Crimson Dawn (15 page)

I let her leave without any protest. It was better that way. She forced the issue and wanted to tag along, so she had to deal with it. As much as I hated doing it, the execution of those Deadborns was part of my job, and now, thanks to her meddling, it was part of her job too. I looked around at the bodies littering the floor and let my face shift to normal. My films dropped firmly into place causing the darkness to close in around me, but, right now, I preferred darkness to the scene surrounding me.

I pulled my cell from my pocket, 7:12 P.M. The sun wouldn't set until around nine o'clock, but Priest should be up by now. I dialed his cell and waited for him to pick up. "Priest here," he answered on the fourth ring.

“
It's Trumaine. Use your cell to track mine and get a cleanup crew to this location. I found a nest and dispatched the inhabitants."

Priest whistled on the other end of the line, "You work quick, Trumaine. I'll give you that. Anything else?"

I flung another clot of blood onto the ground and groaned, "Yeah, I need you here pronto to help with the locals. I'm in desperate need of a shower, so I'm not too sure how long I'll hang around."

"From what I can tell, you're about eight miles away from me. I can be there in about five minutes if I flash the entire way," he responded.

When Priest found me, I was leaning against the wall just inside the door. Every part of me wanted to step out into the fresh air but until a CMS team got here, going out in broad daylight covered in blood was a bad idea. My sword hung limply from my arm still covered in blood. "Damn, Trumaine, when you said you needed a shower you weren't kidding, were you."

I shrugged my shoulders and fought to keep a nonchalant attitude despite the hurricane that was raging inside of me. "Told you over the phone I'd found a nest. Sixteen total. Some shook the day sleep and gave me a go. Things got a little messy. Got a tissue or something?” Priest handed over a handkerchief, and I promptly cleaned my kodachi and placed it back in its scabbard.

"It's eight o'clock. We’ve got another solid hour before anymore Deadborns start to come out for the night, so let’s see if we can track down another nest."

Priest looked me up and down before shaking his head no. "I'm not going anywhere with you while you look like that. What happened to taking a shower?"

I gave him a half-hearted smile and swept my arms down the length of my body. "I figure we might as well, while I'm still dressed for the occasion.” We heard heavy footsteps, and both turned to face the door as a cleanup team began filing in, followed by Descantes.

He took one look and me and shook his head. "Outside, report now," he barked. The team moved with efficiency that only experience could give. Spotlights were up and running, bathing the abandoned building in a flood of light before we even made it outside. The night air filled my lungs and chased away some of the self-loathing lodging in my chest. "Before you jump down my throat, the kills were clean, Descantes.” I paused to look down at the crud covering me, "Sorta."

Descantes closed the short distance between us and held a hand up to my stained face. His lips moved wordlessly, and I began to feel a light mist dance across my skin. Pink tinged water gathered at my feet as he washed the dried blood away from me. He didn't stop until my face, arms and hands were spotless. "I know the kills were clean, Valeria or we wouldn't be here right now, but I still need your verbal report to enter into the computer," he said once he was done.

I went over what happened, starting with Irulan’s discovery of the dampening net. He immediately cut me off by holding up a hand. "How were the two of you able to discover and break a dampening net? Modern Vampires aren't known for their magics."

It dawned on me that he didn't know Irulan was a Sidhe and a nagging voice inside my head told me to keep it that way. On impulse, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the amulet he gave me the day before. "We didn’t. This started glowing in my pocket. Irulan was the one who noticed it. Once I pulled it out, the dampening net just sort of appeared then disappeared.”

Descantes let out a breath of air, and a look of disappointment that was so brief I almost missed it flashed across his face. "Of course, of course, it clears the path to your heart’s desire.” When a member of the cleanup crew poked their head out of the door and motioned for Descantes, I took the opportunity to set up my exit.

"If you don't mind doing this in the morning, I'm still on the clock, Descantes."

He reluctantly looked at the door before shaking his head yes. "I'll send your partner to join you."

When Priest came out, he had a disappointed look on his face, "With all the fuss you and Rose Red were making, I expected Descantes to be… more.” He noticed the state of my face and started looking around the ground. "How'd you get your face clean? Your clothes are barely wet, so you didn't jump in the ocean."

I shoved the amulet back into my pocket before answering. "The unimpressive Djin waved his magic hands and out came the water, off came the gore."

He nodded. "OK, I'm impressed," then finally took notice that Irulan wasn't with me. "Where is Rose Red, by the way?"

I waved a hand through the air as I started walking in the direction of the hotel, "Who knows? Who cares?"

Priest laughed dryly, "Trouble in lesbo land, huh. At least tell me she didn't let you come out alone. The point of having a partner is so said partner can have your back.”

I huffed and pealed a piece of Vampire off my vest, "One, Priest, you're a pig and two, she saw me at my worst and couldn't handle it. She took off right before I called you."

He put his arm across my shoulders but must have rethought the gesture because he let it drop to his side. "Tough break, Trumaine, but don't dwell on it. You need a clear head, now more than ever. If Tristan is anything like my sire, he feels it when you kill his kids.” He looked around the city taking note of his surroundings, "He's gonna be pissed."

"Yeah, well, he can join the crowd.” I looked up at the setting sun and broke into a run, "Come on Priest, let's hurry up so we can get back out here. This place is about to come alive, and I want to be on the streets when it does."

CHAPTER TEN

When we got back to the hotel, I couldn't bring myself to walk through the lobby for fear of inciting a riot. Instead, I walked around the side of the hotel and looked up at the balconies, searching for one that led to the room I shared with Irulan. Unfortunately, even after staring for a few minutes, I still had no idea what one was ours. I reluctantly dialed Irulan's number and asked her to step out on the balcony. When I spotted her, I crouched down coiling the muscles in my calves, then shot straight up the thirty feet to our room.

I walked by Irulan, careful not to bump into her as I passed so she wouldn't get anything on her. She took in my appearance under the harsh lights and laid into me. "Is what I saw today how you usually handle situations like that?"

I ignored her as I took my weapons off and threw them on the floor next to my bed. Once I was done, I began pealing my sticky clothing off, dropping it on the floor, and leaving a messy trail behind me as I went into the bathroom.

Lucky for me, she didn't follow. I needed the alone time. I held it together until I got behind the closed doors of the bathroom, but the moment the doors closed my hands began to shake uncontrollably. I turned on the water in the shower stall, stepped inside, slid down the cold tiles, and sat huddled in the corner as I dug my nails into my palms and shook. I refused to let one tear fall, but I couldn't hold the cramps back that rolled through my stomach. I leaned out of the shower just in time to hit the toilet as my stomach began emptying its contents.

I hadn't lost it in years, and the thing that worried me was why I was losing it. I honestly don't think the actual killing disturbed me so much, but rather the act of doing something I swore I'd never do again. I'd blood raped another sentient being not once or twice, but four times, and what my conscience was tearing me up now for was the fact that while I was in the throes of blood lust, I enjoyed it.

I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind and hurried through my shower. I came out the bathroom to find Irulan sitting on my bed waiting for me, picking up where she left off and answering her own question. "Apparently it's not," she said, "unless you end every kill by ralphing your guts up."

I pointed towards a dresser drawer, "Could you make yourself useful and pass me some clean underwear?"

She stood there shaking her head, not bothering to try to hide the blatant look of desire that sparkled in her eyes as she raked them up and down my body. I sighed and jerked the towel back around me. “Please,” I sighed in a huff.

She unwillingly tossed me a matching bra and panty set and sat quietly while I put them on, but she didn’t turn away. "Why, Valeria," she asked as she reached over to fasten my bra for me. "Why did you go so far today? Are you intentionally trying to push me away?"

I walked over to the closet and pulled out a pair of white leather pants and a blood red tank top. "If you can't handle all aspects of my job then you should have never offered your services to Marcus."

Irulan stood and pulled her jacket back on, "That's a bullshit answer and you know it. This isn’t about doing your job because what you did went way outside of duty. You committed total consumption on those Newborns. The Valeria I know would have never done such a thing."

I pulled my pants on and rounded on her. "The Valeria you know? Are you even listening to yourself? You've been trying to change me since I took this assignment, so don’t fucking complain when you get what you wanted.” I hastily cleaned my weapons and strapped them back on. "You wanted me to get stronger. I got stronger on my own terms."

I cocked my head to one side and advanced on her until she backed into a wall, "Is that why you're so disgusted with me, Irulan? Huh? You pissed 'cause it wasn't your neck I was all over?”

Smack!
Her open palm cracked against my cheek. The actual slap didn’t bother me. She'd come nowhere near hurting me. It was the fact that she did it, because that meant I hit too close to home. When faced with a situation that was out of her control, Irulan always got angry and lashed out.

I stormed over to the sliding doors leading to the balcony and dropped over the edge. Priest was leaning against the black Escape waiting for me when I landed.

"Are we ready to hunt?" he asked as he shoved himself off the car and walked towards me.

I held my hands out for the keys, "We're ready as soon as Irulan makes it down the elevator."

Priest looked up and pointed, "Who said she was taking an elevator?” I looked back over my shoulder to see Irulan setting down softly on the ground. She must have taken a swell of air down.

Irulan took shotgun, regulating Priest to the back seat. I put the address into the G.P.S and pulled into traffic. Priest leaned up between the seats and tapped us both on the shoulder, "I hope tonight's not gonna be all awkward and shit. I can really do without all the girly drama.” I kept silent. It wasn't my place to answer. I wasn't the one who wigged on Irulan.

She finally spoke up to answer, "No, it's not going to be all weird and shit, we're good.” I stole a glance at her out of the corner of my eye and felt some of the tension ease out of my shoulders, but I wasn't going to make it that easy for her. We'd get through the night because we had to, but in some way, I was going to make her pay for that slap. We rode the rest of the way filling Priest in on the meeting with Sophie Blackmon earlier.

When we arrived at our destination we found ourselves at another Extras club, this one called "Dante's Inferno.” Armed to the teeth, no way would the three of us make it into a club, and there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell we would willingly disarm. Priest and I got out contemplating what to do when Irulan motioned for us to gather into a huddle. "I believe I can glamour the two of you and hide your gear as long as you don't make any sharp, sudden movements.” We agreed, and the faint buzz of magic settled over us.

We paid our cover and made it into the club with no problems. I could learn to like this if I weren't careful. Irulan's magic saved our asses twice today. We still had two hours before the time our boy usually arrived so we ordered drinks and found a booth. Priest looked longingly at the dance floor, and I was just about to oblige him when Irulan grasped my hand and pulled me out onto the floor.

She leaned in close, so I could hear her over the rhythmic thump of the techno music that was assaulting my ears. "He got the last dance, it's only proper that this one is mine." I thanked my lucky stars a slower song wasn't playing, then whichever goddess looked down on us decided she needed her laugh for the night. The song changed to a sensual Latin number, and the bodies on the floor got a whole lot closer.