Chapter 35
Four hours and a ferry ride later, Quinn pulled up to the Office of the Records, in the heart of Vancouver's Gastown. The drive had been excruciating. She was certain someone had been following her most of the way to the ferry. Then she’d had to wait an entire hour for the next boat, which was stifling and claustrophobic. All the other passengers kept staring at her, like they could tell who she was and what she’d done.
She'd seen a few werewolves at one end of the bow, but they kept to themselves. Wolves were notoriously aloof with other immortals. Most of the crossing was spent in her car, counting down the minutes. Once docked, she'd peeled off the deck as quickly as possible and made it from the docks to the office in under forty minutes. She was sure there’d be at least one speeding ticket in her mailbox the next day.
She parked her Nissan Murano and hastily made her way through the crowds of hipsters lounging along the streets of Gastown. She'd never fit in this part of the city. Was as far from hipster as one could get. Quinn looked like she was in her late-thirties. When she’d found Alex, it’d been necessary to allow her body to age to fit the human timeline of being her aunt.
Elementals typically came into their immortality in their mid-twenties and then only aged one year for every hundred they lived. She'd allowed her aging to speed up a bit. Then discovered she enjoyed ageing. Liked sensible clothing that fit her well. Liked her skin and the laugh lines that appeared around her eyes. She stopped wearing makeup. Her style was uncomplicated and practical, the way she liked her life.
Her attempt to flirt with Lachon that morning had been ridiculous. Quinn didn't flirt. Didn't use her body to try and entice men. Her body wasn't her strength. Her mind was.
Her sister had been stunning beyond words. Lithe and delicate looking, with a fire that roared above the surface. There was no mistaking Gray’s wildness. Alex, was even more tremendous. Her untamed beauty drew looks to her like moths to a flame. But it was her off-beat humor and intelligence that made her special.
She pushed through a group of twenty somethings on the sidewalk, her stomach re-coiling at what she’d done. The Law of the Elementals was currently asleep and vulnerable on a pillow in her kitchen. Most of their kind feared his name with good reason. Lachon never faltered in his vow to uphold the law of his people. She muttered a series of swear words under her breath at the front door of the office.
Inside the building, she walked quickly and without ceremony through the reception area. Most of the staff saw her sparingly. She traveled or worked from her home office at least three quarters of the month. After Alex came into her life it’d been necessary to keep her away from Vancouver.
No one commented on her brisk walk through the lobby. She wasn't known for small talk. She made sure the history of their race was intact. Had no need to be friends with her staff. She shut the door to her office, started up her computer, linked to the company network, and downloaded all the files on Taurin and Ealian. Then erased any personal documents that might mention Gray’s pregnancy from both her computer and any external hard drives. She took all the photos from her desk and threw them in her briefcase along with her laptop. Once that was done she composed herself and headed to the archives room.
A few senior staff members greeted her warmly as she wandered through the office. At the door to the archive room, she hesitated a fraction of a second before swiping her electronic key to gain entry. There was no going back now. Hell, there was no going back after she'd shot Lachon Findel. The lock slid open. Quinn walked through the doors determined to change her family’s destiny.
~ ~ ~
Inside the room, the air was cool and dry. The temperature strictly regulated. Most of the documents were sealed in plastic sheets. There were thousands of years of archived materials in here. The staff was careful not to let any of the papers become damaged. The sweeping changes Quinn herself instituted over two hundred years ago, were the reason most of their history remained intact. Everything in this room had been scanned and saved on triplicate hard drives so that even if the papers themselves were lost, the information would be safe.
Quinn deleted what she needed. Only a few Elementals on earth had access like she did. Domhall used to, until he went nuts. A couple of judges had more limited access. In the end, they’d all know the youngest keeper they'd ever had, betrayed them.
It took less than sixty seconds to locate the files needed. No one who knew this room like she did. She’d designed it after the previous archives room had failed to live up to her exacting specifications. She shoved the files into her briefcase and picked up the file on Lachon the Law as well. No matter what Domhall thought, she was damn well going to be prepared if she had to fight him. She exited the room, refused to look back. The archives were in her past now.
Three minutes later, waving a polite goodbye to the front receptionist, she entered the elevator. It had taken her less than an hour to destroy the very foundation of her life.
“Have a great night, Ms. Taleisin,” said the young girl at reception.
Her name was Brie. Quinn had handpicked her to join the team. Brie was short, and round, with shining, intelligent eyes. Quinn broke a little inside. Her goddamn family was ruining everything. If it weren’t for Alex, she'd let them rot.
Back on the street she pushed her way through a throng of hipsters nursing fifteen-dollar bottles of beer. On the dash of her Murano was tucked a perfectly printed out parking ticket.
“Are you kidding me? Goddamn.” She looked around for the meter maid, kicked the tires of her car.
A couple young ladies smirked at her. She happily gave them the finger before ripping up the ticket, climbing into her car, and driving away from her life.
It took over an hour to reach the airport. Traffic was always shitty on the number One Highway. That afternoon it crawled at a standstill. She was sure building security was right behind her, or that Lachon had somehow freed himself and would reach her, but no one came.
When she finally reached the airport Domhall was waiting for her at stall four-thirty-four. Neither of them said anything. When she climbed out the car with bags in tow, he hugged her. For the first time in twenty-five years she gave herself a minute to let her dad hold her and make her feel safe.
He used his magic to get them through the airport and customs. Within minutes they were on his plane, headed to Greece and to her sister. Quinn held her breath until they were in the air.
“You did well, darling. Thank you.”
“Go to hell. I didn't do it for you. The only one I care about in this is Alex. You and Gray can re-disappear for all I care.” She laughed, loathing herself. “Do you even care that my entire future is over? For your golden daughter. I can't believe I did this. I left a man drugged in my kitchen. I betrayed all the people I work with, people I hired. Any chance I had at a normal life with my niece is gone thanks to you.”
Domhall leaned back in his seat, scrolled through his iPod and put his headphones on before replying, “None of that matters. Destinies are at stake.”
~ ~ ~
The plane landed on a private runway on Hydra Island eleven hours later. Quin hadn’t slept. They drove through the villages on the island, both aware many eyes followed them. It seemed her nephew had been busy fortifying his corner of the world. They parked at the port. Domhall led her to a small speed boat, ready and waiting to take off.
“How did you arrange all this?” Quinn asked.
Several men and women slid back into the shadows, the minute they stepped on the boat deck.
“I'm a man of many talents child.” Domhall grinned. “I have a few good people that help support our needs. Now sit back. This sucker has kick.” He nodded to the driver of the boat. “Home Jeeves.”
Ten minutes into the ride across the ocean, the hair on her skin tensed. The air around them calmed. The winds ceased and a ripple in the fabric of the earth opened, allowing them entry to Neeren's kingdom. As they passed the threshold, a large island appeared. The driver released the throttle, dropped their speed and easily made his way up to a shining silver dock lined with black panthers.
Domhall faced her, grinning like a teenager. “They brought out the welcoming party.”
Quinn gripped her satchel, scanned the dock for Alex. A lone man stood at the front of the group. He acknowledged her with a slight smile before calmly turning to Domhall.
“Welcome, Grandfather. We have been expecting you.”
“Hey, kid. I noticed the silent escort through Hydra. Assumed you’d be waiting.”
“Well,” he replied, “I cannot have you sneak on the island like the first time, can I?”