Page 34 of Never Run from an Immortal

She was no human. Fae or Witch, or perhaps even a half-breed, just as he was. Though no one, not even Baelin, knew that. When Aidan’s uncle had threatened to expose the truth, Aidan had killed him for it before everything he’d worked for could be destroyed. His uncle’s execution had earnt him the council’s fear but not their respect. Aidan had no need for that, however few of them remained after last night. They’d have retreated back to their families, shut themselves away from the daylight to plot and scheme.

A few cars ahead, someone wielded their horn at a delivery vehicle. Humans transported goods exclusively at night, a task Aidan had long since convinced himself was just to piss off his kind. The human he’d interrogated the night before had provided no new information, and Aidan had dispatched him before the man could empty his bladder all over the stone floor in the manor’s basement.

He drove through the empty streets of the Western Quarter on his way to the Upper Third District, casting a wide net with his Provident abilities ahead of his meeting. Being caught out a third time in one week was a dent his ego could do without. The scent of roasted meat and spices drifted through the vehicle’s filtration system, restaurants passing by in a blur that made the Quarter such a popular spot for Fae and humans alike. Even the occasional Vampire had been known to frequent the area as of late, if only to add more humans to their feeding cycle.

He turned down a small side street, approaching his destination. The Vampire he was meeting had a knack for being a sneak, but that was precisely why Aidan had chosen to meet with Cormac. Though it might be unconventional for a Vampire Lord to drive himself to meetings, something Aidan couldn’t give a fuck about, he preferred controlling the location.Controlling as much as he could, because things out of his control usually ended up spiralling into an even bigger problem. Like Rae.

Pulp your only shot at getting your magic back, she’d said, his grip tightening on the steering wheel at the thought. Because with how much she had everything locked down tight, how much she would fight it, it was a very real possibility. He shoved aside the discomfort that accompanied the thought, pulling up outside an unlit two-storey warehouse, and his PAD illuminated the dashboard with a message.

Welcome, my lord.

Aidan swiped it away. Cormac had cameras set up all over the place, precisely why Aidan had picked it. Baelin was watching from his monitors at the manor, and Orion and the team were nearby. Cormac might be able to provide answers, and Aidan wasn’t above admitting he needed them.

Too many reports of missing persons, humans and Orders, were cropping up from all across the city, and Aidan needed to get a handle on the situation before it spiralled out of control. Though in truth, it had been out of control for months. Nim had been missing for several nights now, and he knew Rae understood the implications of that, whether or not she admitted it. If Nimala hadn’t already been a test subject, there was a very high chance she was going to become one.

This area of the Upper Third was mercifully deserted so late at night, but Aidan could feel the First Unit’s presence nearby, coupled with the hundred or so Vampires and humans inside the warehouse, even though most were underground. A lamp flickered overhead, the electric humming the only sound on the quiet street as Aidan stepped out of his car.

A security guard dressed in black opened a metal door on silent hinges, moving aside to let Aidan in. Cormac at least had the decency to be waiting for him top-side. Aidan dismissedthe guard, making his way towards the waiting Vampire and his entourage through a room with wooden crates stacked floor to ceiling and swinging lights flickering overhead. At a quick glance, it looked like any other warehouse holding goods.

Six Vampires, one human. Aidan knew he wouldn’t like what he was about to see. Knew Cormac knew that too.

“What makes you mortal,” Cormac’s voice carried through the warehouse, “is that you think you have time. Whereas I know I do.”

“I’m sure you can recall what it feels like to have time slip away from you,” Aidan said as he rounded the last stack of crates and took in the sight of the half-naked human kneeling before Cormac.

The five other Vampires lowered their heads, some mumblingmy lordunder their breath. Cormac inclined his head, just enough of an acknowledgement not to be a slight. He wore his hair slicked back, the blond ends curling against skin so pale it was almost blue, pale green eyes glittering with indifference.

The human was shivering, despite how carefully she’d placed her hands in her lap, her head bowed as she listened to his little speech. Her bare knees pressed into the rough floorboards, goosebumps rising on every exposed inch of flesh. The black dress she wore was barely a scrap over her body. Cormac looped a lock of her auburn hair around his finger, the hungry look in his eyes one Aidan had seen on almost every other Vampire he’d ever met. Vampires were fascinated with humans, and even though Cormac had once been one himself, that hadn’t seemed to quell the appeal.

Turned Vampires were a rarity in Demesia, and largely outcast by other Vampires, traditionally because of the nature of their creation. Aidan loathed tradition, but that didn’t mean he liked Cormac.

With a single thought, he had the human rise without objection from anyone else, turn on unsteady feet, and leave the warehouse.

“Are you asking if I miss my mortal life, my lord?” Cormac asked as if no time had passed since Aidan’s statement, as if his plaything hadn’t just upped and left without a word.

Aidan shrugged. He had no interest in the answer. Cormac had been a human pet, turned by his master, Levice, until the opportunity had arisen for Cormac to end his master’s life. He knew all too well that what had made him mortal had nothing at all to do with time. Levice had loved the sound of his own voice, and even more than that, the sound of poetry, so it was no surprise that Cormac spewed the same garbage to his human pets too.

But what Aidan needed from Cormac wasn’t knowledge. It was his connections.

“I miss the dawn,” Cormac said, rubbing a thumb under his chin, though it seemed like a show just for the other Vampires. His fingers were laden with jewels, one in particular a design that struck Aidan as something Rae might have made. “And I miss the joy of a cheap, cold ale shared with friends as the sun set.”

More poetry, but it was thosefriendsthat Aidan was counting on. He could get into someone’s head and make them do his bidding, but he couldn’t take over an individual for long enough to have them meet and question another, not without exposing himself anyway.

“Speaking of friends. You’re still in touch with Weyland.” A statement, because Aidan already knew the answer. Could see from sifting through Cormac’s thoughts that he’d been meaning to get in touch with the ISA leader for some time now.

Cormac waved a hand, dismissing the group of Vampires, leaving them with only the security guard who’d let Aidan in.

Report, he instructed Baelin. Aidan felt nothing untoward from the perimeter, no movement outside of a regular patrol from his First Unit, but there was something, a feeling in the air he couldn’t place.

Everything looks fine,came his Ascendant’s reply.I’ve got eyes on your car, eyes on that security guard, eyes on the fucking woodchips by your shoes.

Aidan resisted the urge to look around for the cameras and hold up a middle finger as Cormac decided which answer to settle on. Aidan already knew all of them; he wanted to see which Cormac chose.

“I’ve been trying to get hold of him.”

The truth. Good start.

Cormac opened his mouth to say more, but Aidan raised a hand to stop him before the turned Vampire had the chance. “Before you opt for the lie.” He urged the guard to remove his gun from its holster and raise it to Cormac with a flex of his Provident abilities.

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