Fire Storm (7 page)

She whipped her head around to glare at him. “How the hell did you hear about that? Eddie, if you make trouble over this I’ll…” She stopped when he turned on the boyish grin.

“Gotcha going, didn’t I? You should know by now I hear everything, but don’t worry. I’m not going to print it. In fact, I hope the kid makes it.”

“The headkeeper at the shelter,” Ari muttered. “I thought she was more discreet.”

“She is, and don’t give her a hard time. She was bragging on you. From what I’ve heard from the Magic Council rumor mill, you could use a little goodwill.”

“Is that why you’re here? To talk about my shortcomings?” She gave him a wary look. Exactly what was he going to spring on her next?

“God, no.” He waved off her suggestion. “I was just kidding. In fact, I hope you’ll like what I have to say.
The Clarion
has given me a chance to do something a little different, something outside the crime column.” He rested one foot on his opposite knee. “Andreas has been the vampire prince of Riverdale for almost a year. We’re running an article on who he is, his background, the club, his ties to Italy. Since he’s out of town, I was hoping to talk to you.”

“Oh, no. You’ll have to wait for Andreas to return.”

“Sure, I’ll interview him then, but time is getting short, and I’d like to write some of the background pieces now.”

“Gabriel could help you more than I can, but no one is going to talk about Andreas without his approval. Call him. The worst he can say is no.” The loud ring of her phone cut her off; she checked caller ID and frowned. “Sorry, I better take this. It’s international.”

She punched a button. “This is Ari Calin.”

A chill crept across her back. “How? When?” Ari closed her eyes and shoved back the paralyzing fear so she could think. She listened in stunned silence for a full minute. “Call me back when you’ve checked.”

Eddie stirred uneasily and leaned forward in concern. “You’re pale as a ghost. Is something wrong?”

“They can’t find Andreas.” She popped to her feet and paced to the window, trying to slow the frantic beating of her heart. “There’s evidence of a fight. Blood, overturned furniture. But no Andreas.” Fear tightened her chest. Zylla’s prophesy. She turned toward Eddie and said the first thing that came into her head. “The O-Seven has him.”

Chapter Four

“Who is the O-Seven?” Eddie pulled out a notepad and scooted to the edge of his seat. “Why would they want Andreas?”

“The original seven vampires. Super powerful, thousands of years old. They have absolute rule over the European vamp community. And they don’t like how Daron and Andreas run their courts.” She paced the room, automatically answering his questions, while her mind sifted through the possibilities.

“Why do they care what happens over here?”

She shrugged. “I guess they’re afraid more democratic ideas will spread to Europe and challenge their dictatorship. But nobody’s ever done that. Not with all the power they have. It’s just vampire paranoia. We recently learned they were behind all the attacks against us over the past two years.”

“It wasn’t Sebastian? Oh, I get it. Sebastian was fronting for them. Now that sounds like a real story.” He scribbled on his notepad. “Tell me more about these seven vampires.”

She shook her head. “Not now, Eddie. Besides, I don’t know much more. You’ll have to do your own research. I need to concentrate on finding Andreas.”

Eddie mumbled something, but when she didn’t respond, he got up and let himself out the door. “Call me.” He pulled it closed.

She waved a belated good-bye. Where was Andreas? The only thing she knew was that he was alive. She’d checked, the instant Samuel said he was missing. Andreas’s energy was still there at the end of their mystical link. The pulse was faint, insufficient for telepathic contact, but it was steady. She wasn’t sure what its strength should be. They hadn’t had a reason to use the link since he’d been gone, and she’d only tried to sense him once. It had been faint then, but he’d been asleep. It was still possible the current weak connection was due to the distance. Or he could be in a place similar to the caverns, where the thick rock and earth energies interfered. Unless he was deliberately shielding, keeping “the gate” closed, to protect her from the truth—whatever it was. She refused to believe he’d suffered life-threatening injuries.

She took a deep breath, but insidious fear washed over her. How had this happened to him? Where were his guards? Where was he now? Captured? Dying? She fought a wave of nausea. No time for negative thoughts. Andreas was strong, smart. She’d have to depend on him to keep himself alive until she found him.

Ari quickly turned off the coffee pot and the lights and walked to the hall, locking the door behind her. She stopped at the front desk to inform the receptionist that she would be out indefinitely.

“But you have appointments,” the young woman protested.

“Cancel them or re-schedule with someone else. I’m sorry, but I don’t know when or if I’ll be back.” Without waiting for the receptionist’s reaction, Ari left the building. If she ever returned, she’d probably need two boxes of candy to appease the affronted clerk.

She didn’t stop to talk with the president or even Steffan. She was going to Italy. The wizard would try to stop her, and she didn’t have time to argue. There were things in life you just had to do.

* * *

First on her agenda was how, and how quickly, she could get to Italy. She talked with Samuel again, brushing off his apologies or the need for explanations. There would be time for all that when she reached the estate. Right now she was more interested in arranging for Andreas’s jet to meet her in London. It seemed the fastest route. She talked over the situation with Gabriel, Russell, Lilith, and even conferred with Andreas’s friend, Prince Daron, in Toronto, Ontario. In the end, she took four of the weretigers and Lilith with her. The tigers knew their homeland, and Lilith, well, Ari just wanted her friend and her pistols by her side.

From the airport, she called Claris, told her what had happened, and promised she’d be back in time for the wedding.

“Oh my god, Ari, the wedding can wait.” Claris’s voice trembled. “You come back safely. We won’t have the wedding until you’re both home.” Ari tried to argue with her, but Claris was adamant.

Then Ari called Steffan and explained her abrupt departure. “I know the Magic Council will be furious, but staying here and waiting isn’t an option. Can you understand?”

“Of course, I do. I’ll try to explain to the wizard.” He paused. “I can’t guarantee what will happen, but I think it was smart not to talk with him. This way you’re not defying a direct order.”

“Yeah, I guess. I suppose they could fire me, but…oh, hell, I can’t worry about that right now.” She glanced up as the airport speakers announced last call for her flight. “I have to board the plane, so can you call Martin too? I’ll try to reach him from Italy, but just give him a heads up. Tell him I’m sorry, but he’ll need to cover my territory for a while. Unless they assign a new Guardian to Olde Town.” She sighed with resignation. “Well, it can’t be helped.”

Disconnecting, she dashed for the airline gate. Lilith was arguing with the attendant who was trying to close the door, and Ari squeezed by just in time.

The flight to London seemed longer than eight hours, and her legs were leaden when they made the transfer to Andreas’s jet. She’d dozed once or twice during the Atlantic crossing, never sleeping deeply, and she sat stone-faced on the flight from London to the De Luca estates. Sometimes her head swirled with questions and fears; more often there was only a black void dimly penetrated by the pulse of Andreas’s life force at the other end of their link.

They touched down in Italy near 7:00 a.m. local time.

“God, I’m glad that’s over,” Lilith grumbled as they headed for the ramp. “I can’t sleep much on planes.”

Ari stopped in the airplane door and sucked in her breath. Tuscany was breathtaking. Shades of gold and brown and green glistened in the morning sun. Andreas had understated its exotic beauty. But her stomach turned leaden flip-flops. He wasn’t there to show it to her.

She closed her eyes and reached out with her magic, sending it as far and wide as she could. The faint link was still there, but only slightly stronger than at home. She swallowed her disappointment and descended the ramp onto Italian soil.

Samuel hurried forward from the direction of two cars parked at the edge of the field. “Ari, I am so sorry,” he began. “I should—”

She shook her head. “Just tell me if you have any leads.”

“Nothing. There’s no sign of him. I was hoping you’d sense something.”

“Not yet.” She shook her head, and he looked away.

“We’ve searched the estate and the countryside.” He waved toward the distant landscape. “The vineyards, the buildings…” He stopped, and his arm fell to his side. “I’ll take you to the house so everyone can get settled and show you his room. That’s where the fight took place.”

“Any sign of bone dust?”

“No, I would have told you.”

Every sense told her there shouldn’t be any ash, those last few remnants left from the rapid decomposition after a vampire death. Andreas was alive. She felt it. Still, it was an inexplicable relief to hear Samuel’s confirmation.

As they approached the cars, the weretiger introduced her to his cousin Beppe, the overseer. Beppe’s rich lyrical rendering of English was a sharp reminder of a more refined Italian accent that had become so familiar to her. Lilith asked about the olive trees, and the Italian weretiger launched into a travelogue that he kept up as they drove. The narrow road to the mansion, which local workers referred to as a farmhouse, took less than five minutes. With one hand on the steering wheel, Beppe continued his guided tour all the way up the lane.

“The De Lucases have a fine casa. Six suites, eight baths, all the extras. As you can see, it sits in the middle of wonderful trees on one side, open fields over here, and the olive grove the lady asked about.” He turned, swinging his arm across the panorama. “The grapes are in every direction. Many grapes. It has been a grand harvest.” His face sagged. “Until now. Nothing is good if Master Andreas is gone.”

“He’s not gone.” Ari bridled at the implication. “He’s just missing.”

“Yes, yes. We will find him.” The middle-aged retainer shuffled his feet, and the cheerfulness on his face was clearly artificial.

Ari dismissed him before she let his mood infect her. “Thank you for meeting us, Beppe. I won’t keep you from your other duties, but I’d like to talk with you later.” She turned to Samuel. “Can we see Andreas’s room now?”

They entered the spacious three-level home, crossed the tile floor and climbed the staircase. Unlike many vampires, Andreas did not prefer to be underground. He had kept the master suite on the second level, just as his ancestors had done, although certain changes had been made for security, including the alarmed and monitored steel door to his quarters. Samuel keyed in a code on the electronic door pad.

Before stepping inside, Ari scrutinized the door from top to bottom, but saw no evidence of pry marks or battering. No one had forced their way in. That narrowed the possibilities to someone Andreas invited in, an intruder with the key code, or an Otherworlder who had entered by magical means.

Samuel spoke from behind her. “When I hadn’t seen Andreas by 4:00 p.m., I pounded on his door, then went in when there was no response. I didn’t touch anything.”

The room was a mess. Even now, the metallic smell of blood filled the air. After Samuel’s description on the phone, Ari had prepared herself for the scene, but she couldn’t stop the chill racing through her at the sight of so much dried blood. How much of it belonged to Andreas? She pulled her fears up short. None of it. Even if Andreas had shed any blood, it would have disintegrated long ago. This was damage he’d done to warm-blooded attackers. So who were they? How had they overpowered him?

And why the hell hadn’t she felt anything when it happened? The only logical answer was Andreas had blocked her at the first sign of trouble, prevented her from realizing he was in danger or sharing the experience. But why?

She ignored the tug of panic and thought it through. He’d decided someone or something was too dangerous for her to handle. He’d tried to stop her from coming after him.

“Damn him,” she swore softly. She’d thought he was getting better at allowing her to make that kind of decision for herself. Apparently, he’d reverted to his alpha male instincts in a crisis. Closing the link would make him ten times harder to find, but it wouldn’t stop her.

She continued to swear under her breath as she strode around the room, and her companions gave her a wide berth. She finally glared at Lilith. “He’s blocking me out. Overprotective bloodsucker. Thinks I can’t handle it.”

“Can’t handle what? What’s he consider that dangerous?”

Ari’s fears and irritation spilled out. “The freaking O-Seven would be at the top of my list.” She stopped herself. “But the door is still secure, so they didn’t get in using vampiric strength. It would have to be some kind of dimensional transport or teleporting. Demons or sorcerers. And most demons leave a rotten egg stench of sulfur that isn’t here. Just a faint trace, more like someone evoking black magic.”

“Witches or wizards then? Could it be Sophistrina?” Lilith hadn’t exactly liked any of the German witches who only a few months ago had left Ari stranded in the desert to die. “I thought she said they owed you.”

“It wouldn’t be her, but maybe another coven like hers or a super powerful witch.” Even though Ari had been instrumental in getting the High Priestess and her black magic coven banished from the States six months ago, Sophistrina hadn’t been angry. It was her deceased predecessor who had caused all the problems, and Ari had seen to it that the rest had received leniency when she’d brought them before the Magic Counsel for their actions.

Ari scanned the room again for anything that might have been missed. She picked up a small black scarf—one of Andreas’s favorites—and ran her fingers over it. “Witches in this part of the world hate vampires. They’ve been at war since 1329 when the two sides nearly annihilated each other.”