“My request to get in was denied.” He eyed her closely.
“Yes, and that’s why I haven’t killed Mr. Austin yet.” She paused, feeling a sharp pinch in her chest. She looked down, glaring at the stake Kenneth held in his left hand.
“Can never be too careful,” he whispered.
“You know I could kill you before you have the chance to strike.” She moved back. “But I need you to get in.”
“He still dies.” Kenneth pointed to Mr. Austin. “But only after I give you what you want. The Brotherhood needs to know he’s still alive. We have to play this card as straight as possible.”
“Sure, but only if you get what I want.” She then pulled back. “I’ll choke you with your own entrails if you ever raise your stake to me again.”
He dropped the stake and it hit the floor in a dull thud. “I’ll get you that piece.”
Selene’s eyes narrowed. “You better, researcher.”
The elevator reached the basement floor and the door slowly opened. In front of them several mercenaries, all dressed in black, stood a few feet away in front of a huge steel door, armed with stakes and machine guns.
“Lucius hates waiting as much as I do.” Selene grabbed Mr. Austin’s arm and dragged him out of the elevator. She took a few steps before dropping his arm and placed her hands on her hips.
He hesitated to leave the elevator but he had to show the mercenaries standing guard that he wasn’t the perpetrator but also a victim. He finally stepped out and dropped to his knees, lowering his head in premeditated fear.
“If you pathetic humans want to see him unharmed, then I suggest you lower your stakes,” Selene threatened.
Kenneth had been down to the lower level before but he didn’t remember seeing the steel doors. To the right of them, he saw a small hand placement pad for fingerprint identification. He grew curious on what the Archives looked like. Now he had the chance to find out.
He spoke. “Please, stand down. She will kill Mr. Austin.”
The researchers lingered in their movements. He heard a distant thud of a stake hitting the ground. Soon they all followed suit and they dropped their weapons. Selene took hold of Mr. Austin’s arm again and she dragged his body up to the door with Kenneth in tow. When they approached the door Kenneth watched her place her hand on the steel door, feeling its smooth texture.
“What I want is located behind these doors.” She looked over her shoulder at Kenneth and the researchers. “You all have four days to find the tablet piece your ancestors stole from us years ago.” She placed Mr. Austin’s hand up to the pad. The pad emitted a red line that moved right to left then left to right. There was a large beep followed by the sound of the metal door unlocking.
Selene dropped Mr. Austin’s body and she used her Deamhan strength to push open the doors revealing a lower level surrounded by thick walls of concrete that rivaled anything Kenneth had ever seen.
Kenneth eyed the multiple rows of books, placed only a few feet apart from each other. They were filled to the brim in huge leather bound books. In the far back, in a glass case, were large vases, metallic weapons, and portraits. He stepped forward, letting the damp air infiltrate his nostrils. No one had been down here in a long time.
“If I were you, I’d get started.” Selene folded her hands across her chest.
Kenneth turned to her, his eyes bulging. “I don’t even know where to start.” His eyes investigated the area.
“Four days, Kenneth.” Selene let out a quick smile and she knelt down, gripping Mr. Austin’s right hand. “And if any of you are thinking of a rescue, this should persuade you not to.” Her eyes turned completely dark again and in an instant she used her Deamhan strength, pulled at Mr. Austin’s right hand, and separated it from his body by the wrist.
Blood splattered on Kenneth’s face and chest and he turned away. He convulsed but held in his bile. He heard the mercenaries gasp around him.
Selene handed the severed hand to Kenneth and she grabbed Mr. Austin again by his incapacitated arm, heading for the elevator. “If any of you attempt to follow me, he dies.” She walked to the elevator and spoke again. “You’re going to need his hand to get back in so you might want to bag that and put it on ice.”
Kenneth stood up and he closely watched her. Before the elevator doors closed, he opened his mind to communicate with her.
I will get you the piece in four days.
Selene smiled.
Then you can kill him.
She nodded as the elevator doors closed.
1
DARK CURSE. DEAMHAN CHRONICLES #2
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Remy walked down the stark and empty hallway of Blind Bluff Manor, glancing at the tall curtains slightly swinging as he passed by. He stopped intermittingly, eying the decorative paintings on the wall. Besides studying the Deamhan, Nathan also collected antiques in his spare time. These pictures on this particular wall had been there since he first stepped foot in the manor and when he looked over them again, he always found something new to admire.
He’d grown used to hearing Hallie roaming the hall, watching Anastasia standing silently near the paned windows, staring at the outside scenery, and Veronica locking herself in her room. Veronica was careful to hide her thoughts. It became second nature to her. However, in her room, she often relaxed and that’s when Remy found his way in.
Her jumbled thoughts consisted of her mother, her father, and Deamhan. Although she told Nathan she was fine after learning that Kei and her father participated in her mother’s death, deep inside she wanted revenge against those responsible without feeling like a killer herself.
He wanted to bring her the good news. After Anastasia left Dark Sepulcher, Lambert told him everything he knew about Kei; where he hid and how Selene and Lucius continued to track him. He also warned Remy about Selene and Lucius. They weren’t the saviors they previously claimed to be. Selene still followed Lucius blindly and she was seen at the Brotherhood Chapter in Minneapolis. If it was true that also meant that Lucius was aware of her visit as well. Remy decided to find his old friend, Ollie, who, because of the recent killings, went into hiding. Unlike Lambert, Ollie had all the inside information when it came to Deamhan affairs. Lambert gave Remy a location of Ollie’s last known whereabouts, Dinkytown, and sent him on his way.
He stopped by the front door of Anastasia’s room and he slowly opened it.
Anastasia was the secretive Deamhan who treated her room like her own private sanctuary. Her room had all the elements taken from sanctuaries that Remy only read about. The thick black drapes covering the windows came from the sanctuary in Switzerland, which Anastasia and her sire once lived in. Unlike Nathan’s display of ancient Roman artifacts on the walls and in the foyer of the Manor, Anastasia kept the walls of her room bare. Books about dragons, ancient gods and goddesses, and many other mythical creatures sat on shelves of her six tiered bookcase. Nathan once said that Anastasia loved their intricate and flawless designs of these beasts. However, Remy knew there was more to Anastasia than what only Nathan and the others knew. Anastasia was a killer and a good one at that.
Remy’s maker, Julian, told stories about her, warning Remy of the dangers Ramanga Deamhan possessed. Anastasia roamed the countryside with her maker, killing humans and Deamhan. Julian said Anastasia took pleasure in each kill, sometimes spending hours torturing and draining her human victims. She enjoyed watching the horrified looks on the faces of children while she slaughtered their parents. Hearing all of this didn’t make Remy scared of Anastasia. Instead he wanted to seek her out.
He walked toward the back of the room to the door that led to the balcony. He slid his hand over the drapes covering the door, realizing that they felt dusty and crude, before opening the door. The moon was at its apex, high in the sky, and its glow illuminated the yard below. It wasn’t even midnight yet. There was still time to enjoy the night.
“What are you doing here?”
Remy turned around, finding b
oth Hallie and Veronica standing in the doorway, feverishly staring back at him. Dressed in a tan shirt and jeans and also sporting a red baseball cap, Hallie looked strangely different than what Remy was used to seeing her wear. Veronica looked lovelier than ever, dressed in a tight-fitting red shirt and blue jeans. He imagined his hands upon her hips, gently moving up and down, just to cop a feel.
Veronica moved to the edge of Anastasia’s bed and she glanced down at the mattress. A slight gust of wind blew past her and she looked up, seeing Remy who had moved in Deamhan speed now standing near her.
“If Anastasia found you in here she’d kill you.” Hallie closed the door and she took off her baseball cap, tossing it on the bed.
“I don’t care,” Remy replied. He didn’t understand her silent respect for Anastasia. She ordered Hallie around, refused to let Hallie leave the manor, and most importantly she wouldn’t let the poor girl kill any human to feed. Anastasia made her stick to the four legged animals around Blind Bluff Manor. Not to mention that she almost killed Hallie during their first encounter because her existence went against one stupid rule in The Dictum which read ‘Siring a Deamhan at a young age is strictly forbidden.’
Remy knew that Hallie, a Metusba, needed the aura of a human--and quite often—to survive. Hell, every Deamhan needed to feed on a human once in their immortal lifetime. It was a sign of growing up; like parents buying a car for their teenage children as a high school graduation present. Hallie hadn’t experienced that yet and she needed to be taught.
“Where is Anastasia anyway?” Veronica stepped back as Remy approached her, his face blank and emotionless. His dark and ever growing shadow blocked the moonlit area that she stood in. Veronica fidgeted as he remained close to her. She was still nervous. He hoped to change that once he revealed to her what he found out about Kei.
“Probably out, killing.” His lips curled into a smile. “Are you worried about her?”
“No, she just hasn’t been here in a few days.”
Remy stepped back with a slight hint of swag in his step. “Cheer up my dear. I’m here.”
Veronica huffed. “That makes me feel much better.” She rolled her eyes.
“Well, you should be.” He again moved forward, forcing her to move back. “I got the information that you need.”
“About Kei?” Her brows curved downward and her eyes drilled into Remy.
“Maybe.”
Hallie sat on Anastasia’s bed. “I thought no one could touch Kei?”
“Says Anastasia.” He continued to move forward, backing Veronica into the wall. He moved in close and placed his cold palm on the side of her cheek. “But since when do I follow rules?”
Veronica moved his hand. “What did you find out?”
“Lucius and Selene returned to Minneapolis days ago.” He moved his hand back to her cheek. Her skin feels so soft, so...lovely. “That’s the word on the street.”
Again, Veronica acted but this time he gripped her wrist. “Remove your hand.” Her voice grumbled deeply.
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll remove it for you.” She swallowed hard. “I’m not scared of you.”
“Your racing heartbeat says different.”
She immediately shut her eyes and Remy picked up on her thoughts.
Dumbass, what the hell am I saying? Questioning him is useless. Why in the hell am I even listening to him? Can I trust him?
There were only a few things that a Deamhan wanted when it came to a human: eating, torturing, and the unfathomable, loving. From the way he acted since they met, the first two were out of the question. But the idea that he couldn’t love came back to him and he repeated the same words to make himself believe otherwise. I love her. I love her.
“For you to have been raised in The Brotherhood you are extremely clueless.” He released his grip. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about us. Things that would’ve helped you in your search for your mother.”
“Well there’s a lot that you don’t know about me.”
“I know everything about you.” He slammed his hand against the wall, missing Veronica’s head by inches. She slid away from Remy and she hurried across the room to the door. She stopped just before the threshold and turned back to look at Remy who now leaned against the wall with a devilish spark in his eye.
“What I do know about Deamhan is that they can’t be trusted.”
“That’s true.” He stepped forward. “We can’t. However, this time I’m not lying. I do have information about Kei.”
She exhaled and walked back into the room. “Well, what’d you find out?”
He smiled and turned to Hallie who proved to be a distraction to his thought-out plot. “Don’t you have something teenage-related to do?”
“No, I don’t.” Hallie held her head high and flicked back her dreadlocks with her right hand. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Still curious, Veronica spoke up. “So, what is it? What did you find out?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Remy answered.
“What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?”
“Let’s just say there’s a reason you haven’t seen Anastasia in a few nights. Whatever Selene and Lucius are up to isn’t in the best interest of anyone, Deamhan, human or vamp. We have to find Kei. He might know what they’re planning.”
“So you want to interrogate Kei?” Veronica stood up from the bed and her eyes narrowed.
“Aren’t you a little curious to know what game Lucius and Selene are playing?”
“No, not really.”
“You should be,” Remy replied. “After all, your mother was once in love with Lucius—” He stopped in mid-sentence. His Deamhan hearing picked up on the sound of tires moving over the gravel driveway in the front of the manor. Someone was here and he didn’t know who.
“What’s that noise?” Hallie’s eyes expanded to the size of quarters.
He lifted his finger for silence. “A car radio.” He tilted his head to the side, using his pristine hearing. “A male voice.” He inhaled deeply through his nostrils. “A human. What in the hell is a human doing here?” Getting Veronica to side with him and beg him for information had to wait, for now.
He hurried out of the room, briskly walking by Veronica with Hallie following close behind. They slowed their pace when they reached the balcony where again Remy inhaled, taking in the scent again.
Veronica jogged up to them.
“It’s a cop,” Remy whispered. “What the hell is a cop doing here?”
“How do you know it’s a cop?” Hallie asked. “You can smell that?”
“No Hallie. It’s his thoughts.”
Befuddled, Veronica said. “What do you think he wants?”
Remy concentrated. “I don’t think he’s working for The Brotherhood.” He then pushed Hallie away from the balcony. “You. Stay out of sight.”
They heard a knock and he smoothed back his hair and headed down the stairs with Veronica following him. Before opening the door he paused and looked up to the balcony, making sure Hallie was nowhere to be seen. He then whispered to Veronica, “You speak and I’ll continue to peek in his brain.”
She nodded and she took a deep breath before opening the front door. An older, bald male stood, smiling back at them. He wore a white polo shirt and khaki pants. Underneath his left arm he held a small brown portfolio. Standing behind Veronica, Remy saw past the cop’s plain clothes attire.
“Can I help you?” Veronica asked.
The male quickly glanced up at her. “Good evening. Sorry to intrude. I’m Detective. Garrett. I’m looking for a Nathan Tiernan.”
“He’s out of state visiting relatives. Can I help you?”
“Yeah. Can I come in?”
Veronica looked to Remy who smiled and nodded.
“Sure, come right in.” Remy stepped aside. A detective?
The detective smiled and walked in. He stood in the foyer, next to the bronze statue of the statue of th
e Greek god Mars. He squatted and examined the intricate detail of the statue’s feet. “This is amazing.” His eyes moved onto the next statue and while preoccupied, Remy looked up toward the balcony, seeing Hallie peeking around the corner.
“Nathan loves to collect statues,” Veronica said to the detective.
The detective nodded and stood up. “Again, I’m sorry to disturb you but I’m from the Minneapolis downtown precinct. I just have a couple of question for Mr. Tiernan. When do you think he’ll be back?”
His thoughts came to Remy easily. He wasn’t lying. He was the lead detective on a case involving two mutilated bodies found at a burnt home in Minneapolis. Multiple witnesses saw a woman with dark hair leaving the home shortly after sunset; a woman who closely resembled Anastasia’s likeness.
Veronica shrugged. “Maybe a week or two, I’m not sure. His cousin is sick.” She thought. “He’s in the hospital.”
“Oh, well I’m sorry to hear that,” Detective Garrett held out his hand to Remy, “may I ask what your name is?”
“Julius Tiernan. I’m his brother.” They shook hands and the detective questioned Veronica. Quickly, Remy spoke in her thoughts. You’re my wife, Deanna. “And this is my wife, Deanna.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” Detective Garrett shook her hand. He opened his brown portfolio and he pulled out a drawn sketch. “We received reports of a woman fitting this description who’s been seen here. Does she look familiar?”
Veronica stared at the pencil drawn sketch and immediately shook her head. “No, I haven’t seen that person before.”
Remy placed his arm around her shoulder. “I haven’t either, detective.”
“Well, when he gets back could you please let him know I stopped by?” Detective Garrett reached into his pocket, pulling out a small business card. “He can reach me at that number.” Veronica took the card.
Dark Curse (Deamhan Chronicles Book 2) Page 13
