Crimson Dawn (5 page)

Aldridge nodded as he spoke, "We have every confidence in that fact, Ms. Trumaine. I'd like to add how honored I am by your presence today. I wasn't expecting a representative from one of The Five."

Upstaged once again, Priest bristled and was quick to set the record straight. "Actually, mayor, Valeria is a Sentinel here within the CMS. She’s here in a working capacity only. I'm the only sanctioned representative present.”

Now it was Marcus' turn to growl. "We're well aware of that Priest. If you'll excuse the interruption, mayor, I'm ready to get down to business. We're not here to discuss vamp politics. People are dying while Tristan's running loose.”

Priest squared his shoulders and tried to get rid of the annoyed look plastered to his face. "Fine then, Marcus, let’s do that. I've got a statement here from Master Meriwether that discusses his feelings and position on the matter."

I almost choked on my own tongue. As far as I knew, I was the only Sentinel with the balls, not to mention the standing, to call Marcus by his first name. This assignment was obviously going to Priest's head.

Marcus stood and sent a wave of Alpha power over the room so intense that it made me shiver. "I'm only going to say this once. I don't care on whose authority you're here, you are still my subordinate, and you will never address me by my first name again, is that clear?"

I swear to god you could see Priest’s spine shrink as he stood there and tried to remember how to talk. It took everything I had not to bust out laughing and piss my pants.

Priest nodded and went into a painful recital of an obviously rehearsed dialog. "The Vampire Council will aid the CMS in every way possible to apprehend and neutralize the threat that Tristan Meriwether has proven to be. Please don't hesitate to ask for anything you need during this time. Our vast resources are at your disposal.” Priest bumbled his way through the remainder of his dialog and finally announced that he would be leading the hunt for Tristan himself.

Marcus laughed and looked to the mayor, "Sir, while I'm sure the VC has faith in Priest and his abilities, I won't have them dictate how I handle my cases. You know as well as I do that Meriwether will rip a Deadborn apart, even one with Priest's service record."

Mayor Aldridge looked like a deer in headlights caught between the rock and the proverbial hard place. "Of course, you're right, commander, but I'm sure if we put our heads together we'll come up with a solution favorable to all parties."

Marcus bobbed his head in my direction. "With all due respect, sir, I already have. As Priest stated before, Ms. Trumaine is a Sentinel in my division. You’re well aware of the fact that she's a Pureblood Vampire. Both of her parents are Vampires, giving her an additional advantage."

Marcus dropped copies of my service file in front of everyone present. "If you doubt her capabilities in handling this case due to any past acquaintance or her standing in Vampire hierarchy, please let her record speak for itself."

Priest shoved the file to the side and snarled in my direction, "The VC elders were clear about their wishes. I'm in charge of this case."

Marcus scoffed and rolled the sleeves up on his shirt, "Your elders can kiss my furry ass. As a matter of fact, I don't believe the Vampire Council wants this mark taken down at all. Why else would they want a Deadborn appointed to lead this case when they know good and damn well he hasn’t a chance in hell of taking Tristan down on his own?"

Priest was so angry he looked like his eyes were about to bug right out of his head and Mayor Aldridge looked positively green around the gills.

Everyone in the room knew that Marcus had hit the nail on the head but was afraid to admit it for fear of pissing off the VC. Chief Watkins jumped up and headed for the door, "Why don't the both of you go after him. Hell, with any luck all three of yah will end up ash."

With those parting words, the chief had consigned my time on this case to hell. Of course, the mayor loved the idea, and in a show of good faith, Marcus agreed to it.

After getting on the phone and discussing it with his contact within the VC, Priest agreed to a partnership. With the matter settled, all unnecessary parties went about their separate ways leaving only Marcus, Priest, and me.

Marcus immediately laid out the contents of another file. "Alright gals and guys, something told me that it was gonna go this way, so I took the liberty of booking a room with double beds. Low Country in South Carolina is your destination. There have been reports from the CMS in Charleston that some root doctors in the Gullah community there have been displaying rather large increases in power. There's also been a decrease in the Lifeborn Vampire population."

Priest took a quick glance at the papers spread out before us, "Shouldn't that be the opposite, Marcus? I mean if Tristan is near Charleston, wouldn't we see an increase in Vampires? And what does the Gullah community have to do with this?"

I saw where he was heading, and it was a reasonable guess, just wrong. "I see where you're going, but that's not possible, Priest.” I ignored the spiteful look he shot me. "It takes time to make a Lifeborn - time and commitment. He's moving from location to location too fast for that. If Tristan has taken up shop in Charleston and pushes the issue then it‘s his territory now. Any Lifeborn vamps are going to clear out to avoid a confrontation with someone that’s clearly stronger than they are."

Marcus shrugged his shoulders and tossed me a picture. "That's our boy, taken just two hours ago. He’s definitely there. As to the connection to the root doctors, if the rumors are true, Tristan has been living up to his bad boy reputation. We believe he's been blood raping different Extras species in an effort to acquire their abilities."

Priest shook his head. "I know Purebloods are able to assume abilities through total consumption, but I thought it had to be from a species that shared a common ancestry with Vampires."

I was completely amazed. This time he got it right. The ape had a brain in his head. Marcus looked equally surprised. "You’re right, Priest, that's where the Gullah come in. Disputed for years, DNA mapping has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are direct descendants of Witches through the Voudoun. The thing is, they also have direct ancestry from another Extras species, but the community is fiercely secretive about it. No one knows what species. The mapping proved it, but without another sample to compare against, it couldn't be determined. As a result, their powers are unique. I believe Tristan is using them to his advantage, trying to find a way to circumvent the need for blood ties in his chosen victims."

This was getting better by the minute. Looked like Irulan was right. You can be damn sure I wasn't about let her know that though. No way she'd ever let me hear the end of it.

We got the car keys to a Center SUV, an expense card, the hotel address and the name of our contact within the local center. After all was said and done, we left the conference room at exactly 7:25 p.m.

Priest followed me to my car. "What do you say I meet you at your place in an hour? That'll give you time to pack and say your goodbyes."

My stomach turned at the thought of him near my personal space, "I say no. I'll meet you back here in two hours."

He opened his mouth to protest but the look on my face stopped him cold. I was not in the mood to argue with him. I drove off with him staring at my taillights as I put distance between us.

The drive back to E City took longer than I expected. My mind raced from one subject to another, all of which revolved around my relationship with Tristan.

A huge part of me wanted to tell Marcus where he could shove it and refuse to accept the case. With the past that Tristan and I shared, I could easily do it, but deep down I had a greater need to push forward. I needed to do this, and Marcus was right. I was the only one capable of even hoping to match whatever Tristan had become. The Vampire Council had Head Hunters to deal with problem situations before the public found out about them. They were falling asleep on the job letting something this big slip through their fingers.

I pulled into our garage and went straight for Irulan’s room where. I found her waiting for me with open arms. Even for an Extra, it's eerie to me how she always knows when I need her. She pulled me into her arms and ran her hands down my hair. "I knew it. This case isn't what you need right now. If you don't wanna tell Marcus and your father to shove it where the sun doesn't shine, I'd be more than willing to do it for you."

I pulled back to shake my head no before burying it into her shoulder just as an onslaught of tears began to fall. She wrapped her arms even tighter around me and let me cry until the tears stopped.

Once I was done, she dried my eyes and pulled me down on the bed to sit beside her. "I'm not going to brow beat you over this case, Valeria, but I told you before, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

Something didn't feel right with the way she said that. I pulled out of her arms and stood up, hurt and pain giving way to suspicion and anger. Turning to look her in the eyes, I demanded, "What, exactly, does that mean? Exactly how are you going to keep me safe? What have you done, Irulan?"

I'll give her credit. Irulan stood her ground. "I'll tell you what I did. I talked to my cousin Fazion. He's given me his blessing to become actively involved on this one, Val. He'll deal with any fallout the VC may have with the Sidhe. I also paid a visit to Mayor Aldridge, caught him right as he was leaving the CMS. He's all about appearances and knowing the right people, isn't he? He fell all over himself to accommodate me, a member of the Tuatha De Danann's royal family. At this moment, he's informing Marcus Daniels that I'm going to be a case-by-case liaison for the Sentinels. I'll be offering advice on cases that deal with the arts arcane, beginning with this one, of course."

I couldn't believe what I heard. In a sense, I had not one partner now, but two. "That's low, Irulan. What in the world were you thinking? This is my job! It's what I do! Jesus! You can't hold my hand for me while I'm out in the field.” Anger boiled beneath my skin tempting to blow. I felt my face burning in an attempt to shift as I tried to hold it back. I didn't need a mirror to see that my eyes had gone entirely black. "And what the hell do you know about police work anyway!"

Irulan jumped up, her own temper spiking fueled by my loss of control, her eyes smoldering with heat, "Up until now, I had no need to hold your hand. I told you to turn this case down. I begged you, didn't I? You wouldn't listen. Tristan has changed, Val! I don't give a flying fuck about how strong you think you are, mighty Pureblood. You are clueless about Tristan and the changes he's put his body through!"

She looked around down at her feet as her mood did a three sixty, she took a tentative step closer and ran a soft finger down the side of my face, "Just for once in your ninety-eight years would you do as I ask? I know it's hard, but I really do have your best interest at heart."

As much as I wanted to hold onto my anger, I couldn't when concern for me was driving her actions. I sighed and looked everywhere around the room trying to avoid looking Irulan in her face. "I know he's blood raping other species, Ire. I know he's trying to cross over from blood tied Extras. But I also know I won't be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try to stop him."

Irulan pushed pass me and went to her walk-in closet. "Hell, I knew the moment I asked you to drop it there wasn't a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening. That's why I did what I did.” She emerged with a suitcase packed and ready to go.

"Your bag is already packed. No need to thank me. I did pack light, though. If we need anything else, we can pick it up when we get there.” Irulan grabbed me with her free hand and dragged me through the kitchen into the living room.

I barely registered the two overnight bags standing there before she snatched me down by one arm to sit next to her on the couch. "There's just one more thing to take care of before we go.” Irulan inched closer to me, and then pulled her waist length hair to one side baring her neck to me.

"Aw, hell no, Ire.” I shoved away from her and was halfway up the wall across the room clinging to it like a deranged gecko before she realized I had moved.

It was too much, too fast. My emotions were already raw. I certainly didn't need the tempting scent of her blood. "I don't know what you're trying to prove by a stunt like that, but you've been around Vampires long enough to know that was totally un-cool, Irulan."

Irulan stood and made a move towards me. I backpedaled farther up the wall until she stopped. "I work too damn hard to maintain. Please don't do this, Irulan. You know how I feel."

Allow me to expound. As I stated before, Purebloods need a regular diet of blood and food for about the first two hundred years of life. Around two hundred, our bodies stop metabolizing solids, that's when we've reached full maturity as far as our bodies are concerned. But, we are Vampires - blood drives us. The hunger for it can get so strong sometimes it sends us into rages.