Chapter 6

H olly needed samples from the missing supernaturals—clothing they’d worn, hair, blood, items that were special to them—anything that she could use as a connection to the missing creatures. Merry offered to take her to visit Mrs. Diago, the wife of the missing wendigo, and then on to the cemetery and the crypt to speak to the young female ghoul about her missing boyfriend, Lomax. There was nothing we could do until Holly had prepped her tracking spell, which would take a couple of days once she had what she needed.

I’d expected her to just be able to ‘do’ magic, because Lorenzo could just do it without the use of spells, but Holly explained that ability came with time, and some mageri never achieved it, but she was adept in some things like seeing through glamour and sensing arcane influences as long as a conduit was used.

While she went off with Merry, Padma offered to take me dress shopping for my date, and Edwin stayed to man the office.

It felt indulgent going shopping while everyone else was working. As if I was slacking off, but Padma reminded me that the dress was for a date that would get me closer to answers about the fire, so it was technically work.

I wasn’t a fan of clothes shopping at the best of times, preferring to approach it as clinically as possible—make a list of what I need, go into the stores that sold those items, pick up said items, pay, and walk out. I didn’t browse. Padma seemed to have the same attitude, and the fifteen-minute walk to the parade of shops was enough for us to decide what kind of dress we needed. Black, knee-length, either off-the-shoulder or sleeveless, and figure hugging but comfortable.

We found exactly that in the second store we looked in, along with red kitten heel shoes and a red handbag.

Shopping over, we grabbed lunch and headed back to the office.

Holly and Merry returned midafternoon, having gathered supplies. Merry was flushed and bright-eyed with a serious case of helmet hair.

“How was the bike ride?” Padma asked.

“It was amazing!” Merry grinned up at Holly. “She just weaves through the traffic.”

Holly winced. “We’re not really supposed to do that.”

“Oops.” Merry giggled, and Holly smiled fondly at her.

Looked like those two had made friends. “We should get you set up with a desk for your stay.” A thought occurred to me. “How long can you stay?”

“As long as you need me,” Holly said. “I’m in no rush to get anywhere.”

“Holly’s on sabbatical from teaching at the mageri institute,” Merry said.

“Oh?” Padma looked interested. “What do you teach?”

“Arcane botany and herbology,” she said with a shrug. “It pays the bills but isn’t the most riveting of professions.”

“Well, things never get boring here,” Merry said.

Padma’s brows shot up. “They don’t?”

Merry’s cheeks went pink. “Not really.”

“I’ll bring a desk in from the interrogation room and set up a computer for you,” Edwin said.

“Is there anything else you need?” Padma asked.

“A coffee would be great,” Holly said. “And a room I can use to prepare the tracking spell?”

“I’ll get the coffee,” Merry said.

“There’s a room off the kitchen,” Padma said. “You can use that.”

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully with more data input and Holly getting set up, and soon enough, it was time to go home. With my date at seven, there was no point in me going back to the chapter house. By the time I got there, it would be time to head back to New Town.

I had my clothes, and there was a washroom here, so it made sense to go straight from the office.

“Will you be all right getting back to the chapter house?” Edwin asked me.

“I’ll be fine.” I’d already arranged for Ordell to meet me at the stables for nine-thirty.

The team left, and I locked up and headed to the washroom to get ready. It had been so long since I’d been on a date that excitement fizzed in my belly. Dating Kaster couldn’t ‘go’ anywhere. I was ordained, after all, so sex was off the table, which killed hopes of a serious romantic relationship for me. I’d found most guys weren’t into just doing other stuff all the time, and because I couldn’t tell them the truth about why I had the no-sex rule, those relationships fizzled fast. But even if I wasn’t ordained, Kaster was a vampire. Not the kind of love entanglement I imagined myself in.

Still, it was a date. A respite from the crazy before I had to dive back into madness, and I was determined to enjoy it.

Royal House restaurant was so classy they had someone to open the door for customers. I was led to a plush seating area where a man with a guest book checked for Kaster’s reservation. He flashed me a bleached-white smile then led me through a second door into the restaurant proper where low, intimate lighting and soft music provided the perfect accompaniment to the beautifully dressed tables hosting elegantly garbed patrons.

I spotted Kaster’s dark head straight away, and he wasn’t alone. Atlas was with him. I should have anticipated that. He was, after all, not only Kaster’s vein but his voice.

Kaster’s eyes lit up with a smile when he saw me, and my cheeks warmed beneath his regard.

He stood and pulled out my chair for me to sit.

“You look lovely,” Atlas said. “I’m sure Kaster will tell you the same in a moment.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the vampire. His ebony hair was brushed back, the silvery thread weaving through it artfully. His charcoal gray shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and hugged his biceps, the deep color making his sable eyes stand out. He managed to look both dressed up and casual at the same time. My stomach fluttered, and I glanced around the restaurant, exhaling softly. “It’s a classy place.”

“It’s Kaster’s favorite,” Atlas said. A look passed between them, and Atlas nodded. “Okay, so here’s the deal. Kaster speaks through me, but he does have the ability to mindspeak with a willing companion.”

“Mindspeak? Like get inside my head?”

“Yes, but he can’t read your mind or anything so intrusive. It’s up to you. I can stay and be his voice, or you can opt for the mindspeak and have a little privacy.”

I needed to get close to Kaster and find out what he knew, if anything, about the cover-up, and having Atlas play voice could hinder that. Besides, if I showed Kaster my trust now, then he might be inclined to trust me down the line.

“I think I’ll opt for the mindspeak.”

Kaster looked surprised by that, but then his smile lit up his handsome face. The flutter in my belly increased.

“All right,” Atlas said. “He’ll need to touch you to establish a connection.”

“And how do we break the connection once we’re done?”

“Another touch,” Atlas said. “Or distance can break the connection.”

“All right.” I offered Kaster my hand. “Shall we?”

He wrapped his cool fingers around mine, and a gentle tingle ran up my arm. His voice filled my mind, warm and heady like a fine bourbon.

You look stunning tonight, Miss Lighthart.

“Please, call me Orina.”

Orina, then. He released my hand and nodded at Atlas .

“Enjoy your meal.” Atlas left, and Kaster turned his attention back to me.

You can speak out loud to me or mindspeak. It’s up to you.

I’d never done anything like this before, but it would be interesting to try. I focused on what I wanted to say. Like this?

Perfect. His lips parted in another smile. I’ve already placed my order, but I’ll summon the waiter so you can place yours when you’re ready.

I studied the menu for long seconds. Everything sounded delicious, but I decided on what sounded like a chicken dish with some fancy sauce.

The waiter came over with a bottle of wine and took my order.

I heard what happened at the Midnight Ball, Kaster said. That was the last topic I wanted to discuss, and it must have shown on my face because he sighed and frowned. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. It’s hardly dinner date conversation.

No. It’s fine, but you’re right. I’d rather not talk about it.

He studied me for several beats before continuing. How are you settling in to the chapter offices?

Good, actually. We finally have someone who can help us track the missing persons.

Oh?

I filled him in on Holly’s arrival.

I’ve heard of Lorenzo Crescent. He’s a powerful mageri.

I couldn’t help but smile at that. Yes, he is.

Were you two involved?

What? No. It’s not like that.

The look he gave me was a little too knowing.

I don’t date.

And yet you’re here.

I made an exception.

Why?

I guess I felt like I deserved it after… I trailed off with a weak smile.

Silence stretched between us for several beats before Kaster broke it. What you do with the Order…I admire it. The dedication and the strength of character, it’s very…enticing.

I licked my lips and dropped my gaze. And you? What did you do before you took over the Sangualex department?

I was a soldier for a while. I suppose in some respects I still am.

And why did you choose to work with the Sangualex?

He smiled closed-lipped this time. Orina. If there’s something specific you’d like to know, all you need do is ask.

That simple, huh?

Yes. The worst I can say is nothing.

He had a point, and I liked his straightforward attitude. I could play him and string him along, or I could be as upfront with him as he was being with me. Do you know about the fire that killed the ordained?

His eyes narrowed slightly . I do.

Do you know it was arson?

That’s not what the reports say.

The reports are a lie. It was arson. Someone set that fire and killed a bunch of vampires. Do you know who the vampires were?

He stared at me steadily for several beats and then sighed. No. All we found was ash.

But there must be missing vampires to account for the dead.

There are not.

And don’t you think that’s strange?

I do, but this isn’t something you need to be worrying about. It’s under Sangualex investigation.

That was it? That was all I was getting? I think someone deliberately sent my people there to die. They messed with one of my operatives’ memories because she knows something vital about that night. Maybe about who the vampires there that night were, or even who attacked them.

His eyes narrowed. Then we need to access those memories.

Yep, but we can’t do that without a pure-blood fae healer.

He sipped his wine, a speculative look on his face. I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll put out feelers for a healer, carefully, of course, so as not to alert whoever is responsible.

Because you think they’re with the Sangualex.

I don’t know. If I discover anything, then I’ll inform you, but in the meantime, you need to stop digging. Firstly, because your efforts might compromise my case, and secondly because it could prove dangerous.

I’m Ezekiel’s watcher. I think I can handle a little danger.

Maybe so, but please, do me the courtesy of letting it go.

What more could I do? Fine, but you’ll keep me informed.

I will, at regular dinner dates. The warmth returned to his eyes.

I didn’t want to lead him on. Look, Kaster, I can’t date you, not properly.

I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but I understand your obligations must take priority. Still, everyone needs companionship, even if it’s just someone to have dinner with or go dancing with. Besides, if we keep an association, then it will be easier for us to trade information without arousing the suspicions of the parties that may have been involved in this cover-up.

What do you suggest, then?

We pretend that we’re dating. He leaned in, sable eyes heating. Can you pretend to be attracted to me?

Pretend? I cleared my throat. I think I can do that. Can you pretend to be attracted to me?

There is no pretense required, Orina.

His smooth tone wrapped around my mind, teasing my pulse into an eager trot.

Thankfully, the waiter chose that moment to bring our food, giving me a chance to collect my composure.

Everything smelled delicious.

We ate and spoke mind to mind without restriction. He asked me about the Fringe and my life there, and I told him about Quinn and Nyx and our sisterhood pact—a document I’d had written up when we were young teenagers at the Ministry. We’d signed it in blood. A promise to always be there for one another, no matter what. We’d upheld that promise.

So, Nyx is in Morningstar? A satan spawn? Something passed across his features too fast for me to read.

Yes, and Quinn is part of the Hawthorne Pack now. I drank the last of my wine, and he topped me up.

Friendships like that are rare.

I know, and I’m so grateful for them.

He dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin and sat back in his seat. Do you know why you were chosen as Ezekiel’s watcher?

No.

You didn’t ask?

That’s not how the Order works.

No, I suppose not. You’re a mortal soldier for the white wings, after all.

When he put it like that, it made perfect sense. But then, hadn’t he said he’d been a soldier too? I guess if anyone could understand the ingrained instinct to follow orders, it would be him.

We chatted about the House of Shadows and Laudon’s plans to expand their business enterprises and somehow slipped into talk of books.

Kaster was well-read, and we shared a couple of favorite authors. I’d love to show you my library sometime.

He wanted me to go to his house? Would I? I’d love to see it.

Dessert arrived, and I was so focused on the conversation that I didn’t register the deep silence that had fallen across the restaurant until Kaster stopped speaking abruptly to look over my shoulder.

We have royalty in the house, he said.

My scalp pricked, goosebumps breaking across my skin a moment before Ezekiel’s clipped tones broke the silence. “And what do we have here?”

I set my fork down, lifting my gaze to meet his. “What does it look like?”

“It looks like a date,” Ezekiel said, his jaw tight. “ Is this a date, Miss Lighthart?”

I couldn’t deny the satisfaction of seeing him so riled up. “Yes. I’m on a date, so if you’ll excuse me, I’d?—”

He growled, low and primal, and my goosebumps spawned more goosebumps.

“What’s going on here?” Laudon appeared in the periphery of my vision. “Kaster, Miss Lighthart…Oh…”

I wanted to look away from Ezekiel, but he had me trapped in his glare, his eyes bleeding to the telltale honey color of rage and hunger.

It’s all right , Kaster said in my head. You can look at me, Orina. Break his gaze and look at me.

His voice dissolved the strange compulsion Ezekiel had asserted on me, and I blinked, breaking the connection.

“This is wonderful,” Laudon said, his tone a little too cheery to be natural. “It’s been too long since you went on a date, son .” He gave Kaster a fatherly pat. “Isn’t it wonderful, Ezekiel, old friend ?”

Ezekiel drew a breath and stood tall. He adjusted his cuffs, the honey flames in his eyes cooling, and when he smiled, that too was cold and cutting. “In that case, I must apologize to you, Kaster. You see, Miss Lighthart has neglected to inform you of a most pertinent fact. The fact that she belongs to me.”

Rage flared in my chest. “I don’t belong to you. I don’t belong to?—”

He moved too fast for me to evade, and I was thrown over his shoulder and carried halfway across the restaurant before I realized what was happening.

The air whooshed as a blur shot past me.

Ezekiel came to an abrupt halt.

Orina, are you all right?

Fuck…had Kaster just intercepted the vampire king? I’m fine, but you have to get out of the way.

“Laudon,” Ezekiel said coolly and evenly. “You’re one of my closest friends, and I don’t wish to cause you any distress, but if your son doesn’t move out of my path, I will rip off his head.”

“Kaster!” Laudon hurried past us. “Get out of the way.”

Orina?

The fact that he had the balls to stand up to Ezekiel, that he’d risk his head like this did strange things to my insides. But there was also no doubt in my mind that Ezekiel could end Kaster if he wished.

I’m fine. This is just Ezekiel being Ezekiel. Please step aside. I’ll call you.

“Laudon…” Ezekiel’s tone vibrated with lethal intention, and there was panic in Laudon’s voice when he spoke.

“Dammit, Kaster.”

I felt Ezekiel’s muscles tense then relax and knew that Kaster must have stepped aside. My assessment was confirmed a moment later when we shot out of the doors and into the night.