Out for Blood (20 page)

“Got it.” So typical. All that mattered was the KM’s desires. “Anything else?” Like maybe what species she was. Knowing that would help him anticipate what kind of boss she might be. Hopefully nothing like Argent, but she was still KM.

“Yes. We obtained blood tests on the vampire child.”

Amazing what the KM could get its hands on. “From your inside person?”

“From a reliable source.” Above her shades, her brows bent downward. “You may let the comarré know the cover of night is not critical for this mission. It seems the child’s blood contains a UV antibody.”

He canted his head to one side, peering at her more closely. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Yes. The ancients possess a daywalker.”

“Damn, that changes things. But considering the kid’s father, that doesn’t—”

The bed creaked above them. Annika’s head lifted toward the ceiling. Her nostrils flared again, but this time her tongue flicked out of her mouth. Her
forked
tongue. She tasted the air. “You have a woman here. I smelled her when I came in but couldn’t sense her. She is not human.”

They all seemed to figure that out pretty quickly. “She’s not a problem.”

Annika’s mouth curved in a not entirely unpleasant smile. “Good. I’m not unsympathetic to a man’s needs. So long as she doesn’t keep you from your work.”

“Understood.”

Annika nodded. “I’ll be going.” She walked toward the door. “Talk to the comarré immediately. I’ll expect an update soon.”

Which he took to mean she’d be returning in a day or so. He walked with her. “Will do.” He hesitated to say more, but curiosity got the best of him. “So you’re a dragon like Argent?”

“No.”

His brow furrowed as they reached the door. “What are you, then, if you don’t mind me asking?”

She pushed the heavy metal back with one hand and turned. “Basilisk.”

He shook his head. “What is that again?”

“Like a dragon but with a stone gaze and a few other abilities.”

“A stone gaze?”

She stepped back into his home, her gaze aimed at the ground. “There.” She pointed at a palmetto bug scurrying toward them along one wall. She stepped into its path and crouched down. “Watch.” She tapped one of the screws on the side of her glasses, which he now realized was a button. The shades flipped up.

The palmetto bug turned gray and stopped moving. Before facing him, she touched the button again, lowering the shades. With a few steps, she retrieved the bug and tossed it his way.

He caught it, surprised at the weight and smoothness. She’d turned it to stone. He took a step back. “Stone gaze. Got it.”

With a nod, she exited, unfurled a pair of wings, and took off. Creek watched her disappear into the night sky, hoping like hell that questions about Argent’s disappearance never caused her to look at him any closer.

Chapter Nineteen

G
et your hands off me,” Chrysabelle snarled to the SWAT member holding her. The humans around her stared, stepping back as they realized she wasn’t one of them.

The man’s hands stayed on her biceps, keeping her back while Mal was chained to the posts a few yards away. “Ma’am, you can’t approach the prisoner.”

“He’s not a prisoner, you idiot. He volunteered for the job.” She could easily toss the guy aside, but that would just draw more attention to her. Already the confused and troubled citizens surrounding her thrummed with an unwelcome vibe.

Police restrained the murmuring crowds at the square’s edges while a few more officers directed a black sedan. The mayor. Wasn’t watching this chaos on the holovision enough for her? Rage bloomed in Chrysabelle, causing her muscles to tremble. And this woman wanted help getting her grandchild back? She shook her head at the thought. Not the best way to go about it.

The sedan parked and the mayor got out, escorted by Luke Havoc. How could a shifter work for the mayor after this? He stayed at her side as she walked toward the cluster of cameramen and reporters who’d headed for the sedan the moment it had come into sight.

They held their microphones up as she began to speak. “As you can see, we’ve had a change in plans. The varcolai who violated the curfew has been released and his place taken by another othernatural.” She raised a hand toward Mal. “Before you, citizens of Paradise City, you see a real, live vampire.”

A gasp went through the crowd.

“Fools,” Chrysabelle muttered. Were mortals still so blind? Or had it just been the mayor’s confirmation of what they already knew? Either way, it did nothing to endear the masses to her.

The mayor waited for the crowd to hush, then continued. “The cameras will be granted access all night, until the vampire’s release before dawn. If you’re not law enforcement or carrying a press card, we ask that you go home and watch from your holovisions.” More noise from the crowd, this time less complimentary. She nodded. “I understand, but my first concern must be for the safety of my citizens.”

Chrysabelle snorted. “What does she think, that he’s going to break free and start killing people?”

The officer holding her glanced back at Mal. “Have you seen him? I’m surprised he hasn’t snapped someone’s head off yet.”

She stared into the officer’s eyes, unable to control the anger building up inside her. “Maybe he’ll start with you.”

The officer grimaced. “You threatening me?”

“I’m done with this.” She yanked her arms free and disappeared into the crowd as much as someone dressed in white could. People stared as she pushed toward the mayor, fear shining in their eyes at the sight of her.

“Othernatural,” one whispered.

“No,” she answered. “I’m human.” She moved quickly away, pulling her hair down around her face to hide her signum.

Her anger at her own stubbornness boiled up. Why did she hold so tightly to her comarré ways? She’d been disavowed. There was no reason to cling to them. Had she given them up and adopted more ordinary clothing, she could have blended in much better.

Her mother had understood. She’d kept her signum hidden with makeup and had made a normal life for herself.

This life was not normal.

A few more yards and she came as close to the sedan as the police would allow. She pushed to the front of the crowd and stared at Luke, desperate to get his attention.

At last he looked her way. She motioned for him to come over. He nodded slightly, then spoke into his collar. A few seconds later, another security officer took his place while the mayor continued to answer questions.

In a few strides, he was in front of her. “Chrysabelle, what can I do for you?”

“Can we talk?” She slanted her eyes to the left and right, indicating somewhere out of earshot of the crowd.

“Sure.” He put his hand on her shoulder and guided her through the line of cops. “She’s with me.”

Once they reached the back of the sedan, he stopped. “What’s up?”

“Those idiot cops won’t let me get to Mal. The mayor never said anything about me being kept from him.” She glanced at where he was chained. He seemed unfazed by everything going on around him. “Please, I need to talk to him. I don’t even know why he decided to do this. I mean, I have an idea but—”

Luke held his hands up. “I know you’re upset. Let me see what I can do.” He left her standing beside the taillights and went to the mayor’s side. After a few moments, Lola leaned toward him and they spoke. She stole a look at Chrysabelle, quickly averting her eyes when Chrysabelle didn’t back down. Guilt, maybe? Because the mayor had to know what a screwup this was. How none of this was going to help sway Chrysabelle into helping Lola get her grandchild back.

Chrysabelle crossed her arms and stared the woman down, but Lola never looked her way again. She and Luke exchanged a few more words; then Luke nodded and ambled back to the car.

“Okay, she says you can have all the access you want once the crowd is dispersed.”

She let go of the breath she’d been holding. “Thank you.”

“You know they’re keeping the cameras on him, right? You’re going to be broadcast into every household in the city.”

She slumped. She hadn’t thought of that. “Can you get a message to Mal?”

“Sure.”

“Tell him I’ll be back when the crowds are gone.”

“Consider it done.”

“Thanks.” She turned and headed down the block to where Jerem was waiting with the car, her entire body buzzing with resolve. She hadn’t been a real comarré in almost a month. Any reason she’d had to hang on to those old beliefs was gone. The time had come to make some changes.

As the tasting wound down, Tatiana stood and clicked the nails of her metal hand against her crystal goblet. “Friends,”
enemies, fools, blighty old ratbags,
“I’d like to thank you again for coming to celebrate this new joy with me.” She raised her glass and the others did the same, drinking with her.

She put the glass down. “Now that our tasting is concluded, there is brandy in the library and the baccarat table is set up. I’ve brought a dealer in from Monaco to further enhance your playing.”

The males looked rather delighted. The pleasure most of them took in gambling was no secret. “I myself prefer a stroll in the garden. Of course, any of you who wish to join me there are absolutely welcome. The gardens here are quite a sight to behold.”

“That sounds like a marvelous idea, my lady.” Daci smiled broadly, playing her part perfectly. “Svetla, why don’t you join us? We’ll make a ladies’ escape of it.”

Svetla curled her lip. “I don’t—”

Grigor set his hand upon her arm, stopping her. “Go. Spend some time with Tatiana and Daciana. It will be a perfect opportunity to get to know them better.”

In other words, try to read their minds. Svetla could try all she wanted, but Tatiana knew she and Daci would give nothing away.

Octavian led the men to the library, where hopefully he’d be able to keep some distance from Grigor. If Kosmina’s potion didn’t work, Tatiana would kill her.

“Shall we?” Tatiana made for the gardens with Daci at her side and Svetla trailing slightly behind them. She forced herself to slow so that Svetla fell into step.

The pale blonde looked everywhere but at Tatiana. “Ivan’s estate is beautiful.”

Dumb git. She knew well enough that the property belonged to Tatiana now. “Ivan’s estate? You must have forgotten the noble line of succession. It goes from Dominus to Dominus.” Tatiana smiled sweetly. “You do recall that Ivan’s dead?”

Frost clouded Svetla’s blue gaze. “Yes, of course. How could I have forgotten that?”

Kosmina, who’d gone ahead to prepare a few things, met them at the French doors leading out to the gardens. She bowed. “My lady, I’ve brought a bottle of champagne from your private reserves. Also, Lilith is sleeping peacefully.”

The bottle sat chilling in a stand, three elaborately gilded flutes nearby. “Very good,” Tatiana said.

“I’ll pass,” Svetla said.

Kosmina lifted the bottle high for Tatiana to examine it. “Perhaps I should have brought something less expensive…”

“No, we’re celebrating,” Tatiana assured her.

“What a wonderful splurge!” Daci exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted to try a bottle of that.”

As if on cue, Svetla leaned in to get a better look. Her jaw unhinged slightly. “Is that Heidsieck?”

“Yes, do you know it?” Tatiana asked. The champagne had been in Ivan’s cellars and, according to the sommelier’s logbook, was the most expensive he’d ever purchased. A little research on Kosmina’s part had discovered why and made it easy for Tatiana to determine it might be the one glass Svetla couldn’t refuse.

Svetla closed her mouth, but only for a moment. “Yes, I know it. That’s the Heidsieck cuvée Diamant blue vintage 1907. Those bottles were commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II.”

“But they never made it to his table, did they?” Tatiana clucked her tongue as if she actually cared about some ridiculous bottle of bubbles. “Shipwreck and all. Such a shame.”

“Where did you get them?” Svetla looked on the verge of bursting.

“The wreck was salvaged and about two thousand of the bottles were discovered. Ivan managed to obtain a few when they went to auction.” Actually, he bought all of them for an astonishing two hundred seventy-five thousand apiece, but she wasn’t about to tell Svetla that. The woman was jealous enough already.

Svetla just stared, somehow magically unable to speak.

Tatiana took the bottle from Kosmina and began easing the cork out. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind, Svetla? I would love for you to enjoy it with us.”

“You would?”

“I am hoping we can move beyond the difficulties we’ve had.”

Svetla nodded thoughtfully. “I am willing to try if you are.” She smiled. It looked almost genuine. “I would be glad to join you in a glass.”

“Wonderful.” With a loud pop, the cork released. Tatiana handed the bottle back to Kosmina to pour since only she knew which glass had been coated with a tincture of laudanum. Not too much, but just enough to help lower Svetla’s resistance to Tatiana’s powers of persuasion. If it added any strange taste, hopefully Svetla would just assume it was a side effect of the bottle’s time under water. The gilded filigree on the flutes also helped to hide any discoloration. All in all, a perfect plan. So far.