"Valeria! What the fuck do you think you're trying to prove?" She was on me and had me covered in the drapes so fast she didn't even notice that the sun had no effect on me at all.
I yelled for her to let me up, but the bulky material muffled my voice, so we ended up wrestling across the floor for five minutes before I could finally get free of her. "Damn it Irulan, if you'd stop fussing and trying to protect me you'd see I don't need protection.” I leapt up with agility that far surpassed any cat and darted over to the window before she could hit me again. The look on her face was priceless.
"I don't get it...I mean how...how long have... Shit Val, you're standing in afternoon sunlight."
I straightened my clothes and headed for my car. "That's what I was trying to show you before you blasted my ass halfway to kingdom come. Now I've got less than an hour to find something to eat and make it into the office.” Traffic was a bitch at this time of the day. To make it on time, I was going to have to drive like a madwoman.
Irulan blew by me and slammed my car door, "I told you earlier, don't try to brush me off. Before you leave this house, explain to me what just happened in there."
Looked like the only way I was getting past her was to tell her the truth. "To be honest, I don't know how it happened, Irulan, just when.” The searching look in her eyes edged me on. "That morning I didn't make it home in time, after the burns started healing, I don't know - I just felt different."
Just like Vampires, if they weren't careful, Faeries eyes gave their every emotion away. Irulan's usually bright green eyes clouded over and swirled with hurt and anger. "You knew all this time, and you didn't say a word to me? I thought we were closer than that, Val."
Damn it, I didn't have time for this now. "Listen, Ire, I'm not making light of the situation, and we'll talk about this later, but right now I've really got to go. I think I've pushed it as far as I can with Marcus. I don't want to piss him off by being late."
Irulan walked away without a look back in my direction. "Marcus doesn't have shit on me when I'm pissed. Remember that."
As I've said before, Irulan is one of the Fae, to be more specific she's a Faerie. Irulan is a three hundred and twenty year old Sidhe, cousin of the ruling Seelie king, a member of the royal family and first in the line of succession.
This, in turn, means that she is teaming with untold levels of fey power. If I didn't know better, I might have considered her a threat.
Irulan's family has always held close ties with the Vampire Council and, as far back as I could remember, she's been a close friend of my mother's side of the family.
I'd never looked at her as anything other than that until I watched her walk away. Her rose-colored skin was glowing with the heat of anger, and it caught my eye, as it never had before. Her waist length crimson hair fell in soft curls that swirled around her as she walked, causing my breath to catch in my throat and familiar warmth to settle in the pit of my stomach.
Aw, hell. Now was not the time for soul searching and redefining my sexual identity. I had to get ready for the hunt. I shook off the small thread of whatever and slid into the seat behind the wheel. I backed my car into traffic, popped in a CD, and sang with Muse the entire way to the station.
*****
Even with a stop at McDonalds, I made it with fifteen minutes to spare. Yes, I consume more than blood. A Pureblood Vampire needs both to survive until near our second century of life. I pulled into my spot in front of the CMS and wolfed down my burger before I entered the building.
The CMS existed for three main purposes: to police the Extra community and give them a legal system; to provide healthcare, the building was equipped with a state of the art hospital wing; and last, to provide the Human population with a learning center where they can come to understand their Extra brethren better.
I thought the last was a crock of shit, but hey, who asked for my opinion? I can't remember the last time I saw a Human walk through the front doors that wasn't on the payroll or wasn't making money off us. Most Humans tolerated Extras, but I don't think they are that eager to get any closer than they have to.
The Humans that weren't afraid of us saw dollar signs when we went public. The CMS also houses a lot of Human businesses that cater to the Extras community. We have buying power baby.
No matter how many times I come through the front, I’m always amazed. The majestic marble columns that lined the outside of the building never failed to catch my attention and the construction inside was similar. Two main marble columns split the first floor into two halls running along the sides and coming together in a massive court. At the center of the main floor were three elevators with escalators on either side that led to the second floor that housed the public businesses.
I waved to the receptionist and boarded an elevator. The Sentinel offices were located three levels down from the mainstream, but the boardrooms were on the fourth floor.
Just as the doors were about to slide closed a smoking, blackened, and blistered hand slid in and pried them back open.
"I see being Pureblood means you lack manners, Valeria," Jacob Priest stepped into the elevator fanning the singed collar on his hooded jacket.
Damn. That was the second time in one day that someone had accused me of being rude. "Fly my kite, Priest. OK, my head was somewhere else. Besides, my rudeness should be the least of your worries. Someone's out a tad early, huh? How'd you shake the day sleep anyway? Oh yeah, your little 'roid cocktail."
I looked down at his hands and bit my bottom lip. "Pureblood has its advantages.” I tapped the back of his hand and blackened flakes of skin peeled off, crumbling to ash as they floated towards the floor. "That's gotta hurt, and I'm pretty sure your jacket is ruined.”
Priest pulled his long blonde hair back and gave me a smile that was all fangs as he shrugged out of the jacket and draped it across his arm. "Have I told you lately that I think you're a spoiled little bitch that got her job only because of who her daddy is?"
I grinned and gave him the finger. "Not since we got off duty yesterday."
Priest nodded and leaned against the wall. "Just checking.”
I watched him out of the corner of my eye as the elevator lurched upwards. He was a good Sentinel and a decent guy, just a total asshole to me. I know it's because of the difference in our blood-status, but he'd never admit it.
Priest was a Deadborn vamp, meaning someone drained him to the point of death, and he came back as a Vampire. Deadborns are ten times stronger than Humans are, but even still, they're the weakest of our kind.
The trauma of a quick turning doesn't give their bodies time to adjust to the Vampire genes properly. Deadborns adapt quickly and absorb only the traits most needed for survival - heightened senses, enhanced strength, speed, and fangs of course. They lost out on the mental abilities.
I tried not to pay attention to the way his navy shirt stretched across his wide chest, but it was no use. A bead of pink sweat made its way down his neck, and I followed its path letting my imagination take me somewhere I had no business going.
Priest may be an asshole, but he was a damn fine example of the opposite sex. The man is six-foot four, has royal blue eyes that are so dark that they are almost black, just a hint of mustache, and looks that could put could put Michelangelo's David to shame. Regrettably, for me, he caught me looking and gave me an all-knowing leer.
He closed the space between us and pressed up against my back, throwing his aura against my own. Charged with sexual prowess, it danced along my own in an attempt to excite me. He was impressive, and it might have worked if I didn't think he was a total tool.
I pushed back with my own aura and put a few inches between us. "Sorry, Priest. I'm taken, and therefore, not interested."
He pulled his energy back only to reach out, turn my head to the side, and run a thumb over two small, almost unnoticeable spots on my neck that had healed long ago. "You can't fool me, Trumaine. You aren't marked. These bites are dead ends. I don't even smell a m
ale on you."
I jerked out of Priest’s grip and shoved him into the elevator wall. "I never said I was with another Vampire or a man, did I?” I could tell by the look on his face that he thought I was full of shit. Maybe I was, but my tussle with Irulan would help me make sure he didn't know that. I stood straighter and turned my head to the side, "Take another whiff, her scent is all over me."
Priest leaned into my body and ran his nose along the side of my neck, "No way.” He backed up with a sly smiled on his face. "You're no dyke, not the way you were undressing me a few seconds ago."
Priest pushed me backwards until I was up against the wall of the elevator and slid down inspecting me with his nose. As he got closer to the zipper of my pants, he stopped and looked up with a 'know it all' smirk. "If your mate is a woman why can’t I smell her scent down there? As a matter of fact, I smell her everywhere but there, but I do smell your heat."
OK, he'd gone too far. My knee acted of its own accord and connected with his nose, before I could stop myself. I heard bones break as he fell back on his ass.
"You grimy little cunt, you broke my fucking nose!” Priest cupped his nose, and jumped up in my face just as the elevator chimed and the doors opened.
I shrugged my shoulders and knocked him back on his ass, squelching the hunger that was growing at the smell of Priest’s blood. "So I broke your nose. You'll heal fast enough, and whatever doesn’t heal now, the day sleep will handle."
I was never happier to see Marcus than I was at that moment. He stood there with his hands planted on his hips as he took in the scene of Priest sitting on the floor on top of his charred and now bloody hoody. "What the hell?” Priest jumped up and shoved his disheveled jacket to his broken nose as he shot daggers at me. He could stare all he wanted. The both of us knew he wasn’t a match for me.
To add insult to injury, I turned and slowly slid my palm down the side of his face. As angry as he was with me, he wasn’t strong enough to ignore the ‘come hither look’ that I threw at him. Priest smirked and leaned closer to me. I let my lips graze his before running my tongue across them to taste his blood. He gasped, and I fell away from him with a smirk of my own. "Who I'm with doesn't concern you Priest, just know it'll never be you. You're nice to look at and all, but I couldn't take someone like you home to meet my parents. They expect better of me."
Priest’s face fell, and Marcus snatched both of us out of the elevator and shoved us down the hallway ahead of him. "Now is not the time to try my patience with your Vampire bloodline bullshit. The heads of the three major departments are here, the mayor of the city, police chief and a rep from the Vampire Council."
Marcus stopped long enough to shove Priest into a bathroom. "Get cleaned up and come to number two. Valeria, fall back.”
An Alpha Werewolf didn’t take second place to anyone. I paused and let Marcus take his place in front of me. "I thought the case was going to me. Why is Priest here?"
Marcus growled, "Priest has a good track record, so they want him here, but I make the ultimate decision as to who gets the case. They don't need to know that my mind is already made up.” Marcus squared his shoulders, and we entered the boardroom.
I scanned the faces around the mahogany, crescent-shaped table but the only person I recognized was the mayor (who just so happens to be half Glaistig - long story, maybe I'll tell you later). If a Council rep was supposed to be here, he was late. The only Vampire in the room was yours truly.
Marcus directed me to a chair on the opposite side of the table where we sat and waited in uneasy silence for the briefing to begin. After what seemed like an eternity, the mayor finally stood up as Priest entered the room. He was holding a bloody handkerchief in one hand, and a smug expression plastered on his face.
What the hell he had to be so happy about I'll never know. He was the one sporting a broken nose to a center meeting, a meeting for which he was now over ten minutes late.
Marcus pulled out a chair for him, but Priest walked right by us to the mayor who grabbed his hand. "Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Jacob. Master Meriwether informed me that you'd be the Council's presence on this case."
My face dropped, and for the first time in my knowledge, I believe Marcus was speechless. Oh, shit. I'd just broken the nose of a VC rep. This was not good, not good at all.
CHAPTER TWO
Ever since I was a child, my quick temper has gotten me in trouble. Once when I was eight, I broke my older brother Tamerlane's nose because he tore the head off my favorite porcelain doll. My father rarely raised a hand to us, but I got the belt that night. Later on, he told me how proud he was that I could already defend myself; just don't make my brothers my punching bags.
Right now, all I could do was straighten up in my seat and see what kind of mess it had gotten me into this time. I was almost positive it wouldn’t end in a pep talk.
Priest squared his shoulders and puffed up his chest, reminding me of a rooster on steroids. I guess he was ready to get the ball rolling. "I'm sure you all know the reason we've gathered here today," he said. A quick glance in my direction gave him reason to chuckle, "Well, most of us anyway."
I stuck my tongue out at him and folded my arms over my chest. Ha, ha yourself, freakazoid. I'm not in the dark as you think I am. Blood has its advantages.
Chief Watkins, the only full Human in the room, took a nervous look at the rest of us before he found his resolve to speak. "We're here because your precious leach prince has gone off the fucking deep end," he said, in a thick southern drawl.
Mayor Aldridge shot the chief a look of pure rage obviously fueled by fear. "Watch your tone, Chief Watkins. We don't want to offend anyone here."
Watkins laughed and stood up pointing a shaky finger at Priest. "I don't give a good goddamn about offending a parasite. My grandfather always said that allowing you freaks total access to our city was a mistake."
“How far we've come,” Priest growled at the diss.
Yes indeed, how far we’ve come, I thought as I leaned forward in my chair. "I'm sorry you feel the way that you do, but I can assure you the Vampire community in no way condones Tristan Meriwether's actions," I expressed. It was almost too easy to step into the role of mediator for the Vampire Council. My father had trained me for this.
Aldridge nodded as he spoke, "We have every confidence in that fact, Ms. Trumaine. I'd like to add how honored I am by your presence today. I wasn't expecting a representative from one of The Five."
Upstaged once again, Priest bristled and was quick to set the record straight. "Actually, mayor, Valeria is a Sentinel here within the CMS. She’s here in a working capacity only. I'm the only sanctioned representative present.”
Now it was Marcus' turn to growl. "We're well aware of that Priest. If you'll excuse the interruption, mayor, I'm ready to get down to business. We're not here to discuss vamp politics. People are dying while Tristan's running loose.”
Priest squared his shoulders and tried to get rid of the annoyed look plastered to his face. "Fine then, Marcus, let’s do that. I've got a statement here from Master Meriwether that discusses his feelings and position on the matter."
I almost choked on my own tongue. As far as I knew, I was the only Sentinel with the balls, not to mention the standing, to call Marcus by his first name. This assignment was obviously going to Priest's head.
Marcus stood and sent a wave of Alpha power over the room so intense that it made me shiver. "I'm only going to say this once. I don't care on whose authority you're here, you are still my subordinate, and you will never address me by my first name again, is that clear?"
I swear to god you could see Priest’s spine shrink as he stood there and tried to remember how to talk. It took everything I had not to bust out laughing and piss my pants.
Priest nodded and went into a painful recital of an obviously rehearsed dialog. "The Vampire Council will aid the CMS in every way possible to apprehend and neutralize the threat that Tristan Meriwether has proven to be. Pl
ease don't hesitate to ask for anything you need during this time. Our vast resources are at your disposal.” Priest bumbled his way through the remainder of his dialog and finally announced that he would be leading the hunt for Tristan himself.
Marcus laughed and looked to the mayor, "Sir, while I'm sure the VC has faith in Priest and his abilities, I won't have them dictate how I handle my cases. You know as well as I do that Meriwether will rip a Deadborn apart, even one with Priest's service record."
Mayor Aldridge looked like a deer in headlights caught between the rock and the proverbial hard place. "Of course, you're right, commander, but I'm sure if we put our heads together we'll come up with a solution favorable to all parties."
Marcus bobbed his head in my direction. "With all due respect, sir, I already have. As Priest stated before, Ms. Trumaine is a Sentinel in my division. You’re well aware of the fact that she's a Pureblood Vampire. Both of her parents are Vampires, giving her an additional advantage."
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