Flight from Mayhem (8 page)

Chase cleared his throat. “I'll have some documents delivered to you. Confidentially, of course.”

“I wouldn't have it any other way,” Alex said, standing. His eyes twinkled as he held out his hand. “I think we can help each other, and maybe catch us a pack of killers in the process. We'll use utmost discretion.”

And with that, he walked Chase to the door, leaving the three of us sitting there.

I reached across the table and took Bette's hands. “You okay, lady?”

She shook her head. “Somehow, I don't think I'm going to be okay for a long time.”

Ralph let out a soft sound, then looked back up at the map. “I'll do my best to think of any other correlations that we might be able to make. I'll also run the four Fae through the Werewyx search engine. We know they were all members of the Supe Community Action Council, thanks to Bette. I wonder . . .” He paused.

“What? You have an idea?” Alex reentered the room.

“It's just . . . I wonder if the vamps have had any members go missing? When a vampire is killed, then they turn into dust. There would be nothing for the police to find.”

“That's a good catch. I'll check it out right now.” Alex rubbed his chin. “Chai's here. Shimmer, you come with me. We'll head over to the Seattle Vampire Nexus and talk to Roman. Ralph, check out the records of the Supe Community Action Council and see if there's any info Chase's men might have missed. Bette, will you fill Chai in on the Wagner issue—the salamander? We need to track the creature down before it unleashes holy hell on Seattle, because you know that's what's going to happen. See if you can find any sign of it. Call us on our cell phones if you catch anything.” He motioned to me. “Get your jacket and let's go.”

And with that, we were off. As Alex and I headed out to his bike, he tossed me my helmet.

“Do you think we can find these freaks before they take out another victim?” I settled the helmet onto my head, strapping it under the chin. It was the same midnight blue of the bike.

Alex straddled the bike, waiting for me to get on. As I swung on behind him and he started it up, he said, “I don't know, Shimmer. But we're sure as hell going to try.” And off we sped, into the Seattle night.

*   *   *

T
he Seattle Vampire
Nexus was in an old mansion that had once belonged to some vampire socialite. The two-acre estate was the hub of vampire happenings. The Seattle Vampire Nexus was an umbrella organization that housed a number of concerns for the Vampire Nation. I knew that Roman, Lord of the Vampire Nation and heir to the throne, basically held court here. Alex had resisted getting involved at first, but when he found out that Roman was trying to create some order that would put humans at ease—as much as they could be around vamps—Alex had gritted his teeth and joined. The SVN was now, essentially, the vampire chamber of commerce.

Vamps had very few rights compared to the other Supes,
and killing a vamp was still legal—not even considered manslaughter. Legislative activists were trying to change that, but until they did, vamps were sitting ducks for anybody with a grudge against their kind. If they fought back, they could be hunted down without recrimination.

We pulled up to the front, where valets waited. I swung off the bike and Alex followed suit. As we took off our helmets, a valet—who was a vampire, by the look of him—held out a ticket and Alex gave him the keys.

“Not a scratch. You understand?” He glared at the youngster, who looked like he had been turned before he reached eighteen. That didn't mean much, actually—he could easily be a thousand years old—but he looked barely old enough to vote.

“Got it.” The youth swung onto the cycle and eased her around into the parking area.

We dashed up the steps to the door, and Alex pushed through. The building was a bustle of activity, and the main desk—a semicircular affair in black granite—was busy. There were three people in front of us, and Alex grumbled as we took our place in line.

I glanced around. I had been here with him once before, but this was the first time I'd had a chance to really look around. A painting of the royal trio—Lord Roman and his wives, Lady Menolly and Lady Nerissa, who I knew were married to each other as well—graced one wall. It was new and had a warning sign in front of it that the paint was still drying—
DON'T TOUCH
. A number of vampires were mingling around, which would have made me nervous if I weren't a dragon. Granted, I couldn't change shape right here and squash the place, but I could do one hell of a lot of damage if I wanted to. I was tough, and while I wasn't trained in martial arts, the fact was I had learned to watch out for myself in the Dragon Reaches. There had been no other choice.

“What are you doing after work?” Alex's question took
me by surprise. My mind had been wandering in a different direction.

“I dunno. Probably going to hang out with Bette. She seems pretty upset. Why?”

“I was thinking we could go out by the water, watch the late-night stars before they fade. We haven't had much time to be alone together during the past few days.” It wasn't a complaint, that much I could tell. But his voice was almost wistful, and he sounded lonely.

“Are you okay, Alex?” I knew he couldn't get sick, but maybe there was something else going on back behind those frosty eyes.

He shuffled. “I just . . . Shimmer, when Glenda showed up, I realized how much happier I am with you than I was with her. Even though it's early in our relationship, I was thinking, maybe we could make it exclusive?”

“Oh, wow. I didn't expect that one coming.” And I hadn't. Alex didn't strike me as an exclusive sort of guy—at least not considering he had just gotten out of a long-term, very tiring relationship.

“Is it too soon?” He flashed me a boyish grin, the tips of his fangs showing.

Frowning, I tried to think of how to answer him. Was it too soon? Yes. Was it too soon? No. Everything depended on so many varying factors that I wasn't sure how to even begin. But I knew one thing: The lobby of the Seattle Vampire Nexus was not the spot to have the
Where are we going with our relationship
talk.

I bit my lip, trying to plan out what I said so it didn't come out wrong. “I need to think it over, Alex. And I need you to understand that it's not because I want out, or because I don't adore you. You see . . . the thing is, I'm just so new to this. And we—we're just so new
together
. We don't even know if it's working. I mean, I have a lot of fun with you. I like being with you, and when I wake up, the first thing I think about is ‘How's Alex?' Don't even think I'm sitting here, wanting
to run out and date other men, either. I'm not interested in playing the field. I don't think I'd be very good, coping with more than one man at a time. More than one person, for that matter. But I . . .”

“You need to breathe a little, and you're too polite to say it like that. You need a little space.” He didn't look happy—but then again, he didn't look mad. And that was important. I didn't want him thinking he didn't matter to me, because he did.

“Alex, please understand. This is so new to me—I'm far older than you, and in my entire life, I've
never
had any relationship like this. Hell, Carter was hard for me to deal with. But this . . . with you, it's gone to a new level for me. Where, for you, it's . . . a blip.” I glanced at the vampire in front of me as he moved to the reception desk. We were now next in line.

Alex blinked. “You think you're a
blip
in my life? That you're just one more notch on my belt? Shimmer, though I've had more relationships than you—a lot more, all right?—that doesn't make this . . . you . . . any less meaningful to me. It's not just sex. I'm not fond of one-night stands.”

At that moment, the vampire in front of us veered off to the right and the receptionist—a pale young woman with silver hair and bright blue eyes, which meant she was a newly minted vamp—motioned us up. “How may I direct you?”

Alex frowned, then quickly said to me, “We'll talk about this later. Come on.” He took me by the elbow and escorted me across the waiting line, up to the desk. “We need to see Lord Roman—tell him Alex Radcliffe is here, and that I have an important matter to discuss with him. It has to do with possible criminal activity against vampires.”

She eyed him quietly for a moment, then tapped her headset and punched a button on the phone. I wasn't paying attention to what she was saying, but a moment later we were being escorted down the hall to a private room. The mansion was old world, with ornate trim, solid wood and marble
floors, and textured paint on the walls that reminded me of something Bette had called faux Venetian plaster. I loved the polished, three-dimensional look, although the gold color was a little overwhelming.

As we headed into an office, I steeled myself. I wasn't very familiar with the vampire lord, and I had no doubt the brief few times we had met had fully escaped his notice. But he surprised me when he stood as we entered, nodded at Alex, and gave me a long look.

“Shimmer, well met, Mistress of Dragonkin.” He had an effusive way about him that bordered on melodrama but never quite pushed over the edge into corny. As he clicked his heels and bowed, I felt like I should drop into a curtsey, but that would be ridiculous given who I was and my nature. Oh, I could drop low to the floor in front of the Wing-Liege, but it felt awkward and strange to think of doing so around a vampire. The thought that maybe he was making fun of me ran through my head, but again—vampires like Roman didn't waste time on frat-boy idiocies.

“Well met, Lord Roman.” In the Dragon Reaches, he would have just made a major faux pas by recognizing me, but I kept my mouth shut. It was nice, for a change, to be greeted civilly. I still wasn't used to how friendly people were to me over Earthside. Hell, if they knew I was a dragon they might not be so friendly, but it wouldn't be because I was an outcaste. It would be because they'd be scared shitless of me.

Roman motioned for us to sit on the opposite side of his desk. “My secretary tells me that you have concerns about criminal activity, Alex? From or against the vampire community?”

Alex shifted in his seat, frowning. “It's a complicated situation. I'm helping . . . someone . . . investigate a case. There have been several murders in the Fae community. I'm thinking Supe serial killer pack—there seem to be several persons of interest. But it occurred to me if they had targeted any vampires for their activities, if they killed their victims,
there wouldn't be any bodies left to find. So what I'm trying to ascertain is whether any wealthy vamps have come up missing lately? The victims would most likely be lonely types, possible shut-ins, or recluses who have few friends or who are pining for days gone by.”

Roman paused, eyeing us carefully. “I've heard about this through the grapevine. I also understand the FH-CSI is on the job, but from what I gather, they've got their hands full. Another matter that is coming to light is taking all their time right now, but I cannot discuss that. You might be helping them, but if you were, I doubt they'd want that spread around. Is my read on the situation running on track?”

Alex glanced at me, then gave a short nod. “You wouldn't be far off.”

Roman's lip curled into a concentrated frown. “I don't think we've had any reports of missing vamps—not from something like this. You say it's a pack of killers?”

Alex shrugged. “It's looking that way, though to be honest, the thought doesn't track well with me. I really don't see that as making much sense. One killer, yes. Two—that happens. But I've found, through the years, that unless it's a government-sanctioned killing squad, anything over two is suspect. Too many members create too many chances that somebody will run their mouth off.”

I decided to interrupt. “Could Chase be wrong? I mean, just because all of the victims had new paramours, does it have to mean that they were killed by them? Could it be someone setting it up to look like that? One killer, smart enough to pick victims known to be in new relationships?”

“Or, perhaps a variation.” Roman stood, folding his arms and pacing away from his desk. “Remember, there are creatures who can change shape . . . who can take on other forms. I have met a few of them in my time. They tend to be dangerous and unpredictable.”

Alex blinked and I could see the “aha” moment sweep over his face. “Of course! Why didn't
I
think of that?”

“Remember, I have been walking this world for over two millennia. I have seen wonders, and I have seen horrors. And all manner of creatures in between.” Roman's gaze flashed to me and I felt myself drifting in his frosty stare. I realized—here was someone who had probably been born around the time I had, and yet, he felt so much older. I liked to think of myself as an adult, but truth was, among my kind, my adult life was just really getting under way.

Nodding, Alex said, “That all makes sense. But these shapeshifters—they're a rare breed. They aren't Weres, not like Ralph.” Then, he snapped his fingers. “
Doppelgängers.
You're right in that there are other types of these creatures, but doppelgängers are the most common, and most likely to be found around here. I'll bet you anything that's what we're dealing with.”

Roman slowly nodded. “I think you're right.”

“What's a doppelgänger? I've heard the term, but I'm not terribly familiar with it.” I wasn't up on my mythology.

“A doppelgänger is a mutable shifter. They can change form as they like. And they can take on some of the memories of their victims, I think, by consuming the flesh.”

A thought struck me—something Chase had said. “Wait! Bette's friend Marlene. She was seen on camera at the bank at a time when she should have been dead.”