Blood Promise (A SkinWalker Novel #4) (A DarkWorld SkinWalker Novel) (5 page)

"I have a new addition for you," I said. "But only if you want him. I'm not entirely sure you will, so I haven't left him on your doorstep in a cardboard box and taken off. He's in the waiting area with Cassie."

Storm nodded and rounded his desk. "Very well. Let's have a look at him."

He hurried off toward the waiting area with Niki and I close behind him. I wasn't sure she should witness Storm's assessment, but he knew me well enough to know chances were high I'd be bringing him a paranormal. His decision.

Just inside the door, Storm stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. "Niki, if you can get that filing finished, then you'll have plenty of time for your Chemistry homework." It wasn't a suggestion, but he phrased the command so nicely no one would argue with him.

Niki nodded and began to turn away. Then she stopped and looked straight at my face. "I want to thank you for what you did that day. You didn't need to save me, considering how I spoke to you. But you did, and for that I will always be grateful."

I smiled. She'd been a foulmouthed little creep that night and even Lily hadn't been impressed. But Niki had made the right choice and listened. Gotten out of the game. "I did what I always do. And you can thank me by making a good life for yourself. You've got a nice start here."

"I will. I promise." She did one of those little finger-waves and headed down the corridor.
 

I watched her leave, her thin body now slightly more rounded after a few weeks of decent food and no drugs. I gave a small nod as one success story walked off, then turned back to the waiting area hoping Storm would agree that another potential success story sat on his sofa.

The boy lay on his back on the sofa with Storm bent low studying his neck. Cassie stood a few feet away hovering a little like a protective parent.

I joined Storm. "How bad is it?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

"It's not reversible." His words killed the air.

Hope drained from me as if I'd been mortally injured. "So we can't save him?" Poor kid.

Storm shook his head. "Not from the vampirism. But once he's healed, we can rehabilitate him to live a relatively normal life in society."

My gaze snapped to Storm's face. "But he's been turned." Even
I
didn't think it was possible for a vampire to survive in the normal world.

"He's been turned, yes. But, with help, he can get back to a more healthy stable state. We can give him the support he needs. He hasn't spoken yet, but I'm pretty sure he's too old for school so we can find him some kind of proper work to do."

The boy's gaze shifted to Storm's face. "Hack . . ." he whispered.

Storm frowned and looked questioningly at me.
 

I shrugged. "Hacker?" I asked and received a weary nod from the boy.

Storm smiled as the boy watched him through half-closed lids. "Good. I have some IT work that needs updating."

That teased a smile from the kid. Encouraging.

"What's your name?" asked Storm.

"Baz," he rasped. "Sebastian Ross."

"Nice to meet you, Baz," I said giving him a nod over Storm's shoulder.

Storm straightened. "Right. We'll get him settled and I'll have Chloe come and give him a once-over." He turned to Cassie. "Infirmary?" he asked.

She was about to take Baz's arm when a gentle voice spoke from the doorway. "Niki said you needed me."

We all turned around. Chloe Murdoch stood in the doorway radiating calm as if it was something she sprayed on every morning like a fragrance. Her soft auburn curls were piled up on her head, delicate tendrils drifting to her shoulders. In her fifties she could easily pass for thirty.

I gave her a happy grin and gestured to the sofa. "Yes. The boy. Baz. He needs you."
 

Chloe went straight to him, and placed her pale hand on his dark arm. "Right, young man. All you need to do is relax. I can feel the tension and fear in you. You don't have to be afraid of anyone here. We are all here to help you."

When Baz glanced at Cassie, I stifled a snort.

"Yes," I said, keeping my features neutral. "Even Cassie."

His gaze flicked from Cassie's weak but encouraging smile, to my face, and then up to Chloe's. I'd bet the older woman's kinder features were much more attractive than either of ours. Poor kid had been through far too much.

His shoulders sank into the cheap satin pillows beneath him, as if an invisible layer of tension had weighed him down for all this time and had only now been lifted.
 

Chloe crouched down, her hand stroking his shoulder inches from his ravaged neck. "How do you feel?"

He nodded and his teeth glinted white against his dark skin. A soft smile if it were possible to ignore the sharp point of his canines.

"Tell us about yourself." Chloe continued to stroke. "That way we can get you the best kind of help."

"I'm from London." He said it a little defensively, his well-educated accent becoming more pronounced. "Born and bred."

And I understood. People of color didn't fit that well into the general
idea
of a highly educated Londoner. You'd think more along the lines of white. But for me, born-and-bred was enough.

When nobody challenged his claim, not even the only other Brit in the room, he said, "I went to Eton, studied programming. But I f- . . . I mean I was stupid. This guy got in touch with me on a programming forum. Wanted some sort of complicated code. We met. And yeah, now, I'm here."

"Was it the demon we killed?" I asked softly.

"You killed him?" He seemed to want confirmation even though I'd already told him the demon was dead.

"Yes. You don't have to worry about them anymore." I focused my attention on him. "How long were you in the house?" I didn't want to ask him how long he'd been beneath the floor.

His mouth twisted. "About two months. They took me there when I refused to write their program. I heard them say that once they turned me, I'd have no choice."

"Did you write it?"

He shook his head. "You killed him and the others will find the place empty when they get back."

Cassie was already hurrying out the room, phone in hand, to let Sentinel know that more vamp-demons were expected at the house.

"What was it they wanted you to do?" I asked softly, hoping he had the energy to keep talking. Judging by the gray undertone to his dark caramel skin, I didn't think he'd last much longer. And neither did Chloe. She gave me a stern glance.

Baz cleared his throat. "Hack into MI6."

The silence in the room pierced my ears.

"Why?' asked Chloe, now too intrigued to stop him.

"A terrorist," Baz said "One of their own. He was in trouble with MI6 and on their kill-list. He wanted off."

I'd bet he did. "Did you give them anything?"

He grinned. "Just a program that keeps going into an endless loop. They'll figure it out eventually but for now they will think it's working."

"Clever," said Chloe as she got to her feet. "Now, I think it's time you got some sleep. When you're rested, you can shower and change. In the meantime, we'll find a healer for that wound and see if we can also find someone to remove some of the virus."

"Remove it?" I asked, as Baz rested his head back against the sofa. Our questioning was taking a toll on him.

Chloe lifted a shoulder. "Only some of it. One of our skilled healers would be able to suck it out of his system, but he'd still have the virus in his bloodstream. He'd have to have regular visits as it builds up, but it will enable him to live a fairly normal life."

I blew out a sigh of relief just as Cassie entered the room.

"It's been fun ladies and gentlemen," she said. "But duty calls." Storm and Chloe nodded at her. Baz lifted his head from the pillow. "And you," she told him sternly, "behave yourself. Don't make me come back here to sort you out."

"Yes ma'am," he said with a weak smile.
 

It didn't take anyone long to see through Cassie. All bluster, but just a big marshmallow inside.

She looked at me, giving her comms a tap. "Do you have a minute, Kai?"

As Larsson appeared, I said, "Sure." I gave the small group a wave. "Take me home. I need a shower."

Cassie nodded, took my outstretched hand, and we melted away into the ether.

T
HE
SHOWER
IN
G
RANDMA
I
VY
'
S
en-suite was running when Larsson dropped Cassie and me in my living room.

I felt a rush of anticipation as I dropped my backpack beside the kitchen counter and headed to the sink. Seeing Grams when she came home, however brief her stay, was something I looked forward to and our teatimes were a pleasure I couldn't miss.

Even if we had company.

Things had been crazy for the last few weeks, so nuts that I'd barely noticed the absence of Cat, our pet feline. The last time I'd seen her was before I'd been thrown into the wraith world and found out my Mom was still alive. After that shock to my system I'd barely had time to think about mundane stuff like cats who have the habit of running off for weeks on end.

It's true when they say that dogs have owners but cats have staff.

I spent a few moments diligently scrubbing remnants of the demon's blood from my fingers before grabbing the kettle and filling it for tea.
 

"Ivy," Cassie said, giving the closed bedroom door a glance. She knew Grandma Ivy Odel pretty well. "Tell her I'm sorry I can't stay and chat. Sentinel wants me back at the vamp's hovel, overseeing this op."
 

She kept her backpack firmly on her shoulders and gave me a twist of a smile. "Have you thought any more about Sentinel's offer?"

I glanced up as I switched the kettle on. "I've given it a thought or two."

How was I supposed to turn her down? The Grande High Councils offer to join the Elite Corps was much more enticing than anything Sentinel or Omega could offer. But it will remain confidential until I confirmed my decision.

Cassie sighed.
 

"Why?" Although Cassie was a new friend she'd already gotten pretty close to me, and I suspected it was purely because I missed Tara's comforting presence so much. With my Fae bestie gone off to
Ailuros
-knew-where, I felt a bit on the lonely side.

Cassie pursed her lips and then slid into a stool and faced me. "Look, I am probably not supposed to tell you this, but the offer won't be on the table forever."
 

I didn't say a word, just pulled cups and saucers from the cupboard above the counter and laid them out. My pointed finger at the cups got a 'no' from Cassie.
 

"You're special," she continued. "We all know that, but even for the Niamh, offers don't stay offered when you keep refusing."

I stiffened. "So you know?"

She shrugged. "Most agents who need to know, know. I was tasked with looking after an agent who we'd once thought was the Niamh."

"My mother."

Without missing a beat, she continued. "And when we discovered the interpretation of the prophecy was wrong and indicated you, we went with it."

"And now?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"And now that we know that
you
are not the only savior, we've planned accordingly."

I smiled faintly. "Good to know."
 

Somehow I'd felt dethroned when Grams had confirmed the prophecy's interpretation had been slightly skewed. Although, if I were honest, I much preferred to be part of a team than to carry such responsibility alone. If the shit hit the fan it would be nice to have company in my shame.

"There are a few people on the upper rungs who--" she hesitated, "--
disagree
with this offer."

Disagree. Pulling out of my thoughts, I grabbed a knife from the top drawer and selected bread, butter, and cheese from the fridge. "Like Paulson?" I grinned as I buttered a slice of bread.

Cassie made a rude sound. "Paulson is ruled by his male parts. When he calms down he'll realize he would have probably made the same decision you did."