Chapter 11 Sebastian
Sebastian
Kayla consumed all my thoughts. I’d left her to change out of her gown and freshen up while I went to the underground room I’d discovered when I took over The Neutral Zone.
émile had obviously used a powerful witch to install and ward it against the water level, but I’d transformed it into a bunker worthy of confidential business meetings, still with the signature Nightfall branding I wanted to project.
No expense had been spared down here, from the leather chairs around the chrome and glass meeting table to the technology fitted in the room. We had screens on the walls, or the table itself would show the same information if people wished to swipe through for themselves.
I was proud of what I’d created here, and of how the space represented Nic and his rule.
Nic was already in his seat, at the head of the table, Kyle at his right and Jason to his left.
Temple had taken up a guard-like position in a shadowed corner, but he was probably happier overhearing information as much as reading it for himself.
It seemed his usual way to collect it, anyway.
As much as it suited him to fade away into the darkness for this meeting.
Kyle wrinkled his nose. “Wet dog,” he murmured at the same time as there was a knock on the door.
“Now, now.” Nic’s tone was light amusement rather than reprimand. “Conri is an ally and only here as a courtesy, to show the wolves are with us.”
Kyle only shook his head as he walked to answer the door, but no matter his words, he’d behave. He had a lot of respect for Nic and the deals he’d brokered to keep Baton Rouge and now New Orleans safe.
Kyle would do almost anything Nic said, the only exception seeming to be if he decided Nic’s instructions contradicted Nic’s own safety.
He stepped aside to let Conri into the room, and Conri glanced at him as though he could read every single one of Kyle’s thoughts. The door was soundproof, so he certainly hadn’t heard the comment.
“Vampire,” he said in cursory greeting as he passed Kyle by.
Kyle merely nodded an acknowledgment.
“Conri.” Nic stood and offered his hand. “It’s good to see you again. I trust things are satisfactory with our arrangement?”
Conri nodded. “Yes. The land is just what we needed.” But he didn’t expand.
I slid a look at Jason, he probably knew more about what the wolves had actually done with the land Nic had gifted them in return for their loyalty and continued alliance.
He dealt with Conri’s beta nearly daily as they worked out the finer details of wolves and vampires living and operating in such a small space.
And now we had witches in our mix, too. Things were growing more complicated by the day.
Conri sat at the table, choosing the seat next to Kyle, then averting his gaze and ginning a little when Kyle tensed next to him. “Is Leia well?” Conri directed his question at Nic.
He seemed to have taken a special interest in Leia since Nic first approached him for help to keep her safe from Francois. Nic had once told me that he believed Conri had a backstory that maybe even included a human of his own, but Nic had never probed further.
He just didn’t want that much involvement with the wolves.
Vampires and wolves rarely did business.
We were uneasy bedfellows at the best of times.
The types of arrangements Nic had entered into when he brokered Leia’s safety were almost unheard of.
We coexisted alongside each other but rarely interacted.
It was one of those never the twain shall meet situations, and generally we were all happy with that.
We encouraged it even.
Except Nic hadn’t, and we were all still adjusting to that idea.
There was a second knock at the door, and I answered it this time.
Kyle looked as though he wanted to stand up, but he was penned between Nic and Conri now.
Three vampire captains, representing the largest nests in the wider New Orleans area, filed into the room, and Temple shifted, drawing attention to his corner.
He growled, his fangs bared.
“Well, well, Temple. Fancy finding the traitor in our midst here of all places.” The first vampire who’d entered the room cut Temple a scathing glance and flashed his own fangs in response to seeing Temple’s.
Before Temple could respond, Nic stood again, welcoming the vampires to the meeting as he had Conri. Before I could close the door behind the last vampire, the delicate scent of jasmine filled the corridor and Kayla appeared.
“Am I on time?” she whispered.
“Always,” I replied and took her hand to draw her farther into the room.
Nic nodded his approval as I sat her next to me at the foot of the table, so Nic and I were now matching halves. The vampires who’d just joined us sat in the empty chairs, and the meeting began.
“Thank you all for coming, gentlemen.” Nic looked at each of the New Orleans area captains as he took control of his meeting.
There could be no doubt he was king here.
“This is merely a formality so we can get to know each other a little and you can start to understand how a Dupont reign might change things in New Orleans. As well as which things might stay essentially the same for each of you.” He offered that part with an almost reassuring smile.
The vampire who’d spoken to Temple scoffed. “There will be no changes, so I’m not worried.”
Nic lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, I think you might find me a very different sort of king than émile.” He gestured toward me. “And Sebastian will certainly be a very different regent than Francois.”
A second vampire barked a harsh laugh. He gestured to himself and the other two captains. “We were never under the control of Francois, and we don’t intend to be under the control of Baton Rouge.”
The third vampire spoke then. “We operate as separate factions. Allied, but not the same. We do our own thing.”
Temple growled again then coughed, the word bullshit clearly underneath the noise.
Nic half turned, glancing at Temple over his shoulder as Temple moved from the shadows to take up a position directly behind Nic’s chair.
“Something you want to say, Temple?” Nic sounded only mildly interested, but he had a lot of respect for Temple’s local knowledge, even if it had been given grudgingly to start with.
“You bet there is.” Temple’s voice was part-muffled by his fangs, still, and Nic shot him a glance of caution.
My brother had already said he didn’t want any trouble at this meeting.
It was more about making additional allies and influencing people than it was about drawing battle lines.
At least, that was the plan. I had no doubt we’d leave the meeting room three New Orleans captains fewer if they started anything, because they wouldn’t start anything that Nic wouldn’t finish. Permanently.
“I know exactly who these three are,” Temple said as he pointed to each of the captains in turn. “Gabriel, Gian Luca, and Magnus. Three of Francois’s hired hitmen, essentially. They might show no loyalty to Francois now, but they would never have bitten the hand that fed them.”
“Really?” Nic raised his hand as the one Temple had called Magnus would have spoken, cutting Magnus off before he could utter a word. “Go on, Temple. What does a hired hitman for a vampire do?”
Nic had a point. It wasn’t like vampires needed to hire anyone to do our dirty work. We were all killing machines.
Next to me, Kayla shivered, and I reached automatically for her hand, drawing it to my thigh under the table. She was the only human in here, and that made her vulnerable.
I hadn’t appreciated everything Nic had felt for Leia before, all the worry he must have carried with him, but I did now.
I didn’t dare look at Kayla in case I gave away her importance and marked her as a target to these unknown vampires, but I needed her to be a lot less fragile, and soon.
Especially with the way Temple was reacting to the guys we’d brought to the meeting.
Temple narrowed his eyes as he looked at the vampire captains.
“They accepted contracts to destroy humans so they could feed openly. They took what they wanted then destroyed the humans who’d witnessed them.
And it was usually someone who’d gotten in Francois’s way or otherwise irritated the little prince.
” Temple scoffed out the last two words.
The captains began to shake their heads, issuing a loud chorus of disagreement, but Conri spoke over them.
“You know, I’ve heard about you.” His mellow voice filled the space, although he still sounded pretty casual, his drawl unhurried.
“Temple’s right about who you are and what you do.
” But he didn’t add any more to the conversation—merely his support for Temple’s information—and Kayla squeezed my leg at the confirmation of what the men had done to humans.
“Please.” The one Temple had named as Gian Luca spread his arms, a placating grin on his face. “That’s not at all what we are.”
“Maybe at one point,” Gabriel interrupted, “but no longer. You understand how things can change, right?” He addressed Nic directly, but his smile was more sneaky than anything else.
“Yes, after all,” Magnus said, “Francois is gone. We no longer do his bidding.”
Nic leaned back in his chair. “So, gentlemen. You admit you did his bidding? You weren’t quite as separate as you would have liked me to believe when you first spoke?”
But it was a trap. Even I could see that, and the vampire captains exchanged nervous glances. Either they could admit to having been under the control of Francois, which Nic would now assume, or that they were loose cannons who ran around illegally killing and feeding on humans.