2. Alexander
2
ALEXANDER
“ I f you’re unwilling, I can relegate the task to Cassia.” Haldren’s golden gaze bit across his study, even though his words were cool and even.
He knew exactly what to say to get me to do what he wanted. Bringing Cassia into this infuriated me, but I didn’t show it. “That won’t be necessary,” I said, keeping my tone and facial expression impassive. “I’m happy to perform this duty. My issue lies in the execution. You, of all of us, know the dangers of entering a situation without first assessing all of the facts, the necessary information.”
Before he’d been turned, Haldren had been a member of the Navy SEALS. It was the reason he’d risen in the ranks rapidly since he’d joined the United Covens’ military and operational division.
Going into any operation blind, even if it was a simple one, was a death sentence. And Haldren knew that, which was why the lack of instructions alarmed me.
Haldren took a breath, even though it wasn’t strictly necessary for us to breathe. He was a burly vampire, his shoulders broad enough to shoulder the stress of the missions our division of the U.C. had to carry out .
“You understand,” Haldren said, “that there are powers at work here beyond our control. I have superiors to report to at the U.C.. They want the best enforcer I have on the job, and that’s you.”
“All of this for a book,” I said. “Why?”
“It’s not any book you’re going after,” Haldren replied. “It’s a book that may help them find the reason for the unprecedented growth in Sanguine Nox’s strength and powers.”
My jaw clenched at the mention of the name. Sanguine Nox. The group I had once been a part of. The group of vampires who took no issue with shredding humans limb from limb, torturing, killing, women, children. It didn’t matter to them, as long as they got what they wanted.
It was only a pity that we had no idea what they truly wanted. Other than complete domination of the human race, of course.
I stared at Haldren, trying to read his thoughts, even though he already had a mindshield in place. I was stronger than him in vampiric ability. Overpowering those shields would be easy, but that would make me no different than Sanguine Nox and its … leader. And I was not them. I would never be them.
“The only details I can share with you were sent via email,” Haldren said, sweeping tapered fingers through blond hair he kept short out of habit. He softened, shaking his head. “You understand that if I could share more, I would. You know I trust you, Alex, but this is above my paygrade. And like I said, if you’d prefer not to take the task, then I can relegate it to Cassia. She’s been itching for a promotion.”
Cassia was a social and political climber, and it had taken me too long to realize it. I shook my head. “I’ll do it,” I said.
“Good. You’re the best I have. Don’t let me down.”
I didn’t respond. I didn’t have to. I had yet to fail any mission I’d been handed, though a few of them had been close calls. Regardless, Cassia wasn’t going to take this away from me—mostly because I didn’t trust her to make the right decisions under pressure.
My ex was driven by the need for power and advancement, even if it came at the cost of the organization. That made her vicious and single-minded. Both of those traits came with strengths and weaknesses.
“Is there anything else?” Haldren asked.
“No,” I said, biting back my anger.
“Then you’re dismissed.”
I left Haldren’s study and strode down the hall, passing other operatives and enforcers who nodded to me, some wearing the black and gold uniform of the U.C., others in clothing that would help them blend in the city.
The New York headquarters of the U.C. was located in a high-rise building that bordered Central Park. Prime real estate purchased by the heads of the organization, who had enough wealth to do whatever they chose with it. They had chosen to help human beings rather than destroy them like Sanguine Nox.
Becoming a part of this organization hadn’t been a part of my plan. It had been a last resort. You were either with the U.C. or you were rogue. And being a rogue vampire, anywhere in the world, made you worse than scum. Almost worse than being a part of Sanguine Nox, because it meant you were ungovernable.
That you were an unknown entity and part of the problem. To be eradicated before you took the lives of humans and other vampires alike.
Haldren had been the one who found me after my escape from … him.
My fists clenched, and I released an easy breath, moving to the elevator that would take me down to my quarters within the building. As one of the most decorated enforcers the U.C. had, I had my own floor in their headquarters, where most vampires “came into work” when they were summoned.
I hated the lack of privacy. The cameras in the elevators and in the entrance to my apartment meant that I was always under surveillance, but I had no need for privacy any more. I was a killing machine. An extension of the organization. A tool .
The glass doors of the elevator slid closed, but a hand waved between them at the last second, and Cassia stepped into the compartment.
Exactly the last vampire I’d wanted to see.
She smiled at me, showing off fangs that she lengthened at will. Her lips were shapely and crimson, her raven hair long and curling at her ears. Cassia possessed the kind of beauty that left most men and vampires alike in awe, but I wasn’t one of them.
I had come to realize that beauty wasn’t skin deep. And the rot underneath Cassia’s appearance was endemic. A thing that threatened to take over anyone who came into contact with her.
“Going down, Alexander?” she purred, the words suggestive.
I didn’t answer.
She hit the button, and the doors slid shut, turning opaque as they closed. Immediately, Cassia turned to me, her breasts brushing against my arm, barely concealed in an armored corset that was part of the U.C.’s standard uniform. “I’ve missed you, Alexander,” she whispered.
I stepped away from her, my expression blank. “You’re not getting it,” I said, giving her a look that carried nothing.
Cassia drew her tongue over her teeth. “Getting what?”
“You know better than to play dumb with me,” I said. “You’re not getting it.”
She kept her peace for a millisecond before slamming her fist against the side of the compartment so hard that it rattled the glass.
I let a smirk slip onto my lips before banishing it again.
“Come on,” Cassia hissed. “You don’t deserve this mission. You don’t even want it.”
“Who told you that, Cassia? Or is that another of your presumptions?”
She glared at me, her eyes glowing white hot. “You don’t care about anything,” she hissed. “You don’t care about the U.C., or getting better, or promotions or … You just don’t care, Alexander, so why don’t you give it up and give me the mission? ”
“It’s my mission.”
She let out a feral shriek. “I want it,” she said. “I want it. You realize this could be it, don’t you? The key to defeating Sanguine Nox. The person who pulls this off will be decorated. Celebrated. Powerful.” A hint of desire leaked into her tone, and it repulsed me.
“I don’t care about any of that.”
“And that’s exactly why it’s wasted on you,” Cassia said. “Alexander, please.” She pressed a hand to my arm, and I felt the compunction she forced into my flesh. A last ditch attempt to overwhelm my mindshield and force her will onto me. It felt oily and sweet, like spoiled honey left in the sun.
I removed my arm from her grasp. “No.”
She slammed her finger onto the button on the elevator pad, bringing it to a halt. The doors slid open, revealing that we were halfway past a floor. “You,” she pointed at me, “are a machine. You’re empty. There’s nothing inside you, nothing that you care about. And I will get this mission from you. You mark my words, Alexander. I’ll have it.” And then she dropped out of the doors and down the shaft.
I grunted out a sigh and hit the button to close the doors again, then hit the one that corresponded with my floor.
The guy who watched the cameras in here had gotten a show he hadn’t bargained for. Then again, that kind of temper was normal with horny, blood-thirsting vampires who hadn’t gotten any in a while.
Sex and blood kept vampires strong and under control. I prided myself on having control over both of those needs.
The elevator dinged, the doors slid open, and I entered my apartment, moving over to stand near the glossy kitchen counters I hardly ever used. The open-plan living area was decorated immaculately—cream sofas and armchairs, a glass coffee table with sweeping lines, and marble counters in the kitchen, all with a view of the sparkling city skyline.
I took my phone out of my pocket and opened my email inbox, finding the message from Haldren.
I’d given it, at best, a cursory read before I’d gone to his office to complain about the lack of information included in the primary message.
Att: Alexander Knight
You have been tasked with a new mission. Details attached below.
Target location: New York Public Library, rare books division. Alternate Location: Kingsbridge, Bronx.
Danger level: Red. Enemy operatives from S.N. are aware of the target’s whereabouts.
Access level: Enforcer/Lieutenant level. Information will be provided on a need-to-know basis.
Retrieve the book in the target’s possession and return it to the U.C. headquarters in New York City. Target is human but can be killed if necessary. Images attached to this correspondence for your convenience.
I tapped on the images that had been attached to the email. The first picture showed a massive leatherbound book, no title, but the edges of the pages stained with blood.
The second image heated my blood.
A woman. A human woman.
She was … gorgeous beyond measure. Wavy auburn hair, beautiful blue eyes. The picture had been taken on the steps of the New York Public Library, as she talked to a young man. Her hair was wind swept over one shoulder, her eyes dancing with joy as she laughed at something the man had said, her full lips parted into a smile that twisted my stomach.
I had the urge to pull the man away from her, as if I could stop her from smiling at him, and make her look at me like that instead.
My gaze traced her body. She wore an oversized sweater that made me wonder what was underneath, and the jeans she wore hugged the curves of her hips, her shapely thighs.
I grunted under my breath, tearing my gaze from the picture and moving it out to the city skyline. The emotion that tugged at my navel was unfamiliar. Not anger, or darkness, or hunger, but … something deeper. A yearning I didn’t understand nor want to .
Hastily, I shut the image and re-read the email. I lingered on the final line, my jaw clenched.
Target is human but can be killed if necessary.