"HOW HAVE YOU been?" Thomas’s words were stilted and formal.
"Besides the fact that my friend is missing, and I'm being forced to stay in this house of horrors, I'm just hunky-dory."
Thomas’s lips quirked to the side. "I don't know. You and Liam seemed like you were having a good time."
I gave him a deadpan look. We were not going to discuss that. Not now. Not ever. "Let's get this over with. I have work in a few hours."
Actually, probably sooner. I didn't know how long Liam had spent training me.
Thomas inclined his head and turned, leading the way. I followed, assuming this doctor wouldn't care that I was in yoga pants, a workout shirt, and covered in sweat.
"You haven't used the car I gave you," he said.
I kept my face expressionless as I kept pace with him. "No."
"Is there a reason? I can get you a different car if there’s one you like better."
"I don't need a car. My bike is enough."
"I beg to differ. I've met Jerry's other couriers. All of them have some form of vehicular or magical transportation. A car would only increase your profits by saving you time."
"I'm fine." My answer was short and to the point.
"There are no strings attached if that's what you're worried about," he said, his voice calm and reasonable.
There were always strings attached. Nothing in this life was ever free.
My silence was answer enough. Thomas didn't accept that. "You're being ridiculous. It's a gift. Denying it only hurts yourself."
My snort was full of scorn. "I think I've had enough of your gifts."
"You're talking about your turn."
I didn't answer. I hoped we got to where we needed to go soon, because this conversation was one I'd planned to never have.
"You must know it was never my intention to abandon you," he said, his voice coaxing.
I rounded on him with a snarl and fangs bared. He drew up short, his eyes flashing a warning I refused to heed. "You killed me. You destroyed the person I was, made me into a monster afraid of being around my own family for fear I might hurt them. Your abandonment was the only good thing you ever did for me."
"I can understand why you’re angry," Thomas said, his voice infuriatingly calm. "But, you need to look at this as a gift. You’ll live for a very long time. If you would just accept your circumstance, you'll find this life can be a good one."
"It was not one I chose," I shouted at him. Of all the things wrong with what was done with me, that was the one that continued to haunt me. He'd stripped my options from me when he made me what I was. He'd taken any dreams I had and turned them to dust. Even if I could get past everything else and embrace my vampyness, I couldn't get past that. Not yet. Perhaps not ever.
There was a long silence between us—one full of anger and bitter feelings on my side, and regret and something I couldn't define on his.
We came to a stop in front of a door. We were on the first floor in a section Nathan had showed me yesterday.
Thomas met my eyes, his expression calm and totally at odds with the writhing mass of feeling currently residing in my stomach. "What's done is done. I can't change it and don't even know if I would if I could. Your existence has been a gift to me."
My lip curled. I bet it had. The vampires had a weird rule. Only those capable of siring other vampires could be selected as the master of the region. My timely appearance was what enabled him to take the city and make it his when it would have otherwise gone to a much less charming vampire. For all that I railed at Thomas and wanted to take a hammer to his head, I knew he was the lesser evil of the two. Didn't mean it didn't burn.
He blinked in acknowledgment of the irony. "As much as you may dislike me, you'll see that you need me. This is a cold, hard world you've found yourself in. You're going to need allies, and it's my duty to ensure you're prepared whether you like that or not. Keep that in mind."
"Don't forget. We have a deal," I told him. "I allowed you to claim me as yours, but you agreed to stay out of my life."
"That agreement only holds so far. I cannot make requirements as your sire." He stepped closer, the deadly predator that had enabled him to claim the city present in his eyes. "But be warned, this city is mine as is everything in it. As its master, I still hold power over you."
Finished with his speech, he opened the door and gestured me inside, his expression back to the bland politeness of before. I held his eyes for a stubborn moment before preceding him into the room.
It wasn't like most doctor's offices. That was for sure. One—it was in a mansion full of vampires. Two—it lacked the sterile brightness of most medical offices I've been in. It looked like a regular home office, granted nicer than I was accustomed to with its antique wood furniture, expensive artwork, and heirloom decorations. The only nod to the fact it belonged to a doctor were the medical instruments laid out on one of the tables and an examination table tucked into the corner of the room.
The office was warm and cozy and invited its occupants to sit down with a cup of tea or maybe a glass of scotch. The man standing next to the desk didn't fit this scene. He was a caged tiger that looked like it had already eaten the zookeeper. Wild, and convinced nothing could ever challenge its spot in the food chain. Arrogance showed in every line of his posture. Arrogance and superiority.
"You're late," he barked before we were even all the way in the room.
"Yes, there was an unexpected complication," Thomas said in a smooth voice.
The other man sneered, but refrained from saying anything else. "Is this her then?"
He studied me from eyes that would have been beautiful, if they hadn’t been glaring at me. He was tall, with skin the color of coffee, eyes a light hazel, and a face that invited sin.
"It is," Thomas said.
The other man tilted his head toward the table. "Get on."
"With a bedside manner like that, I'm surprised you don't have more patients," I said in a dry voice as I made my way to the exam table and took a seat, feeling like a teenager about to have a checkup.
"What would I do with more idiots running around?" the tiger asked. He stepped closer, picking up a stethoscope and putting one end to his ear.
"How does this work anyway? I thought the thing that made us was magic. How can science help figure this out?"
"Be silent." I kept my response to myself and complied. He listened for a moment then moved the stethoscope again. "Breathe deeply."
I took a deep breath.
Thomas stood across the room, his arms folded over his chest, and a watchful expression on his face.
The doctor stepped back, setting the stethoscope down on the desk behind him and picking up a needle. I couldn't help my grimace. I'd never been a fan of needles.
The doctor gave me a dry look. "You're a vampire with fangs more dangerous than any needle, yet you're afraid of this tiny little thing?"
I shrugged. "It's not a rational fear."
One side of his mouth quirked up. "Phobias so rarely are."
He prepared my arm as expertly as any human doctor I'd ever met. Better even, because as a vampire, he had an instinctual feel for where the vein was.
"To answer your question, the critical component of our transformation is magic, but it acts more like a virus. It's spread through blood and saliva much like a human STD," he explained in a grudging voice.
"And looking at my blood under a microscope will show you this magical virus?" I asked.
"Not exactly. We've found that certain markers are produced when the virus is present. Those will also tell us a little about the human you were."
As he talked, I caught movement out of the corner of my magic-seeing eye. Little black dots, the size of ants oozed out of his skin and marched down his arm to where he was holding me. The little ants disappeared into my skin, making it quiver and dance under the sting of phantom bites.
I jerked my arm away, or at least I tried. The other man held tight, not letting me budge an inch.
"Is there a problem?" Thomas asked.
"She's fighting me."
"Of course, I'm fighting you. You're hurting me," I said through gritted teeth. I put more strength into trying to pull away until we were in the oddest arm wrestling match I'd ever been in.
"Joseph."
"I don't know," the man holding me snapped.
"Let go of me." My mouth felt crowded as my fangs came out to play. It was now more than merely small ant bites and the little suckers had made it all the way up to my shoulder.
"Almost done."
The pain crested, and I screamed as it coursed throughout my body. Fuck this. This exam was done. I balled up my fist and hit Joseph with everything I had, which was a lot since I had Liam's super-charged blood coursing through me.
Joseph's head turned with the force of my blow. His grip didn't budge. He turned back to me and licked the blood off his lip. "That all you got?"
I drew back for another blow. Thomas appeared, grabbing my arm and forcing me down so I was lying flat on the table.
The black ants poured out of Joseph, biting and stinging as they burrowed their way into my body. I writhed and kicked as the pain invaded.
"Damn, she's a fighter."
"Will you hurry up?" Thomas growled. He glared at the other man, holding me down quite easily.
"Yeah, yeah." Joseph's forehead furrowed in concentration. "That should do it."
He withdrew, the ants disappearing as if they had never been—only the memory of the pain they caused remaining.
Joseph released me and stepped back. Thomas did the same, though a tad slower.
"What just happened?" Thomas asked, his voice thunderous. "You said it wasn't supposed to hurt her."
I struggled to sit up—one thought on my mind. Kill.
Joseph looked thoughtful. "Yes, she had an interesting reaction."
That lamp would do. It was the closest object.
I was up off the table, the lamp in my hand. Thomas looked around, my name on his lips, just as I brought it down on his head. He fell to a knee, blood flowing from an inch-long gash. Joseph's mouth fell open as he wavered between looking scandalized and entertained.
I brought the lamp down again, missing his head this time and getting his shoulder. The world retreated in a red haze as I became consumed with the thought of removing Thomas’s head from his shoulders. My memory got foggy after that.
*
I came back to myself to the sound of shouting. "What the hell is going on? I leave you with her for a couple of hours, and this is what happens?"
Hmm, that sounded like Liam.
I shifted only to find my movements impeded.
"Easy there, enforcer. He had no choice. The woman went apeshit on his ass. It was actually pretty funny."
"She already didn't trust you before this. How is she going to trust you now?" Liam's voice was hard.
Answer—she wasn't. If Thomas thought I was antagonistic before, just wait. I was going to blow his mind with the hostility I treated him to now.
"I know." Thomas didn't sound happy. "It wasn't supposed to happen like that. I was assured that it was painless, and she wouldn't even feel it."
"I'd like to know how she performed that little trick," Joseph said. "I've never had a patient feel my aura when I scanned them. The way she was acting, it was like she could see it."
"How is that possible? There's nothing to see. It's magic," Thomas said.
"I've no idea," Joseph said.
While they talked, I investigated my surroundings. The reason I couldn't move was because I was tied to the bed with a series of straps, each as thick as my arm. They glinted in the light.
I squinted. Was that? Yes, it was. The straps had silver in them. I'd be willing to bet all that I owned on that fact. They were perfect for keeping a vampire from attacking during one of their exams. If they'd used them before, it might have prevented me from walloping Thomas upside the head.
I let my head fall back. I wasn't going anywhere until someone came and undid these.
"You learn anything?" Liam asked.
"Her development is delayed, which is no surprise really, given the fact she hasn't had regular access to a master vampire's blood since her change. On the plus side, I think I figured out how she survived the change when the hex that Thomas suffers from should have killed her," Joseph said. "It might also explain why Thomas has no memory of her turning when he can remember his other attempts."
"How?"
"I don't think she was fully human before the change."
"How sure are you of that?" Thomas asked.
"Not one hundred percent. It's hard to get an accurate read since the transition would have rewritten much of her former makeup. Her vampire side is very strong and resisted the scan."
"Even her cells have her stubbornness." Thomas sounded half-admiring, half-aggravated.
"We've checked her family history and found no evidence of any other spook in their bloodline," Liam said. “Both her sister and niece show as fully human as do her parents."
I gritted my teeth. So much for my efforts to protect them. What would have happened to them if they'd come back as anything other than human? Would Jenna have been changed? Would they have changed her seven-year-old daughter, or would they have waited until the child was an adult?
"That's not all. Best I can tell, she had a nasty piece of protective magic lying dormant at her core. Once the change started, it would have triggered its defense. Even a routine magic scan set it off. Had I been any less experienced, I'd be lying unconscious on the ground. It's possible that when Thomas attacked her, it retaliated by wiping her from his memory."
"Could that magic have kept her from succumbing to the hex?" Liam asked.
"It's not only possible; it's probable."
There was a long pause.
"I do wish her sister showed some of the same traits. I would've liked to have studied her more in depth,” Joseph said in a wistful voice. “I've never seen anything like the magic crouching inside her. Something capable of circumventing Thomas’s curse would be worth studying and trying to replicate."
Thank God for small miracles. Looked like Jenna and her daughter were safe for now.
I didn't let myself dwell too deeply on what they'd revealed. Not when they were liable to discover me awake at any moment. That would come later, when I had time to process it.
At the moment, there was nothing I could do with that information anyway. Furthermore, it sounded like Joseph wasn't even sure that I hadn't been fully human. For all he knew, the magic he sensed was something I'd picked up after my turn. A lot of weird shit had happened to me this year, any of which could explain his observations.
I was human before. I know I was, and no vampire doctor with black ants inside of him was going to tell me different.
"Is there anything else?" Liam asked.
There was a short pause. "There is something, but I need to confirm it first. It would help if I could perform other magic on Aileen."
"No." Two voices voiced the answer.
"Not until we know why she reacted the way she did to your magic," Thomas said. "I would prefer it if my yearling didn't try to kill me every time she saw me."
"Perhaps it would have helped if you had thought of that before." Liam's voice was cool.
"Is this going to be a problem, deartháir?"
"That would depend on you and how you respond to this situation you've created."
"I’ve told you it wasn't my intention to cause her pain," Thomas retorted.
"You’ve said that before, but you have a history of badly misjudging situations when it comes to those you sire. Be very careful this does not turn into another situation like with Connor."
There was a crash and then Thomas said in a voice throbbing with power, "You forget who you're talking to. I am the master of this region and this city, and I will not be challenged."
"And I am the council's enforcer—their head enforcer. We have too few new vampires to sacrifice even one to your pride. If I judge her mental or physical state to be negatively impacted by interactions with you, I will pull her from this territory. You're not the only vampire who has had challenges with siring another. We cannot risk losing even one of our yearlings to negligence and stupidity," Liam said, his voice colder and more authoritative than I'd ever heard before. "Don't fuck this up."
There was another crash. I flinched as a door slammed hard enough to shake the building.
"You live dangerously, old friend," Joseph said.
"Thomas is many things, but he’s not stupid. He won’t strike me down for speaking hard truths. He recognizes the wisdom of my words even if it sticks in his craw."
"You weren't entirely fair to him. Connor wasn't his fault. Neither was this. We couldn't have predicted her reaction."
There was a heavy sigh. "We're past fairness. He claimed the selection by the smallest of margins. Had she made a different choice, we would have all suffered the consequences."
"Perhaps," Joseph said, sounding unconvinced. "Either way, your yearling is awake. It's best you free her. The last time I got close to her she tried to stick a broken lamp in my heart."
There was silence, and then Liam appeared in my view. We looked at each other for a long moment. His thoughts were hidden behind an impenetrable wall. Joseph didn't appear behind him, which was probably a good thing, considering I might have tried to attack him again.
"You gonna let me up, or are you going to just stand there?" I asked.
"I'm considering leaving you there," he said, arching one eyebrow in an arrogant look. "What could have possessed you to try to beat Thomas with a lamp of all things?"
My shrug was ruined by the fact that the straps prevented me from moving more than a centimeter. "I thought it time to redecorate. Everything in this office is an antique. Vampires included."
I didn't want to admit my attempt at homicide by lamp hadn't been entirely voluntary. I'd snapped, and the poor lamp paid the price.
He bent a censorious look on me. "Had Thomas been a different vampire you would be dead right now. We don't typically suffer such insults from our yearlings. You're lucky that your circumstances are rather unique, and that Thomas has need of you."
I sighed. He was right. Attacking a master vampire—the master of this region—was a quick way to commit suicide. My existence might shore up his power base and legitimize his claim to the region, but we all knew he was powerful enough without me that it would be easy to decide he was better off with me dead.
He reached out and undid the straps, remaining close as I massaged feeling back into my legs before sitting up.
"What did you find out from the companion who was attacked?" I asked.
There was a long pause as Liam examined me. I avoided his eyes. I didn't want to talk anymore about what happened or why. I didn't want to talk about the fact that I might not be human, that I might never have been human. I wanted to focus on a problem I could solve.
He let me have that. "The companions were largely uninjured. There was no sign of a bite or claw marks on them. They were mainly shaken up by the experience."
"What did they say happened?"
"A large, wolf-like animal rushed them when they were out doing the grocery shopping for the household. They said they were able to lock themselves in their car before the animal rammed it a few times and then jumped on the roof."
Hmm.
"Did you find evidence of a werewolf?"
Liam shook his head. "Not conclusive evidence. There were dents in the side where I assume it attacked the car and the roof had huge indents too, but that was it."
And I bet he hadn’t called in any of the werewolves to see if they could pick up anything the vampires missed. Sometimes, the arrogance and superiority complex on both sides of the divide was enough to choke on.
"How fast is a werewolf? Is it normal for a human to be able to outrun one?" I asked.
The werewolves I'd seen were all insanely fast. I'd be hard-pressed to outrun one, and I was a vampire.
"Companions are faster and stronger than a regular human, courtesy of the bite and the blood their benefactor shares with them, but a werewolf would still be faster."
That's what I thought.
"You have nothing to suggest it was Caroline." I felt a little relief at that. It meant I still had time to figure something out.
"Caroline would be the reasonable choice. Brax's wolves know better than to attack us. None of them want to start a war," Liam pointed out.
"This wouldn't be the first time one of his wolves acted against him. That's not even considering that there is no evidence to even suggest this was a werewolf. Your companions may have just over-reacted to an aggressive dog."
That would be the simple answer, but even I didn't believe it.
"You can tell yourself whatever lies you need to believe, but we both know your friend is running on borrowed time. The best thing you could do is help me find her."
I kept my mouth sealed shut, not wanting to argue about this. I didn't know what I was going to do about Caroline. On one hand, I didn't want to hand her back to Brax when she'd made her wishes known. Doing so would make me the biggest of hypocrites, considering I fought so hard against joining a clan and refused to acknowledge the sire/yearling relationship. On the other hand, I saw what they were saying and knew the dangers of trying to figure this out by yourself. I'd be lying if I didn't say going it alone was hard—
perhaps one of the most difficult things I've ever done.
I just needed time to talk this out with Caroline. Whatever was decided, she needed to have a say in it. I knew first-hand what it was like to have your choices taken away from you after your very species had been changed without your permission. No way was I going to subject her to that.
A thought occurred to me. "How long was I out?"
Liam frowned. "I don't know. Long enough for me to question the witnesses and get back." He pulled his phone out of the back of his pocket. "It's three a.m. now."
"I'm late." My shift for Hermes was supposed to start at one. "Jerry's going to kill me."
He was still a bit sore about losing Tom.
"I need my phone." I swung my legs off the table and hopped down. I also needed a ride back to my apartment to retrieve my bike.
"Use this." Liam dangled his phone in front of me.
I grabbed it and sent a grateful look in his direction. Pressing the buttons in quick succession, I waited as it rang.
"Hermes Courier Service, we'll come to you. What are we delivering for you today?" Beatrix crisp voice rang out over the line. Unlike when she addressed me, she sounded almost chipper and professional.
"Beatrix, it's me. I need to talk to Jerry."
The cheeriness dropped from her voice. "You're late."
"I know. Just let me talk to Jerry."
"It won't make a difference. I've already had Ruth fill in for you."
I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together. "I understand, and I apologize for my tardiness."
There was a beat of silence over the phone, and I imagined Beatrix looking at it and wondering if I'd been taken over by some outside force. It was probably the first time she'd heard me apologize.
"I'll ask Jerry if he wants to speak to you." Beatrix's words were grudging.
"Thank you."
The line started playing music, one of the generic songs you hear in an elevator.
"Aileen." Jerry's deep voice rumbled over the telephone.
"Jerry, I know I'm late, and I'm sorry about that. There were unforeseen circumstances. It won't happen again."
"You know, I took a chance on you because the Captain said you wouldn't give me problems, and that you were one of the best soldiers under his command. Events of late are making me question my decision."
There was nothing worse than being so totally in the wrong and knowing there was nothing I could do about it. I prided myself on my professionalism. It might not have been my dream job, but I tried to be the best I could at it. That meant showing up on time and carrying out my commitments. Showing up late—worse not showing up at all, was not the persona I wanted to project.
This little debacle would cost me—not only in money and possible future routes but in respect. Once that's lost, it’s doubly as hard to regain.
"This won't happen again," I promised.
His sigh was heavy. "You can't promise that, not with the vampires in your life. It's just going to get worse. I hope you recognize that."
"It won't. I won't let it."
Liam's eyes flared, but he didn't interrupt. With his superior hearing, he could probably hear both sides of the conversation.
"I hope, for your sake, you can figure this out. You're at a crossroads, and I won't let you drag us down with you."
There was a long pause where I was afraid to say anything for fear it would end with me out of a job. My cash reserves weren't great and jobs that would allow me to work only nights weren't exactly thick on the ground.
"I'll give you one last chance," Jerry said. I felt my heart clench with relief. "You miss one more drop off. Have one more problem with a client. If a client stubs his or her toe while you're there, you're done. Do you understand?"
"I'll make this work," I promised.
"See that you do." Jerry's voice didn't hold a lot of optimism in it. I couldn't blame him for that. I still had my job, and for now it would have to do. It would take time, but eventually I would prove I was an asset.