CHAPTER FIVE

Bay

 

I met Luke at the building where the contracts were being signed. He was waiting out the front with his briefcase and his tablet, which he was currently frowning at.

“Luke, we all set?”

Luke looked up, “Yes, boss. I also have that information for you.” He handed over the tablet device as we walked into the building. I started scanning through his notes and the photos and newspaper articles he'd attached.

“You were right that she went to school with Mr. Williams. I used his graduation book to find her. Surname was Bailey back then. Her sister went missing at age eighteen and was determined to have met foul play. The mother couldn't cope and committed suicide two years later, leaving sixteen-year-old Spectra alone.

“There wasn't anything else on her until six months into her first year of college. Her boyfriend drugged and raped her. She reacted badly to the date rape drug he used, and she died. He was charged with manslaughter but was brutally murdered before he even went to trial. By the looks of the newspaper report, it was a predator that killed him, most likely one of ours.”

I raised my eyebrows at that. “So, she's definitely a walking corpse?”

“There's a grave with her name on it in Wolfenden. She's not a predator, and she’s too substantial to be a ghost. I have no idea what she is.” Luke grumbled.

I looked at Luke in understanding. He was a scholar before he was taken and prided himself on knowing as much as he could about everything.

“Wolfenden is only an hour away. Have Calin drive down there and look at the grave.” I flipped the cover on the tablet and handed it back to Luke as the elevator opened and we stepped out onto the fortieth floor of the Government Security Vetting Agency.

A man in his thirties with a buzz cut and cheap suit was waiting in the lobby. “Mr. Ryder, if you'll follow me.” He about-faced and marched up to a glass door where he placed his hand on the palm pad, waiting for it to scan and the door to unlock. There were no signs here, no business names or agency area identification markers.

The man held the door for them before leading the way farther into the maze of glass-walled offices that made up the government's local Nachtwelt Security and Intelligence Office. Average citizens may be oblivious to the Nachtwelt, but the government was well aware and even had its own entity where Nachtwelt citizens were employed for their specific skills.

Buzzcut opened a glass door and held it open for us. Once we were safely deposited in the meeting room, Buzzcut closed the door and waited outside, stepping sideways into an at ease posture.

Alexander Williams stood leaning over the table at one end of the room, reading over a stack of papers in front of him. Two men on either side of him were having a quiet discussion over his head. One I knew as Gary Pearce, the Changeur de Corps who pretended to be human, a government representative who negotiated with me for the renewal of my contract. The second man was more a boy, old enough to be in college, but still a boy and no doubt a sorcerer and Alexander's assistant. They looked up as Luke placed his briefcase on the table and unlocked it to pull out his pile of papers.

“Mr. Ryder.” Alexander stood straight, closing the pile of papers. This was his show until the contracts were signed, then Mr. Pearce would take over again.

“Mr. Williams. You look tired. Did you have a late night?”

Alexander glared, but under the burning in his dark eyes, his lips curled upwards with pleasure. “That I did, but she was worth it, and she made sure I knew how much she appreciated me staying up for her.”

I glared right back at Alexander's lack of subtlety at taking what should have been mine last night. “Shall we do business? I have other business I'd like to tend to this afternoon.”

Alexander indicated we should take a seat. I sat, Luke stayed standing.

“Do you have your original identity and business documents?” Alexander requested, a glint in his eye as he picked up his file and moved to place it on the table next to Luke's briefcase.

Luke took out the various documents and handed them to Alexander. Alexander took them, quickly looking through them before handing them to his assistant. He kept hold of the passport, flicking it open and looking over it as he casually walked behind me and sat down on my other side.

“She does beautiful work, doesn't she? Who suggested her to you?” Alexander spoke quietly, closing the passport and skimming it across the table to his assistant with the checklist.

“I was very impressed. What is she?” I met Alexander's eyes, casually letting him know I wouldn't be answering his other question.

His eyes darkened, but he smiled just the same. “An MIT graduate. She's extremely good with computers. She's also off limits.”

“Does she have free will, Mr. Williams?” I watched his eyes grow darker still. “Then she is free to make up her own mind, isn't she? Or is her signature on a contract in your vault?”

Alexander's eyebrows rose in humor. “Now there's an idea. I don't have to bind her to me, just have to bind her from ever letting you touch her again.”

I couldn't help the growl that vibrated up my throat.

Alexander clicked his fingers, and the file he'd left next to Luke floated open. “You have some reading to do before you sign, Mr. Ryder. Please sign the bottom of each page as you go to save time.” Alexander held out his pen.

I took the pen, wondering why Alexander was determined to let me think Spectra was human, but decided it was wiser not to let him know I knew otherwise, at least until I knew what she actually was. Luke took the first page of the contract and started reading before handing it to me with a nod. I quickly read and poised the pen to sign. I felt a sharp stab to the pad of my index finger. I frowned at Alexander.

“What good is a binding signature if it's not signed in your blood, Mr. Ryder?” Alexander smirked, watching my blood flow into the barrel of the pen and mix with the ink solution. Once the pen was full, the needle retracted. I signed while Luke checked the next page.

After a few pages, Alexander stood and walked to the opposite end of the meeting room, pulling out his phone. “Hi, have I caught you at a bad time? Are you going to see her tonight? No, I just want to know someone will be there till I can get there. She shouldn't be alone right now, that's all.” Alexander hung up the phone and moved back to the far end of the table, where he opened his laptop and sat down to work quietly.

I took the next page from Luke and kept signing. After half an hour of reading and signing, Luke handed me the last page. Alexander's assistant cleared his throat, and Alexander closed his laptop and returned to my end of the table to watch me sign my full name on the final page.

“Thank you, Mr. Ryder. My assistant and I will leave you with Mr. Pearce to discuss your payment. Enjoy your day.” Alexander collected the signed contract while his assistant collected his laptop and papers from the end of the table and headed for the door.

“Mr. Williams,” I called, turning to look at him, pocketing his pen, which still retained some of my blood. I'd be burning it when I got home. “I apologize.”

Alexander frowned. “For last night?”

I shook my head. “I want her, Mr. Williams, only for one night, but I will not step away until I get what I want. So, I apologize in advance if that is going put us at loggerheads.”

“Who are you talking about?” Mr. Pearce queried, annoyed about his time being wasted.

Alexander turned to face me completely. “Don't. I could give you many reasons to leave her alone. The first you already know, the second I think would be obvious, the third, she is not the sort of woman you spend one night with and walk away from. You may think you can do that, but she seeps into your bones, and you'll want her again, and then again, and again until it stops being a want and becomes a need.”

I could see Alexander meant what he said. “Mr. Williams, please do not take this as an insult. You are young, and despite your reputation with women, still somewhat inexperienced. I've been around a lot longer.”

Alexander gave me a cocky smile. “She's extraordinary, Mr. Ryder. That she got your interest should tell you everything.” He had a point. Alexander stepped towards me again. “If you succeed, and you hurt her in any way, shape, or form, be warned, I'm not the only person in the Nachtwelt that will come for your head.”

 

* * *

 

I stepped down into the gothic club and made my way to the bar. As soon as I sat down, Tommy shook his head and casually made his way towards me. A man in his late twenties, a tattoo curling up around his neck from under his black shirt, stepped up to the bar next to me and looked over my suit. He was of the Nachtwelt, not a predator, not a watcher like Tommy, though of the same genus. He developed a mischievous smile before looking back to Tommy.

“Hey Tommy, when Spectra gets here, tell her I'm looking for her. I have a bone to pick with her.” He winked.

Tommy looked disgusted. “Do those pathetic lines really work on her?”

The man rolled his lapis eyes and combed a hand through his dark brown hair, embarrassed. “God no! It's a joke. I have to put in the hard yards to get into her. Entirely worth it though. I just wanted her to know I was here.”

I studied the man, trying to recognize why he was familiar, and finally placed him as one of the attendants at the church service on Saturday. An altar server. I wasn't surprised by his presence at the church; his kind are usually drawn to temples or places of worship.

“Sorry to disappoint both of you, but Spectra will not be anywhere near this place tonight. She's keeping vigil all night.” Tommy answered, but his eyes were all for me.

“Is it that date already?” The man looked at me, his eyes defying the age of his flesh. “She must be dropping by if her client is here.”

Tommy shook his head. “Sorry Mercury, I have no idea what the suit is doing here, but Spectra won't be in tonight.”

Mercury frowned. “Damn, I've finally got some nights off, and my girl is holding vigil. Guess I'll just have to wait till tomorrow.” Tommy raised a heavily pierced eyebrow at Mercury, who gave that naughty smile again. “She grieves today. Tomorrow she'll want to get shit-faced and forget again. I'll be the person she'll want to hide away and get sloshed with.”

Tommy shook his head, but the side of his mouth turned up in a hint of a smile. A young woman with dyed blue hair, pierced everything, including tongue, and brown eyes bloodshot from intoxication shimmied in and pressed up against Mercury's side, running her hands over his broad chest and fit body before blatantly rubbing him through the front of his jeans. “Hey, Merc. Been awhile. If your girlfriend isn't here, I'll take care of you.”

Mercury smiled down at her, shrugged, and stuck his tongue in her mouth. A minute later, he was dragging her off to the darker area of the club. Despite it being a dark corner, I could clearly see when Mercury pushed the girl against the wall, put his hands on her shoulders, and pushed her down before thrusting something else into her mouth. I turned a raised brow back to Tommy, who was also watching.

“That's what Spectra is into?” I couldn't help but ask.

Tommy frowned. “If Mercury even thought of treating Spectra like that, she'd rip his cock off and shove it down his throat, and he knows it. They've been seeing each other for years and worked out their own system for seeing others as well. He's an Angelis, a doctor, and dominant. The Nachtwelt and human girls alike are happy just to be the catch of the day.”

An Angelis, not a Nephilim. That meant he was the half-breed son of an archangel, not one of their Nephilim grandchildren. I was starting to think Spectra was highly attracted to very powerful men.

Tommy's eyes drifted back to the dark corner, and I realized he could see into that darkness as easily as I could. We both watched Mercury wrap a fist in the girl's blue hair and use it to drag her up his body where he kissed her hard while lifting her legs to his waist. A few seconds later, he was banging her up against the wall.

“I'm guessing she's the catch of the day kind for a lot of men, with the lack of obstacles he's found getting to those orifices.”

Tommy chuckled. “Definitely!” Tommy's eyes came back to me. “My bar is a safe place.”

“I was looking for Spectra, nothing else. No offense, I like my food upper class.” I stood to leave, understanding this was a dead end tonight. “Though I can't believe you let his kind in here. They may not be predators, but his kind can pull some nasty shit to get their way.”

“He's Raphael's son. He does not manipulate humans, he heals them. By giving of himself, that girl will walk out of here healthier than when she walked in. I have no issue with him.”

“Is he the one who bought Spectra back?”

Tommy studied me a moment then shook his head. “Dead is dead. You're thinking of the wrong Angelis to bypass that dilemma.”

I nodded, understanding Mercury could only heal the living or near-dead.

“You're not her type,” Tommy warned.

“Maybe if I ditch the suit and get a tattoo?” I lifted a brow in jest. “What night does she frequent?”

Tommy shook his head and gave me that shadow of a smirk. “She comes and goes. Friday night is her only set night. She likes to wind down at the end of the week.”

I studied Tommy for a moment. “I didn't expect you to tell me when to find her.”

Tommy gave me a hard look. “I know who you are and your reputation. Any other predator came in here looking for her, the answer would have been different, but I'm interested in the way she reacted to you last Friday.”

“Reacted how?” I knew her hands were full of curiosity when she touched me, despite her anger.

“You made her fingers itch. She reached out to touch you, and normally she hates touching or being touched by strangers.” Tommy cocked his head towards the dark corner. “You just met the one guy here who can get away with putting his hands on her.”

“You want to watch us together?” I asked, intrigued.

Tommy smirked and quirked a brow. “They don't call us watchers because we turn our backs when things get interesting.” To prove his point, Tommy's eyes drifted back to the dark corner where Mercury was bringing it home.

I nodded acknowledgment and made a path for the exit, having a good idea where to find a religious girl holding vigil, especially if the altar server knew about it. As I climbed the stairs to street level, the corner of my mouth pulled up. I made Spectra Michaels's fingers itch. She was tempted. Tempted I could work with.

 

Spectra

 

I made it back to the church before sunset. A bone-chilling wind was starting to pick up as I slipped into the church from the side door and made my way to the Lady's chapel in the apse. I lit three votive candles, one for each of my family members, and placed them into the prayer stand before kneeling. Taking out my rosary, I began the prayers for the dead Father Mathew taught me when I came to live here ten years ago.

I heard the hushed whispers of others’ prayers out in the nave but quickly tuned them out, focusing my thoughts on my loved ones. As the light through the LED-light windows faded to darkness, so the side chapel was only lit by the candles in front of me, the mellifluous voices of the men's choir echoed through the church and added to the atmosphere. Another hour later, the singing faded, and Father Mathew lit a candle of his own as he knelt down beside me to pray, speaking his words in unison with mine.

 

Lord our Father,

Your power brings us to birth,

Your providence guides our lives,

and by Your command, we return to dust.

 

Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,

their lives change but do not end.

I pray in hope for my family,

relatives, and friends,

and for all the dead known to you.

 

In company of our lady,

Who bore Your son,

may they rejoice in Your kingdom,

where all our tears are wiped away.

Unite us together again in one family,

to sing Your praise forever and ever.

Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed through

Your mercy rest in peace.

Amen.

 

As the candles burned down, Mathew crossed himself, stood, kissed the top of my head, and left. When the three candles I'd lit burned down and started to flicker their last light, I collected three more and lit them off the dying flames. I sensed a predator and looked over my shoulder, noting the familiar figure seated out in the nave deep in their own prayers, the usual black hoodie covering their head and shadowing their downcast face. Predators in the church weren't unusual. Some were religious in life and prayed for their souls. For years, this same predator would turn up during the night of my vigil, stay outside in the nave, and leave hours later. They weren't a threat to me. They came here for their own pain.

I knelt down and began the rosary. Images of my loss flashed behind my eyes. My sister's dorm room, her bed messed up, her blood splattering her rumpled white sheets. My mother's ashen face in the bathtub, floating in the bloody water, her veins open, but her eyes, happy, as if she finally found peace in death.

I let the tears fall; they would flow plenty as the night wore on. It was the only night of the year I acknowledged my grief. Admittedly, I cried nowhere near as hard or long as I did when Mathew first suggested this ritual the year I came to live here.

I finished the rosary and returned to the prayer for the dead. I felt a new predator enter the nave and caught my breath, recognizing Bay Ryder's presence. My eyes flashed open as I waited to see if he would approach. Moments passed, nothing happened. I closed my eyes, now slightly on edge, and returned to my prayers.

I jumped slightly when a blanket fell around my shoulders. “Easy, child. It's very cold tonight. You need not catch your death,” Mother Superior murmured reassuringly. She knelt, lighting her own candle, and prayed with me a short time before crossing herself and retreating to her bed.

It was after midnight when I next lit fresh candles from the dying flames, pulling the blanket tighter around me before starting the rosary again. By the time I started the second round, Alexander was lighting four candles and kneeling down beside me. He held his hand out to the side. I placed mine in his, and we bowed our heads and continued praying together until the first rays of dawn broke through the stained glass windows of the chapel.

I sat back on my ankles and shed the last of my tears for another year. Alexander stood, drawing me up to my feet gently and cuddling me to him, still wrapped in the blanket. He walked me back to my attic room. He closed the door behind us, pulled the curtains across the two gable windows between which my desk sat, and unwrapped the blanket. I held my hands in the air as he lifted my dress over my head before dropping to his knees to unzip my lace-up boots and lifting my knees to step me out of them.

When I stood only in my underwear, he undressed and tucked us both into my king bed. It was my bed. All the furniture in this room was mine. It was a storeroom when I first came here, and I negotiated with Mother Superior to make it mine since it was a little larger than the normal rooms and gave me a bit more privacy. I performed chores just like the sisters, helping with cleaning and cooking, but this room was my own little space well away from the sisters.

“I can only stay a few hours, Spec.” He kissed my shoulder as he cuddled me into his chest and laid us back on the bed. When he was still in college, he'd stay and sleep the day away with me, but since he started his job, it depended on how busy work was. He touched the back of my hand that rested on his bicep. “What’s with the ink?”

“Just doodling,” I sighed. I didn't know if Phillipa would tell him I visited, but unless she did, I wouldn't either. I snuggled into him and was torn between crying and smiling. I missed going to sleep in his arms.

This part of the vigil ritual started the year after I died. The first time Alexander bought me back and cuddled into bed with me, Mother Superior had a few strong words. Alexander simply glared at her, never once opening his mouth, but Mother Superior backed down very quickly and left. She'd not objected his presence ever again. The fact that I knew about her and Father Mathew's relationship probably helped.

Not that we ever had sex here. It was simply physical comfort, Alexander's way of making sure I knew I wasn't alone, that there was still someone who loved me walking this earth. I think Mother Superior understood why he was here, and that's why she let me have this. I fell fast asleep in his arms, his heartbeat lulling me into the darkness. I barely woke when he rolled away from me, got dressed, and left. I cuddled into the warm space his body left and let exhaustion wash over me.