Chapter Nine
Able took the meat delicately, tail wagging as he settled near the bed to eat. Ant watched his beloved companion for a moment, then turned his attention to the connecting door that led to Ronald Finch’s final resting place.
“He’s stalling,” Ant said.
Viktor’s head snapped toward him. “What?”
“Claudius. Did you notice he didn’t ask us once about what we thought about the grounds?
And then, just as we decide to do the reading, Nathaniel is at the door, telling us we have to present ourselves for dinner.
Even the ‘formal attire’ aspect was designed to make us feel small, because he’d assumed we wouldn’t have packed something like that for a short trip. ”
“That’s typical Claudius,” Viktor grumbled.
“You’d know that more than I would. But the dinner itself, the way it was staged, even the conversation was all designed to be intimidating.”
Viktor snorted. “Yeah, with the whole coven there to witness his apparent authority. That didn’t work out for him.”
Ant walked to the window, noting how the wards pulsed against the glass. “He’s hoping we’ll leave before morning - that the hostile environment will erode my confidence or that you’ll convince me to abandon the investigation.”
“I have been hoping you’ll abandon the investigation, but it isn’t working.”
“No.”
Viktor moved behind him, and Ant leaned back into the solid warmth of his mate’s chest. “Then we just need to get through the night, do the reading, and then get the hell out of here. I don’t want you here a moment longer than necessary.”
“The reading tomorrow will be difficult,” Ant said quietly. He turned to face Viktor. “I need to prepare you for that.”
“I’ve seen you do scene readings before.”
“Not like this one.” Ant gestured toward the connecting door.
“The ambient magic here is so unbelievably chaotic, and I can’t determine what impact that might have.
Death, by its very nature, is violent, and the combination of the wards and the manner of death could amplify the vision I know I’ll have.
Likely more than anything you’ve witnessed so far. ”
Viktor’s jaw tightened. “How bad?”
“I’m not sure.” Ant appreciated that Viktor didn’t try to sugarcoat the situation, and he wouldn’t, either. “If we had the means, I would contact Doctor Pike, but as that’s not possible, I’m going to have to adapt according to whatever I find once I go into the vision.
“There are various anecdotal studies done through the Academy, from mages who’ve worked in locations with heavy residual trauma describing how the strong negative energies - for the want of another way to describe it - can impact the mage’s reading.
It is possible, although extremely rare, that the vision could bleed into other senses. ”
“What will that mean for you?” Ant didn’t need their bond to know Viktor wasn’t happy about that - but then, to be fair, he hadn’t been happy since Ant took the job.
“As it hasn’t happened to me before, I can’t say for sure. But past mages have documented incidences where they might actually smell the blood or feel temperature changes, and in one notable case, the mage could hear sounds that should’ve been beyond regular hearing.”
“Fuck.”
“It is what it is, and I could be totally wrong in this regard. I won’t know until the morning.
” Ant moved away from Viktor and sat cross-legged on the floor beside Able, who had finished his treats and now watched with alert brown eyes.
“Robert suggested breathing exercises to create mental anchors before entering highly charged scenes. I should practice them now.”
Viktor lowered himself to sit against the bed frame, close enough to reach but not touching. “I thought you needed to have your senses fully opened to experience a vision.”
“I do, yes, which is why Robert suggested doing this before I do a reading, rather than during a reading. I have no idea how successful it would be, but…” Ant trailed off, hoping Viktor would understand.
Nodding, Viktor said, “Tell me what you need.”
Ant placed one hand on Able’s warm fur and closed his eyes. “Just...stay there.”
He focused on his breathing - four counts in, hold for four, four counts out.
Robert had explained it as creating a rhythm that the conscious mind could cling to when any vision threatened to overwhelm.
Your magic shows you the past, Robert had said during one of their conversations over dinner.
But your body exists in the present. Grounding techniques, like simple rhythmic breathing, remind your nervous system where and when you actually are.
Inhale. The air tasted stale, carrying the faint mineral tang of old stone and older magic.
Hold. Able’s breathing synchronized with his own, steady and reliable.
Exhale. Viktor’s presence registered as a solid warmth to his left, the mate bond humming between them like a taut wire.
Ant opened his eyes and stared at the connecting door.
It was made of dark wood, with a brass handle, for all intents and purposes, a regular door except for what lay beyond it.
Ronald Finch had died in that room mere days ago.
His body had remained there for approximately two days before discovery, while his killer went about their business.
The crime scene photos had shown puncture wounds consistent with vampire feeding - two neat holes in the carotid artery.
Those, surprisingly enough, were the only indications a crime had occurred.
Everything else about the scene suggested that Finch had just dropped dead as he was working.
His pen had still been clutched in his fingers, sitting atop the papers he was working on.
“What are you thinking?” Viktor asked.
“That Ronald Finch had to have known he was in danger, but he didn’t leave.
” Ant continued his breathing pattern, using the rhythm to organize his thoughts.
“The papers suggest he was working when the attack occurred. He didn’t invite his killer into the room - they came to him.
Either he knew them well enough not to be alarmed by their presence, or. ..”
“Or they overpowered or enthralled him before he could react.”
“Yes.” Inhale. “Vampires can move faster than human perception. If Claudius or one of his coven decided to eliminate the threat, Finch would have had perhaps two seconds of warning.”
“That’s not enough time to do anything except die scared.”
Ant opened his eyes and met Viktor’s gaze. “Then that’s what I’ll see tomorrow. A frightened man dying violently while trying to do his job.”
“But you’ve seen that before. Lots of times.”
“I have.” Ant placed his other hand on the floor, consciously acknowledging the touch. “The difference will be in the amplification. That is the only element of concern. I can’t help but wonder how much Claudius might be aware of that interference…”
Viktor’s eyes flashed red before he forced them back to blue. “If there’s any suggestion that this is dangerous for you, then we’re not doing this.”
“We are.”
“Ant…”
“Ronald Finch deserves justice.” Ant kept his voice level. “His family deserves to know what happened to him. And Claudius needs to be held accountable if he’s the killer.”
“Not at the cost of traumatizing you.”
“I’m already traumatized.” Ant looked up, meeting Viktor’s eyes. “Every scene I read adds to the cumulative database of human suffering I carry in my mind. This will be one more entry. Admittedly, it has the potential to be a particularly intense one, but it’s still just data.”
Viktor made a sound low in his throat - not quite a growl but close. “You’re not a fucking computer, babe.”
“No. But I am a professional with a job to do.” Ant closed his eyes and returned his attention to his breathing exercises, cycling through another round. “Which brings me to the most important rule for tomorrow.”
“I’m listening, but I already know I’m not going to like it.”
“You cannot touch me at all during the reading.”
Silence. Then, “The fuck I can’t.”
“Viktor.” Ant opened his eyes again, needing his mate to see how serious this was.
“In previous readings, you’ve touched me and glimpsed fragments of what I see through our bond.
That works because the scenes were relatively straightforward - clear narratives without any magical interference. This is different.”
“How different?”
“I don’t know, which is why I am saying no from the outset. I don’t know what I will see. For all I know, Ronald voluntarily consented to being bitten and then died of a heart attack once he’d returned to his room. But there are too many unknowns at this point.”
Viktor’s hands clenched into fists. “You don’t believe that for a second, which is why we were sent here in the first place. But you’re expecting me to stand there and watch while you suffer through it alone?”
“You’re supposed to protect me by staying focused on the present.
” Ant shifted forward onto his knees, moving closer.
“If you touch me and the vision impacts you in any way, because of these wards and other magical interferences around us, that leaves us both vulnerable. Claudius or his coven could attack. Able can’t defend against multiple vampires simultaneously.
We need you to be functional and aware of our surroundings. ”
“I don’t like this.”
“I know.” Ant reached out and placed his hand on Viktor’s knee. His mate never worried about himself. “I need you to trust me. I’ve done this so many times before, well before you and I met. I’ll do it again tomorrow and survive.”
“And if it’s worse than you expect?”
“Then Able will break my concentration before I suffer permanent harm.” Ant glanced at his loyal dog, who was watching them both. “That’s his job. He’s trained to recognize when I’m in distress and pull me out of visions. You shouldn’t need to intervene because he will.”