding out the members of the Council was Alistair, a Werewolf. He was in his forties now and had been infected by an ex-girlfriend in his late twenties. He was an unassuming, but oddly attractive man, with a lean, wiry build and a shock of dark blonde hair. His position as Head of the Department of Prisons proved vital for the SMV cause. He could get imprisoned Weres into isolation cells over full moon, and was able to exert some kind of control over them while in prison, even going as far as getting them released if they were proving too much of a problem inside. Of course those who were released early by Alistair were never seen or heard from again. It had only taken two of those to convince the rest to behave; the stories travelled and grew more sinister with every telling, which served Alistair’s cause perfectly. He would normally have given Gabi a rough hug or a punch in the shoulder by way of greeting, but today settled for roughing up her hair as he made his way to the table with a mound of food on his plate. Gabi mock growled at him before following his example and heaping her own plate full of cake and pie. She hastily carried the plate back to the table where she’d left her coffee as Byron called everyone to their seats. She ate quickly as Byron called them to order, gave a short welcome and thanks, and then gave her the floor.
“Morning everyone,” Gabi said, rising out of her seat and quickly brushing crumbs off her mouth as the small group gave her their full attention. “Thanks for agreeing to this meeting on such short notice.” Sometimes it paid to be polite, even though it was an effort for her, she knew how these Council things worked, the less she antagonised them the better. “If you don’t mind I’m going to take a seat while I explain this, as it is a somewhat lengthy story.” When the others murmured their assent she sank gracefully into a chair, pulling it close to the table and leaning forward to rest her good arm on the mahogany surface.
Gabi told the story, breezing over the initial ambush, but stating that she killed two of them who had attacked her. She then related the story that Julius had told her, trying to keep as close to his exact words as possible. Finally she related what she had felt about Julius’s powerful abilities and the sense of loyalty some of the other Vampires had shown for him, as well as her and Kyle’s observation that Vampire related crimes had diminished since his rule as Master of the City. The others had interrupted occasionally with questions, but for the most part they had made notes on their pads of paper, and Gabi guessed that ‘a hundred and twenty questions’ would be their next game. Kyle had added in a few observations of his own, and backed up several of Gabi’s assessments of the situation.
Finally Gabi sat back. “So the decision needs to be made as to whether you are willing to accede to his request for a meeting with him, and if you are, how and where we can accomplish that without either side feeling too insecure.”
She reached for her glass of water to relieve her parched throat, and prepared for the onslaught. Everyone began talking at the same time, voices ranging from excitedly agitated, to grumpily suspicious. Athena was sitting primly upright in her chair and studying Gabi from across the table.
“Alright everyone,” Byron called loudly, getting them to quieten down. “Obviously we have many questions for Gabi, let’s do this in a calm, ordered way. I think we’ll do a lap around the table, each of you can ask Gabi two or three questions. Once she’s done with those we’ll take a break lunch, and then we can let Gabi get some rest while we discuss the situation further.”
Gabi could have kissed him at that stage. She just wanted to have her say and get the hell out of there, she had been dreading that Byron might keep her and Kyle in the session until a decision had been reached.
While the others were reading through their notes and preparing their questions, she shifted to get Kyle’s attention and then peered forlornly at her empty coffee cup. Kyle shook his head wryly, rolling his eyes, but got up and poured her a fresh cup, taking it to her at the table and muttering “you owe me big time!” into her ear as he bent over her.
She smiled mischievously, “I’ll tell Raz not to bite you for a whole month,” she offered in a low, teasing tone. Kyle snorted and returned to his seat with a martyred look on his face.
“Everyone ready?” Byron asked. He received nods from the other Council members. “Good. Athena, how about you get the ball rolling.”
Athena nodded, leaning forward to pick up her neatly written notes. As she looked up at Gabi, Gabi realised that she was not going to like what Athena was about to ask, the witch had a nasty glint in her eye. She steeled herself.
“You sound like you’re quite impressed by this so-called Master Vampire,” Athena said in her clear, clipped voice.
Gabi waited for her to go on, but she didn’t. “Wa
s that meant to be a question?” Gabi asked in a flat tone, “or are you just airing your personal views?” Gabi bit back a smile when she noticed the slight flush rise in Athena’s cheeks.
“I’m just noting,” Athena ground through stiff jaw muscles, “that you don’t seem to be upset with this Vampire for ambushing, assaulting and kidnapping you. My actual question is whether you’re an impartial witness in this thing, or if he has managed to infiltrate your mind and influence your emotions and reactions.”
“Athena!” Irene’s calm, strong voice admonished sharply. “A question like that is uncalled for.”
Athena switched her glare to Irene, eyes flashing warningly. “It is a perfectly legitimate question. What if she’s been sent in by the Vampire to trick us into trusting him? He can apparently control other Vampires. Gabrielle has Vampire blood, so there is a strong possibility that that is the reason he chose her to be his messenger. He knew he would be able to control her.” She spat the last sentence out.
Gabi almost laughed out loud, if Athena actually knew exactly how Gabi had reacted to the impossibly good-looking Vampire, she’d have had a far bigger leg to stand on. As it was, Gabi slowly rose to her feet, put her good hand on the table and leaned across towards Athena, her eyes glittering dangerously. She could hear the hissed intake of breath from the others at the table and felt Kyle tensed to react. As Byron started to rise to calm the situation she froze him with a look.
“If that is what you suspect,’ Gabi drawled softly, “then how about we prove you wrong quickly, and after that you sit down and shut-up. Your question time will be over.” She had to give it to the witch, she didn’t back down, even though her heart was racing and her breathing was coming in short, sharp bursts. “Irene, will you check my mind for any extraneous presence, please,” Gabi ordered quietly, without taking her eyes from Athena’s.
“I don’t need to check your mind, Gabrielle dear,” Irene stated emphatically, shaking her head. “I can see quite clearly that there is no disturbance in your aura. Besides your injuries, which are worse than you let on, your mind has not been tampered with.” She turned her attention to younger Magus. “Which Athena would have known if she had bothered to look for herself.” She paused for a second letting her reprimand sink in, and then directed her next comment to Athena in person. “Athena, you can’t let your prejudices rule your common sense in a Council session. That kind of conduct is not becoming of a member of the High Council.”
Athena looked shattered for a second, her face as pale as a Vampire’s, and then a haughty mask settled over her features and she threw herself back in the chair and folded her arms, anger flicking the taut muscles in her jaw.
Wow, thought Gabi, looking with new respect at Irene. She knew the older woman had a back-bone of steel, but she never thought to see her bring the witch down to size like that. She took a careful, relieved breath and settled back into her own seat as Byron stood up to restore order.
“Please everyone; let’s not forget that Gabrielle has been through a lot in the last few days. We’re not here to shoot the messenger, so keep it relevant, and try not to repeat each others questions. Margaret what have you got for Gabrielle?” Byron waved to the Shapeshifter who was sitting nearest Gabi and took his seat.
Margaret shot a displeased frown Athena’s way, before smiling gently at Gabi.
“Gabi, my dear, we all know you have as much reason to dislike and fear Vampires as anyone, so I would like to know if you feel there is any merit to us meeting with this Julius. You were the one in his company, and I know you to be a very good judge of character. What reservations would you have, and do you think he would have any reason to try to destroy the Malus Venatori or its members?”
Gabi considered the questions carefully before answering. “As I’ve said before, he is a particularly powerful Vampire. Kyle and I discussed this a little last night, and I see no reason for him to want to destroy the SMV. We are simply no threat to him. I think his request for a meeting to set up some kind of unified group is a genuine one. Whether his need for our help is purely selfish though, I can’t tell you. Perhaps Danté is of no threat to us directly. For what it’s worth, my own gut instinct said that he meant me and the rest of the SMV no harm.”
Margaret nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you, my dear. You did very well in difficult circumstances. We appreciate and value any input you give us,” she finished off giving Gabi a warm, reassuring smile.
Gabi resisted the urge to glance Athena’s way and see how the witch was taking the indirect dressing down from the other Council Members.
Alistair was next with questions about Julius’s powers and Danté’s abilities, which Gabi couldn’t really add much to besides what she had already shared. Then he and Byron called up information on a laptop to check Kyle’s premise regarding the decrease in Rogue Vamp activity over the past eighteen months, and declared that it was indeed true.
Byron asked about the information that Julius had about the SMV, and agreed with Gabi that there must be an information leak somewhere. Gabi told him she felt it was a person, rather than computer leak, but nothing major seemed to have come from it, and Julius was apparently oblivious to Byron’s involvement.
Irene went over the conversations Gabi had had with the other Vampires, and tried to build a clearer picture of Julius from their point of view. Of course, it could all have been an act, but it seemed unlikely they could have pulled it all together on the one night they would happen to catch Gabi without a Crew.
It was after midday when they broke for lunch. Gabi immediately headed for the bathroom, and quickly swallowed some painkillers, before heading back to enjoy Meryl’s splendid lunch spread. She and Athena stayed out of each other’s way, and after lunch, at Byron’s insistence, Kyle drove her to the hospital to get Ian’s opinion of her injuries.
Chapter 9
Ian concurred with Julius’s doctor and sent Gabi straight to radiology for x-rays. Gabi had tried to shoo Kyle from the room before Ian examined her but he stubbornly sat in a chair and refused to budge. Gabi knew he was glaring holes in her when he saw the size of the dark purple and black marks on her ribs and the stitched bite wound, but she pointedly ignored him. Ian double checked Gabi’s shoulder joint and the stitches, and did a full examination of her eyes while they waited for the results of the x-rays. Her eyesight seemed perfectly normal, and the x-ray results confirmed that she had a fractured collarbone and three fractured ribs, but nothing needed resetting, so Ian prescribed strapping and rest. Ian declared her officially off duty for two weeks, and when she grumbled loudly over that he simply raised an eyebrow and reached for the phone. Gabi knew he would call Byron and tell him to take her off the roster for four weeks, so she snatched the phone away quicker than Ian’s human eyesight could track.
“Alright, two weeks!” she capitulated grumpily, “but don’t expect me to like it.” She plonked the phone back in its cradle a little harder than was strictly necessary.
Ian bit back a smile and wrote out a prescription for more pain meds.
“Kyle, Rose and Byron will all be keeping an eye on you, so don’t make me book you off longer,” he warned. “Keep your arm in that sling, and get Rose to help with the strapping on your ribs, she’s done it before.”
“Can I do some normal work, at least?” she demanded. “I do need to make a living somehow.”
Ian and Kyle both snorted at her last comment. She knew it was because she was independently wealthy enough to never have to work another day in her life; they both knew it was her inability to sit still that was more of a problem.
“Yes, you can do some normal work, but nothing handling large animals. Consulting only, nothing hands on, and someone else will have to drive you to appointments,” Ian said, closing any loopholes quickly.
He was beginning to know her too well, she thought, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue at him, and instead fished a lollipop out of a jar on his desk and snatched up the prescription. She went aro
und to the other side of Ian’s desk and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making sure to leave some sticky lollipop residue behind.
“Thanks, Brother Fusspants,” she teased him impishly before stalking out the door.
Kyle gave him a sympathetic grin and raised him a quick mock salute before following after her, Ian’s wry “Good luck” drifting after him.
Gabi was alone in the house, catching up on e-mails when Byron called later that afternoon. He reported that the Council had decided to do further investigation before making a decision. They specifically wanted to substantiate Julius’s claims regarding the Dark Mage, Mariska. If they could find information that Mariska was indeed a Dark Mage, and had gone renegade, they would agree to the meeting with Julius. Meanwhile, Byron had a few ideas of where and how the meeting could be set up. He couldn’t tell Gabi how long it would be before they heard back from the Record-keeper of the Magi High Council, but thought it may take a few days.
Gabi chafed at the delay; instinctively knowing that Julius was not going to be pleased about it, but she also knew that the Council was right to be cautious. At least they hadn’t flat out refused the meeting. She was also pretty sure that Julius was not going to talk to her over the phone about the matter and would insist on their planned meeting, but she wasn’t going to tell Byron that yet. The less he had to worry about the better, and if she told him now he would probably flat out refuse to let her go. Gabi worked on the principle of ‘it was easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission’, not that she made a habit of asking for either, but the basic principle was there. She rang off from Byron after he assured her he would keep her updated on any developments. Then she pulled out the small, white card Julius had tucked in with her swords and called the number hand-written on it. There was no answer and no message; the call simply went straight to a beep prompt. This threw Gabi for a moment, but she recovered quickly enough; what else would you expect when calling a Vampire?
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