Lore vs. The Summoning (25 page)

My first stop of the night was Aiden's place. The front door to his massive house opened just as I stepped onto the stone porch. His young doorman, or butler, or whatever he was, stood with a slight frown crinkling his mouth.

"Miss Denham," he greeted steadily. "Lord Bruce was expecting you some time ago."

Why was I not surprised? "I was busy," I lied. "I suppose he's also expecting me to try to return these things?"

"Yes," the guy replied without nodding. "I'm instructed to refuse them. He wanted to be here for your visit himself but he was called away on Senate business."

"Welllll, that's unfortunate," I drawled sarcastically. "I'll just leave these here until he can get to them. You have a good one now." And I turned on my heel to start back down the stairs.

"I was also instructed to ask you to wait. He won't be long," he called after me.

I shook my head without turning back. "I've got other business to deal with, business he wouldn't want me delaying."

"Please, Miss Denham."

The fact that a vampire, any vampire, had nearly begged me made me pause. I looked back to find the young man standing on the porch now, outside the building as if he might come get me if I didn't voluntarily go inside. I didn't want to get into a fight with a vampire on Commonwealth Avenue.

My retreat stalled so that I could turn fully. "Why's he so insistent I stay?"

"He didn't say," the man replied blandly.

He was obviously a well-trained doorman, or butler, or whatever. He was being properly cryptic and doing a good job of hiding his trepidation that I might leave and anger his master. I didn't want to get anyone in trouble so I decided to go inside. I'd wait a few minutes and then leave. It should appease everyone involved.

The man worked on setting the bags and boxes within the foyer as I hopped up the porch steps. Once finished he led me within and up the marble staircase to the first floor. (In these old houses they always called the floor visitors entered upon the "ground floor" and what everyone else in the States considered the second floor was confusingly the first.) To the right of the first floor's landing was an arched doorway closed off by etched glass double doors. It was through those doors that the man ended our trip.

I followed him inside and glanced around. A modern L-shaped sofa in a deep purple chenille fabric with fluffy cushions held the prime position in the large wainscoted room with plush white carpet. There was a complimentary flower patterned chaise lounge behind it and a stuffed chair with a similar design across. In the middle of the room stood a square coffee table made with a deep mahogany wood that looked as expensive as it was shiny.
 

Strangely one of those ridiculously large universal remote controls that was the size of a small laptop sat atop its bright surface. I suspected it controlled the focal point of the room -- the massive flat screen television mounted above the stone fireplace. It seemed to be playing the
Barber of Seville
in high definition. The audio played softly but no doubt that was Dolby Digital or perhaps THX emitting out of the tiny tweeters around the room.

"Make yourself comfortable. I was in the middle of watching an opera on PBS but I'll change it," the man said. He headed for the remote control. "Would you like anything to drink or eat?"

Now was the time to ask, when Aiden wasn't around to overhear it. "What do you have?"

He stood to his full height with the massive remote control in his hand. "Several wines, spring water, milk, an array of soft drinks. I believe Lord Bruce purchased orange soda specifically with you in mind."

My jaw clamped shut until he turned to change the television channel. "No, leave it. It's fine."

The man set the remote control down without arguing. "I regret that we have little in the way of food. There are some biscuits and cakes for tea but they are all quite processed. Had I known ahead of time I would have prepared better."

I shook my head to allay his worry. "I'm good. No need to get me anything."

After an awkward moment of silence I shuffled over to sit on the edge of the sofa nearest the exit. The vampire moved to sit catty-corner from me. We watched a few minutes of the opera quietly until he ruined it by speaking.

"What sort of foods do you like?"

I couldn't help but inhale an amused breath. "No offense but I don't plan on making a habit of visiting so there's no point in telling you."

He let that go without commenting. We watched the actor's antics on screen for several more silent minutes. I must have allowed a smile to crack at the barber's postulating because the vampire mentioned it.

"Most your age don't appreciate the opera."

I lifted my shoulders flippantly. "I'm a musician. We had opera shoved down our throat in college."

"Yes. We've been to see you at Symphony Hall," he told me lightly.

That snagged my attention away from the opera. "You have?"

The vampire's eyes rounded ever so slightly but the only answer I got was a nod from him. I wondered how in the hell I'd failed to notice
Aiden Bruce
in the crowd at any of the performances. Yes, the hall held twenty-six hundred people people but I was confident I'd be able to spot him of all people, especially considering how easily I'd picked Morrígan out. Aiden must not have wanted me to know. I bet the doorman would get an earful for spilling the beans.

We went back to quietly watching the opera. Two minutes into Rosina's latest aria the doorman pulled out of his pocket, of all things, a sleek cell phone. Discreetly I watched as he checked something on the screen and then began hitting buttons.

"Lord Bruce is on his way back," he informed me without lifting his gaze from the phone's screen. "It will only be another ten minutes at most."

Damn it. I'd lost my chance to leave. Who knew vampires text messaged?

I slumped a little into the seat, set my chin on the arm I rested against my knee and watched the opera until I heard the door open downstairs. Mutely my companion stood to meet Aiden. There was no greeting between the two when he arrived. It was like the changing of the guards without the funny costumes or weapons.

"Miss Denham, thank you for humoring me by waiting," Aiden said as he breezed into the room with as much presence as a gale force wind. He was dressed in a gray and silver pinstripe three-piece suit with his long chestnut hair pulled behind his neck. My eyes shot to his face next to find that he'd kept the same features I'd seen for several days. "I see you returned the clothing. Were they not the correct size?"

I stood so that I felt less diminutive. "I don't know. I didn't bother to look at any of it because I had no intention of keeping it. I only took the boxes in the first place because the poor kid you sent was scared shitless about making you angry."

His lush lips hadn't budged until I'd mentioned the frightened part. They turned down in a slight frown. "It wasn't my intention to frighten him. I'd merely made it clear what I expected of him."

One of the things that had bothered me most popped out of my mouth without warning. "And if I'm so damn predictable that you knew everything I'd do, why did you bother with this in the first place?"

"You aren't always predictable," he assured me. "In this I knew you would be. And to answer your question, because you said you had nothing else to wear to the club save that...outfit...the priestess had given you. Because you've been visiting the Dungeon in an effort to investigate our little matter, I thought it only equitable for us to supply the uniform."

"That would explain one box, maybe." I gestured toward the stairs behind him. "You sent a hell of a lot more than that."

"I didn't know what you would prefer," he replied in what seemed like faux-innocence to my ears.

Now I wished I'd peeked at what he'd sent because that tone of voice made me think perhaps he'd sent things worse than a leather strap fetish cat suit. But no. I couldn't accept any sort of gifts from Aiden. Stiffly I said, "I can handle outfitting myself. Thanks."

"How did the priestess manage to convince you not to return her gift?"

Morrígan had incriminating information on me. And these days she had a whole lot more of that. "You honestly expect me to answer that?"

He inhaled an amused breath. "It was worth the effort." The amusement quickly faded as he let out a long sigh. His chin lifted in such a way that I knew I wasn't going to like what he said next. "I won't accept the packages back. There are no receipts. Nothing can be returned. You might as well keep it."

I was right. And the rat bastard was
lying
. Coolly I replied, "There are always receipts and a way to return things."

The left corner of Aiden's lips twitched. "Then perhaps I don't wish to."

My eyes rolled toward the Domain. "Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say, which is why I'm not keeping any of it." I lifted a palm toward the door. "So are we done now? Can I go be productive with the few days I have left to catch the asshole behind all of this or did you want to continue unsuccessfully convincing me how much I need the things you sent?"

"We are done with that," he conceded. "But I have the information on your would-be assassin."

On to business, I could handle talking shop with him. My back relaxed a smidgeon. "Yeah, about that, you wouldn't happen to know of anyone with a black SUV bent on my demise, would you?"

Aiden's eyebrows drifted upward. "No, of course not. What happened?"

I explained about the crazed car chase on I-90 last night while watching his face darken.

In a hard-edged voice he assured me, "I'll find out what I can. A police report was no doubt submitted."
 

He turned to walk closer to the etched glass door. It put his back to me. I tried not to look at his ass. Thankfully it was covered by his sports coat. Aiden's profile swiveled enough that he'd be able to see me out of the corner of his eye and I'd be able to see half his expression. That expression was drawn tight, perhaps in worry.

"This has gotten out of hand," he said. "I think it would be best for you to bow out of the investigation."

I pushed enough breath through my nose to form a derisive snort. "You say that as if you have a team of detectives working on it. Do you?"

"No. I do not."

By the cool tone of voice I got the feeling that he didn't want to admit that tidbit. Surely I was reading into it because there was no way in hell Aiden would tell me something he didn't want to tell me simply because it was the truth. He
was
a vampire after all.

"Then I'm all you've got," I replied. "If I bow out, then a demon shows up in Beantown. I'm going to have to deal with that eventually anyway."

"Why?" He whipped around to face me as he grit out the sharp question. The lines at the bridge of his nose and around his mouth were deep crevices large enough to hide things in. And the silver of his irises had gone gun metal gray. But it was the fierceness of his voice that made me take note. He revised his question, "Why must
you
deal with it?"

I didn't understand what had gotten him so worked up so I merely stood staring at him with eyebrows lifted.

Aiden continued in his vehement tone, "Isn't there a city full of vampires, witches, shapeshifters and Were?"

"I'm sorry," I replied sarcastically. "I was under the impression that you'd sought me out to take care of this. So, in other words, no, apparently there isn't a city filled with an Underground capable of doing anything about one fucking demon."

"I didn't seek you out," he corrected me. "The rulers of Boston did. I was the messenger."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the rulers of Boston were beneath a senator on the undead social strata. So how the hell did they rate you as a messenger?"

Aiden's seeming fury cooled in an instant. He glanced away, a guilty gesture I'd seen before. "As I said, I volunteered."

"You're keeping something from me," I stated boldly.

"I have told you all that I can."

"Yeah, that sounds like the world's worst cop out." My voice had soured considerably. I started for the door only to have him block it.

"You're going to take the clothing with you," he said imperiously.

I couldn't stand being dictated to. He should have learned that by now. "No, actually. I'm not. Now get out of my way before I see how well you can heal a silver bullet to the forehead."

He stepped aside without a word. I darted into the hallway and down the stairs before he could reconsider. But surprisingly he didn't stop me. I'd expected a much greater fight from him.
 

As my hand turned the doorknob on his front door I heard him call down, "I'd suggest a silver bullet to the heart to start if you truly mean to kill me."

CHAPTER TWENTY

I pulled my scraped up Mini Cooper into the parking lot of a building a block away from my destination. The phone vibrated in my pocket before I could grab the door handle. The number listed wasn't familiar but I decided to answer it anyway on the off chance it was news that would make my visit into the building pointless.

"Hello?"

"Guess where I am?" It took me a few seconds to recognize the rumbling voice of the Alpha werewolf.
 

Cattily I retorted, "Outside a lingerie shop, getting cheap thrills?"

He breathed in a snort. I thought it was an
amused
snort rather than a pissed off one but I couldn't be sure. He answered his own question a moment later. "Standin' in a few inches of water outside your apartment. What the hell happened?"

"Water witch, I suspect."

I heard him quietly swear. "Water witches now too?"

"Yup."

"So where are you?"

In my cheeriest voice I said, "I'm about to go into a building where people will probably shoot at me."

"Want company?"

I almost laughed at how quick he was to offer his hide. "Not especially."

The Alpha's voice went sharp, "What the hell did I do to piss you off?"

"Do I have to pick just one thing?"

"No..."