Of course, to look at him you wouldn’t guess he had seen more than three centuries of life. His thin, angular face held an ageless quality, giving him the appearance of a man somewhere between the ages of twenty-five and fifty. His completely white hair hung loose just below his shoulders, casting shadows about his golden eyes. But in a few, unguarded moments, Ryan had spoken of being a young boy with brown curls and eyes in a small farm village. Heavy magic use had left its unmistakable mark on him, as it did with all powerful warlocks and witches.
“We need to speak,” I said, still not moving from the doorway.
“Yes, we do,” he replied, his smile slipping from his face. “Please come in.” His eyes briefly drifted to James and then back to me. James left the room, closing the door behind him. I had no doubt that the researcher would be down at my room until the meeting was over.
My narrowed gaze fell on Mira, draped over the sofa against the back wall directly across from Ryan’s desk. “Alone.”
Her smile instantly changed from mysterious to smug; she had no intention of moving.
“I would prefer it if she remained,” Ryan said. His voice was firm but not yet commanding. The warlock very rarely attempted to pull rank on me. “One of the matters we need to discuss involves her.”
Clenching my teeth, I stiffly nodded and took a couple steps farther into the room, my feet sinking into the thick, caramel-colored carpet. “I don’t see how she needs to be here to discuss Collins.”
“Actually, Mira had a hand in Collins being in the Ukraine,” Ryan said, his tone lightening a bit as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and sat back down. He motioned for me to take one of the chairs by the sofa, but I hesitated. The position would make it hard for me to look at both the warlock and the vampire at the same time. I took a few steps closer to his desk, folding my arms over my chest. The air was thick with magic, Ryan’s almost electric power tingling with Mira’s cool breeze. It fogged and jumbled my thoughts. I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes for a second, trying to force my mind to clear.
“Danaus?” inquired Mira, her voice a gentle caress.
When I opened my eyes, she was standing directly in front of me, her soft hand pressed to my cheek. I stared into her lavender eyes, nearly drowning in their depth. She looked concerned, but I could feel other emotions bubbling just below the surface. When she touched me, it was like I had suddenly tapped into her thoughts and emotions whether I wanted them or not. The reluctant connection we had forged months ago was still there, waiting to be reactivated.
“Are you all right?” she whispered.
I hadn’t even heard her move or felt her approach. She was just suddenly there. Had I blacked out? An anxious knot twisted in my gut and for a second I struggled to draw in a breath. What were these two plotting?
“I’m fine,” I snapped, taking a step backward away from her touch. Mira nodded and walked back to the sofa.
Liar. The word whispered through my thoughts in Mira’s seductive voice. I stilled and stared at her as she lounged across the sofa, her eyes never wavering from mine. I couldn’t feel her in my brain. She had sent only the word into my thoughts, maybe just to prove that she could.
I jerked my gaze free of Mira and looked back over at Ryan. His own expression was guarded and completely unreadable as he watched us. Were they toying with me?
“What does Mira have to do with Collins being in the Ukraine alone? Or did I misunderstand James? He said that Collins was hunting a vampire,” I demanded, pushing ahead once again despite my pounding heart. I might be able to pry information out of one of them later, but not while they were both together in the same room.
“No, he’s hunting,” Ryan confirmed. “A vampire by the name of Ivan has been causing a stir in one of the more remote cities. A number of police files have been accumulated regarding his killings and two people have gone missing. He has to be taken care of before he causes more problems with the humans.”
“So why send Collins? And alone? Derrick Collins has been with Themis for two years and hasn’t had enough training for dealing with vampires. He’s going to get himself killed.” I stepped closer to Ryan’s desk, anger overriding my earlier caution. “You should have sent several of our more experienced hunters in. Patricks and Morrow are both at the Compound. They should have at least gone with him. You could have called me after I finished in Spain and I could have gone.”
“I didn’t mean to undermine your authority, Danaus,” Ryan said calmly. “You’ve done a wonderful job with the hunters.”
“Yes, just wonderful,” Mira growled from behind me. I could feel a ripple of her rage brush against my back and then dissipate into nothingness as if she had turned off her emotions like flipping a switch. This wasn’t a topic I wanted her around to hear.
Ryan sent her a quelling look, a frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. For a second, he looked older and a little tired. Ryan didn’t frown often, and it was just a little reassuring that maybe this alliance between these two monsters was tentative at best and more than a little strained.
“I assigned Collins a new, temporary partner,” Ryan continued, his eyes falling back on me.
“Who?”
“His name is Joseph,” Mira interjected. A chill ran through me and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I looked at the vampire. The oh-so-smug smile had returned to her lovely face, causing my hands to ball into fists.
“Who’s Joseph?” I demanded, forcing the words through my clenched teeth.
“Joseph belongs to me. He’s been a nightwalker for roughly twenty years and is in desperate need of a little experience,” Mira explained, sliding along the sofa so that she was now seated on the edge of the cushion.
“Are you insane?” I exploded, pinning Ryan with a dark gaze. “You sent in one of our inexperienced VAMPIRE HUNTERS to hunt a vampire with another vampire as backup!” Usually I was a master at controlling my emotions, but this had pushed me screaming over the edge.
“Danaus—”
“What about Joseph?” Mira interrupted, drawing my eyes back to her face. “I’m trusting one of your damned hunters not to stake him as soon as the sun rises. I promised Joseph that he would be safe.” Her narrowed eyes glowed in her growing rage, her hands tightly grasping the cushions.
“It’d be no less than he deserved,” I growled.
I was ready when she launched herself off the sofa at me. I caught her thin wrists as her hands went for my throat, forcing me back a few steps to regain my balance. Her arms trembled and her teeth were clenched. Somewhere inside of her I could sense that she was struggling for control, battling the urge to set me on fire. Picking a fight with Mira was always extremely dangerous—she could just set you on fire and enjoy the blaze. I reached for the power that I could feel swirling about her, ready to take control of the nightwalker if necessary if she even attempted to set me on fire. At this moment, she was little more than a puppet to be used.
“Enough!” Ryan shouted. At the same time, a strong force slammed into my chest, throwing me backward. Mira’s wrists were ripped from my grasp and she was tossed to the other side of the room. My back slammed into the wall, sending a shock of pain up my spine. I slumped to the floor, gasping for air. Mira skid across the floor and slowly rolled to her hands and knees. She tossed her hair out of her face and narrowed her glowing gaze on Ryan, who was now standing behind his desk. The warlock’s dark expression was locked on Mira, waiting to see if she would now turn her anger on him.
“We don’t have time for this,” Ryan warned. I held my breath for a tense second and then another before Mira finally gave a curt nod. She pushed to her feet and returned to the sofa, brushing her long fiery locks out of her eyes. She never looked over at me. Ryan then turned his gaze on me, waiting. Still frowning, I pushed to my feet and turned to face Ryan, putting my back to Mira. I didn’t trust her, but with her anger just shy of boiling, I knew I’d feel it if she moved closer.
“Both of yo
ur concerns are valid,” Ryan continued. “However, I am confident that this new arrangement will work out. Collins was selected because he is so new to being a hunter. Anyone else on the squad would not have hesitated to stake Joseph at the first opportunity, regardless of my orders.”
“That’s their job,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“If so, then we were wrong. The hunters of Themis should never have been a roving band of mercenaries.” Ryan sat back down in his chair and stared straight ahead, but I don’t think he was seeing Mira. His expression was too distant and tired. “Nightwalkers are not the enemy we want them to be.”
“The duty of the hunters is to protect mankind,” I countered.
“Their duty is to protect the secret, which protects mankind,” Ryan said stiffly, finally turning his golden gaze back to my face. “Whether we wish to acknowledge it or not, both the hunters of Themis and the nightwalker coven have adopted a similar goal. We both protect the secret. When a vampire threatens that secret, someone is dispatched to take care of that threat. To foster a new alliance, a nightwalker and a hunter have been assigned to work together to bring down a recent threat. They must protect and depend on each other in order to survive.”
“So you’ve sold us out to the devil?” I demanded. I thrust my hands through my hair, pushing it back away from my face in frustration.
“If we’re the devil, what do you call the naturi?” Mira asked.
I didn’t have an answer for her. Was Mira the devil? No, I didn’t think so. Was her kind evil? Yes. No. Maybe. I didn’t know anymore. “This is wrong.”
“Maybe,” Ryan sighed, his shoulders slumping. “But we need them if we are to survive whatever the naturi are plotting. Right now, I’m just trying to buy us some time and a little more firepower.”
“Have you spoken with the coven?”
“No. I have met with only Mira.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “So you’ve struck an alliance with the one vampire Elder that half the coven would like to see decapitated. How is that going to help us?”
“Let me worry about the coven,” Mira interjected. “You have other concerns at the moment.”
“Like what?” I asked, the muscles in my shoulders tensing.
“You’re staying in Savannah.” Ryan paused for half a breath. “With Mira.” He watched me closely, trying to gauge my feelings. It was as if he was waiting to see if I was going to lose my temper again. I had a better handle on things now. I wasn’t thrilled with the choice Ryan had made, but right now, there was nothing I could do about any of it. When the warlock was sure that I was calm, he continued. “Two nights ago, a young woman was murdered in her apartment. It looks like her attacker wasn’t human.”
“Vampire?” I demanded, resisting the urge to look over at Mira.
“Maybe,” he conceded, “but some of the initial information that we have received makes it look doubtful.”
Mira rose from the sofa and strolled over to Ryan’s desk. She perched her hips on the front of it so that she was in my line of sight. Her hands were folded in front of her and she looked calm again. “Normally, my contacts would be able to hush this up, but the girl was the daughter of a senator. He’s making too much noise and the press is digging in. We have to take care of the matter quickly and quietly.”
“It’s your city,” I snapped. “If you were here, maybe this would not have happened. You should clean up the mess.”
“First off, I requested Mira’s presence, at the risk of both herself and her city,” Ryan said, his voice growing strained. “Secondly, with the recent increase in naturi activity, I thought it best if you two worked together. While the preliminary information does point to a vampire, I’d rather be cautious.”
“And if it is a vampire, is she going to let me do my job?” I ground out.
“If it is a vampire causing all of this chaos and attention,” Mira began, her voice a cold, hard wind, “you’d better stay out of my way so that I can take care of the matter. I’m not as neat and clean about the task as you are. I don’t mind getting messy.” Mira slipped off the desk and walked over until she was standing directly in front of me. She lifted up on the tips of her toes so that her nose was nearly brushing mine. The air around us chilled as her powers swelled, pushing against me. “Like you said, it’s my city. You’re here to back me up.”
I stared into her eyes, the muscle tic in my jaw twitching as I struggled to keep control of my rising tension and anger. This was all too insane. I was once again working with Mira when I should be hunting her. At least she didn’t look pleased by the prospect.
“Get your things. We leave in twenty minutes,” she sneered then walked out of the room and into one of the two bedrooms in the suite, slamming the door shut behind her.
Beside me, I heard Ryan sigh heavily. The warlock leaned his head into his hand, his elbow resting on the arm of his chair. His eyes were closed and he looked very tired. I think the constant meetings were starting to wear on him, and to make matters worse, he had now formed an alliance with the nightwalkers.
“Did you have to anger her?” he asked, not looking up at me.
“An alliance with the vampires?” I demanded, ignoring his comment.
“We’re out of options. If you can think of a better idea, I’d love to hear it. At the moment, it’s all we have.” Ryan opened his eyes and stared at me. The warlock waved his hand and Mira’s door briefly glowed gold before fading away. A dampening spell. I had seen him use it several times since we had met. It ensured that no one could overhear what we were discussing. “Keep her alive, Danaus. This task will most likely be completed in a couple of days and we can discuss this more when you return.”
“If this is such an easy mission, why am I being sent?” I asked, my brows knitting over the bridge of my nose.
“Just in case it’s not. If it is the naturi, then they will want her dead. At the moment, she is our only ace.” Ryan paused, a strange smile lifting his lips as he finally looked up at me. “I think Mira also trusts you. Well, maybe not you, but your sense of honor. I don’t think she would let me send anyone else with her.”
“Great,” I grumbled, turning on my heel. I walked out of Ryan’s suite and back down the hall to my room. I needed to pack my bag yet again.
Mira trusted me. Just great. While I was off staking vampires throughout Europe, Ryan had formed an alliance with the nightwalkers so that the hunters were now working together with their prey. And Mira “trusts me.” I had seen entire nations rise and fall with less maneuvering than the schemes that Ryan and Mira were concocting, and I had no wish to be a part of another fallen nation.
SEVEN
James was gone, but my duffel bag had been repacked and the weapons bag sat open beside it. James knew that I had several weapons stashed in secret locations around the room in case I suddenly found myself under attack. He had obviously not attempted to search out all the hiding places, leaving me to the final task of gathering up my toys.
Within five minutes, I had the last of my weapons packed and the bag zipped. I shoved my hands through my hair as I stared down at the leather jacket that lay across the bed. It wasn’t my usual duster, but a softer one that fell only to my thighs. James had left a note saying that he was having the duster mended after the attack in Spain and that he had replaced some of my worn clothes with fresh. So much for a break from the fighting.
But I had had my chance. After returning from Peru in September, Ryan had offered to let me rest and recover from the massacre at Machu Picchu, but I didn’t take it. I couldn’t sit still, had to keep moving, anything to push back the thoughts humming in my brain. So the warlock sent me out to hunt the naturi and vampires on the Continent, still moving, still hunting, but close at hand should he need me.
In Berne, Switzerland, I found an earth naturi wreaking havoc in one of the local hotels. The owner had initially blamed the chaos of broken dishes, upset furniture, and over-r grown gardens on a poltergeist. I
was there only two nights before I spotted the lithe creature. Standing barely above four feet and dressed in all red, it resembled a sapling willow tree with long, slender arms that ended with sharpened fingernails. It took me another week of stalking the spindly little monster through the quiet courtyard garden before I finally disposed of it.
In a lonely town south of Liege, Belgium, I encountered an animal clan naturi. In English mythology, the creatures are often referred to as will-o’-the-wisps or hinky punks. The creature was leaving a trail of corpses through the outskirts of the forests of Ardennes. The naturi would often take the form of a large black dog, pretending to be lost or wounded as it lured its prey deeper in the woods. I had initially thought it was a werewolf gone mad without its pack, but the naturi soon proved me wrong.
Then the South of France, to track down a creature that was leaving behind a number of bodies that had been drained of most of their blood. Most had been an assortment of animals like large cats and dogs, but then two children and one adult went missing on three separate occasions. I passed more than a month in the region searching for the vampire that continued to kill even though I was in its current hunting ground. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t sense the undead creature.
Dawn had just begun to creep over the horizon one cool morning when I felt the naturi lurking nearby. It was another week before I discovered that I was hunting a naturi from the wind clan. The four-foot, bony creature had bat-like wings that it wrapped around its thin frame when it walked on the ground. It was an odd mix of human and dog with its long, narrow snout and fangs poking just over its bottom lip. This strain of the wind clan had started the old popular fairy tale of the streghe, from the island of Corsica. This one either had moved farther north in search of better hunting grounds or had come through one of the doors that had opened in Europe and was on its way to Corsica. It never made it. I could only guess that it was trying to frame a nightwalker for its crimes against man by taking the blood, since it had no use for it. After two weeks of hunting, I finally destroyed the creature shortly after midnight near the Mediterranean shore.
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