by Lisa Emme
“Hey, Harry,” Yasmin called as she walked in from the front of the store. “There’s some guy here who says he knows you, and oh!” She turned to find Jonah, who had followed her into the kitchen, standing behind her. “And he’s right here, apparently.”
“Thank you, luv,” Jonah said, giving her a toothy smile.
Yasmin stood uncomfortably swiveling her head from me to Jonah, unsure what to do.
“It’s okay, Yasmin,” I said. “He’s a friend.”
Isaac dusted off his hands and turned to face Jonah. I think he attempted to appear menacing, or at least protective, but that’s kind of hard to do when you’re wearing an apron that makes you look like a buxom babe in a polka-dot bikini. Tess strikes again.
“Jonah,” Isaac said. “I heard you were in town.”
“Isaac! Good to see you, mate.” Jonah grinned at Isaac’s apron.
Isaac, obviously forgetting what he was wearing, glanced down and grunted in surprise, pulling the apron off with a frown.
“And this must be the lovely Christina,” Jonah continued. He gave her a little bow. “Enchanté, mademoiselle.”
Christina smiled at him hesitantly, making me wonder what she knew about him.
“Jonah,” I said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that ensued. “What brings you to my little shop?”
“Just stopping in for a cup of your delicious coffee,” he replied and then turning to Isaac he added, “And another of your delicious butter tarts. You always were the talented cook, my friend.”
BAM! BAM! BAM!
“Miss Harry! Are you there? Open up!”
BAM! BAM! BAM!
“What the hell? What is it now? It’s like Grand Central Station around here tonight.” I ran to the back entrance that led out to the parking lot behind the building, pushing open the heavy door and then stopped in shock. “Henry! Omigod! What happened to you?”
Henry stood in the doorway, blood streaming from a cut in his forehead. He put a hand on the doorframe, his knees buckling.
“Henry!” I grabbed for him, but Jonah pushed me aside, wrapping an arm around Henry’s shoulders to help him through the door.
“Yasmin, grab us a chair,” I said when I noticed her standing at the end of the hall, looking alarmed.
While Jonah propped Henry up, I ducked into the restroom and grabbed a handful of towels.
“Here, use these,” I said, pushing the paper wad against the wound on Henry’s head. “Henry, what happened? Were you with Salvador?”
“Th-They rammed us. Over on the corner of Wentworth. C-c-came out of nowhere. T-boned my side. Couldn’t get my damn door open.” His voice was shaky and breathless.
Yasmin brought the chair and Jonah lowered Henry onto it and then traded a look with Isaac.
“Where is the Magister?” Isaac asked.
“They took him. I-I couldn’t stop them. They used some sort of machine, like one of them jaws things you see on TV, and tore the door right off the car. I-It happened so fast.”
“What was Salvador even doing out this way?" I wondered aloud.
“He was coming to visit you. Bringing you an apology present for standing you up the other night.”
“We’ll have to worry about that later,” Jonah interrupted. “Did you see who took him? How many were there?”
“I don’t know, four or five. One of them was a magic user. He did something to the Magister, froze him or something, and they forced him to drink this.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small bottle, handing it to Jonah.
“Colloidal Silver,” he said, reading the label.
“Liquid silver?"
“Silver suspended in distilled water. It won’t kill Salvador but enough of it will cause harm,” Isaac said. He turned to Christina, who was on her cellphone talking quietly to someone. “The pack?”
“On their way,” she replied.
“What about Tomas, Henry? Does he know?”
“Yes, I called him immediately, but then one of them noticed what I was doing and took my phone and gave me this.” He pointed to his head. “I came straight here afterwards. It’s only been maybe ten minutes.”
Isaac and Jonah traded another mysterious look.
“We have to hurry,” Jonah said.
“Yes,” Isaac agreed. “Harry, grab your sword. We have to get to Dante’s.”
“Why? What’s going on? Who would kidnap Salvador?”
“I’ll answer your questions in the car,” Isaac said, grabbing me by the arm and pushing me towards the back door.
“But what about Henry? He’s hurt.”
“I’ll make sure he gets any medical attention he needs,” Christina answered.
“Harry, you must go,” Jonah said. “It’s important.”
“I should call Nash–”
“He already knows. You’ll see him there.” Christina knelt beside Henry and lifted the towels from his head. “Go, Harry. There isn’t much time.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Okay, somebody better tell me what the hell is going on, besides the obvious, I mean.”
I couldn’t believe someone had the audacity to abduct Salvador. They must have had a death wish because I couldn’t see what they hoped to gain. Was it some sort of attempted coup?
“Salvador’s abduction opens up a power vacuum that must be filled,” Isaac said from behind the wheel of his Escalade. Jonah was riding shot gun, leaving the back seat for me and my katana.
“Won’t Tomas step in until we get Salvador back?" The thought that Salvador wouldn’t survive to return gave me an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was actually worried about him. “He’s Salvador’s second,” I continued, pushing away the worry. “Isn’t that his job?”
“Yes, but it’s not that easy,” Jonah replied. “You’re new to the vampire world and probably don’t realize how extraordinary Salvador is. He rules the largest territory in all of North America, but even with his powers, his rule is tenuous. There are always factions among vampire populations vying to upset the power balance. Lately, there has been more unrest and dissention because not everyone agrees with how Salvador has been ruling, especially among the older purists.”
“You mean the old codgers who act like it’s still the sixteenth century and think norms are nothing more than convenient packaging for their next meal?”
“Exactly,” Jonah replied with a grin. “Pretty and smart. You’re the full deal, luv.”
“Are you seriously flirting with me right now?”
“You always were incorrigible, Jonah,” Isaac replied.
“Can we focus on what the big crisis is that’s more important than even getting Salvador back?" I was still confused.
“Tomas will hopefully be arriving at Dante’s if he’s not already there. He will try to step in and take Salvador’s place, but there will be challengers. Tomas is too new to go unchallenged. We must act swiftly to ensure he is able to don the role Salvador would want him to.” Isaac shook his head slowly in thought. “The timing seems too perfect.” He turned to Jonah. “Would you know something about that?”
“You know who’s behind Salvador’s abduction, don’t you,” I said, the light finally dawning. “That’s why you’re here. You were tracking whoever it is.” I frowned at Jonah. “If you knew something was going to happen, why didn’t you try and stop it?”
“I honestly never expected something like this. We never suspected Salvador was in danger.”
“No, you thought it would be Harry,” Isaac replied. He sounded angry. “And yet you never thought to warn us.”
Jonah shrugged. “We weren’t sure and the Magister didn’t want to alarm her unnecessarily. She was never far from my sights.”
“What! You’ve been stalking me?”
“Merely watching over you.”
“Using her as bait, more like,” Isaac growled. I don’t think I’d ever heard him sound so angry. Of course, he was metaphysically programmed to consider my sa
fety first and foremost.
“If you were tracking these people, why didn’t you just go and arrest them or whatever it is you do.”
Jonah sighed in frustration. “I would have if I could have found them. They’re not working alone. They have a magical ally. One that can hide their whereabouts, even from me.”
“Great. Just what we need. Another rogue mage.”
Isaac pulled up in front of Dante’s and came to a stop. I adjusted my katana across my back – it’s not easy sitting in a car with a sword on your back – and hopped out. I frowned at the sidewalk in front of the club. It was empty. Usually by this time of night there would be a line halfway around the block.
“Where the hell is everyone?”
“Tomas must have already arrived. He would have ordered the club closed,” Isaac replied, coming to stand beside me. He took my arm, his face serious. “No matter your differences with Tomas, it is important that we form a united front. You, as Salvador’s daughter and true heir–”
“Wait a minute, I’m not his heir. I don’t want to be king, trust me.”
“All the more reason to show your support for Tomas then.”
“Works for me,” I replied. “Let’s get this party started.”
We entered the building, using the door that led downstairs through the warren of hallways beneath the club. The halls, usually filled with the sounds emanating from the rooms of the sex club, were eerily quiet. Jonah led the way and I was glad because I always managed to get turned around and had to backtrack to find my way to the audience chamber.
The large double doors to the chamber stood open and we could hear the rabble of raised voices as we approached. Jonah stepped to the side, allowing me to go first. I glanced at him, but his face was grim. I wondered who everyone else saw when they looked at him now. Was he Jonah, or someone else?
“It’s all me, luv,” Jonah replied in my head.
“Will you quit doing that? It’s just plain rude.”
“Look who’s here,” a voice said from my left. “Daddy’s not here to protect you now, witch.”
I turned towards the voice. The speaker was a vampire I recognized as one of the hangers-on from upstairs in the club. He was runway-model gorgeous dressed in Goth attire and had a clutch of sycophants hanging off his every word, but he barely registered as a vampire on my radar.
“When did they start letting cutters down here?” I said, raising my voice.
“Why, you little bitch,” he growled.
“Please, like I care if some nobody calls me names. We have more important things to do right now than waste our time with wannabes like you.”
I turned away, but reached for my katana, expecting the vampire to take offense and attack me. I heard a hiss and there was a gurgling sound followed by a wet thud. I spun around, my katana sliding from its scabbard, only to stop short. Jonah was meticulously wiping his hands off on the now headless corpse at his feet.
“Don’t worry, Harry,” he said, gesturing to my sword. “I’ve got your back.”
Wide-eyed, I glanced from Jonah to Isaac. Isaac, unfazed, merely shrugged. Jonah grinned back at me. I moved to put my katana away, but then thought the better of it. The crowd would part a lot faster if I had my sword in my hand.
“Let’s go,” I said. The sooner we got this business settled the sooner we could go after Salvador.
The crowd was thickest near the dais, but as I predicted, my katana allowed us to pass through like a hot knife through butter. Tomas and another vampire were at the epicentre of the chaos in front of Salvador’s raised stage. They appeared to be locked in a test of wills, both holding back their supporters who appeared ready to brawl.
“You must let Tomas resolve–” Isaac began, but I didn’t let him finish.
“Bloody hell,” I said, raising my voice. “We don’t have time for this vampire shit.”
“You don’t belong here, witch!” someone shouted from the crowd.
“Yeah, you have no rights here.”
The crowd started grumbling. A tall, dark-skinned woman pushed her way forward through the crowd, shouting.
“We don’t have to suffer this witch any longer. Her blasphemous powers are an affront to all things vampyr! We should kill the witch!” She raised a fist and began chanting. “Kill the witch. Kill the witch. Kill the w–”
I’m sure she would have said more, but that’s a little hard to do when you head is rolling across the floor. I wiped my now bloodied blade on her sleeve before her corpse even began to topple over.
“Anyone else got a problem with me they’d like to settle?" I paused for a moment, holding my katana menacingly, but there were no takers. I glanced at Jonah who grinned and gave me a look that made my girly-parts tingle. Geez, was he seriously still flirting? Now?
Shaking my head and getting back to the task at hand, I glared at the crowd and growled, “No? Well, fucking fantastic. How about we give this shit a rest then and concentrate on finding the Magister?”
I turned to Tomas and the other vampire. “Tomas, will you quit playing around already and kill the moron.”
Tomas grinned and in a blur, leapt at the other vampire. He plunged his hand through the man’s chest and tore out his heart, holding it aloft in triumph.
“For a minute there, I thought you were going to spoil all my fun, Russo,” he said with a grin.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. How about you take your seat and let’s put this circus to bed.”
Tomas reached out and someone handed him a cloth to clean his hands, and then he mounted the dais, moving to stand in front of Salvador’s chair. The crowd suddenly hushed as two dozen werewolf enforcers arrived, filing out from behind the stage to flank Tomas on either side.
“Listen up,” I shouted. “The Magister chose Tomas to be his second-in-command. Tomas has my full support as he should yours. It was what Salvador expected. To do less would be to betray the oath you pledged to the Magister.”
I turned to Tomas and he nodded at me and then sank down in the seat.
The crowd murmured, in some places erupting into pockets of applause, but they soon changed to sounds of alarm when a flash of bright light appeared in the centre of the room.
When the light faded, four cloaked figures stood in its place. The crowd gasped. Beside me, Jonah tensed, his fists clenched.
The leader of the little group, at least I assumed he was the leader because the others deferred to him, pushed back his hood and raised his arms, demanding silence. “I see we are right on time. Wonderful.” The crowd gasped again and began murmuring. Obviously, some of the vampires in the audience must have recognized him, but I didn’t care who he was, because my eyes were fixed on the slight, blonde figure behind him.
“Deirdre!” I hissed. What the hell was my mother, for lack of a better word, doing here? She noticed my attention and smiled slyly at me. With a growl, I took a step towards her, but Isaac’s hand wrapped around my arm.
“Wait,” he said. “Let us see how this plays out.”
“But…” I huffed out a breath. Isaac was right. I couldn’t just rush over there.
“Drago,” Tomas was saying. “I don’t recall being informed of your intentions to travel to North America.”
“I do not need your permission, you little upstart.”
“Another friend of Tomas’s, I see,” I muttered under my breath to Isaac. He grunted, but didn’t reply.
“What do you want, Drago?" Tomas sneered, feigning disinterest.
“Something I value has been taken from me. I will have it returned, if you want to see your precious Magister again. Deliver it and the half-breed witch to me at sundown two days hence.”
The crowd gasped and it felt like all eyes turned to me. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to sigh dramatically. Why is it these days, when shit goes down, it has to involve me? Instead, I ignored everyone else and took a closer look at the man called Drago.
Dressed in a black cloak over black clothes, ther
e was something off about him, like he was somehow misshapen or trying to hide something. The right side of his face, half-hidden by his jet-black hair, was equally misshapen and scarred, reminding me of a burn victim.
I closed my eyes, casting out my senses to read him and his companions.
Magic!
“Look out!” I shouted in warning, I don’t know to whom. “There’s a spell being cast.”
Deirdre gaped at me in shock and then scowled. The others in her little group closed rank around Drago and, with another flash of light, they were gone. Translocated away in the same manner they had arrived.
“No!” Jonah shouted, rushing to the centre of the room. He threw his hands up in frustration.
The room suddenly filled with the sound of buzzing and beeping as multiple cell phones all went off at the same time.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I glanced around the room as both Tomas and Isaac answered their phones. “Now what?”
Chapter Eighteen
He’s been taken.
I replayed the words in my head, but they didn’t make sense. First Salvador and then the members of the Triad – that was what everyone’s cell phones had been ringing about. Drago and his crew had used the turmoil caused by Salvador’s abduction as a distraction so they could swoop in and take the leaders of the werewolves too.
And then my phone rang. It was Tess.
“Harry, I’m so sorry.”
“What’s wrong? I heard about Eleanor and the others.”
“Everything is nuts here, but I needed to make sure you knew. That you’d heard.”
“Heard what?”
“It’s Nash.”
“What about him?”
“He’s been taken………Harry? Harry, are you there? Are you okay?”
“Tell me what happened.”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there. I just know there was an attack at Eleanor’s house. Nash and her guards were there. It’s protocol after something big like Salvador’s kidnapping. There was a fight and both Eleanor and Nash were taken.”
There was another long pause while I digested the information Tess was giving me.
