“What are you looking at?” I asked, forcing my body to relax.
“Missing children,” he replied, his lips pressed hard together as his golden eyes raged and his body stiffened. Rhett was an old vampire, old enough to grow an immunity against sunlight. Vampires could go out into the sunlight when they reached the five-hundred-year mark. Direct sunlight made them uncomfortable, especially for a long period of time, but they no longer became crispy.
Vampires were one of the most intimidating creatures I’d met, and Rhett was no exception. When a vampire raged with emotions, usually anger, their eyes turned a deep red. Rhett’s eyes weren’t like that, but there was a red tinge warning me he was close.
I understood why, too. His file said he used to have a family: a wife and three kids. The night he was turned into a vampire was the night they were all murdered. When he turned, he worked hard to become strong enough to kill his master. Only a handful of vampires could kill their masters. He became what the vampire community termed a slayer.
Humans feared him.
Beasts feared him.
Vampires feared him.
I didn’t.
I couldn’t hate a man who went out of his way to help children. He volunteered at the recreational center in downtown, making sure kids got what they needed. He even bought out the business next to the original building and expanded the place, donating the money needed to turn the top three floors of the new rec center into overnight rooms for kids who needed a place to stay when things at home were bad.
I followed his gaze to an image of a newspaper article about another missing little girl who looked to be around eight in human years. She was one of nine all taken while at school. I pressed my finger against the screen, and the surrounding images disappeared as the crime report expanded to go into more detail.
Rhett reached out and pressed on the image of the girl, blowing it up larger. The girl embodied innocence with her cherub cheeks, laughing green eyes, and long shiny brown hair pulled back in a French braid. Two fangs were in clear view as she laughed. Damn, even one of her front teeth was missing. She was classified as part of the serpent clan. My heart ached at the image. I was only nineteen and never thought about kids, but the idea of one of mine going missing nearly tore me apart. I couldn’t imagine what this was doing to Rhett because of his past. If I remember correctly, his oldest girl was her age.
“You’re going to go after the perpetrators.”
He didn’t even bother to respond. I could tell by the way he stood. I almost, just almost, felt bad for whoever was doing this. They weren’t going to make it through next week.
“Well, before you go off vigilante style, will you do me a favor?” I asked, bumping into him with my shoulder and enjoying the tingle of his energy as we touched. He always felt like a power outlet, full of energy just underneath his skin, ready to be tapped into.
“What?”
“Well, I need your help for two reasons. One, you know this place better than the back of your hand and Big Boss wants me to boost the security.”
Rhett cocked his eyebrow at that news but didn’t say anything.
“Second, I need to find someone.”
His eyes met with mine. “What happened?”
“Someone broke into my lab.”
“Shouldn’t you tell security and have them look into it for you?”
“And ruin my fun?” I asked. I shook my head. “No, this is my hunt. Don’t take this away from me.”
He knew how important my lab was to me. I could see the understanding in his expression. After a few thoughtful moments, he nodded.
“Very well, let’s go look at the cameras first.”
“Perfect, thank you.”
He tucked his hands into his jean pockets and led the way down one floor, using the stairwell. I enjoyed following. He looked good in jeans, hugging his lean frame perfectly. Most would think he was completely relaxed, without the care in the world, but all they needed to do was look closer, and they would know. The tightness in his shoulders, in the stiffness in his back, in the strain of his muscles. Rhett was not in casual mode. He was just biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
We went to the end of the hallway and Rhett pulled out his ID, tapping the controller to give him access to the room. He opened the door for me.
Cold air washed over me as I stepped into the massive room. Machinery hummed as they ran. One wall was completely covered with flickering screens as they showcased the view of all the cameras.
“What can you tell me about the cameras?” I asked.
“Most everything is covered. There are a couple blind spots. The most common and easy ones are the bathrooms and locker rooms.”
Rhett went over and pushed some buttons until two bigger screens against another wall changed to what he wanted. “We have a couple blind spots outside because of the timing of the camera’s rotation.”
The first few minutes were spent going over the cameras outside my lab. Of course, there was nothing. The break-in wasn’t half-assed so I didn’t expect to find anything and would have been disappointed if I did. I didn’t want to think that some kid messing around had so easily broken into my lab.
We spent the next half an hour going over every spot the cameras covered as I committed the weaknesses to memory and thought of different ways to fill it in. We didn’t need people using the bathrooms as a way in, exploiting the blind spots on the outside perimeters.
I tried my best to annoy Rhett with a million and one questions, but his age had taught him patience, and he made use of that skill. We talked about guard rotations, building material, and the magical wards currently in use.
We both knew he was itching to get out into the field to find those children, but he was on the clock, and he knew this was just as important. We were on a time crunch until Shanton Enterprise came to visit, and I needed every second of it if we wanted to keep them alive. Rhett had more access than most meatheads thanks to his seniority and position within the company. He was considered a boss somewhere in the flowchart with minions underneath him to push around.
I made him go into detail about the wards in place. We had wards to block anyone with bad intentions from entering and others that turned curious eyes away, but they weren’t infallible. I knew a handful of ways to break through the wards. A couple of them would be a big bang and draw attention. I could overwhelm the wards with magic so they short circuited or go subtle, allowing someone to slip through.
I would need to add a couple more layers of wards to prevent the weaker baddies from getting through. When the big visit came, I didn’t want to spend it going after the weaklings. Only the strong were going to be able make their way into the building.
Next, we went over a few rooms I could make use of. I had some gadgets that were nearly complete, and once I finished with the tweaks I needed, things were going to get exciting.
“You’ll need to talk to Lombardi about using the rooms,” Rhett warned.
I waved my hand, dismissing his advice. “He’ll let me. I get free reign on this project.”
Rhett just nodded, accepting my answer before getting back to work.
We had a lot of ground to cover.
Chapter 6
The next two hours passed quickly as we walked around the premise—Rhett, a strong shadow at my back as I looked around the outside of the building. With his guidance, I was able to get a better idea on how the cameras were placed.
“Can you hoist me up?” I asked as I looked at an open window. Rhett raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as he came over and grabbed my waist. I wasn’t a small woman, standing at five foot seven and a good hundred and forty pounds of solid awesomeness, but Rhett’s vampire strength had no problem handling me.
I reached to the ledge of the windowsill and pulled myself up until I could see through.
Bathroom. Men’s bathroom to be specific. And someone was in there, washing their hands.
My sha
dow splayed across the floor and the lack of light caught his attention. He turned, his eyes widening as they met mine.
I gave him a small, embarrassed smile as Elliot scowled at me.
“What the hell?” he yelled as he stalked toward me, wiping his hands on his jeans.
“Bring me down,” I called down to Rhett, who just chuckled as he lowered me to the ground.
“Laila,” Elliot growled, his head poking out of the open window. His dark brown hair fell forward into his eyes. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Research,” I said a little sheepishly. I sent Rhett the stink-eye. He knew where that window led and didn’t bother saying anything. I felt a little duped. Who thought he had it in him to play a prank?
“What kind of research has you peeping through the men’s bathroom?”
“Calm down,” I said as if he were being overly dramatic.
“Be—” he sputtered. “Don’t move.” His head disappeared, and I scowled at Rhett.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He shrugged, amusement clear in the tilt of his lip. He thought he was so damn funny. “I thought you knew what you were doing. You’ve seen the maps for the building.”
Rhett had me there. And I couldn’t be mad at him. He wasn’t as stiff as he’d been earlier. Vampires were known experts in compartmentalizing their emotions. Every emotion had their own little box and if you were the lucky idiot to unlock one, you had better run. Vampires could get manic in their emotions if they weren’t careful. I imagined he had locked away his determination to hunt down the kidnapper until he was in a position to do it.
While we waited for Elliot, we talked about the men’s bathroom and how to keep people from getting into it. The window was small, but that didn’t really mean much in this day and age. There was a spell for practically everything.
It didn’t take long for Elliot to show up, stalking toward us with a flustered expression.
“Nice of you to join us,” I said, trying to hide my embarrassment. Even for me, that was a little too much.
“Why are you peeking in windows?” he asked.
I sighed and glanced around. A man walking by gave us a curious look but kept going.
“I wasn’t lying. I was doing research.”
“Research for what?”
“Mr. Lombardi wants me to beef up security.”
“Why?” His expression turned to confusion as his eyebrows furrowed and his lips turned down.
“Mr. Lombardi took delight in seeing Davies capture himself with one of my toys and wants my input for when Shanton Enterprise visits.”
“He wants to leave the safety of a dragon in your hands?” Elliot shook his head. “I’m going to go talk to him.”
“Wait!” My eyes widened. “Wait on that last thought. Dragon? We’re going to be in the presence of a dragon?”
“Cyril Shanton,” Rhett said.
“You knew?” I turned to Rhett. He just cocked an eyebrow as a response.
“Everyone knows,” Elliot answered.
“Except me, apparently.” Which really annoyed me. I was a natural born snoop. I made it a habit to know everything going on around me. I even had files on every employee in the company. How’d did this get by me? “Why the hell do we need to protect a dragon? He can just stare his enemies to death.”
I shivered at the thought of being in the presence of a dragon again. I’d met one once when I was a little girl. He had come to one of the foster homes I stayed in to collect a little boy. A long lost relative. He gave me nightmares for weeks. He was also furious to learn that his long-lost nephew had been house-hopping for the last year after his parents were killed instead of going to him. “A dragon is badass incarnate.”
“Dragons have their weaknesses and those after him will know his.”
My eyes widened. “His weakness? What is it?”
“Really, Laila?” Elliot scowled.
“What?”
“They won’t broadcast their weakness.”
“Then how the hell are we supposed to keep him safe?” I asked.
“By making sure none of his enemies get to him.”
I rolled my eyes. Everyone and their secrets. I swore, those secrets were the reason life was so difficult half the time.
“I’m going to go talk to Lombardi. He shouldn’t have you do this.”
“No, you aren’t,” I said and stepped in front of Elliot as he was about to walk away. If I didn’t stop him now, I wouldn’t be able to catch up to him.
“Yes, I am. You work in the labs, Laila. You shouldn’t be putting yourself in danger to do this.”
“This is my chance to prove myself, Mr. Elliot Baker, and I’m not going to let you ruin this for me.” I placed my right hand on my hip and made sure to give him a little attitude.
I was strong, and everyone knew it, but when they looked at me, all they saw was a little nineteen-year-old girl. I’d been told by a few different meatheads that I played on their protective instincts. I couldn’t let them steamroll me into doing what they wanted instead of what I wanted.
I refused to give anyone control of my life. Not anymore. “You will trust your boss’s instincts and let him do what he wants. He wants me to do this. He believes in my capabilities. Don’t you dare take that away from me.”
Elliot stilled, eyes flickering from me to Rhett. His jaw tightened and his teeth gritted. “Fine,” he snapped before stalking away, leaving me standing there, a little confused.
“Why does he suddenly have a stick up his butt?” I asked no one in particular.
Rhett snorted. “Come on, let’s finish looking around so I can go get some work done.”
I nodded and let Rhett continue to lead the way around the building so I could note all the entry points. Those were going to be where a majority of my traps were placed.
Time passed in silence as he showed me all the workings of the company. There was more going on than I thought. Toward the end, I turned to Rhett. I could tell he was growing impatient. He wanted to be out there looking for the missing children, but he was too much of a gentleman to leave me after making a promise.
I’d found that if Rhett made a promise, he always kept them.
“Have you heard about the sprites?” I asked conversationally. “The hyter sprites in particular.”
“They live in England.”
I shrugged. “Maybe, but I know there are a couple in the city. Rumor has it they were banished from England. They weren’t doing what they were supposed to. The opposite, in fact.”
At this point, I was in front of him, still walking as we made our way through the side of the building. I didn’t feel him move closer, I didn’t feel him at all until his hand clamped hard on my shoulder and I was forced to face him, my back pressed up against the brick wall.
“What do you know?” he asked in a hard voice, his golden eyes turning molten with his anger.
“I know what the rumors are. That this family of sprites were banished because they weren’t leading the children to safety like the others. They were leading them away—to more danger.”
Rhett’s eyes grew almost completely red with the rage boiling inside of him. He stepped away from me, the muscles in his jaw tight with strain.
“Don’t... don’t go after them as you are. Think about this. I think they may be able to help you.”
“What are you hiding?” His eyes flared with suspicion.
“Nothing.” I sighed. “I’m really not hiding anything. I just don’t want to see you persecute a family of pixies for something they may not be doing. I just know they moved here because in their homeland, they were more mischievous, and it led to a child dying. The Council has given them permission to build a new home here. Remember that.”
His eyes turned back to their normal golden color and he nodded. “I will keep that in mind,” he said and then disappeared.
Just disappeared.
I sighed and glanced around. I stood at t
he back of the building in a large garden. If I remembered correctly, a group of meatheads kicked up a stink, wanting a place to relax while they were stressed with missions and couldn’t go home.
Then the financial people threw up a stink about spending money on something pointless. But Big Boss was all ‘just fucking do it’ and ta-da, we got a fancy garden in the back of the building. When people wanted to show off to clients, they took them here. No doubt, the dragon man was going to come here and take in the sights. I’d been told the shifters and those more in tune with nature found the garden relaxing and freeing.
A dragon wasn’t a shifter, despite having a human form as well. From what I’d been able to dig up, and from my experience with the one I’d met, they exploded with energy when they shifted. Shifters drew the energy around them into them, but a dragon literally exploded with it, as if there was too much inside of them and when they shifted, they released it all.
I glanced around the garden, taking in all the variations of plant life. I could see a dragon enjoying the space.
City life was always hard on some species, especially the shifters. They usually ended up spending their weekends outside of the city to leave themselves free to hunt and run around on four legs.
I took in a deep breath, breathing in the honeysuckle a few feet away. I could also smell jasmine, roses, and bluebells. The magic involved left an undercurrent smell of ozone to go along with the freshly turned earth. The caretakers were pixies, experts at keeping all the flowers alive and healthy. Their intuition with nature and what the plants needed was top notch.
I closed my eyes as a breeze blew by, carrying more fragrances that pushed all my senses into hyper drive. Being surrounded by nature reminded me of how in tune I was to the natural elements. My skin tingled against the warm air, hair lifting slightly as I called out to my surroundings, just feeling everything.
Renewed energy rushed through me and the exhaustion slipped away. My mind cleared and focusing came easier as I allowed myself to relax. My magic curled around me before stretching out, rolling across the ground, noting every spark of life it came across.
Magical Intentions Page 5
