“Thank you for seeing us,” Alex said quickly.
Vincent stared at her, appearing to be taking her in. “Well, someone’s found her voice since the last time she was here.”
Alex opened her mouth to speak but could think of nothing to say, embarrassment silencing her.
Vincent looked amused. “Or perhaps not. How does it feel to be finally penetrated?” he asked.
“Enough,” Dante said, stepping in front of Alex. “Where is everyone?”
“The night is young. Melina is out hunting with Julian, I suspect. I believe it is their anniversary. They love to feed before returning here and pleasuring each other.”
Dante closed and opened his eyes slowly, trying to let go of the anger Vincent was toying with. “I have important matters to discuss with you.”
“So discuss them.” Vincent waved his hand with a flourish, as if he had merely been patiently waiting for Dante to begin.
“What do you know of werewolves in Sydney?”
Vincent cocked an eyebrow. “You know my stance on them.”
“That wasn’t what I asked.”
“True. Well if you must know, several weeks ago Clive received a computer letter from the Alpha of England, seeking asylum for two of the beasts. The letter proposed a meeting here with a small group of representatives.”
“You surely didn’t say yes?”
“I saw no reason to not at least hear the proposal. As you may or may not be aware, the British wolves are extremely wealthy.”
That was one bit of the puzzle solved for Dante. Money troubles. Perhaps reducing expenses was the reason the guards were not at the door. Pausing to listen, he could also tell that the mansion was almost deserted. Some slaves must have been let go as well…or killed.
“I hope your payday was worth it,” Dante said bitterly.
“Oh, get down off your high horse. The meeting never took place. The beasts never arrived.”
“Either your measures to keep them out have failed, or you’re lying. They are here, Vincent.”
“What?”
Is it possible that he doesn’t know? Dante quickly told the story of Matt’s disappearance and the knowledge gained from Herschel Rasmussen. Vincent listened intently, his face getting graver and graver.
“Filthy dogs,” he seethed. Rising, he moved to stand beside the fireplace. “They will pay for their deceit.”
“What were your measures for keeping them out, by the way?” Dante asked.
Vincent turned his head so that he was looking not quite at Dante, but near him, as if visualising his answer. “Fear. Any that were found here were executed. My stance has seen a ripple effect across the country. There were a few cases in Alice Springs and one in Melbourne, from memory. The way we left their corpses sent shockwaves and outrage even through our world. Australia is a dry desert in their eyes anyway, which meant the threat of revenge was minimal. Most would never think about coming here for that reason, but it intrigued me to be asked permission,” Vincent turned around and placed his hands behind his back. “You will be rewarded for bringing this to me.”
“There’s no need for that. I would settle for you using your influence to keep the authorities off Alexandra. She was questioned about her ex’s disappearance.”
Vincent nodded. “It will be taken care of. What else?”
“Other than that, you have been told, my duty is done.” Dante tucked his hand inside Alex’s and headed towards the door.
“Dante,” Vincent called. “This may lead to war. I will do what I can to stop it before then, but if it does, do I have your support? Let us not forget, the vampire is their natural enemy, but not their source of food,” Vincent said, eyes flicking to Alex and then back again.
Dante recognised the manipulation. Still, war with werewolves was a matter to be considered seriously. He did not take his eyes off Vincent. Finally, without delivering a verdict, he walked out.
*
Vincent smiled and jabbed the elevator down button. Stepping inside, he thought about what consequences a war could have for all concerned—especially humans. Yet he would not be a vampire king if he empathised too much with them. The best thing right now was that Dante had not refused him flat out. Though he had not agreed either. Vincent might finally have his chance to ensure his best soldier returned to the barracks. Dante’s usefulness—besides being able to feed off vampire blood, thus ensuring Vincent’s ways of intimidation—lay in the fact that he would never be merely a yes man. These were invaluable when it came to maintaining power and control. So even if Dante’s only reason for returning to fight alongside his king was to prevent any harm coming to his precious humans, Vincent would accept that.
He exited at the lowest floor, deep beneath the mansion. He walked along the corridor to a metal door twice the height of a typical one, and placed his hand on the palm reader beside it. After scanning his hand, the door slid up, opening into a pitch-black room. Only when Vincent walked in did the fluorescent lights switch on, revealing four occupied beds positioned in a star-circle.
All four occupants were in induced comas, IV tubes leading from a medical bag directly into the arm of each sleeping man. Vincent approached and ran his eyes over them. It was because of these four that Dream State could be made at all, because of them that the money would pour in from selling it. It needed one main ingredient for it to work, the only thing that could heal a vampire brain long enough to give it life before sundown bade them wake: Werewolf blood.
Herschel had first brought his idea of a dream-inducing serum to the king years ago. Vincent had been sceptical, but listened. Herschel maintained it could be made with the addition of pure, live werewolf blood. Importing such a thing, however, would raise too many suspicions. Vincent put the idea out of his mind, but when funds had diminished recently, the once repulsive idea started to generate appeal.
Then, as if on cue, he received the computer letter. The Alpha wanted to send peace envoys? Werewolf peace envoys? Of course Vincent would meet with them.
Not only had the werewolf representatives met with Vincent, they were still here.
Vincent had wasted no time in getting blood samples to Herschel, and Herschel did not disappoint. When Vincent experienced for himself the effects of Dream State, he ordered mass production.
When Herschel had told Vincent of Dante’s inquiries, he had given Herschel permission to reveal what the sample was. He counted on the fact that Dante would be so consumed with concern for his beloved humans that he would come to him for further information. The story of just how Dante had obtained the sample of werewolf blood, and the disappearance of this Matt person from the hospital, was something Vincent had not previously known. This, he hadn’t seen coming.
“Well played, Alicia,” he breathed, running his fingers along the bag. “You sent more representatives than you led me to believe. You lied to me. Rest assured, I will find the rest of your mutts and spend a month breaking them into Schmako dog treats. Sydney is mine.”
*
Dante pulled up outside Alex’s apartment.
“Well I suppose that wasn’t too bad, huh?” Alex asked.
“I’m not so sure.” Dante turned off the ignition and looked pensive.
“What do mean?”
“Vincent was a little too casual about the whole thing. I think he knows more than he’s letting on.”
“Hardly a surprise. What will you do now?”
“There is little I can do. When they are not transformed, a vampire can’t tell the difference between a werewolf and a human. The scents are the same. Only a werewolf can recognise its own kind.”
“What else do you know about them?” Alex unbuckled her seat belt and turned sideways in her seat, facing him.
“Only what I have read. Werewolves can be born or bitten. Apparently, those born as werewolves have stages of development. They don’t ‘become’ at a specific point in time; it is different for everyone. Generally, though, it coincides with puberty. Thos
e created by biting, on the other hand, have exactly one month before they change. The next full moon.”
“And what do they change into? Actual wolves?”
“Hardly. Such creatures are known as shifters.”
Alex swallowed. “So…what do the werewolves change into?”
“The nearest I can place it, is neither wolf nor man, but what happens in the middle where they meet. An oversized human body with hair, claws, teeth and a vicious streak.”
“Lovely,” Alex muttered.
“There are different classes of werewolves. The lowest is the humans that have simply survived an attack and transform within a month. From what I’ve read, they simply go to sleep and wake up with renewed agility and an unshakeable need to hunt. They don’t die easily but also don’t have a werewolf’s full healing powers, so with enough bullets, they can be killed. Second are those born with Lycanthropy. It manifests itself during their teenage life, settling on them without warning when they sleep. They wake up with incredible strength, agility, and animalistic facial features and enlarged canine teeth. The next class seems to have all the strengths of the previous classes, but also much more body hair growth. This is a mystery class. The theory is that these are made up of those created by being deliberately bitten but not attacked.”
“Why is that one mysterious?”
“Because once the full moon rises, all classes but one are slaves to their instincts and desires. They think of nothing except eating, mating and survival. Once their first change occurs, all of them can call on a few of their abilities whenever they wish. The strength and speed will always be with them, to serve and protect their pack, for example. But when the moon is at its highest, they are at their strongest. When the literal teeth come out, all sense of compassion and reason leaves them. They would not hesitate to rip their loved ones to shreds. This leads me to believe that the only class that could possibly bite without attacking is the last. This means that we really don’t know that much about them, other than they have the added strength as well as full control of their mental capacity. This makes the final class by far the most dangerous.”
“The Alpha class?” Alex asked
Dante nodded. “The deadliest of all werewolves. The longer the bloodline, the stronger they are. I have read about sixth generation Alpha’s that could out run lions, for example.”
“Sounds like fun,” Alex whispered to herself. “And this is what Vincent wanted to bring in here?”
“Doesn’t make sense, does it? That’s why I believe there is more to this than we know.”
Alex looked at the car clock. “You want to come up?”
Dante smiled. “I’d love to, but I have some research on this to do before sunrise.”
“Kay,” she said, leaning in. Dante closed the distance between them and she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Her nose scraped the edge of his earlobe and brought in that amazing, citrus scent as she felt his fingers grip her hips. She twirled her fingers through his thick hair and planted a light kiss on his cheek. Dante pulled out of the hug, but paused as he came past her face and continued to hold her close, looking at her eyes. Then her mouth. Alex instinctually ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, “You sure you don’t want to come up?”
Dante took a second, maybe two, but shook his head politely and backed away into his seat. He gripped the tips of her fingers and brought them to his mouth. With a small smile, Alex got out of the car.
“Tell your mother I said hello,” Dante said, before driving off.
Alex reached inside her pocket for her keys. She didn’t think it was a good idea to tell her mother much about Dante, actually. Even though Margaret had been a donor for Dante once, Alex hadn’t felt comfortable admitting the entire truth about where she and Dante now stood. She admitted to herself that that was partially because she still didn’t really know how to classify their relationship, and also because of the way Margaret had warned her about getting too close. Alex was now his donor, sure, but she couldn’t help wanting more.
She hadn’t stopped thinking about that bloody dream. It had felt so real at the time, and she was shattered to learn it was only a side effect from Dante feeding off her. Even though nothing happened, the fact that Alex had been visualising Dante doing things to her that no one else had ever done, and that she was letting him, both freaked her out and made her smile to herself.
Alex had always enjoyed sex with her first guy, and then again with Matt, but it had never really been something she craved. It was only ok. It had never been mind-blowing the way Lauren used to describe it, or that she had read about in those crappy BDSM Twilight rip-offs that were all the rage with housewives. She could ramp things up on occasion, and would do different positions, but kissing in missionary with someone she really loved was what she liked best. It was nice, and safe. The idea of danger and just being “fucked” like Lauren enjoyed, had always been weird to Alex. Or so she thought.
The things that Dante did to her in that dream…with his tongue…his fingers…the way her body shook from the force of his thrusts. Alex shook her head to clear it. Too much thinking about that might get her a little weak at the knees. But knowing it wasn’t real made her wish all the more that it was.
Alex knew Margaret was just worried about her, which is where the warning came from. But even though Alex’s mother had never had a sexual relationship with him while she was his donor, could it be possible that she too had desired Dante the way Alex did now? Alex knew her mother loved her, but she also realised there was a lot she didn’t know about Margaret.
She looked around, breathing in the still, peaceful night air. Strangely enough, she didn’t feel frightened for herself, but she did fear for the rest of the city and the chaos that would ensue if the werewolves were not found. And what the hell did any of this have to do with Matt?
She approached the outer door and stopped. A young man was sleeping on her doorstep, his shoes under his head. He didn’t look homeless, not by a long way. He wore a leather jacket and jeans, and the shoes he wore were actually Colorado boots. She looked again at his rather boyishly handsome face, twitching in his uncomfortable sleep.
Alex knelt down over him, feeling an irrational feeling of warmth over this boy, this stranger that looked so familiar. “Hey there. You lost?”
The boy woke and looked up at her. At first, he made to return to sleep but then woke properly and sat up, taking in Alex’s face and hair.
“My apologies,” the boy said with a cute little proper British accent. “But would you be Alexandra Hensley?”
“Yes,” Alex replied, slowly. “What can I do for you?”
“I uh…was asked to give this to you,” he said, handing her a letter.
“I don’t understand,” Alex said, taking it from him. “Asked by whom?”
“Alicia Slade.”
“But I don’t know anyone named—” Alex stopped trying to open the letter. “Oh my god,” she stared at the young boy carefully, barely believing she was going to ask the question.
“Nicholas?”
He nodded. “Actually, I prefer Nick.”
*
Nick devoured the second of two toasted ham-and-cheese sandwiches as Alex read the letter.
Dear Ally,
I can’t begin to describe how sorry I am that I let things go so long between us without contact. I’m even more sorry that the first time I do comes with my asking for your help. I wouldn’t if it weren’t an emergency but really it’s for Nicholas. Things are bad between Wilson and his associates. Really bad. I can’t really go into detail, but it’s gotten so that Nicholas is in danger and you’re the only one I can trust; the only family he has away from all of this. I need you to look after him for a while. I’ve organised for him to start year 12 at St. Andrews and wired them the full year’s tuition fees, but hopefully it won’t take that long to sort this out.
I know I’m asking a lot and being cryptic—once again I’m sorry. It’s better for everyone i
f you don’t know everything about what’s going on.
Please try to understand.
I love you cuz,
Alicia
Alex put the letter on the table. “You must’ve been hungry.”
“Haven’t eaten for a while,” Nick smiled. “Thank you.”
“Shhh, not so loud. You’re welcome.”
“The other woman who lives with you?”
“Yes, my mum. How did you know?”
“I will have to apologise to her as well. I used the intercom and woke her up. She wasn’t pleased to have an unknown male downstairs at four o’clock in the morning asking after her daughter.”
“Did you tell her who you were?”
“Seeing as though it wasn’t you, I didn’t know what to say. How do you and my mother know each other?”
“She’s my cousin. The last time I saw your mother face to face, she was heavily pregnant with you, telling your grandmother, my aunt Maureen, that she was leaving for Europe. This did not go down well as your mum was only sixteen and was asked to choose between your father and her family. She chose. It broke my heart for her to have to leave like that. Even though we were cousins, we were like sisters.”
“You lived together?”
“I lived with your grandmother since I was a baby. Back then my mum had to…” Alex trailed off. The memories of what Margaret had gone through, dealing with a vampire killing her husband and having to send her baby away for fear of further attack. How would he even understand without thinking she was crazy? “…Well it’s complicated. Anyway, Alicia told me in secret that she’d met a man on a school trip to Melbourne. Then several months after that, she informed your grandparents and me that she would be leaving for Europe with him, the father of her unborn baby. That was over seventeen years ago and I haven’t seen or heard from her since.”
“I never knew anything about this,” Nick said, looking disturbed. “How did you know who I was?”
“Your mum had the prettiest blue eyes I have ever seen. You have the same eyes, same hair. It’s uncanny.”
Day Dreamer (Undeadly Secrets Book 2) Page 5
