A Cat's Chance in Hell

by Sharon Hannaford

  “We need to talk,” Julius purred quietly, stepping out of the group as Gabi and Kyle approached the car.

  Gabi eyed him a little warily. His voice sounded as though he was barely restraining his temper. “So talk,” she said flatly, “but make it quick, Wolf and I are starving.”

  As if to prove her point her stomach grumbled loudly; she just barely held off the blush of embarrassment and gritted her teeth as stifled snorts and chuckles erupted from the group of Vampires. Some of the anger left Julius’s face but somehow he managed not to crack a smile himself.

  “So it would seem,” Julius agreed wryly. “We can talk after you and Kyle have had dinner. Shall we meet at your place again?”

  Gabi’s embarrassment vanished instantly as annoyance surged through her. She definitely didn’t need a whole pack of them invading her cherished privacy.

  “No,” she growled, her tone brooking no argument. “Not my place.” And then a thought occurred to her. “But we can meet at your place. Wolf and I will grab some food from a drive-thru and then we can follow you to your domain.”

  Julius looked like he was about to protest.

  “It would only be fair,” she said in an innocently practical voice, “for us to know where you live, since you know where I live!” She ended on a dangerous note, making it clear that she didn’t like them having knowledge of her private details.

  Julius chewed the idea over for a few moments before glancing at Alexander, who also paused for a moment before slowly nodding. “Alright, but I do expect the two of you to keep the location to yourselves. What drive-thru do you want to stop at?”

  Gabi and Kyle were making short work of a bag full of burgers and chips, washing them down with large sugared-laden, caffeinated energy drinks, when they drove up to the gates of the ‘Estate’, as Julius called it. They were in one of the most affluent suburbs of the City, the place where celebrities and eccentric billionaires bought houses, and they had already passed several vans emblazoned with the words ‘Security’ doing slow patrols of the area. Apparently they weren’t too concerned about the red mustang tucked between one of the 4x4 SUVs and Julius’s Aston Martin, and she noticed all the security personnel they passed give the SUV a quick nod.

  “Woah,” Kyle breathed in blatant admiration as they followed the SUV through the electronic gates and along the tree lined driveway, lit every few metres by lights made to look like brass lanterns. By the light of the waxing moon, they could make out a number of cottages and bungalows set into a large copse of trees to their left and a running track, tennis court and swimming pool on their right. Then the trees opened up ahead and they could see what could only be described as a mansion.

  “You didn’t tell me his place was this spectacular,” Kyle said, still awestruck.

  They drove around to the rear of the main house and parked next to the SUV under an enclosed carport big enough for ten cars. To their right was garaging for at least another six cars.

  “You’re just easily impressed,” Gabi drawled at him, hiding her own surprise at the sheer size and grandeur of the place. “Besides, I never saw the place the last time I was here,” she continued as she climbed out the car. “I was taken in unconscious and brought out blind-folded,” she growled, throwing Julius a disgruntled look and slamming the car door shut.

  Patrick, Nathan and Marcello took their leave, heading off towards a large single story building partly hidden behind a thick hedge after giving Julius short, respectful bows. Julius nodded at them and then moved toward a large, beautifully carved, wooden door, opening it and waiting for Gabi and Kyle to precede him into the house.

  “Welcome to my home,” he said simply, “Perhaps I can prove to be a better host this time,” he continued, giving Gabi an enigmatic smile.

  She suddenly noticed his eyes had turned pitch black, the gold halo barely visible, and suppressed a nervous shiver.

  “Alexander,” Julius called to the other Vampire who was divesting himself of his jacket and a short sword, “will you show our guests to the bar area while I tell Gregory we’re here. I will join you shortly.”

  Before Gabi could blink he was gone.

  Wordlessly, and with a long-suffering expression on his face, Alexander led them through the impressive entrance hall, past the sweeping marble staircase, down a wide corridor hung with stunning paintings, and into a large open-air entertainment area, complete with fully-stocked bar, pool tables and several comfy looking sofas. Large glass panels slid back on two sides to completely open the room to a beautifully manicured garden sporting a hot tub and a barbeque grill.

  Gabi snorted in amusement. “Really, a barbeque, in a house full of Vampires? You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

  Alexander looked up from pouring himself a bourbon from behind the bar. “Oh, is that what that thing is,” he replied indifferently. “I guess the builder wasn’t expecting to have Vampires buy the place.” He placed a bottle of red wine, two wine glasses and a beer on the bar counter, added some ice to his own glass and sprawled gracefully on one of the large sofas.

  Gabi walked back in from the garden and took the glass of wine Kyle offered her. Kyle seemed content to grab his beer and collapse on another of the couches, but Gabi couldn’t find it in her to settle down, something was eating at her, keeping her tension high. It seemed that Julius was taking a long time informing his clan member they were here.

  Alexander and Kyle started talking strategy; Alex was grilling Kyle about fighting Demons. She sipped her wine, savouring the taste, Lord and Lady it was an amazing wine. She thought idly about setting up the pool table, but the thought started her shoulder aching and she decided against it. She was just about to slip out of the room and go exploring when Julius swept into the room.

  “My apologies for the delay,” he said, not explaining himself further. He quickly checked that they all had something to drink before pouring himself a glass of wine.

  Gabi found herself marvelling at the change in him. It took her a few seconds to pinpoint the differences. Mainly, it was his eyes; they were back to being the deep sapphire pools rimmed in gold, but some of the tension was also gone from the muscles in his face and jaw, and there seemed to be a healthier colour to him. He had taken off the leather coat and the sweater and was in dress pants and a muscle hugging, black, long-sleeved V-neck shirt. It wasn’t until she watched him open his mouth to take a sip of his wine and she noticed the length of his canines that it all suddenly made sense. Her breath caught in her chest as she realised he must have just fed. Her mind raced. She turned away from him quickly before he could see the expression on her face; revulsion and horror warring with her natural, ruthless practicality.

  She knew how they lived; she knew what they had to do in order to survive, but her natural human instincts wanted to shy away from the idea. As thoughts roared through her brain at the speed of a bullet train, she wondered if perhaps he drank bagged blood, that would make it a little easier for her to deal with. The thought of him drinking from a real, live person left her shuddering, but the thought of him drinking from a real, live, beautiful, warm, female person sent a completely different spike of emotion through her.

  Was that actually a jab of jealousy? That last thought brought her up short, and catapulted her back into the reality of the moment. She knew he was watching her, his unnervingly beautiful eyes boring into the side of her face that he could see. She suddenly wished her hair was loose so she could hide her face from him for a few moments longer while she gathered her scattered wits.

  No one had spoken, Kyle and Alexander had broken off from their discussion of various types of Demons when they heard Gabi’s intake of breath. It was as though they were all waiting for the bomb to go off. Kyle obviously hadn’t come to the same conclusion she had, he didn’t look revolted or angry, just confused by the sudden tension in the air and ready for anything. She took a deep calming breath, wincing slightly as her ribs complained, and braced herself to face him.

  She was s
aved from saying anything as a stockily built, dark-haired man bustled in. He had two trays in his hands; one was piled high with a variety of mouth-wateringly decadent chocolates, the other with a variety of savoury snacks. Though her Vamp sense told Gabi this was a fairly old Vampire, he appeared to be somewhat nervous of her and Kyle. While he deposited the trays on a low table in the centre of the sofas and bowed respectfully to Julius and Alex, he kept a wary eye on the two of them, as though they were large, unpredictable dogs.

  “Gabrielle, Kyle,” Julius inclined his head to them politely, “this is Gregory. He is my steward here at the Estate and takes care of all the day-to-day details of the place. If you can’t reach me for any reason, you can always contact Gregory and he will more than likely know how to contact me.” He paused and turned to Gregory. “Gregory, this is Gabrielle Bradford and Kyle Robson. I want you to show them every respect while they are at the Estate. They are under my direct protection, and I need all of our staff to understand and respect that.”

  There seemed to be a lot more said than the relatively simple words he had spoken, as Gregory dipped his head sombrely and spoke as though he were taking a vow, “Yes, Sire. I understand, Sire. The staff shall be informed.” He raised his eyes back to Julius, studiously ignoring Gabi and Kyle. “Is there anything else before I escort the young lady home, Sire?”

  Chapter 13

  With that last question, Gabi knew she’d been right earlier. The woman Gregory was talking about must have been the donor for Julius’s ‘dinner’. While Gabi may have initially felt fear or revulsion when she realised what he’d been up to, now there was no horror, no distaste, only annoyance, and another unfamiliar emotion she hoped against hope wasn’t jealousy. She decided that this issue would have to wait until they’d cleared up a few others.

  “No, thank you,” he said addressing Gregory’s questions, “you can take her home now. We’ll be fine.”

  Gregory departed in a hurry, clearly pleased to be leaving the room.

  Alexander let out an amused chuckle. “Poor Gregory,” he chortled, “You really are unkind to him Julius.”

  “I am?” Julius asked mildly, “In what way?” He moved to join them, leaning back against one of the pool tables facing the other men but positioning himself where he could still see Gabi’s face. She knew that to humans it would appear she had a very good poker face, but it was more than possible that he noticed every tiny twitch of muscle, every tightening of her jaw, every change in the dilation of her pupils, her breathing and her heart beat. She schooled herself not to betray any of her internal disquiet.

  “You just brought the big, scary bogey monster and her Werewolf sidekick into his domain, and told him they are to be protected at all costs.” Alexander stopped chuckling long enough to take a sip of his bourbon. “He’s going to walk out and kiss the sun one of these days, and then where will you be?”

  “He wouldn’t dare.” Julius disagreed shortly.

  “Hey,” Kyle said in an injured tone, “since when did I become the sidekick?”

  “Since your name isn’t Angeli Morte” answered Alexander sardonically.

  “True.” Kyle conceded. “To Hellcat,” he raised his beer in her direction, “bogey monster to Vampires everywhere.”

  “Hellcat,” Alexander repeated, “I like that. It suits her better than ‘Angeli Morte. To Hellcat.” He toasted as well, raising his glass and downing the rest of his whiskey.

  “Drunken idiots,” Gabi muttered, picking up a handful of chocolate truffles and throwing them at Kyle.

  He caught most of them and shoved them in his mouth, munching cheerfully before washing them down with beer.

  “Ugh!” Gabi pulled a revolted face at him.

  “I have a question,” Gabi declared, looking pensively at Julius.

  “Only one?”

  “For now,” she replied. “Will you answer me honestly?”

  “As honestly as I can.”

  “Who is your informant in the Society?”

  “Ah,” he said, apparently taken quite by surprise by the sudden change in subject. He paused, deliberating his answer. “I’m afraid I will have to get your assurance that punitive action won’t be taken against them before I divulge that information.”

  “We can’t allow the people close to us to betray our trust in them without some kind of disciplinary action. What if that same person is also supplying information to other sources? Like Danté for instance?”

  “I understand your viewpoint, but I’m afraid I’m not telling you anything unless I know they won’t be harmed.” Julius was unmoving.

  “Harmed?” she exclaimed, shocked. “We’d never hurt somebody for being an informant. They would probably be dismissed, unless there were extreme extenuating circumstances; perhaps told to leave the City, have their memories erased, but never harmed.” She was slightly offended at the thought. “Anyway, I don’t have the power to make that decision; it would be in the Council’s hands.”

  Julius moved to the bar counter, swept up the bottle of wine and returned, quickly filling Gabi’s glass before his own, and going back to his position against the pool table. It was obviously a delay tactic while he mulled the question over.

  “First, answer a question of mine,” he said finally.

  “Why not answer mine first?”

  “I’m afraid we’ll get sidetracked once I answer yours, and my question is weighing heavily on my mind.”

  Gabi sighed and rolled her eyes, annoyance getting the better of her self-control. “Well then, by all means, get it off your chest, Jules!” She had a feeling she knew what was coming.

  “Why didn’t you tell me the truth about what the Wraith did to you?”

  “You never actually asked me what it did to me,” she replied calmly, but even she could hear the slight defensiveness in her tone.

  “That’s because you conveniently forgot to tell me that you actually engaged it during a fight,” he said, a muscle in his jaw twitching.

  “Well, no one knew what the damn thing was capable of; it just seemed like another form of Demon. I figured Nex would do some kind of damage.” She was outright defensive now.

  “And what happened when you attacked it?” he asked brusquely.

  Gabi chewed on her bottom lip, trying to think of a way to put it that it didn’t sound as bad as it had seemed at the time. She noticed Kyle close his eyes, apparently reliving the memory, and he gave a quick shudder.

  “It threw her thirty feet across the ground without so much as lifting an arm,” Kyle recalled sombrely. “She was aiming for its eyes, and all it did was flick its head at her.”

  Gabi glared at him, warning him to shut it. Julius hadn’t taken those deep blue eyes off her even though Kyle was speaking. She shifted uncomfortably under the dark accusation. “It didn’t really ‘do’ anything to me; it was just like I’d touched an electric current, or a force field of some kind. It threw me backwards and,” she paused, looking down, pulling at a thread on her sleeve and then continued in a rush. “When I managed to catch my breath from the fall, I realised I couldn’t see anything, like I was in thick fog in the pitch dark.”

  The twitching of the muscle in Julius’s jaw grew more pronounced.

  “And that was it,” she protested. “The Magi banished it, and my sight was back the following day.”

  “And you didn’t think this was relevant to bring up after the Wraith’s appearance at the train station last night?”

  “Well, you were already freaking out about your ‘vision’, you didn’t need any more reasons to try and keep me away from the fight.” She was back to sounding annoyed. Annoyed was good, better than defensive, she thought.

  “How many days ago was this?” he asked.

  “Uh, I think I’ve lost track.” She frowned, drawing her eyebrows together in concentration. “Oh yes, now I remember. It was the night before you kidnapped me,” she recalled dryly.

  “So your sight was back to normal in the morning?”
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  “More or less,” she replied warily, a slight edge in her voice.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, surprising her completely. “I wouldn’t have blind-folded you if I’d known.” There was genuine regret in his tone, and she remembered the brief flash of fear she’d felt at being blindfolded in his office, but he went on quickly. “The Wraith also said that you had thwarted Danté’s attempted assassination, but it obviously wasn’t classing its own attack on you as deadly. So what other attempt has been made on your life?”

  Gabi cocked her head and stared at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion. She hadn’t actually given that part of the Wraith’s diatribe much thought with everything else that was going on. She shook her head, mystified. “I can’t think of anything that would qualify as an assassination attempt,” she said slowly, trying to remember the exact words the Wraith had used.

  “And you, Wolf?” Julius turned his attention to Kyle. “Can you think of anything?”

  Kyle’s expression had also turned thoughtful, and he seemed to be chewing the inside of his cheek. “Well, I honestly have no recall of the conversation you guys had with the Wraith, are you sure it wasn’t talking about time it sent Gabi flying?”

  “Hmmm. I had forgotten you were suffering a concussion at the time,” Julius said. “No, the Wraith said that it was ‘under different orders’ when it encountered Gabi at the previous battle.”

  “Yes,” Alexander interjected now, “it also said something about its Master’s other pets as though they were the ones who had failed. It had implied earlier that it had been toying with the two of you instead of trying to kill you, but that Danté would fix that situation soon. It spoke of a Dark One, who I’m going to guess is the Dark Magus, who seemed to have some arcane knowledge of your and Gabi’s involvement in all this.”

  “Oh,” replied Kyle, even he seemed shaken for once. “Well…” he trailed off, obviously trying to put some perspective on the news.