Witch, your wards hurt.
Thats the purpose. You have my phone number. You can call when youre walking up the sidewalk and Id meet you at the door.
The vampiress, tall and lanky, and built like a rock star with a permanent heroin hangover, cocked a hand to one hip, and swept back the pink half of her hair with a tilt of her head. Sunglasses concealed what Zoë guessed was a dagger gaze. She held out a waiting hand.
She was annoying, but also strong, and Zoë had no intention of pissing her off. The woman had visible muscles revealed by a sleeveless plaid shirt spattered with black ink and skulls. She wore enough silver jewelry to kill a werewolf just by being in his vicinity. And besides the head of hair that was half fluorescent pink and half Hell black, she sported a chain of earrings along each ear, henna tattoos all over her arms, a thick silver ring that looked likeand probably wasbrass knuckles, and a visible knife blade sticking out her hip pocket.
Despite her many vampire friends, this one wasnt a vampire Zoë wanted to meet in a dark alley anytime soon.
Passing the lunchbox over the threshold, far enough to cross over the wards, Zoë held it there until the vampiress snatched it. Then she reached behind her leg and wheeled around one of those small, hard case travel suitcases. It was black, save for the white outline of Hello Kitty with a bright pink bow cocked above one ear. The vampire was into the iconic cat for reasons Zoë would not question.
Whats that for? Zoë asked. You going on vacation?
Its for you. The big guy wants more next pickup.
More?
Dust. He said business is booming.
Business? Well, thats...
Awesome that her blend was being so well received. But that much more? The suitcase was six times the size of the lunchbox. Shed have to work on the blend every day until the next pickup.
Business? Shed thought Mauritius was distributing her blend free of charge. Well, perhaps he had to charge a small price to cover expenses. Ichor wasnt freeat least not in the form she requiredand he did pay her for her work.
Theres cash inside to cover any additional expenses you might incur, the vampiress said. Can I tell him youre on board?
Uh... Shed hate to disappoint. And she had developed an amazing blend. It felt good to be in demand. For once in her life, Zoë had accomplished something important. Her father would be proud. Certainly. I, uh, Ive never made such a large batch. But Ill give it a try.
You do that. Same time next week. Id say its been a pleasure, witch, but that would be a lie.
Lunchbox tucked under an arm, the vampiress strolled down the sidewalk and across the street toward the waiting car. She always arrived via the backseat of a fancy limo. Zoë didnt know her name. Only that she truly needed a stylist, because with a little workand heavy metal removalthe woman could be stunning.
Vampires, she muttered.
But she didnt follow with a scathing remark. She had many vampire friends. The very reason she made these Sunday morning meetings was for vampires.
They need me. And I wont disappoint.
* * *
The Order of the Stake headquarters was situated in an old cathedral that offered tours of the nave during the week to tourists who had no clue a secret order devoted to extinguishing vampires existed just beneath their footsteps. An Order employee had been hired specifically for the tours and to handle the affairs topside.
While the Order dated back four centuries to inception, this building had been in use for a little over two centuries, and theyd had no problems with civilians discovering the truth bustling about beneath the stone floors.
Kaz swiped his key card and entered a secret door a few buildings down from the cathedral. He descended the stairs to the underground passageway that led to the main Order rooms.
It always gave him a shiver as he passed through the limestone passageway. It was cold down here and smelled like death, always reminding him of the labyrinthine network that ran beneath all of Paris. Hundreds of miles of tunnels that plunged down as far as seven stories. So much took place beneath the city proper it would stun, bemuse and even frighten most mortals.
Here on the lower level were Rooks office, a gym and training area and lockers. As well, the research lab offered computers that linked other worldwide Order posts with a massive database of the paranormal breeds. While vampires were their focus, they did like to keep tabs on other breeds, because interaction often led to discovery.
The lab was quiet today. Kaz usually only ran into Tor down here. The Orders spin master did a lot of research because his job required he know the breeds inside and outas well as how their legend and myth had been formed in the minds of the mortals. Turning truth back into myth was a tricky job, but someone had to do it to protect the integrity of the organization.
The Mac computer silently flashed a screensaver of circles raked into a Zen sand garden. Kaz entered his password and opened the database. He also connected his cell phone because the program would automatically update his mobile files and kill stats. He loved technology, and his phone was also hooked up to a funky security system for his home, and everything was Wi-Fi.
In seconds he found a file on Switch that had been updated within the past few years. A vampire created roughly eight years ago, give or take a few months. Pre-vampirism, Switch had been known to work odd jobs, such as auto mechanic, tour barge operator and even a stint at the Moulin Rouge as a burlesque dancer. Once inducted into the league of longtooths, shed never officially joined a tribe, but preferred to hang with some of the local tribes for months at a time before going off on her own again.
Vail had mentioned something about her hooking up with tribe leaders.
The chick goes for the guy in charge. Shes not stupid, Kaz muttered as he read further.
She was a bruiser and known to cause problems. No human losses had been associated with her vampiric activitya good thing. Kaz did not like to kill females, but he would, if necessary. Yet Vail had also mentioned she did wet work. Did she stalk her own breed? Maybe she had a thing for taking out werewolves? The two breeds, though supposedly in accord with one another, could never shrug off their ingrained hatreds.
Werewolves were a breed Kaz avoided with a passion. When they shifted to their werewolf shape, he ran in the opposite direction. Most smartand still breathingknights did.
A few final notes detailed her possible age at mid-twenties. Switch was most often found on the right bank, sixteenth through eighteenth arrondissements, so he assumed she must also live in that area.
Zoë lived in the eighteenth. Too close to the area hed targeted for investigation.
Kaz sat back, closing his eyes from the screen strain, and smiled. Cerulean, he whispered. Whoda thought Id like that color?
His thoughts wandered, and the memory of Zoës stunningly intense kisses broadened his smile. Zoë with the bright blue eyes that seemed to look for things inside him even he wasnt aware existed. Zoë with the mysterious scar dashing her cheek, which didnt lessen her appeal, but did make him want to learn how it had happened so he could crush the offenders skull. Ex-boyfriend? He hoped not. Maybe it had been a car accident?
Scars were plenty in his world; that was for sure. Kaz bore his own inner scars, and a few on the surface. He could fight vampires fist to fist and win, but a well-matched fight usually ended in a new battle scar. And a pile of ash. His kill count was high, and would remain so, because the damned vamps kept making more.
Scars were plenty in his world; that was for sure. Kaz bore his own inner scars, and a few on the surface. He could fight vampires fist to fist and win, but a well-matched fight usually ended in a new battle scar. And a pile of ash. His kill count was high, and would remain so, because the damned vamps kept making more.
He wondered if Zoë was aware of the paranormal world that existed around her, and then decided she was lucky to remain naive. Good thing hed been able to avoid staking the vamps while she had been watching last night. He would have hated to introduce her to all things fanged and vicious in such an abrupt manner.
Despite every molecule in his being that warned how difficult it was for him to commit to any kind of relationship, he definitely wanted to see her again. Because man could not survive by the fight alone. He needed kisses, and skin contact and all that messy, exciting stuff involved with sex.
And how could the rescuing knight not return for the damsel?
Yet could he manage it without bringing along the danger of the world he lived in?
Rothstein.
He hadnt heard Rook enter the lab, and stood quickly to face his supervisor. Initially his teacher, Rook had also become Kazs mentor over the years. The man had a way about him. Stealthy and silent as the wind, Rook was a master of all martial arts. After Kaz had earned his trust and a bed in the Orders broom closet to sleep after a long, grueling day of training, Rook had trained Kaz for a year before hed been knighted by the founder, King, and officially accepted into the Order. At seventeen, Kaz had been the youngest knight to take vows.
Live to serve. Serve until death. Die fighting. Words he lived by.
Afternoon, Rook. The name was a moniker, he knew, and Kaz had no curiosity about his real name. In a job like this, a man had to protect himself with every measure available.
Rook leaned in and read the computer screen. Whats she up to? Is Switch involved in the faery-dust incident?
Possibly. Its a lead my informant gave me.
Shes all sorts of suspicious, but Id never task her with human murders. Werewolves, on the other hand...
That answered Kazs suspicion about what sort of wet work the vampiress did.
You know, Ive been thinking about something since assigning you this job, Rook said. If this new blend of faery dust
Theyre calling it Magic Dust.
Is that so? Huh. Well, if it is making vampires go after one another, maybe we should stand back and let them at it. That solves our problem, doesnt it?
But thats the thing. The longtooths arent killing one another for this new blend. Its different than the usual stuff. ItI dont knowit wont let them go. Its as if it builds up in their system and never shuts off, which compels them to seek more of the dust.
Like meth, Rook commented.
Yes. Kaz had researched methamphetamine just days ago. The drug turns on the dopamine in the brain and never shuts it off. Its like an overflowing faucet. Unfortunately, vampires on this stuff go ape-shit for anything sparkly, thinking its faery dust. They murdered my friends, Rook. I will make it stop.
Rook crossed his arms over his chest, an uncharacteristic move. He was always on the alert, hands free at his sides, prepared. He shook his head. Family and friends are never safe once ensconced in your world.
He knew that. And that was the toughest pill to swallow.
Dont let sorrow for your friends jeopardize your focus out in the field, Kaspar.
Kaz lifted his chin.
You want revenge for the death of your friends? I gave it to you with this assignment. But first and foremost, we need to get to the core of the operation and find the origin of this insipid drug.
I will do that.
Not if you take out the vampire who killed your friends in a blind rage. Keep your wits about you, man. Youll need him to lead you to the operation.
Im aware of that, and intend to do just that.
The knights vowed only to slay those vamps that presented a clear threat to humans. Of course, each knight had his own scale of gauging threat level. Kaz counted the vampire lethal when he killed, and not before then. The vampire who had killed his friends was still out there. And he had only one fang. That should go a long way in identifying his perp.
Once this Magic Dust circulates and becomes easy to obtain, Kaz said, half the vampire population in Paris could flip out.
Rook sighed and tapped the computer screen. And you think Switch can lead you to the source? Shes a hard one.
So it seems. But its the best lead Ive got.
Dont let this become a war. The last thing the Order needs is a human to see the veil pulled aside and witness hunters staking vampires.
As had almost happened the other night when Zoë had stumbled onto the slaying.
Make it quick, clean and quiet, Rothstein.
I will.
Keep me apprised, Rook said, and he walked out, leaving the lab door open.
Kaz reread the info on Switch. There were a few details that would aid him in overpowering her. One being that it was believed a vamp from the Anakim tribe had created her (though that information was only hearsay). That tribe of vampires was not immune to sunlight.
Sunset would be the optimal time to go looking for her.
* * *
Walking home from the grocery store, Zoë inhaled the evening air. She loved crisp, cool autumn. In this kind of weather she often wore ankle boots and tweed slacks and a snuggly, solid-colored sweater, along with her mothers diamond pendant at her neck. Classic and cozy.
In her recyclable bag, fresh veggies nestled against a crusty baguette. The celery, leeks and potatoes would make a nice stew that should last herand Sida few days. Now that she needed to increase production for her buyer, she would be working nights through the week.
Now, if only Luc would give her a call. Shed stopped by his apartment last week, but no one was home. She felt sure it was tough getting over a broken engagement, but to fall victim to such an addictive drug as faery dust? Shed thought Luc stronger than that, but then again, she knew he had a dark side that sometimes lured him to do things out of character. Best to give him the distance his very soul must require.
Turning the corner toward her house, she passed by the narrow alley that was heaped with the neighbors discarded, bent-iron bed frame. Kicking the fallen leaves, she delighted in the schushing chorus that responded.
Grunts echoed from down the cobbled alleyway, and she paused, stepping back beside a shed wall so as not to be seen as she peeked around the corner of the building.
About fifty yards away, three men and one woman stood over a fallen man. In seconds the man who had been prone leaped to his feet and swiped a threatening weapon toward his attackers. With each movement, the tails of his long, black leather coat dusted the air like bat wings.
Clinging to the rough brick, Zoë recognized one of the attackers. The vampiress with the bright pink hairthe very vampire she had hoped to never meet in a dark alley. She stood flanked by two others to her right and one to her left.
The other man, the object of the vampires scorn, was human. She recognized him, as well.
Kaz, she whispered, then checked herself to be sure shed not spoken too loudly.