hellcat 05 - come hell or high water (6 page)

She steeled herself and strode further into the room as Fergus closed the door and leaned back against it with his arms folded.  Nathan and Liam melted into the shadows near the back of the room.

“Am I the only one who’s clueless here?” she asked, her tone a little curt as she reached Julius’s desk and stopped in front of him with her hands in her back pockets, her new way of coping when her hands itched to hold Nex, the short sword nestled in a sheath down her back.  Nex was her comfort blanket, the thing that made her feel calm in moments of stress, but the sword tended to make others nervous, so she tried to avoid drawing it in non-combat situations. 

Julius’s gold-ringed, sapphire blue eyes met hers steadily, but he was keeping his emotions so tightly contained that she couldn’t read him at all.  “No, Gabrielle,” Julius said to her, using her full name, as he only ever did in the presence of others, “I’ve called everyone together to discuss a situation that has very recently arisen.  We were waiting for you to finish seeing Mac before I started.”

“I would’ve been here sooner if you’d sent word,” she said, consciously resisting the urge to ball her hands into fists inside her pockets.

“It could wait a few minutes,” he assured her.  “Mac is important to us all.”  His expression grew a little sombre, and Gabi knew he was concerned about how their meeting had gone, but those details would have to wait for now.  She inclined her head and spun an armless secretary’s chair around so she could straddle it backwards, facing herself where she could see both the door and Julius.  Despite the presence of all the Vampires, including two exceptionally powerful ones and another two at Master level, old habits died hard—or not at all. 

“I received an official missive from the Princeps Council today,” Julius began. 

The jolt that went through Gabi was like a physical blow.  The last time they’d heard from the Princeps, they’d all thought she would be sentenced to death, along with Julius and most of his Clan.  They’d managed to walk away from that encounter in one piece thanks largely to the influence of Benedict and a few other Princeps who seemed to be on Julius’s side, but there was still a dark, underlying threat hanging over them, and the Princeps seemed like a fickle, unpredictable bunch. 

While Gabi trusted Benedict after his show of solidarity during the battle for the Source, she had no similar faith in the rest of them.  Aside from the few people and Vampires closest to her, the Princeps were the only ones who knew that she was a Dhampir and that the secret of her creation lay in a magically sealed container in the hands of some of the most powerful Castius Magi on the planet.  Despite the Princeps passing new laws to protect humans from Vampire experimentation, the reality was that many now knew a Dhampir existed and some would be tempted to try to recreate one. 

“What do they want?” Gabi demanded, her voice gruff with anxiety.

Julius unfolded a sheet of thick, high-quality paper, smoothing it open against the surface of his desk.  Gabi noted the unmistakeable colours of the Princep insignia at the top.  Smoothly flowing, black-inked letters filled the rest of the page, no computerised printing at the seat of Vampire power, apparently.

“They have requested my presence at Court,” Julius explained.  “They want me to be witness to the very first prosecution of a Vampire for trying to create a Dhampir.” 

Gabi blinked in surprise; that wasn’t at all what she’d been expecting.  In fact, it seemed quite innocuous, though given the gathered company, it obviously wasn’t. 

“So the real reason they want you there is…?” She left the question hanging. 

Julius exchanged a look with Benedict and then with Alexander.  Gabi fought the instant bubble of annoyance that rose inside her; she hated being left out of things this important.

“That’s still up for debate.” Benedict spoke up, losing his careless posture and sitting up to plant his trendy Doc Martens boots on the floor. He studied her with a disconcerting intenseness.  Gabi still wasn’t sure exactly how long Benedict had been a Vampire, but it was long enough that much of his natural human behaviour had disappeared.  His innate inhumanness still managed to unnerve her at times.  Gabi supposed it was how others felt being around Julius, though she had never been able to see him as anything other than an extremely desirable man.  “The only way to be sure would be for me to get back as soon as possible,” he continued.

“I doubt you’re going to be welcomed with open arms after spending the last several weeks here with us,” Gabi commented.  “What are the chances you’ll find out anything if they think you’ve allied yourself with us?”

“Ah, but they don’t know exactly why I’m here. I always keep people guessing,” he told her with a smirk.  “And there are those who will fill me in regardless, or even because, of my association with you.” 

“Can we put it off until we have time to figure out what’s behind the request?” Gabi asked.

Julius’s mouth twisted.  “No, they have very strict deadlines on dealing with those accused of major transgressions.  The accused needs to be tried and punishment carried out before the week is out.”

“Geesh, with travel time that doesn’t give us much leeway,” Gabi muttered.  “How soon can you get back there?” she asked Benedict.

“My plane is being readied as we speak,” Benedict replied, his smirk deepening.

“So we have what? A little over two days to prepare?” she checked with Julius. 

A muscle ticked in his jaw and his eyes grew darker at her words.  He was preparing himself to give her bad news. 

She felt her mouth pop open in disbelief.  “You don’t want me to go with you.” It was a statement more than a question. 

Silence fell in the room. Not one of the Vampires so much as breathed as Gabi locked eyes with Julius.  After what seemed like an eternity, Alexander moved, pushing away from the bookcase.

“So,” he drawled.  “Do you want us to stay as backup, or would you rather we just disarmed her and left you to your fate?” he asked Julius.  Usually Alexander’s flippancy would lighten the mood, break the tension enough for discussion to start up again, but not this time.  There was one thing Gabi hated more than being left out of major decisions, and it was having decisions that affected her made without her consultation. 

“Perhaps it would be best if you all left us for a few minutes.” Julius dropped her gaze to address the others.  “Travel safe, Benedict.  Please send word if you can.” 

Benedict gave a nod and a look passed between them that Gabi couldn’t decipher; then the rest of the Vampires filed quickly from the room, leaving just the two of them.

“I know you want to discuss this,” Julius began, but Gabi sprang to her feet, planting her fists on the desk and glaring at him.

“Let me guess; there isn’t enough time to hear my opinion, so you’re just going to leave me here where I’ll be safe while you deal with the Princeps and whatever else is going on at Court.”  To her surprise Julius also rose from his chair, leaning his own hands on the desk and pushing his face to within inches of hers.

“No, Lea, actually it’s not about where you’ll be safest.  This time it’s about trying to protect the Clan and the City.  You know exactly how I feel about you, and this is one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in the shortest amount of time, but I have to put the needs of the Clan above my own right now.”  His voice was passionate, edged with raw emotion, and it was rare to see him this emotional.  “I would like nothing better than to make you pack your bags and keep you safe at my side, right where I can watch over you every second of the day, but I need someone I can trust to be here protecting the Clan and the City. 

“Alexander is strong, stronger than would ever be possible without you, but he is only one, and he is still coming into his power.  I’m sorry I’ve had to take the decision away from you; I’m sorry I don’t have the time to talk you around to my way of thinking. I’m not doing this to undermine you in the eyes of the Clan or to diminish what your opinion means to me; I’m doing this to protect what is ours.  There is no one else I trust more to leave the safety of the Clan to than you.”  His last sentence was said in barely a whisper.

For a heart-stopping second, tears prickled behind Gabi’s eyes.  She dropped her gaze, her anger and bluster evaporated by his words.  There was a slight movement of the air and then his arms were around her body, his lips in her hair and the muscles of his chest rippling against her cheek.

Emotions were at war inside Julius’s head.  Now he was not only lying to her, but manipulating her emotions.  One camp screamed at him for his stubborn foolishness, enraged that he would jeopardise her love for him; the other camp simply wouldn’t allow the words of truth to pass his lips.  Julius knew she would be able to sense his unhappiness. Now that he’d lost a little of the tight control he’d been keeping over his mental turmoil for the last few hours, he only hoped she would put it down to him not wanting to leave her behind.  Just holding her tight against him soothed the desperate beast inside, and when the beast was calm, he could think more rationally.

The missive was entirely unexpected.  He’d been expecting some kind of move by the Shadow group for weeks.  He suspected the group would set out to eliminate any possible up-and-coming opposition, anyone who might threaten the current status quo.  If his assumptions were correct, then Julius’s inexplicable rise in power level made him, Gabi and the Clan enemy number one. 

He was convinced that they were behind the request summoning him to Court, and it was a ploy to get him and Gabi away from the protection of the Clan, a way to expose them and make them vulnerable.  Julius could take his most trusted guards with him and would still be at the mercy of those who held sway at Court.  It would also leave his Clan vulnerable, highlighting the sickening possibility that the Shadow group would find a way to strike at home while Julius wasn’t around to protect them.  Divide and conquer; if he was in their shoes, that’s exactly what he’d do. 

Under normal circumstances the majority of a Master Vampire’s power was drawn from the collective power of his or her Clan. Once cut off from that power base, they were left with their own personal power and talents, but nothing more.  Since taking Gabi’s blood, Julius rarely needed to draw power from his people, he was strong enough without it, but the Shadow group couldn’t know that.  Right now he had to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea; if he made it known that Gabi was the true source of his expanding power, the Shadow group would likely not bother to attack his Clan, and instead concentrate on destroying his partnership with Gabi.  By keeping the secret hidden, Julius was exposing his Clan to the possibility of attack while he wasn’t here to protect them. 

But without Gabi, Julius would be a shell of a man, he would be in no state to protect his people if something happened to her.  He had to keep her safe.  Not that she was truly safe anywhere, but here with the protection of the City’s resources and the rest of the Clan was the safest place she could be.  At court he held no authority and had little control of people and events.

Dammit, he had to tell her everything.  The longer he put it off, the worse the fallout would be. 

Just this night, he decided, one more night to find the right words, the words that would make her see sense, words that would not send her running.  He bent his head to hers, dropping his hands to the curve of her hips, pulling her warm body against his.  But before he could capture her lips with his, he sensed someone approaching the office.  With a mental growl he sent an unnecessarily harsh spike of power to intercept whoever it was, warning them away; he was not in the mood for interruptions.  A loud groan emanated from the corridor and Gabi pulled away from him, glancing towards the sound.

“Sire,” Maximillian’s voice was hoarse and weak, “another missive.” 

Julius stilled.

“Julius,” Alexander’s voice drifted through the door, “it’s true, there’s another one.”

“Sweet Mother of…” He was at the door in an instant, yanking it open to find Alexander with a familiar-looking envelope.  His head steward was several metres down the corridor, leaning against the wall as though gasping for breath.  He sent a different thrust of power towards the skeletal man, with a muttered, “Apologies, Maximillian.” 

The steward immediately straightened and bowed, scuttling away without any words.

Alexander brushed past him into the office, but before Julius could close the door, Benedict appeared at the top of the staircase. 

“Another one?”  Even he sounded surprised. 

Julius mentally steadied himself and turned back to the room. Gabi was leaning against one of the bookshelves and Alexander was at the desk, paused with a letter opener in his hand, his eyebrows raised in consternation.

“What is it?” Julius asked, not sure he wanted the answer. 

Benedict sauntered inside and shut the door.

“It’s…it’s addressed to both you and Gabi. It has her name and title specifically,” Alexander said, holding the envelope and the letter opener out to her. 

Julius’s chest constricted and a chill raced through his veins.

CHAPTER 4

The formal letter, with its unmistakable insignia, lay open on Julius’s desk.  An irrefutable demand cloaked as a polite request for both of them to join the Princeps Council for an ‘informal’ discussion, requesting their consultation to assist in further implementation of the new laws.

Gabi had, of course, taken the missive at face value and was already making preparations to take the trip with him.  Julius, more convinced than ever that this was part of the Shadow group’s plans, had been painted into a corner.  He would have to tell Gabi now, but he had no desire to discuss the Shadow group while Benedict was present.  As much as he liked and respected the Princep, anyone and everyone connected to the Princep Court was a potential member of the group. 

Benedict seemed to sense that he was no longer welcome.  “I have a flight to catch,” he announced, checking his watch. “Any longer and I’ll risk kissing the sun.  If I hear anything important, I’ll get a message to you.  See you at the castle.”  And with a lazy bow he left the office.