A Cold Day in Hell (The Hellcat Series) (13 page)

"Good morning," he purred, pausing from whatever he'd been typing on his keyboard.  His gaze drank her in as she fished inside the paper bag for whatever sweet delights it contained. 

"You're still up?" she asked, before attacking a chocolate muffin with gusto. 

"I have some business to clear up.  I want to get it out of the way so I can focus on the Princeps without distractions."

She plonked her butt in a chair on the other side of his desk, pulling a face.  She wanted to at least finish her coffee before she thought about the chaos her life had just become.

"Have you decided about Caspian?" he asked, popping her hopeful bubble.

"It's really a no-brainer," she said in reply, a little more sharply than she'd intended.  She tried to curb her irritation.  "We can't let him go back to the Princeps.  We need to keep him where we can watch him, find out more about his intentions, and make sure he’s telling the truth about not leaking the secret to anyone at court." 

Julius nodded calmly, as if what she said made sense, but the tension was back, radiating around him, coming off him in waves.  She bit back a sigh and put down her coffee and half-eaten muffin.  She stood and went around to his side of the desk, spinning his chair to face her.  Even with him sitting, he was almost at her eye level. 

"There is no attraction, Julius," she said firmly.  "I will not go running to him.  He’s just another Vampire to me.  He has information we need, and he happens to have had something to do with my Dhampir heritage, but there is NO mystical connection between us, no matter what the legends say.  Even if you weren't in the picture, he holds no appeal for me, and what I feel for you is too strong to be broken by any external force.  The only thing that could destroy what we have, is us." 

He didn't speak, but reached out to grasp her hand and pull her to him.  He kissed her fiercely, his tension easing but not dissipating entirely. 

The sound of her phone ringing in her back pocket brought them back to earth; it was still playing 'Thunderstruck' by AC/DC, Kyle's idea of funny.  She untangled herself and pulled the phone out.  The screen showed Byron's name, and she bit her bottom lip.  She'd been avoiding him for weeks now, but she knew she'd have to make a decision one way or another soon. 

"You should speak to him, Lea."  Julius spoke the words she didn't want to hear. 
"For your sake as well as his.  He'll love you no matter what your decision is; just let him back into your life.  That’s what is truly important to him." 

He was right.  This had been playing on her mind for too long.  Some action was now required.  It was time to take her own advice to Derek and stop being a coward.  She brushed a last kiss across Julius's forehead and pressed answer.

"Hello, Byron," she said into the phone as she left Julius's office and headed for the front door to give herself a semblance of privacy. 

What they needed to discuss shouldn't be done over the phone, so she asked to meet Byron at his house in an hour.  On the drive there she realised that, aside from the times she'd been away traveling, she'd never gone more than two weeks without seeing Byron.  The past two months, things had been so awkward and uncomfortable between them that she'd avoided him almost completely.  He'd been father, mentor and friend to her since the day her own father died when she was just ten years old. 

Byron had felt a keen sense of obligation to take care of her and her mother after the fateful night that saw the City's most feared Vampire-slayer taken down by a notoriously nasty Vampire.  Gabi now knew that the City had, for a time, had no Master to control the Vampires within it.  When Julius’s predecessor had taken control, it’d been an uphill struggle to regain order.  It took years, and though he eventually made a difference, he never truly eradicated the Rogues and challengers.  In the meantime the job had fallen to the Societas Malus Venatori, the SMV, and her father.  

Byron blamed himself, she knew.  Her father should never have gone after the Vampire on his own, and had done it without consulting Byron, his best friend, and co-founder of the SMV.  While everyone else knew that her father had made his own fatal mistake, Byron felt he should’ve known what Daniel Bradford was planning, and found some way to prevent the inevitable.  Gabi knew now that it had only been a matter of time.  Her father's quest had become all-consuming; he would've kept going out until one of them was too quick, too strong, too vicious.  Only death could bring an end to his obsession. 

By the time she drove up to Byron's gate and punched in the access code, waiting for the security
gate to open, she knew she had her answer.  Byron's pack of dogs galloped up to the car to greet her.  All shapes and sizes, tails wagging and tongues lolling.  She knew them all intimately and took the time to make sure each one got a pat, while trying not to have her legs swept out from under her by the writhing mass of excited, furry bodies.  They had missed her and were overjoyed to see her; the emotions fairly vibrated through her they were so strong. 

When she finally managed to disentangle herself from the pack, she found Byron waiting for her at his open front door, a smile quirking one side of his mouth.  He was still a handsome old devil, she thought wryly, no wonder there was a never-ending stream of women trying to convince him to change his widower status.  She hoped one of them would eventually succeed, but also knew it would take someone very special to overcome his grief at the loss of his beloved wife.  She also knew that if he finally allowed himself to love again and the woman hurt him, Gabi would personally skin the bitch alive. 

Without saying a word, she hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek.  He looked tired and, for once, closer to his real age.  A stab of guilt pierced her.

"Gabi, honey."
  He let out a long breath.  "Come in.  Meryl has laid out lunch for us." 

Gabi smiled; Meryl sure knew how to feed hungry bellies.  She followed him to his patio, where a table was ready for the two of them.  It was a beautiful day, and being out in the sunshine felt
good.  The dogs had made their way around to the rear of the house as well and now lay sprawled around the garden, happy mounds of fur enjoying the sunshine and human company.  Meryl brought out a mouth-wateringly good dish of lasagne, a fresh salad and warm bread, straight from the oven.  She gave Gabi a hug and berated her for not coming around in so long, but soon left her and Byron alone to their meal.  And their discussions. 

"I'm so glad you came today," Byron said, raising his glass of white wine in a toast.  "I've missed your company."  There was no hint of accusation or disappointment in his voice, just relief. 

"I'm sorry I've been such a coward," she replied.  "There's no excuse, really.  I've been avoiding my obligations." 

Byron held up his hand to stop her.  "I didn't ask you here for apologies or explanations, sweetheart," he said.  "I just wanted to see you and find out how you're doing. I deeply regret allowing the Venatori business to drive a wedge between us.  Whatever decision you make about your future with the SMV is between you and the rest of the Council.  I just want the two of us to still be friends, still be able to share a lunch and a bottle of wine, and discuss old times and what's new in our lives." 

Gabi grinned, picking up her own wine glass and clinking it against his.  "That sounds good to me."

They tucked into the delicious meal and avoided talking 'business' until they were both stuffed to the point where even Gabi couldn't eat any more.  Finally Gabi knew she needed to tell Byron about the Princeps, as well as her decision about the SMV.

"I know the Council hasn't asked me back yet officially, but even if they did, I've decided I'm not going back.  Not full time at least," she clarified. 

Byron nodded, as though he'd expected as much. 

"I don't want to walk away entirely, and I'll be making it clear that I'm available to consult and even come in to help out if there's something major on the go, but I don't want to be answerable to the Council any longer."

"I think they would be open to what you've suggested, though I know most of us will be disappointed that we've upset you enough to force you to make this decision."  When she made to interrupt, he leaned forward and covered her hand with his own.  "You were right to point out the gaping hole in our manifesto.  It’s long overdue to be fixed, and we're working on it.  There will be a full human on the Council before the month is out, and Julius has conveyed to us that he will be appointing one of his closest lieutenants to fill the Vampire's seat on the Council. 

"Once we have a full complement, then we can move forward with rewriting the manifesto.  What your father and I started was never about targeting a specific group.  It was always about protecting the innocent and eradicating evil.  We just lost sight of what evil truly is.  I'm sincerely hoping in time that you will consider taking my place on the Council when it's time for the old dog to retire."  He gave her a small grin.  "You understand the core of what the SMV should stand for better than anyone else I know, including your father.  They need you to keep them pointed in the right direction." 

Gabi felt the lurch in her heart at his words.  They meant the world to her, but she had no assurance she'd be around to fulfil his wishes when the time came for him to retire.  With the Princeps possibly wanting her dead or under their control, she wasn't making promises to anyone, but she kept her fears to herself. 

She outlined the basic problem to Byron, glossing over exactly what the Princeps might want to do with her, only telling him that ruling Vampires were making things difficult for Julius and that she may need to take a trip away for a little while.

She was intensely glad she'd answered the phone and agreed to the lunch.  The tight knot of anxiety and guilt that had been lodged in her chest for weeks had eased.  It was never about the SMV Council and her obligations to them; it was about Byron.  Resolving that had given her a measure of relief.  With the immensity of the
Princep problem hanging over them, any relief, however small, was welcome.

When she got home, Rose had left already, and Rocky and Razor were playing tag through the house like a pack of naughty children.  Lamps and photo frames had been knocked over, one curtain was ripped, and the beds in both bedrooms looked like a troop of monkeys had been playing 'Ten little monkeys jumping on the bed'.  Roman had his paws up on the frame of one of the sitting room windows, anxiously trying to see what was going on inside, and Slinky the ferret was hiding out in a decorative pot near the front door.  After almost being run over by a flying squirrel and a dog-sized cat, Gabi retreated to her office to check her e-mails, leaving them to wreak havoc, and praying they didn't destroy anything irreplaceable. 

There was an e-mail from Julius, telling her that he had a board meeting that evening.  Apparently Julian Edwards, his human, tycoon personae, was making a rare appearance.  The meeting would be finished at around nine, and he had dinner reservations for them at
Olivella's, her favourite restaurant, for nine thirty.  After that they were meeting with Caspian.

Gabi loved Olivella's and the food her friend Shawn created.  He didn't skimp on portion size either, especially dessert, but her meal had only tasted of anxiety tonight.  She'd forced herself to eat it; she didn't want to insult Shawn or worry Julius.  The fussing would've made her snap.  She was glad she was driving her own car back to the estate, following Julius's low-slung sports car easily.  She’d run out of small talk at the restaurant already.

Kyle, Fergus and Alexander were in the boardroom with Caspian when they arrived.  Tension hung in the silence, thick enough to choke on. 

"We have no reason to trust you," Julius said without preamble as he and Gabi took seats on the opposite side of the table.  "Other than your connection to Gabrielle and your desire to meet her, you have no loyalty to me or my Clan." Caspian opened his mouth, but Julius held up a hand.  "Gabrielle has expressed an interest in getting to know you," he bit the words out as though they pained him.  The words weren't true, just part of the ruse they were using to ensnare Caspian, but his pain seemed real. 

Caspian's face brightened, rigid lines easing, and a hint of sly pleasure glinted in his eyes. 

"There are some conditions attached," Julius continued.

"Name them," Caspian said, his gaze locked on Gabi. 

"You are not to contact anyone at court without my express permission, and someone will be privy to all your communications in those instances." 

Caspian's face clouded a little.  "Go on," he said warily.

"If you are to stay with us, you are to swear fealty to me.  We cannot risk you playing both sides of this…conflict.  Until this is resolved, you will be one of mine." 

This was a gamble; nomads were notoriously resistant to joining Clans. 
Once fealty had been sworn, only the Master could end it, and only if they wanted to.  Any action against Master or Clan under sworn fealty was punishable by death.  This would truly test his intentions and desire to be near Gabi. 

Caspian swallowed, his eyes going wide, words failing him at that moment. 

"We realise this is a lot to ask.  If you choose to, you may simply give us the information you came to deliver and return to the court.  Before I can allow you to leave, though, I will be calling in a favour from a Magus.  You will have all knowledge of Gabi and her heritage blocked from your mind.  You understand that I can't let you leave with your memory intact.  That would be tantamount to surrender on my part."  

"You don't have to make the decision immediately," Gabi put in.  "You have twenty-four hours to make your choice."  She made as if to stand and leave.  The plan had been to push him into a hasty decision, but Gabi had her doubts.  This was a three-hundred-year-old Vampire they were talking to.  For him to agree to this, he either had to be truly desperate or truly cunning, perhaps a combination of the two.  Either way, he leaned forward quickly, as though to reach for Gabi's hand.