Chapter Fifteen
When Clive woke, he reached for their bond. Instantly and automatically. Pleased, he found her nearby. Healthy.
He pulled on casual clothing and headed to her. Wanting to establish that sort of contact as well. Needing to see for himself she was whole.
He found her in the sitting room, having a whispered—annoyed on her part—conversation with David.
“Good evening. Look at my beautiful wife all in one piece. I confess my delight.” He risked getting close enough for a quick kiss and then straightened, pulling back. “Less delightful though not less usual, tell me why you smell of death.”
“Okay. So maybe sit down first because it’s been a whole ass day, let me tell you.”
He frowned but settled, pleased to see the teapot waiting there.
“You know we were going to do another search of the Procella mansion today because I had a feeling Lotte would slip up.”
David gave her a stern glare and then pointedly looked toward the teapot and two cups of tea. She rolled her eyes, but leaned forward to hand Clive one and then took one for herself before sitting back against the pillows.
She was lovely and vibrant there next to him, which allowed him to relax enough to take her hand, kissing her knuckles over the ring she wore that marked her as his.
“I was right.”
“Obviously,” he said.
“Right? Anyway, we found a cache. Had a few of her burner phones in it. One she’d been using to contact Alfonso, Antonia, and Hugo. We got that info to Konrad immediately and he got to work locating Alfonso, that dick.”
David said, “Vanessa’s already running through the thumb drives and data cards we found. Naturally she created a filter like it was easy. It’s working now that we’ve broken through the firewalls.”
“Excellent.” Rowan turned back to Clive. “Then there was an...explosion I suppose is the best way to describe it. As you can see, I’m totally fine,” she said in a rush and sent ice-cold dread through him.
Clive took a bracing breath and reminded himself that yes, indeed, she was totally fine. He placed a hand on her thigh, needing the contact. “Go on.”
She explained Genevieve’s theory regarding the type of working it took to set off the type of magical explosion of fire that had destroyed the interior of the mansion. She then quickly added that a combo of goddess, witch, and Dust Devil magics had kept them—and their evidence—safe. “The death part you smell even though I showered? That was Lotte. And a few Procella guards who’d been there. I broke someone’s arm, but I guess that’s moot now that he’s dead and all.”
She sat back with a satisfied smile, and he couldn’t have loved her more.
“You’ll be less pleased to hear the news had hit the Keep by the time I’d gotten back to my office. Blame the spies planted around the city who ran off to tattle to Theo immediately.”
His spies should have waited to report to him or one of his Vampires once the sun had gone down. They either disregarded his instructions, or they were Nation spies put in place by the First to watch Rowan and Clive’s business at the same time. He had spies in the courts of other Scions and in other major cities so it wasn’t as if he could be outraged.
“All this before sunset? My, you are a busy bee when I’m at rest.” He allowed himself a quick brush of his fingertips along her throat.
Her attempt at annoyance was half-hearted at best. “I get into trouble sometimes. Usually because someone else is being a bag of concrete.” She paused. “Though I suppose when you add water it becomes useful. So maybe more like unsalted, ice-cold fast-food fries at the bottom of the bag.”
He gave her a look and she snickered.
Clive looked over to David, who watched her, but not in a way that said he was overly worried. “How did he take the news of the explosion?” The First was already close to jumping on a plane and showing up to see for himself that Rowan was well.
A Vampire so ancient was best kept at home. Or in areas that were sparsely populated. They lost their hold on the present sometimes and got caught up in the past. It left them prone to striking out. The First of their kind had been on very thin ice for long months. His emotional state and worry over Rowan had led to a great deal of bloodshed. Clive didn’t need the complication of the First in his territory and he truly didn’t want Rowan under any more stress, which her father would bring.
“I had Nadir tell him I’m fine. I have to do a video call with him now. Something else to make the Procellas pay for. Oh! But in exchange, she’s allowed for some access to Nation data on these Sanguis fuckos.”
Nadir most likely assumed Rowan would steal it if it wasn’t offered. And the fact was, Rowan and Hunter Corp. were doing them a favor by investigating SP . Especially as they’d just been exposed in his territory.
“And? I’m certain there’s more.”
She shot him a dark look. “There’s so much more. Let me take this chronologically. So, we did a search out in Spring Valley. Then we headed to the mansion and that was exploded. Then I went to the motherhouse, changed clothes, and headed to Die Mitte to have a quick check-in with Hugo and Sergio.” Rowan laughed at that. “I’m letting them stew some more. On my way out of Sergio’s chat, I let him know I’d been to his house in the burbs. Then I asked him if he was seeing a doctor because I’d found blue pills and had been told Genetic witches don’t usually suffer with ED issues. His eyes bulged out and he started denying it. I said maybe Hugo had left them there since he’d been hiding out. And then of course I realized that was probably true. Genevieve said it was possible the magics Hugo had used habitually to try to victimize women could kill his boner. Then I swanned into Hugo’s cell and asked him if his dick was able to get hard again since they’d removed all those magics from him. He started yelling and burst into tears. It was, quite honestly, amazing. So I left him and his soft pecker behind and headed on down the hall to have a chat with Patrick Shank. Before I opened the door, I stepped on something slippery between my boot and the tile. Confetti.”
“Just on the ground on a secure floor of the court of the North American Scion of the Vampire Nation?” He said it with so much hauteur she knew he’d been as surprised by that as she’d been.
She explained she’d found the source and that she felt it was innocent enough. “Then I went into the cell to have a talk with Patrick and he’s feeling friendlier today. Said they’d been doing work with the Procellas, including Antonia and Alfonso, for two decades and before that, a different shifter pack did their dirty work. Up until recently most of it was about roughing people up, not killing. They’ve popped the odd enemy here and there for Sergio, but until me, they’d never been asked to take risks like that.”
“This is why Vampires rarely hire them. Loose lips.”
Rowan rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever. You have your own hit squads, I guess. But anyway. He’s understandably angry and embarrassed because his actions have impacted the pack. I’ve put in a few calls to the leader of the Shank family. I want to talk to them about all this.”
“I imagine they’ve all gone ignored.”
“Yep. If I wasn’t recovering, I’d hop on a plane and show up on their doorstep.”
“Ah. But you are recovering.”
She growled. “I started feeling achy and sick to my stomach in the middle of my interview. My head started hurting so bad I called David to bring me home so I could nap.”
Now it was Clive who growled, leaning in closer to her.
“I’m much better now. I slept for an hour and a half. And I had dreams.”
“ Dreams or dreams?”
“The prophecy ones. Mainly the same symbolism as before. But there was something new. A bird and a sprig of greenery. I had to do a quick image search because I wasn’t sure if it was a nightingale or a sparrow. It was a sparrow. I think the plant was holly, but I can’t say for certain. I don’t know what’s up yet. It’s not connected to something in a way that’s obvious to me yet. But I’m trying to trust that I will when it’s time.”
“This debilitated you? In the middle of your workday? I do not much care for that,” Clive said.
Rowan understood his fear. Accepted it. She worried for the people she loved—including him—too. But she wanted to make him understand she saw all this as a positive.
“The thing is, I knew one was coming on. And I had the time to get David over to Die Mitte and drive me home safely. Which he did. Then Star protected me. I’m good. Learning how to deal with this new aspect of my gifts is a big step. I could have gone to your private apartment at Die Mitte too if I’d needed that. The point is, I had options, and it didn’t hit until I was safe. Each time one of these things happens, a dream or a knowing, I learn from it. This is a good thing. I promise.”
He adjusted cuffs he didn’t even have and yet, he made it work. She sent him the knock it off there are people around expression, and he ignored it because he was contrary like that.
“I don’t like it. It puts you at risk. And yet I know it’s as much a part of you as eating cookies while in bed. I admire it. Not the cookies-in-bed part. But the rest. It makes you stronger. Better. It’s rather attractive, as you well know.”
She sent him a look under her lashes and David cleared his throat. “Let’s all have dinner, then. Before you head back to the office instead of working from here.”
She pointed at David. “You are such a snitch.”
“I’m not tattling,” David said, spine rigid. “I’m merely doing my job. You’ve been working since nine this morning and it’s already nine in the evening. Twelve-hour workdays are tough even when you aren’t convalescing from an ambush and a mage firebomb.”
“She can work here,” Clive said to David. Like they were planning a playdate for a baby.
“ She is right the hell here and getting cranky enough to start slapping the shit out of assholes who talk around her.”
“Will you please have dinner with me before you head out again?” Clive allowed and though she wanted to kick him in the taint, she also knew he was trying to sound like he was asking.
“It might be nice to remember it’s not just you, alone, against the world all in your head. We are here to help. We care for you, and it hurts us too when you don’t put yourself first in these types of situations,” David said.
All these friends and found family meant she had to take their feelings into account, and she was used to doing whatever needed to be done. Things were easier before. But. A lot lonelier.
“I appreciate being cared for and looked after. I’m told we’re having fish stew with fresh bread,” she said. Rowan wasn’t going to stop being who she was simply because people she cared about wanted her to. It wasn’t who she was. And both the men currently staring at her needed to understand that. She could meet them partway sometimes. And she did by agreeing to eat dinner at the table with David across from her and Clive at her left. Which she knew he did to let her eat more freely with her dominant hand. And it was her sword hand. A fact he always respected.
“This really hits the spot. Knowing I can come home to something soul nourishing is invaluable,” Rowan told Elisabeth.
Elisabeth gave a deep, clearly pleased bow, blushing. “I’m so very pleased to hear that. Betchamp and I know how hard you three work, so any time we’re able to lighten that load, even with a good meal, is what we aim for.”
“You clearly do. Our household is very well kept, as are its occupants,” Rowan told her.
At her side, Clive practically throbbed with pride. As his wife she had a responsibility to everyone under his protection. She was a hard-ass to most everyone. But never to those who served her. And rarely ever to those who served at all.
One of myriad reasons he adored her. The unexpected kindness she showed had ceased to surprise him, but it always made him happy. And when she showed it to those in their household? It stoked some fire in the heart of the man whose mate did the things to make their lives better and stronger. Primal.
Conversation rose and fell as Clive surreptitiously monitored her food intake. If she felt like he was doing too much, she’d push back. Sometimes out of habit. Their little interplay was always delightful. But he had no desire to poke at her for amusement just then.
He needed to connect with his people. And if one of them didn’t report this explosion immediately, he’d be quite vexed.
The house phone rang, and Elisabeth moved to answer before she returned. “Alice is here,” she told them.
Of course Alice would be there to deliver the news personally. He’d lay odds she wanted to assure herself Rowan was in one piece as well.
“She’s not one for blood wine, but I’m absolutely certain a cup of tea would be appreciated,” Rowan said quietly to Elisabeth, who nodded and bustled off to procure another cup and saucer.
Clive wanted to cosset and pet his wife. He was so very delighted with her right at that moment. Thinking of Clive’s people as her own. The way Rowan avoided direct eye contact even though their bond thrummed with attraction and desire said she knew exactly what was on his mind. As that petting would definitely be skin to skin.
He stood, pausing to bend and brush a kiss against Rowan’s temple on his way.
Alice Lovecraft had been his assistant for a century. She was efficient. She saw complexity in ways most others didn’t. She was powerful and clever and had included Rowan in the people she protected. Which Clive approved of mightily. And, he’d learned more than once, Alice was a champion at hand-to-hand combat.
He’d asked her to come to the United States with him, to serve him as assistant to the Scion. He’d been honest. He knew she could have had her pick of other assignments, even leading her own line if she chose to. But she’d been part of the Stewart line the entirety of her life, as had her parents and two other siblings. The position serving him was a huge honor and she took it as such.
He hadn’t regretted bringing her along. Not a single time.
As she entered the house, her arms full, Clive and Betchamp moved to take some of her burden.
“The files are yours, Clive,” she said. “The green bags are for Elisabeth. My housekeeper has a very large garden. She doesn’t know I’m not human, so she constantly leaves me food. I figured it’d get used here more than at my place.”
Betchamp bowed slightly. “She will indeed be most grateful,” he said and then left Clive and Alice alone in the front part of the house.
“I assume you already know about the explosion?” she asked quickly. “I knew you wouldn’t be at the office yet, so I wanted to come here to speak in person.”
Clive nodded, appreciating her discretion. “She went back to work right after, I’m told.” A fact he did not like, but certainly wasn’t going to argue with Rowan over. That there’d been another prophecy dream, well, he did like that. Because these gifts from her goddess made her stronger.
Stronger meant her chances of winning rose.
“She’s already been in contact with Nadir, so the First knows she’s well. There will be a video call at some point so that he can see for himself.”
Alice let out a breath. “Good. I’m sure that will be useful for both Rowan and her father.”
They walked back to the kitchen where dinner had been set up in the eating nook. Alice gave Rowan a discreet look, but it was done quickly.
Another quality that made Alice invaluable was her rapport with Rowan. A genuine sense of friendship and fraternity had developed between them. It was one more set of eyes watching Rowan’s back. And, without a doubt, when the mate of the Scion showed kindness and care toward any of those within the territory, the news traveled. She’d already made fans of many of his staff, especially the notoriously temperamental ones like his chef. It was a good reminder to him that being a leader meant many things, including seeing to the emotional well-being of those they led.
Soon enough tea had been poured and another bowl of soup had been ladled up for Rowan, so Clive took his seat at her side once again.
“Just so you both know, I’ve been tasked to lead a workgroup on Sanguis Principatus ,” Rowan said.
Vanessa had already procured a list of the Vampires—the ones still living—who’d been part of Jacques’s circle. They hadn’t needed to steal anything as Hunter Corp. had been watching them anyway because of that connection. There were a few left in Las Vegas. She’d look at them. Eventually, she’d find the links she needed.
As for what would result? It wasn’t against the Treaty to hate humans. If SP was indeed active again, all they could really do was watch. When they stepped over the line like Elmer had, they’d be punished.
Rowan would happily use Elmer and Eduard as object lessons about those lines and what her response was when they were crossed. In the end, her best hope was to strangle them of opportunities to do anything truly harmful.
“They’re going to hate Elmer and Eduard for calling attention to them.” She laughed pretty hard at that. As long as Elmer wasn’t able to harm humans anymore, it would at least be a victory.
Clive looked over to Alice. “I assume there’s an update in here on the searches that have been done on Eduard?”
She nodded.
“Please go on. You may be frank,” he said to Alice, giving her permission to tell Rowan Vampire business.
“Patience has already been hard at work on taking every Vampire who’d ever said more than two words to Eduard into custody for questioning. Searches of Eduard’s electronics, his workspace, and the condo he lived in have yielded quite a bit of data, which was worked on during daylight. We have Elmer’s address. Not what he put on his official registration paperwork. But his nest. I only got this information on my way over here. Haddon told us. No one has entered. It’s being monitored. I thought you might want to handle that yourself,” Alice said.
An hour later, they stood in the front hall of Elmer Marsc’s nest. The place a Vampire lived and rested during the day with others of their line or family. Their official homes were quite often a ruse because no one wanted anyone to have the information regarding where they were most vulnerable.
The condo was in a newer building near the Strip. It contained daylight locks on all bedroom doors. Three of the bedrooms had been used within the last week, Clive said after doing his Vampire scent thing. Haddon and Elmer shared the master suite. The bedrooms to either side were connected Jack-and-Jill style through bathrooms.
“I guess Elmer liked keeping his Made very close to his bed.” Not exactly unusual. Vampires had looser perspectives on sex and the size of their relationships than most humans did.
“That room held a Vampire. Barely made. Less than five years I’d say. And that one? A human. I know what Stephen Baker smells of, he has not been here in this place for months, given the very faint scent. Not in the bedrooms. In the kitchen.”
Maybe one he was using to feed on? Someone he was preparing to Make to join his line? A one-night stand? Did Stephen come over to grab one of the humans he helped Elmer round up to take them back to his place?
“We can ask Haddon about some of this. And Eduard, I’d say,” Alice told them. “I rewatched his interrogation with you, Clive, and it seemed to me Eduard would gleefully murder a human for the cause, but he does not like Making underaged humans. His morals might be terrible, but on this, he seems to be firmly repulsed by that aspect of Elmer’s behavior.”
Clive cocked his head a moment. “I do recall him claiming not to know about any of that. He said he knew Elmer from SP but had nothing to do with any sort of Making young humans.”
“Jacques, who he seems to worship, routinely kidnapped and drained young female humans. How’s that any different?” Rowan demanded.
“Putting it plain,” Alice said, “it’s one thing to use humans up and throw out the carcasses and quite another to bestow a Making on them. These types of Vampires tend to see humans as resources but not good enough to be Vampires. Elmer’s behavior is predatory in ways that serve his own twisted desires.”
“Okay. Okay. I can totally see that distinction. Gross as it is,” Rowan said.
They headed toward a home office where a file of photos Rowan never wanted to think about again brought on a wave of exhaustion.
On the way back to Die Mitte , Rowan said, “You’re going to be far more effective at discussing this with Elmer and Eduard. And I don’t want to scare Haddon any further, so I’ll let you do that too.”
Clive gave her a suspicious look. Alice and David were in the back seat, both with phones pressed to their ears, ordering other people around for Rowan’s benefit.
He asked quietly, “Why are you being so easy?”
“I can go in and fuck them all up enough to finally spill but frankly, I don’t want to beat anyone else up tonight. I’m tired. I have a meeting with Genevieve at ten in the morning and since it’s just us two, I can admit I need the rest.”
He turned the car toward home when the next ability to reverse their direction came. “Let me take you home.”
Across the city, Genevieve and Darius stood on top of a little hillock near the remains of the Procella mansion. “This was where they set the spell in motion,” she said.
The police and bomb squad had cleared off, but the end of a bit of yellow caution tape flapped in the breeze. From their vantage point they could see the collapsed roof. With her othersight, Genevieve could detect the magics that had ignited the first of the cascade of spells that led to the mage bomb.
“I see three different magical signatures,” Darius said quietly.
“Yes, as do I. Some of it seems familiar but I can’t say off the top of my head who it could be. That I can rectify with a quick pass through some of our logs. However, I know who it isn’t. So those names can be removed from the list of witches powerful enough for a working of this magnitude and complication.”
“This is why there are no high points that can see into our village. If they lived a lifestyle that got this sort of response, they most definitely should have worked far harder on their security.”
The Dust Devils were organized into a group they called a Trick. And when they settled in a place, they tended to build or buy up/rent places in the same area and create a large space between themselves and the outside world. Those little communities were called villages.
Genevieve lived smack dab in the middle of one and she could absolutely attest to feeling totally safe there.
“They’ve lived here for years without any reports of problems like this. We checked law enforcement records. State, county, and city. Nothing. Nothing at the Conclave other than the financial crimes and stalking. What on earth did the Procellas do to draw this type of attention?” Genevieve shook her head.
“Come on, then,” Darius told her twenty minutes later, after they’d viewed the property from a few other vantage points. “Let’s go home. I have some scented bath salts I can’t wait to smell on your skin.”