Chapter Twenty-five
It was the wee hours of the morning when Erik dropped Lillian off at her apartment. Corso had managed to get her coat. Also now that she had a weekend alibi, he was confident things would be safe for her there even if the Council came sniffing around.
Still, he'd wanted to stay with her longer and go into the office together, but she was desperate to get back to her cat and get a fresh set of clothing before heading in herself.
He leaned in and kissed Lillian a few more times in the kitchen of her apartment, delving into her mouth and lingering on her sweet lips before finally forcing himself to step away.
"You sure you can’t take a sick day?" Erik asked. "I'm pretty sure your boss will let you have it."
He waggled his eyebrows, but Lillian only frowned and shook her head. "Margaret already hates my guts as it is," she said. "I'm not giving her any more reason to hate me."
Erik chuckled. "Margaret hates everyone. I'm fairly certain missing one day isn’t going to make her hate you any more.”
Lillian shrugged and bent over to pick up the cat that had been pestering her since the moment she stepped inside the doors. The orange little beast glared at Erik from her arms, and the wolf in him wanted to growl back at the challenge.
"Besides," she said. "You have things you need to do today. I know you're still worried about Hall and that Council. Just deal with those things, and I'll be right here waiting for you after work."
Erik leaned in for another kiss, and the evil orange cat hissed loudly against his chest. A low, deep growl came from him, and the cat quieted instantly. He leaned back.
Lillian raised a brow at him. "Really? That cat?”
Erik shrugged and stepped back toward the door. "It's in our nature." He grinned. “And the cat shouldn’t have started what he couldn’t finish.”
It was different to be this open, freeing in a way he never felt before when he was with other women.
Erik could hear Lillian's laugh as he closed the door behind him, and despite the circumstances going on all around them, he was happier than he'd been in quite some time.
When he reached the Hummer, Erik climbed into the driver’s seat and sighed after a moment of silence.
He'd sent Leif ahead to the office. It seemed that despite their best efforts, the Council was eager to speak to someone about the reports of a wolf on the loose. The pack’s plan was to punt long enough until they could get their hands on Hall themselves, even if that meant taking out one of their own, an idea none of them relished.
Erik bit back a growl. He’d do what he had to do.
* * *
The sun crested over the horizon as he drove. It was strange to be meeting a vampire after sun up, but Corso had stressed in his message that this was the best way.
Erik parked around the corner from the vampire’s home on the suburban street and just hoped that the Council hadn’t decided to start tailing them. From what he could tell, they were just entering the initial phases of their investigation.
He stepped out of the car and quickly made his way to the front of the house where he rapped on the door slightly.
The door opened almost instantly, but no one was standing there to greet him.
"What do you want?" Corso said from the other side of the door. "An invitation? I thought that was supposed to be my weakness, not yours.”
Erik stepped into the house, and the door closed quickly behind him. The vampire was pale and looked as if he'd spent more than a day or two without proper sleep or feeding.
"I'm being watched," Corso said as they made their way into the sitting area.
Erik found two cups of tea had already been poured. He sat down in a chair and took one cup from the tray. It wasn't exactly his thing, but it seemed rude not to accept.
"Who is watching you exactly?" Erik asked. "I thought you were able to get the coat without being seen by the Council."
Corso shook his head and began to pace the room. Erik had never seen the vampire so frazzled before. He always seemed so put together.
"There are a few elders who don't trust my motives," he said with a shrug.
Erik raised a brow. "And should they?"
Corso stopped mid-pace to stare at Erik directly in the eye. "No doubt you've heard about the dissent in the ranks among some of the vampire clan. I believe the dissent is bad for business, and I’ve become accustomed to a certain way of living. So when it comes to my motives, they stand firmly on the side of what's best for me." He grinned.
Erik wasn't particularly surprised by this. He had long since thought Corso was far more progressive than many of the other vampires he’d come across, but still he could see how something like this might cause tension among some of the elders.
It was his understanding that many of the elders, although they might agree with Corso, tended to play political games rather than worry about what was fair or right.
"What have you learned about Anca?" Erik asked.
Corso shook his head. "There wasn't much to learn. She's new to our area and not much is known about where she came from. It’s assumed she is a fairly young vampire, but after fighting with her, I'm certain she must be closer to my years. She's an incredible fighter and exceptionally tough. The cut I gave her would've taken a number of other vampires down immediately. The fact she was able to keep going on is a testament to just how strong and old she is."
Erik nodded once. This didn't bode well for them. If she were an older vampire, it meant she had years to perfect certain crafts and skills. That still didn't explain certain things.
"What the hell would she want with some young werewolf?" he said.
Corso snorted. "You mean besides the obvious?"
Erik shook his head. "This wasn't just about sex though," he said. "We ran into Hall yesterday, and he mentioned something about a drug Anca gave him before she bailed to Seattle. By the way, check on that to see if she’s actually in Seattle."
“I will.” Corso took a seat across from him and stared at him for a moment. "A drug?"
Erik leaned back and nodded in his chair. "You ever hear of something like that? Something that might make a werewolf tip over the edge?"
The frown on Corso's face only showed the vampire was just as stumped as he was. "Maybe the drug weakened him," he said. "Maybe he was just on the edge and the drug was the tipping point."
It could be. Erik thought that himself, but the way Hall was acting suggested otherwise, as did his blood red eyes. He'd never seen a werewolf go full berserk. It was something of a myth among their people. Something told to children so they would work hard to control their wolf.
Erik glanced down at his watch. It was edging closer to when he needed to meet Leif at work. If he could, it would be best for him to be there when the Council came calling.
He placed the cup back on the table and stood. "Thanks for your help.”
It was clear to him that Corso had risked quite a bit getting this information to him and showed a level of friendship he hadn't expected from the vampire.
"We’re going to need to lie low for a bit," Corso said. "But I'll let you know if any new information crosses my path."
Erik nodded. "I'll see myself out then.”
As quickly as he could, Erik stepped outside and closed the door behind him, shutting out the rays of the sun that might harm the vampire.
There were so many questions about Anca and just who the woman was, but Erik had confirmed something very valuable. There was indeed trouble starting to brew among the vampires beyond a few asses at the club, and his concerns were shared by Corso.
No matter what was going on with Hall, this business with the vampires wasn't likely to be as easily solved, and a civil war among them would mean death and destruction to the people around them, not to mention the Council sending their own people in.
Erik opened the door to his Hummer and shook his head. Just another thing to keep an eye on.