Rebirth of the Seer (20 page)

Wesley chuckled and reached for a half-empty bottle of beer. “Pretty ridiculous, isn’t it?
No one has any idea why, but it’s true.
And when I
told Malcolm Davies, he
thought I was a few cards short of a deck
. B
ut then I found myself in exile out here in Chicago and got bored sitting around.”

Jesse grinned and turned to drape his arm across the back of the booth. “This is where
me and Mark
come in,” he said. He flipped his hand in Mark’s general direction as he continued. “I left the Order after one too many rows at the pub and Mark was one of the low tier gents who didn’t get around much. Mark knew Wes and I knew Mark and we all wanted something more to tap around at.”

“And I had more than just something.”

My eyes returned to Wesley. While the expression on his face
was
sober, a hint of feral excitement danced in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow at me
, a dare latent in the gesture
. “Monica said the two of you brought down the bitch that turned Lydia’s killer. What if I said we’ve been tailing one of her known associates? What if I said I got into her
file
back at the Order and hit pay dirt when I started snooping around here? How would you like to dig a little deeper into that?”

I brought my cigarette to my mouth and took a slow drag of it. “Such is precisely what we had hoped to accomplish.”

The corner of his mouth curled upward. “I have a confession to make. I invited you both up here not just to help you off the radar. I don’t have any magical abilities any longer. Neither does Jesse. Mark keeps us protected just fine,
for using
our guile to tail around a few vampires who seem like they have more than a recreational
hobby.
If we tried storming the gates, we’d become a grease stain on a floor, especially if we’re dealing with dark magic. And I
think we’re knee-deep
in it.”

I perked an eyebrow. “What do you wish me to do, then?”

“What it is seers do best. Stop these bastards.” He took a hearty swallow from his beer and set the bottle down only to snap his fingers at Mark. Mark produced a black book, with creased binding and pages which looked to have been flipped through hundreds of times. Wesley took it from him and immediately held it out in my direction. “This is a record of our investigation. We’ve been at it for three years now, non-stop.”

“Fascinating.” Reaching forward to snuff out my cigarette, I accepted the book once I was finished. It fell open with little effort as it rested in the palm of my hand. I began paging through it. “So, you have been tailing one of Sabrina’s known associates?”

“Yes, we have.
A man
who calls himself Ian Carmichael, though the dossier on him was
pretty light
. He made it onto her page when the two of them met up here in Chicago right around the time Peter Dawes was turned. The man himself hasn’t been caught with his hand in any cookie jars.”

“Not as of Nineteen Eighty-Four,” I said as I glanced at the first page. The Fates had smiled down on me
once more
. Wesley had been forced from the Order before he could see the name Flynn attached to my dossier. “So what has Master Carmichael been up to in the time being?”

“Oh, you know how
vampires are
. They think we’re lazy, and in part, they’re right. The Order’s been
taking out enough of their lackeys
, but not doing enough in the way of reconnaissance.” I heard him sigh. “We’ve been trying to figure out this bastard’s plans, but the bloodsucker’s cronies won’t talk. Not even with a stake pressed against their chest.”

His use of prejudicial parlance made me wince. “No, a vampire would sooner
perish
than reveal his hand to a mortal
. Especially
if he is part of a larger scheme.”

“No kidding.”

I looked up from his notes. “Bu
t you suspect he
has been
searching for
a seer?”

“More than suspect it. I’ll admit we’re linking together some back door discussions with the fact that one of his ‘friends’ got their hooks into Lydia’s killer, but if there’s anything the Order taught me, it was that The Fates don’t work in coincidences. Especially not back-to-back.”

“Duly noted.” Lifting the book, I furrowed my brow. “Do you mind if I borrow this? I would like to acquaint myself better with your observations
.”

Wesley flipped his hand in my direction. “By all means. The Council’s been no help to us. Hell, I was dismissed when I tried to push Malcolm Davies’ buttons a little too hard and now, we’re written off as vigilantes. They won’t even send a sorcerer to sniff around.”

“What Wes is trying to say is that you’re a godsend, Flynn,” Jesse said, entering the discussion anew. “We can’t shake down the vamps, but you can read their thoughts. Maybe even find a way to get a few of ‘em to talk.”

I perked an eyebrow at him. “If any of them are so inclined. It would not be the first time I have had to coerce a vampire into divulging information. I simply…” Hesitating, I searched for the diplomati
c way to word my statement. “… a
m used to applying more finesse.”

“Apply all the finesse you want. Lather, rinse, and repeat if necessary. Point of fact is those bloody bastards won’t know what hit them.” Jesse smiled broadly. “We’ve got a seer with us now.”

He and Mark exchanged a laugh. I managed a half-hearted grin, but looked away lest my reaction tip my hand. I might have lost my
taste
for
vampiric decadence
, but the braggadocio which marked my immortal
brethren extended
across human kind as well. The Supernatural Order wore its colors and these amateur vampire hun
ters bore its banner as well. Our discussion had
made me all too aware I was surrounded by yet another group of people who would condemn me if they knew
exactly
what I was.

Suppressing a sigh, I glanced back at the others and nodded. “I shall do what must be done,” I said, my eyes finding Monica in the hopes the implied request
for an end to this meeting
stretched from one soul to the other. She nodded and
I
came to a stand,
slipping Wesley’s book into my coat while doing so
. “This is quite a bit to process for one evening, gentlemen. I would appreciate the chance to do so. Then we can storm the proverbial palace gates.”

“Be sure to keep us in the loop, Flynn,” Wesley said. His smile appeared more forced, something unreadable looming behind his eyes. “I’d like to think of us all as
a
team now. For the sake of humanity.”

“Yes, the sake of humanity.” A tidal wave of sarcasm threatened to crest an already straining levee. I lifted my hand in a salute and turned away, pausing only when Monica lifted her hand and reached for my arm again. Feeling her fingers encircle me provided the first moment of comfort I had experienced the entire evening. I drew a deep breath inward and flashed a small grin in her direction as we made our way out of the restaurant.

While none of the humans we passed along the way bore any suspicious quality to them, I swore I saw a man twist in his bar stool the moment we walked past. As much as my instincts begged take a better look, I had weathered enough for the night. Glancing away before he and I could make eye contact, I focused instead on the door held open by my watcher. The weights lifted from my shoulders the moment the chilly March air hit me again.

Monica
paused under the awning
to adjust her gloves. I shook my head, waiting for the door to swing shut behind us as though Wesley, Mark, and Jesse possessed the ability to hear me from the inside. “I swear, it is an epidemic,” I said, turning to face her. “Every being in the cosmos has a superiority complex.”

“They’re zealous,” Monica said, glancing from her hands to me. She shook them once, then closed the small gap between us and touched my arm again. “When you’re convinced you’re on the right side of a cause, you can get cocky. Isn’t that right, Mr. Kill-
All-
The-Humans-And-Risk-Starving?” Smirking, she lifted an eyebrow at me.

I frowned. “Yes, well,
I thought
vampi
res are supposed to be the vain ones
. Not the
se
baptized defenders of humanity.”

“Well, at least we have an interesting lead.” The manner in which she tugged at my arm suggested a request to
move
away from the front of the establishment. I relented, strolling with her down the walkway and to the main thoroughfare.
The rain had relented enough to become a slight drizzle.
Monica waited for
a few paces
before continuing. “Wesley was pretty observant when he worked for my father. You never know what he might have in his notes.”

I felt Monica’s eyes on me, entreating me to look back at her. My frown became a grimace, which begat an exasperated huff. “I
suppose you are right,” I said noncommittally.

Her facial expression sank. “What is it, Flynn?”

“I simply have a bad feeling about all of this. If there are vampires more ambitious than Sabrina about, these recreational hunters risk being slain. Besides, I question their usefulness. They wish to be
‘
team players
’
when they are not on the same field of play as you and me.”

It took a moment, but Monica brightened. The corner of her mouth curled upward. “You don’t like not being the big cat on campus, do you?”

I scoffed. “As though any of them could hold a candle.”

“Oh, absolutely not. Humor me, though. You don’t have to get chummy with them, just think of them as resources and let them figure out when they’re in over their heads. I think Wes just wants to ride your coattails b
ack to his job in Seattle
.”

“He shall be in for a rude awakening, then.”

“I’ve had the thought. We have more important things to worry about, though.”

We rounded a corner and I looked down at her, regarding her for several interminable moments before it drew her attention back up to me. The smirk she had worn seconds prior turned into a nervous smile. “What?” she asked, a blush taunting at her cheeks.

I chuckled and allowed our bodies to drift closer together. “Give me your thoughts, watcher,” I said. “What has bewitched my kind such that they would upset such a tenuous balance?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Wesley is right that the Council has a laundry list of problems. Hell, it was them dragging their feet on the who
le matter of you that led to this
three ring circus. At the same time, I know the Order
believes your turning wasn’t anything more than an ambitious woman’s prerogative
.
If it had anything to do with wanting a seer, nobody in the Council is letting on.”

“And undoubtedly, I was meant to uncover all of this.”

“Everything happens for a reason.”

“Quite so. Your recommended
course of action?”

She smiled. “I need a cup of coffee and a really cheesy late night flick. Mind if curl up on the couch with you and watch TV?”

I laughed. “I meant with regard to our current conundrum.”

“You don’t like cheesy movies?”

“I…” Shaking my head, I pulled my arm gently from her grip and lifted it to wrap around her shoulders. I swore I heard her giggle as she placed a hand upon my back, her cheek touching my chest and her body leaning into mine. I indulged a broad smile. “And now, who is failing to stay
on task, Miss Alexander? Which… also
begs the question of how the sister of a woman named Davies has
a different surname.
”

“My mother kept her maiden name. And tomorrow’s another night.” Her warmth saturated me, breaking the pervasive cold surrounding us. She paused, the air
becoming heavy around us
again if just momentarily. “We’ll see what Wesley has to offer in the way of notes and do our own investigating. We have one advantage in this situation that other seers wouldn’t. I think it could become useful.”

“W
hat advantage is that?”

“Your immortality.” She winked. “I think a pack of vampires will be more willing to talk with a kindred, then a bunch of ‘recreational hunters’.”

My hand settled on her arm as I nodded. “Yes, my dear. I do believe you m
ay
be right about that.” As I reciprocated the
wink, she rolled her eyes. T
ogether, we walked the rest of the way to our temporary apartment. A comfortable silence settled between us, but in
the wind
I felt that strange sensation take up residence again, reminding me that in my struggle
s to understand the human world
I could at least be myself with her. Against my better judgment, I agreed to her night of
relaxation
and held her in my arms as the screen before us flickered with the images of a black and white movie. She fell asleep on the couch beside me, and I carried her into her room before settling in myself.