She snatched up the bundle of mail that she’d found earlier behind a picture frame. All of them. Every last of one them. Envelopes filled with check stubs from D5, Inc.. Her parents had been receiving payment from the shady organization that had employed her. The same organization that hunted her to this day.
She snatched out another letter, hoping her eyes would tell her a different story. But the evidence was all the same. The checks had been drawn from the same bank and by the very organization that had once paid her a weekly salary for being a tracker.
Her parents had been paid by District 5. But for what?
Shame was an understatement; what she was feeling right now was so much more.
Her fangs lengthened and nicked her bottom lip, reminding her that she wasn’t even human anymore. Her nails dug into her palm, and she swallowed in an attempt to contain her need to lash out. Now wasn’t the time to make rash decisions. She had to process this revelation. The day would come soon enough. She would destroy District 5.
Elaina turned and headed toward the front door, leaving her childhood home behind.
Vicq and two others waited under a tree for her. Like her, they must have caught on to the mounting proof inside the home. She could look none of them in the eye, but could sense the questions on the tips of their tongues.
Sunrise was literally minutes away, but as devoted friends, and despite the evidence, they’d stayed behind. Her newborn vampire skin tingled, warning her of the sun peeking over the trees in the distance. Another of her enemies, so to speak, and she was just learning to tolerate it. She had gone from Donor to fledgling in such a short time.
Logan and Mark stood alongside Vicq with cans of gasoline at their feet. They parted from their huddle and came out from under the tree to meet her on the gravel path leading out to the mailbox. There were about a dozen newspapers strewn across the ground, and she stooped down to pick one up. Most of them were dated almost a year ago. Vicq placed a hand on her shoulder as she scanned the headlines.
Middle-aged couple missing, presumed dead.
And more headlines….
Couple vanishes without a trace from their home. Daughter, only child and heir to estate, unreachable.
Elaina’s belly churned, and she nearly dry-heaved in angst. She feared the inevitable, and she hated not knowing.
“The lighter?” she requested, holding out her hand.
Logan placed a gold lighter on her palm, and he and Mark dissolved instantly as they transported themselves away to safe cover.
“It pains me to see you hurt like this. I would take it away if I could,” Vicq said, coming to stand in front of her.
She closed her eyes and pressed her face against his when he pulled her into his embrace. “I know you would. Nothing will erase what’s happened. We can only move forward, not backward.”
Elaina pulled from his hold and lit one end of the rolled newspaper with the lighter. She hurled the bundle at the trail of gasoline leading to the front door. The fire engulfed the home instantly. Her childhood memories would only exist in her mind. Besides Vicq, memories were all she had now.
* * *
*** Chapter 3
Snow fell lightly over Vicq and Elaina. The surface of the craggy mountaintop where they sat was covered in about two inches of snow. Not much for this time of year, but it still provided a picture perfect setting as Elaina and Vicq looked out across the landscape at the smaller mountains, valleys, and secluded homes.
She leaned back against his chest and stretched her legs out beside his. “I love it out here. It’s so peaceful.”
“Me, too.” He laced his fingers with hers, lifted her hand, and then applied a kiss to the back of it. “I wish I could say we'll stay here forever, but smaller covens often move frequently. Sometimes with every season change.”
“Why?”
“For a lot of reasons. Our location hasn’t been compromised yet, but mistakes are bound to be made when a coven reaches a certain size and continues to grow. And unfortunately, sometimes members move on…either willingly or unwillingly. I’ve never had to banish anyone from my coven. And there haven’t been any traitors in our group since I branched out from the Court.”
“Hmmm…how big is the Dresdan Court?”
"The Court Master has thousands under his command."
“Your coven has grown," she said. "I had no idea how strong your circle was until you initiated me. Melrose, Leila, Leo, Logan, Mark…Brandon, and Eli,” she said, naming some of the most trusted members of his group. “You’re all like family to me now…and probably all I’ve got left.”
Vicq’s breath fanned out against the side of her face and mingled with the cold draft briefly. “Have you ever wanted a family of your own? One with a husband, children…and pets as the humans like to call them?”
Elaina swallowed. It had been so long since she’d reminisced about marriage and baby carriages. Of course, that had been her wish once, but it wasn’t her only desire. She’d always dreamed of helping and leading people when they needed it most. It was a shame that D5 had turned out to be the wrong place for her. But she couldn’t stand by an organization that played dirty, disregarded their ethics code, and killed innocents—both human and vampires.
“Once,” she answered. “A very long time ago.”
“I took that away from you?”
At first, she wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement. She turned slightly and cupped the side of his face in her palm.
“No…you’ve given me more than I could ever ask for. All I wanted to do was help people, but I forgot about helping myself. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be in a vault somewhere. Or on a lab table. Because of you, I’ll continue to help people. I feel it’s my duty now to go back and help others.”
“So, you’ll go back to this place where they experiment on humans and our kind and where they kill innocent children?”
She nodded. “When we met, your mission was to destroy D5 completely, but what you don’t understand is that there are dozens of innocents there who have no idea how corrupt the organization has become. Not everyone there is a killer. I was part of it. You have to trust me on this.”
“Sí. I know. But you can’t do this alone.”
“I can if I have a good enough plan. Getting the truth to those who'll understand is a good start.”
“Once you do, you’ll need the manpower to get the innocents out. I can’t let you run head-on into danger by yourself.”
“But you’ll need your coven members to stand up against any future Russo attacks. You said it yourself, he’ll come for you as soon as he realizes that you still exist.”
“Yes, he'll come. There’s no doubt about it. Do you know what else is certain?”
Elaina waited quietly.
“You'll save dozens of innocents. I know you can, and you will. What’s more important to you? Saving dozens of human lives, or helping one vampire postpone imminent capture?”
She exhaled defeatedly and closed her eyes against the violent gust of wind blasting past them. Why would he even compare himself to anyone else? She couldn’t go through this again. She couldn’t go months—or even weeks—without seeing Vicq, fearing the worst about what had happened to him.
“Your mission has been human continuity all along, sí?”
Before she could answer, a dark shadow unfolded to the left of them. It was Logan.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “But you’ve got to see this.”
“What is it?”
“Breaking news on CNN,” Logan informed them. “It appears the District has caused another scene with multiple casualties, and the incident has been leaked to the press.”
Elaina and Vicq rose, folded with the mist, and then materialized again in front of the TV in the main sanctuary underground.
A handful of coven members were already huddled around the television set. The live broadcast had been paused, but once she and Vicq were in the room, Melrose pushed the p
lay button.”
“…Is this a coincidence or not?” the news anchor asked. “The few residents that live out here on these houseboats are saying that a shootout happened here only a couple of months ago, but the incident wasn’t made public. Suspicious much?” The anchor turned around and motioned to the row of houseboats behind her. “Right behind me is where the most recent incident occurred. The county coroner has confirmed that there were two casualties involved. The victims have not been identified, but the bodies have been claimed and collected by representatives of District 5, Inc., a government funded genetics and human continuity research organization. At this time, District 5, Inc. has declined to give a statement. One man, possibly the assailant and murderer, is said to have escaped and is still on the loose. Video cameras managed to capture a still shot of the man fleeing the scene. Residents have also given their accounts of the incident and descriptions of the assailant.”
An obscure sketch of a male with dark, hooded eyes and a thick beard was displayed on the right corner of the screen. There was a dark shape on his neck that kind of resembled the claws of a scorpion. A tattoo—hidden under the collar of his t-shirt.
Elaina gasped and brought her hand to her lips. Everything about the profile of the assailant resonated with her. “Not true,” she said under her breath.
“I thought you should see this, Elaina,” Melrose said. “Didn’t you live on a houseboat out there? Isn’t that where Vicq got shot?”
“Yes,” Elaina croaked. “That’s where I lived.” She moved closer to the television set. “And there’s crime scene tape around my houseboat.”
Vicq moved closer to her. “Could it have been the same tape from the shootout we were involved in?”
Elaina swallowed and shook her head. “I don’t think they would let the tape hang out there for months. This is a separate incident. Besides, the anchor just implied that the first shootout, the one with you and me, was swept under the rug, just like I thought.”
The news anchor looked down at a sheet of paper and read from it. “If anyone has any information about what happened here or any tips about the person of interest, please call 444-NEW-STIP.”
When the reporter was done and the programming switched to another story, Elaina turned and said, “Melrose, will you rewind that? Go back to the image capture of the male assailant. Pause on the sketch.”
Melrose toggled back and stilled on the picture of the alleged assailant once again.
Elaina’s breath rushed out and she stumbled backward, the chair behind her breaking her fall. She slumped into the seat.
“Elaina?” Vicq called to her, taking her gently by the forearm. “What is it?”
“My dad…” she said, pointing at the television set.
“What about your dad? I thought your parents were dead.”
She pointed again. “The man in the sketch is my dad. Unless this news briefing is from months ago or a hoax…this could mean my parents are very much alive.”
* * *
*** Chapter 4
"YOU'RE SERIOUS, AREN'T YOU? You're going back to that boat," Vicq inquired as Elaina pulled on a pair of leather boots.
"Why wouldn't I? My parents could be alive, after all." She tugged on the strings. "Nothing makes sense to me anymore. I'm tired of not knowing."
"There's nothing left at that houseboat, Elaina. The District probably has spies all over that place, waiting for you to return. Just like you said, this could be a hoax, a setup." He waved his arms wildly in the air. "When was the last time you saw a District incident revealed like that on National television?"
She spun around and folded her arms across her chest. "Never. And you know what that means to me?"
"What?"
"Just like you said, D5 is getting sloppy…and greedy.”
Vicq's gaze swung away from her and across the floor. He knew it was true. It was exactly why he had his followers talking to key individuals, trying to get information on what they knew about what had happened at the District. But he didn't want to admit it just yet because he knew that she wouldn't sit around any longer.
"I'm serious," she continued. "I need answers. I'm tired of waiting around while D5 continues to pick off innocents. If I didn’t believe so many were stuck in their facilities, I would have busted the operation wide open months ago."
"Yes, I know. We need to save as many as we can. But you can't save or help your parents if you bring more attention to them. Or you, for that matter."
"My dad came looking for me. Somehow, he knew I was there. I have to reach him. I need to know why the District was paying him, and why he and my mom just disappeared."
"You reached out to them once right before the District intercepted the call that gave away your location," he said, giving her a knowing look.
She swallowed. "That wasn't the only time I tried to reach them. I sent an unmarked letter once. I wrote a small poem on it that my mom once taught me, and that was it. But that was before I knew they weren't living in the old house anymore."
Vicq groaned.
"I know. I fucked up, but now I know better. If that was my dad in that sketch, then he has the right idea about not using technology. He's also ex-military, so he's extra cautious anyway. I want him to know I'm safe and that he can stop looking for me."
Vicq sighed heavily. "And then what? Once you find them alive…then what? They'll know what you are now. Is that what you want?"
Elaina ran the tip of her tongue along her incisors. How could she have forgotten that she was now bound to follow the Dresdan code? Dresdan were forbidden to reveal their true natures to human civilians unless they planned to kill them or destroy their memories.
"I'll go alone so you don't have to break your code," she said.
He arched an eyebrow. "You know that's not going to happen."
There was a knock at their bedroom door, and Melrose stuck her head in. "Ready?"
"Give us a minute," Elaina said.
When she pulled the door closed, Vicq said, "You were going to do this without me anyway."
"No, but Melrose offered to help when I told her I wanted to go."
Vicq shook his head. "Did you know that Melrose was a convicted felon in her human life?"
Elaina gave a short laugh. "She told me. Former lead guitarist, whose father had ties to the mob. Her entire family was wanted by the FBI. Someone set them up, and she was the only one who got away after the shootout. A Dresdan saved her. Why are you bringing this up?"
"You are alike in many ways. You get each other," he said.
"We weren't always like that. She hated my guts before she met me because she thought I had set you up."
"Yes, she's very loyal." His eyes wandered from Elaina to the closed door and then back again. "In either case, I'm just as much your sidekick as she is, but I like to believe that I am your only lover."
"You're my everything. I will never love anyone as much as I love you."
She slipped her fingers against Vicq's nape, pulling him slightly downward. She opened her lips under his, yielding. A long moment passed before they separated from the kiss, finished getting dressed, collected their belongings, and headed out.
* * *
*** Chapter 5
Elaina, along with four others of her coven, landed a quarter of a mile away from the small houseboat community where she'd lived under D5's radar for months…or so she’d thought. She could only hope that D5 had written her off as lost after the showdown with the trackers they’d sent to bring her in. After all, the trackers—after learning that they couldn’t stop Vicq and his crew from rescuing her—had shot to kill her…and they had.
The night air was bitter, and the instant they all landed, Elaina picked up the scent of gunpowder residue and old blood. It rushed toward them on the wind.
Mark, who'd shifted to the crime scene to check out the area before they moved any farther, flashed back to the clearing where the others waited.
"It's clear," he informed them.
Vicq, Melrose, Logan, and Mark followed her lead as she used her abilities to unfold against the darkness to the entrance of the community. Except for the unwavering sounds of the water ripples pushing against the boats latched to the deck, the atmosphere was mostly devoid of disturbances. Most of the residents had jobs, or only ventured out during the day when they took their sailboats farther out onto the river to fish or enjoy the seclusion.
Many of the slips were vacant. Few houseboats were tied up to the docks. The number of homes seemed to have decreased by almost half. She couldn't help but wonder if the recent incidents were the cause of so many residents moving out.
Elaina continued to breathe in the scents of the night, letting her strongest sense tell the story. Things were different now that she was changed. She didn’t fear for her life—or lack of one. She only feared the unknown.
“The area is clear. That’s for sure,” Logan chimed in. “Either folks are scared shitless and locked up in their homes, or they’ve hauled ass.”
“Both,” Elaina replied. “The residents also move based on the season. Living on a river in the dead of winter is a lot tougher than some are prepared for.”
Despite the biting wind whipping across her skin, Elaina’s body temperature didn’t affect her comfort levels. It had taken some time to get used to her new anatomy, but most everything about changing into a Dresdan was self-explanatory…once one became a vampire. She thought she knew the Dresdan before, but the old saying that it takes one to know one suited her circumstances just fine.
They moved quietly down the dock toward what should have been her houseboat. They took precautions. At the first sign of trouble or the potential for blown cover, they’d shift out. They’d agreed before arrival that they’d come to investigate and avoid any direct run-ins with the law or D5.
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