Glimmer of Hope, page 15
‘Rein him in,’ Lord Wokeshire ordered.
Head on one side, I considered it. Then I said, ‘No, I don’t think I will. You tried to kill me. Gato is fine as he is.’
Lord Wokeshire licked his lips, and someone leapt forwards to offer him a goblet of haemoglobin. He took it and drank languidly. I realised that we’d surprised him with our dramatic entrance, and he was trying to regain his equilibrium. Perhaps he’d intended to leave us cooling our heels outside.
Wokeshire looked at Emory with undisguised hatred glittering in his eyes. ‘Dragon,’ he snarled.
‘Vampyr,’ Emory sneered back.
I rolled my eyes. ‘Well, now we’ve established our species, let’s move on. You ordered an attack on me. Why?’ I didn’t compel Wokeshire – I didn’t think that would be well-received by his clan.
The throne room was bulging with people. Twenty Volderiss vampyrs flanked me, and some thirty to forty Wokeshire clan members were placed strategically across the throne room. They were all dressed in black leather. I guessed they had a dress code.
Lord Wokeshire was staring at me. Suddenly he blinked, and recognition lit his eyes. I frowned at him and raised an eyebrow. What was his deal? He was looking at me like I was Santa Claus, a figment of his imagination made real. He smiled at me. ‘I’ll discuss it with you. Alone.’
‘Me and Gato,’ I countered.
Emory glared at me. He didn’t want me being anywhere alone with the vampyr but, for all there was hostility in the room, I didn’t feel like it was directed at me. Most of it was targeting Emory. I didn’t like leaving him, but I was confident that he could transform and fly out of trouble if he needed to.
Wokeshire nodded and gestured for me to follow. Gato preceded me, growling sinisterly with every step. He wasn’t terribly happy with me for agreeing to this either.
Wokeshire and I went into an adjacent room that was obviously his private office. It was far smaller than the reception room and bookshelves lined every wall. Brown-leather couches faced each other, with a small coffee table in between. I sat on one sofa and Gato stood close to me. He didn’t sit; he was poised to attack for me. I really appreciated the sentiment, though I didn’t think it was necessary. Weirdly, I wasn’t getting any hostility from Wokeshire – in fact, my gut said he was feeling rather hopeful.
He was studying me again, like he was debating what to say. Finally he spoke abruptly. ‘A promise is a promise. You need to save my daughter, Mererid.’
I opened my mouth to protest that I hadn’t made any promises yet, but he held up a hand and forestalled me. ‘Let me explain. My daughter is addicted to Boost. She started taking it about two months ago. A few days ago, she was told her supply would be cut off unless I attacked you. I was reluctant to do so because I am in the middle of negotiations with Volderiss, and I am aware you are under his protection. That is quite evident from the cohort in the other room.’
He frowned and continued. ‘But my daughter comes first. Boost is deadly in two ways, firstly if you take the wrong amount and secondly if you stop taking it once you’re addicted. If I want my daughter to live then the suppliers are calling the shots. They have ordered me to cut ties with Volderiss.’
He was clearly unhappy about the situation. ‘I am head of the clan, as I have been for nearly two centuries. I am not some newly-turned fang. To be subject to another’s orders like this – it is untenable! But I am under oath not to work against them or they will withhold Boost from my daughter.’
As Wokeshire watched me, his face carefully blank, I dug out my phone and dialled Nate’s number. ‘Hey,’ I greeted him. ‘You’ve taken lots of drugs, right?’
‘Hello to you too, Jinx,’ Nate said drily. ‘You’re with Wokeshire now?’
‘Yes,’ I confirmed impatiently. ‘So you’ve taken lots of drugs?’ I asked again.
‘All of them,’ Nate admitted. ‘It was part of my university rock-and-roll persona.’
‘Were you addicted?’
There was a long pause. ‘Yes,’ he finally confessed. From his tone I could tell he didn’t want to admit the truth, perhaps even to himself, but he was well aware he couldn’t lie to me as we were bonded.
‘Are you still addicted?’ I enquired.
‘No. After I had your blood, the urge – the addiction – went. I suspect your blood is an overriding addiction.’
‘Thanks,’ I said, smiling. ‘Later.’
I hung up. It was as I’d suspected: since I’d bonded with Nate, I hadn’t felt him have a single moment of haze, either with drink or drugs. My blood had cured his need for them.
‘You can cure her,’ Wokeshire said. He sounded certain.
I tucked my phone back into my pocket. ‘I think so. I’m pretty sure I can cure her Boost addiction but the downside is she’ll be addicted to wizard’s blood instead. The withdrawal is brutal, but it won’t kill her.’
Wokeshire weighed the options but I knew he was already on board. It was the only choice that would let him be his own man again and guarantee his daughter’s safety. ‘Follow me,’ he ordered.
I followed him into the kitchens and down into what should have been a wine cellar. It had been converted into a jail. One of the cells was occupied by a female vampyr.
She was fair, whereas Wokeshire was dark; if they were related by blood, I couldn’t see the similarity. She was rocking back and forth, her eyes unfocused and unseeing. Gato let out a low growl of warning.
‘She’s due another hit of Boost,’ Wokeshire explained. ‘But they are withholding it until you’re dead after today’s appointment.’ True.
I didn’t really want to go in that cell with a jonesing vampyr. I opened my bum bag and pulled out the little baggie of pink Boost. The female vampyr followed my movements like a lion watching a gazelle. Yeah, I definitely didn’t want to go in there until she was high as a kite. I passed the baggie to Wokeshire.
‘Either way, this gives you a reprieve. Give her a bump now, then I’ll go in. Make sure she doesn’t drain me dry.’
‘I won’t let her kill you,’ he promised. That it rang true was the only reason I didn’t take to my heels.
Wokeshire put a small line of Boost on a compact mirror and held it out to his daughter through the bars. ‘Come, Mererid,’ he called.
She leapt from one side of the cell to the other. Instantly she was on the mirror, sniffing up the substance. It took a moment or two to take effect, then she slowly slid down to the floor, her eyes filled with ecstasy, her face slack with pleasure.
Now or never, Jinx.
I gestured to Wokeshire, and he unlocked the cell. I turned to Gato. ‘Stay,’ I instructed. He sat, but followed my movements with unhappy eyes. As I walked into the cell and Wokeshire closed it behind me, Gato let out a plaintive whine.
Mererid tracked my movements, but her motions were sluggish now. I had to act now before the bump in her power came. I held my wrist out to her as an offering, and she took it. She met my eyes and tried to hypnotise me to make it pleasurable.
‘Just bite,’ I ordered, avoiding her gaze.
She bit down without further encouragement. Damn, that hurt. I tried not to wince as she pulled at my wrist, sucking and swallowing, lapping at me. It was an alien feeling, and not in a good way.
‘Enough,’ Wokeshire called.
Drugged higher than the sky on Boost and wizard’s blood, Mererid obeyed and dropped my wrist. She slumped back, her eyes rolling in her head. She was out. Only time would tell if I’d helped her or made things a helluva lot worse.
Chapter 20
The cell door clanged shut behind me as I left. I felt bad for Mererid. If my blood affected hers as it had Nate’s, next would come the animalistic rage and strength, followed by super-healing powers, which hopefully would clear the other addiction out of her system. Hopefully. After that she would be in the downswing of an agonising withdrawal that would last days, a week even. Mererid was about to get on a rollercoaster, and I doubted she’d thank me putting her on it.
Wokeshire was watching his offspring with anxious eyes. She might not be the daughter of his blood, but he loved her.
‘She’ll be okay,’ I reassured him. ‘It’ll be a bumpy ride, but my gut says she’ll be fine.’
Wokeshire nodded; I could tell that he believed me, but he was still a cynic. ‘If she survives until the morning with no sign of Boost addiction, I’ll call you with some further information. If she dies, I’ll hunt you until you die too.’ True.
Gato growled at that and stepped forwards, glaring at the vampyr leader. He didn’t like me being threatened; I wasn’t much of a fan of it either.
‘Noted,’ I said. At least he was giving me fair warning.
Wokeshire frowned at my wrist. ‘The boost is affecting her healing abilities. Normally her saliva would close your wounds.’ He reached out to pick up my wrist, and Gato growled aggressively.
‘I’m going to help her,’ Wokeshire explained to Gato as he slowly reached out again. Gato allowed him to turn over my wrist. I winced at the sight of it: it was a mess, still oozing thick, sluggish blood, and it would surely leave a scar. I was going to feel lightheaded soon. I’d given blood a few times – to the NHS, not to vampyrs – and I always got a bit dizzy afterwards. This time, I’d given far more than a pint or two.
‘If I may?’ Wokeshire asked.
I nodded, not quite sure what he was asking. That probably showed how fuzzy my head was. He leaned over my wrist, held it tightly and carefully spit into it. I automatically tried to pull away, but he held on. ‘Just a moment,’ he cautioned. He carefully smeared his spit into the open wound. Eww. I knew vampyr spittle healed, but there was still something telling me it was unsanitary to let someone dribble into me.
As I watched, the flesh knitted together. Another spit from Wokeshire and the scabs faded away leaving unmarked skin. It was a little sore, but there were no marks to be seen. ‘Thank you,’ I muttered. I took a step forwards and swayed. He offered me his arm. The world was spinning a little, so I took it.
‘She didn’t take that much,’ he commented.
‘I always get dizzy donating blood,’ I admitted. ‘I guess it just likes staying inside me.’
We took it slowly as we made our way back to the throne room. Gato was dancing apprehensively by my side. As Wokeshire opened the door, the tension was heavy in the air. The two vampyr factions were facing off with Emory in the middle.
I sighed. ‘We leave them alone for five minutes,’ I said to Wokeshire.
A hint of amusement crept into his eyes, but he remained silent. He had that stoic vampyr vibe nailed.
‘Okay,’ I said lightly. ‘Call me tomorrow when you’ve decided not to kill me.’
Wokeshire walked me back to Emory. ‘Support her,’ he instructed. ‘She’s lightheaded.’
Emory’s eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘You fed from her,’ he said accusingly.
‘Not him,’ I clarified. ‘And it was my suggestion. We’ve got what we came for.’ Kind of. ‘Let’s go.’
I was feeling all kinds of dizzy, and I wouldn’t be able to drive. We’d have to borrow a vampyr from Verona’s detail to chauffeur.
I didn’t bother to climb in the front seat of the Merc, just slid into the back. Wokeshire leaned over me and clicked on my seatbelt then passed me two cookies and a diet Coke. ‘I like full-fat Coke,’ I objected. ‘I don’t like diet anything.’
Wokeshire smiled fractionally. ‘I’ll get full fat for next time.’
‘There won’t be a next time,’ Emory snarled, getting in the back with me after he had settled Gato. Wokeshire bared his fangs in response.
Verona climbed into the front. Wokeshire shut my door and stood in the waning light, watching our motorcade leave. I waved and he inclined his head. I kinda liked him.
‘I like him,’ I said.
‘He ordered your death,’ Emory pointed out.
‘Sure, but that wasn’t personal. Besides, he’s rescinded the order for now.’
‘And the “for now” doesn’t bother you?’ Emory queried.
‘Let’s not borrow trouble. We’ve got enough already without asking for more.’ I ended the conversation by determinedly munching my way through my cookies and slurping at my diet Coke.
By the time we pulled up to Lucy’s, I was feeling a bit better. The world was still moving but at a much more normal rate. Nevertheless, I didn’t protest when Emory opened my door, helped me out and offered me his arm.
Gato was walking around me, leaning into my legs. ‘I’m okay,’ I told him. On the journey he’d settled back to dog size and his eyes were warm caramel. I gave him a stroke. ‘Thanks for having my back,’ I told him. He barked and licked my hand.
I turned to Verona. ‘Wokeshire has rescinded the kill order. You guys can rest. I’ll ring tomorrow to tell you if it’s back on.’
‘Fingers crossed,’ she said dryly.
I gave her a fake smile; we both knew she was hoping the order was on rather than off. Bitch.
I leaned on Emory as we walked to the front door. It swung open before we could knock. Lucy was there and she looked rough.
‘Woah!’ I commented. ‘What happened to you?’
She looked exhausted and she had big bags under her eyes. A large yawn split her face. ‘Oh, nothing.’ She waved away my concern. ‘James and I just spent most of the night … erm, you know, so I didn’t get much sleep. Come on in.’ She watched my slow progress, ‘Anyway, you’re one to talk! Why are you leaning on Emory like you can’t walk? Are you okay?’
‘I donated blood,’ I explained.
Lucy nodded like that made sense. She’s been with me a time or two when I’ve done it before. ‘I made dinner earlier. I’ve already eaten – I wasn’t sure what time you’d be in.’
‘Sorry, Luce,’ I apologised, sitting down on the sofa.
She smiled. ‘It’s fine. It’s not like I didn’t know you keep odd hours when I said you could stay.’ She yawned again. ‘I’m sorry to flake out, guys, but I’m going to bed. I’m flat out.’
I looked at the clock: it wasn’t even 7 p.m. That wasn’t like her at all. Lucy is a night owl and an early bird, one of those crazy creatures that can burn both ends of the candle. ‘Sleep well.’
She patted Gato as she passed him. He looked at me and let out a soft whine. ‘Yeah,’ I agreed. ‘Go with her.’ He padded after her.
Emory squeezed me gently before he settled me safely on the sofa. ‘I’ll go warm us some food. Will Lucy mind if we eat in here?’
I shook my head. ‘Nah. We often eat in the lounge.’
Shortly afterwards, he came back with cottage pie and fresh vegetables. His plate was heaped high, mine only slightly less so. I laughed. ‘Emory, I won’t be able to eat all that!’
As we ate, we watched the Common news. ‘Is there an Other news channel?’ I asked curiously.
Emory shook his head. ‘No. There aren’t any Other TV shows because we haven’t worked out how to stop the Common receiving them too. TV is science, not magic.’
‘It feels like magic to me,’ I countered. ‘I love a good movie.’
As I’d expected, I couldn’t finish my dinner. Emory ate my leftovers, which felt strangely intimate though I suspect it was really just indicative of the volume of food he needed to eat in a day.
I took up a bowl of food for Gato, crept into Lucy’s room and set it down. He climbed carefully off her bed and ate it. When he was done, he went into the bathroom and used her toilet. He flushed, then climbed back onto the bed. He settled his head onto Lucy’s tummy, and her hand automatically came to rest on his head.
‘Night, pup,’ I whispered into the darkness, picking up the bowl and carrying it back downstairs.
‘How is she?’ Emory asked.
‘Okay,’ I replied. ‘She’s sleeping.’
‘You’re worried,’ he stated flatly.
‘This isn’t like her. Maybe she’s coming down with something. Normally she’s awake until 1a.m. and up again at 6. She’s not someone who sleeps a lot – she says it’s a waste of her life.’
Emory made a noncommittal noise and changed the subject. ‘I got a call when you were up there. We’re meeting our griffin tomorrow at midday. Is that all right?’
I nodded. I had no plans for the following day other than hoping to hear from Wokeshire that Mererid was fully recovered from boost addiction – even if she was battling wizard addiction.
‘Are you feeling better?’ Emory asked.
‘Yes, I’m fine now, thanks.’
‘Good. Now tell me what the hell happened.’
Abruptly I realised he had been biting his tongue this whole while, wondering what had gone on. I explained briefly about my discussions with Wokeshire.
‘So you’re hoping tomorrow he’ll call us with the identity of the cartel?’
I shrugged. ‘That’s the dream.’
‘Bit of a long shot.’
‘And tracking down a griffin assassin is what?’
‘Foolhardy,’ he admitted.
‘I’m glad we’re on the same page at least.’
Emory flashed me a grin. ‘Come and sit here, so we can be on the same sofa.’
I moved over and sat next to him. ‘You still haven’t told me about the brethren,’ I commented.
He put a casual arm around my shoulders. ‘No, I haven’t.’ He changed channels on the TV. ‘Action movie?’
‘Sounds good,’ I agreed. Suddenly my day was looking up. So I’d lost a fair amount of blood by letting a vampyr bite me, but at least I was now snuggling on the sofa with a sexy dragon. There were worse ways to spend the evening.
Chapter 21
I woke alone and was disorientated for a moment. Usually Gato was beside me and I looked around for him before remembering that he was with Lucy. I checked the time. 8 a.m. Lucy would be long gone to work. I used the Jack-and-Jill bathroom to brush my teeth and shower.
I went into Lucy’s room, and sure enough, she’d already left. Gato was still sleeping on her bed. I frowned. That wasn’t like him. ‘Hey, pup,’ I called softly, stroking his head.
