Page 60 of Fangs and Family
‘Well, your feathers are nice, but who would clean up when you moult all over the place?’ She asked, and for a moment, we looked at each other seriously before we burst out laughing.
‘I… I’ll stay, I just… you are…’ Nina said, trying to catch her breath between bouts of laughter before sliding from the couch. ‘Get your perky arse to the meeting. I’ll take a shower, and when you get back, you can help me find a scabbard for this beauty.’ She said, tapping the wooden box. I pretended to pout, but I was already late, and the Tricity Alpha was not known for his patience.
‘I will prepare the bath for you, Nina.’ Lorelai’s voice came from the speakers, and I saw Nina’s shoulder sagging slightly.
‘Have you been eavesdropping again?’ she asked.
‘Yes, and I was looking, too. A very entertaining technique but I advise buying a bigger sofa. This one could barely accommodate…’
‘What’s next? Notes on my performance?’ Nina muttered quietly
‘Nine out of ten points. Master’s knee was slipping off the edge.’ Lorelai deadpanned, and Nina elbowed me in the side when I snorted, trying to contain my merriment. I had no shame, but Nina’s face was burning red. Wrapping herself in the blanket, she marched to the bathroom.
‘I’ll either choke this bloody Spirit or put her box in a nunnery.’ I heard her saying before going into my own bedroom to get dressed.
1.Zhrests - priests in the Slavic religion whosename literally means "one who makes sacrifices."
Chapter 21
Ilooked at the map, analysing the topography of the forest. I had to admit Pawel chose his hiding place well. It looked uninhabitable, a place no human would be expected to survive. I knew he was using this area of the primaeval forest since he’d been caught on camera heading in this direction at the train station, but at the place Tomasz indicated, there was nothing. Just before the war, it was a forest lake. Now, it was just swampland in the middle of nowhere, with nothing there even close to being a building.
‘Are you sure this is the place? Did he dig a hole in the peat or something?’ I asked Tomasz, who gave me a smug, superior smile.
‘You may be better with computers, but I know how to track and have an entire pack almost as good. If they tell me your man is there, then he’s there. I also sent a few friendly faces to question the locals. They told my wolves all about the local legend. According to the villagers, sometime in the past, before the swamp took over the lake, there was an island there with a small hut. Eventually, the hut fell to ruin, but the stone basement remained, and that’s where you’ll find your prey.’
‘Perfect, keep your sentinels in position. We will take him from his hideout instead of the village store. It will make things easier, though I still expect some trouble. Pawel has an artefact that belongs to a powerful vampire, and the owner may try to retrieve it by any means necessary. Make sure your wolves are ready for a fight.’
I wasn’t taking any chances this time, as this would be the only thing I had to bargain with.
‘Make sure you have the money ready for my people, and don’t worry about my fighters. They’ll be ready. The forest is their home.’ Tomasz said, irritation clear in his voice, and I nodded. I didn’t care about the money. Years of working for the Syndicate and doing various side jobs allowed me to accumulate wealth that almost rivalled Leszek’s hoard.
‘I’ve transferred enough money to the pack’s account to cover this job three times over, but make sure your team knows Pawel must be handled with kid gloves. No bites, scratches or bruises, please,’ I instructed, and Tomasz laughed, getting ready to leave.
‘Spoilsport. You’re getting soft in your old age, but fine, we won’t nibble on. You will still be in your nurse’s good graces once we drag the rat from his hole.’
As soon as I was left alone, I travelled to Syndicate’s downtown office. I needed to check for any reports of unusual activity in Tricity. I wasn’t so naïve to believe Sapieha would peacefully leave my territory just because Leszek told him to. After what I saw whilst held captive, I knew the Master Vampire was obsessive and beyond caring.
From the moment I’d watched Sapieha stroking the marble sculpture of his dead lover, the way he’d spoken of her with a mixture of love and hatred, I’d known exactly why he was so dangerous. The man was affected by the Blood Fever and would stop at nothing to find the necklace stolen from his wife’s body, then punish all those who lay their hands on her crumbling bones.Am I any better?I wondered. There was no way I’d let the bastard get away with his assault on Nina. Sapieha would die, maybe not tomorrow, or even in a month, but die, he would.
I’d never cared for power or vampire politics, but a week in his company was enough to convince me I needed both if I wanted to avoid being powerless and on my knees. I would build up my Seethe, and when I was sure we could win, I would attack.
Nina might recover from his assault, and she had, thankfully, already taken those essential first steps, but I wouldn’t. What he did to her was unforgivable, and there was no doubt I would separate his head from his shoulders, not only for sinking his fangs into my woman’s neck but also for treating my city as his own personal playground.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts and push away the burning anger.Focus, Adam. Get the locket from Pawel and leave him to Nina’s tender care.She was angry enough with her brother that he’d regret his latest fuck up. The problem was, would using the locket to force Sapieha to leave actually work?
Once I had it in my hands, I’d at least be able to examine the damn thing.Maybe Sara can help, use her magic to see if the Master Vampire will honour his word, I thought, but instantly dismissed it. Leszek clearly stated he didn’t want Sara to be put at risk, and the only thing that could genuinely enrage the Forest Lord was someone placing his Firefly in danger.
I closed another window on the computer. None of the recent reports mentioned anything unusual. No new arrivals, strange emergency calls or bodies floating in the Motlawa River. Even the Gates to the Nether realm were uncommonly quiet. I briefly spoke with Nadolny, Leszek’s human counterpart, but he had nothing to report either, and that worried me. Gdansk was never peaceful. Since Leszek’s powers had been restored and Sara’s became stronger, Tricity had become the hub for the magical community in Eastern Europe, attracting many supernatural beings. This quiet felt too much like the calm before the storm.
I signed off on the few projects awaiting my approval, noticing that in my absence, Leszek had been more lenient than usual in his rulings. I was grateful for his help, but his attitude was bound to cause problems in the future. When I was done, I phoned my Seethe’s compound, confirming the details with Brygid, my second-in-command for the operation the next day.
My Seethe was based in Oliwa, a convenient location I’d actually chosen on a whim in the first year of my new life. The small villa was surrounded by churches and places of worship, and I’d half hoped some avenging priest would put an end to my miserable existence. Instead, I’d ended up protecting the area after a chance meeting with a rabbi. The old man was being beaten up, and I’d stepped in using the opportunity to feed. I’d expected condemnation from the rabbi; instead, he’d offered me a blessing. Somehow, we became friends, and I stayed in the area till my friend died of old age.
My reputation had drawn several weary vampires to join me, each grateful to escape the absolute obedience demanded in other Seethes. When I left to travel as an amber merchant, I gave them the villa, simply asking them to support the other Elder Races and agree to abide by Leszek’s rule to never kill whilst feeding.
The last task for today was one I wished I could put off. My mind went blank whenever I wondered how to convince Nina to stay home during tomorrow’s operation. I knew that for her safety, I would most likely have to hurt her feelings, but knowing it was the right thing to do didn’t make it any easier.
Nina was stubborn and protective, and she would argue she needed to be there to ensure Pawel’s safety and compliance. She was right, but the memory of her attacking four vampires on my motorcycle was burned into my mind, and I couldn’t have a repeat of that. I was too afraid she would die if Sapieha once again incapacitated me with his magic.
