Awakening the Fire

chapter Twenty-Six

Andreas was waiting outside when she approached Club Dintero five minutes ahead of the agreed time. From a block away, she saw him leaning against a lamppost, casual, relaxed, as if he could wait forever. Then he saw her and straightened, his figure suddenly purposeful, a sleeping predator awakening.

“Arianna,” he said as she drew near.

She smiled in return, rather uncertain. His dark eyes studied her face, and she finally looked away.

Ari hadn’t seen him or talked with him since the day Yana died. They had forged an unexpected intimacy that evening, and she wasn’t sure what it meant or what she thought about it. This first meeting felt awkward.

Andreas took the lead with a matter-of-fact tone. “We must hurry. I don’t like leaving the prince, even in the capable hands of Lucien and Carmella.”

Ari hurried to keep up with his long strides. “So you do protect the Prince?” She could do business talk. No problem.

“Yes. I am one of Daron’s lieutenants. Lucien is another, and Carmella. Frederick was the fourth.” He gave her a quick look. “I am telling you this because it will be helpful for your meeting with the prince.”

“Can’t you tell me what he wants?”

“We shall all know soon.” He lengthened his stride again.

Resigned to waiting for her audience with the prince, Ari kept further questions to herself. They turned down a dark alley into the warehouse district. The big loaders and trucks had been put away, but their presence lingered in the smell of oil and gasoline. It was quiet without the roaring engines. Their steps were the only discernible sounds, except for the occasional call of a night bird and the distant hum of city traffic. They passed four long rows of buildings before Andreas stopped at the side door of a shabby warehouse.

“Once we enter, be careful what you say. Not all vampires will appreciate your candor and…unique sense of humor.” He pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket. “Your bracelet. It would be an insult to wear it. Weapons?”

“None.” After a long debate with herself, she’d left them at the office rather than cause a fuss. Ari dropped her bracelet in without protest. It wasn’t likely her small protection charms would make a difference where she was going. She was placing a lot of trust in Andreas.

He knocked twice. A vampiress opened the door and beckoned them inside. Her fiery-red hair was cut in a short, manly style; she was dressed in what looked like black fatigues. Her stance said ‘don’t mess with me.’

“Andreas,” she said, her voice low and sexy, belying the no-nonsense attire.

“Carmella,” he acknowledged.

The female lieutenant.

“This is the Guardian?” The faint smirk said she wasn’t impressed.

“Get on with it, Carmella,” Andreas said.

“Very well. This way. The prince is waiting in The Blue Room.”

The Blue Room? Was that kind of like The White House?

Carmella opened a door off the hallway, stepping aside so the others could enter first. It was a blue room all right. Dark blue wainscoting and a multi-shade blue carpet contrasted with white walls. There were five large oak chairs upholstered in midnight-blue tapestry. A table at the end was covered with a blue, white-edged cloth, four bottles of wine, and a grouping of glasses. The only occupants were two vampires, one was Lucien. Ari studied the other.

Prince Daron had never been a handsome man; his bone structure was too heavy, his jaw too square. His cropped, black hair was straight and coarse. But the news photos she had seen failed to convey his incredible presence. Ari felt his magical power the moment they entered the room. He made little attempt to lighten its effect. She knew he could have blocked it; Andreas did it all the time—was doing it now.

The vampires’s supreme leader turned to look at Ari. She braced, remembering Sebastian’s invasion. An invisible force flowed over her, probing, as a wild creature might sniff you out. It was impersonal. Not the evil she recognized in Sebastian, yet it was still a predator, looking for an opening, a weak spot. Goosebumps rose on her arms from the energy dancing along her skin. She stayed immobile, kept her eyes averted, and used every witch trick in her arsenal to strengthen her defenses. The magical assault never came. The power level abruptly dropped, and the prince moved toward them.

His movement wasn’t the beautiful glide that Andreas could do but more like the flowing of an unstoppable wave. He came to a halt four or five steps in front of her. “You are part human,” he said.

“Yes.”

“I have not always found humans to be trustworthy.”

And so the head games begin.

“And I don’t trust vampires. We should get along fine.”

Daron gave her a bland look. “Andreas warned me you would speak your mind.”

Nothing she could say to that.

“You are the descendant of the witch Talaitha. But young to have many skills. What abilities do you possess?”

Not a good start as far as Ari was concerned. She resented the implications. Hadn’t she been through this with Andreas? And what was it with the age thing? Not everybody lived forever. This sounded like a freaking job interview. And Ari hadn’t put in an application.

“Sorry, I didn’t bring my resume. Why don’t you just tell me what you want?”

“Arianna,” Andreas cautioned.

Oh, yeah, Ari thought, he warned me vampires don’t dig candor and humor. Guess that includes sarcasm.

“No, let her speak her mind. Are you not afraid of me, Ms. Calin? Most humans are.” His voice held a note of perplexity and possibly warning. He closed to within an arm’s length, and her witch blood reacted with a tingling in her fingers. She felt Andreas stiffen beside her. Prince Daron noticed the tension and stopped. “Andreas?” He stared at his lieutenant.

“I gave my word she would not be harmed.”

The prince’s head swung back to her. “Are you afraid, Guardian?”

“I would be a fool if I didn’t respect your power. But I suffer from few human fears, your highness. And, I think I’m safe enough for now because you want something from me.”

“No one is irreplaceable.” The vampire studied her face as if trying to decide what to make of her. Then he smiled. It wasn’t a bad smile. “But you are correct, I do want something. In fact, I am interested in your services. So let us relax with some fine wine while we talk. Lucien, would you do the honors?”

Within minutes, Ari found herself doing the unthinkable—sitting in a pretty blue room, deep in the heart of the vampires’ court, sipping wine with the four most powerful vampires in the city. It was surreal, but apparently the games were over. Once they were settled, the prince got down to business.

“What have you been told of Frederick’s death?”

“Only that he was staked in his sleep.”

“That is true. His killer was not a vampire.”

Ari nodded. “Not directly, but someone betrayed him. An insider, probably another vampire.”

“Yes, I am afraid that may also be true,” Prince Daron conceded. “And there have been other disturbing incidents.”

“Besides the attempt on your life? What incidents?”

“My prince, I must protest.” Lucien’s mouth had puckered, as if he’d been sucking on something nasty, the moment Ari entered the room. He couldn’t contain his displeasure any longer. “The woman has no right to question you.” He directed his anger at Ari. “You’ll be told only what you need to know. Nothing more.”

Prince Daron raised a hand to stop the angry flow. “I understand your concerns, Lucien. We may be getting ahead of ourselves, but if we come to an agreement tonight, she will need to know these details. For now,” the prince turned to Ari, “it is enough to know I believe there will be another attempt on my life. And this unknown enemy has the ability to attack during the day. I trust you see the problem.”

“But don’t you have daylight guards? Someone to protect you while you can’t defend yourself?”

Daron’s look passed the question to Andreas.

“Of course we do,” Andreas said. “But since we cannot identify the enemy, we can trust no one on the current staff. As you correctly pointed out, an insider was involved. Someone revealed Frederick’s sleeping quarters to an enemy. Most of our day guards have been with us for years, but they are not vampires. I would trust them with my life. Not with the life of my prince.”

“So you suspect everyone. No prime suspect?” She continued to look at Andreas.

“That is correct. We have a traitor, but unfortunately, I do not know who.”

“So what’s all this got to do with me?” Ari asked, turning her head to address Prince Daron. She wasn’t sure where the conversation was headed.

“We will find those who betrayed us. Until we do, I need someone who can provide for my protection during the day. Take charge of the daylight guards and prevent the next attack. If the traitor is among the guards, I expect you to identify him.”

“I can’t take on a job like that,” Ari said. “The Guardianship is 24/7. And the vampires aren’t the only ones with problems.” Too restless to sit still, she got abruptly to her feet. The vampires, except the prince, reacted by springing between her and the prince. Lucien crouched, fangs showing; Carmella held a wicked-looking knife. Andreas had his arms out, blocking both sides.

Ari straightened from her own defensive reaction to them. Her witch blood raced. “Sorry about that. Really.” She showed them her hands, palms up. “I didn’t mean to alarm anyone. I think better on my feet. But look at us. If you needed proof your proposal wouldn’t work, here it is. How can I help you when we don’t trust each other?” Her explanation didn’t appear to make Lucien and Carmella much happier, but Carmella put the knife away.

Daron sighed heavily.

Andreas stepped into the breach. “We wouldn’t ask you to do this, except there is no one as qualified. You’re the Guardian, a neutral party with exceptional skills. Our court is requesting assistance from you and the Magic Council. That shows a certain level of trust. Can you afford not to listen?”

“Why didn’t you apply directly to the Council? Why come to me?”

“We chose to limit our public exposure in this matter. If we reach an agreement, Prince Daron will inform the Council President.”

She studied Andreas’s face, but his lean features and hooded eyes told so little. The vampires were still hiding something. She wanted to refuse—she had her own mission to find the wolves—but Andreas had played their ace in the hole. He’d asked for the Council’s help. What choice did he leave her? Hell, she could be such a sucker.

She looked at the city’s vampire leader. “You have my attention, your highness. Give it your best shot.”

Daron frowned, appealed to his lieutenant.

“I believe she wants you to make your proposal.”

“Ahh.” The prince’s mouth spread in a broad smile, revealing a flash of fangs. “Andreas tells me that money would not be sufficient, so I propose an exchange of services. You provide protection for the vampire compound from dawn to dusk. In return, the resources of this court and my first lieutenant will be at your disposal to assist with this problem of the wolves. I understand you already discussed some kind of joint working relationship.” Daron smiled again, and Ari wondered exactly what Andreas had said to him.

“I can relieve him of other responsibilities, when necessary,” Daron continued. “Increase his availability.” He waved a careless hand. “Of course, these arrangements will end as soon as the traitors are exposed.” He unfolded his large frame and stood. “Are those terms satisfactory, Ms. Calin?”

Unprecedented entry to the vampire court. Access to their resources. And the vampires would be indebted to the Council. More than satisfactory terms. But most important to Ari, Andreas would have to help her track the wolves.

She darted a glance at Andreas. She thought she’d seen a smile when Daron asked if the terms were satisfactory, but she asked anyway. “You comfortable with this?”

“My duties are whatever the prince says they are.”

That answer didn’t help much, but it raised another question. She turned to Daron. “How can you offer me one of your lieutenants right now? Don’t you need him here, protecting the court?”

Daron scowled and exchanged a look with Andreas.

“Fine,” she said in exasperation. “You’re still holding out, hiding something. It's your call. But in that case, I’m out of here.”

Andreas grabbed her arm before she got more than two steps. “I suggest we tell her the rest of it,” he said over his shoulder.

“Then do so.” The vampire prince dropped back into his chair.

Ari brushed Andreas’s hand away. “Well?”

“Solving one problem may solve both,” Andreas admitted. “The attacks on the court, the drug activities around town, all of it may be at Sebastian’s orders. The moment he met with you in Toronto, I feared his ambitions had caused him to look in our direction.”

“The drugs I get. But why attack your court? What does he gain?”

“I told you Daron and Sebastian were enemies.”

“You said they weren’t friendly,” she muttered. “That was the understatement of the day. If he’d go to this much trouble, this must be a feud of ginormous proportions.”

“I’m not sure what that means, but this is not a simple matter of bad blood between vampires.” Daron raised his voice in irritation. “Sebastian is after my court.”

Ari stared at him. “But he has Toronto. No offense, but why would he give up that for Riverdale?”

“Not instead of Toronto. He wants to add Riverdale to his control. Spread his influence and power,” Andreas said. “We suspect Sebastian is waging war, a challenge for the throne, without coming here or declaring himself. If he can set up a puppet leader, he would gain immense status, especially with those in Europe. And I think we can safely assume he has already selected the successor prince. Someone who will do as he dictates.”

“You’ve known this several days,” Ari said, her eyes filled with accusation. “When were you going to tell me?”

It was Daron who answered. “I asked him to wait.”

“Why? For how long? Until somebody else got killed?”

“Can the recriminations wait?” Andreas was getting angry. “You and I can discuss this later. Right now, we need to make decisions about moving forward.”

“Fine. I can hardly wait for our little talk.”

Daron looked at his lieutenant. The corners of the old vampire’s mouth quirked. “I am not sure I pay you enough.” He wiped the amusement from his face before he turned to Ari. “Does this mean you accept?”

Did it? In typical vampire fashion, both parts of this agreement benefited the vampires the most. But if they were right, someone in Riverdale had done terrible things in support of a madman’s ambitions. The deaths and violence needed a settling of scores. Ari wanted to be part of that. She’d felt the evil in Sebastian. If she had anything to say about it, that little toad would never control her town.

Ari lifted her chin and looked the vampire prince straight in the eye.

“Yeah, you have a deal.”