Emma
“Did you sleep well?” A low masculine voice asked from behind me. I smiled without opening my eyes and stretched against the firm, warm body that was wrapped around me like the best cage ever. But it was more than that, I hoped by Daniel being here, it meant our fight, or non-fight, was officially over.
“I slept like heaven,” I admitted, probably because of him. “How long have you been here?”
“As soon as you texted me, I hopped in the car and came straight here.” He pressed his nose into my neck and inhaled deeply. “I don’t think you’d been asleep long.”
“Then I give you credit for my wonderful nap.” I rolled over and burrowed into his chest, breathing deeply of his clean, citrusy scent. “I’m glad you came.” It eased something inside me, something that had been so tense I hadn't even realized it. Or maybe I had, but I'd attributed it to everything going on with Vance and Bryan, not the rift that had seemed to form between me and Daniel, probably because I hadn't wanted to admit it was there.
Daniel put a bit of distance between us, just enough to cup my face with both of his hands. “Emma. I’m sorry I got jealous. I couldn’t stand the idea of you being in that vampire’s arms.”
Puckering my lips, I looked up at him expectantly until he chuckled and lowered his head to press a firm kiss on my mouth. I grinned in satisfaction before deepening the kiss.
He was definitely trying to tell me how sorry he was with more than just words. The kisses we shared were tender and...loving. They were full of apology from both of us, but also of passion that was running hot just under the surface.
When we came up for air, I snuggled closer. “I don’t want anyone else,” I whispered. “But you do have to understand this is my job now. And I do enjoy doing it.” I hated the tightness in my chest at speaking those words aloud. "I can't go back to letting a man dictate my life again, not when I've fought so hard to get back to myself."
He sucked in a sharp breath. After a tense moment he replied, "It was never my intention to make you think I was trying to control you or tell you how to live. I may express concern sometimes, but I want you to be you. Always." He shook his head. “I think that one might be on you. I told you I would support you, but that I didn’t like it. I didn’t dictate anything.”
I drew back and sucked in a deep breath. "I know, you’re right. It’s something I’m going to work on. And thank you," I whispered against his shirt, not trusting myself not to get emotional if I was stuck looking into those big green eyes of his.
He sighed and rested his chin on the top of my head. We lay like that for a moment before he spoke again. I could feel the movement of his mouth against the top of my head and the rumble of his voice passing from his chest into my own. “Bears are awfully territorial, but I promise I’ll do my very best not to be a beast about it.”
“That’s all I want,” I murmured. “You, not being a total beast.”
A growl rumbled low in his chest. “No promises.” There was an undercurrent of laughter to his voice.
Suddenly I got the feeling we were talking about a different kind of beast. One I wouldn't mind at all. I doubted we had time for any of those shenanigans though.
“Come on,” I said, climbing over him to get out of the bed. “It’s got to be getting close to time to get ready.”
I left Daniel to his own devices while I went and checked the couch, but Carol was gone. The blanket was perfectly folded with the pillow perched atop the square.
Henry must have heard me moving around because he stuck his head out of the kitchen. “I took your friend home. She said to meet her at Deva’s.”
“Thanks, bro” I called and waved at him before hurrying back upstairs to get ready.
“What does one wear to a mysterious event at a vampire club?” I asked after my shower. I stood in front of my closet door in my towel, debating my outfit choices.
There weren’t many viable options. “If I’m going to be doing all this detective work, I need to vary my wardrobe a little.”
Daniel snorted as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. “You could wear a potato sack, and I’d be happy to see it.” He curled around me, sniffing at my neck again, which was oddly sexy.
“Good answer.” I pushed him away, well, less a push and more a stroke down his chest and pulled out a simple black dress. “Go away. I’ll be down in a minute.” I knew if he stayed then we'd be late, and I didn't want to keep Carol waiting. She'd been through enough. My sex drive could take a back seat for the night.
After I was ready, Daniel drove us to Deva's in his truck. When we got there, she was closing up shop, and Carol and Beth had already arrived. Carol looked like her nap hadn’t done her a bit of good. The dark circles under her eyes were in serious danger of taking over her face.
“You sure you want to go?” I asked. “You could stay home and get a bit of rest. We’ll update you if we find out anything at all.”
She rolled her eyes and brushed past me, hopping into the back of Daniel’s truck. It was a good thing he had one with a back seat, otherwise we'd all be squished closer than sardines in a can.
Beth shrugged. “We’ve already tried to talk her out of it.” She sounded just as tired as the rest of us, and I wanted to get this over with so we could all get the rest we needed.
We piled in with Daniel and were soon sitting in the parking lot of the Alibi, nobody willing to be the first out the door. “When did going to bars and clubs change?” Deva asked. “It used to be so fun to go out and party for an evening. I looked forward to it.”
Carol chimed in, “So did I.”
“Sometime in my thirties,” Daniel said. “It switched, from being a great time with few consequences, to being more trouble than it’s worth with lots of consequences the next day, like a sore back and queasy stomach.”
I shrugged. “I was never big on clubbing, but maybe it’ll be fun. We might as well give it a try.”
Carol gave me a look.
“I mean, uh, as much fun as investigating a missing person might be.”
Her sharp look eased. “Just keep your eyes peeled for anything that might help us find him.”
Hopping out of the car, I smoothed the bottom of my dress and waited on my friends. There was no bouncer at the door, no line going around the curb. But I wouldn’t have expected as busy a night during the middle of the week. We stepped inside to find a rather sad-looking club with the lights on bright and no music pulsing through the speakers.
It was empty. Whatever this special event was, they didn't want anyone around who wasn't directly involved.
“We’re closed,” a spunky woman behind the bar yelled. The sex and sweat smell that normally made sense given the number of people that had been in here the last time I'd been around now just made my stomach roll.
The floor was sticky and covered in stains I'd rather not think about, while the walls looked like they'd seen better days as well. Even the DJ booth looked kind of sad in the bright lights. There was no one in it of course, and perhaps that was part of it, but the smeared plexiglass that separated the DJ from the crowd was scratched and chipped and the paint on the walls behind it was dull and faded.
“Emma!” The voice was mildly familiar. I turned to find Lysa looking out a doorway. “What are you doing here?” It wasn't one I'd even noticed when we were there last time, it seemed designed to blend into the wall. What was more, her voice wasn’t the least bit welcoming.
“Vance invited us.”
Lysa moved away from the doorway. “That wasn’t his right.”
Okay, aggressive much? “Well, we’re here now.”
She glared. “Maybe you shouldn’t be. Maybe it isn’t a good idea for you witches to get involved in vampire business at all.” Her gaze moved to Daniel, and she scoffed. “Or a shifter.”
“Luckily it isn’t up to you,” I told her brightly.
Her glare deepened, and she said, “Dreven will hear about this,” then turned and disappeared into the room.
Trista was there a minute later, and she smiled brightly. “You made it!”
I tried to sense her emotions, and again felt none. For some reason, as much as all the signs were telling me to like her, this one aspect of her threw me off. Made me even more cautious around her than Lysa. “Uh, yeah.”
She hurried over. “I was hoping Vance would deliver my message. I know he irritates most of the vampires by working with the humans when it comes to our business, but I understand the need to work with humans more than most.”
I wasn’t sure how to take that. “Uh, do you mind if I ask why we’re here?”
Her smile faded away. “I told you I was trying to change things. With Quillan gone, we finally have a chance… but, you’ll see what I mean. Come in. Join us.”
Okay, she was being friendly. She’d also given another hint that maybe she wasn’t terribly sad about his murder. Not that I was, but it was something to keep in mind.
Daniel tipped his head at the woman behind the counter, and we filed across the room.
“This is not what I was expecting,” I said after we walked through the doorway. The room was nearly full of vampires, but there wasn’t any partying going on. They sat around a large conference table that looked more like a board meeting than anything else.
“Have a seat, we need to get started,” Dreven said to everyone present. He didn’t seem to object to our being here. He just rolled with it. “Now, we’re all here because we want to at least discuss the minimum age for Turning a vampire. Many of you have expressed concerns with how young we Turn our vampires in Clan Dusk.” He shot a glare at Trista. “So this will be the first meeting to discuss whether the age should be raised from eighteen to twenty-one.”
“Whoa,” Carol muttered. “Definitely not what I expected.” From the gazes that landed on her it was safe to say the vamps heard her loud and clear.
We scrambled for seats along the wall where we could observe, and I could try to push a little magic at the crowd. If I could. This whole sensing people thing was still pretty new to me, even if the power had felt really natural to use.
“Now,” Dreven continued. “I have not technically been named the new leader of our coven yet, although, at this point, we can strongly suspect who will be named leader.” He puffed his chest out as he spoke. “Our clan is arranging a meeting for all our members to make the final decision. This is why this meeting is an irritant. We have many more important things to do than to waste our time with this.”
Trista stood. “And I think it’s the perfect time to make some changes.”
He glared at her. “Raising the age to Turn a vampire from eighteen to twenty-one is foolish and a waste of time. It is tradition. Our tradition. And just because some of these young, arrogant vampires think they know better, it’s not a reason to change what has worked for us for so long.” What an about face from Dreven. He was finally showing his true colors.
“Agreed,” Lysa said, reclining in a chair next to Dreven.
Trista’s mouth curled. “We all know what Quillan did. We all know what Quillan was accused of doing.”
“By a pathetic excuse for a vampire,” Lysa muttered, and her words were met with a few laughs.
Were they talking about Bryan? I suspected they were, but I couldn’t be sure. I felt like I was trying following a political debate, while only knowing the basic information about the players.
Dreven himself was smiling. “Stories and lies, that’s all they are.” He’d really tried to lay it on thick earlier. He’d apparently abandoned that line of deception. Probably because he realized we were on to him and his friends.
“According to you…” Trista’s voice was low, almost a threat.
“Jeffrey is our other senior coven member,” Lysa added, inspecting her nails, “And he agrees the minimum age should stay.”
Vance spoke up from the other end of the table. “Clan Scarlet supports the idea that the minimum age should be raised.”
“Because you never Turn new members,” Dreven almost sneered.
“And Clan Descent? What do you think?” Trista asked, looking at a few vampires across the room.
One man spoke, his voice soft and controlled. “Our queen is not ready to decide yet, but she has instructed us to be here, to hear both sides, and report back.”
His words launched more fighting between Clan Dusk, but it slowly became clear between the two sides of the argument that Vance was supporting Trista and seemed to have helped her create this whole meeting, while the senior members of her clan did not support the idea. It was definitely trouble in paradise. And while I agreed with Trista, she was also separating herself more and more as the top suspect in Quillan’s murder.
The meeting went on for a good hour, with people making cases for and against raising the minimum age. I was happy to see most people were mostly for raising the age, but those against were remarkably outspoken. I tried to get a read on them with my magic but with the number of powerful vampires in the room it felt like I was a receiver picking up multiple stations at once. And that was with only a thread of magic.
I didn't want anyone to sense it like Dreven had so I was using the lightest touch I could, I just had to hope it was enough. Some of them were angry, others were bored, but no one felt like a murderer. I knew it was statistically impossible to be surrounded by that many vampires and not have one of them being guilty of murder, but that wasn't how my gifts worked. It was specific when it needed to be and it always seemed to know when that was, like now.
One voice I recognized but couldn't place immediately said, "Trista and Clan Scarlet have made some good points about raising the age, the queen will likely approve." When I found him through the sea of vampire faces, I didn't miss the worried glance he shot me. Mr. Atonal.
"I'm sure your queen would approve of anything that makes it harder to become a vampire," a young woman snarled.
Most of the people who seemed to be on Trista’s side were the young female vampires I’d seen in her home, and the vampires from the two other clans. The rest of Clan Dusk, Lysa, Dreven, and a lot of huge, young men, seemed to be on the side that the age shouldn’t be raised. I got the sense the young men were part of Clan Dusk, even though I’d never seen them in their shared home.
Tensions continued to rise as the debate carried on and I got the sense that old wounds were being alluded to and old rivalries were coming to the fore. Vampires, it seemed, had a long memory. However, it felt like they were being careful with what they said because we were there.
More than once someone started to speak before cutting themselves off and glancing in our direction. Had we been invited as a form of crowd control as well as me getting an opportunity to get a better read on Trista and the others?
When Dreven adjourned the meeting, we stood to leave.
But Trista pointed a finger at us. “Please wait.”
When the rest of the vampires were gone, Trista waved us over to sit at the table with her. We all obeyed, because there was no reason not to. “Listen, I know who you are.” She stared at Carol as she said it. “And I know who you are to Bryan.”
Carol’s eyes widened. “Do you? Where is he?”
But Trista shook her head. “I’m afraid I don't know. I wasn’t part of what happened to him, and I’d help him if I could. But I wanted to talk to you all. I know I’ve been preoccupied with my coven and the changes since Quillan’s death, but learning that Bryan hasn’t been seen for this long is worrisome. I think he might be in terrible danger.”
Daniel leaned forward. “Why would you think that?”
“Secrets,” she whispered. “Coming back was dangerous because of his secrets.” She leveled her glare on Carol. “I know why he came back, but I also wish he hadn’t. At least for his sake.”
Poor Carol ducked her head, embarrassed. I opened my mouth to defend her, but Trista kept talking.
“Quill told me how much Bryan loved you.” She finally looked away. “I suppose if I loved someone that much, I’d come back too. I just… don’t think Bryan knows how to work the vampire system the way he needs to. Change can’t be made with anger and accusations. There’s a process. And yet, no matter how much I explained that to him, he didn’t care. He wanted the process of Turning young humans to stop. Now. Today. I wanted that too, but knew it wasn’t possible. I asked him to wait for our meetings, wait for the judgment of the three covens, but he said he couldn’t.”
“Are you and Bryan friends?” I asked, surprised.
She hesitated. “Not friends exactly. But we were both Turned right out of high school. His situation was different from mine. And yet, we both learned a lot from what happened to us. Mostly that at eighteen we were still children and that what happened to us was wrong. We bonded a little over it since he’s been back. He understands that I’m not the enemy, but also that the way we want to go about making changes isn’t the same.” She sounded really sincere. And tired.
It seemed like Trista was likely not responsible for Quill’s murder or Bryan’s kidnapping. At least, she seemed nice enough and the other vampires seemed to respect her. There was no neon sign pointing to her as the murderer. Yet, we weren’t any closer to figuring this thing out.
“People think Bryan killed Quillan,” I hedged, trying not to look at Carol.
Trista laughed. “Bryan had nothing to gain from his death except revenge. And Bryan wasn’t as interested in revenge as he is in making sure future generations are more protected. I don’t think for a minute he had anything to do with Quillan.”
“So who did stand to gain something from his death?”
Trista stiffened, and I knew instantly that she was hiding something.
“Trista?”
She shook her head. “That’s… complicated.”
“Complicated how?” I asked.
“Someone took Bryan! We need to help him!” Carol cut in.
Trista gave her an apologetic look. “I wish I could help, but I can’t. And we need to get going. This place is closing up.”
As we stood to go, Trista’s head jerked in the direction of the door. Seconds later, so did Daniel’s.
“What?” I asked. “What is it?”
“Someone is fighting,” Trista said. “Outside.”
She disappeared with Daniel hot on her heels. Whoever was fighting, it must have been bad to make the two of them move like that.
I sighed and looked at my friends. “Well, let’s go see.”
What did a vampire fight even look like? I was torn between the mental image of fancy men waving hankies at each other and slapping each other with gloves and something more animalistic.
I just hoped that we didn’t end up as collateral damage.