The other two men weren’t in security – or at least they didn’t wear the black uniform. The older of the two, a wrinkled man with a shock of white hair – wore a business suit. There was a powerful aura about him, though, and in his eyes she saw something like barely-contained excitement.
The last man was the most interesting to Kaitlin. He was a handsome man, too old for her, but still retaining the physique of a much younger man. He looked Asian, maybe Chinese or Japanese? Kaitlin had no way of knowing. Honestly, she’d never seen an Asian person outside of a movie, or maybe once or twice when they’d come through Eagle Rock as tourists. There were probably features that identified his ethnicity, but she didn’t know them. There was also something not quite fully formed about those features. A softening of them, as if one of his parents or grandparents had been Caucasian.
Ancestry aside, he had dark black hair, deep black eyes, a strong chin, and a piercing expression that seemed to look through to a person’s soul. She thought he knew her, even though she didn’t know him. Not even his name.
“I’m Captain Jefferson,” said the older of the two security guards. “This is Sergeant Vasquez. We’re from security.”
“I noticed,” Kaitlin said wryly.
Captain Jefferson went on without acknowledging her interruption. “This is Mr. Quinn, or Hunter One as most people call him. He’s in charge of the Hunters Guild. Beside him is Hideyuki, the guild’s top trainer. He’s in charge of new recruits and has been seeing to the guard on your door since you arrived.”
“Why are you all here?” Kaitlin asked. “Have I done something wrong?”
“No, not at all,” said Hunter One, stepping forward and pushing Vasquez to the side. “We’re very interested in learning more about you. When you arrived, you weren’t in a position to tell stories.”
“I met you at the conclave in Eagle Rock two years ago,” Captain Jefferson said, casting her a suspicious look. “Do you remember?”
“Not really, no.”
“At the time you were pregnant with a magical baby. That’s why we invited you. I believe you were channeling?”
“Nearly blew up a building,” Kaitlin said, recalling the shocking feel of the overwhelming power. “The Scots set me straight.”
Vasquez scowled.
“What?” Kaitlin asked.
“The Scots aren’t exactly friends of the compound,” Captain Jefferson said, his scowl deepening. “Almost no one from Eagle Rock is. You’ll have to excuse us for being cautious, but it is suspicious... you suddenly turning up here. What are you doing here? Why didn’t you go home? You’ve got powerful friends at home.”
Kaitlin forced herself not to retreat from these men, not to let them intimidate her. “They’re not hunters,” she said softly. “And Jason said he’d kill them.”
“So you put the people here at risk,” Captain Jefferson said.
Kaitlin hadn’t thought about it that way. Her eyes went wide and she stared at him. “Did I?”
“You tell me.” Captain Jefferson took a step forward. “Who, exactly, are you running from?”
“Jason. He – he’s Jay’s father. Or was, before he turned into a vampire. And his sire, Xavier.”
Hunter One let out a low whistle. “I’ve been trying to kill Xavier my entire life. What were you doing with him?”
What indeed? “Living a stupid girl’s fantasy.” She looked around, trying to find a friendly face. Someone she could confide in. She didn’t see it. Finally, she cast her gaze upon Hideyuki and started talking. She told them about Jason turning into a vampire. About him asking her to come with him. To turn with him. She told them about slowly surfacing from the thrall over the course of more than a year – she got some openly skeptical looks at that – and of finally realizing that Jason wasn’t Jason anymore.
“Jason is dead,” Kaitlin looked at Hideyuki, silently asking him for confirmation. He didn’t speak but he did give her a terse nod.
“Anyway, when Jason said he had enough of my blood to follow me anywhere I knew I couldn’t go home to Eagle Rock. So here I am. Begging for the protection of the hunters, I suppose.”
The group crowded into the room exchanged glances; there was some kind of silent communication present here that Kaitlin didn’t understand. That’s when it struck her: they were deciding her fate. What if they tossed her back out onto the streets? They could. Nothing would stop them, least of all her. She didn’t even have any magical resources to offer them.
“Ms. Meyer,” Captain Jefferson began. “Do you have any talents at all that would be useful to us? I know you don’t have any magic, but perhaps a gift? Precognition? Empathy? Intuition?”
Kaitlin shook her head mutely.
“She claims she resisted a vampire’s thrall,” Vasquez said. “I’d love to know how she did that.”
...she’s immune to the thrall, Xavier had said. Kaitlin hesitated, but some instinct – or perhaps a look from Hideyuki – kept her mouth shut.
“But her son is amazingly powerful,” Hunter One said. “The boy could be the finest hunter we’ll ever see.”
“In fifteen years, perhaps,” Jefferson said.
“Not so long, in the scheme of things.” Hunter One looked eagerly at Kaitlin, rubbing his hands together, and her stomach did a flip.
She shouldn’t have come here. Yes, Jay would be a natural hunter, but here they’d force him into it. He’d have no choice. He’d be raised to kill vampires and, perhaps, die at the hands of one just like his father.
What an idiot she’d been, starting that long-ago night she’d slept with Jason. Yes, she’d been on the pill, for all the good that had done her. But there had been more to it than that. Cassie had known she would get her heart broken when Jason left. Cassie had said that Jason would leave, and that he was in a high mortality profession. At the time she’d found the idea sexy as hell. Now it just sounded like hell.
“He’s a prodigy,” Hunter One went on. He turned to Kaitlin with a big grin on his wrinkled face. “Hunter gifts normally develop at puberty, but from what you’ve told us, his developed in utero. That’s fascinating. I’ve never heard of another one like him.”
“His father was that way,” Kaitlin said. “Jason.”
“We don’t talk about Jason,” Hunter One said. “He betrayed us.”
Kaitlin scowled. From everything she’d heard, it had been the other way around. She opened her mouth to say so but again a look from Hideyuki stopped her. He met her gaze for a fraction of a second and, very briefly, shook his head no.
Kaitlin closed her mouth.
“But still... remarkable. And you say you have no magic? No gift? Did your parents?”
Kaitlin shook her head. Technically, she had no idea who her father was, but she didn’t want to get into it with these strangers. The last thing she needed was someone digging up old secrets and old memories.
“Fascinating,” Hunter One said again. He was more fascinated than she was. She just wanted to get out of there, only she had nowhere to go. “The guild will take responsibility for them both. We’ll raise Jay and protect Kaitlin.”
“You’ll raise Jay?” Kaitlin demanded.
“He’ll live with you, of course. We’ll get you a nice little room for the two of you.”
“How nice of you. What do you mean, you’ll raise him?”
Hunter One’s face went hard, reminding her more of the faces of the security guards. “He will become a hunter one day, Ms. Meyer. You can count on that.”
“I don’t want him to be a hunter.”
“Then you can leave. There’s the door.” Hunter One gestured to it; Kaitlin only stared.
“Ah, but wait, what’s on the other side of that door? Two vampires you foolishly got tangled up with, waiting to kill you. I think you need us, Ms. Meyer. And we ne
ed your son. We can work together on this, but don’t mistake what’s happening here. The Magical Underground is not prepared to take in every stray person who wanders in off the streets. If you want to stay, you have to give us something in return.”
“I can work.” Kaitlin’s mind started spinning. “I can cook. You should try my strawberry pie.”
“Unless you know food magic, that’s not going to be useful,” Captain Jackson said.
“You’re asking me to sacrifice my only son.” Kaitlin shook her head helplessly.
“I’m not asking you to do anything,” Hunter One said. “I’m just telling you what your choices are.”
“My choices suck.”
“Do you need time to think it over?” Hunter One lifted an eyebrow. “You can stay here until you fully recover; we can ask you for your decision then.”
There was no decision, not really, and they all knew it. “I’ll stay.”
Hunter One beamed at her. “Great. We’ll let you and Yuki talk about Jay’s early training. He’ll be your son’s mentor. I’m so glad to have you on board.”
Kaitlin could not honestly say the same, but she shook Mr. Quinn’s wrinkled hand when he offered it to her and watched sulkily as everyone left the room. Everyone but Hideyuki.
“Well?” Kaitlin said to him.
He spoke for the first time. “You’re in deep shit. You know that, right?”
Kaitlin had expected some kind of accent, but he spoke English like a Midwesterner. She was surprised, both by the accent and the words, and she found herself laughing. “Yeah, deep shit is right.”
“Don’t trust the hunters,” Hideyuki said.
“Aren’t you a hunter?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What’s wrong with the hunters?”
But Hideyuki didn’t say. He just turned on his heel and followed his comrades out the door.
Chapter 7
MATTHEW SAT ON HIS BACK PORCH sipping iced tea with the newest member of his inner circle, Scott Lee, local werewolf alpha and powerful intuitive. They had a nice view of Table Rock Lake from here. In the late July haze, Matthew could just make out the private marina where he docked his boat, which he often took out when the weather was nice. He’d spent more time than usual out there of late, just thinking. Sometimes he took his fishing pole, sometimes he didn’t. When he did, he didn’t usually cast it into the water.
Scott Lee was, once again, learning the trick to blocking Matthew’s telepathy. He hadn’t quite mastered it yet – every so often Matthew caught a drift or an undercurrent – but the damn wolf had always been a problem. In the past Matthew had dealt with him through memory spells, but that would no longer work. He needed Scott’s memory intact. He needed Scott. The local werewolf alpha was the most powerful ally he had enlisted so far, not in and of himself but because he came with a veritable army of werewolves.
“I heard you and Evan had a fight while I was gone.” Scott hadn’t been back in town long, and his thoughts mainly registered impatience to return to his newfound mate.
“My mother helped it along. She thought we needed to air our differences.”
“I’m not sure he’ll ever trust you.” Scott paused then added, “Me neither.”
“At least you’re honest.”
“Yes, I am. Tell me the truth, Matthew, exactly how many times have you made me forget that I knew you were a telepath?”
Matthew flashed Scott a mysterious smile, then took a sip of iced tea.
“So why am I supposed to trust you?” Scott asked. “For all I know, you’re inside my head right now.”
“What do your instincts say?”
Scott hesitated. He was a powerful intuitive, which was something Matthew needed more now than ever before. He only hoped he was right about Scott. “No, I don’t think you’re messing with me.”
“I’m not.” But he still needed to be sure. Putting together the tendrils of a spell he had prepared in advance for just this purpose, Matthew set loose a simple and very subtle suggestion into the air. It wasn’t much, just a gentle brush. Look over there.
Scott looked the way Matthew had directed him, just to the left, but then he tensed. “You just did something, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” Matthew smiled. He had hoped, but he hadn’t been sure. If Scott was sensitive enough to realize that he’d been the victim of such a subtle and harmless suggestion, something he might have thought to do himself, then the odds of anyone having control of his mind were low.
“What did you do?”
“I tested you.” Matthew put his hands up in mock surrender. “I know you don’t trust me, but at least trust that I need the inside of your head intact. At the moment, I think your intuition will be just as valuable a tool as your werewolf army.”
Scott snorted. “It’s not my army. I only have the one pack. None of the other alphas will take orders from me, only suggestions.”
“Suggestions and subtlety are my specialty.”
“Why am I here?” Scott asked again, his impatience growing. “I told you I’d join your inner circle, although I have to tell you I’m doing it against Evan’s advice. He’s ready to quit.”
“So why are you joining?”
“Intuition.”
“Interesting. And does your intuition tell you anything about Evan right now?”
Scott narrowed his eyes. “Like what?”
Matthew set down his iced tea. He needed to trust someone and, as strange as it was, given how little he knew of the powerful werewolf seated by his side, he thought Scott might be his best bet. The man was nothing if not loyal. Plus, the only blood anyone had taken from him had burned in a fire. Matthew hoped.
“Is he acting normally, do you think?” Matthew asked.
“Mostly, yes.” Scott frowned.
“Mostly?”
“What are you driving at? I’m not in the mood for games.”
“Then let me tell you a story, and you tell me what your instincts tell you to do about it.” And Matthew related the full story of what had happened with Evan in New York. As he spoke, Scott’s expression grew darker and fiercer, but he did not interrupt.
“They took a sample of my blood at that lab,” Scott said. “I only think it was destroyed in the fire. For all I know they have mine too. Why trust me?”
“Do they have yours? Or did it burn?”
“My gut says it burned.” Scott hesitated then added, “They didn’t ever plan to let me out of that lab, and they thought it was secure. They didn’t have any particular reason to store a sample off-site. I checked the wreckage myself and found what was left of the storage closet and the testing facility. Actually, I think Alexander wanted to be able to disassociate himself with that facility if it ever became public, which is why we don’t have proof he was involved with it. I just don’t think there was a lot of contact between the two groups.”
“That was my reasoning as well,” Matthew said. “Plus, I think your instincts would tell you if anyone was manipulating you. They’ve always told you when I’ve tried.”
“You admit you’ve tried?”
“Once or twice.” It had been far more often than that and they both knew it. Scott, in fact, was thinking a number that was startlingly close to the truth, supporting Matthew’s earlier test. The memory charms had never worked for long – Scott had always known he had been hit with one right away, though it had usually taken him longer to remember what he’d forgotten.
“Evan’s angrier with you than he should be,” Scott said after a while. “Not that I’ve ever been great with emotions. That’s more your family’s thing.”
Matthew nodded. “We know he’s angry; we don’t know if he’s angrier than he should be.”
“Maybe.” Scott set his iced tea down and turned to fully face Ma
tthew. “But let’s face it, your best ally hates you, and he has good reasons for it. Don’t you have any actual friends?”
Matthew looked away, gazing into the sunset. The truth was that he’d spent years making connections in the mundane world, not the magical one. Edward Scot had supported him in both spheres, but then he’d died. His daughter, Cassie, was both his biggest trump card and his biggest problem.
“I see,” Scott said. And he probably did. “You know the White Guard is never going to work while you and the inner circle are divided. If your core group isn’t strong, you don’t have a hope.” How can I trust a mind mage? Scott was wondering. He’s probably not even sorry for any of it.
“I know.” He really did. And he knew the problem. It wasn’t as if he went around advertising that he was a mind mage, but his inner circle knew. He and his father had discussed it, but they didn’t see a way to keep the information secret from those select people, at least. “What would it take to convince you to trust a mind mage?”
“A spell that makes me immune to mind magic?” Scott suggested, not at all joking.
“I don’t know one.” It was the truth, although not the whole truth. Matthew knew plenty of ways to resist mind magic, to detect it and to fight it. But he knew of no spell that could make anyone completely immune to mind magic. Even Devon, whose gift apparently had made him naturally resistant to mind magic, had been susceptible to blood magic – for a while. Fleetingly, Matthew wondered what had become of the man.
Scott grunted and turned away. His mind was suddenly closed tight, and Matthew guessed he wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. “So do you think Alexander has blood samples from everyone he’s ever come in contact with?”
“If he did, it would explain how perfectly he’s covered up every crime we’ve tried to pin on him. Besides, if he has Evan’s...” Matthew let Scott fill in the rest.
“It seems pretty simple to me then.”
“Does it?”
“You’ve got to get inside the Underground’s headquarters, find the blood, gather evidence of its existence, then destroy it.”
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