by DB Nielsen
Dorian’s concern for the coven was hypocritical. His words ironic. But she knew him well.
“That is true. But,” and here she sighed deeply as if in regret, “in using blind force against the Zooarians, you have exposed our race to danger. As my brother, your uncle, has so clearly voiced on many occasions, the human hunters are almost on our doorstep. Would you bring us to extinction? Our world balances precariously between the mortal and immortal worlds. Flamethrowers used in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary? Surely, you are almost asking the mortals to investigate?”
Dorian’s eyes flashed before he lowered his long, dark lashes. But she had seen, for just that moment, he had wanted to kill her.
“Truly, this is most grave,” one of the elders muttered from the depths of the hall where they were all listening keenly.
“And let us not forget how our brothers would view our actions here tonight,” Aislinn warned Julius, invoking the names of Grigori and Constantine and the others. “They might wonder at our lack of control over our own people.”
In front of the elders, Julius was careful. He dampened down his blood rage, exercising a supreme control the others didn’t realize he still had. This was the head of their coven they all feared. All but Aislinn.
He had his eyes fixed upon her, and he began to pace the chamber with a frenzied energy. “Of course, you are right. We must ensure this does not happen again. Dorian acted somewhat—impulsively—but with the best of intentions.”
“But he must be punished!” one of the elders cried.
“Who is this informant?” another asked. “Bring him before us!”
“He has spied upon and betrayed his own kind!” a third protested.
“Silence, my friends.” Julius’s voice rang out against the outraged accusations of the elders and Zooarians. “Let us not turn on each other like a pack of werewolves. Certainly, this young Malum appears to have been quite mistaken in his allegations. But first, let us give him a chance to make amends. Dorian, will you give us the name of your informant?”
Dorian remained defiantly silent.
Aislinn doubted there was an informant. Her offspring disdained the opinions of others. His act of malice was guaranteed to divide the coven and further his ambitions to usurp Julius.
“He defies us by remaining silent!” someone shouted.
Julius’s cold eyes flashed to the gathered witnesses, touching swiftly on the elders. “My friends, cannot you see it is an act that proves this young Malum’s integrity? He protects his source.”
Aislinn could see the bulging vein in Caleb’s thick neck, which looked like it was a ticking bomb waiting to explode. He was livid. She was surprised he was able to hold his tongue.
Aislinn couldn’t exactly blame him. “Integrity” and “Dorian” didn’t belong in the same sentence, let alone the same stratosphere. They could ask the fae if they didn’t believe her. Not that the fae would know what integrity was if it slapped them across the face with cold iron. But if even the fae could be offended by Dorian’s behavior, then he was truly despicable.
There were more hisses of protest this time. Julius assessed the mood of the gathering warily, and then, holding up one pale hand for silence, he declared, “My friends, I believe some form of punishment is necessary. However, our solar cells are for those who have committed heinous crimes against our race, something I am not convinced this young Malum is guilty of. It seems to me that tonight’s events were unfortunate, but to prevent this extraordinarily able young Malum from fulfilling his potential would be a sentence which would be too severe. I therefore believe that a fine of twenty thousand Aurum Julius coins and all repairs to damages of property shall be paid by Dorian Gray in compensation.”
Aislinn was seething inside. She was tired of Julius’s charade. “You’re giving him a fine?”
Julius didn’t blink. “You think it too harsh?”
There was a long, tense moment. Careful. He’s dangerous in this mood.
Aislinn feigned boredom. “Why don’t you just slap Dorian on the wrist and send him to the naughty corner?”
Julius smiled and turned away, walking back to his chair on the dais with a measured pace. “Ah. Sister. So emotional. Early motherhood is a difficult time, I believe.”
Dorian snickered.
“You forget, Julius, I’m raising three boys,” Aislinn said. “It’s difficult being a single mother.”
Caleb opened his eyes wide in surprise. What the Vlad was she playing at? Aislinn had never cared for the label of “mother”. The role of “avenger” suited her better.
“And you have done a fine job with this young man,” Julius said on a patronizing note.
Aislinn’s lips twisted up at the corners in a self-satisfied smirk. “Yes. Yes, I have, haven’t I? I think it’s a maker’s duty to show their offspring the right way to behave as a vampire. And you’re so right, my dear brother, I do so want Dorian to fulfill his potential. So, I think it necessary I be the one to punish him.”
She had the pleasure of watching the smile fall from Julius’s face. He tried to reclaim his authority. “But I am the head of this coven—”
Aislinn nodded. “Agreed, but as you pointed out, since Dorian really didn’t break any of the coven’s laws and this was just an unfortunate incident, then this is where I must insist—as his mother—I take responsibility for his foolish actions. I shall punish my own child. A mother always knows best.”
She watched as Dorian recoiled at her claim to motherhood. And the recoil transformed into anger. He wanted nothing more than to kill her.
Good. Because she felt the exact same way about him.
“Aislinn. I must insist—”
But whatever Julius was about to say was ignored.
“I’ve had enough of this farce, Mother.” Dorian’s lips compressed in a tight line. He turned his back on her and began walking toward the doors.
“Not so fast.” Caleb moved into Dorian’s path, refusing the younger Malum an opportunity to escape. The burly warrior smiled as if he had been waiting all night for this.
“Get out of my way, old man,” Dorian demanded.
Caleb’s fist connected. Dorian looked surprised at the force of the blow but managed to stay on his feet.
“You see what I have to put up with?” Aislinn asked, shaking her head sadly. “Teenagers today.”
Dorian’s fury was evident in the dreadful glitter of his jet-black eyes. He lunged at Caleb with lightning speed.
But Aislinn moved.
She moved so damn fast he barely had a chance to take a step back. Suddenly, she had Dorian by the throat. “Dorian. You’ve been a very naughty boy.”
Her deep obsidian eyes were mesmerizing. There was no mistaking her look for anything but an outright threat. Despite being taller than her by several inches, his feet dangled in the air, and there was little he could do to extricate himself from her fierce grip. He jammed his fingers into her wrist, pressing desperately into her flesh which was as unyielding as marble.
“You bitc—” His words were cut off as she squeezed her fingers tightly around his windpipe. He struggled and gasped, writhing. His face was white and contorted.
“Show your mother some respect, boy.” Caleb slapped Dorian around the ears since he was unable to do more than squirm in Aislinn’s grasp. The ex-special forces soldier seemed to be enjoying this.
“Enough! You dare? In my presence!” Julius was livid. Spittle flew from his mouth.
Suddenly, Aislinn saw the knife in Dorian’s hand which he’d removed from his boot, glittering silver. He swiped at her throat but wasn’t quite quick enough. She’d caught the flash of metal as Dorian, black eyes filled with venom, punched the blade in the air. She’d reared back, suddenly releasing him.
Aislinn was furious. Fury burned in her veins. A burning blood rage.
In the smoothest movement, she caught his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back hard and at an impossible angle. The crack resounded through
out the chamber, and the knife clattered harmlessly to the floor.
“How many Zooarians were killed tonight?” she demanded. There was a sharpness that cut like a knife to her voice.
At first, nobody answered. They exchanged looks with one another.
“How many?” she asked, raising her voice.
“Fourteen,” some young Nubes eventually stammered as Aislinn crossed to the Iron Maiden and threw open its doors, removing its former occupant. She flung her offspring inside, even as his bones knitted together, and slammed the doors, imprisoning him.
“Fourteen hours.” She tossed her platinum-blonde hair over her shoulder and stared the room down, daring anyone to contradict her. “One hour for each life taken.”
“Fourteen hours?” Julius noted the black blood beginning to thread itself into the metal pan at the bottom.
Aislinn didn’t blink. “You think it too harsh? What do you think our brothers might do? For that matter, what do you think our Father might do? He gave you a task to propagate the species, not decimate it.”
Julius faltered. The words he was about to voice remained forever silenced. Instead, he instructed, “Perhaps my sister has the right of it. We should set an example for the other covens, lest they think we have gone soft. Darius take the first shift.”
Whirling, Aislinn headed toward the door, the crowd parting to let the daughter of Kayne through. At the last moment, she turned back toward her brother. “By the way, you owe Stanislav a limo. You might also want to gift him your Iron Maiden. He might appreciate his drinks on tap. But be sure to clean it out before you do.”
“No, don’t bother,” Caleb said, falling into step beside Aislinn. “I heard that Stanislav has recently acquired a new tar pit. He’ll know exactly what to do with Dorian.”
Chapter 20
As it was already daylight, there was no going anywhere for hours. Confinement in the manor house did not sit well with Aislinn, especially when Cooper failed to show up.
The succession of texts Caleb received from Benjamin several hours earlier, after trying to contact Aislinn on her phone unsuccessfully since she refused to bring it with her on her visit to the Underground Russian vampire mafia, stated his intention to take Cooper somewhere safe and out of reach of either Julius or Dorian. Especially as trouble was brewing.
And while Aislinn acknowledged it was extremely smart thinking, she was livid as hell when Caleb informed her that Benjamin had decided to take Cooper to—
“Styx.”
Mother of Vlad! Caleb’s eyes went wide as he realized what he’d just read out loud. He swallowed and looked at Aislinn.
“Are you Vlading kidding me?”
Caleb swore he could see steam coming out from her nostrils.
“Give me the phone, Caleb.”
His hand gripped his phone tighter. Caleb didn’t know what he needed to protect more: his phone, his throat, or his balls.
“Uh, I’d rather not,” he said, thinking of the messages he’d prefer Aislinn not to see. He ran his large hand over his bald head and wondered what it was about this slim wisp of a girl that put the fear of Vlad into him.
Benjamin might not be here, but Caleb was. And from the look in the daughter of Kayne’s eyes, which dangerously flashed obsidian, she wasn’t in the mood to be selective about whose ass she would happily fry. As they were on their way to the Carvery, he had a feeling he was going to have his ass handed to him repeatedly until Aislinn could jump on her Norton Commando and chase down the devil himself.
He might as well hold on to his phone, seeing as he couldn’t avoid the following encounter. He knew she would obliterate it in a fit of rage, along with his manhood. He couldn’t stop the latter from happening, but he’d only just managed to find a touchscreen smartphone that not only fit the palm of his large hand but recognized vampire bioelectricity, so he could use it even when his fingers were cold and lifeless, and damned if he was going to just hand it over now.
“You know, Benjamin took Cooper to the safest place there is. There’s no hunting at Styx.” The burly Malum was trying to distract her from the rectangular object in his hand, with little luck.
Aislinn knew what Caleb was saying. Styx had only one rule: no hunting was to occur on neutral ground. No slayings, no fights. This was unusual since the Styx club was not for the exclusive use of vampires. It was open to all immortals and humans in the paranormal business: from vampires to shapeshifters, and rogue human hunters to dark mages. Even angels frequented Styx now and again, though not the Angel of Light as far as she knew.
But Styx was the place to go to strike a shady deal or indulge in any vice or sin. If you wanted to arrange transport to the other realms like Esper or hold a clandestine meeting or hire an assassin, Styx was the place. As underworld clubs went, it was unique.
But Styx wasn’t the place for a fledgling vampire.
Only hardened Malums ventured into Styx, and only when the need was pressing. “Enter at your own risk” was the saying because even the dead didn’t always return.
And Benjamin had taken Cooper to Styx.
Benjamin had better get a mouthguard because the next time I see him, he’ll be gumming his food.
“Oh Vlad dammit to hell!” Varya exclaimed as she saw Aislinn and Caleb entering. From the livid look on Aislinn’s face, she could tell Dorian was still alive. Swearing under her breath, she handed over a handful of Aurum Julius coins to Cole who sported a smug, “I told you so” expression. If Aislinn wasn’t around, she just might have slapped it off his stupid, boyish face. It was incredibly annoying.
Caleb was almost visibly sweating by the time he and Aislinn had reached the others. Then, looking up, he spied Varya’s disgruntled expression, almost a mirror image of Aislinn’s, and he realized he couldn’t wait until the end of the day.
Knowing what he had to do, he said, “Right, you there, into the holo-chamber with Aislinn. You know the drill.”
Varya’s eyes narrowed as she protested, “But I’ve finished training. I’m Julius’s right-hand now.”
“You’re never finished training, soldier. You’re never finished with the vampire army. It’s for life, peeps. Your immortal life. Let’s move it, girls. On the mat. Let’s go. Let’s go.” The last was said with several short claps, expecting them to hustle.
Aislinn looked at him with a raised eyebrow and her hands on her hips. “You expect me to buy that crap, old man?”
The burly Malum crossed his arms over this chest and stared her down. “I expect that you’ll do as you’re told since Kayne signed you up for this gig.”
She looked at him horrified, her cornflower-blue eyes widening. “That was almost a millennium ago! Are you serious?”
“Is Cole a virgin?” he snapped back.
“Hey!” Cole protested. His vague, dreamy expression vanished as he realized that he’d been insulted. “That’s so un-PC!”
They ignored him.
Varya shook her head. “I’m getting too old for this shit.”
“What’s wrong with you? You going soft? You want me to fetch a hat and sunglasses for you, princess? I said fangs down, fists up. Move your skinny ass, or there will be two moons orbiting the sky tonight.” Caleb’s drill sergeant’s voice made them all jump. He had a look in his eye that was deadly mean and dangerous. He didn’t understand women at all. But he did know how to whip soldiers into shape and work out their blood rage.
He also knew his limitations. Dealing with the daughter of Kayne was bad enough, but dealing with two female vampires who were as vicious as rattlesnakes—hell, no, even he wasn’t that brave.
But if there was one thing he did know, it was military discipline.
Varya moaned. “Arrgh. All right. I’m going already.”
“What did you say, post-B-negative bloodsucker?” he barked.
“Yes, sir.” Nervously running a hand through her hair, she nodded. The holo-chamber suddenly sounded like a real good idea.
“And you?” Caleb�
�s dark eyes fixed on Aislinn, who shivered despite her seething blood rage, remembering the centuries of brutal boot camp he’d put her through. “Have I got a halo around my head, soldier? What are you waiting for? Salvation? Get moving!”
Aislinn was still silently stewing hours later, despite Varya admitting defeat since her sparring partner had given her several shiners and broken ribs, two broken femurs, and a broken collarbone. This last was a little too close for comfort as she greatly valued keeping her head, so Varya wisely conceded the match.
But the round-faced Sanguis was quite happy to return to Styx with Aislinn that evening to drag Cooper home. Actually, she was anticipating—even hoping—Aislinn would kick Benjamin’s sexy-as-hell ass all the way to Demura. It may have been a case of a woman scorned, but she couldn’t help wanting the last twist of the knife in her stone-hearted ex.
So as soon as the sun set, they left the manor house for Styx.
Regrettably, this time they were accompanied by both Cole and Mia. As Cole worked for the devil himself—well, that wasn’t exactly true since Styx wasn’t the actual devil, but he was a kind of demon overlord, so it was almost true—Aislinn couldn’t prevent him from going to his place of employment. And as for Mia, the girl had been to Styx before too and would have followed them to Styx even if Aislinn had refused to allow her to accompany them, since she followed Aislinn almost everywhere nowadays. Besides, even if Aislinn had threatened Mia with decapitation, the girl was too silly to know what was good for her and would probably have thought it an honor. Aislinn sighed despairingly. It was just easier this way.
Housed in the Devil’s Triangle between the old Newgate Prison, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, the Styx club could be reached by the supposedly haunted, grimy underground passage of Dead Man’s Walk, once the passage condemned criminals would be forced to walk on their way to the gallows and their impending doom. It was still a path that could take someone to their impending doom, so not much had truly changed. Not even the hellish destination, since Styx was run by a purebred demon.
