Rebirth of the Seer (23 page)

Monica tensed in my arms. “What is it?” she whispered.

“There is an ill presence in the wind,” I said. “Vampires approach and I am unarmed.”

“Do we have time to get away?”

“No, they are almost upon us.”

“Well you wanted to get acquainted with the local covens,” Monica lilted. I could almost hear her smirk.

“Very funny.” I frowned. Forced to form an impromptu plan, I only had fleeting moments before the band of vampires would find us and I had no means with which to ward them off. My mind raced toward the only solution. “Do you trust me?” I asked, leaning close to whisper in Monica’s ear.

“Yes, I do.”

“Then, play along. I’m going to introduce myself to them.”

Monica sighed when I kissed her cheek, but tilted her head obediently to the side as my kisses strayed down her neck. As much as I wanted to relish the moment, I stopped when I reached the halfway mark, my lips hovering above her pulse point. My fangs descended into place. “Here goes nothing,” I said, swallowing hard.

She nodded and I, in turn, prepared for the acting role of my life.

It should be stated that the Fates
have impeccable timing.

Five more minutes is all I would have prayed for. Perhaps even ten if I thought for a moment I was owed any boon by the powers-that-be. Just enough time to do what needed to be done or say whatever still needed to be said before I could spirit Monica away. I would have snatched that kiss and relished every warm caress in the chill of the evening air. And if I had been especially fortunate, heaven only knew what might have followed back inside the house.

No, instead Wesley’s paranoid delusions had to be proven correct.

There I stood, in the middle of the street, my fangs exposed and nose touching Monica’s neck. The fleeting reminder of Wesley’s words – ‘
I thought I caught a suspicious man lingering by the house tonight.
’ – resonated as I reared back in preparation for sinking my teeth into my watcher. She tensed
, clutching
onto me harder
,
and I stopped just shy of scratching her porcelain skin. Whoever this was, they would be expecting a performance. It was time to give them just that.

I sighed, exasperated, and pulled away. “My apologies, love,” I said, conspicuously loud and replete with the punctuation mark of fangs slipping back into place. “I did not realize we were to have company. I might have taken you
someplace more private
.”

Monica furrowed her brow. I shot a quick wink at her, turning my head to line the grouping of vampires in my sight just as they paused a few yards further down the street. The most loathsome expression I had summoned this side of my dance with debauchery contorted my face in a twisted scowl. My voice
descended
to a growl as I continued speaking. “Is there something I can do for you, gentlemen? Or have you never seen an immortal feed before?”

The small crowd – five in number – stared as if struck mute. All were male and seemed given over to the same formal attire which seemed endemic in my former coven. A duo dressed in suits, while two others wore clothes which hinted at a much more bygone era. The final one stood out the most, a few inches shorter than me with cobalt eyes and blond hair, clad in a crushed velvet suit which looked borrowed from Anthony’s closet. An ornamental cane in hand, he clutched it with both hands and tilted his head as I sized him up. “Well? Speak,” I said, “Unless someone has managed to sever your tongues.”

“My good fellow,” he finally said, an amiable smile touching the corners of his lips, “I apologize. It wasn’t our intention to interrupt.”

“I should say so. If you knew, you would have made certain to avoid my presence rather than raise my ire.”

“Very true. We hope you can forgive us, brother.”

“Perhaps I might. It depends on the reception I am offered from this point forth.” Turning to face the ringleader, I perked an eyebrow at him, seeing before me several cards which could be played and not knowing precisely which to lay down first. He maintained eye contact as I regarded him in silence. “And what brings you this way tonight? Is this your neighborhood?”

“One I frequent.” His smile broadene
d. “You’ll have to forgive me for
being wary of newcomers. I don’t recognize you as belonging to any of the –” His eyes flicked toward Monica, returning
to me after a split second. “–
shall we say, local organizations?”

Instinctively, I placed a hand on Monica’s shoulder. She settled against my torso in response. “You may speak freely in front of the
girl
. She is not ignorant of
us.
”

“I should say not.”

Monica wrapped an arm around my waist, her eyes not leaving our guest. “Peter, let’s go inside,” she said, nuzzling against me. Her words formed an enticing purr I could not be certain was deliberate
or part of the charade
. “I don’t like their manners and would rather be alone with you.”

My silent heart leaped for a split second, an action I could not suppress. My resolve still precarious after the events of moments ago, I maintained as severe of an expression as I could muster while my fingers coasted through her hair. “Ah, my Pet,” I said, glancing downward, “You would dare to be alone with a creature such as me?”

When she looked up toward me, I saw the lines she wished me to read between. “I’ve taken a shine to creatures like you.”

I forced myself to break eye contact. The longer we regarded each other, the more I wished to steal the kiss robbed from me and bid the demons all scatter. The ringleader smirked as our eyes met again, yet remained quiet, almost taunting me with the fact that he was lingering until dismissed. I sighed. “Your patience and spirit exceeds that of the vampires, Dearest.” I kissed the top of Monica’s head, still focused on the garish immortal. I addressed him again when I continued. “As I said, you may speak freely. No, I am not a member of one of your covens. I am a vagabond. My name, as my companion indicated, is Peter.”

“Ian Carmichael,” he said. He stepped forward close enough to extend his hand. “I confess there aren’t many drifters traveling around these days. Most of the vampires in this city belong to either me or my cohort Gabriel.”

As I shook Ian’s hand, I found my suspicions confirmed. A flash of memory brought with it the image of a man in the restaurant, pivoting in his chair to watch Monica and I depart. I now was almost certain the human had been an informant. And knowing
Wesley’s notes had indicated
Ian to be a former acquaintance of my maker only made this more the game of shadows
.

“My coven was disbande
d,
” I
said, releasing
Ian’s hand. “My mistress raised the ire of a seer and met with a swift end. Several others from our house met with the same fate. I was fortunate to escape.”

“Quite fortunate. Where was this?”

“Philadelphia.”

“Oh.” His expression sobered
, then gave way to a frown
.
If his contrition was an act for my benefit, it was a good one
. “You were one of Sabrina’s, then?”

“Yes, I was.”

“What a pity. I’d heard of some unrest and several elders lost to us in the area, but nothing of he
r fate. My condolences to you. S
he was a friend.”

“The condolences are greatly appreciated.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth, but I spoke them just the same.

Ian nodded. “You’re welcome. I didn’t know many of her children. Or many of the elders in the Philadelphia area. Matthew Pritchard and I weren’t on speaking terms.” Pausing, he glanced away as though lost in thought for a moment.
“Irony can be so cruel,” h
e
finally said, punctuating the comment with a sigh. W
hile I swore I saw his eyes linger on Monica for a moment too long, they drifted away before either of us could comment. “So many tragedies leveled at the h
and of the Supernatural Order. S
o much senseless waste. I wouldn’t mind living to see the day the last of their numbers perish.”

Monica’s grip on my back tightened. The words, ‘
Why aren’t we taking these assholes out right here and now?
’ chimed in my head, but I could not reply. Instead, I focused on speaking as genuinely as possible. “And they would be the agents of their own demise in many ways, but you know as well as I how precarious the balance between humans and vampires is.”

“Ah yes, that old superstition that the Earth might tip from its axis if we didn’t have the Order.” He chuckled and allowed a bitter smile to linger. “You must be a young one.”

“Not even a decade.”

“This explains a lot. Wh
y you’re still attached to your–” Another glance at Monica. “–
mortality. It takes time to be rid of that completely. As such, a young vampire like you shouldn’t be lacking a coven. I’ve seen solitude claim the lives of men older even than me.”

“Which makes you how old, then?”

He laughed. “Old enough to remember when the states were colonies. Old enough to know what I’m talking about.”

I scoffed. “Be that as it may, Ian, I have not found any coven worthy of joining. My dear Monica is more than sufficient company.”

“She
is
lovely. You seem to be a
man of discerning taste.” He shrugged. “I honor your wishes, Peter, I just wish I could get you to reconsider. These are interesting times in which we live and we could use all the discerning vampires we could get.”

“Interesting times?” Furrowing my brow, I wrestled with the temptation to sift through his mind. While picking apart Robin’s intentions before his demise had been simple even for my limited skill, even brushing against Ian’s surface thoughts revealed a layer of resistance. Panicked that he might have felt even that, I ceased the attempt at once. “What is that supposed to mean?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I simply mean we – as immortals – could use all the strength and power we can assemble.”
Liberating one of his hands, he gestured with it as
he continued. “Have you ever noticed how often we stand at the defensive? I’m sure you witnessed it with your own eyes, seeing the vampire slayer decimate your coven and leave you without your mistress. But it hasn’t just been your coven. We’ve bourn the yoke of oppression for centuries.”

“I know not of this yoke.”

“Because you’re young.” Ian winked. “You know nothing of how our
kind
even came to
exist
let alone how long we’ve had watchdogs circling us. This only has me more convinced you should join us.”

I shook my head. “And what if I wished to entertain an offer from t
his Gabriel you spoke of
?”

Ian laughed. “
I found you first, so I’m keeping you
.” He turned to his side and snapped his fingers at
a man
dressed similarly to him
, though in a much more subdued fashion
. “Virgil. A pen, please.”

The direction spurred the one – a brown-haired vampire with dark eyes – to walk closer to Ian. He glanced warily at me first before reaching inside his s
uit jacket and pulling out the requested item
. Ian accepted it with a grin, catching Virgil’s eyes for a brief moment before disengaging. “This is my second, and my oldest living immortal child, Virgil Worthe,” he said while patting his pockets and finally slipping a hand inside one. He produced a wallet and from there, a business card. “The others are Talon, Clarence, and William. They are all mine.”

I scanned the others, seeing each nod in recognition of their name when introduced. Talon and Clarence were the two dressed in more modern suits, raven-haired and dirty blond respectively. William’s hair bore a color somewhere between Virgil and Talon’s. He glared at me with hawkish eyes.

I perked an eyebrow at him and let my eyes find Ian again. “So, I am correct in assuming you the coven’s master
?”

He laughed and began writing on the back of the card, using his wallet as a miniature desk. “A master with several hobbies. We don’t honor much of a Parliament here like you did in Philadelphia. And in case you’re wondering what I’m doing, I’m formalizing the invitation.”

“
I take it declining is out of the question.”

“Completely out of the question, I’m afraid.”

“And what of my companion?”

“Oh, she can come, too.” He lifted his eyes from the task of writing to shoot a deliberate look at Monica. “She could even be turned if she wanted to be on the correct side of things.”

Monica bristled. It took everything in my power to keep her tethered to my side. “All things in their due time,” I said, giving her arm a squeeze.  She relaxed, albeit marginally. “Mortality can wait for eternity’s embrace.”

“So fleeting it is, though.” He clicked the end of the pen before I had a chance to weigh his statement. As he extended the card out to me, I took it in hand, but did not relinquish my hold on Monica. Ian nodded toward it. “This is our location. I’ll tell the guards to expect
an immortal named Peter. C
ome alone
just
this once. Your enchanting lady would be eyed with more curiosity than I’m sure you’d want directed her way right now.”

“Fair enough.” One glance at the card was all it took to verify the presence of an address. The flip side bore the information of a lawyer in the area. I would not have been surprised to discover the human to be Ian’s familiar. “When
shall I visit
?”

“Whenever you would like. Within the next few days would be best. I have several pressing items on my itinerary and need to see to them soon. But I’ll be in town for the remainder of the week.”

“By the end of the week, then.” I slipped the card into my pocket. Monica nuzzled close and I kissed her head while continuing to maintain eye contact with Ian. The smirk on his face. The way his eyes danced. Something lay behind the barrier of his thoughts and the line beneath my feet was too thin to maneuver. I would have to work for more information, a fact I was certain Ian was counting on. My hand drifted to Monica’s face, fingers stroking her cheek gently. “I would offer tonight, but I have other matters to attend to.”