They had begun checking the base for other weapons caches, but it would take time to search the whole place. It was hoped that once the recruitment team had spent a few days locked up, they would be ready to spill what they knew about Jason’s intentions and contacts. There had been dozens of injuries, but Derek was the worst of them. Gabi had to acknowledge, even if only to herself, that the low injury rate was due to the careful thought and planning that had gone into the operation. The others had been right to wait and go in prepared.
Gabi’s meeting with the five Council members was as agonizing as she’d anticipated. Athena was having a field day, and for once Irene let her have her say. Gabi remained stoic and held on to her temper by the tips of her fingernails. She held her ground on her decision and refused to pretend she regretted her actions. She said very little, other than to make her case that as Jason was no longer human, she had applied Council law as she felt was appropriate at the time. Byron also didn’t contribute much, except to finally call an end to the interview after nearly two hours. He told Gabi they would get back to her once they’d discussed the matter amongst themselves. In the meanwhile, she was temporarily relieved of duty and encouraged to enjoy the time off.
On the trip back to the Estate, Kyle tried to make light of it.
“They’ll get over themselves in a couple of weeks. Don’t worry,” he assured her. “Things will be back to normal before you know it.”
She grunted noncommittally, but she knew that things wouldn’t be that simple. It wasn’t just a case of the Council being annoyed with her for overstepping the mark. She wasn’t sure she could continue to be a part of an organisation that protected monsters just because they were human. Something had to change, or she wouldn’t be going back at all. For once, she kept her thoughts from Kyle. This was something she needed to figure out for herself.
She dropped Kyle at the Estate, to collect his van. Not that it seemed like he was going to be heading home as long as Trish was still there. She parked the futuristic Lamborghini SUV back at the cottage while she made a quick trip inside to leave Julius a note. She knew there was only one place she wanted to be right now, and that was in her own home, surrounded by her four-legged family.
Her welcome home was rapturous, considering she was used to being snubbed by Razor every time she’d been gone for more than half a day. First, Roman went a little crazy, completely forgetting his training and jumping up to lick her face and almost knocking her over. He looked a little sheepish once he recovered himself, but Gabi didn’t let him feel that way for long. It was a struggle to untangle herself from him and get inside. The welcome inside was almost as enthusiastic, but it’s hard to beat an excited dog. Razor leapt straight into her arms; Rocky bounded up her pants leg to settle on her shoulder, chittering excitedly into her ear; and Slinky galloped out to wind between her legs, reaching up to scratch at her hand for attention. Just then, all the worries and concerns of the past weeks simply fell away. Being surrounded by her pets and drowned in love and affection pushed all the negative things aside, and a measure of peace settled over her. Rose had been in to feed the wild bunch and had left a meal in the fridge in case Gabi got home. She fell on the meal ravenously once she was finally able to extricate herself from Razor’s clutches.
After a long, lazy, hot bath and some time spent catching up on email, she found herself pacing. She’d invited Julius to join her at the house once he had dealt with whatever he needed to do for the evening. It was past midnight, and he hadn’t shown up. She told herself he would have a million things to sort out after all the drama of the week and weekend, but hoped he would at least call to let her know. She resolutely refused to phone him and find out if he was coming.
She wandered to the kitchen and poured another glass of wine and figured she’d turn on the TV and see if there was anything worth watching. As she returned to the lounge and grabbed the TV remote, car lights flashed across the window. She crossed to the window to check. Julius flowed gracefully out of the Aston Martin, a bottle of tequila and a single rose in one hand, an overnight bag in the other. A ridiculously happy smile tugged at her lips.
Epilogue
Gabi woke feeling agitated. It was still dark, but the bedside clock said it was almost daybreak. Despite the familiar and comforting weight of Julius’s body, curled almost protectively around her, there was a heaviness in her soul.
Seeing her mother the day before hadn’t been easy. Gabi loved her mother, but their relationship had been strained since Gabi became a Hunter. Her mother bore a bone-deep resentment towards the SMV and all Vampires. They had robbed her of her soul mate in more ways than one. Gabi’s father’s need to obliterate rogue supernaturals from the City had become a higher calling, one his wife had begged him to give up before it killed him. She’d come to see it as putting his family second. When he’d been killed, it had almost killed her too, even though she’d considered it an inevitable outcome. She simply could not understand Gabi’s need to do the same thing. She’d resorted to pleading with Gabi to give up the Hunter work every time they saw each other, until Gabi had simply stopped visiting and spending time with her mother just to keep the peace. They rarely saw or spoke to each other except for holidays and birthdays. Her mom was happily remarried, and Gabi considered it a blessing; she even kind of liked the guy. He took good care of her mom and treated her with love and respect.
There had been another man in her mother’s life once, who’d been the opposite. It was the first time Gabi had been driven to violence, and it was a defining moment in her life. In the aftermath of the event, she’d tried to make sense of what she’d done, attacking the man who was physically and mentally abusing her mother. During her soul-searching, she’d come to a realisation. She’d finally understood what had driven her father. Standing up and defending the innocent, putting yourself on the line when no one else would. The same need that had to drive firefighters, bomb disposal experts and soldiers on the front line. Running into situations most people would be running away from because if you don’t, who else will? It wasn’t something that could be defined or pinpointed. It would never be found in a DNA sequence. It had nothing to do with creed or culture or upbringing or social background. It was a brand on the soul, and to deny it only brought unhappiness.
Predictably, her mother had been overjoyed to hear that she was taking a break from the SMV, reminding Gabi that no one would think less of her for it. The conversation had begun its familiar degeneration into argument until Gabi had simply changed the subject to her stepfather’s new job. Her mother’s visit left her feeling drained and adrift. She needed to find an anchor to bring her some peace. Lying in the semi-dark, she suddenly knew what she needed to do. She first checked that Julius was asleep, then untangled herself from his embrace. She reached for some clothes and dressed quickly. Habit made her strap Nex on under a loose T-shirt. She left the room quietly, aware that Julius didn’t always drift into day sleep until a couple of hours after dawn. This was something she needed to do on her own. As she reached the kitchen and grabbed the keys to her new car, Razor made an appearance. A deep purr began low in his throat, and he looked at her inquisitively. It reminded Gabi that she often used to take him with her in the car; he always enjoyed an outing. It had been months since he’d gone with her. Maybe a little feline company wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“Come on, then,” Gabi told him, “but don’t wake the rest of the house. I don’t need any more company.”
Razor blinked his understanding and beat her to the front door.
The new car was a challenge to drive, but a challenge that she revelled in. Her mind was so preoccupied with the new car and her personal funk that she never noticed the dark Aston Martin trailing her from a distance through the quiet streets.
It was a twenty-minute drive to her destination. When she arrived, the gates were still closed—too early for visitors. She climbed out and found they weren’t locked, so she opened the gates to the Riverside Cemetery and
drove inside. The way to the graveside was a familiar one. She left the car on the narrow lane, and she and Razor wound their way through the headstones and grave markers just as the sun began to crest the horizon. His gravestone was simple and elegant. Daniel Evan Bradford. Husband, Father, Guardian. Gabi lowered herself into her usual spot on the neatly clipped grass. Her back rested against the gravestone, one leg drawn up, the other stretched out. Many people considered it irreverent to sit on a grave, but Gabi always felt closest to her dad when she did. It brought back memories of curling up in his lap as a child; it was her place of comfort.
“Hey, Dad,” she whispered into the stillness of the dawn air. “Sorry I’ve been a bit scarce lately. Things got a little exciting around here for a while. I hope you’re not disappointed in me.” Razor sat quietly next to her, pressing close enough to her that she could feel his warmth through her T-shirt. “I’ve always thought we were exactly the same, you and me. But this past week has taught me that isn’t true. I can’t put blinkers on when it comes to the human race. I can’t ignore evil no matter what package it comes in. I hope you can understand that.” As the words spilled out of her, the tears finally came, blurring her vision as they coursed silently down her cheeks. Her emotional release was so powerful that she never noticed Razor’s unobtrusive acknowledgement of the dark figure keeping watch over her from the shadows of the cemetery fence.
Julius held his breath when Razor fixed those sharp, citrine eyes on him. But the cat only blinked, as though to let him know his presence had been noted and approved. Julius knew he couldn’t stay much longer. Already the first rays of the sun were spearing deadly fingers across the sky, seeking out the dark and the shadows. He would be safe inside the specially protected Aston Martin, but he was finding it impossible to drag himself away. The sight of her tears, her anguish, her sense of desolation, held him captive. He knew it was probably a good thing that she allowed herself to break down and cry, but found it disquieting that she could only find that release with someone who was long dead and buried. He stood locked in place as an unseen witness to her pain, until a questing ray of sunshine found a gap in the trees and the skin on Julius’s cheek began to redden and blister. His last view of her was her turning her face up to the sun as the tears dried on her cheeks, one hand buried in Razor’s fur and the other picking at the grass on her father’s grave, her lips lifted in a sad but resolute smile.
As he eased the sports car back into the early morning traffic, his cellphone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, very few people had this number, and most of them would be dead to the world right now. It was a foreign number. Julius toyed with ignoring it; it was probably just a wrong number, but something made him push the answer button instead.
“Yes,” he said, his tone brusque.
“Julius,” a male voice greeted him.
Julius almost dropped the phone. He hadn’t heard that voice in decades, perhaps for more than a century, but it was unmistakeable.
“Caspian?” he asked.
“The one and same,” the other man acknowledged.
Julius’s mind was racing. To Julius’s knowledge, Caspian was the only other Vampire who’d been sired by Simone besides himself and his brother. Caspian had been sired over a decade before Julius met Simone. The two men had only met on three occasions and certainly didn’t class themselves as friends. He was a powerful Vampire, though still too young to be a Master.
“How have you been, Julius?” the voice continued. “You seem to have done very well for yourself since you eradicated our Sire.” The voice broke off into a light chuckle. “She never did understand how to play the game, now, did she? It was all about wish fulfilment with dearest Simone.”
“Caspian, is there something I can do for you?” Julius asked. He wasn’t in the mood for chitchat. This wasn’t a social call.
“Hmm,” Caspian mused. “In a hurry, Julius? Is the day sleep calling to you?” His tone was paternally amused.
“No,” Julius responded. “Actually, I’m driving.”
There was a moment of silence on the other side of the line. Caspian reassessing the time zones perhaps, or was he in the City? The other Vampire recovered quickly, but his voice wasn’t quite so jovial anymore.
“I’ve heard some interesting rumours recently,” Caspian said meaningfully. “Did you know that I spent some time visiting with the previous Master of your City? What, it must be nearly thirty years ago now. As payment for my lodgings, I helped clean out a few rogues that had been plaguing the area.” Caspian was silent for a few seconds as he allowed Julius to comprehend what he was saying. “I believe you have something that belongs to me,” the voice declared in a low, fervent whisper.
In that moment, Julius recalled what Caspian’s strength was, and his blood ran cold. Werewolves, Caspian could control Werewolves.
“You’ll never touch her,” he snarled into the phone. The voice started to reply and then cut off. The phone trickled from Julius’s clenched fist, reduced to tiny black and silver particles.
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The first book in the Hellcat Series; A Cat’s Chance in Hell is available at the following places:
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All Hell Breaks Loose Page 33
