BloodWish

by Tima Maria Lacoba

  Once through the gates, the full magnitude of the tragedy struck me. Where once stood Luc’s home-away-from-home—a unique, grand Victorian neo-Gothic mansion he’d tried to model on D’Antonville—there now laid a smouldering, blackened shell, the smell of its ruin leeching into my nostrils.

  I wanted to gag.

  The upper story had collapsed, and one of the walls of the lower half leaned dangerously outwards. A crane had been brought in to brace it. Police forensic teams, in their distinctive white overalls, clambered amidst the wreckage. Others carried covered stretches to waiting ambulances amidst more flashing police car lights.

  Never in my life had I thought to see something like this. My throat constricted as another, more recent, scene rushed through my consciousness: another inferno in an underground vault and two precious lives lost.

  As if having read my mind, Marcus whispered, ‘Deus! I’ve seen too many fires.’

  ‘Me too.’ And I’d had enough. First it was from the Rebels and now vampire hunters. A fire of another sort spread through my gut, and had me clenching my fists. I longed to inflict the same sort of misery on those who’d caused this. Unless we destroyed them, this would happen again and again and again.

  Now, I finally understood Luc’s position, his uncompromising stance against the Pazu. It was the only way to deal with those who sought your utter destruction.

  Repay in kind.

  Amanda started. She dug into her bag, whipped out a handkerchief and wiped away the blood-red streaks on her cheeks. Then she reached back into her bag to produce a small box. ‘Quick, put these in so we don’t get any funny looks.’ She snapped open the lid to reveal an assortment of coloured contact lenses, which she held out to us. Having the same lavender-coloured eyes would only arouse unwanted suspicion.

  Except for me. Delaney already knew me.

  Our driver stopped at the front entrance. And there, near where the front porch used to be but was now sealed off with police tape, stood Dave Delaney. Tie askew, hands in his pockets, he had the same deep bags under his eyes and tired expression as last time.

  Richard leaned toward me. ‘The guy knows me as the family solicitor, so it shouldn’t raise eyebrows if I’m with you. That okay with you?’ He was one of a long line of lawyers Luc had hired over the years, but unlike Richard, the others hadn’t been donsangs. Having one in the family, so to speak, made things a lot easier.

  ‘Fine with me.’

  Amanda instructed Wayne to remain in the car, then she, Richard, Sam, Marcus and finally me, alighted.

  Delaney watched us with wary eyes. It wasn’t that warm a night, yet a fine sheen of sweat covered his brow. He took a swig of water and wiped his mouth. There was no mistaking the scent of white oak.

  This time my scalp didn’t just prickle: it practically itched. This couldn’t be just coincidence. Sommers must have told him everything he knew about us.

  Marcus’s nostrils flared, and a low growl vibrated in his throat. He and Sam encircled Delaney, taking position on either side. Any human knowingly found in possession of white oak was considered a threat. Prefects could order their execution. Maybe Sommers should’ve told him that, too, the fool. He’d inadvertently placed his friend in danger.

  Sommers and I had a score to settle.

  Delaney’s head swiveled from Marcus to Sam; then his eyes connected with mine. He took another longer swig of water, unaware that the powdered white oak he was drinking no longer posed any serious threat to us. He may as well have been drinking cordial.

  This was going to be interesting. I tried not to smile.

  ‘Dr Munro.’ He didn’t extend his hand. ‘I was surprised to learn that you are now the owner.’ He jerked his head at the house behind him. ‘What a fortuitous inheritance. Bet the insurance on it is good.’

  ‘What the hell is that supposed to mean? That I killed Luc and married Laura to get my hands on it, then had it burnt down with people in it, all to collect the insurance money? You can’t be serious!’ It was laughable. In fact, I did laugh. It was so ludicrous.

  On a few occasions I’d asked Luc to sell the old place and move into something more modern. This old place had been a money pit. He’d been forever repairing it. He’d held onto it for sentimental reasons because it had reminded him of D’Antonville. Lord knew how.

  ‘You tell me.’

  ‘I thought you to be a good detective, Delaney. Seems I was wrong if that’s the best you can come up with.’

  Oddly, his smug expression didn’t disappear. All he did was raise an eyebrow, then looked down at his scuffed shoes.

  What was he playing at? ‘My people died in that fire. What are you doing to find them?’

  ‘We’re conducting our enquiries.’

  ‘And? Any progress?’

  His gaze shot up to me. ‘You know something, Dr Munro? You’re full of surprises.’

  Marcus and I exchanged a glance. Where was this human heading with this?

  ‘Care to explain?’

  ‘I was hoping you would.’ He took another swig of the white-oak-laced water while gazing straight at me.

  Understanding hit. Delaney wanted me to reveal what I was. ‘You’re full of surprises, too.’ I shot a look at his water bottle, then back to him, one eyebrow cocked. He got my meaning.

  ‘Ah ... now we get to the crux of the matter.’

  I thrust both hands into my pants pockets, too. Why not call his bluff. Let’s see how much he really knew. ‘You tell me.’

  Delaney’s eyes narrowed. ‘All right, I’ll start then: shall I? From a ... more convenient distance.’ He moved away from Marcus and Sam, strode past me and went a few paces down the drive before turning to face us. ‘I know what you are. Got it from a reliable source. Personally, I don’t care about your dietary habits until people—humans, to be precise—start dying in my jurisdiction.’

  My throat dried.

  He indicated his eyes. ‘Coloured contacts? Don’t you ... people ... have purplish eyes?’

  Next to me, Richard sucked in a quick breath.

  Delaney’s gaze shot to him, and he smiled. ‘That seems like an admission to me.’

  ‘An admission of what?’ I asked.

  He let out a deep breath, his stomach rising and falling with the effort. ‘I’m not into games, Dr Munro. Drop the pretense. If you want me to say the word, I will.’ He lowered his voice to a level only we could hear. ‘You’re vampires, blood drinkers, nosferatu or whatever you call yourselves. And you,’ He pinned Richard his stare. ‘I’ve yet to figure out what you are.’

  ‘Keep figuring.’ Richard crossed his arms over his chest and stared right back.

  Wonderful! Another law enforcement officer knew about us, and now we had a standoff. Just what we needed. We may as well announce ourselves on national television!

  ‘I see you’re not denying it, Mr Weston.’

  Richard tensed, although his facial expression gave nothing away. I figured years of court appearances as a defense lawyer had honed that skill.

  ‘Oh, and in case you’re thinking of wiping my mind, Dr Munro, or even killing me, I have my insurance policy right here.’ He lifted up his water bottle. ‘It contains a tablespoon of powdered white oak. I heard it can be quite nasty to you people.’

  Delaney believed he had us cornered. Couldn’t blame the man for being cautious.

  Of course, I could deny everything. Who’d believe him? Everyone knew vampires didn’t exist. He’d have a hard time convincing his colleagues and superiors ... if he was the lone voice. But he wasn’t. He had Sommers to back him up: two-high-level-law-enforcement officers, who could make their colleagues listen.

  As far as I could see, we had little choice but to level with him. Having him as our enemy or, worse still, to order his elimination was not an option I wanted to consider.

  Marcus stood a few paces behind me. I angled my head toward him. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘We could do with his cooperation. Might even be useful as
an ally. I’ll stand by your decision.’ I didn’t need Marcus’s approval, but I welcomed it nevertheless.

  I turned to Sam, on my left. He gave me a curt nod. But it was Amanda and Richard who’d be the most affected. While the Principate was abroad, they were responsible for the humans in this city. And they didn’t need someone like Delaney offside.

  I turned to them.

  They exchanged a glance and a few murmured words. Then Amanda gave me a nod. She took a step toward Delaney and removed her contacts. ‘You’re in no danger from us. We protect the people of this city. In fact, our laws prevent us from killing, and those who do are punished.

  Meanwhile, Richard had pulled up his sleeve to reveal two tiny bite marks. ‘I’m her human donor. She doesn’t need to feed off anyone else, so you can stop figuring out what I am.’

  Delaney’s breath hitched. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his brow. His gaze darted back to me, Marcus and Sam. ‘Bloody hell! That the same with all of you? You use donors?’

  ‘That’s right. You know who mine is,’ I answered. That’s how it worked for most of my kind, most of the time, at least. Some preferred to hunt but Delaney didn’t need to know that. It would only complicate things.

  ‘We don’t need much to keep us alive. No reason to drain an entire body.’ Amanda gave him a gentle smile. If it reassured Delaney, he didn’t show it.

  ‘What about those killings last December? How do you explain those? Kids. Just kids they were. Entirely drained.’ He sneered in disgust.

  ‘I’m so sorry. We caught those responsible. They’ll never hurt anyone ever again,’ Amanda replied. ‘Unlike your world, we have capital punishment for murderers.’

  It never ceased to amaze me how humans could fail in so many areas yet expect others, even among their own kind, to be perfect. ‘You of all people should know that not everyone obeys the law. If they did, you’d be out of a job. You humans have your criminals as we have ours. And like you, we do our best to enforce our laws and deal with those who don’t ... to protect both our worlds.’

  Delaney cleared his throat and briefly gazed down at his shoes, brow deeply furrowed. ‘You the enforcer?’

  ‘One of them.’

  ‘Mmmm...’ Whatever was going through his mind caused a subtle shift in his scent. His fear faded, and when his eyes connected with mine once again, I knew he was reassessing us. It wasn’t exactly respect, but it was close enough. I’d take it. He tapped his forehead. ‘The ... uh ... hypno-mind thing.’

  ‘It saves lives. Keeps humans unaware of us.’

  He took another swig of water then rocked back on his heels, eyes lowered, his mind sifting through all this. No doubt Sommers had told him about being mesmerised. Perhaps he was wondering if I’d done the same to him. I had, but this wasn’t the time to tell him. Delaney’s eyes shot back to me, narrowed and glittering like a hawk’s. ‘Can Laura be mesmerised?’

  What the...?

  Behind me, Marcus snorted. ‘No Ingenii can be mesmerised. Their blood prevents it.’

  Delaney studied him. ‘And you are?’

  ‘Commander Marcus Antonius Pulcher D’Antonville, Arch Elder of the Brethren ... and law enforcer.’ He stepped forward till he stood by my side, and, with a little smile, dipped his head in greeting. ‘I’m Laura’s grandfather. Lucien Lebrettan was my son.’

  Delaney’s eyes popped. ‘Bloody hell!’

  ‘In further answer to your question regarding my granddaughter, I believe she chose the better man.’ Marcus placed his hand on my shoulder.

  Ah! Marcus had caught the veiled insinuation quicker than I. In other words, did I mesmerise Laura into leaving Sommers for me? I would’ve laughed except it would have been an insult to the clever, witty and amazing women I was privileged to have as my wife. She left Sommers after recognising what kind of monster he really was, one capable of cold-bloodedly murdering her family in some misguided view that he was saving her.

  My fists clenched so hard that pain shot up my forearms and into my shoulders. I took a deep breath and relaxed before answering him. ‘If your source is so reliable, he would’ve told you that Laura is immune to any form of mesmerisation. She has her own mind.’

  Delaney cleared his throat again.

  The truth was hitting home, and as important as that was, I was here for another reason.

  As the last ambulance drove away with the charred remains of my brethren, I reminded Delaney why we were here. With my thumb, I indicated the burnt out wreck of the house behind me. ‘Our people died in that fire. I want their killers caught. You know this was no accident. The security guards were knocked out and dragged out of the way before the fire was lit.’

  He had interviewed Richard earlier, so he knew I’d been informed about the events even before the police had been called.

  ‘We have an idea who may be responsible,’ Marcus said.

  ‘Who?’ Delaney’s gaze latched onto him.

  ‘A particular enemy who’s been hunting us for centuries,’ Marcus said. ‘No one else would have reason for murdering our people.’

  Delaney pulled out his phone, then turned the screen toward us. ‘You recognise this? Forensics found it among the remains of one of the bodies.’

  Looked like the Pazu had left more than one calling card behind. There was not much left of the card except for a charred fragment showing the left lower claw of Pazuzu.

  ‘It’s them,’ I said.

  ‘What do you know?’

  There was no point in withholding anything. If we could cooperate in finding the Pazu killers, then the better for us all. I shared our information ... and explained our history with the Pazu. A gust of wind blew ash into our faces. Another crushing reminder of the devastation we’d come back to. Would it have happened if Luc had still been alive?

  Delaney coughed, swiped it away and took a swig of water, this time I believed, to get rid of the foul taste. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his face impassive as he absorbed all I’d told him. Finally, he shook his head, closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. ‘Never thought I’d ever have to deal with a turf war between ... vampires and vampire hunters.’ After a second, a chuckle broke from him, the kind of mirthless laugh brought on by disbelief mingled with a grudging acknowledgement that this was reality and there was nothing he could do about it.

  A moment later, he sobered and looked straight at me. ‘All right, this is how it’s going to work. These Pazu, as you call them, are humans, so they’re under Australian law and its protection until they’re caught and convicted. You’ —he stabbed a finger in my direction, then swept it around to the rest— ‘are not to touch them.’

  ‘Only if we have your promise they’ll be duly punished, or our people will exact their own justice, as we have always done.’ Marcus’s voice was low and controlled but there was no mistaking the subtle menace in his tone.

  Delaney ignored it. Instead, his eyes held a steely resolve. ‘I don’t care who or what you are and what you’ve always done. This isn’t the Middle Ages, mate. We’re a civilized twenty-first century nation, and we do things by the law here. And I represent that law, not you.’

  Marcus growled. I don’t believe anyone had ever called him “mate.” ‘Take care how you speak to me, human.’

  Delaney paled and swallowed hard, but to his credit, he didn’t take even one step back. Bravery, stubbornness or plain foolhardiness? I guessed I’d soon find out.

  ‘It’s your turn, Delaney. I told you what we found, now tell us what you’ve got. We have a right to know.’

  Delaney cleared his throat again and tore his gaze away from Marcus. ‘We identified two suspects from the CCTV footage your security guard provided. And when our computer forensics team matched that fragment to this—’ He swiped the previous image on his phone for another. It was the identical website we’d found and whose IP address was locked to us. ‘The same two perps are involved. My team’s collecting them now.’

  ‘That was quick. You�
��re better than I thought.’ Sam’s half compliment didn’t sit too well with Delaney, whose reply was a sneer.

  Then his phone rang. He answered, his gaze never leaving us. ‘Good work. Keep them separated till I get there.’

  Did he know we could hear the voice on the other end of the line? They’d apprehended two young men, an eighteen-year-old and a twenty-year-old who admitted they ran the Pazu website. They were taken into custody and placed in separate interview rooms. One of them was a law student who insisted on being his own counsel.

  Arms folded over his chest, Sam leant toward me and spoke too low for Delaney to catch. ‘Juvenile Pazu. Typical self-righteous, cocky arrogance.’

  ‘I’ve never met one.’ All my information about them had come from Luc, and Marcus’s chronicles.

  ‘You’re lucky.’

  ‘We need to know if they’re from both of the Pazu families who followed us here from Europe, or just one family in particular.’ Marcus’s concerns were justified. One of those families still was in possession of the Pazuzim Sword. That alone was a threat.

  Delaney ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. ‘Don’t plan on leaving the country anytime soon. I might want you for further questioning.’ He turned away from us toward a dark blue sedan parked a few metres down the driveway.

  Just leaving us standing there annoyed me. ‘Wait!’ I held up my hand for him to give me a minute as Marcus, Sam, Amanda, Richard and I gathered in a huddle.

  ‘At least one of us needs to be there, see these Pazu for ourselves,’ I suggested.

  Marcus, hands on hips and with one eye on Delaney nodded. ‘Absolutely, and that has to be you, Alec. The human knows you, and we all sense he feels more comfortable with you than with us.’

  ‘He’s right. You’re the logical choice.’ Sam slapped me on the back. ‘Besides, we’ve got to be here when Elliott arrives with the uniforms. Then we can sniff out the rest of the bastards for ourselves. I’m itching to go hunting.’