Dominion (Book 1 of The Dominion Series) (12 page)

"I'm fine, Michel," I say, keeping my voice light as if nothing has changed. And it's then that vivid images of him being killed on the altar in the Basilica fill my mind's eye. I try to blot the image out of my mind, but of course, my mind won't let me consciously forget any of these images. Instead, it keeps forcing me back to them.

I smile at him, purposely, trying to appear calm and cool.

He smiles back at me, pressing his index finger into his cheek and then points at me accusingly, a grin on his face. Then I get it – my dimples. He's reminding me of what he said about my dimples… It's so intimate and sweet, my breath hitches. I feel all mushy inside and my heart breaks just a little for him.

He and Julien are nothing like the monsters of my imagination. I thought taking on my mother's work would see me finding a way to kill vampires and now, what's foremost on my mind is whether I'll fuck one of them.

Terri takes her seat and Ed closes a file and comes around the table, leaning against it, his arms folded.

"You met Dr. Theresa Starr. She's the lead profiler for the SCU."

"Call me Terri," she says and smiles.

"And of course you already know Agent de Cernay," he says, pointing to Michel. "He's our advisor from the Council and operations lead on the River Man case."

I raise my eyebrows at mention of the River Man serial case. It's been the talk of the city. I make eye contact with Ed and Terri, but I've already played eye games with Michel and so I don't with him.

Finally, Ed hands me a case file and I turn my attention from them to the papers inside.

"Take a look," Ed says. "I know you're not trained in forensics or police procedure, but just look through and tell us what you make of it. We want to see your analytic skills. Your ability to encounter new information and synthesize it – make inductive leaps. You have ten minutes."

The thick file contains a series of grisly autopsy photos in vivid color. The crime scene photographs reveal fully-dressed bodies with their gloved hands shackled in front of them, their decapitated heads in their embrace. Half submerged in water, the limbs are tangled in seaweed and ropes attached to old dock pilings.

All six victims were similarly murdered. I read over the autopsy reports – there's no evidence of drugs or alcohol. No defensive wounds. No sign of trauma. No ligature marks indicating they've been restrained before being killed. They were just all drained of blood and then bound and decapitated postmortem and then dumped into the rivers. I read over the reports made by the people who found the bodies, by the police officers who attended the scene, and the detective notes.

"So," O'Neil says, checking his watch. He removes his glasses and slips them into his pocket. He folds his arms. "What are your first thoughts after reading over the file?"

I flip through the file.

"I'm only pre-med, but it's pretty clear that they were all killed by a vampire and had their head cut off after. There's no lividity so their blood was drained before death. There's no bruising from the decapitation. Because there are no wounds or marks on their wrists or ankles, it seems they weren't assaulted first or restrained. They must have either known the vampire and submitted willingly or have been compelled. The one thing I don't get is the brain scans on the victims. They all had strange neurological findings."

"How so?"

"They have growth in certain areas that suggest prolonged drug use. Or use of SSRIs, MDMA or other drugs that increase serotonin and dopamine. But the ME's reports say no traces of any of the meds. Were they blood slaves?"

The three of them exchange glances and I wonder if I'm on track or completely off track.

"Why do you ask?"

"Their brain scans look like addicts, but they had no evidence of long-term drug use."

Ed nods. "Anything else?"

"They were all dumped in similar locations in a limited geographical area – all in shallow water in the waterfront district, weighted so the current didn't take them. The bodies were all called in to 9-1-1. So it seems the killer wanted them to be found, and soon," I say.

Ed returns to his seat and scribbles something down on his notepad. He looks up at me.

"Anything else? Take your time."

I flip through the file once more, peering at the autopsy photographs, then back to the coroner's reports.

"Given the 9-1-1 calls directing police to the dumpsite, and the fact that they were all decapitated, it sounds as if these are executions meant to send a message."

I glance at Ed but his face is poker straight, as is Terri's. Only Michel is smiling as he looks down at his own file. That must be good. He wouldn't be smiling if I was doing a bad job…

"Anything else?"

I shrug. "That's all I have," I say and close the file. "These victims didn't put up a fight. There are no restraint wounds." I look up at them. "They were drained, and then decapitated and bound postmortem like animals for slaughter."

"Did you note anything unusual about the autopsy photos?"
Michel reaches into his briefcase and pull out a small magnifying glass, handing it to me. "Take another look."

"Give me a moment," I say and bend over, passing the lens across the photographs. I wipe the surface of one where I see a small mark like a brand beneath the ear. A Lorraine Cross.

Then I examine another victim's neck.

"The scarring," I say, looking up to see if I've got it right. "It's a brand of some kind. Looks like a crusader cross."

Michel doesn't even bother to suppress a smile – just looks up at me, beaming. I feel a rush of elation at his expression and can't help but smile back, feeling a little giddy.

"Well done," Ed says and leans back. "What do you think a tattoo like that means?"

I shrug. "A cult of some kind?"

He nods. "Good job. Now, just a few words about our work. We track vampires, and do whatever we can to keep any information about them from the public. You'll be what we call a 'blood witness'. You'll help search for evidence on cases where a vampire might have been involved in an illegal kill, and if we get a suspect, you'll read them, use your telepathy to search their memory for kills. You'll be working nights from now on, and Michel will be your partner."

I nod, trying to keep my expression professional, but of course, the notion of being Michel's partner makes my heart beat a little faster. He'd called me his 'Adept' and I wonder if there's a disconnect between what Ed thinks and what Michel thinks about my relationship to him.

"During the summer, you'll work for us. In the fall, you'll study once more, and work only part-time. You can use our resources to help find who killed your mother. In fact, we're hoping you succeed because her case is still cold."

Terri takes up the narrative. "Now, just a few things to get straight about the SCU," she says. "We rely on the utmost secrecy and work off the books. We're both clandestine and black. Our cases, if revealed, would cause widespread panic and threaten the very fragile truce between vampires and mortals. Now, to the difficult part," Terri says. She turns to Michel and nods. "Agent de Cernay has to read you, make sure that you're not working with or under the influence of any rogue element."

"What?"

"As representative of the Council, he has to certify that you're not in league with the enemy. Just let him read you, briefly and then he'll show you how to witness."

Uh
oh
. He's going to
read
me?

All I can think of is that he'll know I have a translated copy of the manuscript and he'll freak on me.

"He's already read me," I say, hoping to prevent this. "He knows I'm not involved with anyone."

"I know, Eve, but this is a formality. It won't take long. Just relax and follow his instructions."

Michel pushes his chair back and panic rises in me as he leans over me, his hands on the armrests of my chair.

"Do you have to do this?" I say and cringe, pulling away from him.

"Relax Eve," he says softly. "You have nothing to fear from this or from me."

With his face just inches from mine, I can smell his scent again – sandalwood. It reminds me of him being so close in his office, of the feel of his body against mine when he lay on top of me on my couch, of his kiss and already, my body warms from the thought. He takes one of my hands in his and of course, a thrill runs through me at his touch – a thrill of fear and of desire. I try to blank my mind, closing my eyes, pressing my lips together.

"This won't take a minute," he says, his voice a little breathless, as if he's already felt my desire for him. "Look at me, Eve." I open my eyes. "First, I'll check to see if you're compromised. Then you can read me, see my last illegal kill because that's what you'll do when you witness.
Try
to concentrate."

Of course all I can think of is how beautiful his eyes are. I try to focus on the color – they're so blue – pure blue. Soft blue. I think to myself that he shouldn't be so beautiful, that a vampire should look feral, evil, dangerous. I think of anything but what I don't want to think about. But that just brings up exactly what I don't want to think about and my heart aches for him. I try to blot out the images that pop into my mind's eye but fail – I see him on the altar with the vampire above him, then him back in the castle, the women trying to undress him.

His grip tightens on my hand and he blinks rapidly. When he inhales sharply, I know then that he
knows
. He releases my hand and stands up, his body stiff, his hands fisted.

"Excuse me," he says and walks to the door.

"What's the matter?" Ed says but Michel ignores him and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Oh,
damn
…

"Let me," Terri says and stands, removing her glasses and following Michel out the door, leaving me alone with Ed. He turns to me.

"What happened?"

I cover my eyes for a moment, horrified that this happened. I had no idea that he'd be expected to use his telepathy on me and would find out I'd read the manuscript.

"Eve, what happened?" he says again. I take my hands away and bite my cheek to keep control over my emotions.

"I don't know."

Ed frowns and leaves the room as well. I sit alone in the boardroom, facing an empty table.

Oh, no, oh no,
oh no
…

In about ten minutes, Terri returns to the room alone. I've managed to get a grip on my emotions, and I've tried to think of how to respond to their questions. The manuscript was
mine
. I had every right to read it. But I know it's a betrayal of Michel's trust and here I was going on to him about how he had to prove he was trustworthy and yet I'm the one who betrayed his.

"Michel's not feeling well so we have to postpone this part of the interview. You should go home now, Eve. We'll contact you when the interview's rescheduled."

"OK," I say and gather my things up. "Tell Michel I'm sorry."

"For what?" she says, frowning. "He's just ill."

I nod, trying to recover. "That's what I mean. I'm sorry he's not feeling well. Tell him I hope he feels better."

She nods as if she understands and smiles politely.

I gather up my coat and backpack and leave.

When I hit the street, I stand for a moment on the corner and try to catch my breath. Michel
knows
I have the translation. He'll be by to take it from me.

I walk to the bus stop and check my cell to see when the next bus is due. Just then, a car drives up and the passenger window rolls down.

It's Julien.

"Get in. Let me take you home."

"I can take the bus," I say, not sure I want to be alone with him.

"I insist. Consider this part of the security arrangements you're going to have to get used to from now on."

I glance around the darkened streets. Even with streetlights and a few businesses that are still open, it's pretty creepy in this neighborhood. I'll be home in under ten minutes if Julien drives me. If I take the bus, it will be at least thirty minutes.

I get in, buckling up. The car is an old GTO, royal blue, with a leather interior. The radio is tuned to some jazz station. There's a police scanner and computer system hooked up as if Julien monitors the police calls.

"That was short. Tell me what happened."

I don't say anything. Julien takes my hand for a moment. I try to pull it back, but he persists, his grip strong. I feel him at the edges of my mind, and wish I could learn how to block him and Michel out. That way, this mess with the translation wouldn't have happened.

"Eve, I know what happened. Tell me."

"If you already know, why do I have to tell you?"

"I want your side of the story."

I exhale and he finally lets go of my hand. We drive off, the car's engine rumbling.

"I found a translation in another file box. I read the part about Michel being made into a vampire."

"Ohh," Julien says and nods. "That explains it." He's silent for a moment, watching the streets, checking the rear view mirror. "That would upset him. Poor Michel. He's very sensitive about his fall from grace."

"He shouldn't be. It wasn't his fault."

Julien shrugs. "I know that and you know that, but to Michel, it feels like God's punishment."

"That's crazy. It was Marguerite being a nasty vampire. It wasn't Michel's fault."

He turns and watches me for a moment. I glance away from his too piercing gaze.

"You're very forgiving."

"Why do you say that?" I say, frowning. "He's done nothing that I have to forgive."

"Eve," Julien says. "We've all done things for which we need to be forgiven. Michel just has a lot more guilt than most. More of a need to atone. Keep that in mind…"