Cain's Identity (Scanguards Vampires Book 9) (12 page)

“We’ll talk tonight,” he called after her, but she didn’t reply.

A moment later, the opening was once more hidden by the sculpture and Cain was alone.

16

Abel hated to venture out during daytime, but today he didn’t have a choice. He gunned the engine of his red special edition Ferrari. It was equipped with a UV-impenetrable windshield and windows, thus allowing him to drive during the day when otherwise the sun would have burned him to a crisp.

When he turned off the main road leading south, he slowed the car and adjusted to the bumpy dirt road leading deeper into one of the bayous Louisiana was famous for. He didn’t come here often, but he knew the way nevertheless. Few others did. And he preferred it that way.

Outside a rickety shack deep in the bushes, he parked the car as close as possible to the front entrance. He killed the engine and slipped on his gloves before pulling the hood of his dark sweatshirt over his head and donning a pair of big sunglasses that made him look like one of the Blues Brothers.

Abel opened the door and got out, slamming it behind him while already dashing to the door of the hut. He jerked it open and barreled inside, closing it behind him.

Inside the shack, one light bulb hanging from the ceiling illuminated the small structure which contained only two small rooms: the living and sleeping area with a tiny sink and refrigerator and a small bathroom in the back. The two windows were covered with plywood to prevent any sunlight from penetrating.

Abel looked around, finding the shack to be rather crowded. On the large bed, John’s lover Nicolette was handcuffed to the metal headboard, and at its foot, John sat, his hands tied over his head by a silver chain hanging from a hook in the ceiling, his head dropped to his chest. Residue of blood dirtied his shirt.

Baltimore sat at the wooden table, repeatedly stabbing his knife into the surface, obviously bored with his duty as a prison guard. He acknowledged Abel with a nod.

“Well, well, well,” Abel drawled, and took two steps toward the bed.

John’s head shot up and the woman’s eyes widened. But she didn’t speak, the gag in her mouth preventing her from uttering a word. Abel looked over his shoulder.

“A gag, really?”

“The bitch wouldn’t shut up,” Baltimore complained and drove his knife deeper into the table’s surface than before.

“What the fuck is this about?” John ground out, a murderous look in his eyes.

“That’s what I was going to ask you.”

John jerked on his chain, grimacing from the pain caused by the silver rubbing against his wrists. The scent of burnt skin and hair filled the air.

John narrowed his eyes at him. “This is no way to treat the leader of the king’s guard.”

Abel chuckled. “I don’t think you’re in a position to complain right now.” He glanced at the woman who watched them fearfully. “She’s pretty, I give you that. But to find you maintaining a human mistress came as an utter surprise to me. Tss, tss.”

John growled low and dark.

Abel walked to Nicolette and took her chin, lifting her head so she had to look straight at him. “It would be a shame to destroy such a pretty face.”

“Take your hands off her!”

Abel whirled his head to John and flashed his fangs. “Don’t order me around!” Then he released the woman and jumped toward the leader of the king’s guard. “Now let’s talk! Where the fuck were you?” He lashed the back of his hand across John’s cheek, whipping his head to the side. “And don’t even think about lying to me.”

John turned his head back to him. “I was following a lead.”

Abel narrowed his eyes. “What kind of lead?”

“An informant told me that a man matching your deceased brother’s description was spotted in the Pacific Northwest. I had to check it out. With your coronation next week I needed to make sure that nothing got in the way.”

“And you couldn’t tell me that in advance?”

“There was no time.”

“Oh, I bet.” He didn’t believe a single word John was saying. After all, he’d been one of Cain’s most loyal followers. “Did you find the person you were looking for?”

John dropped his head, seemingly defeated. “No. I lost his trail.”

“Brilliant king’s guard you are! He showed up here yesterday.”

John lifted his head. “An imposter?”

“Cain in the flesh! Risen from the ashes like a phoenix!” Angry, Abel curled his hand into a fist and slammed it into John’s face. Blood dripped from his nose. “You told me he was dead!”

“He’s alive?”

Abel landed another blow in John’s face, hearing his jaw break. “You fucking jerk! You never liked me. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that you had something to do with his reappearance. You never wanted me to be king.”

Defiantly, John looked at him, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. “Just like you resent the fact that I’m the leader of the king’s guard.”

Abel bent closer. “Oh, that’s something I’m going to change when I’m king.” He motioned to the vampire behind him. “Baltimore will become the leader of my guard just as soon as you’ve passed your secrets on to me at my coronation.”

“There won’t be a coronation now that Cain is back,” John ground out.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Nothing will stand in the way of my coronation, not even Cain. And you, my dear John, will make sure of that.”

“Roast in hell!”

Abel tossed a look at the tied-up human. He’d expected John’s reaction, but he knew how to make the stubborn guard change his mind. “Or your lover will pay for your defiance. Slowly and painfully.”

John’s gaze shot to Nicolette, who now pulled on the handcuffs. “I won’t let him hurt you,” he assured her now.

Abel grinned. “So, we’re in agreement then?”

John pinned him with a furious glare, but Abel knew he’d won.

“Good. Make it look like a rival clan is responsible for it. It will appear that we’re under attack.” He grinned to himself. He would kill two birds with one stone: Cain would be dead, and because the kingdom would be believed to be under attack, Abel would ascend to the throne instantly. The waiting period which would start rolling from Cain’s actual death once again—one year, one month, and one day—would be waived in a time of war.

Without taking his eyes off John, Abel instructed his guard, “Baltimore, make sure he’s healed completely before you release him so Cain won’t become suspicious. Then get two of your trusted men to watch the woman and return to the palace. I don’t want your absence to be noted.”

“Yes, Abel.”

“Good, then my work here is done.” He turned to the door, then looked back over his shoulder. “And just so you know how generous I am to those who serve me well, I’ll grant you and your woman safe passage after the coronation. Releasing you from your position as leader of the king’s guard is the only way for you to keep her, as you’re well aware. I’m doing you a favor. Don’t forget that.”

Without waiting for John’s response, Abel opened the door and left.

17

Cain noticed that the door to Thomas’s room stood open and announced his presence with a knock before opening the door wider and entering.

Thomas, cell phone pressed to his ear, wasn’t alone. Haven leaned against a desk, while Wesley slouched on an armchair, his legs hanging over the armrest. All three turned their heads to Cain, acknowledging him.

Haven pointed to the phone and said quietly, “Eddie.”

“Keep monitoring that,” Thomas now said into the phone. “Cain just got up. Yeah, I’ll fill him in.” Then he turned his face away and lowered his voice. “I miss you, too.”

Tucking the phone back into his pants pocket, Thomas turned back to them.

“Have they found John?” Cain asked.

“I’m afraid not. They’re in New Orleans right now, keeping their ears to the ground, watching for any vampire-related activities, anything that could lead them to John. But so far nothing.”

“Crap!”

“Don’t despair yet.” Thomas lifted his hand. “I’ve messaged HQ to have them run a trace on John’s cell phone. I don’t have the right equipment to do anything from here, but I’m sure they’ll be able to help us pin down his location if he’s used his phone since he disappeared.”

Cain nodded. “Good. In the meantime, let’s get to work. We’ll start with the king’s guards. I want a full accounting of where everybody was and what they were doing the night I was attacked. Any inconsistencies and we’ll spot them. If John told us the truth that he was indeed lured away from his post, then we’re going to have to find out who might have done so.”

“It’s going to be hard to get an accurate account of what happened that night,” Wesley threw in. “It’s been over a year. They won’t all remember exactly what happened and in what order. Hell, most people can barely remember what happened a month ago.”

“This is different,” Cain cut him off. “People have a much better memory when it comes to significant events. Just like we all remember where we were when 9/11 happened. Well, all except myself. But that’s beside the point. The guards will remember where they were or what they did the night of the assassination, because their king being killed would have been a significant event.”

“Point taken,” Wesley admitted. “But that still doesn’t mean they’re gonna tell you the truth.”

“That’s what I’ve got Thomas for, right Thomas?”

Wesley stared at the IT geek. “You gonna put them on a lie detector?”

Thomas smiled and shook his head. “Of course not. I’m simply gonna watch their reactions, how their eyes move when they talk, how they breathe.”

Wes sat up. “Oh, I know. I saw that show. What’s it called again?”

“
Lie to Me
,” Haven answered.

“But those guys are like PhD’s and stuff,” the witch said.

“Trust me, I don’t need a PhD for that,” Thomas assured him. Then he gave Cain a questioning look. “Shall we?”

“Ready when you are,” Cain agreed, though he wasn’t as confident as he let on. Without John by his side, he was bound to trip himself up. For starters he didn’t know any of the guard’s names other than the man who’d recognized him: Marcus.

Not letting his apprehension show, Cain marched through the double doors and along the corridor, his colleagues following him. Strange, he still thought of them as his colleagues, his equals, although he was king now. Granted, not
their
king, since Haven and Thomas didn’t belong to his clan, and Wesley wasn’t even a vampire.

“Anybody else hungry?” Haven asked.

Only now Cain realized that he hadn’t had any blood since they’d arrived in Louisiana.

“I brought a few snack bars, but I could do with something,” Wesley answered.

Haven tossed him a get-real look. “I doubt they have human food here.”

Cain set his foot on the first step. “Let’s find out. Haven, I think you should be the one to ask whether they serve bottled blood here. If the question comes from me, they’ll become suspicious of me. In the meantime I’ll ask for human food to be ordered for Wesley.”

“Agreed,” Haven said.

They walked up to the first floor in silence. A guard stood at the top of the stairs and stepped aside quickly when he saw them.

“Your Majesty,” the vampire greeted him.

Cain nodded and walked past him, while Haven stopped.

“My colleagues and I need some nourishment,” Haven addressed the guard.

“Would you prefer packaged or fresh?”

“Packaged will be fine,” Haven answered.

Cain turned briefly, casually calling out to the guard, “Bring sufficient for all of us.” Then he motioned in Wesley’s direction. “And have some human food ordered, too.”

“Human food, sir?” the guard asked, looking confused.

“You heard me. Get it done!” Cain ordered, raising his voice, and continued walking down the corridor. If he remembered John’s directions correctly, at the end of it lay the king’s reception room, part office, part living area.

When he reached another double door, he stopped and cast his friends a sideways look. “This had better be it.”

Cain pressed the door handle down and pushed the door inward. His three Scanguards colleagues followed as he entered the room.

They weren’t alone. Abel sat at a massive desk with elaborately carved legs and trim. His brother’s head instantly shot up.

Cain hesitated. It appeared that he’d opened the wrong door and barged into Abel’s office without knocking. Searching for something to say, he merely stared at his brother who now shuffled the papers he was perusing into one stack and jumped up.

“I was just cleaning up for you,” Abel said, and motioned to the chair. “Didn’t want you to start your first day back with a disorganized desk.” Then he dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, placing them on the desk. “And here are the keys to everything, of course.”

Cain’s feeling of relief was instantly replaced by displeasure. It appeared that his brother only hesitantly wanted to relinquish the power he’d had during Cain’s absence.

“Thank you,” he forced himself to say and walked to his desk.

Abel stepped aside and let him take his seat. Cain laid his hands on the cool wooden surface. “I would like you to inform the members of the king’s guard that I’d like to speak to them.”

“All members?” his brother asked with a frown on his face.

“Yes, every single one of them.”

“But they can’t just leave their posts. They have responsibilities that—”

Cain narrowed his eyes. “Are you the king or am I?”

Abel appeared taken aback by his question and raised an eyebrow. “Whatever happened to you, it seems to have made you very irritable.”

“You would be irritable too if you were trying to find out who was responsible for your abduction.” Cain knew full well what the reason for his irritability was: the knowledge that his brother had touched Faye. It made it hard to be civil to him.

“I understand, of course.”

“I’m glad of that,” Cain said in a less commanding tone. “Then maybe you can arrange for the members of the king’s guard to come and see me. One after the other.” He motioned to the door, nodding briefly, then buried his head in the stack of papers on his desk, pretending to know what he was actually looking at. Only when he heard the door close behind Abel did he look up again.