Chapter 13
It’s morning, and even though the sun is already out, it’s still chilly.
A cold wind and dropping temperatures signal that autumn is well underway.
Although I could use my magic to keep warm, I consciously choose to wear an overcoat.
I can’t go around telling Elly to blend in and then not do the same myself.
I don’t know what pisses me off more: being back in front of the psoglav’s house or the rancid smell wafting from within, now evident even on the front porch.
“What the hell are we doing back here? Why are you here during the day?” I snarl at Alix as soon as I step into the hallway.
The stench of the place is like a physical blow that I try my hardest to ignore, but it only adds to my growing irritation. The vampire leans against the kitchen door, matching my scowl.
“Because we’re going to need the extra light.”
“And them?” I jerk my chin toward the living room on my right, where three vampires are playing cards around a coffee table.
Even with the dim light, I can still see—and smell—the blood that was spilled, both human and inhuman.
Where my magic would find that delightful on any other day, right now it feels as restless as I am.
“They’re here to ensure everyone else stays out.”
“You’re the reason this place hasn’t seen an exterminator yet?” Saying I’m not amused is an understatement. This house should have been back on the market—or better yet, already occupied by new residents. Not by a group of teenage vampire squatters.
“Be glad I was back here in time to stop that from happening. There wouldn’t have been any evidence left otherwise.” Alix’s expression mirrors my annoyance, a combination that has proven deadly more often than not.
“And the bodies?” I glance again at the living room, which is clearly devoid of the corpses we left behind.
“I arrived just as the Nephilim was clearing them out. Lovely guy, by the way. Can’t wait for the day you inevitably rip that smug head off his body.”
I sigh, rubbing my temples. “All right, this isn’t getting us anywhere. What made you return in the first place?”
Concern overtakes Alix’s initial irritation. “Could you cast a spell against the sun first? I need to move around freely, and it’s too bright outside.”
My magic ripples off me, spreading throughout the house. It creates a barrier to keep out UV rays while ensuring no one can enter while we’re here.
“Thanks.” Alix pushes off the wall, genuine concern etched on his face as he heads toward the stairs leading to the first floor.
“There was a smell,” he says without looking back.
“Something about it I couldn’t put my finger on.
In a better-safe-than-sorry state of mind, I decided to come back and check it out. ”
“I’m surprised you could smell anything over the filth littering the place,” I grumble.
Alix turns to look at me. “It’s blood, D. A lot more than there should be, even if they brought their meals home. Something was off about it. Something else mixed in.”
The seriousness in his tone shakes me out of my irritation. If there’s anything I know about Alix, it’s that if he’s not joking around, shit is most likely about to hit the fan. Which is never a good thing, especially when combined with the trouble Nikolay and Andrei have already caused.
Alix continues on, and I follow him upstairs. With every step we take, the smell of death becomes more pungent, nearly palpable by the time we reach the first floor. I realize I hadn’t noticed it before, probably due to the corpse in the living room.
A bad feeling creeps over me, making me tense as he gestures toward the first door on the left. I carefully push it open, the smell hitting me like a physical force. “What the hell?”
I open the door wider and step inside. It’s a bedroom with two single beds crammed into the corners, a dresser between them, and a desk with a chair on the opposing wall.
The bars on the window and the lock on the door stand out starkly.
The room is filthy, and the carpet clings to my shoes.
The smell up here is the same as in the living room downstairs, but stronger—death mingled with underlying tones of blood and sex.
What the hell is this place? It’s clearly not a home and hasn’t been for the longest time. Alix enters behind me. “The other bedrooms are just like this one.”
“What do you mean ‘other bedrooms’?” I frown at him, already suspecting where this is heading.
“Two more. And a bathroom.” He steps back out, and I follow him.
The bathroom is small and filthy, but worst of all, it’s covered in dried blood. It looks as if they slaughtered people in here. Chances are, that’s exactly what happened—or something close. Those two idiots were doing a lot more than just moonlighting.
“They raped and murdered them in the bedrooms and took them here to what? Sample?” I look over at Alix, awaiting his confirmation as my blood magic sweeps through the space, cataloging every drop of red.
“Looks like it. Though not all of them were murdered, I reckon,” the vampire replies.
“I’ve tested some of the blood, and it’s definitely all female.
And human.” He looks as furious as I feel, his eyes darker than usual, and lips flattened in a tight line.
“We just happened to arrive while they were alone, probably in between shipments.”
I run a hand through my hair, stepping out of the bathroom and closing the door behind me.
“Trafficking human females, selling them for sex, blood, flesh, and who knows what else,” I summarize the situation, my voice as cold as ice but my muscles quivering with barely contained rage.
“If any of this turns out to be connected to the company, I’m going to burn the whole place down—with the family inside. ”
“You think they’re involved?” Alix raises an eyebrow. “They would be that stupid?”
“I hope not, for their sakes. I hope Nikolay and Andrei are even bigger idiots than I gave them credit for.” I move closer to the stairs when my magic senses something. It puts me on high alert and pulls me deeper into the house and to another bedroom.
“There’s something else,” I tell Alix, who looks at me with a deep frown.
“More than this shit-fest?” he questions, but I don’t reply.
Instead, I follow the pull of my magic, opening the door to the far-right corner bedroom.
Magic coils around me like black smoke as it tracks through the room.
It’s as filthy as the other bedroom, with a single bed, a bunk bed, and a dresser.
I’m guided to the bed, and with a single motion, I pulverize the piece of furniture.
Wood dust flies around me, yet not a speck touches me.
Alix coughs behind me. “Thanks for that, seriously.”
Ignoring him, my eyes scan over the floor and wall until I see it.
Just a few drops, but they’re clearly there.
I squat and touch my blood magic to the dried specks of red on the dirty cream carpet.
My magic reacts and recognizes it. It’s similar yet different enough for me to know all I need to know. “Her sister.”
“Excuse me?” Alix says behind me, disbelief evident in his voice.
“Someone from her sister’s line was here.” I rise and search the room while my magic tries to find something else—anything else. But there’s nothing, only this almost insignificantly small amount of blood.
“Ella’s sister?” I look at Alix, raising a brow at the nickname.
“What? Aeliana doesn’t roll off the tongue, so we gave her a nickname,” he retorts, then gets serious again. “Do you think it means something?”
I scoff, slightly offended since I chose the name for her, then shake my head. “If they’re targeting human females, it might just be a coincidence.”
Alix remains silent, but his opinion on the matter is clearly reflected on his face. No such thing as a coincidence. We step back out into the hallway, and he follows me downstairs.
“How much of all this”—he gestures around us once we’re back on the ground floor—“are you going to tell her?”
I sigh. “I have no idea.” I bury my hands in the pockets of my overcoat, thinking. “Perhaps not.”
“You think that’s for the best?” Alix presses.
I don’t answer, unsure what it would do to Elly to know that one of her sister’s descendants was brought here, presumably raped, and definitely murdered. My gaze drifts to the living room, where the three vampires are still engrossed in their game. “How are they doing?”
Alix smiles, graciously allowing me to change the subject. He knows I’m not talking about the younglings, though his dark eyes linger on them. “Great, actually,” he says. “We’re thinking about making it official one of these days.”
“And the coven? They’re okay with it?”
Alix laughs. “Please, they love them even more than we do. We wouldn’t leave it all in their hands otherwise.” His eyes drift off, undoubtedly recalling something. “I think they’ll do a better job at ruling than we ever did.”
Then he smiles again. “Hell, they’re already doing a better job. I’ll gladly leave it in their hands and never look back. Especially now that we have new neighbors to have some fun with.”
Alix wiggles his eyebrows, and I suppress the urge to punch him. The only reason I don’t is that three of his coven sit mere feet away, and I don’t want to undermine his authority.
Silence lingers until I break it. “Andrei’s not talking.”
“Not a single word?”
“Absolutely nothing.” I lean back against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’d even be glad if he said something about that woman who supposedly smells like apples. Just to know that Nikolay wasn’t messing with us.”
“I don’t know if that makes him brave or stupid,” Alix observes, taking a seat on the stairs.
“My money is on stupid.” I push myself away from the wall. “I should check on him. See if stringing him up loosened his tongue.”
Alix chuckles. “Have fun.”
“You tagging along?” I ask, casting a final glance at the living room.