hellcat 05 - come hell or high water (2 page)

“Trish,” he said in return greeting, waving a hand towards one of the chairs on the other side of his desk.  He didn’t stand or move closer to her, but settled back into his chair, keeping his movements slow and relaxed.  He’d spent enough time in the company of humans to know how to keep from startling nervous ones.  Not that Trish was human, not any more.  He hadn’t known her before she’d been infected with the Lycanthropy virus, but Gabi, his Consort, had told him Trish had been softer and more generously proportioned before the virus had remoulded her body to be lean and strong.  She could kill a human with her bare hands if she so wished, but Julius couldn’t envision her doing that.  Unless someone she loved was threatened, of course, he amended to himself.  The woman might seem mild mannered and gentle, especially for a Werewolf, but she had steel in her spine and she was as brave as a mother tiger when the need arose.  “You said you had information for me,” he prompted as she silently took the proffered seat.

She put the tablet on the desk and spread some of the papers out.  She was distracted, chewing the inside of her cheek as her fingers flew over the surface of the compact computer.  It was obvious that her anxiety, for once, wasn’t as a result of his presence.  This put him on alert and he barely stopped himself from moving to the other side of his desk at Vampire speed.  Instead he forced himself to sit forward slowly, close enough to see what she was showing him.

“Xavier and I have been in close contact since you linked us up,” she began, looking up to meet his eyes and then quickly looking back down. 

Julius suppressed a sigh and nodded for her to continue.  Xavier was a good friend and someone who felt he still owed Julius for a long-repaid debt.  He was employed at the Princep Court.  The Vampire version of Buckingham Palace, except that it was governed by twelve Princeps, not a king or queen, and there was no democratic government making the real decisions.  And in the Vampire world the death penalty still existed and was utilised on a regular enough basis that most Vampires carefully stuck to the Princeps’ laws.  Xavier, as one of the Court Stewards, was privy to much of what went on in the castle and, as a human, was often overlooked as a potential threat to security, hence hearing even more than the average supernatural employee.  He passed on anything important to Julius through a complex network of emails.  Trish, as Julius’s computer specialist, was responsible not only for maintaining Julius’s online security and a myriad of other computer-related things he had no concept of, but also for keeping tabs on and digging up information on a particular group of individuals. 

The Vampire world was a deep and complex structure, one with large egos and even larger insecurities.  Julius’s unprecedented rise in power, despite his relative youth in vampire years, made many high-level Vampires nervous, and nervous Vampires were a dangerous bunch.  Having the world’s only known Dhampir thrown in his lap and making her his Consort made his long-term survival even more precarious than usual. 

The Dhampir herself had no idea how much she endangered Julius’s existence, and he had no intention of her ever finding out.  He would not risk her leaving him in order to protect him, which was exactly the kind of thing Gabrielle Bradford, supernatural rogue Hunter extraordinaire, would do. 

“You were right.” Trish’s words brought his attention firmly back to his desk.  “Your Shadow group has its claws firmly embedded in the Princep Court.  And they’re communicating and exchanging information using the Darknet.” 

Anxiety punched Julius in the gut.  He’d long suspected there was a group of powerful Vampires operating behind the scenes and in utmost secrecy.  He didn’t know how large the group was or where they were in the world, nor even if the Princeps were part of it, but he’d begun to suspect that he and Gabi had attracted their attention.  He thought of them as the Shadow group because of the way they operated: never overtly, always in the shadows, pulling strings and manipulating Vampire society as a whole.  He feared that they saw him and Gabi as some kind of obstacle to their machinations, the kind of obstacle that needed eliminating.

Trish turned the tablet to face him. It was open on a dark screen with simple lines of blue letters filling a highlighted box.  He frowned; the letters meant nothing to him.  He knew several languages, but this just appeared to be gibberish, as though a monkey had been playing on a keyboard.  Then Trish touched a small icon at the top of the screen and certain letters grew larger, emerging from the noise of the unreadable.  “Xavier intercepted these encoded messages last week,” Trish said. “I broke the encryption tonight.”  She didn’t need to say any more; the messages spoke for themselves.  Julius’s vigilance had not been for nothing, but for once he wished he’d been wrong.

“Do you know which Princeps the code words refer to?” he asked, aware that he was asking the impossible. 

Trish looked crestfallen.  “No, not yet,” she said.  “I’m sure Xavier will help me work on that, but I came to you the moment I saw the gist of these messages.  I’ll keep working on it, I promise.” 

Julius shook his head, leaning forward to cover her hands with his, waiting until she looked up at him.  “First you will get some food and some rest,” he told her in a commanding tone. 

She opened her mouth, the protest clear on her face, but he cut her off. 

“You’re no good to me exhausted or edgy because you’re not looking after your wolf.  If you figure it out, it will be a boon, but even without that information, we’re in a much stronger position just with this confirmation.”  He held her gaze as he released her hands.  “You are incredibly talented and I’m very grateful you’re working for me.  Never forget that,” he told her.

Blushing a little, she collected the tablet, but left the papers, which were transcripts of the messages, on his desk.  Then she rose to her feet, for once meeting his gaze squarely.  “You need to tell her,” she said to him, her words measured and heavy with meaning.  “I know you were holding back because you didn’t have anything solid, and I will never betray your trust, but she’s an intelligent woman.  You know it will end badly if she finds out any other way.”  Then she turned and quietly left the room. 

Julius dropped his head onto his clasped fists, Trish’s words resonating through his mind.  She spoke the truth, he couldn’t deny that.  If Gabi found out that he was keeping secrets from her, secrets that could affect their lives and the lives of those around them…well, Red Rage might just look like a toddler tantrum compared to that. 

And worse, it might just break something between them.  Trust was an intrinsic part of any relationship, and her trust was gifted only to an honoured few.  He knew that, and treasured it. 

And yet he hadn’t been able to tell her.  Each time he considered voicing his suspicions, each time the words gathered in his throat, he remembered how close she’d come to walking away from him just a few months ago when she’d thought it would protect him and all her other loved ones.  She would do it in a heartbeat.  And that scared him all the way to his bone marrow. Gathering the papers, he prepared a text message to four of his most trusted advisors; perhaps they would bring him some resolution.

********************

“What are we doing meeting here, Julius?” Alexander asked him, striding into the private pool room at Flamingos Gentlemen’s Club.  His second in command was the last to arrive, his tousled blond hair more mussed than usual, his boot laces untied, and wafting a lingering scent of honeysuckle.  Julius suspected his long-time friend was keeping something from them.  That something being a pretty, blonde and powerful High Magus named Athena.  He needed to have a word with Alexander later.  The raucous noise of catcalling men, whistles and loud music blared before Alexander shut the door.  The din dropped a thousandfold and Julius flexed his jaw, easing the pain in his eardrums from the brief onslaught.  At least the girls would be making good money tonight. 

Fergus, the brash Scotsman who was part of the Clan by choice and not by Siring, was standing patiently on the opposite side of the room. Nathan and Liam, brothers and his security and business advisors respectively, retired from their game of pool, laughing.  It wasn’t much of a game when the first person to break always cleared the table. 

“I didn’t want to risk being overheard or disturbed,” Julius said in a low voice.  This room was soundproofed better than a twentieth-century asylum, but he wasn’t taking any chances.  “What I have to tell you is to go no further than the five of us without express permission from me.”

“Where’s Hellcat?” Alexander asked, his eyes narrowing.

“She is one of two reasons we’re here instead of at the Estate,” Julius said.  “I haven’t discussed this with her.  Yet.  I will only do so if it becomes necessary.  She has enough on her mind right now.”  The excuse sounded feeble to his own ears, he knew his men would see right through it, but they wouldn’t go against his wishes, not even Alexander.  With Alexander’s recent upgrade to Master level, courtesy of Gabi giving him blood to save him, something had changed in the man.  He walked with new vigour, acted with more authority, and had handled a tough leadership role with assured confidence at the cursed battle for the Source.  And Alexander loved Gabi too, not in the same way that Julius did, luckily for both of them, but he had a soft spot the size of Russia for her.  Despite that, Julius absolutely trusted in his friend’s compliance.  They’d been together too long to doubt each other. 

“The second reason is our resident Princep?” Alexander guessed, and Julius nodded with pursed lips.  He was finding it increasingly strange that Benedict, the Vampire Princep who had come to assist them retain possession of the Source, hadn’t yet returned to the Princep Court.  Though he suspected that Alexander’s lovely, and officially single, High Magus had something to do with that.  And that fact had everything to do with the distaste apparent in Alexander’s tone as he spoke of the Princep.

“You have news of the Shadow group?” Nathan asked, immediately leaping to the right conclusion.  It was with good reason that Nathan headed Julius’s security department.  “You have some verifiable intel?” 

“Yes,” Julius said with a drawn-out breath.  “As you know, I’ve become increasingly concerned that we’ve attracted their attention. Too many unprecedented events have occurred lately to pretend ignorance.  Trish intercepted some encrypted messages that are almost certainly private missives between members of this group. The messages confirm that we are firmly in their sights, and they’ve been keeping a very close watch on the goings-on here in the City.  They have some kind of affiliation with at least two of the Princeps, possibly a third, but we haven’t been able to confirm which ones.  It’s even conceivable the Princeps are all their puppets.”

“From mah experience that wid be unlikely, Sire,” Fergus interjected.  The Scotsman had spent several decades working as one of the Princep Enforcers, the small, highly trained army that hunted down renegades and executed Vampire lawbreakers.  “Some, maybe, but nae all o’ them.”

“Are they out to eliminate us or just keep us off balance?” Alexander asked, frown lines marring his forehead.

“So far Trish hasn’t found any precise details of plans that involve us.  We don’t know if that’s because they haven’t made any yet, or because we just haven’t found the data yet.  But something tells me life in the City is about to get extremely challenging.”

“We’ve done challenging before, Sire,” Nathan said, and Liam backed him up with a nod.  It was true; being the Clan of the youngest-ever Master Vampire hadn’t been an easy road.  Their ultimate success in gaining their own City lay largely with the strength and belief of these men. 

“Aye,” Fergus agreed, “and we’ll stand our ground again.”  They would fight to the death to keep what they had won.  “But, Sire.” Fergus caught and held his gaze, something very few Vampires were able to do.  “She is one o’ us noo, she is yer Consort.  She needs tae know.”

********************

Dawn was creeping inevitably closer as Julius gazed at the woman in his bed.  It was rare to see her so vulnerable.  Rare that she fell asleep waiting for him.  The jasmine and coconut fragrance of her shampoo complimented her own natural scent of vanilla and fine sherry.  Her breathing and heartbeat were both steady and strong, and the flickering light of the gas fire highlighted the hint of freckles across the bridge of her nose.  She was on her side, facing the door, one leg thrown over the covers, the medical brace on her knee outlined against the navy yoga pants she wore.  She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, she’d been waiting for him.  Her breathing changed, and she drew in a long slow breath. She was awake and aware of his presence.  The sudden increase in her heart rate and the subtle scent of her arousal was too inviting to turn down.

Julius divested himself of jacket and shoes and stalked her from the foot of the bed.  He tugged the bedcovers away before deftly unbuttoning the oversized shirt she was wearing and then easing her yoga pants down over the knee and ankle braces. When he was done, he paused to take in the sight of her lean, muscled body.  She blinked sleepily, watching him drink her in with a calmness contrary to her body’s response to him.  He set to the task of gently but speedily removing the braces, dropping them on the floor.  As her pale skin was revealed, still slightly mottled by bruising and the impressions from the braces, he kissed it, sliding his lips over each bruise, her skin hot to the cool touch of his mouth. 

Slowly.  Oh, ever so slowly, he worked his way up her legs, using just his mouth and his teeth.  Her skin so soft and smooth he could touch her forever and still not get enough.  Guttural little moans escaped her lips and her hands dug into the sheets, but she lay quiescent beneath him.  It wouldn’t last; she didn’t do pliable for long.  She liked, if not total control during sex, at least her moments of control.  And he had absolutely no problem with that.

As his mouth neared the neat triangle of auburn curls, a shudder ran through her and her breathing quickened to short, harsh pants.  The simple pleasure of bringing her to the brink made his erection ache painfully.  He breathed through the overpowering need to plunge into her soft, slick flesh.  His hands spread her legs, careful not to put pressure on her knee, opening her to him; the sight of her nearly drove him over the abyss.  He closed his eyes and plunged his tongue deep into the heat of her.  A hoarse cry left her and her hips rose to meet his mouth, the sheet in her hands ripping as she fought for control.  Control he wouldn’t allow her to keep.