Building From Ashes (41 page)

She looked around at the alley. She needed to find answers. She needed to get to shelter. And—she rubbed hands over her bare arms—she really needed some clothes, as well.

Brigid could feel the rips on her knees closing as she lurched to her feet. She was starving. Clearly, whatever fire had overtaken her had drained her body
and
her amnis. She needed food. She stumbled toward the back door of the club, hoping she could find clothes inside.

As she walked past the human’s body, a gold glint caught her eye in the streetlight.

She bent down. Melted into the side of the body, under what was left of the man’s back, was a warped glass bottle. The lid was gold and it was made of frosted red glass, like an expensive perfume or lotion. But Brigid was fairly sure that the human wasn’t carrying perfume in his jacket.

Because when she picked it up and brushed the black scorch marks away from the bottle, only one word was etched onto the dirty red glass.

ELIXIR.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Dear Brigid,

It’s silly the things we do, sometimes. Like writing letters no one will ever read.

I’m in a cave in the Caucasus Mountains. It’s midday and Giovanni is sleeping. I might die tomorrow night, and the only thing I can think of is that I wish I’d had time to make love to you once. Just once. To know you that way. To love you. I don’t want to die. I’m greedy, aren’t I? A thousand years isn’t enough.

I wish that I’d had the feel of your skin against mine. To wake next to you at nightfall.

I love you, Brigid.

So, I’ll pray the prayer of a greedy man and ask for another thousand years. Maybe that will be enough.

Part of me wishes I could turn back. Go to you. Hide away and steal those years, but then I wouldn’t be good enough for you. You’ve never run from a fight in your life. Not even when it was against yourself. Have I told you how I admire you? I do.

You’ll never read this letter. And I’ll have faith that God would not have brought us together without a purpose. The hardships in your life have only prepared you for this fight. And I have to believe I will be at your side.

Whatever happens in these mountains, this evil will not end here. It will not end in Rome. Perhaps it will not end. And I must seek the truth to make us safe. That is the only thing keeping me from you, love.

I pray for your safety.

Take care of yourself, Brigid. Until I can.

Carwyn

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Dublin

December 2012

Brigid listened as Deirdre sat in Murphy’s office, briefing them about the events in Rome.

“Livia is finished,” she said. “The power in Rome lays in Emil Conti’s hands now.”

“He’s an ally,” Murphy muttered. “Not a strong one, but we’ll cultivate it. And the elixir?”

“The plant in Bulgaria has been shut down. The elixir that has already been produced there has been destroyed. Father assured me of this.”

Declan leaned forward. “That’s all fine, but what of the bottle that Brigid found on the body here in Dublin? Whoever attacked her may have been killed, but they’re not working alone. We’ve had more and more reports of immortals with odd behavior. Vampires leaving town unexpectedly. Humans in our community disappearing. Something is going on. This elixir is here and we still have no idea how to detect humans that have taken it.”

Brigid asked, “This Lucien Thrax, the physician. He’s taken it?”

Deirdre said. “Lorenzo gave him the elixir in Eastern Europe over a year ago. When I left Rome, he was failing, though Carwyn writes that his sire came for him and they think—
think
—that a sire’s blood will heal an affected vampire.”

“But it was Lorenzo who gave it to him. Not Livia?”

Deirdre nodded.

Murphy asked, “What are you thinking, Brigid?”

“Who’s to say that Lorenzo didn’t have his own supply? I doubt he trusted anyone but himself. If he gave some to Lucien, perhaps he gave some to others, too.”

Silence blanketed the room.

It was Tom who finally spoke. “It would fit with what we know. He was the one trafficking heroin in Dublin—probably to fund this elixir production. When Ioan was killed and he disappeared, the purer heroin dried up. Almost completely. We have a year or two of quiet before we start hearing rumors about this vampire drug. Deirdre, does that sound about right?”

“It does,” she said softly. “Fits the timeline.”

“He probably just quit with the human drugs and focused on the vampire one. I’m sure it’ll make him more money.”

Declan said, “And now someone is picking up right where he left off. Probably the local that Brigid was always on about.”

Jack shook his head. “Even if people believe the rumors out of Rome about the effects, many won’t believe it. Besides, it’s still attractive. It quells bloodlust, increases elemental strength—”

“Causes you to lose your mind,” Brigid said. “Slowly, but surely kills you.”

Murphy said, “So does heroin, but humans become addicted to it nonetheless. And for immortals who already believe they’re superior to humanity, this drug will be even more attractive. No one will believe it’s harmful until they see the effects themselves. We all believe what we want until we’re forced to face reality.”

Deirdre said, “Carwyn says that it’s foolish to think that we can stop it at this point. Maybe it was hidden for hundreds of years, but the secret’s out now. And there will always be vampires and humans willing to exploit the ignorance of others. But they won’t do it without some kind of safety net. Not for something this dangerous.”

Brigid nodded. “There has to be some way to detect it in humans.”

“Agreed,” Tom said. “There’s some way of detecting a human that’s been tainted. Otherwise, the ones profiting from it are poisoning their own food supply. The smartest dealers never use themselves. Human. Vampire. Same thing.”

Murphy asked, “Did Carwyn tell you anything else?”

Deirdre said, “No. I believe he’s been having meetings with someone in Vatican City, but he’s been quite vague. But he’s in Italy until after the New Year, so he has to have a reason. Otherwise…” Deirdre glanced at Brigid. “I doubt he’d stay away from Dublin for this long.”

Brigid studiously ignored the pointed glances that bounced around the room. He hadn’t written to her. Hadn’t called. And he was getting information from the Vatican, which probably had big, important sources around the globe. No doubt, an ally that Carwyn would not want to lose. Especially now. After all, this problem was far bigger than sentiment. A heavy weight settled over her heart and any hope she had of Carwyn leaving the priesthood fled. Just as quickly, she brushed her own feelings aside. They were facing a new, incredibly dangerous threat, and she was acting like a lovesick schoolgirl.

Idiot.

As Deirdre finished up with the briefing, Brigid took quick notes that she just as quickly committed to memory.

The drug, Elixir, had been produced as a partnership between Livia, the former leader of Rome, and Lorenzo, the vampire who had killed Ioan.

Ioan’s research before his death had been confirmed by Lucien Thrax, an ancient physician who had become infected with the elixir himself. It
was
possible to create a drug that would affect vampires. While the initial effects of the drug were positive, like all drugs, it would eventually kill the user. The ancient vampires that Carwyn and Giovanni Vecchio found had confirmed that the elixir would, over time, destroy an immortal’s amnis and ability to function by killing the mind. The results took time to manifest, but were inevitable. Only the ingestion of untainted blood from a vampire’s sire could heal the amnis and return an immortal to health.

Despite the deaths of both Livia and Lorenzo, the drug was still being produced. They had found more than one bottle floating around Dublin. One, on the body of the human Brigid had killed after being shocked. Jack also said he’d killed two vampires who were giving it to girls at clubs. Even he had stopped drinking from any human after he’d discovered that.

“Brigid?” She blinked and looked up to see Murphy staring at her.

“What’s up?”

“You with us? I was asking if you’d found your friend.”

“Emily? No, not yet. Her parents haven’t seen her. The more I find out, the more I think that she must have taken Elixir. Axel probably gave it to her. We know he had ties to Lorenzo, so he’s probably the local connection that we’ve been looking for. You were right.”

She saw Jack frown in the corner of the room. “Why would Pretty Boy give it to Emily?” he asked. “He drank from her. Do you think he didn’t know what it did?”

Brigid shrugged. “Is it that far of a stretch to think Lorenzo wouldn’t have confided in him? If he was the one coordinating the heroin trafficking a few years ago, it’s possible that Lorenzo just shipped him the drug and told him to sell it. Lorenzo wouldn’t have cared what happened to Axel or anyone else. It was profit to him. And if the cut for the local dealers was big enough, I doubt anyone would question it.”

Tom asked, “Any more memories of the night you were attacked? It could give us a clue if there’s anyone else he’s working with.”

She shook her head. “Nothing. The last thing I remember was talking to Emily, then waking up in the alley. I didn’t have a scratch on me, so I don’t think I was attacked, but I don’t remember anything.”

Jack nodded. “That fits with my experience with the Taser, too. Just a big blank. Fairly happy I’m not a fire vamp, though.” Jack’s eyes gleamed. “That’s a neat trick, Brigid. How’d you stay alive?”

Something about the way everyone was looking at her gave Brigid pause. She met Deirdre’s eyes and her sire gave her head an almost infinitesimal shake.

“No idea, Jack,” she said. “Just luck, I suppose.” Brigid realized that, if anyone knew how a Taser blast affected immortals, they would easily think it was a way to kill her. After all, fire was one of the few ways an immortal could be killed. If she was a normal fire vampire and her element turned on her, she would be dead.

Jack’s mouth lifted at the corner. “Very good luck, indeed.”

The meeting quickly wrapped up, and Deirdre walked Brigid home where one of her humans was waiting to take her back to Wicklow.

“I want you to watch your back, Brigid,” she said quietly. “There was something in that room that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I know that all those men are your friends, but they’re not family, so be careful.”

Her heart rebelled at the thought of any of her team members using knowledge of her weaknesses against her, but she knew Deirdre was right.

“I’ll be careful,” she said.

“Let’s keep the extent of your power under wraps for the moment. No need for everyone to know that your main weakness as a fire vampire isn’t truly a weakness.”

Brigid gave a rueful smile. “Who knew my natural prickliness would manifest in such a useful way?”

Deirdre barked out a laugh. “I’m going back to Wicklow tonight. I may go to Anne’s for a bit. Pick her brain about a few things.”

“Tell her I said hello.”

“I will. And give Father my greetings when he gets back to town.”

“Deirdre—”

“Which I have no doubt he’ll be doing as soon as possible,” her sire said with a grin. “And tell him I’ll expect the livestock within a month’s time or I’m withdrawing my offer.”

They had stopped at Brigid’s front door and Deirdre’s car was puffing out exhaust into the damp, winter air as it idled at the curb.

Brigid shook her head. “I don’t think Carwyn’s going to risk his sources through the church right now to… whatever it is he thinks he’s doing. Whatever we are—or were—it’s not more important than stopping this drug from spreading.”

Deirdre frowned for a moment before catching Brigid in a quick, one-armed hug that she’d become accustomed to from her sire. “Nothing’s more important than love,” she said.

“That’s not true. You’re the leader of a huge clan. You know that there are more important considerations than—”

“Ioan told me that, Brigid,” Deirdre said. For a moment, she caught the pink glow in Deirdre’s eyes. “Ioan told me that long ago. Before I was immortal, he told me that love was the bond that tied his family together. And together they could face any challenge the world throws at them. Love is the foundation of strength.” She cocked her eyebrow and smiled a little. “Wonder where he learned that?”

Then the tall redhead slipped into the dark sedan and it pulled away.

January 2013

Brigid scanned the list of names in front of her.

Dillon McCaffrey-114 years

Cristina Leon-65 years

Otto Smith-320 years

The list went on from there. Over twenty names. Some newly turned and others older. All who had been reported missing from Dublin or the surrounding areas. Vampires had the habit of moving from place to place—particularly the older ones—so some of these would be false alarms. Friends or clan members who would turn up in six months or six years on the other side of the globe. Others would have gone into hiding alone or with friends if their health seemed to be in peril.

And some might turn up as ashes, like newly turned Joseph Van Elsen, whose sire had discovered his remains in the garden at twilight when she came to check on her child. The sire had been worried about Joseph’s unusual behavior the previous months, but had never suspected that a drug could have caused it. Brigid only knew about the loss because Joseph’s sire was one of Murphy’s former lovers and had come to him for answers.