by N M Thorn
“Cole Adams?” asked Sam incredulously. “What can this rich boy do that I can’t?”
This is going to be harder than I thought... Damian rubbed his forehead. “Sam, I am about to disclose a secret that doesn’t belong to me. I expect you to keep your mouth shut.”
“Fine, what is it?”
“Cole Adams is an ancient vampire,” said Damian quietly. “He can do many things you can’t even fathom. I trust him—”
“I knew it!” Sam slammed his hand on the counter. “I knew he was a vamp as soon as I touched his hand.” Then he pulled back, frowning. “You brought a vampire into my daughter’s house, and let her invite him in? I’m not okay with that. Not in the slightest. I will move in and protect my daughter the best I can while you are gone. I’m not gonna let her spend a night with a bloodsucker under her roof! Are you out of your friggin’ mind?”
Damian sighed, throwing his hands up. “Sam, I trust Cole. River is going to be a lot safer with him by her side than with you.”
“How can you trust him, Damian?” Sam yelled, leaning forward over the counter. “He’s a fucking leach. He has no soul, no sense of good and bad. He’s a vampire for God’s sake!”
“I trust him because he is my brother!” Damian shouted and the glass in the window jingled drearily. “He would never—you hear me—never betray my trust or harm River!”
Sam fell silent, gaping at Damian in shock. “Biological brother,” he managed to say after a moment.
“Yes!” yelled Damian, but then took a deep breath, getting in control of his emotions. “Cole is my kid brother, and I trust him with my life, no matter what his true nature is. I swear to you—River is going to be safe with him.”
“I’ll be damned,” mumbled Sam, staring at Damian without blinking. “You told me you had no family.”
“I didn’t lie,” replied Damian quietly. “All this time, I thought Cole was dead.”
“So, after centuries apart, you believe you know him?” asked Sam, suspicion rising in his voice. “People change within a short span of a human life. You must consider that you and your brother have hundreds of years between you two. He’s not the same man you remember. He can’t be! He’s not even a man anymore. You don’t know him. How can you trust him?”
“Because I know I can.” Damian pressed his hand over his eyes and exhaled heavily, shaking his head. “Don’t trust him, Sam. I’m asking you to trust me. Cole is the only one in this town who stands a chance to protect River in case of a supernatural attack.”
For a while, silence enveloped the shop. Sam didn’t speak, staring out the window, his eyes filled with dread.
“Fine,” he said at length. “If River doesn’t mind Cole staying with her for these three days, I’m fine with it, too.”
“Thank you, sir.” Damian nodded and headed toward the door.
“And Damian,” Sam called after him, making him halt and turn around. “If your little brother so much as looks at her the wrong way, I swear, I will silver him to death.”
“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” replied Damian coldly.
He inclined his head and walked out the door.
Chapter 21
~ Cole Adams ~
The InvictusGame Studio Corp. was positioned in one of the multiple business centers of Phoenix. With a public golf course on one side and a small two-lane road on the other, the building stood alone, isolated from numerous business units located on the other plazas of the center.
Cole liked the privacy of this building, and from the first moment he laid his eyes on it, he stopped searching, even though his real estate agent was against it, suggesting checking out other options before making the final decision. He had made the offer the same day and had never regretted his choice.
His software company occupied the entire building, and he loved that all his teams were located on the same floor, allowing for better collaboration between the groups and individual team members. Being a creative and artistic person by nature, he enjoyed participating in product development and design meetings, inspiring and encouraging the productive atmosphere and freedom of creativity.
All his employees were human, but he had never had a problem controlling his thirst. Being over a thousand years old, he no longer needed as much blood as a younger vampire would need to sustain the appropriate energy level and keep the thirst from overwhelming his mind. The employees of the company loved him and finding the right workforce was never an issue for him as he kept them happy with a generous pay and the best benefits package a private business could offer.
The source of his problems lay on the other side of his complicated existence—the one he led in the shadows, doing everything he could to keep it from spilling into his nearly normal day-life. He knew the Queen of Arizona would love to have a lion’s share of his corporation—if not all of it—and he was doing everything in his power to keep his business as far away from her grabby hands as possible.
Ancient, money-hungry, and insidious, Roxana was a true threat to the lifestyle he had worked so hard to build in Arizona. The Queen loved the thrill of the hunt, the sound of screams and the smell of fear, and using the blood banks and willing humans wasn’t her style. While she didn’t stop Cole from his business endeavors on either the human or vampire side of his life, she kept close tabs on him, making sure to remind him any chance she had that he was nothing but her servant and she had the power to destroy him at any time.
The Queen’s opposition quietly supported Cole’s attempts at finding easier and legal ways to satisfy the need for blood without killing humans or exposing the World of Magic. Nevertheless, Cole had no illusions—the only reason Roxana hadn’t killed him so far was his generous monetary donations to the Vampire Court. She wasn’t sure any of her other subjects were capable of running a software company, so she needed him to do it. Besides, as she had pointed out numerous times, she enjoyed having him in her bed. Famous for her insatiable sexual appetite, Cole wasn’t surprised she kept him alive and on a short leash.
Cole parked his car in front of his building and headed toward the entrance. Even before he opened the door, he detected the presence of vampiric energy and halted, thousands of possible scenarios originating in his brain in a split second. With his mind on high alert, he pushed the door open and walked inside.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, his executive assistant Mackenzie met him, her eyes wide.
“Mr. Adams,” she said, sounding out of breath. “You have a visitor, and I had to escort her into your office. I’m sorry, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She said she was your... um... benefactor?”
Cole nodded. “It’s okay, Mackenzie. Don’t worry about it.”
He didn’t need to ask who the visitor was. He knew who was waiting for him. What he didn’t know was why she was here. Benefactor my ass, he thought grumpily as he made his way between cubicles toward his office, answering the greetings of his employees on autopilot.
He halted in front of the entrance into his office, his hand lingering over the door handle. With a deep sigh, he walked inside and closed the door behind himself softly, locking it. As soon as he crossed the threshold, the sweet scent of Roxana’s perfume assailed his senses, and he grunted, tugging down at his tie as if it were suffocating him.
The Queen sat on a small leather sofa positioned to the left of his desk. Leaning back, she looked as charming and beautiful as ever. Even though she was dressed in a business pantsuit appropriate for an office environment, her entire appearance exuded sensuality beyond that of a normal human woman.
Roxana tilted her head slightly. As she took in Cole’s appearance, her velvety brown eyes widened a little, and her full lips parted in a smile, showing her paper-white teeth. She lifted her hand, palm up, and bent her fingers, gesturing for him to approach. Cole glanced around to make sure the blinds over the windows in his office were tightly closed. Stifling a sigh and the desire to kill, he approached her. Lowering down to one knee, he held out
his hand to her and bowed his head.
“Your Majesty,” he whispered, his voice a low, seductive purr.
Taking her hand, he kissed it, touching her skin with the tip of his tongue while doing it. She gasped and leaned forward. Her fingers found their way into the mass of his hair, and she held his head down for a few seconds before letting go. Remaining in a kneeling position, Cole lifted his face and met her eyes, dark and foggy with desire.
“My Queen,” he whispered, “to what do I owe the honor of your visit?”
She patted his cheek and tucked his blond hair behind his ear. “I missed you, my Russian warrior,” she said, leaning back on the sofa, gazing down at him from beneath her long black eyelashes.
“I was at your service less than two days ago, my lady,” he said, making an attempt to rise, but she held him down. “All you had to do was summon me. You didn’t need to trouble yourself with traveling here.”
“Stay down, Cole,” she said, suddenly all business. “You’re too tall, and I don’t like to feel as if you are staring down at me.”
“Never, Your Majesty.” He averted his gaze, his mind racing to find an explanation of what was going on.
She pursed her lips, wringing a strand of his hair around her index finger. “It’s been two days, Cole, and I still have nothing from you about the Shadow Slayer and his intentions.”
“That’s because I have nothing to tell, my lady,” replied Cole, sounding calm while his nerves were stretched to the limit. “All I know is that he didn’t move here with any particular goal in mind. He said he wanted a clean slate.” He shrugged. “To leave his past in the past, so to speak.”
“And you believed him?” she grumbled and jerked his hair, eliciting a hiss of pain out of him.
“I had no reason to question his sincerity,” said Cole, gently untangling her fingers out of his hair. “I’ve been with you for a few centuries, my Queen. You know I have a gift when it comes to detecting lies, and I assure you, the Shadow Slayer has no interest in our Court. All he wants is to be left alone.”
“He’s using you, idiot,” hissed Roxana, her black eyes burning with hatred. “He’s using you to get close to me.”
“No, my lady,” Cole objected gently. “It appears, I’m using him, while he’s absolutely truthful with me.”
“Did you say no to me!” She rose slowly, but as much as she was trying to project her royal displeasure, something else was coming through—something that felt more like fear than anger.
“My lady, I wouldn’t dare,” he said, gazing up at her. “I swear, I’m telling you the truth. He’s not here to hunt you or your subjects, if we leave him alone.”
“What is he doing in Paradise Manor?” she growled. “Why did you take him to the desert? Are you lying to me? Are you protecting the Shadow Slayer? Why do I have this unpleasant feeling you’re hiding something from me, lover?”
“No, my Queen, please—"
With lightning speed, she lifted her foot, planting her high-heeled shoe into his side. He lost his balance, falling back, and before he could react, she bent forward and seized his tie. Wringing it around her hand, she pulled him closer, her blazing eyes inches away from his.
“You have forty-eight hours, Cole Adams,” she said. “I’ll summon you in two days and you better be ready to report. Glamor him if you have to, but I must know who he is and what he is doing here. If you can’t get the information out of him, I want you to subdue him and deliver him to my dungeons. If he’s just a slayer or hunter, you should have no problem doing it.”
“Your Majesty—”
“It’s his life or yours, Cole,” she said icily, straightening. “Choose wisely.”
She pivoted on her heels and stormed out of the office, leaving him on his knees.
“Fire and ice. What am I supposed to tell her in two days?” muttered Cole. “Thank God Damian is leaving tonight for at least three days. Whatever she plans, I’m not going to give up without a fight.”
He folded his arms on top of the sofa and lowered his head atop his folded arms, his mind working on overdrive. The Queen knew every step he took. She even knew he took a trip to the desert with Damian.
Ace... A thought flashed through Cole’s mind, and cold perspiration covered his forehead. Damian was right. By bringing her into it, he put her life in danger. Idiot...
“Mr. Adams! Cole!”
A girlish voice filled with worry sounded behind him, and he jumped to his feet, turning around. Ace stood in front of him, her eyes wide with concern.
“I’m okay, Ace,” he said, forcing a smile. He fell silent, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. “Listen, I know we have a Sprint Retrospective meeting scheduled, and I was looking forward to it, but something came up. Do you mind giving the team my apologies? There is something I must do, and it can’t wait.”
“Can I do anything to help?” she asked in a soft whisper, her fingers brushing his hand gently.
He pulled his hand away, crossing his arms behind his back. “Thank you, Ace,” he replied not without kindness in his voice. “I appreciate it. And yes, you can go to the meeting and do what you do best—be my most awesome developer.”
She smiled, but the sadness never left her eyes. “I’ll record the meeting for you, so you can watch it when you have time.”
“That would be great,” replied Cole, gesturing at the exit.
Following Ace, he quickly crossed the company floor and walked out the door.
Chapter 22
~ Cole Adams ~
Cole drove his car across Phoenix, completely ignoring the speed limit. With the Queen watching his every move, he knew the clock was ticking, and even though she had given him forty-eight hours, he had no illusions. If Roxana found out where he was going now, his days—or hours—were numbered.
He parked his car in a small plaza on the outskirts of Scottsdale and walked out. Wincing at the brightness of the sun, he readjusted his dark sunglasses. The stories about vampires’ intolerance to sunlight were greatly exaggerated, but they held some truth. Vampires didn’t spontaneously combust from the touch of the first ray of the rising sun, but they had hypersensitivity to the sunlight, and spending time outside during the day wasn’t something they enjoyed.
After locking the car, he put the keys in his pocket and headed toward a small bookstore at the end of the plaza. The store was a front for one of the magical organizations—the Wardens Order. Just like the Guardians Order, they were regulated by the Destiny Council, but their purpose was completely different. Established thousands of years ago, the Wardens Order gathered and guarded the knowledge and wisdom of different generations and realms, supernatural as well as mundane.
Most of the Wardens were ancient warriors and skilled wizards, but on a rare occasion, they had humans who were exposed to the World of Magic working for them. The small bookstore was owned by Aaron Cooper—an older gentleman with no magical gift of his own, who had learned about the existence of the supernatural in his late teens when a rogue werewolf eradicated his entire family.
It was a miracle he’d survived the attack, and when a local Warden arrived at the scene of the crime to prevent possible exposure, he took the young man to the Arizona main location of the Wardens Order where the Master Warden was supposed to decide what to do with him next.
Clever and resourceful, Aaron found his way into the heart of the Master Warden, and the old man had allowed him to stay and learn. Hungry for knowledge and understanding of the new world he had been exposed to, Aaron spent years studying anything he could find about the World of Magic and its ways, and the Wardens’ archives truly had no limits to knowledge. When he got older, the Master Warden relocated him back to Scottsdale and trusted him with supporting the local Wardens organization.
Cole halted in front of the store with a bright neon ‘open’ sign on its door. Sharpening his senses, he turned around, searching the plaza for any presence of vampiric energy. Since he couldn’t sense it, he decided that eith
er the Queen didn’t bother following him here or whoever she sent after him was human. In either case, to help Damian, he needed to speak with a Warden, so he didn’t have a choice.
Turning back toward the store, he put his hand on the doorknob, but as soon as his skin got in contact with it, a sharp pain surged through him. He jerked his hand back, a low hiss escaping his lips.
Silver... Oh well, information always comes at a price...
Ignoring the pain, he seized the doorknob again and turned it, leaving some of his skin on it. With a groan, he pushed the door open and walked inside. As soon as he crossed the threshold, a low buzzing noise invaded his ears, and belatedly, he realized that he just triggered some kinds of protection spells or wards. He moved to back away from the store, but something clicked, and a large net made of thin silver chains fell on top of him.
Cole cried out and dropped to his knees, fighting against his silver prison. The chains were too thin, and he had no doubt he could have ripped them off, even though silver weakened him significantly. However, he wasn’t here to fight, so he pretended to give up and stilled.
Feeling a sharp pain on the side of his neck, he raised his face. A tall, wiry man in his late sixties stood next to him, holding a large machete against his throat. Despite the heat outside, he wore a thick cardigan over his plain T-shirt. His pants were wrinkled and glossy on the knees, and a pair of bifocal glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. A thick mop of silvery hair fell over his forehead in uneven strands, and he threw it off with his free hand.
“What are you doing in my shop, vamp?” he asked, his voice a little too high-pitched for his height. He glowered down at Cole, applying some pressure on the blade. “We don’t serve your kind.”
“I mean no harm, sir.” Cole raised his arms up and winced as the silver wrapped tighter around his exposed hands. “I’m here because I need your help... I’m looking for Master Warden Luc de la Crosse.”
