Page 23 of Blood and Hexes

Lord of Schemes

Mikar generally listened to his gut feelings, and right now, they told him thatDiana Helsing was going to be a hell of a lot of trouble, one way or the other.

Levi was the first to walk in the study where Mikar had been working for a couple of hours on Saturday evening."I didn't expect to see you here on your day off."

Today was Ruby's shift. She'd been training Chloe and Cat when he'd left Levi's homeearlier. Typically, Mikar used his days off guard duty to catch up on shows, listen to audiobooks, and train, either with Levi or Sylvan, now that he was on the hill.

"I had things to check out," he replied.

"Things like a certain brunette who hasn't shown up in hundreds of years and mysteriously returned while we're waiting for another attack on the borders?" Levi shot him a knowing smile.

Mikar knew Alexius would have his hide—or attempt to, in any case—if he heard that he was investigating his sister, so he hadn't wanted to speakabout it on the hill. He was fairly certain that Levi understood his impulse, though. He shrugged unapologetically. "We can never be too careful."

"No, we can't. What did you find?"

"Fuck all." Mikar sighed. He'd called the extensive contact list he'd amassed over the years, and most had only heard about Diana in passing. Those who knew her described a nice lady who didn't get on anyone's bad side. A far cry from what he'd seen at dawn. "Everyone says she's nice, and likes to stay out of vampire business. She stays in one place for a decade, maybe two, only interacting with regulars, and then she moves on."

"Hm." Levi scratched the stubble on his jaw. He'd shaved a couple of days ago, as he did about once a year. Vampire hair grew increasingly slower as they aged. No one quite understood the mechanics of how. Mikar preferred to remain clean shaven, and he only had to shave every other month to remain that way.

"What?" Mikar had known Levi for long enough to see when he had something in mind.

"That's actually common enough, for those who do prefer the company of humans. They leave after ten, fifteen years, when everyone they grew close to gets older."

"To avoid seeing them age and die," he gleaned.

Levi nodded. "It's a sign of empathy. The vampires who stick to regulars like this tend to be those who shy away from the realities of our world. The violence, the deaths."

That most definitely didn't fit with the image of the woman he'd fought. She'd been fire wrapped in wrath. "Something doesn't add up. She would have bitten my head off if she could."

"Oh?"Levi laughed. "And I suppose you were all nice and welcoming to her, when you thought she might want to breach the walls?"

His grimace was telling.

"That's what I thought." Levi shook his head. "Just because she might prefer to live a peaceful life doesn't mean she's soft or weak. Diana is Alexius's age—at that point a couple of years doesn't make much of a difference. That makes her an ancient, just like us. And while she was a sickly kid, her mother did train her when she felt all right."

Mikar remembered as much. They'd all felt concerned for Diana on the hill. Born vampires were rare, and precious to their kind. Everyone had hoped she would pull through, living long enough to be turned. Feeling protective of her had been entirely natural. Most of the time, the kid had been closed up in her bedroom with healers and witches, overseen by the redoubtable Solene Helsing. When all their treatment had finally worked its magic, she ran laps up and down the hill, and practiced sword and hand-to-hand fighting, like any other vampire child. Only, she'd been doing it alone with her mother, who didn't let anyone close to her. Solene had screamed so loud the rest of the hill heard it, the few times Diana had snuck out. They'd ended up helping out, bringing her back to her doorstep just so they didn't have to risk a burst eardrum. Poor kid.

It was hard to reconcile his vision of the child he still felt violently protective over with the woman he would have gladly bitten.

"Doesn't it seem strange to you that she's come all of a sudden?"

"No," Levi said. "Alexius told me his sister would be back when he broke his curse, once, when he was plastered. That was always the plan. If I'm not mistaken, it could be one of the reasons why he was so desperate to get away from Oldcrest." He paused. "Solene and Vincel did a number on both of their children. They downright ignored one, and suffocated the other. I think they both have unresolved issues about it. By extension, they have unresolved issues about all of us, and Oldcrest too. I don't think Diana is a threat. Not yet. But I believe she could easily become one."

Mikar considered Levi's words for a moment. That might just be the link he was missing, between the person whom his acquaintances said Diana was, and the one he'd met. Unresolved issues with Oldcrest. Anxiety about being here at all.

"I suppose my welcome didn’t help matters," he hazarded.

Levi laughed. "No, I suppose not."

"Should we have her watched? See if she's up to anything?"

Levi walked to his desk, and started to set up his workstation. "Definitely not. For one, she'd sense it. And she hasn't given us any reason to mistrust her yet."

Mikar didn't like it at all. "It's a risk. What if she does end up being an enemy? She'd be right here among us, and we wouldn't know better."

"It is a risk," Levi conceded. "But the potential reward makes it worth it."

Mikar frowned.

---