As Dawn Breaks, page 12




Julien’s face turned bright red. “What? You’re going to protect him? You sleeping with him now? I shoulda known better than some mutt—”
Now David surged up. “Do not ever use that tone with her. Never again.” He got up close, gripping the man by the shirt and lifting him. Something deep within him, a fury, burned bright and uncontrollable.
The urge to plant his fist in that face rode him.
Others crowded round. Gen gripping his hand broke through the haze of red clouding his vision. “Don’t. David, he’s not worth it. Let him go.”
Others were pulling Julien back with words of “What were you thinking?” and “What the fuck?”
David turned to her. “You were ready to hit him first.”
She sighed. “Sure. But that’s me, not you. He’s a shifter, David, and you’re human and liable to be killed.” Her face softened. “I don’t want that to happen.”
A voice boomed through the air. “Who started this nonsense?”
The room froze, but David turned to see the boss in the doorway, his gaze assessing who was being held.
“Delacorte, my office. Now,” the lieutenant ordered.
The younger man stumbled as the others in the room released him. He shuffled forwards as if compelled to obey, and his eyes grew round and flicked from side to side.
“I’ll talk to both of you later.” The rush of power slid over David before retreating.
“Shit!” Genevieve blanched. “I… I don’t want anything to happen to you. It’s my fault.”
He glanced at her. “No, it’s Delacorte’s fault, Gen. He must be prepared to wear it if he’s going to dish it out. Now, tell me, where first?”
She named a location, and he snatched up his keys.
“What…?”
David grinned. “I’m driving.”
Chapter 14
Genevieve shivered as they entered the outskirts of town. None of the houses were well kept but rather looked more like the tenements of old time. The roads were pitted and the facades of the old buildings dirty and in poor repair. Very few cars edged the sidewalks, and those that did were clunkers of indeterminate age.
“Nice neighbourhood,” David murmured as he parked the vehicle.
“You should stay with the car,” she told him.
He merely laughed and added, “Safe as houses. Got an alarm system.”
No alarm system could possibly be good enough, she thought, climbing from the vehicle.
He rounded the car to stand beside her, scanning the numbers on the buildings. “This one.” He pointed and led the way.
Pricks of awareness left the nape of her neck itching. People watching. Or was it vampires? Night had drawn in, and she shivered. Like humans, she wasn’t immune to the sensation of fear and doom.
He climbed up the steps leading to the door. They, like the road, were in poor repair. He rapped on the door, and it opened quickly.
“A Yeux Secondes and shifter come to visit? Come in.” The woman at the door looked young, but Genny was sure she was much older than she seemed, the cadence of her words odd, as was the inflection of her voice.
David bowed. “We bid you a good evening, lady of the house.”
Genny stayed close to David, in case the woman before them posed some kind of danger. “We’re here on official business. You made a complaint about missing humans and para?”
The woman gave a short nod. “Indeed. I’ve been here a long time, as have my neighbours. We had good help, assistants and servants, but now they’re gone. New vamps moved in, and suddenly those who have been here to help us disappear.”
David took the seat she offered, and Genny settled herself beside him, muscles tense. “So why did you come to us? Why not the Council?”
The woman laughed. “Dear, I’m seven hundred years old. If by now I prefer the Liaison Division over the Council, that says something, right? I know from bitter experience they won’t act for us. We are not members of houses. We’re simply scratching out our living by observing humans, working with them. Many of us are employed in jobs that allow us to continue being what we are. I, for instance, am an artist. I make jewellery of gold and diamonds. A skill learned long ago and refined.”
“You’re Orla Urretes?” David’s eyes settled on the ring on her hand, then flicked up. “Beautiful work. Preference for diamonds, but any precious jewel on commission. I believe more than one royal family has pieces of your work in their collections.”
“You do know your pieces, David. Your mother owned one of my chokers. I believe your sister, Mistress Hope, wears a piece custom-made for her. A ruby ring with diamonds?”
He gave a jerky nod, aware that Xavier, Hope’s life partner and the master of the house, had commissioned it for her after they’d formalized their union.
Genevieve leaned forwards, needing to control the conversation. “So, you say they’ve disappeared. How do you know they didn’t just leave? Return to family?”
The vampire turned, her smile condescending. “Many have lived with their families for long generations. My own servant, Anna, was with me since birth, as was her mother. Then one day, she went out to the markets and didn’t return. All her things remain upstairs. She was twenty-four. For each year of her birth, it was my honour to protect her and her mother as they became my family.”
“Could I see their rooms?”
The vampire grimaced. “If you must.” She rose and beckoned them both forwards. “I know your reputation, David. I know the difficulties you’ve faced, as those among us who’ve lived outside have watched the nests rise in power. You’re a good man. Find who did this.”
If Genny were a lesser investigator, she’d take exception to the words. It was only that she knew the esteem David was held in that kept her response in check.
They moved up the steps, and the vampire, Orla Urretes, opened the door to a spacious living area, furnished simply yet with style and comfort in mind.
“This is where Carla lived with her mother, Elena. Elena passed away just over a year ago, but Carla didn’t change anything. She said it was the home that was perfect and needed nothing done.”
“Did she see anyone? Have a boyfriend or—”
“No. She was studying to be a psychiatrist. Had just finished the second year but was conscientious. Didn’t want a boy because he’d get in the way of what she wanted to achieve. In the last few months, I’d been talking to her about moving. I wanted to sell, but she said this was home and if I would wait until she finished her degree, then perhaps we might relocate. She arranged for an agent to come through one evening about a month or so before her disappearance. Wanted to get some ideas about work that may be needed to increase the value.”
David scratched his head. “You weren’t present at the inspection?”
She shook her head. “No. We rarely attend those kinds of meetings in case something happens. I was instead next door, with my friend, until afterwards.”
Genny wondered if the realtor might have some more information. Perhaps he might have seen someone or something strange. “Do you have a card or the name of the realtor?”
Orla squinted. “I think she put it on the fridge. It’s what she did.” She flowed over and scanned the silver surface before plucking a piece of pasteboard from under a magnet. “This one.”
Genny looked down. The name wasn’t one she was familiar with. More pieces of the puzzle, but no clear spot where it belonged yet, she thought and pocketed the card. “Thanks for that. Here’s my card. If you think of anything that might be useful, let me know. If and when I have something to share, I’ll be in contact.”
She ushered David out the door, then looked back at the vampire standing on the steps by herself. There was a loneliness she recognised, and her chest ached.
During the day, they visited another three residences. The stories were similar. Families and singles with long association to a vampire. A “family member” disappearing, and not one of the missing over the age of thirty.
“This is odd, though. Why only young ones?” David asked.
“Do vampires prefer young blood?” Gen’s knowledge on the subject was limited—though she’d lived for a while in a nest, she’d been young and sheltered by not living in the main house.
“No, not really. Most vampires now live on the reconstituted blood. Many of these houses order from the distribution networks available to them. Very few feed directly from the vein, and those who do… they’re mainly the outcasts and rogues.” He shrugged as he steered the car through the gloom of night. “Those who live like Orla have been housed at some point in the past and chose to break away during times of upheaval in houses. Like when House Regent changed to Belmont and Meyer moved to Los Angeles.”
“There’s a point at which all of these must intersect,” she said.
As they drove through the large gates of the house, she sat up. “Why are we here? I intended on returning to work.”
He smiled. “Yes, but here I can spend time with you.”
She swung around to face him. “But you spent all of today with me.”
“That may be, but it was work time. This is us time. Different. If you want to go home tomorrow, I’ll need to pack.”
Shock coursed through her. “Pack?”
“Yes, I’ll be coming with you. Though that will get in my way of running the nest.” He spoke so casually she almost missed the meaning.
“Run the nest?”
“Yes. I need to meet with Javed and my staff. I have some things to sign off and some issues to address. It won’t take long. You should shower and order a meal for us. Then I’ll be with you.”
“Wait.” She felt railroaded, and she hated that. She balled her fists as her hackles rose. “You can’t just decide where I’m going to stay, then decide that if I’m not here, you’re coming with me.”
“Listen, Gen. I have no idea what this is between us, but it means something to me. To you too, if I’m reading you right. But these are dangerous times. Being alone right now… We’ve got Attar and now this new vampire problem. Your old friend Julien is also pissed with us. So, yes, at this point in time, I can and will decide, because anything else just isn’t acceptable.”
No one, not even her maman, had ever put her safety and security first.
The confusingly mixed emotions were downright unfamiliar, and while a twinge told her it was unwelcome, the other side wanted to curl up and purr.
Shaking her head, Gen pushed that knowledge away. While it was lovely, it was more a case of would she be able to protect him? After all, he was only human. And he had his nest—
“I can read the thoughts in your pretty head, Gen.” He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, and the taste of him pushed away all rational thought. “I will be sticking around.”
He opened the car door, tossed the key to the young woman waiting, and stalked around the car to open her door before her rational thought re-established itself.
She shook her head once she was on the first step, grabbed his arm, and pushed him back.
Darkness flashed in his eyes, and he stilled her. “Don’t engage me unless you want to see what I can do.”
Genny blinked, but the words dared her inner creature to roar.
She moved quickly, lunging.
People came running, likely to save the Yeux Secondes, and she growled, “Stay back.”
He laughed. “I can handle myself.”
His eyes didn’t leave hers, and she wanted to scream at him, “Why are you doing this? I can really hurt you?” Controlling those words, she lunged, meaning to jab him in the ribs.
By the time she was in the position to make contact, he’d moved, dancing lightly on his feet.
Wait. What?
He assumed a position of a fighter, feet apart, fists up, and his face impassive.
This time she slid into a crouch and pushed hard, reaching for one of his legs. Again he’d moved, this time flipping backwards like a gymnast so when he came to rest, it was a distance away.
“So, you can move and deflect. What else can you do, pretty boy?” Her body loosened just a little.
He laughed, the sound full-bodied, while he assumed a relaxed pose. “Want to see, or shall I just list my accomplishments?”
It took long seconds for the words to sink in. Gen sighed and straightened up. “Accomplishments?” she parroted, genuine interest infusing the word.
“Ten years of gym, track while at school,” he listed. “Fencing, boxing, rokudan black belt in judo, and there are the official fighting techniques I chose as the son of the Yeux Secondes. I spar weekly with the vampires, am proficient with knives and the like.”
Her mouth surely must have been hanging open, because the list he’d just given had her head spinning.
Javed, the master of the house, ambled down the steps. “Officer Fernly, I believe?”
She gave him her attention, because he was downright imposing. The look on his face was welcoming, but she kept her wits about her in case he took exception to her attack on David. “Yes, sir.”
He reached for her hand and shook it. “It’s nice to see someone who can take on David hand-to-hand. He’s a bit of a dark horse, but he takes his training seriously. I wonder though, could I perhaps have a word with you later? In my office?”
She nodded, because how could she refuse a master when he wasn’t attacking her but instead requesting her presence?
“Then if I may, I need to talk with David. We have some business to attend to.”
“Sure… uh, yes, of course.”
David’s eyes glinted in the low light. “I’ll be up soon.” He touched the side of her face with a gentle stroke, and she leaned in, needing the touch more than she’d ever expected.
Then he was gone, and the people who’d come to his aid melted away so she stood there, feeling ridiculous and alone. Quietly, she entered the house and made her way up to his room. It was sparse, and yet in some ways it was honest in the scarcity of furnishings and adornment.
So different from her home, where she’d yearned for her own possessions around her. But this was him. What you saw was what he was. The urge to return to her home melted away as the realisation grew that this was the safest place for him at this time. He was human. Frail in a way she wasn’t.
Her cell rang, and she glanced down. Maman! Rotten timing. But then, there’d never be a good time to tell her mother about David.
“Bonsoir, Maman.”
“Bebe! I have heard strange stories about you from Julien’s family. What’s going on?”
Genny slumped down on the bed. “What have they told you?” She knew she sounded wary and weary, but right now, Julien’s machinations only made things worse.
“He’s been sent home after being attacked by a human. A human you’ve encouraged and… and goaded according to his maman.” The rapid breathing down the line told her Maman was reacting immediately from hearing the half-truths Julien had obviously peddled.
“Julien was out of line. He was angry that a house Yeux Secondes and friend of mine—”
“Friend? I heard he was panting after you like a beast in heat! What are you doing dallying with a human? You know better—”
“Maman! Enough. It’s not like that. Julien is telling stories. Ones he’s thought up because I won’t go back to him.”
“But he’s such a catch, bebe. His papa is the beta of the clan. You’ll be back among family.”
“He attacked me, Maman. Called me a mutt!”
“Only in the heat of the moment, ma petite. I’m sure he didn’t mean it…” Her mother’s voice trailed away as if she was conferring with someone else.
Gen squinted and tried hard to separate the other voices muffled in the background, but she couldn’t hear them clearly enough.
“Bebe, come home.”
“I’ll be there for the Joining, Maman, and David is coming with me. As my guest.” She knew her mother wouldn’t take that well, but what else could she do? She wanted him there. He had agreed to come with her in the last few days, and besides, being away from him… it left her feeling empty. He might be a human, but he knew their world. Was already a part of it.
“But, Bebe…”
Genny waited for her to continue. The discussions on Maman’s side became muted, and Genny wondered again who her mother was talking to.
“Fine! Bring him, but don’t expect more from me.”
The sheer petulance in her mother’s voice angered Genny. Hadn’t she put up with a lot because of her mother’s choices? Weren’t they why she was an outcast among the clan? She inhaled, holding on to her anger. “You will make him welcome. He is a Yeux Secondes of a very important nest and my…” Shaking her head, she refused to say the words that rose to her lips, instead uttering, “He will be my guest. An honoured guest, Maman.”
She hung up, but her hands shook with fury. “Why, Maman? Why do you do this?” She stalked from one end of the room to the other. She had almost blurted out that she wanted to take David as her mate. Except she wasn’t really a shifter. No, you’re nothing. A hybrid abomination. Neither shifter nor human.
Claws ripped through her fingers, the creature demanding release, and her shattered emotions couldn’t hold it back. Instead, she cried out as bones cracked. “Nooooo!”
Words were impossible, but she closed her eyes, battling furiously. Not here. Not now. Back! Sleep, cat. Time to sleep and rest. Soon. I will release you soon.
Tears seeped out, and she panted, chest heaving with exertion until finally it subsided. Each breakthrough was growing stronger. The time between shorter. The hunger deeper.
The door opened, and David walked in to find her crouched upon the floor. He slammed the door shut and ran to her, his face drawn. “Gen?”
“The creature… I need to let it out soon.” She heaved, glancing up at him, aware of the stink of sweat from anxiety and the sheer effort of soothing the creature that she exuded.
“Gen, there're places here…” He gripped her hands, as if that alone could soothe the raging fire inside. “We have a secure space if you need—”