The Cold Kiss of Death (25 page)
‘I am not so in need of blood that I will put you at risk, Genevieve,’ he said softly.
His words answered my unspoken fears, but still they made my pulse hitch.
He opened his eyes, giving me an almost amused look. ‘But it would be less difficult if you could calm your heart rate.’
Yay! The monster says he isn’t going to eat me. Yet.
I breathed in, aiming for relaxed; and instead a curl of lust twisted inside me as I inhaled his dark spice scent. I banished it with thoughts of Fabergé eggs, necromancers, Moth-girls and Bobby, and finally narrowed them down to the more immediate question of my alibi, or rather, Malik turning up with my alibi at the top of his to-do list - he hadn’t even fed properly before coming to find me. So why had he really sought me out? I opened my mouth to ask, then decided not disturbing him might be a better idea for now. The buttoned-up suit made him look distant, unapproachable - then I realised it wasn’t just the suit. He’d shut down. He’d stopped his heart from beating, stopped his lungs from drawing breath and dialled his hypersensitive vampire senses back to less than an average human’s. It’s something most vamps pick up pretty quickly after taking the Gift; it makes it easier to integrate into human society, a way to avoid the siren calls of beating hearts and fang-aching blood scents. Unauthorised nibbling to satisfy those midnight-munchies is a sure-fire route to getting the chop - literally - with a one-way trip to the guillotine. Of course, snacking on a willing victim isn’t a problem, so long as it’s on licensed premises—
The lens of the taxi’s CCTV camera caught my attention and suddenly alarm bells started ringing. I leaned forward and tapped the glass partition. ‘We need to go back to the HOPE clinic,’ I said to the goblin driver.
He shifted his head slightly and in the rear-view mirror I saw the rear lights of the bus in front reflecting red in his shiny green eyes.
‘Keep going,’ Malik said quietly.
The goblin gave a sharp nod.
Damn
. I turned to face Malik. ‘The hospital’s got security cameras,’ I said, keeping a tight rein on my frustration. ‘They’ll have caught Bobby feeding, it’s not licensed premises, and his being out of it isn’t going to make any—’
. I turned to face Malik. ‘The hospital’s got security cameras,’ I said, keeping a tight rein on my frustration. ‘They’ll have caught Bobby feeding, it’s not licensed premises, and his being out of it isn’t going to make any—’
‘The cameras were not focused on that particular part of the incident,’ he interrupted. ‘The humans will believe it was their efforts that were successful in saving both the vampire and the girl; they will not remember otherwise.’
So he’d adjusted their memories during the mind-lock, which made sense—
‘But what about the troll? And the Beater goblin and the Souler, they all know the truth.’
‘There have been recent meetings between the Vampire High Table, the Goblin Queen and the Matriarch of London’s troll clan.’ He pushed the fall of black hair back; the stone piercing his earlobe glinted black against his pale skin. ‘We have negotiated several new treaties to ensure the current confidence the humans have in their safety around vampires does not become compromised.’
Surprise winged through me. The vamps and the goblins had always talked, but the trolls were new to the mix. It wasn’t just the venom hits I’d missed since I’d given up my regular trips to Sucker Town - as Rosa - but all the gossip too.
‘The incident tonight would have been blown up out of proportion by the media,’ Malik carried on, ‘particularly as it involved Mr October. He has only recently been cleared of murder charges; ally that with the current anti-fae feeling and it is possible that it would incite the humans to turn against anyone Other. It is in the best interest of all to minimise any such incidences.’
Of course, it didn’t help that I was in the frame for murder, heating up the simmering anti-fae discrimination almost to boiling point. Still, even if Malik was for minimising any problems, he hadn’t appeared too thrilled by the idea back at HOPE.
‘If keeping a lid on what happened is for the greater good’ - although mostly for the vamps’ greater good, a cynical voice in the back of my mind added - ‘why were you getting all worked up about sorting things out back there, then?
‘If I had done nothing, Genevieve,’ he said, soft-voiced, ‘the outcome would ultimately be the same. Mr October would still be a hero, albeit a dead one, and the girl would be just another sad statistic. It was the method used to save their lives, which would have been sensationalised, as you so rightly surmised.’
I ran my hand anxiously over my hair then stopped as my fingers tangled in the Glamour-spelled ponytail. I could just imagine the headlines: VAMP CHOWS DOWN WHILE DOCS WATCH or even, HOSPITAL FOOD JUST GOT BLOODIER. The media would make a five-course meal out of it all. And Grace would lose her job!
‘Are you sure the humans won’t remember anything?’ I asked, worried.
‘They may dream.’ He touched a finger to the platinum ring that banded his thumb in what seemed a vaguely troubled gesture. ‘It is not the ideal way to force human minds as I did, but I had neither the time nor the fortitude to gain their compliance in any other way.’
‘Has it done them any harm?’
‘No, but the two doctors’ minds were difficult.’ He lifted one hand, indicating that he’d done what he could. ‘If they think about anything too hard, they might recover their memories.’
‘Grace is my friend,’ I said, frowning, ‘she’s going to wonder why I left. What did you tell her?’
‘You saw she was busy and did not want to disturb her.’
I tapped my thigh; Grace wasn’t going to believe that! She’d have expected me to hang around and help. I dug out my phone and texted her to say I’d found my alibi and I’d talk to her later, after I’d been to the police. Then I noticed I’d missed a text from Finn, saying Tavish was home and his place was safe; he’d see me there. I texted back okay and left it at that, not wanting to tell him where I was going, and unsure just how safe Tavish’s place really was, thanks to the sidhe queen’s curse thing.
‘The girl kept saying she had something to give me.’ I looked up at Malik. ‘Don’t suppose you’ve any ideas?’
‘Do you know what this is?’ He produced a length of bloodstained white ribbon from his pocket.
‘It was tied round the girl’s neck,’ I said. Something was nagging at my mind about the ribbon, but as I tried to catch the thought it was gone. ‘And no, before you ask, I don’t know what it means. So perhaps you could hold off on being mysterious for the moment and just tell me what’s important about it?’
He smoothed the ribbon between his fingers and I shivered at the sensation as if he’d smoothed the ribbon around my own throat.
Mesma
.
Mesma
.
‘It is a tradition amongst us that when we wish to court another’s favour we will offer a gift,’ he said, his expression pensive. ‘The colour of the ribbon signifies the giver’s intentions. Red is an offering of blood, black is an offering of sex, and white indicates the gift is available to do with as you will, to use for food, or sex, or with the addition of the venom and the knife there is an added option of a different entertainment.’
Watching someone cut them themselves and bleed to death is entertainment? I frowned. But if it was a vamp thing, why had Moth-girl been sent to find me? I looked down at the scraped skin of my knuckles and remembered Bobby pleading for me to talk to Rosa, my supposed master for him.
And then my mind went
click!
‘So, Moth-girl herself was the actual gift.’ A bloody box of chocolates, vampire style. ‘So some vamp wants something from Rosa’ - much like Bobby had - ‘but they can’t find her, so instead they stoke up Moth-girl and send her to me, presumably thinking I’d know to pass the gift on to Rosa, because they all think Rosa’s my “master”?’
click!
‘So, Moth-girl herself was the actual gift.’ A bloody box of chocolates, vampire style. ‘So some vamp wants something from Rosa’ - much like Bobby had - ‘but they can’t find her, so instead they stoke up Moth-girl and send her to me, presumably thinking I’d know to pass the gift on to Rosa, because they all think Rosa’s my “master”?’
‘The situation has escalated further than I had imagined,’ he agreed.
So now I knew the
what
, and the partial
why
, but I still didn’t know the
who
behind Moth-girl, or how they/she’d found me at HOPE. Something still nagged at me.
what
, and the partial
why
, but I still didn’t know the
who
behind Moth-girl, or how they/she’d found me at HOPE. Something still nagged at me.
‘It is an issue that needs to be resolved,’ he carried on, ‘before it spawns any more problems. If one vampire has conceived this idea, no doubt others will.’
Fuck! ‘And I thought it was bad enough when all the invitations started turning up,’ I muttered, angry that yet another vamp problem had decided to metaphorically bite me. ‘But at least they weren’t hurting anyone. No way do I want any more
gifts
like poor Moth-girl—’
gifts
like poor Moth-girl—’
He captured my wrist, his fingers cold against my skin. ‘What invitations?’
I blinked, wanting to pull away, but then a feeling of languor slipped over me; there really was no need. All I had to do was answer his questions, nothing more. Wasn’t it more comfortable just to chat? Of course it was. I settled back into my seat, smiling at how pleasant it was to sit here, my hand in his, his thumb gently stroking my sore knuckles ... Only it was as if the conversation was in another room and I was watching us through a window, not quite able to hear, no matter how hard I tried to listen. Then the glass separating us dissolved ...
‘—and you have had invitations from vampires of all four blood families?’
‘Yes—’ I frowned, then yanked my hand from his. ‘What the hell did you just do to me?’
‘Nothing, Genevieve.’ His
mesma
soothed over my body with the barest touch. ‘It is a small trick to aid the recall of any information that the conscious mind might have dismissed as unimportant. That is all.’
mesma
soothed over my body with the barest touch. ‘It is a small trick to aid the recall of any information that the conscious mind might have dismissed as unimportant. That is all.’
‘Fine,’ I huffed, slightly pacified. ‘Only next time, try asking first, it might make me feel a bit friendlier towards you.’
‘You wish us to be friends?’ An odd inflection sounded in his voice.
‘I’m just saying’ - I rubbed the back of my hand, still feeling the gentleness of his touch - ‘ask before you pull any more of your tricks on me.’
For a moment I thought I saw disappointment in his eyes, then his mouth curled in a mocking smile. ‘My apologies, Genevieve. I will try and remember.’
He turned away to look out of the taxi window. Unsettled, and not entirely sure why, I looked ahead, seeing the Ferris-wheel of the London Eye loom bright against the night and recognised the road we were on. We’d be at Old Scotland Yard in another few minutes.
Curiosity edged out the last of the languor in my mind. ‘So, what did you find out about the invitations with your little trick?’ I asked.
‘It is as I suspected,’ he said. ‘Those vampires who are not yet masters of their own existence might look to Rosa if they are in search for a new master, while those who have reached their autonomy are eager to offer her challenge in an attempt to annexe you as their prize. As they have not been able to discover her whereabouts, they have resorted to asking you directly, in the hope that you will accept their invitation to their blood. If you were to change your allegiance this way, then Rosa would become the challenger if she wished to regain you - her property ... or not, of course, as she wished.’
‘It all sounds
so-o-o-o
civilised - well, if you ignore the fact we’re talking about annexing
me
as their blood-pet prize,’ I said sarcastically.
so-o-o-o
civilised - well, if you ignore the fact we’re talking about annexing
me
as their blood-pet prize,’ I said sarcastically.
‘The custom of sending invitations is a little-used caveat among our laws. We may not appropriate another’s property, but we can lay down a challenge, or we can offer enticements to the willing, as it were.’
‘Right, so that’s why no one’s clubbed me over the head and carried me off, and of course, they can’t find Rosa to challenge her because I haven’t used the spell.’
‘The situation is one that can be easily resolved,’ he said decisively. ‘All you need do is tell me where to find Rosa’s body and how to release her from whatever magic holds her, then once we have finished establishing your alibi at the police station, I will deal with the matter and it will no longer need concern you.’
I grimaced. ‘Sorry, Malik, but that’s not going to be possible.’
Pinpricks of anger sparked in the black of his eyes. ‘I will not allow—’ He stopped. ‘Genevieve, you cannot continue to walk in Rosa’s skin as you have been doing,’ he continued, his voice soft with threat. ‘You must see that it has become too dangerous for all concerned.’
Sweat prickled down my spine; he’d once promised to kill Rosa, when he’d first discovered she was no longer
her
, but I’d really thought we’d got past that stage.
Maybe not,
whispered a small voice at the back of my mind
.
her
, but I’d really thought we’d got past that stage.
Maybe not,
whispered a small voice at the back of my mind
.
‘It’s not that I don’t
want
to tell you,’ I said, my voice firm, ‘it’s that I really don’t know where Rosa is. I bought what I thought was an expensive Disguise spell, nothing more. All I do is activate it, and then, well, I’m Rosa.’
want
to tell you,’ I said, my voice firm, ‘it’s that I really don’t know where Rosa is. I bought what I thought was an expensive Disguise spell, nothing more. All I do is activate it, and then, well, I’m Rosa.’
‘From whom did you purchase the spell?’ he demanded.
‘The Ancient One. She’s a black witch or a sorcerer, or maybe both. I guess she must know where Rosa is. She’s got a stall in Covent Garden, or at least she used to.’ I smoothed my damp hands down my jean-clad thighs. ‘I’ve been trying to find her myself for the last month, but apparently she’s been AWOL for a while now.’
‘I know of the Ancient One.’ His face lost all expression. ‘The reason you cannot locate her is because she is dead. The Earl killed her nearly a year ago, over some trifle she refused to give him.’
Other books
The Drifter by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Scott Pilgrim 03 by Scott Pilgrim, The Infinite Sadness (2006)
Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes
Modeling Death by Amber Kell
Her Secret, His Love-Child by Tina Duncan
The Manuscript by Russell Blake
Dragon by Finley Aaron
Maid of the Mist by Colin Bateman