by R. J. Blain
“I seem to recall you almost took off a vampire’s head with your sword. That counts as knowing how to use it. I will see if I can arrange for a permanent extension of your license.”
“I’m pretty sure swords aren’t supposed to be used like baseball bats, Rob.”
“If it works, don’t knock it. Want something to drink?”
“Can you poison Kenneth?”
Rob snorted. “Unfortunately not. Fresh out of poison today, Miss Daegberht. There are rules in polite society, and offering drinks has a certain etiquette to it. Poisoning is a very subtle art and never done on a first meeting at a new location.”
“Pity.”
“I recommend champagne. It’s tart, refreshing, and shouldn’t go straight to your head.” Rising, Rob paused long enough to give me one final kiss before heading towards the bar and Colby’s hiding spot. I followed after him, sliding onto one of the stools while he pulled down a bottle from the rack and four tall, narrow glasses. “Keep on your feet so they don’t have a chance to claim a seat beside you.”
Shuddering at the thought of being close to either Kenneth or his dae, I obeyed. “Right. Thanks.”
The knock at the door sent a chill sweeping through me. Rob pulled out his phone, pressed a few buttons, and the door opened with a click, allowing Kenneth Smith and his dae, Jacob, to enter.
Both were dressed in their best suits. Rob slid a filled flute to me, set the champagne bottle on the bar, and intercepted the two. They exchanged terse pleasantries, shook, and joined me at the bar.
I kept Rob between me and the two men. Both stared at me, and their scrutiny unnerved me almost as much as Kenneth’s scowl.
“An interesting choice of location, Mr. Lucrage,” Kenneth said, sliding onto the second stool at the bar. Jacob took the one on the end, leaving Rob to sit beside my boss. “I appreciate the privacy for this matter. In actuality, this is a better location than my residence. There are often too many listening ears there.”
Rob’s last name was Lucrage? I masked my interest and surprise by taking a sip of my champagne. It was tart and refreshing, and I liked the way the bubbles played over my tongue.
“Let’s get down to business. Why do you want Miss Daegberht working with the police?”
“It’s an opportunity beneficial to both of us. You’d learn about trade law changes before they happen, and I would hear about any raids on my operations before they happen. It’s very simple. Her placement would allow me to plan which operations I allow the police to bust to keep her presence inside secret, which minimizes my losses. I’m sure you could find plenty of ways to use her on the inside, too.”
“You’re making the assumption I don’t already have someone inside,” Rob stated, and I straightened at the subtle amusement in his voice. “While I’m in the business of information, I have better—different—sources. I’m not necessarily against the idea, but I have conditions.”
“I’m listening.”
“First, should you make so much as a single attempt to drug or influence Miss Daegberht in any fashion, I won’t simply ruin you. I’ll make certain you won’t be able to rise above the lowest caste for the rest of your days, assuming you live long enough to hit the bottom. I’ve acquired a sample of the drug, and I’m in the process of having it analyzed. As long as you play by my rules, I’ll pretend your new narcotic doesn’t exist. Cross me, and every bit of information I have on it will mysteriously arrive at a police station along with a small sample of the drug and a list of compounds capable of neutralizing it. My employees have found a few.”
Kenneth sucked in a breath. “Where did you get it?”
“That would be compromising my source, Mr. Smith. That said, I very much enjoyed some of the benefits of your narcotic, although I found the second phase to be repulsive at best. Do you have a version without such negative side effects?”
“There is a trial version of it,” Kenneth confirmed. “The second phase of the drug is necessary at this point, as it prevents other rather unpleasant side effects.”
“Explain,” Rob ordered.
“Without the neutralizer, which reverses the first phase of the drug, it causes severe psychosis. This leads to violent behavior in some, suicide in others, and in a limited number of test subjects, unexplained death.”
The cold, factual way Kenneth spoke chilled me to the bone. To cover my dismay and growing horror, I took a sip of my champagne. “More of the drug pushes back phase two, correct?”
Kenneth leaned back so he could look at me around Rob. “That’s the idea. There has been limited testing on what will happen if someone takes more of the drug to bypass the second phase.”
“The question of the hour is this: does it work on dae or only the unawakened?” Rob asked.
“It seems to work on anything with a central nervous system, dae included.” Kenneth reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, which he set on the bar. “It has been developed in several forms for use, and it’s almost ready for public release.”
The box contained several tiny pills, a small vial of red fluid, and a vial full of pink powder. I clenched my teeth, shivering at the memory of how damned good the drug had made me feel before I had crashed and burned.
The high, as always, hadn’t been worth the fall, yet I craved the sensations all the same.
“The twelve hour high and all of its benefits are very impressive, but the second phase of the narcotic leaves a lot to be desired.” Rob reached for the champagne and poured into the three remaining flutes. After a moment of hesitation, Kenneth and Jacob each claimed one. “What sort of drug do you have to counter phase two? I assume that’s the point of your little scheme. You hook people in with the high and charge a fortune to get rid of phase two without the resulting psychosis. Am I correct?”
Kenneth chuckled, and what should have been a pleasant sound sent chills creeping up and down my spine. “Your reputation as a shrewd businessman is well earned, Mr. Lucrage. You’re correct. There is a second drug meant to be used in conjunction with this one. It speeds up phase two and masks the pain symptoms. It doesn’t provide a high, but it does numb the user and suppresses any cravings for more of the drug. I have been using the development of this medication as a cover for my drug operations. This drug is registered as a rehabilitation tool, as it eases cravings in those who have become addicted to a variety of substances, including hospital-grade pain killers.”
“Clever,” Rob acknowledged, pausing to sip his champagne. “You want Miss Daegberht in position so you can have warning if the police are about to stumble onto your operations.”
“Correct.”
“I will consider it, but you won’t like the price, Mr. Smith.”
“I’m listening.”
“She’s mine, and you will not make any further attempts to take her away from me. You left her apartment alive because I might have use for you. Am I understood?”
While I was aware it was an illusion of my mind’s making, I could’ve sworn the temperature in the room dropped below the freezing point. I let out the breath I was holding and crossed my eyes to check for the telltale puff of white at the end of my nose, but my breath remained invisible.
I couldn’t tell who frightened me more: Rob or Kenneth.
“I will leave our relationship strictly business.” Kenneth’s voice was equally cold, and all I wanted was to get out of the line of fire before they remembered I was still present. He picked up his champagne flute and drank it back, tapping the empty glass to the bar. His dae hesitated, but followed Kenneth’s lead a moment later.
“You won’t force or supply her with any more drugs, either—I will consider you using addiction as outside of allowable business.”
“Understood.”
“Do you have anything else you wish to discuss?”
“Jacob will be presenting himself to work with the police as well, although in a different capacity than the low-ranked unawakened can obtain. I thought you’d appreciate know
ledge of his placement.”
“The rules applying to you also apply to him. She’s off limits. Neither one of you or any of your associates will touch her, and you will conduct business as professionals. It might be best if you two pretend you don’t know her. If you want a dog to perform tricks for you, visit a pet shop or hire a dae with a fur coat.” Rob leaned against the bar, relaxing as though the two men weren’t a threat. “Should she be hired, I will inform you at my leisure.”
Neither Kenneth nor Jacob bothered with any pleasantries, excusing themselves with silent, terse nods. When they were gone, Rob laughed, pointing at the empty flutes of champagne.
“What’s so funny?” I demanded, pushing my glass away warily.
“Aphrodisiac, Miss Daegberht. Tasteless, odorless, and it has a reasonably slow onset. He’s not the only one who plays the game. I wonder how close of a relationship those two have.” Rob checked his watch. “I guess they’ll find out in a couple of hours.”
I slapped my hands over my mouth, my eyes widening as I stared at the four glasses on the bar. “You didn’t! How did you do it? I didn’t see you drug any of them.”
“They both looked for residue in the glasses. They wouldn’t believe for an instant I’d risk drugging you, so they picked their glasses first, and I took the last, which is a good way of preventing casual poisonings.”
“You didn’t put any aphrodisiac in the glasses,” I muttered.
Rob grinned at me and finished off his champagne. “I didn’t put anything in the glasses, but I did put it in the champagne before I poured it. I thought you wouldn’t mind an energetic evening with me, knowing you’d be ensuring Kenneth and his dae had just as energetic of an evening together. It should kick in right before bed time, and from my understanding, they have no one else living with them right now.”
I slumped over the bar, torn between screaming my head off at him for making such a ludicrous plan or laughing until I cried at the thought of Kenneth at the mercy of a drug.
Laughter won. “Payback’s a bitch.” I drank down the rest of my champagne and eyed the rest of the bottle. “Just how much did you put in the bottle?”
Rob picked up the champagne, went to the sink, and poured the rest down the drain. “Enough neither one of us are having any more of it. I also have a counter for it in case you’d rather not experience the marvels of medication. I assure you it doesn’t have any addictive compounds. I wanted to warn you, but I didn’t want to accidentally reveal my hand. I took the risk assuming you’d forgive me—eventually.”
“How considerate,” I murmured. “However, I pass on the counter. Why waste your efforts? Where—and how—did you get the stuff?”
Rob turned to face one of the security cameras and waved at it. “One of the nice ladies on my security team came up with the idea after I informed them of the drug you’d been dosed with and what it did. She thought it’d be an appropriate payback with no consequences to us for our participation.”
I giggled and waved for the camera, too. “I like her. When do I meet her?”
“Not tonight,” he assured me, leaning towards me for a kiss. “We’re going to be occupied.”
I had no complaints with that at all.
9
I didn’t need yet another bad habit to kick.
While Rob had mentioned wanting to take me to his apartment, I hadn’t expected it to be on the penthouse floor of the same building. I appreciated the short trip, as the champagne had gone straight to my head, leaving me with a pleasant buzz.
Alcohol had never been a drug of choice for me, but it took the edge off, dulling the aftereffects of meeting with Kenneth and his dae. In a way, I was tempted to ask for another glass to finish drowning my anxiety, but I resisted the urge.
I didn’t need yet another bad habit to kick.
Rob took me on a tour of his condo, beginning with the spacious room with a big bed he dubbed our bedroom. Two dressers, two nightstands, and two armchairs, and one was draped with a feminine bathrobe and a rather gauzy set of lingerie. I grinned at that, invited myself in, and picked up the red material, holding it up. “This is going to only last one adventure into your perverted clutches. I hope you know this.”
“That’s why I bought extras,” he replied, joining me and heading to the bed, pulling down the duvet to reveal one of the plush blankets I adored. “I have even attended to your special needs.”
“All you had to do to lure me over here was tell me there’s a big bed with that blanket on it. I wouldn’t have even protested at that point.”
“This is more enjoyable, especially once the medication kicks in.” Rob grinned, headed for the main room with its spacious, connecting kitchen, and kissed my cheek on his way by. “I even made some space for Colby, as I wouldn’t ask you to give up your noodle brain friend.”
I followed after him. Colby had an entire room to itself with a big television, and before I could do more than laugh, my roommate claimed the television remote and nested on one of its pillows. While the casserole made itself comfortable, Rob took a bag of apples out of the fridge, which would keep Colby quiet for hours.
The dae never failed to amuse me.
“If only everyone was so easy to please,” Rob murmured, closing the bedroom door. “If we hear a peep out of Colby tonight, I’ll be astonished.”
He led me to the main room, and I stared out the wall to wall window. The lights of the city below woke the memories of dangling from the faulty rappelling gear during our escape from the Ivory Tower. We were so far above everything, and the height chilled me almost as much as the realization I had somehow stepped out of my safe, comfortable little world into a whole new one filled with rules I didn’t understand.
Rob joined me, wrapping his arm around my waist to pull me to his side. “What’s bothering you?”
Sometimes, living with a dae capable of sensing my emotions really annoyed me. I sighed and pointed at Baltimore. “It’s just so different.”
“Small steps, Alexa. It is different from what you’re used to, isn’t it? Does my wealth bother you?”
There was no point in denying it. I nodded, tensing in anticipation of ruining the harmony I had somehow forged with the elite dae.
“Believe it or not, I worked almost as hard as you to get here. Sure, I’ve had to go about it in a different way than you, but it doesn’t change the fact wealth isn’t the end of the journey. If anything, I have a hell of a lot farther to fall if I make a mistake. I try not to make them, but I do.”
“Harder, if you’ve been working remotely. From a different world remotely,” I pointed out.
“That’s not what’s really bothering you, is it?”
Sometimes, living with a dae capable of sensing my emotions really annoyed me. Wrinkling my nose, I turned and prodded his ribs. “It bothers me I might not have come this far without you around making a pest of yourself.”
“I believe you would have. All my being here has done is speed things up a little. You’re smart. You’re resourceful. You’re both wonderfully and frustratingly stubborn. I don’t mind you stepping on me here and there to get to where you want to go. Maybe I want to see how far you’ll go. Wallowing in your insecurities isn’t like you.”
I scowled because he was right, but it didn’t ease my worries.
Would I, because of him, cease standing on my own? Would I care?
Maybe Lily had had the right idea living as a kept woman under Kenneth’s heel. Maybe she hadn’t looked over Baltimore from a penthouse suite near the Ivory Tower, but how much had Kenneth provided for her behind the scenes?
Enough the woman had been ready to kill me over it.
“You know, Alexa, there’s one thing that sets those of the lower castes apart from those in the higher castes. Maybe I haven’t been around here as much as I should have over the years, but the higher I go, the more I have to rely on others to do my work for me. Independence is an illusion. The only choice you really get to make is how you bind yourself
. In the end, we’re all tied to the train tracks, even those who think they’re on the very top of the world looking down at everyone else. All you’ve done is change which tracks you’re tied to.”
I don’t know which frightened me more: that Rob was right, or that I still wanted something more.
It was a good thing Rob had had the foresight to acquire enough counter for the aphrodisiac for both of us; he underestimated the drug’s potency. Every time I looked at him, I burst into helpless fits of laughter, which earned me more than a few scowls.
True to his prediction, I had enjoyed it, but there was only so much I could handle before exhaustion warred with my desire for more.
Our reaction to the drug made me wonder how Kenneth and his dae were handling their evening.
I wanted them both to suffer all night long.
“I’m not a very nice person,” I confessed between laughs, gasping in deep breaths of air.
“I’ve added this to the list of things never to do to myself ever again. Why didn’t you stop me?” Rob groaned, rolling onto his stomach next to me. “You’re supposed to hate everything about any sort of drug.”
I laughed and trailed my finger along the length of his spine. “You said it lacked addictive properties. You did not say it would turn us into sex-crazed fiends. Even if you had, I don’t think I would have declined such a nice way to spend my evening.”
After a lifetime of not being able to touch someone, I enjoyed every moment with Rob. I had every intention of enjoying him whenever I could in case he became one of my allergy triggers.
The thought of losing what I had with the dae sent a shiver through me. Determined not to allow myself to ruin my mood, I held him close and enjoyed the warmth of his body.
Rob chuckled. “While we were busy entertaining Mr. Smith, I had someone go to your apartment and get our laptops, your schoolwork, and other important odds and ends. I figured I’d save us the trip tomorrow. You’re still planning on applying to work with the police?”
