Raven Mask (25 page)

I shook my head. Why bother? It’s not like he’d understand me anyway.

Zaphara was suddenly walking toward us, boots silent on the concrete. “You should have stayed in the car.” She said exactly what I’d been thinking.

“I’m not the type of guy that just stands around and does nothing,” he said, and I couldn’t argue with him, not only because I wasn’t able to communicate with a human, but because I knew how he felt.

We were hunters. Hunters don’t sit around twiddling their thumbs when they have game to catch. I was finding that bad little vampires made for very interesting game.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Lenorre drove my car to her mansion since I’d opted on flying home. I beat them to the house, shifting on the porch and sighing with relief when I managed to include my clothes.

The Tiburon halted in front of the house and Rupert pulled in behind Lenorre, parking and getting out of his car.

Zaphara stepped out of the passenger side and held the door open for Eris. Rosalin crawled out on Lenorre’s side.

Lenorre came around the front of the car. “Zaphara has told me of what happened at the church.”

I nodded. “Can this wait until we get inside? We need to talk to Rupert and tell him what happened. He’s a part of this now.”

Lenorre’s hand caught mine and there was sympathy in her gaze.

The look confused me. “Zaphara didn’t tell me everything, did she?”

“I am afraid not. Come, my love. I shall abide by your wishes and speak with you of this matter inside.”

“You’re always so proper.” It wasn’t really a complaint, but I suddenly felt grumpy. I didn’t want to know everything else, damn it. It was bad enough Zaphara had been implying the Count of Counts had a bunch of kiddies locked somewhere in his church. Then again, maybe I was wrong, but it was one of the few terrible possibilities that came to mind.

Lenorre smiled, showing the tips of her fangs. “I’m English, Kassandra. Would you expect anything less of me?”

She pulled me against her and I didn’t argue, melting into her. “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” I mumbled.

She laughed, holding me close as we walked toward the house. “In my case, an old vampire.”

“The church is not very large,” Zaphara explained. I crossed my arms over the dining-room table, listening. “I found another way in,” she looked at me, “through an underground storage room in the back. There’s a window just above ground level. I believe,” she said slowly, “that Rosalin and you could fit through it.”

I really didn’t want to squeeze through a window on bad-guy turf. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to, since I was the smallest cop on the force. Sometimes, my size was more curse than blessing.

I suddenly remembered I’d promised to call Arthur. I’d found a lead, and I hadn’t even thought of contacting him until now. Wonderful, he would be upset with me, but if it kept his ass alive it was worth it. If I called Arthur he’d want to bring a team in to help us take down the Count of Counts. For a human, that was a suicide mission. In fact, I wasn’t too sure it wasn’t a suicide mission for us.

“Kassandra?” Rosalin asked.

“I’m listening. I need to call Arthur.”

“If you contact him and try to bring him into this it’ll be a mistake,” Rupert said. I gave him a look. He was the only human in our group, but he had nearly the same training I had when it came to dealing with bad guys and monsters. He’d definitely had more experience being a hunter than I had. I’d even admit that his knowledge and abilities were most likely greater than mine.

“I know,” I said softly, “but he’ll be pissed when he hears I’ve left him out of the investigation again. He’s been getting irked with me lately because I keep doing that to him.”

“It’s your job,” Rupert said. “You’re the one that can handle it. Not many cops left on the local police force know how to deal with the supernatural, Kassandra. Too many of them opt out of the training because they think it’s evil.”

“That’s true.”

“So just forget about Arthur. We’ve got to figure out how to save those two kids.”

My heart suddenly felt heavy. “I’m afraid the Count has more than just Timothy and Alyssa.”

Rupert never flinched. “How many?”

I looked at Zaphara. “Tell us what you saw.”

“We were outnumbered by nearly a dozen. When I went in, there weren’t any vampires near the storage room. However, most of them are gathered in the main room. Including the Count himself. He has set up a throne where the pulpit once was. I do not think it would be safe sneaking in through the back, but it is an option.” She took a deep breath. “You won’t like what I’m about to tell you, Kassandra.”

“I know, but if I remain ignorant we won’t get anywhere.”

“Some of the children have been changed,” she said. “If your Timothy was there, I did not see him.” Her amethyst gaze went to Lenorre, who was sitting next to me. Lenorre’s hand stroked my thigh, probably in an attempt to comfort me, but it did more. It distracted me. I shuddered and forced myself to focus.

“The Count of Counts has begun somewhat of a cult following. He is taking children and turning them. Lady only knows what he’s doing to them.” She shuddered in disgust and gave a disapproving look. It was the first time I’d seen Zaphara do that. It was good to know she had some morals.

“What can we do?” I said to myself more than anyone else in the room. “Lenorre’s still got her Samhain Ball to attend. There’s got to be a way to take this bastard down—”

“If it means anything, I think the sooner we kick his ass, the better.” Rosalin leaned forward eagerly, her wolf in her eyes. The energy of her beast called to mine, tickling the hairs on my arm and making me suddenly warm. I closed my eyes, shielding. Control is strength.

“It’s not a matter of just rushing in and kicking his ass,” I said. “You’ve got to remember that lives are at risk in a war, both theirs and ours. You have to weigh your options. Rupert, any ideas?”

He drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Yeah.”

“Care to share?”

“You won’t like it.”

“Why?”

“It involves putting you at the front line of this war. How do you feel about delivering pizza?”

“Son of a bitch. You can’t come up with anything better than that?”

“We’re limited on what we’re able to do, Kass. Unless we resort to brute force, we’re screwed.”

“Do I get to put my gun in the pizza bag?”

“If that’s where you want to put it.”

“Fine, tell me the plan. I’ll tell you if I can do it.”

“We both know you can, Kass.”

“Silver bullets will not accomplish much against a vampire,” Eris said. She’d been quiet the entire time, taking in our conversation.

She was right. The only thing a silver bullet would do was slow a young vampire. Unless you were shooting point-blank and blew a decent-sized hole in the heart, a bullet to a body part just irritated most vampires. The way to kill one involved a sharp wooden stake made out of oak. It was a good idea to bless the stake, but religion wouldn’t protect anyone against an angry vampire.

“I’m fresh out of stakes,” I said.

“I’m not,” Rupert said.

“You just happen to carry a spare?”

“Kass, you know me. I’m always prepared.”

“Are they blessed?”

“No. I figured you could do that.”

“Get me the oil I need and I can bless them. Unfortunately, holy water doesn’t do shit.”

“Neither do crosses,” Rosalin added, “right?”

“Religious emblems won’t do anything,” I told her. “It’s the combination of the wood and pine oil their bodies reject.”

“The blessing helps ensure the stake’s potency,” Lenorre said. “You could still impale a vampire with oak and pine, but it is more effective if you infuse the wood and oil with your energy.”

“I didn’t know that,” Rosalin said. “Could I help?”

“You can get me the oil I need.” I slouched in my seat, briefly touching Lenorre’s hand.

Rosalin went into the kitchen, and I heard a cabinet door open and close before she walked back out carrying a bottle of pine cleaner. I bit my lip, trying not to laugh.

“The main ingredient is pine oil,” she said, swaying the bottle from side to side.

Rupert chuckled. “Let’s get a bucket and marinate some stakes.”

“It’s not a barbecue,” I said. “Where are they?”

“I’ve got a gym bag full in the car. I’ll go get them.”

“Will the pine cleaner work?” I asked Lenorre for reassurance.

“Yes. I think it will.” She scrunched up her nose. “Looking at it puts me off.”

“Then why do you have it in your house?” I asked, amused.

“I do not use it.”

Rosalin beamed, clearly proud of herself. “Nope, that’s me. I’ll go get a bucket.”

“I’ll help you bless them,” Zaphara said, glancing at Lenorre and Eris. “As I’m sure the vampires in the room will probably want to leave.”

Lenorre stood and I squeezed her hand. “Is it that bad?”

“At a distance, it does not bother me overmuch,” she said smoothly. “However, I would prefer not to smell the scent of highly concentrated pine cleaner.”

“I agree with Lenorre,” Eris said. “I would rather not participate.”

Lenorre bent at the waist, placing a soft kiss against my cheek.

“We’ll come get you when we’re done.”

Rupert still hadn’t gone out to get the stakes like he said he would. “Think you ladies could find what we need for Kassandra’s disguise?”

Eris and Lenorre exchanged a look. “Most likely,” Lenorre said. “If all else fails we will order pizza.”

“Lenorre!”

“Do not worry, my love.” She smiled widely enough to flash her dainty fangs. “I would not kill someone just for their uniform.”

Eris said, “I’m not opposed to tying them up in the basement.” She actually winked at me.

I turned back to Lenorre. “I don’t want you charming them out of their uniform, either.”

“Why would I do that? You would be surprised what a person would do just for money.”

I shook my head. “Go. Rupert, get the stakes.”

He nodded, following them out of the room.

Eris turned around, looking over her shoulder. “You would look cute in a uniform.”

Since I couldn’t tell if she was joking, I didn’t say anything. Rosalin walked in, placing an empty bucket on the table, then poured the entire bottle of cleaner into it. Without thinking I inhaled a deep whiff, then coughed uncontrollably.

“Holy fuck,” she said, plugging her nose. “No wonder they bolted.”

I tried to breathe the air in through my mouth and choked. The smell of pine and chemicals was so strong I could taste it on the back of my tongue like I’d just taken a swig of it.

“We’ll need gloves,” I said.

“And nose plugs,” Rosalin added.

Zaphara chuckled from her seat at the table. “Apparently, wolves don’t much like the smell either.”

Neither one of us disagreed. It wasn’t necessarily the pine, as much as the concentrated amount of pine. Werewolves and vampires have a stronger sense of smell than humans. I didn’t know about Zaphara. If so, the Daoine Maithe tolerated it better than the two of us.

Rupert emerged from the foyer. “Smells like my grandmother is in here.” He dropped a navy blue gym bag on the table and unzipped it to pull out a handful of long wooden stakes. “Just drop them in?”

“Sure,” I said, struggling to breathe past that suffocating smell. “Why not?”

He dropped them into the bucket one at a time.

“Would you prefer I bless the stakes?” Zaphara asked.

I nodded, holding onto the edge of the table. “I’m having a hard time concentrating and trying not to gag.”

Once the bucket was full, Zaphara took it. Her hair draped around her face, framing the paleness of her skin, the dark line of brow. Her features were slack, utterly serene. In truth, we were closer to cursing the stakes than we were to blessing them. We had to infuse them with the energy of our intentions. Obviously, our intentions were for them to kill a vampire. In my book, that seemed more like a hex than a blessing.

She drew a symbol in the air with her right index finger. The symbol blazed like a violet shadow hanging in the air, and a breeze of warm energy tickled my arms.

Zaphara looked at me. “The Raven has granted you more than just a mask to wear,” she said, her voice dripping with power as thick as molasses. “It seems she has granted you the gift of sight as well.”

I watched as the seven points of the star dimmed, gradually bursting with white light and disappearing altogether, like it had never been there.

“Do you know what you have just seen, Kassandra?”

“You drew a septagram. The Faerie Star.”

“Good. Very good, little witch.”

“I didn’t see anything,” Rupert said.

“You wouldn’t,” Rosalin said. “I didn’t see it either, but I felt it.” She shuddered.

“What did it feel like, wolf?” Zaphara asked her.