Page 61 of Brimstone Bound
‘That’s incredibly rude, Robert,’ Lukas said.
A lazy smile lit the older wolf’s face. ‘DC Brown never minded.’
‘DC Brown didn’t care.’ There was an underlying tone of menace in Lukas’s response. Interesting. And scary.
Robert, who was no doubt one of the higher-ranking betas given his lack of an arm tag and Lukas’s knowledge of his name, continued smiling. ‘Indeed.’
He raised his head, scenting the air. It wasn’t the aroma of London city he was curious about, however, it was me. ‘Alas, Lady Sullivan is very busy. She will grant you the boon of an audience as soon as she can. She is always enthusiastic about meeting with the police. There is an opening in her diary next week, after the full moon. Would 2.45pm next Thursday suit?’
Lukas growled. He appeared suddenly, genuinely angry and I had the distinct sensation that all hell was about to break loose. No doubt the fact that one of Lady Sullivan’s underlings was treating me – and therefore, by extension, the Lord of all vampires – like a random passer-by was a punch in the face. And it was something that Lukas had to respond to.
If there was one thing I’d learnt in my detective training, it was that fighting fire with fire only ever led to a blazing inferno. Despite my own annoyance at Lady Sullivan’s attempts to conceal the truth from us, I knew that we had to use water to fight effectively.
‘Unfortunately,’ I broke in smoothly, ‘this is an urgent matter of the utmost importance. I’m afraid we need to see her straight away.’
‘As I’ve already said, Lady Sullivan is very busy.’ Robert paused. ‘However, if you tell me your name, I will endeavour to slide you in before her next appointment.’
Lukas bristled. ‘You will do nothing of the sort,’ he said to me. Then he glared at the wolf. ‘You may call her D’Artagnan.’
This show of machismo was rather exhausting to watch. ‘It’s a test,’ I said.
‘I don’t care what it is,’ Lukas replied. He didn’t raise his voice, but there was no denying his mounting fury. ‘It’s disrespectful, discourteous and,’ he bared his sharp teeth, ‘downright dangerous.’
‘Please be aware, Lord Horvath, that this is not intended as a slight to you in any way.’ Robert bowed to add weight to his words. ‘I don’t wish to incur your displeasure. It is not you who concerns me. The young lady here is an unknown quantity. She has already met twice with Lady Sullivan without my knowledge. As head of Sullivan Security, I am merely performing the role I’ve been given and ensuring the absolute safety of my alpha.’
I couldn’t be arsed with this. ‘My name,’ my voice rang out clearly, ‘is Emma Bellamy.’
Lukas stiffened. Robert, however, smiled in triumph. ‘In that case, Ms Bellamy, Lord Horvath, please follow me.’ He turned on his heel and walked away.
‘What the hell?’ Lukas bit out. ‘Why did you do that?’
‘Because,’ I answered simply, ‘we need to speak to Lady Sullivan, and we need do it now.’
‘You can’t ever take back your real name! We’re dealing with dominant werewolves here who will happily use your name against you.’
I shrugged. ‘First of all, you’ve already suggested that I’m more powerful than anyone thinks.’
‘You calmed down a delta werewolf. That’s an entirely different matter to allowing betas and alphas know your real name! They could hold it over you for the rest of your tenure in Supe Squad. Look at what happened with Brown!’
‘Second of all,’ I continued as if he hadn’t spoken, ‘Lady Sullivan obviously wants to test the limits of whatever power I have. She already knows that I broke up the fight between Gregory and Becca. The fact that I’m trotting around with you while trying to investigate Tony’s murder has probably piqued her interest even more.’ I ticked off my fingers. ‘Thirdly, I’m only in Supe Squad temporarily, so what anyone does or does not know about my name doesn’t matter.’
Lukas glowered at me. ‘Anything else?’
‘Yeah.’ I took a deep breath. This last part was a calculated gamble. ‘You already knew my real name is Emma. You’ve already found it out.’
‘Whether I have or not is beside the point,’ he said, his face darkening further. ‘I have done you the courtesy of not saying it aloud.’
I knew it. ‘If the vampires know my name,’ I said softly, ‘then the werewolves can know it too.’
‘I’m the only vampire who knows your name, I promise you that.’ He gritted his teeth. ‘Not that it will make any difference now. Do you realise how long it’s been since I encountered a human as frustrating as you?’
I smiled. ‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’
Robert called from inside the Sullivan residence. ‘I thought this was an urgent matter. Are the two of you coming in or not?’
I smiled more widely. ‘Coming!’ And then I stepped inside.
***
