Authors: Nicole R. Taylor
"Then perhaps you can put him down at the same time."
"Here's hoping." Before she could sit down with her miniature bottle of vodka, a white envelope shot under the door and came to rest in the middle of the entry way.
Witches
. With a frown, she was across the room, envelope in hand. Wrenching open the door, she scanned the long hallway, but found it to be empty. Stepping back inside, she tore the envelope open, letting the door close with a bang behind her.
"What does it say?" Tristan asked over her shoulder like an excited child.
"It's a party invitation."
"I can see that. What does it say?"
"Satan's
Rout
, a Halloween Ball in an abandoned picture palace," she read. "At The Coronet Theatre. Closest tube Waterloo or Elephant and Castle…. What the hell is this?"
Tristan snatched the flyer from her and laughed, his earlier worries slipping away, "It's a theatre party. They have all of these wee rooms with different themes and people wander about in character. There's jazz bands and performances and people dress up." He took out his cell and begun to type something into it.
"What are you doing?"
"Lookin' up the place."
"On a cell phone?" she asked like it was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard.
"You really need one of these," he said waving his cell in front of her. "Very handy. Have you heard of a thing called the
internet
?"
"Why would I want one? I've been doing all right without it, haven't I?"
"It's the twenty first century, Arrow."
"So?"
"So, don't be such a technophobe."
She looked at him as if he was speaking a foreign language. "Technology doesn't sit well with me." She snatched back the flyer and turned it over. "What kind of thing is this anyway? A theatre party, or whatever."
"It's really an alternative Halloween Ball."
Aya snorted. "Halloween?"
"Yes, you know dressin' up and giving out sweets to children. Trick or treat? They're big on that in America aren't they?"
"Why would anyone want to dress up as…
"
She turned over the flyer to the front, reading the costume suggestions. "Satanic whore mongers and naughty fallen angels."
"I would expect all kinds of crazy stuff," he chuckled. "It is London after all."
Aya sighed dramatically, "And that means nothing to me. Why would anyone want to celebrate Halloween by dressing up in costumes and eating sweets?"
"You've never heard of Halloween?"
"Halloween is a time when the veil between life and death is at it's thinnest. All I know about it is that it's more trouble than it's worth."
Tristan gave her a confused look, but explained the whole costume and candy thing anyway. "You seriously don't know about modern Halloween?"
Rolling her eyes, Aya said, "I was asleep for a hundred and fifty years, Tristan."
"Really?" He seemed surprised.
"Really."
"Well," he laughed, scratching his head, "you missed some good stuff."
"Like Halloween parties?"
"I could think of better things," he winked. "Is there anythin' else in the envelope? A message or anythin'?"
Aya picked it up, but it was empty. "Nothing. It's from our friend Joseph, it has his stink all over it. I assume I will know the woman when I see her. I have a sixth sense about these things, you know."
"Yeah," he said. "Though it would be nice to have a little more information. I feel like we're goin' in blind."
"Perhaps. But I don't need it for this."
"What if Regulus knows about the half-breed woman? They could be lyin' in wait for us."
"Chances are, he'll have some of his thugs there," she shrugged. "Could be a bit of fun."
Tristan looked worried. "I worked with him for a long time, Arrow. If he knows then he'll send the Six."
"Let them come," she hissed. "It's about time I put them in the ground."
Aya had met the vampires known as the Six on a few occasions. The last time she had been in Paris and they'd attempted to surround her in a crowd of humans come to watch the execution of the French Queen, Marie Antoinette. She remembered snapping Victoria's neck, before escaping. That was a few months before she set foot in America for the first time.
The Six were Regulus' most trusted lackeys. Six of the most highly skilled vampires she'd known, assassins, spies, fighters, executioners, soldiers… they'd all been vile things when they were human and all of those traits and skills had carried over. He'd put them together almost five hundred years ago and not once had they come close to laying a finger on her, let alone capturing her. She was not afraid of them.
They would go to this Halloween party and meet with the half-breed insider and find out the truth. Who she was and
what
she was. Then she would solve the mystery behind Zac's blood once and for all and confirm what she suspected was true.
That they had something to do with the Celestines.
Something she hoped to hell wasn't true, since Joseph had said they had turned to evil. That was the ultimate kick in the guts.
She would find a way to infiltrate the Coven and find out what they were hiding. Then and only then, she would decide if they were to live or die.
Either way, she was about to do a lot of killing. Vampires, witches, it didn't matter as long as someone’s blood was spilled.
R
egulus kept a house in the highbrow neighborhood of Hampstead. It was more of a mansion, the outside resembled the exterior of
a Roman
temple, all columns and scroll work. Zac snorted at the irony. The Roman had an inflated sense of self, more so than Arturius.
Zac pulled his new coat closer around him and walked up the front steps and rang the bell. Time to face the music and see what was going to happen next.
He wasn't surprised when a human opened the door and looked him up and down with a sigh. He was an elderly man, perhaps about seventy human years, grey hair and a crooked back. He was obviously the legal owner of the house, even though it belonged to the Roman.
"Another vampire," the man said with distaste. "You must be Zachary."
Zac raised an eyebrow at the old man and nodded.
"Well, you better come in. He's expecting you." Once he'd received the invitation, Zac was free to step inside and the man closed the door behind him. Pointing up the staircase he said, "Up the stairs, third on the right. I don't escort vampires."
Walking up the stairs Zac took in the finery with a detached air. Paintings hung along the walls that looked old and expensive, even the carpet underfoot felt like it was the best quality. Things came easily for someone who could compel their way to anything they wanted. That, and being two thousand years old and truly immortal had something to do with it.
When he reached the third door on the right, he lifted a hand and rapped lightly on the door.
"Come in," came Regulus' voice from inside the room.
When Zac opened the door it revealed a cozy study, not unlike his father's back at the manor. The walls were lined with bookshelves with some very old looking books clogging every available space. The Roman sat in a dark brown leather chair beside an open fireplace, which someone had lit due to the cold snap outside. The small table beside him held a crystal decanter full of brown spirits and in one hand he held a matching glass that was almost empty. It was lavish and over the top, but he'd expected nothing less.
"Don't hover by the door Zachary, it's rather annoying," he waved the young vampire into the room, gesturing to a matching armchair across from him. As Zac sat, Regulus raised an eyebrow expectantly.
"Aeriaya is in London with the Irish knight," he said nonchalantly, using her full name.
"Really?" The Roman was suddenly interested.
"They've been spending quite a bit of time at the British Library."
"The library? Can she be any more boring.
"
"They've been attempting to find out where Victoria came from."
Regulus couldn't hide his smirk. "She wants to know about your blood."
"Yes." He wasn't surprised that he knew that secret.
"Is there anything else?"
"Victoria's family was a very old and powerful line of witches, but I suspect you already know this. Garrett seemed to think that they were hiding something that was sacred to them.
Something very old and very powerful.
He was very unsettled at the prospect of the Hunter finding it. I pressed him for more information, but he didn't know anything else. Everything he told me he believed to be the truth."
"And what did you do to him?" The Roman looked at him expectantly.
"I killed him."
"How?" his eyes sparkled.
"He had been telling lies," Zac said without emotion. "So, he lost his tongue. Then he suffered a cardiac arrest."
Regulus was beyond pleased. "I hope you made it slow."
"Extremely."
The Roman was still for a few minutes, pondering the information that Zac had brought back. He didn't move from the chair, waiting to be dismissed, but Regulus wasn't finished. "It's curious how you used her full name. Until recently, she was just Aya to you. Did her betrayal cut that deep?"
Zac stared at the Roman, his lip lifting slightly into a sneer.
Regulus smiled, coking his head to the side. "You must forgive me for not thanking you before now, but I had to be sure." He handed the young vampire a glass of what appeared to be an expensive Irish whisky. "You helped free me from that insufferable witch. She had us all ensnared from the moment she turned us. That was the part she so conveniently left out of her bargain. There wasn't much we could do without her say so. Now I am free to do all those things myself and not rely on incompetent fools to do them for me." He looked at Zac with a note of regret. "I could have done with you a hundred and forty years ago, Zachary."
He didn't say a word, instead choosing to gaze into the fire rather than be sucked in too deeply by Regulus' silver tongue. One day he would have an opportunity for revenge and he wouldn't hesitate when that time came. Suddenly thinking of Tristan, he asked, "Why did you send Tristan to warn her?"
Regulus narrowed his eyes. "You ask a lot of questions, Zachary."
"Is he still working for you?"
"I knew the moment I sent Tristan away that he would deliver my message and promptly switch sides. I am not a fool."
"You did it deliberately," Zac mused to himself.
"Aeriaya needed to be smoked out of her fox hole and it worked. She's here doing my work for me. She can go places I cannot."
Zac knew better than to keep asking questions and clamped his mouth shut. Aya was looking for something the Roman wanted and that meant it had to do with this mysterious Coven Garrett had told him about. Whatever Regulus was looking for, so was Aya.
"Come, I have some people you need to meet," Regulus gestured for him to follow as he stood and walked into the hallway. "They all know you had a hand in the death of my brothers. That has instilled enough misguided respect for them to follow you regardless." Regulus turned and stared at Zac, his eyes burning. "Don't misinterpret my intentions, Zachary. I haven't forgiven you for your part in that. You are merely a means to an end, my friend."
"Likewise," he murmured in return.
He smirked knowingly and descended the stairs, leading him to a sitting
room, that
was as lavish as the study had been. There were more vampires in the house, he could sense their presence and guessed there were six in the room they approached. The human butler who had opened the front door earlier was hovering in the direction of the kitchen within hearing distance, but no one seemed bothered by it.
The six vampires looked up as Regulus walked into the room and glanced at Zac with curiosity. They were all dressed in dark clothing like they were a bunch of thugs waiting for their next order. Which was exactly what they were.
Five males and one female.
"Knew it," one of the men muttered, looking Zac up and down.
"Knew that he'd show up?" one of the others asked.
"Of course," Regulus interrupted. "After watching him play with his food, where else would he go but to where he belongs?"
Zac was still struggling with that one, so he said nothing, which was the best thing he could have done. The six vampires were looking at him with a mixed sense of awe and apprehension. After all, he'd had a hand in killing two founders and the witch that created them. Not to mention Alistair, who they probably would have at least known of. He was three hundred years older and a lot stronger. By rights he should have been the one who was staked.
"They call this lot the Six," Regulus said, breaking him out of his reverie and walking across the room. Pointing to the first vampire who sat in the leather armchair, he said, "This one is Nye."
The man nodded with a wry smile, his messy brown hair falling in his eyes. He didn't look a day over twenty-five. Regulus was still speaking, talking for him, "He's an old bastard, but he's a follower. He'd follow you to the end and rape and pillage along the way if that's what you asked him to do. Ironically, he does have a sense of honor that we haven't seemed to get rid of."
Nye shrugged as if to say, whatever. Zac couldn't help but notice the ugly scar that marred the vampire's face and wondered how he got it. It had to be something he had gotten when he was human. That would have healed within minutes otherwise. The scar began from his left temple, across his left eye and the bridge of his nose, ending in a deep red gash across his right cheekbone. Nye was lucky he kept his eye, but it was more to do with sheer luck or maybe his
opponents
lack of skill. Either way, he still had both of them.
Regulus moved onto the next vampire, who was a tall, broad shouldered hulk of a man. "Rixum, the bald headed buffoon is nothing but a grunt." He slapped him on the back of the head. "He's the bodyguard. The vampire shield." The vampire nodded his head at Zac, not taking his eyes off him.
"This one," he pointed to a wiry man, who was rather plain to look at, "is Maddox. His claim to fame is that he's an assassin. Sneaky little bastard who will gut you in your sleep."
"Hey," he said with an air of caution that Zac didn't like. What had Regulus told them about him?
"Rob is a newborn," Regulus looked the next vampire up and down. "He was a cage fighter, so he will hit you where it hurts, then bite your ear off." Rob was a tall, muscled man with a shaved head and an arm of Japanese style tattoos. It didn't matter one iota that the man used to fight for a living. He was a vampire now and that meant a whole new set of rules.
"He replaced William after he was cut in half," Maddox said, not elaborating any further.
Regulus continued down the line, gesturing towards a tall, slim woman.
Her hair was covered by the hood of her jacket
, but from the coloring of her skin - pale and freckled - Zac guessed she was a redhead. "Holly is your token female, but she fights dirty and that's what I love about her. She'll bite and scratch you to death if that's what it took." As she pulled off her hood, wild red curly hair tumbled out and her hazel eyes glittered at him in the gloom. She obviously liked what she saw, but Zac's hostile glare didn't falter.
"This one we call Pyke.
Simply because he used to stick heads onto pikes outside the Tower of London after the executioner chopped them off.
He's macabre and sick," Regulus said.
Pyke was broad shouldered and tall, dark haired and wore a chin full of stubble. He had an air of nonchalance, but anyone could sense the underlying malice about him. He, along with the other five, all had a skill that was useful in some way. They were all exploitable to some extent and Zac wondered how often they were left alone to their own devices. This lot was trouble. Rob seemed to be a loose cannon just by the look of him.
Regulus was watching him look the Six over. "They're loyal, skilled and know how to get things done. Which is what I expect from you," the Roman said, the warning in his voice not going unnoticed by anyone.
Zac raised an eyebrow at the founder. "And what do you want me to add to the mix?"
"You were a military man, were you not? And I understand you had some very specific training."
"Is that what they call it?" he snorted, not liking where the conversation was going.
"Victoria had great hopes for you. She was foolish, but her eye was accurate, I'll give her that. You, Zac, are our next greatest player. We are going to do great things together, you and I." Regulus seemed extremely pleased with himself.
Zac snorted, surveying the six vampires. "Be more specific."
Regulus laughed and slapped him on the shoulder. "What do all evil predatory bastards want?
Blood, sex and power.
And we will start with your girlfriend."
Deep down, Zac knew that he would be used against Aya. The Roman was smart in pitting him against her so soon after her betrayal. Strike while the wound is fresh. The Roman was hoping it would make a spectacle. Everyone was looking at him as if they were waiting for a reaction, but they weren't going to get one.
Regulus snorted, obviously disappointed. "Do what you want. Work with them, tell them to do your bidding, I don't care as long as I get results. Now, get out. I'll be in touch when I need you."
"C'mon, Zac," the vampire that was introduced as Nye gestured towards the door.
"We've got a place not too far way."
The Six filed out of the front door into the cold night, Zac trailing behind. He supposed he would just go with it; there was nothing else to do for the moment. Regulus would use him soon enough and then he would have to be ready. Who knew what would go through his head when he laid eyes on
her
again. Would he still find himself loving her? Of course he would. Falling out of love with Aya would be one of the hardest things he would ever have to do.
Following the Six through the streets, they soon came to a populated area. A rail bridge spanned across the road, between the old brick buildings, painted with the words, ‘Camden Lock’. Zac remembered this part of town. Camden had always been a little bit of an underbelly and now seemed no different. It was still early evening, but most of the markets and shops had closed for the night, though the bars and clubs were only just starting their trade. The streets were alive with people and
movement,
everyone was out looking for a party.