IM03 - Pandora's Box (16 page)

Both men seemed to remember their places, and we all quietly took our seats.

“Someone want to tell me what all the drama is about?” Zuri said in a tone that didn’t just ask, it demanded an answer.

“Vampire bullshit in Allston,” Brady said with a casual glance to Lysander. “Ask your new friend about it.”

“Why wasn’t I called in for this?” Zuri’s tone became even sharper. She gave Brady the evil eye.

“Not your territory,” Brady said. “These three showed up as we went to investigate.”

“That was the business we wished to discuss with Connor,” Lysander said. “We believe Edmond might have been involved, as we mentioned earlier.”

“I must have missed quite a bit while I was sleeping at the hotel.” Fallon’s shoulders slumped. She frowned at me as if I had purposely kept her out of the loop. “You didn’t tell me you had already met Aiden and Brady.”

“You travel with these vampires?” Aiden asked, his deep voice carrying well over the din of the bar.

“Yeah. Alyssa has been my best bud since we were kids.” Fallon looked a little put off. I wondered when she’d get sick of answering that question. It really was an oddity for a human to hang out with any supernatural creature, let alone a vampire.

Aiden cocked his head as his gaze traveled from Fallon to me and back. “You’re new then?” he asked with surprise.

I nodded.

He looked intrigued. His eyebrow quirked and he quickly scanned our faces. “Maybe you aren’t all that bad. Traveling with a human, being so young, has to be… tempting.”

“We’re over that part,” I said with a casual wave of my hand. “No worries there.”

“I guess so.” Something about his tone was off. I guessed he didn’t really believe me, not that it mattered. The proof of it was sitting right there—a happy, healthy Fallon, with all of her blood intact.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said sarcastically and beamed a fake smile at him.

Lysander was right on time with the quick subject change. “We were discussing with Zuri about arranging a meeting with Connor. I would love to talk with him about our shared histories.”

That garnered a confused look from the entire table.

Lysander continued, “We all had issues with Kallisto and her clan, Edmond being the last
known
remaining member.” He emphasized the word known as if hoping someone else might supply more information.  Since we had already seen and talked to Edmond, he seemed less likely to be the culprit, though he had not been completely exonerated.

“Doubt you’ll get much, but you can try to speak with Connor,” Brady said, in a tone that screamed, “I couldn’t care less.” He swiveled around in his chair and then made a beeline for the bar. “I’m gettin’ a beer.”

Aiden turned his attention back to Fallon. “You want a drink?”

She blushed and nodded, as if unable to find her voice.

“Come with me.” He smiled and extended a hand to her. “What are you drinking?”

They headed for the bar. Fallon looked back and mouthed the words “Oh my god.” I smiled and gave her the thumbs up.

“Ya didn’t tell me you met the twins.”  Zuri shot me an angry glare. “That’s a pretty important detail to leave out.”

I shrugged. “Didn’t know who they were.”

“We spoke with Connor, but he never introduced us to the two wolves flanking him,” Lysander said.

“Those would be his sons. His second and third in command.”

“Ah, well, I guess that would have been good to know.” I laughed nervously. “So much for first impressions.”

“Yeah, and apparently you didn’t start off on Connor’s good side either. You’re not batting a thousand there, slugger. You wanna tell me what the vampire bullshit is that he was talking about? Or am I going to have to find out about that second hand too?”

“When we went to find the memoirs…” I hesitated, wondering if there was a delicate way to put this. “We found a few mutilated bodies instead.”

“What the fuck?” Zuri slammed a hand on the table. “Leaving dead bodies in a residential neighborhood?”

“Yeah.”

“And you don’t know who’s behind this?”

I shrugged. “At this point, we’re clueless.”

“Well, if the wolves are pissed, you’ve got a fat chance in hell of getting their help. I’ll still put in a call for ya, but no guarantees.” She shook her head and let out a defeated sigh.

“Glad to have you on our side.”

“I didn’t say you’d get anywhere with my help.” She laughed. “Where ya staying anyway? How do I get a hold of you?”

“A motel in the Brighton area.” Lysander wrote down the hotel information on a napkin and gave it to her.

“Damn, really? As old as you are, I thought you’d be staying someplace with class.”

“We planned to be in and out quickly,” Lysander said. “This wasn’t meant to be a vacation.”

“We gotta find you some better digs if ya gonna be staying a while. Gimme some time and I’ll see what I can find.”

“You are too kind,” Lysander said.

“Ain’t nothing, handsome. You seem like good people. I get a great vibe from you. Glad to help.”

“Speaking of hotels, Lysander,” Nicholas leaned in to the table. “We’ve been here long enough. We should get back and check in with our clan mates at home.”

Reading between the lines, I could tell there was more than just clan duty on his mind. Nicholas desperately wanted to get out of the bar. He’d been as sociable as he could manage, and wanted to go back to being alone.

“He’s right, we’re expecting info about our little… problem,” I said.

“It’s cool,” Zuri said. “I’m back on patrol tomorrow but I’ll be in touch. We’ll hang out again.”

“I’ll grab Fallon.”

Zuri tugged at my sleeve and pointed to the bar. “I don’t think you’re gonna be able to pry her away.”

She was right. Fallon and Aiden looked pretty cozy at the bar. Fallon sat perched on her stool, while Aiden stood next to her with his hand on her thigh. She had her hand on his massive arm, gently caressing it as she talked to him.

“I’ll make sure she gets home safe,” Zuri said with a wink. ”Go take care of business.”

I didn’t like the idea of leaving Fallon with strange vampires and werewolves, but just like Zuri, I had a good feeling about them. Vampires. Wolves. Supernatural things. I was at a loss as to how to collectively refer to them now that there was more than one category of us. Next to the camaraderie of the Peregrinus, my clan, these guys all seemed like really good people.

I caught Fallon’s eye and waved to make sure she knew we were leaving, and then pointed to Zuri and mouthed “ride home.”

She nodded and waved me off.

“Guess that settled that.” I said my goodbyes to Zuri and then Lysander, Nicholas, and I took off back to the hotel, hoping to hear some good news from Crystal or Drew.

The lighthearted mood I’d been in at the bar ended the moment we returned to the hotel. Nicholas made a beeline for the phone to call Crystal and Drew.  They didn’t pick up on the first try, nor the second. Nicholas’s impatience was beginning to show. He growled his frustration into the receiver and mashed the buttons so hard I thought the phone would break. Thankfully, on the third try, someone answered. 

I breathed a sigh of relief and went to the bathroom to change into something comfortable.

When I came out, Lysander was pacing the length of the room. Nicholas sat rigid on the bed, but I could tell by the wide-eyed look of fear in his eyes and his tightly pursed lips that what he was hearing on the other end of the line wasn’t good news. I tried to listen in, but whoever was on the other end was speaking so low, it was barely a mumble. That sent red flags up.
Why would Crystal or Drew need to whisper into the phone? Were they hiding from something?

“You need to get out of there. Now,” Nicholas ordered, though he too seemed to be keeping his tone down.

His words and the contrasting tone they were spoken in caught Lysander’s and my attention. In unison, our heads jerked sharply toward Nicholas.

Instantly, my mind filled with images of that thing tearing Crystal to shreds as easily as it did Rozaline. I couldn’t bear it if another one of my clan died. 

“Gone how?” Nicholas asked.

 
What did that mean? Had Crystal been killed too? Was the poltergeist running amok in my hometown?
I wore a track into the carpet, eavesdropping, worrying, and desperately awaiting the full story.

“Fine. Finish up, then take the RV and head this way. Do it tonight, before sunrise! And call me when you’re safe.”

The Peregrinus’ favorite mode of transportation was a giant beat up, or should I say, well used, RV. That vehicle had probably been across the country and back more times than I could count.

Nicholas hung up the phone. Before he could say a word, both Lysander and I were at his side, awaiting his report.

“It’s worse than we thought. Drew went back to the house. It’s a wreck, as expected. The police have it taped off as a crime scene. They found a body and a bloody message on the wall: ‘I want my blood back.’” He wiped his face with his hand and shook his head. “The box has gone missing too. Drew said he saw no sign of it.”

“What?” I froze in shock hearing those words.

“Did the police take it when they searched the house?” Lysander asked.

“Drew’s not sure. The dead body was a vampire. It created quite a stir. And it turned up on the news, decapitated and drained, just like—”

“So it’s only going after vamps?” It was more of a statement than a question. I needed something to say to stop Nicholas from saying her name. Hearing it made my heart ache. I could only imagine what it did to him. “I guarantee the Acta Sanctorum has gotten wind of this and are on their way,” I said, as dread sank lower in the pit of my stomach. Things appeared to be getting worse by the moment.

“Yes.” Nicholas nodded curtly. “The city is no longer safe for vampires. We won’t be able to go back anytime soon. I told Drew to get the hell out of there.”

“What do the police or the media think they have?” Lysander asked, his tone guarded.

“The local news reported the strange death and remarked on the teeth and the unusually fast organ decay. No mention of the box, but I’m not sure it would be important to them. Drew and Crystal are going to try to get rid of the body before anyone has a chance to inspect it further. I told them to be quick about it and leave. If that thing is out there, especially with the box missing, they could be the next victims.”

“Agreed.” Lysander pinched the bridge of his nose and looked down to the floor. “They do not need to be in harm’s way. Did they have any idea as to where the box went?”

Nicholas lowered his head as he shook it. “I’m sorry, no. Drew said he didn’t have much time in the house. He said there were no strange boxes, but he did pick up the scent of vampire blood. And not the vampire that was killed in the house.”

“Then that tells us that another vampire might have taken it.” Lysander walked to the table and picked up the list that he’d written earlier. “I have to assume it was a vampire who left the box at our doorstep in the first place. That blood Drew smelled might belong to the vampire who retrieved the box. They must know something we don’t. Perhaps there is a way to control the spirit.” He looked down, studying the paper.

“There’s more. The dead vampire was another ancient named Delphine.”

Lysander’s eyes lit up. “She was with Kallisto’s coven.”

Nicholas nodded. “Drew recognized her. I’d venture a guess that she escaped the Acta Sanctorum’s raid and was in hiding.”

“Not hiding very well, obviously,” I said under my breath.

Lysander ignored the comment and scratched a name off his list. “I wonder how many more vampires escaped the destruction of her coven?”

Nicholas shrugged. “We have no way of knowing. Drew did suggest a theory about the messages the spirit keeps leaving. ‘I want my blood back.’”

“It said something similar after it attacked me. What if Delphine belongs to the same bloodline as us?”

“You’re right on the ball as always, Captain Obvious.”

It was nice to hear Nicholas being snarky again. He’d been so oddly quiet lately, I was beginning to worry he’d lost himself in depression. There’d be plenty of time for that after we avenged Rozaline, but for now, clear heads were needed.

  “It would seem this thing is attracted to vampires of Kallisto’s lineage,” Lysander said solemnly. “Which means that eventually, it will find us.”

 “But how are we going to fight it?” I threw my hands up in defeat. We were running around in circles with no answers at all. “We can’t attack a spirit. We can’t even see it until it attacks. Even if we could, the thing is immortal. The name alone means unconquerable.”

“We have to assume the box is the key. It must be returned to the box,” Lysander said calmly, despite my mini tantrum.

“We can’t even put it back in the box now that it’s gone missing too,” I huffed.

Lysander shook his head and set down the paper he’d been holding. “Our situation is not good, I will agree with you there. But we do have options to explore. I believe the wolves are an important piece to this puzzle. Conner has knowledge of this thing. I saw it when we mentioned it. Maybe that knowledge includes the way to make another box. We need to cultivate a friendship with them.”