Page 60 of The Agent and the Outlaw
“And what ofLieutenant de Vaux?” came a voice at the other end of the table. It was one I didn’t recognize.
“I haven’t heard of him since I left and returned home. As his capture was not part of my assignment, I left him to his own fate,” I replied, attempting an air of nonchalance. Outside of clearing his name with the Order, I wanted him to be beneath their notice. It was a gamble, to be sure, but one I needed to make to secure his safety.
“You didn’t think to turn him in? Or inform any other authorities of his whereabouts?” That same voice at the end of the table.Who is that man? Why don’t I recognize him?With my new powerful supernatural senses, I was just getting used to the scent of each man at the table. Hopefully it would help me to identify them later.
“Of course not. Doing so would have jeopardized everything,” I snapped.
“How so?”
“He’d seen me with theMarquis de Sade. He saw me with another agent on the road to Gévaudan. He knows of my condition. If he’s not a complete imbecile—and I daresay he isn’t—he will put things together if he’s properly motivated. I did not wish to give him that motivation. Our meeting was one of an inconvenient convenience and we parted ways.” I shrugged.
“Do you suspect treachery? Will he try to blackmail you, do you think? Perhaps we should do better to ensure he does not allow the puzzle pieces to fall into place…”
“Don’t be absurd,” Daphne spoke up. “Such rash action will only draw more attention and put him in a defensive position. He has his own troubles to worry about. Best to leave him be. Charlotte and I will task a detail oflesDDagents to keep an eye on him.” She placed a surreptitious hand on mine beneath the table and gave it a little squeeze. She’d sensed that I would rise to Antoine’s defense and stepped in to diffuse the situation.
“That’s not good enough,” said the man at the end of the table. “I say we bring him in.”
I slowly began to remove my glove, attracting the attention of each man in the room. “I don’t think that’s a wise course of action,” I stated. I removed my other glove and placed it on the table. I started to shuck layers of my dress, boldly staring into the masked faces of each agent.
“Wh—why not?”
I was down to my chemise, stays, petticoat and stockings now. Everyone appeared confused but riveted.
“Lieutenant de Vauxsaved my life,” I said, affecting a bored tone. “As such, he is under my protection.”
With the last word, I found my inner beast, called her forth, and shifted form. I’d been practicing every day, and while it still caused me great pain, I was getting better at tucking it away. Through the rush of blood in my ears and the involuntary howls and growls that spilled from my muzzle, I heard the gasps and astonished murmurings of the men. When my transformation was complete, I sat back on my haunches and waited. A scent of fear hung in the room, which I found very satisfying.
“Remarkable!”
“Do you think she can understand us in this state? Is it capable of reason?”
“Mon dieu,what a horrifying creature! It’s as if Lucifer himself created a wolf. It certainly must be evil for how ugly it is.”
I growled and bared my teeth at the prat who’d spoken the last comment.The nerve of some men!
“I daresay she can understand us, even in her current form,” chuckled another. “I’d watch my tongue, if I were you.”
“Very well then. She is a beast—that much of her story is true. But what can shedo? We all know vampires possess supernatural strength and enhanced senses. Does she, as well?”
I nodded. The men were suitably impressed.
“Gentlemen,” Daphne said, clearing her throat. “Charlotte has requested I answer your questions about her abilities to the best of mine. Allow me to elucidate more on her condition, based on what we know so far, which is—regrettably—very little. Van Helsing may shed more light on this new variation of the blood plague, but we do know it is rare indeed. Charlotte has the enhanced senses of a vampire, albeit with a more accurate and wider ranging sense of smell. She has the same speed and strength that we vampires do, and so far, we have been evenly matched in each contest. She does not hunger for blood but seems to prefer raw meat instead. She can transform at will and generally appears to be of a similar likeness to a wolf, with the notable exceptions of a human brain and consciousness.”
“And what of her soul?” came the voice of the man in the back. “Is it lost to the fires of Hell, as yours is?”
Daphne narrowed her eyes at the insult. “I would not presume to judge her soul, nor its fate. As one of the supposedly soulless brethren, however, I might offer in defense that, in our line of work, we have met far more humans with no guiding religious light nor moral compass. Men, you would say, who are more certainly destined for Hell than many of the sufferers of the blood plague.”
At this, the man in the back stepped forward and removed his mask. I was certain I’d never seen him before, but there was something about him that rang vaguely familiar. Unconsciously, my hackles rose, and a low rumble of warning sounded from my chest.
“Forgive me for not making introductions earlier,mes agents,” one of the older gentlemen said. “This evening we have a guest in our midst.Duchesse,Comtesse, may I presentGénéral de Vaux.”
20
ANTOINE
December 13, 1767
Cimetière des Âmes Oubliées
