by N M Thorn
River and Jesse were the only two cops who knew what was truly going on and what kind of monster stood behind the homicidal spree. Every day, when River came home, she was so destroyed and exhausted that Damian was ready to just walk into Ricardo’s house without any preparations and take the dagger by brute magical force, exposing the World of Magic and breaking all the laws and rules at his own risk.
It was early morning when Damian walked into the kitchen and prepared a cup of coffee for himself. River had been called to work in the middle of the night again, and that only added to his decision to move forward with his mission as soon as possible. Taking a quick sip of his coffee, he unfolded the blueprints and maps on the table, looking over everything one more time. After a few seconds, he sat down and wrapped his hands around the cup, enjoying the heat. He had no doubt his magic wasn’t enough to make him completely invisible.
Ricardo made sure that his collection was well protected. The sensors of the passive motion detectors were visible on all the photos taken inside the room where he held his collection, and the security cameras covered every square inch of the house and the surrounding property. Damian bit his lip, looking at the blueprint where Ace had marked the security devices she could identify. If his concealment spell could hide him from the security cameras, it couldn’t conceal his infrared heat signature.
“You can’t do it on your own, Mr. I-work-alone.”
Damian raised his eyes to see his brother standing in the doorway. A soft smile touched Cole’s lips as he headed toward him, his bare feet stepping absolutely soundlessly on the tiled floor. All his life, Damian had destroyed vampires without remorse, without mercy. If they hunted and killed humans, he hunted and killed them. It had been simple until he found his brother, and the irony of that wasn’t lost on him.
Cole approached him and leaned forward, bracing his hands against the table as he observed the blueprints. His long curls fell over his face, and he straightened, tucking the stubborn strands behind his ears.
“The expression on your face tells me you are planning to do it tonight,” said Cole, perching himself on the edge of the counter.
“Ace said Ricardo is supposed to be out on some socialite party in Paradise Valley tonight,” replied Damian, taking a sip of his coffee. “I’m sure he’s going to have plenty of security guards on the property, but it’s probably the best chance I have. Besides, I can’t wait any longer. Hawk called me last night, and the situation is escalating a lot faster than I expected...” His voice trailed off, and he exhaled, staring out the window. “Cole, the werewolves are actively hunting your subjects. They are searching for you, and sooner or later, they’ll find out where you are.”
“I’m coming with you,” said Cole, folding his arms across his chest.
“Cole, I can’t take you with me,” objected Damian, knowing ahead of time it was a waste of breath. “If something goes wrong, and I get captured, the Destiny Council will cover for me. As much as Magnus hates the idea of getting involved in the affairs of the human realm, he will clean up after his personal Shadow Enforcer. But if you get captured...” Damian shook his head.
“Then let’s make sure we don’t get captured.” Cole flashed him a wide grin, pushing away from the counter. “That’s the reason I want to come with you. I don’t have as much knowledge of magic as you do, but from what I know, your concealment spell is not going to hide you from the passive motion detectors. Your heat signature will give you away.”
He placed his hand against Damian’s bare arm, making him jerk aside. The vampire chuckled.
“Hey! Your hands are—” As Damian glanced up at his brother, understanding dawned on him.
“I rest my case,” Cole announced, his winning smile growing wider. “I don’t have a heat signature. I don’t breathe, and I can move absolutely soundlessly. Also, I can keep still for a long period of time or move extremely slowly. I have all the skills I need to trick the motion detectors.”
“Cole,” said Damian, almost pleading with his brother. “Even though we know quite a bit about Ricardo and his property, we still don’t know everything, and I’m going there, relying solely on my magic. My plan has more holes than a spaghetti strainer, but I have no choice. It’s my obligation to find and detain the necromancer.” He exhaled, rubbing his unshaven chin. “Despite the necessity behind my actions, if I expose the World of Magic, I will be punished according to the law. Severely, I must say. I can’t let you—"
“Try to stop me,” Cole snapped, interrupting him.
“But Cole—”
“This discussion is over,” announced Cole, imitating Damian’s voice almost to perfection.
“Good talk, little bro.” Damian snorted, shaking his head.
Cole rolled his eyes and leaned over the blueprints, pointing at the area indicating the gates. “Look,” he said, “there will be a guard here, and I can easily take care of him if you take care of the camera.”
“Wait.” Damian frowned. “You’re not planning to kill humans, are you?”
“As tempting as it sounds, no,” quipped Cole, gazing heavenward. “I don’t need him dead. I need him... um... obedient. I’ll make sure he opens the gate for us willingly, and we’ll walk through it. I will ask, but I’m sure the guards serving in the gatehouse won’t know how to shut down the security system inside the house, so the rest will be up to you and your magic. As soon as we reach the area covered by the motion detectors, I’ll have to leave you behind and go alone. Once I get the dagger, you teleport us back home.” He shrugged, a boyish grin splitting his face. “Easy.”
“Jeez, Cole,” muttered Damian, half-turning to his brother. “You’re always too optimistic and too fast to act without thinking things through. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems to be.”
“And you read too much into everything. Sometimes you have to let go and make a leap of faith,” said Cole, but then sighed and added, “Your glass is always half-empty.”
“What can I tell you, I need a refill. I got dehydrated,” murmured Damian, his mind racing through all possible ways of preventing Cole from going with him. Since he couldn’t find anything that would work, he threw his hands up, surrendering. “Fine. You can come with me, but we do things my way.”
“Fine...” Cole snickered and tapped Damian’s shoulder with his icy hand. “We’ll see... Doofus.”
“Dracula Junior.”
“What could be better than an early morning compliment exchange between two brothers?” Jamie’s voice, filled with sarcasm, sounded from his left, and Damian turned around. The young man stood in the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the frame. Ace stood next to him with an uneven smirk on her face.
“We’re coming with you,” she said in a no-nonsense tone, folding her arms.
Damian glanced at Cole, and they both said, “No!” at the same time.
“Dang,” murmured Jamie. “At least there is something these two agree on.”
It was close to midnight when Damian teleported with Cole to a point he had selected a few days ago. A vacant lot with a real estate sign planted in front of it stood far enough from any houses. Obscured by the darkness of the night, this location was relatively safe, and even if some unfortunate human saw them appear from thin air, there was always Cole with his vampire glamor.
Damian wasn’t a big proponent of using any kind of magic that messed around with people’s minds, but needs must, and Cole’s glamor was less invasive to humans than his own oblivion spells. Besides, anything would be better than exposing another innocent soul to the World of Magic.
Ricardo’s house was only a couple of blocks away, and Damian headed toward it, carefully observing the area and checking the surroundings for any supernatural presence.
“Hey, Damian.” Cole fell into step, throwing a sideways glance filled with humorous twinkles at him.
Damian met his brother’s eyes and winced inwardly, knowing Cole was up to something, wondering if remaining silent was his safest bet.
“What’s up?” he asked carefully, stifling a sigh.
“I had an interesting conversation with River a few days ago,” Cole started, amusement in his deep voice.
“About?”
“Well, she asked me if you were”—he twirled his hand, a wide grin on his face—“you know...”
“No, I don’t know.”
“Well... playing for the other side,” explained Cole, barely containing his laughter.
“What?” Damian halted, flabbergasted. “And what did you tell her?”
“I told her that of course you’re not,” replied Cole, blinking with innocence in his baby-blues. “I said you were playing for both sides.”
“I’m going to kill you,” muttered Damian, resuming his walk. “Or better yet, I’m going to throw you to the angry werewolves myself.”
“No, you’re not,” objected Cole, laughing quietly.
“Unfortunately, you’re right—I’m not,” grumbled Damian. “I have no idea how I survived all these years without you being a giant pain in my neck.”
Cole tapped Damian’s shoulder, his smile melting away. “On the serious side, Dima, she did ask me this question.” He fell silent for a moment, staring straight ahead. “I told her no, you’re not gay, but you have a thousand-years-long past. I asked her to be patient with you and give you a chance.”
Damian glanced at his brother, his chest tightening with worry. “Let’s focus on the mission,” he said, his voice sounding too hoarse even to his own ears. “We’re almost there.”
They took a narrow two-lane asphalt road leading up the Carefree hills toward a luxury estate located at the very top. The building was positioned on a large piece of land, at least five acres, and surrounded by the Sonoran Desert, which provided a breathtaking view as well as perfect privacy.
Tall, privacy fencing enclosed the house, but as far as Damian could see, there wasn’t any kind of magical protection around the property line. Quietly, they approached a small gatehouse, and Damian peeked over, trying to locate a security camera. He found it right away—a small, modern device attached to a pole next to the gates. He held out his hand, and a low-voltage energy ball materialized in his palm. It rotated slowly, crackling and spreading around tiny electrical discharges. He touched it with his fingers, whispering a spell, and a ray of pure magical energy erupted from it, blinding the camera.
Cole stepped forward, leaving Damian behind in the shadows. He raised a finger to his lips, glancing over his shoulder at his brother, and wild sparkles of humor ignited in his eyes. Then he approached the door, knocked on it and took a step back. The door swung open right away, and a giant man in the gray uniform of a security guard stared down at Cole, his face a stone mask. For a heartbeat, the vampire looked at him with his eyes widened as he took in the height of the man, but then he got over the initial shock and flashed him a friendly smile.
“Excuse me. I know it’s a little late...” He chuckled, a vibe of awkward discomfort lingering around him, and Damian smirked, thinking that his brother should have been an actor. “I’m here visiting my girlfriend, and we had a heated argument...” He chuckled again, rubbing the back of his neck. “So, I was stupid enough to storm out of the house in the middle of the night and”—he shrugged guiltily—“I’m a little lost. Can you please show me the direction to Cave Creek?”
“Cave Creek?” the guard parroted, stepping closer to Cole.
Judging by the height difference, the man was at list six-foot-six and next to him, in his black track pants and a tight T-shirt, the vampire looked like a young, slim teenager.
“Yes, Cave Creek,” repeated Cole, raising his gaze at the giant.
As soon as their eyes locked, the vampiric energy rose around Cole, and his eyes lit up with a bright scarlet glow. The guard froze, and his jaw slacked.
“That’s it, look at me...” purred Cole, gently directing him back into the gatehouse while keeping their eye contact. He said something else, but his voice was so soft, it was lost in the whisper of the midnight breeze, and Damian couldn’t hear him.
“How can I help you, sir?” asked the guard, his gaze dazed, his features slacked and emotionless.
“Mr. Torres is expecting my visit,” Cole said louder. “Please, open the gate for me.”
“Right away, sir,” replied the guard flatly. He pressed a button, and the gate started to slide softly to the side. “Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”
“Yes, you can shut down all security systems in the estate,” replied Cole, staring at the guard without blinking.
The guard flinched, and his body tensed. “I’m sorry, sir. Mr. Torres is the only person who can do that.”
Cole walked up into the gatehouse and pressed on the guard’s shoulder, forcing him to sit down. Leaning forward, he lowered his face within inches from the man’s. The vampire’s eyes lit up brighter, and his voice became the dangerous purr of a wild feline as he spoke again.
“You spent all night in this gatehouse. No one came in or out, and you didn’t see anyone. Don’t leave your station until you’re released off duty. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir,” replied the guard, his wide-open eyes fixed on Cole’s.
“Good boy,” murmured Cole. His vampiric energy leveled down, turning his eyes their normal blue.
He stepped out of the gatehouse and gestured for Damian to follow him through the gate. As Damian walked out of the shadows, the guard looked straight through him as if he were invisible and turned away. Damian moved under the camera and squeezed his fist, making the energy ball dissipate.
“Oprimenta Amnia,” he whispered and waved his hand, placing a light cloaking spell over himself and his brother. “Okay, Cole, we are invisible to the cameras and humans now.”
“Great,” whispered Cole. He pointed at the brightly lit entrance into the house at the end of a long driveway, paved with multicolored cobblestones. The entrance was partially obscured by elaborately placed decorative rocks and tall saguaro cacti. “Can you teleport us there?”
Damian placed his hand on Cole’s shoulder, ready to snap his fingers when he heard a raspy, cracked voice somewhere above him and froze in place, checking the area.
“Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah... Ehhhhh... Here goes... heeeereee gooooeees.... a night of entertainment with two jackasses landing in the middle of a pond surrounded by thorny cacti.”
“What are you doing?” hissed Cole, grabbing Damian’s elbow.
“One sec, Cole.” Damian spun around, and to his shock, he saw a small magpie sitting on a leaf of a decorative palm tree at the edge of the driveway, its beady black eyes staring at him with amusement. Glowering at the bird, he folded his arms and asked, “What pond? What are you talking about?”
The bird turned its head, looking around, and since there was no one else there, it stared back at Damian, its beak open.
“Ehh... Are you talking to me, giant?” the magpie asked, and added without waiting for his response, “Oh, yeah. I’m the only one here, so yeah... you are talking to me. How cool is that, dude, eh? You are a Kid of Earth. Oh, hell no. No, not the Kid, they call it the Child of Earth, right? Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, finally I can speak with someone who has a brain slightly bigger than that of a snail—”
“Stop it,” hissed Damian. “Tell me about the pond. Where is it located?”
“Ehhhh, yeah-yeah, the pond...” The magpie waved its wing toward the house. “You know when Ricardo bought this house, he was like, yeah... I love Arizona, but you know what? There is just not enough water here. Yeah, dudes, install a pond for me. And the construction dudes were like, sure, why not, and how many would you like? And Ricardo was—”
“Tell me where this goddamn pond is located, or I swear to God, I will pluck every single feather out of your wings one by one,” growled Damian, taking a step closer to the chatty bird. Cole snorted, and Damian threw a scorching glance at him, making him snort louder.
“Alright-alright-alright.” The magpie flew down and
landed on Damian’s shoulder. “Chill, dude. You see those two saguaro cacti by the entrance? The one that looks like a man with two arms up?”
“Yeah, I see it,” hissed Damian, his patience running dangerously thin.
“Well, forget about this one then,” the bird chattered at an incredible speed. “This is not the one you need. Look at the next one. Yeah... the one that looks like a man with two giant arms up and a tiny-small pe—” The magpie made a sound that resembled laughter. “Well, yeah... dude.. you want that one. If you go to the left of it, that is where the pond is, grampus. So, don’t go there. Aim to the right. How are your aiming skills?”
“I understand you’re talking to this magpie,” murmured Cole. “What I don’t understand is how the bird can see us through your cloaking spell.”
“Animals,” whispered Damian. “Their vision is not like ours. It can be compared to my other sight. They can see magical and elemental energy, as well as the objects hidden by cloaking spells.” He placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Are you ready?”
“Let’s get it done.” Cole took a step closer to Damian, sending a curious gaze at the bird sitting on his shoulder.
“Here goes,” Damian exhaled and snapped his fingers.
They manifested in front of the entrance into the building next to a large artificial pond surrounded by Echinocereus cacti and decorative rocks. Damian scanned the area with his other sight, and since he didn’t notice anything that looked remotely like wards or protection spells, he walked up the steps and covered the security pad located next to the entrance with his hand, channeling some of his magic through it. Something clicked, and the light switched from red to green.
Then he placed his hand on the door handle and whispered, “Recludius...”
