As dawn breaks, p.16
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As Dawn Breaks, page 16

 

As Dawn Breaks
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  “Genevieve. She’s had a tough life. Luca’s threats against her were the reason Vivienne fled, taking those two with her. The child was banished because of something she didn’t do. Then when she returned, Luca made it clear she didn’t belong. Julien blindsided her. She came back here, looking for a place among the police, and he… he dazzled her, strung her along because it was in his best interests. He knew who she was, whose daughter, and he used her until he realised Luca wasn’t going to change his mind.”

  David turned. “Do I know you?”

  The man grinned. “You clearly don’t remember me from yesterday. I’m Henri, the local doctor and, of course, a shifter. I was the one who delivered Genevieve. Patched her up after she broke her arm and was there after Julien’s attack.”

  David’s gut lurched. “The scar on her chest.”

  The man nodded. “She’s a good girl. Been treated badly, but I’ve been watching you. You’re caring for her. So, I’m going to give you a tip. When this is done, get her out of here. Don’t bring her back. If Bastien’s guess is right, and mine, she’s in danger until she can sort out what else she is and learn to accept the power. Tell her to find the prophecy and learn it. There’s more to it than what’s commonly spoken of.”

  The man pushed away from the bar.

  “How do we—”

  “Tonight, friend. You need to leave tonight.” Then he pushed his way through the throngs just as Genevieve returned.

  Genny’s eyes darted around the room as she slid beside David. The reception building wasn’t large, but there were nooks, mostly near the bathroom. Nooks where she didn’t want to get cornered again. Her skin crawled, remembering the brief run-in she’d just had with Julien.

  She exited the bathroom, ready to find out if David had seen enough. She’d shown herself, made the mandated “appearance,” but she knew she was little more than an outsider. No one came close to chat or share a drink. She and David had taken up a position near the wine bar and even served themselves.

  The door closed behind her.

  “Ma coeur.” Hands slid around her midriff, and she jumped.

  “What? Fuck, Julien, I’ve already told you it’s done between us, so get your filthy paws off me.”

  He growled in his throat. “Come, my love. You adore me, and that pretty boy human is only a foil…”

  His words slurred, and she rolled her eyes. “Get lost, Julien. I’ve got no interest in you or the ridiculous plans you seem to imagine I’m going to fall in with.”

  Julien lurched closer, and the stink of liquor rolled off him in waves. She wrinkled her nose at the stench.

  “You need me. No one here will accept you. If you were with me, things would be better. For both of us.”

  Now Genevieve frowned. “What? I don’t want you, Julien.” She pushed against his grip, and he released her with a sneer.

  “Too good for me, are you? Well, you’re wrong. I’m willing to take you on out of pity.”

  The words might have sliced through her before, but not now.

  “The only pity partnership I foresee in your future is the fuck you’ll get if some stupid dog takes you on,” she hissed and strode away.

  In her mind though, she wondered what he thought he’d gain by waylaying her and making out that he wanted to be with her. Then, with a shrug, she pushed the thought away.

  She slid her hand into his as they stood together by the long wood bar. “What did Henri have to say?”

  “He suggested we should leave. Tonight.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “I think he’s right. Let’s blow the joint. Bastien knows how to contact me, and I hope this time he’ll try to stay in touch. If not…” She shrugged, but he could read the hurt and disappointment.

  “Your mother?”

  “I’ll ring her later. We should head back and load up the car.”

  They returned to the house, hand in hand. Within an hour, they were driving out the road, and David watched the tension seep from Genevieve. “The ceremony. It’s more formal than I expected.”

  “Oh. Well, I guess it is, but you haven’t seen it all. Tomorrow is the full moon. Traditionally the family chooses that time for the Joining, and the happy couple will shift and hunt together. It’s the final part of the ritual, if you will.”

  “You don’t need to stay?”

  “I wouldn’t be welcome.”

  He frowned, remembering the distance between her and the others. “You wouldn’t want to come back here sometime down the track?”

  Her head turned. “No. I like where I live, and I really enjoy my job—most of the time, anyway.”

  “And Julien?”

  “He’s a pain in my ass. I can only hope that he won’t return to the Liaison Division. Working with him daily is going to be hell.” Her eyes narrowed. “Especially after…” She shook her head, and he placed a hand on her thigh.

  “After what?”

  “He tried to corner me by the bathroom. It’s odd, though. He broke up with me, then turns up far away from home. Claims he’s missed me.” She shrugged. “I’m just reading too much into it.”

  The thought that Gen was telling herself that she read the situation wrong sat uncomfortably, though. In his experience of time with Genevieve, she not only trusted her instincts, but they also were rarely wrong. David filed the information she’d shared away for now. Perhaps later something about it would make sense.

  “It’s going to be too late to fly out tonight.” She smiled at him. “We could maybe get a room. Somewhere quiet and soundproofed.”

  He laughed. “Ahh, I’ve turned you into a sex goddess, then, or at least a nymph who likes dirty talk.”

  She giggled, and it warmed him all the way through to his bones. “I don’t know that I’d go quite that far, mon coeur.”

  David’s pulse rate spiked. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I know of this little private hotel. Very comfortable. On the way to the airport, but out of town. They do a mean meal as well.”

  He nodded. “Drive on, then.”

  Chapter 18

  They reached the gate at the airport just as her phone blared. “Fernly here.”

  “How soon will you be back? There’s been a development in the Attar situation. We need you and Mr Jardin at the precinct.” His voice was firm, but she heard the hint of excitement there.

  She glanced up, the flight board spinning. “We’re about to board. We can head straight there from the airport, boss. But I won’t have my gun or—”

  “Doesn’t matter. We need you two specifically.”

  “All right,” she answered, but the call had already disconnected. Nerves below the surface started to jitter, and David quirked a brow at her. “The boss. Something is going down with the Attar situation, and our skills are needed. We need to go directly to the precinct.” Questions lurked in his gaze. “I don’t know any more than that, so don’t ask.”

  They took their seats, and though the journey was swift, it was still several hours before they touched down. Time enough to wonder what on earth might be going on.

  “I’ll get the bags. You meet me out front with the car,” he urged, and she took off, turning on her cell as she did, checking for messages.

  But there was silence. By the time she’d made her way to the pickup area, he was waiting, and she sprang out, assisted with stashing the bags in the trunk. The car hummed as it traversed the roads, while every moment her brain told her to hurry.

  They drove into the precinct in the late afternoon and entered the building.

  The boss called them back as soon as they entered, and with her hand firmly grasped in David’s, they followed the hulking man to the rear.

  Once inside the conference room, he sat them down beside a young woman, her face bloodied, and a blanket wrapped around her.

  “Emily here was found near a warehouse. She was brought to us because the regulars didn’t know what else to do with her. That was last night. However…” He turned to the girl. “Emily, do you mind?”

  The girl flinched as he gently bared her neck for their view.

  “Shit!” David shot from his chair. “Attar?”

  The girl’s eyes widened farther, not that Genny would have thought that possible, and the last tinge of colour in her face bled away.

  “Don’t… please, don’t hurt me,” she whispered.

  Genevieve moved forwards, taking her hand and holding the girl’s gaze.

  “We won’t. You can trust us. We’re the good guys, and we are going to find who did this.” Her mind spun, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The Council would need to know, and aware that the hunt for Attar was their priority, she knew she’d have to take the girl to Cressida. An old and very powerful vampire. One she hadn’t met but who was life partnered to David’s cousin, Daniel.

  Her gaze caught with the boss’s. “I need to take her to the nest. They’ll need information, and while we can probably ask questions, they know what facts we might miss, to fill in the gaps.”

  The boss nodded. “Yes. But you two should take her. You’ve got the relationship with them that none of us have.”

  She bit her lip because there were now even more complications. How would they take that? David had told her about their run-ins with the matron and shied away from the idea that perhaps his situation might be compromised by what they’d done. Even if it had been an accident.

  “David?” She whirled towards him.

  “I’ll come with you, but you’re the lead. Cressida will know what’s needed.” He didn’t reach for her, but it was as if his words caressed her cheek and offered her support.

  She rose and left the room, seeking her desk. Ringing any of the nests was a trial, but to ring Cressida herself?

  With shaking fingers, Genny dialled the house and asked to speak with Cressida. Not that the receptionist was very willing. She had to explain who she was, then wait while they checked her credentials, she guessed.

  Eventually she was put through.

  “Cressida.” The voice was carefully modulated with a tiny hint of an accent. French, if she didn’t miss her guess.

  “Councillor? I was… uh, it was suggested that we should contact you.” Stupid to feel so off balance, she told herself, but this woman was immensely powerful and had the ability to make David’s life hard if she put a step wrong. David had told her she was lovely and welcoming, but… well, it wasn’t that she didn’t believe him, but he’d grown up with her.

  “And you are?”

  Genny blinked and wondered why that information hadn’t been passed along. “Oh, apologies… I’ve never spoken to a vampire mistress before. I mean, a Councillor…”

  “Well, now you have. How may I help you?”

  Genny hissed her frustrations at herself, then realised the woman would have heard that and winced. “I’m Officer Fernly with the NYPD Liaison Division, and we currently have a woman here claiming she was attacked by a vampire. Except he doesn’t sound like any kind of vampire we’ve ever heard of. We were wondering if… I mean, given the circumstances…”

  A long second passed. “Indeed, you need us to talk to her. To try and find out who and where?”

  Genny hoped the woman would say yes. “Yes. We think she may be another one of Attar’s survivors. We can bring her to you, as we know about the situation with the creature we’re hunting.”

  “Of course, Officer. When should we expect you?”

  So simple, but an immense hurdle she’d overcome in one quick call. But nothing was certain with vamps, and she’d be taking David with her. “It’ll maybe take us an hour or so, but that means—”

  “We can shelter her here until tomorrow, or if she fears our kind, I can arrange for her to be transported to one of the other residential facilities while we rest along with our human staff.”

  “That would… Uh, if you could.”

  “Perfect. We will be awaiting your arrival.”

  Returning to the room, she crouched before Emily and quickly explained what had been arranged. Then they bundled the girl up and got her settled in the car, but not before Genny realised they needed to distract her. “David here grew up in a nest. He knows the vampire we’re going to see.”

  Emily’s eyes shot to David, who nodded. “Sure did. Grew up in the same house for a long while. She won’t hurt you. All they want to know is what happened and where. But we’ll stay.”

  “We just got back from a break down in Georgia. Ever been there?” Genny asked.

  “No.”

  Monosyllabic answers weren’t exactly conversation, but it was a beginning, so she started talking about the trees. The Everglades and the meal they’d eaten at the tiny restaurant. Emily did relax a little, at least easing the white-knuckled grip on the rear door, and Genny didn’t have the impression the girl would rather fling open the door and throw herself into the traffic than meet with the vampires. It’s a good thing she doesn’t know about shifters and weres, then.

  They turned into the driveway, and she slowed. “I’ll stay with you, Emily, if that’s what you want?”

  “I… I’m scared,” she whispered, and Genny could feel the anxiety on the air.

  “I know, but they won’t hurt you.” She stopped the car at the steps, and the three of them climbed from it. She took Emily’s hand, and David moved before them as the doors were opened for their entry.

  “David!” a voice called, and he turned. Daniel, David’s cousin, waved him forwards.

  They conferred for a moment, and then David turned. “I need—”

  On his face she read his concern, but she shook her head. “It’s okay. Emily and I can do this together.”

  They entered a room full of vampire masters. She recognized Xavier, and Javed nodded at her in welcome as they settled. Soon after, Daniel joined them. It took a great deal of willpower not to ask where David was. If he could have joined them, he would have.

  Emily’s hand twisted in Genny’s as if she were afraid to let go but scared of everyone in the room. Genny couldn’t blame the poor girl. She’d had no experience of vampires until now, and suddenly she was thrust into a nest after another had attacked her. “It’s okay.”

  “Do I have to do this?”

  Genny patted her on the hand. “I’ll stay, Emily. I promised, didn’t I?”

  “But they’re vamps… like he was.”

  Xavier half rose, then shifted his glance to Cressida and settled back in his seat. Genny wondered if Mistress Cressida had sent him a mental message, then discarded the thought. It wasn’t important right now.

  Emily rose as if ready to bolt.

  “Emily? Will you come and sit down? We’d like to ask you some questions about the vampire who attacked you.” Cressida patted the chair beside her

  Emily started and looked at Cressida with horror. “What do you…? They know. They probably want to—”

  “No, Emily. Officer Fern…?” Cressida looked at Genny as if asking for assistance.

  “Fernly, Councillor. Genny Fernly.”

  “Officer Fernly explained that you’d been accosted by a vampire. Emily, we’re searching for one. I need to ask you some questions. To work out if it’s our quarry. If it is, then you’ll be helping us to…”

  Emily twisted her hands and settled back down beside Genny.

  On a sigh, Daniel reached out and touched the girl’s hand. “He’s been killing humans and vampires alike, Emily. You trust the police, don’t you?”

  “Good. Think of us like the police for vampires. It's our role to bring him to justice. Hold him accountable for the crimes he’s committed. But to do that, we need your help.”

  “W-What do you need me to do?” She still sounded hesitant, and Genny was pleased that Emily’s death grip on her hand released enough for the blood to begin flowing again, even if it did sting a little.

  “Good girl. It’s important that we know what he looked like and where he is.”

  “I can… I can do that.”

  They talked for a while, and finally Emily was comfortable to be settled for the evening in the human wing.

  “Thank you for bringing her to us,” Cressida said. “I understand you and David—”

  The door swung open, and David stepped inside. “Sorry about that. There was a problem at the nest. They needed me to take a call and give some information.” Now he bowed to Cressida, and the membranes in Genny’s mouth dried, her body once more alive with his proximity.

  “David, it’s good to see you. Will you come and sit? We’ll need to go prepare in a moment. We think we finally have the whereabouts of Attar thanks to Emily.”

  David shook his head. “No. We really need to get moving. I have things to attend to back at the nest, but…”

  When he looked at Genny, she felt something else. The burning need that raged in his eyes. The one that never seemed to abate. She rose. “With your permission?”

  Cressida rose and took her hands. “Of course, Genny. But do not let David become a stranger. He’s been on his own far too long.”

  David blushed, and she felt the burn of knowing gazes as they retreated.

  Chapter 19

  David cursed his bad luck on arrival back at the nest. The vampires were massing for war, meaning important tasks he’d expected completed during his absence had not been.

  “I need to go attend to a few things,” he muttered as they entered the building.

  She waved him forwards with a “That’s fine. I know my way.” He watched for a moment as she started up the stairs towards what he now thought of as their room.

  Inside his office sat piles of files. Some he’d work through today, but others would need to wait. It was the package that lay on the tabletop next to his computer that caught his attention.

  A tiny card was attached.

  David, it seems you’ve joined our ranks from what I’ve been told by the lieutenant. Welcome to the clan, and bring that delicious Genevieve with you. I’ve been trying to get her to join us for many a year!

  Simon Bellingham

  He blinked. Simon Bellingham used the official title Lord of the Lycans rarely, from what he understood. An Englishman, he’d emigrated during the early 1800s with his clan to the north of America, and while there were many non-affiliated clans—and he was willing to bet Gen’s was one of them—he commanded respect from his peers and the vampires alike.

 
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