by Sean Stone
"I've had a lot on my mind," Henry shot back. The grief card worked wonders in most situations.
"Yes, of course," Genevieve admitted, although begrudgingly. "But the problem remains."
"Give me some time to find a solution. I promise you that your daughter will not be overwhelmed by her powers for much longer." She wouldn't have them for much longer.
"Very well," Genevieve said.
The girl from earlier appeared at the door with a letter for Henry. She passed it to him silently and then scuttled away. Genevieve regarded him suspiciously as he tore the envelope open and then sniggered at its contents. This town had turned into a far more interesting place since his death.
"Something amusing?" she asked. She really knew no boundaries. Henry had noticed that most people in the modern age had trouble with manners.
"The director of SIT has called a meeting between all of the town's leaders. This Friday," Henry said with glee. It was sure to end in a fight and he wanted to see that. Maybe even he'd get to join in. He'd not had any experience with vampires and werewolves before. Now he was going to have them all under one roof.
"Director? They must have had a change around. No doubt they want to get us all to sign some sort of an agreement. Don't think for one moment that you're going without me. If this coven is going to be signing any kind of treaty I want to read it first," Genevieve warned.
"I wouldn't have it any other way my dear Genevieve," Henry replied, smiling sweetly. He couldn't wait to kill her.
*
With a large chunk of the clan now in place at the castle providing Osiris with around the clock protection, the manor had been fairly empty. Richie was sitting upstairs in the club in one of the booths enjoying a drink with Lydia, away from the noise of the party-goers.
"Osiris is pleased that you complied with his demand," Lydia said, taking a gulp of her drink and wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.
"He'll be less pleased when they let Set walk right in," Richie replied.
"If we ever find him," Lydia said. Richie had his best guys searching the town but they'd turned up nothing. Lydia had been trying to find some information from Osiris. "Osiris refuses to talk about him. He refuses to talk about much of anything. Just sits there in silence."
"At this rate we'll never find Set," Richie said sullenly.
"He did tell me that Set is a shape-shifter. The only ancient who can change his form," Lydia said.
"Brilliant, so he could be anyone." Richie downed his drink and signalled for the bartender to bring another. "Why is he in town? Surely he'd want to get as far away from Osiris as possible."
"Maybe he wants to finish the job. Kill Osiris before Osiris kills him," said Lydia. "That's what I'd do."
"Then why hasn't he made his move?"
"He probably doesn't know how weak Osiris is."
"Can't you use your magic to find him?" Richie asked. The Aramaya family were the only vampires who had natural magic. Ramsay had told Richie that it was a gift from Osiris that had not been passed down to their offspring.
Lydia laughed. "Our magic isn't that powerful. It's not even really magic. More like trickery. We can get into people's heads, make them see things, think things, feel things, do things."
"Well any vampire can use mind manipulation," Richie said. Although making people see, think and feel things was not in the average vampire's skill set.
"Not like us. Ours is full on control. It can't be fought. When my family tell somebody to do something there is no resisting."
"I don't suppose that works on ancients?" Richie asked with a dry laugh.
"No. Doesn't work on Nick either. I tried it when I went to get my father's body."
"What did he do?" Richie asked, worried that Nick might have hurt her.
"Just laughed. I did get the body, though," she said and winked. Richie's heart jolted just like it always did when she gave him that look. Of all the women he had encountered, she was the one who managed to turn him into a little schoolboy with a mere look. Isabella would be jealous. Isabella could not find out about Richie's feelings for Lydia. It wouldn't end well for anyone.
"How?"
"I made a deal. I agreed to feed him information about what Osiris is up to. I told him he was weak in the hope that Nick would swoop in and finish him off, but Nick doesn't want to risk it. Apparently, he has bigger problems to deal with."
"Bigger than Osiris?" Richie asked. Lydia shrugged. That was certainly interesting. It might even be useful when Richie killed Kristen or James and made an enemy of Nick again.
"I've missed you," she said, after a moment of silence. He looked up and saw her smiling sweetly at him. He smiled back, realising just how much he'd missed her too.
"I missed you too, " He said. "But I had to go. You know that right? I couldn't stay with your family."
"I know. It doesn't matter. We're all together again now. And look at you. The big powerful clan leader. I always knew you were better than some foot soldier."
"So did I," he replied. He looked into her dark red eyes and was sure that he saw the same longing that he felt inside himself. He leaned forwards to kiss her but she placed a hand on his chest stopping him. She didn't realise that with that single move she had practically crushed his heart. She shook her head, looking down, saddened.
"You know we can't," she said softly. She took her hand from him and he backed away again.
"Yeah," he said with a heavy sigh. They'd had something long ago. It had been the most passionate relationship Richie had ever been in. She was the most phenomenal woman he'd ever known. One day he finally expressed his love for her and that was when it all ended. It seemed that she did not reciprocate his feelings and she didn't want to hurt him. So that was that. Richie had hoped that after all this time things might have changed, but apparently not.
"I thought that perhaps distance had made the heart grow fonder," Richie said in a whisper.
"It has." She reached out and put her hand on his cheek. Her touch was cool and yet it still managed to warm him. "Just not…"
Richie looked up to see what had stopped her and saw Victor and Isabella approaching them. They were here to accompany him to the meeting at the town hall. All the leaders had been invited. He hoped that Isabella hadn't noticed anything between Lydia and himself, but the look of loathing on Isabella's face answered that worry. Isabella had never made her feelings towards Richie a secret. Unfortunately, they were even more one-sided than Richie's were for Lydia.
"Anything new?" Richie asked, hoping that getting straight to business would distract Isabella from what she'd seen.
"No. I've still been unable to get hold of Jamal about who killed William. It seems he's been kept busy and so have I, trying to figure out where Set is. I'm going to corner Jamal tonight after the meeting and get the answers you need," Victor explained.
"I might just do it myself. Let's get on with it." Richie jumped up. He looked back at Lydia and the two of them exchanged a smile and once again he thought he saw the same longing in her gaze, but she had already said that she didn't feel the same. Richie noticed the daggers Isabella was staring at Lydia as well and hoped that she wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything. Lydia would make short work of Isabella.
"Considering the last meeting with all the leaders in one room I am eager to see what lies in store for us this time," Victor said, and then they left.
*
Things had been tense all afternoon. SIT had been preparing for the town meeting and Phil had made them go over everything a thousand times before he was satisfied that they were ready. Sidney had wanted to come, but Phil had convinced him otherwise. He'd explained that the leaders would not respond well to an outside threat. Sidney had agreed not to attend the meeting but he had promised that he would be watching all the same. He'd set up cameras in the meeting room and would be watching via monitors in the room next door. Hopefully, no-one would notice and take offence.
There were two main topics on
the agenda for the meeting: one — discuss the new proposals concerning the government of the town, and two — discuss the Thirteen. Other things would be discussed, including the presence of MI5. Phil had wanted to keep it a secret but Jamal had warned him that the factions would find out and if it didn't come from SIT then there would be trouble, so Phil had acquiesced.
They arrived at the town hall just after sunset and began setting up the room immediately. There were unsure how many people would be accompanying each leader so Phil ensured that they were given a conference room with ample seating. The largest room had sixteen seats around a long rectangular table.
Phil wanted to show the leaders that SIT was a united and strong team, and he had insisted on all of them attending. Clara was apprehensive about it. The only one of the leaders she'd actually met was Adam, the rest were all strangers to her. She hadn't tried to get out of being there, though. Excitement was the reason she'd joined the police and she wasn't going to hide away the moment she finally got some. Besides, this was her opportunity to get as much help as possible taking Nick down. Not that Phil wanted her to do any talking.
Jamal noticed how nervous she was and took her hand in his giving it a reassuring squeeze. She looked up and he gave her a discreet smile. She smiled back. They'd grown closer since they'd slept together on the floor of William's office. About as close as two people could in the space of a week anyway. The only person Clara had told was Bianca who quite naturally was over the moon about it. They hadn't mentioned it to their colleagues yet, they weren't sure how they would react, especially Phil who was incredibly formal when it came to work matters. They doubted that he would be very accommodating to their — Clara wasn't sure what it was they actually had. Was it a relationship or just a fling? It was too soon to be thinking about things like that.
The first people to turn up were the mayor, Bradley Carter, and the chief constable, Brian Hillock. They hadn't heard from Bradley since Sidney had shown up and she assumed that he'd been told that as far as MI5 were concerned SIT now outranked the mayor's office. Whilst Bradley looked respectful as he greeted the team, Hillock looked furious. No doubt he was bitter about having a new law enforcement agency in town which did not answer to him and which could give him orders if they saw fit. At first, they had forgotten to include Bradley in the plans but then it occurred to them that the humans should have a say in matters as well. They had to live in Cedarstone too.
"What's been going on with MI5?" Bradley asked as he and Hillock sat down.
"I'd rather wait until everybody's here," Phil said curtly and the conversation ended there. Hillock made a grunting noise in disgust, but said nothing.
When the doors opened again Eric Royce sauntered in with his mother, Serena. The entire team had studied pictures of all the people likely to attend the meeting, so Clara was familiar with them all. Clara was surprised at how young Eric looked. He looked younger than her and he was already the alpha of the pack. Saying that, if most of the sorcerers had had their way, she would be the current dynast of the coven.
"Sergeant Gatling," Serena said courteously. "I was sorry to hear about your predecessor. For what it's worth I always admired him. He had courage and a stubborn demeanour that any werewolf would understand."
"Thank you for your condolences, Serena. You'll find that courage in everybody on this team. And it's Director Gatling now," Phil replied with the same politeness.
"Mayor Carter," Eric said, a brattish quality to his voice. "I'm surprised to see you here. What are you but a powerless relic of a forgotten organisation?" he mocked. He and his mother sat down at the opposite end of the table.
Bradley eyeballed him, trying to figure out what to say in response. "My organisation kept your family on its knees for decades. Remember that, little boy," he said. Eric planted both fists on the table and leaned forwards, his lips curling back revealing his teeth.
"We aren't here to fight. We are here to find a way to work together and anybody who cannot come to terms with that will have to leave," Phil said before things went any further. "And if you leave, you will have no say in how the town is governed from here on."
"The governance of the town is a matter for the town hall," Hillock replied. His entire face had turned purple. Phil glared at him and he fell silent.
Richie Morgan was next to stroll in with Victor and Isabella Redmane. It was the first time that Clara had seen all the leaders of the vampire clan and something about their appearance awed her. She'd met Isabella when William had her locked in a cage, but she'd been dishevelled and weak back then. Now she was like a different person, and with Richie and Victor beside her the sight was amazing. There was something grand about them that the others just didn't have. Perhaps it was the way they carried themselves, or simply the fact that she knew they were all centuries old. Over the years the leaders of the factions had died or been deposed, but Richie and the Redmanes remained. The werewolves stiffened as the vampires sat down, but no words were said.
"Evening all," Richie said, grinning boyishly. "I've had a big breakfast so bear that in mind if any of you want to try anything." Clara was unsure whether or not he was joking.
"With any luck, this meeting will go more smoothly than the last," Victor said. His voice was low and dry. Clara had heard that last time all of the leaders had come together the warlock, Benjamin Larcen, had attacked them all. Though it had been her father who had fought him off, albeit briefly.
"I'll second that," Cassie said.
Finally, and ten minutes late, Adam turned up with Toni and Genevieve. "So sorry I'm late," Adam said jovially. "I had… Well, it's none of your business really is it?" He didn't seem to give much thought to where he sat and dropped into the chair beside Richie. Richie nodded briefly and Adam returned the gesture, a smirk on his face the whole time. He seemed off, not quite himself. Like he'd taken drugs or something. Maybe a confidence boosting drug. The Adam that Clara knew was a quiet and somewhat shy guy; it wouldn't surprise her to learn he'd taken drugs to deal with everything that had been going on lately. Trying to rule a coven that didn't seem to respect him and then having his family murdered. The latter was something Clara could relate to.
Phil cleared his throat loudly and all eyes were on him. "Alright then, let's begin."
CHAPTER FIVE
"Most of you probably already know that MI5 is in town," Phil began. Nobody said a word. They all stared at him in silence. "I'm going to be honest with you. They want this town under control again and if I don't deliver then they're sending people to kill every supernatural being here."
"If MI5 had the means to kill us all then they would have done so already," Richie replied. There was no concern on his face.
"Maybe they didn't have the means before, but they do now. They found our weapons," Phil said grimly.
"What weapons?" Eric demanded, leaning forwards. He wasn't the only one who was suddenly more interested in what Phil had to say.
"The weapons Jonathan Langford was developing at Winters Research," said Phil.
"You found those? I didn't think they were any," Richie said. He was obviously annoyed, but he was hiding it well.
"Agent Winters found them," Phil gestured at Clara. She blushed as all eyes fell on her.
"Somebody might have told me sooner," Bradley said quietly. He seemed more disappointed than angry. Clara could understand why, he'd built a good rapport with William, but that had died the moment William had.
"You're hardly relevant anymore," Eric said with derision.
"Just who the hell do you think you are, boy?" Hillock shouted.
"Come over here and find out," Eric replied, arms stretched wide.
"I paid for you to take back your company. The least you could have done was told me you'd found the weapons," Richie said, speaking directly to Clara. William hadn't told her where the money had come from but Clara had suspected Richie. He was the only person of wealth who William had known.
"I didn't…" Clara started. She di
dn't know what to say.
"Shut up everyone!" Adam yelled and the arguing around the table ceased at once. Clara stared at him in open-mouthed shock, even his own companions looked surprised. "Are you actually saying that you have weapons that could cause us harm and they are now in the possession of MI5?" He directed his question straight at Phil and the look he gave demanded an answer.
"We still have the weapons, but MI5 have a catalogue of everything we've got," Phil replied.
"When I made the agreement with William, it was understood that these weapons would never be used on my people," Richie said. There was no friendliness in his tone, there was something horribly threatening about it.
"William's dead. So is your agreement," Phil said bluntly. "I didn't call you here so you could bicker like old ladies. I called you here to establish order. As far as MI5 are concerned my team is in charge now. Not the mayor, not the chief constable, and not any of you."
"Is this where you tell us your new rules?" Eric sneered. He wasn't taking Phil seriously in the least. For that matter nobody at the table was.
"I only have one rule. You don't do anything that disturbs the equilibrium in town. It will be at my discretion what constitutes disturbing the equilibrium. If you break that rule I will have no choice but to take action against you," Phil said. Clara squirmed in her seat. Phil was going about things in entirely the wrong way. Laying down the law and telling these people what to do would not end well. Jonathan Langford had learned that the hard way.
"I don't think you're in any position to be threatening us," Adam said and chuckled. Clara had expected him of all people to be on their side. "I mean, there are only five of you. And judging from those supernatural scars all over your face, I'd say that you didn't fare too well in your last fight." He pointed at Phil's heavily disfigured face. Phil met Adam's eyes and held his gaze coolly.
"I got these scars helping your coven fight the Thirteen. Or have you forgotten that already?" Phil said. He turned back to the group. "Our numbers are an issue. Which is why I would like each of you to volunteer five of your people to join my team and help govern the town." The table broke into utter pandemonium. People were shouting in outrage and openly laughing at the suggestion. Phil waited patiently for the noise to subside before speaking again. "If you refuse then I'll have to hire from other sources."
