I nearly gasp in surprise to find Finn and Gabriel among the numbers, however they don’t seem to be injured. I wonder why they are here. There are also several vamps present who I’ve never seen before. Ethan comes striding across the room the moment I enter, there’s a healing cut running down his right cheek, but a scab has formed already. The vampires must heal very quickly.
“You’re all right,” he breathes, clasping both of my hands in his. “I’ve been going mad with worry.” He turns to Dru. “Thank you for bringing her here.” Dru nods and leaves to see to Antonia.
“I’m fine,” I assure him, pulling my hands away. I don’t enjoy being coddled.
“Are you certain?” Ethan asks. “You have no injuries at all?”
“Nope,” I tell him, not keen on going into the fact that I had been hurt but I’m better now because I drank Dru’s blood. Ethan looks deep into my eyes and seems to see something there.
“You seem relaxed,” he remarks, “too relaxed, in fact.” Then he pulls me close to him and takes a deep breath. He curses in Romanian. “Drusilla, get over here now,” he demands, low and threatening.
Dru saunters over. “What’s the problem Cristescu?” she asks, annoyed to be called away from Antonia.
“You had Tegan feed from you? Are trying to provoke me?” he spits, his voice seething with anger.
“She had a cracked rib,” Dru answers, nonchalant, “she was in a lot of pain, so I volunteered to help,” she shrugs and a smile just about touches her lips.
“You are aware of our relationship and yet you allow her to drink from you? You must be either very stupid or actively looking for a fight.” Ethan says to her, in a strict toneless voice.
“Calm down, Cristescu, my blood will be out of her system in no more than a week or two,” Dru replies. “It was an emergency, I wasn’t thinking of how your fragile ego might get bruised.”
Ethan steps forward, raising his hand, and it looks like he’s about to strike Dru just before Antonia intervenes from her lying position over on the table.
“Touch her and you will have me to deal with Ethan,” she calls, and there is no denying the threat in her words. “There are more important issues at hand. You two can settle your differences between yourselves another time.”
Ethan lowers his hand and turns away from Dru and back to me, while Dru walks back over to her boss. I am vaguely repulsed by the fact that he had been about to hit a woman, even if she does look like she could more than handle herself if it came to blows. Ethan goes to put his hand on my shoulder but I step aside quickly.
“You would have hit her, wouldn’t you?” I say, shocked despite the fact that I’ve witnessed this man kill with his bare hands.
“In our world it is highly offensive to do what Dru did. It would be weak of me not to reprimand her, especially since I outrank her both in status and in age.”
“Don’t you dare try to get back at her later Ethan, she helped me back there when I was in pain. I will not tolerate you going after her for this.”
Ethan glares down at me. “Are you telling me what to do now?”
I return his glare. “And if I am?” I ask, wondering what he might be inclined to do to me.
He seems to become even more angered by my antagonism, however he pushes it away, it is still there though, and that truly bothers me. It takes a lot for him to turn away from me and walk over to the bar to speak with Lucas and Delilah. I feel like maybe taking my chances and slipping out of the club to go home, but then I remember Finn and Gabriel are here, and I want to find out why. They are sitting in a booth over on the far side of the club, away from the injured vampires. I go to them, sliding into the booth beside Gabriel.
“I have to say, I never expected to see you two here,” I tell them, smiling with amusement at how uncomfortable they both appear.
“We haven’t got much of a choice,” says Finn. “We don’t want to see Theodore back in power and the only way to stop him is to team up with the vamps for the time being. Everyone in North Tribane agrees with Pamphrock’s decision to allow the Sorcerer to take over the South. They think he’ll stop once he has the vamps under his rule, but as soon as that happens he’ll be setting his sights on our territory, Pamphrock is a fool not to see that.”
“So this is a case of ignoring the lesser evil to take on the bigger one,” I say.
“That’s about it,” says Gabriel with a sigh.
I look at him, and he seems terribly exhausted. “What about Marcel? I presume he’s happy to let Theodore have his way so long as he doesn’t impose himself on North Tribane.”
“Marcel is old school,” says Gabriel. “No matter how bad things get with Theodore, he will always prefer a magic user, even a Sorcerer, over the vampires. That’s just his way.”
“Oh.” I reply, I would say something insulting about Marcel if it weren’t for the fact that Gabriel seems so disappointed with him. “I’m sorry Gabriel, I know he’s your friend, and I know it’s probably very difficult for you to be here right now. You don’t like Ethan much do you?”
“No. No I do not.” He answers, staring down at his open palms.
“Hey,” Finn interrupts. “This isn’t easy for me either. I do kill these things for a living.”
I laugh as Finn peers over his shoulder at the assembled vampires. “Yeah they do sort of look like they want to jump you, don’t they,” I say, glancing over at a male vampire with short blond hair who is glaring in Finn’s direction.
Finn sees where I’m looking and laughs. “Had a bit of a scrape with that one a while back. If we ever get rid of Theodore he’ll be the first one to want to rip my throat out. We called a truce before you got here and agreed to put our differences aside until Theodore is out of the picture.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I say just as my phone buzzes. It’s a text from Rita asking if I got out of the port all right. I tell her I’m fine and that I’ll talk to her tomorrow. When I look up I find Delilah standing in front of the booth with one hand on her hip and the other twirling a red curl around her finger.
“Mind if I join you, Tegan?” she asks, but her bright green eyes are levelled on Finn with a hungry intensity. He swallows visibly.
“Yeah sure,” I say, wondering what she could want. She sits in beside Finn and directly opposite me. Finn looks uncomfortable as she scoots close to him, she’s clearly trying to rile him up. Then she focuses her attention back on me.
“Please tell me you aren’t conducting a relationship with one of Antonia’s bull dogs,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“Oh for crying out loud,” I sigh. “I was stuck in the middle of a riot and Theodore was about to kidnap me and take me back to his mansion. I wasn’t inclined to be picky about who helped me out of it, plus I was in absolute agony.” I finish.
“Wait a second, what do you mean Theodore was going to take you to his mansion?” she asks, her eyes focused intently on mine. Oh crap. I better leave out the part about how he knows what I am.
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. I fell on the ground and the next thing I knew Theodore was crouched before me, saying he was bringing me with him.”
Both Gabriel and Finn are regarding me interest now too. “I knew there was something different about you. I bet Theodore knows what it is, that’s why he wanted you for himself.”
Delilah slides out of the booth and goes directly to Ethan, where no doubt she is relaying the details I have just told her. “Oh for God’s sake,” I say to myself, letting my face fall into my hands.
“I would hate to be you right now,” says Finn, not making me feel any better in the slightest.
“Shut up, or I’ll tell Delilah that you want to volunteer some blood for her next meal.”
“Don’t you dare,” Finn threatens. “It’s hard enough being around all these vamps, I don’t want any of them thinking I’m a fan.”
“Delilah isn’t a vampire, she’s a dhamphir. She lives with the vampires because apparently her fat
her was a very important man, or some rubbish.” I tell him.
“Really?” Finn asks, suddenly looking at Delilah in a whole new light.
“Yeah really,” I answer, wondering why Gabriel has suddenly become very still. “Are you okay?” I ask him.
“Yes, I just, I need to use the bathroom,” he says before leaving me alone with Finn.
Finn is still staring over at Delilah. “Not a vampire you say,” he murmurs quietly to himself.
“Yeah,” I tease, “and hasn’t she just got the most gorgeous skin you ever saw. Like fine porcelain.”
Finn scowls. “Shut your mouth.”
“Make me,” I tell him happily, just as Ethan makes an announcement to the room.
“Right everyone,” he begins. “Gather round, there are some plans that need to be made if we’re going to successfully take on Theodore.” His eyes rest on me for a moment, and I have to wonder what he thinks of how Theodore wanted to take me with him. All of the vampires pull their chairs to the centre of the room to form a circle, Ethan and Antonia sit at the head of it. I get up with Finn to join the group just as Gabriel returns from the bathroom and walks along with us. The three of us sit together, outsiders among a gathering of about thirteen vampires.
A woman with short brown hair raises her hand to speak. Antonia inclines her head by way of giving permission. “I have at least forty of our kind working for me in my warehouse, I grant full permission for you to use them as soldiers if it comes to a war.”
“Thank you Olivia,” Antonia replies. “That is a very generous offer and I will keep it in mind should the necessity present itself.” Olivia smiles and bows her head in gratitude of Antonia’s acceptance. I wonder what her employees would think if they knew she was offering them up as cannon fodder.
“That’s all very well and good,” says Ethan, speaking in a loud voice so as to address everyone present. “But unfortunately, as vampires, we are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to taking on Theodore as we have no magic to contend with his vast supply.”
“Yes but we have numbers,” says Lucas interjecting. “And although he may have hundreds of warlocks and slayers willing to help him win the South, we are undoubtedly stronger than each of them as individuals.”
I wonder if Lucas has forgotten that Finn and Gabriel are sitting right there as he speaks of his superior strength to that of their kind. I glance at them both out of the corner of my eye, but they seem to be controlling their facial expressions very well so I can’t make out if they’re pissed off or not.
I look at Ethan just as a huge smile spreads across his face, his eyes are focused on Gabriel and I can almost see the ideas flit past their dark blue depths. What is he concocting I wonder. It isn’t long before I find out.
“Well, I’d almost forgotten, we do have at least one trick up our sleeve when it comes to fighting magic with magic,” says Ethan in a calculating voice.
Antonia tilts her head to him. “And what would that be, Ethan dearest?”
“Gabriel,” he replies.
“I don’t know what you think I can do,” says Gabriel dismissively. “I’m barely even a warlock. There’s no way I could stand a chance at going up against Theodore.”
“You might not be a warlock, but what you are is extremely well read.” Ethan glances at me. “Tell me Tegan, does he still hide himself away at the back of that shop researching old Grimoires and magical texts day in day out?”
I remember how I would always find Gabriel amid stacks upon stacks of books whenever I went in the back. “How do you know that?” I ask, glancing between the two of them.
“I know a lot of things.” Ethan answers mysteriously. “But anyway, I take that as an affirmative. So Gabriel, what I propose is this. You go away and consult those books of yours. You must have a better collection than even the twelve families by now. You discover a way to get rid of Theodore, with a spell or a ritual, I don’t care about the specifics, and if you are successful you will be richly rewarded for your labour.”
“That is a ridiculous proposal,” Gabriel snorts. “There’s no way to defeat a Sorcerer unless you become a Sorcerer yourself, and that would take a lot more time than we’ve got. Decades in fact.”
“Find a way and I will give you your share of what was left in our father’s will,” says Ethan and all of a sudden the room is thrown into absolute silence. Did I hear him correctly? Ethan had said “our father” as if he meant that both he and Gabriel are in fact brothers? This is bizarre.
“You two are brothers?” I ask on a whisper.
“Half-brothers,” Ethan replies, but it seems that this isn’t quite the shock to everyone else as it is to me and Finn. We’re the only two who appear thrown by the information. We lock eyes for a second in disbelief. It certainly explains why Gabriel despises Ethan so much. I wonder just how much their father left them when he died, how much he didn’t leave to Gabriel because he was a dhamphir.
Antonia coughs impatiently. “Are we here to discuss the fact that Alin Cristescu enjoyed the company of human females, or are we here to plan a war?” she asks, with her nose raised to the ceiling.
“I apologise, my Governess,” says Ethan with a deferential lowering of his head.
“Very good,” says Antonia, before addressing Gabriel. “So little dhamphir, am I to believe that you have the knowledge to devise a spell that will defeat Theodore?”
I can tell it takes a lot for Gabriel to speak to Antonia in a polite manner, when he replies. “I can make no promises, but I suppose I have no other choice right now but to try.”
Antonia peers at Gabriel through a slit gaze. “You suppose do you?” she pauses a moment, never once moving her attention from him, as though in quiet assessment. “Very well then,” she continues finally. “We will see what the bastard son of Alin Cristescu can do. I will return here tomorrow just after sundown, and I expect results.”
Gabriel looks like he wants to tear his hair out. I’m sure when he woke up this morning he never imagined he would end up working for the vampire Governess of Tribane come nightfall. Antonia rises from her seat, and with her three guards behind her, exits the club with a graceful flourish. Dru shoots me a grin and waves goodbye to me just before she disappears out the door.
After that the rest of the vampires, whose names I do not know and don’t care to learn, leave in dribs and drabs. Some go to Ethan and speak with him in earnest hushed tones before they go, probably wanting to be reassured of Gabriel’s merits and trustworthiness. I suppose Ethan can vouch for him since he knows that Gabriel could do with the money he promised him.
An idea springs into my head and I take Gabriel and Finn aside for moment to talk to them.
“What is it Tegan?” Gabriel asks, as we stand under an arch at the back of the club.
“I think there’s someone who can help you figure out how to fight against Theodore – with magic that is.”
“Oh yeah, who?” says Finn, who’s leaning back against the wall. I glare at him and turn to Gabriel.
“Rita.” I say simply.
Gabriel laughs softly. “Look Tegan I know she’s your friend and all, but I don’t think she’s going to be able to help. Fighting Theodore is a big task, and Rita isn’t even a member of one of the magical families.”
“Maybe you should just put your stupid bloody prejudices aside for a minute. I mean, you don’t belong to one of the families and yet you practice magic quite well.”
“Yes,” says Gabriel. “But I am merely an academic. Just because I know how to cast certain spells doesn’t mean that it actually works when I try. Rita is in the same boat, I may humour her by selling her spell ingredients, but that doesn’t imply that I believe she can use them in any kind of successful way.”
“I’ve seen her do magic Gabriel, and not Marcel’s light a candle and do some meditation kind of magic. Real effing magic. You are all so blind that you can’t see a powerful witch when she’s standing right in front of you. And I believe that
with your academic knowledge alongside Rita’s talent at real live casting you could stand a chance at actually doing this.”
He eyes me suspiciously, crossing his arms over his chest and thinking for a minute. Finn is the one to interrupt the silence. “You know Gabe, I think Tegan might be right. When we arrived at the port Rita cast a light spell that transported us from the back of the crowd to the very front where you and Marcel were standing.”
Gabriel looks at Finn a moment. “Are you certain it was Rita?”
“Oh for Christ’s sake,” I sigh. “It was Rita. She knows how to do all kinds of cool stuff. Now do you believe me? Finn has no reason to lie to you.”
Gabriel furrows his brow. “All right then, you can call Rita and fill her in on the situation. Tell her to come to my apartment in the morning, she knows where it is, and we’ll give it a trial run.”
I grin and kiss him on the cheek. “I knew you’d see sense,” I tell him and I think I see him blush just as I slip away to use the bathroom and call Rita in private.
I relieve my heavy bladder and wash my hands before pulling out my phone to call her. It takes me about twenty minutes to fill her in on everything that has gone on, my bill is going to be enormous, and I don’t even have a job anymore to pay for it. I push that thought away and try to focus on the issues at hand. Rita laughs when I tell her about the look of confusion on Gabriel’s face when Finn had contested to her being legitimate. She isn’t too happy about me volunteering her to save the day, but she agrees in the end. I knew she’d never pass up an opportunity to show off.
Finn and Gabriel have gone already by the time I leave the bathroom. Only Ethan and Lucas are here now, both sitting at the bar knocking back glasses of Jack Daniels.
“Not opening up for business tonight?” I ask as I hop up onto one of the stools beside them.
Ethan turns to face me, a small grin on his face. “Not tonight. I think we have all had enough drama to deal with.”
“True,” I reply, before rising up to lean over the bar and grab a clean glass for myself. I know I’m being presumptuous when I take the bottle of whisky and fill my glass almost halfway up. But I’m past caring about manners at this stage.