Chapter 28: Chapter 28

It wasn't something I could avoid; I told myself. From the moment I got involved with Mira, I knew I would risk exposing our world to human eyes even further. But I didn’t think it would mean bringing her two friends into my protection as well. However, because of recent events, I had no other choice. It was the right thing to do. And Mira would have had my hide if I left her friends alone and unprotected. Good thing the unit right across theirs was still up for lease. Boris made all the arrangements. By nightfall, Jules and Raven, who were best at blending in with humans, would move into the said unit. I had suggested that both girls move into my building instead, but they were adamant about staying put. They said their parents bought that unit for them and would be suspicious if they moved out without consulting them first. In truth, I was amazed at how calmly and swiftly those two girls accepted the existence of my kind. Maybe they were still in shock and had not yet processed what happened to them. Still, they had my admiration. Not everyone could face reality with such fortitude.

When I came to pick up Mira, I wasn’t expecting her flatmates to welcome me with open arms. I was taking their friend away, and they had every right to harbor some resentment. The animosity that greeted me, however, was so palpable I could cut it with a knife. After Mira took me aside and explained everything, I understood them perfectly. They blamed me for this unwelcome intrusion into their lives. Mel was more accepting of me. Even asking questions pertinent to their current situation. Jan remained silent and only glared at me the entire time. And I once thought she was the friendlier of the two. Yet, when Mira and I were leaving, she broke down crying and made me promise, made me swear on my mother’s grave that I would protect Mira with my life. I had no intention of doing anything less, but I swore on both my parents’ graves that I would keep Mira safe at all times. Jan surprised me again with a genuine hug before sending us off, and only after assuring her we would see them again.

One thing that shook me about all this was the turning of Kris, Mira’s teammate. She was Marcel’s girl. Did this mean that Marcel was the one who turned her? But why? Marcel was the penultimate playboy, a debauched party animal who lived for sex and pleasure. He was not one to go against the Royals or the Council for fear of losing his special privileges. Marcel, in all his years as a vampire, was a pacifist. He would do nothing to rock the boat or change the status quo. The Prince himself turned Marcel. He wouldn’t risk courting the ire of his sire just to turn one girl into his eternal mate. It didn’t fit his MO.

Still, when I discussed this with Garrett and Link, whom I placed in charge of tracking down Tobias and Sabina, they told me things that gave rise to more suspicions.

“What have you learned about the Sabina girl?” I asked.

“She disappeared without a trace, sir. It was like she didn’t even exist. I asked Keno to do his magic with those machines, but he came up empty,” Link replied.

“We had a bit of luck with the Tobias guy. But I don’t think you’re going to like it, sir,” Garrett said, his brows furrowing in thought.

“I like nothing about this entire business, Garrett. I doubt there’s anything more you can do to aggravate it.”

Garrett glanced at Link, who nodded encouragingly at his brother-in-arms.

“His name is Tobias Crowley, an Englishman,” Garrett began. “They turned him before the Council passed the decree prohibiting the creation of Newborns. We don't know the exact date, but we know who sired him.” Garrett paused, his eyes darting back to Link.

“Well, who is his sire?”

“It was Marcel Chatelain, sir,” Link replied.

Now that was something I didn’t expect. “Marcel? Are you sure?”

“Keno could trace his lineage as far back as the early 1800s. It was Marcel who introduced him to our French community,” Garrett explained.

That alone confirmed Tobias’s origins as a vampire. Before the decree, sires of newborn vampires presented their wards to the vampire community they belonged to. This was the Newborn Debut. In my case, since I didn’t have a sire, I didn’t go through it. The Count formally introduced me to the Royal Council after he took me under his wing. It was more an official acknowledgment of my existence than a coming-out party. There was no celebration or frivolous fanfare to welcome me into the hidden world of the undead.

“Where is he now?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around this information.

“He left the islands two days after we found Ivan. We believe he’s now somewhere in the Caribbean, sir. We already reached out to our contacts there to see if he could be located,” Garrett said. “There’s another thing, sir.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Tobias belongs to a cult of Osiris worshippers,” Link said, placing several black and white pictures in front of me. “Keno hacked a few surveillance systems and found these. Our contact saw Tobias meeting with Dr. Jamila Hassan, an expert Egyptologist. She is also a black swan.”

“A black swan?” Black swans were humans who willingly donated blood to vampires, usually allowing them to drink directly from their veins.

“Yes, sir. She used to be part of Marcel’s flock,” Garrett said.

Fuck. Another connection to Marcel. Was he really involved in this or could he be nothing more than a clueless victim to these people’s hidden agendas? It wasn’t unusual for a vampire to veer away from their sires’ teachings once released into the wild, so to speak. Perhaps these two found their way to each other through their connection to Marcel and nothing else.

“Dr. Hassan is famous for her lectures on Osiris and believed to be a member of a cult worshipping the ancient god,” Link said as he placed a hardbound book before me. The title was ‘Osiris, the God of Death and Rebirth,’ with the beautiful doctor as the sole author.

If Tobias was the one who turned the Newborns at the warehouse, then this could connect him to the Royal guard I killed in Cebu. That one also had a Newborn with him. These pictures could also link Tobias to the Osiris cultists. Then, the cultists in Cebu and the Royal guard who had Mira’s picture were both after her.

Family? But I thought she was an orphan?

Those were Marcel’s exact words. He didn’t get that info from the girl; he got it from Tobias. And Tobias was the one sending Newborns to impregnate women with rare blood types. Was he the ringleader of this gang of misfits or just a patsy? One thing was obvious, though. Marcel wasn’t clueless.

Oh, Marcel, what have you gotten yourself into? I thought, lamenting my happy-go-lucky friend. Marcel didn’t have a serious bone in his body. He couldn’t have been the chief perpetrator of these heinous activities. The vibrations from my phone interrupted my train of thought.

“Yes,” I said distractedly, not even looking at the caller’s name.

“Nikolai! Get to the safe house. Now!” Irina screamed in my ear.

“Wait! Irinka, calm down. What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Chyort voz’mi, Kolya! They took the girls! Boris, Rosier, and Tanner are in terrible shape. I don’t know if...just get here, please!” Irina said before dropping the call.

An icy chill slithered down my spine. Something bad happened at the safe house.

“Link, Garrett, call Stefan and Marcus. Tell them to meet me at the safe house. Immediately!” I said, jumping to my feet and running out the door.

“Are you going out?” Mira’s voice called after me, halting me in my tracks.

Fuck! I almost forgot that Mira was living with me now. I turned and walked to her, pulling her into my arms. I needed to feel her warm body against mine.

“Something happened. Boris got injured,” I said, kissing the top of her head.

“What? Why?” she said, pushing away to look up at me.

“I don’t know, sweetheart. But I’m going to find out. Stay put, okay? Garrett is going to stay here with you. I need you to keep something in mind while I’m gone. If Marcel comes here, don’t invite him in, okay? Don’t let him into the house.”

Mira looked confused at first, but she nodded as comprehension dawned on her. I kissed her once more before disentangling myself from her embrace. I left instructions with Garrett and took Link with me. I left Mikhail at his post downstairs and instructed him to keep an eye out for Marcel. He will keep the other guards appraised of the situation.

Link and I took the van with the fake police markings so we could drive undisturbed with sirens on. It was the longest thirty-minute drive of my life. I tried calling Irina again, but she wasn’t answering. I didn’t know what horrors would greet me at the safe house, but nothing could’ve prepared me for what we saw next.

From the outside, everything looked normal. Even the tall gate had been closed shut. It was only after we were past the courtyard that we saw the carnage, the stench of blood, filling our nostrils. There were three bodies outside the main door, all with chopped limbs and missing heads, clearly the work of my Knights. I knelt down beside the corpses to check their napes and arms for any marks. All three bore the Osiris mark on their napes, but only one had the Royal insignia tattooed on his arm, clearly another Royal guard. The numerous feet impressions left in the dirt told me there were at least a dozen men who came through here. My Knights fought well, but the attackers outnumbered them.

“Nikolai! Oh, thank the gods, you’re finally here. This is just so terrible,” Irina cried, running through the door and straight into my arms.

“It’s okay, Irinka. I’m here now,” I said, wrapping my arms around Irina’s shaking form. I did not let go until I was sure that she had calmed down. Then she stepped back and looked up at me, her cheeks tear-stained and bloody. It wasn’t her blood, though.

“Come, I’ll take you to them,” she said, pulling me behind her.

I silently cursed when I saw my Knights. Link cursed loudly and violently, slamming both fists against the concrete wall. On the floor, sprawled and bathed in their own blood, were Tanner and Rosier. Tanner had both hands chopped off, while Rosier was missing one arm. Both were bleeding from countless bullet holes in their bodies. Boris was the only one slumped against the wall nearest the door. He was probably the last one left standing. They riddled his body with bullets, and his arms were almost completely severed. His face was deathly pale and flaky, a sure sign that he’d lost a lot of blood.

“I took out the bullets, but they’d already done too much damage. They used silver bullets, Kolya, the ones normally used against werewolves,” Irina explained.

“Are they still alive?” I asked, fearing the answer.

“Only just. Their hearts are still beating, so there’s still hope. But we have to move fast. I told Felipe to bring all my potions to your building.”

I turned to Link and said, “Link, were you able to reach Stefan and Marcus?”

“Yes, sir. They’ll be here any minute now. I told them to bring the van.”

“Good. Call Garrett and tell him Felipe would come over with Irina’s stuff. And please try to see if you can rouse Tanner or Rosier.”

Link nodded and followed my instructions. After which, he went over to his fallen comrades while I sat down beside my unconscious second-in-command. I wanted to howl in anguish. I wanted to kill something and purge all the fury burning inside me. This was just too damn unbelievable. No one should have known about this safe house. How long had these people been surveilling us without our knowledge? Why didn’t we notice them?

“Irina, what about Ivan? Is he still alive?”

“Yes. I checked on Ivan after I saw the girls were missing. It seems whoever took them didn’t even bother to look for him. They probably didn’t even know he was here."

I breathed a sigh of relief at the small favor Fate granted us.

“They destroyed the lab and the Infirmary, too, Kolya. They smashed all my potion bottles to bits, which is why I couldn’t patch them up. The computers were trashed, and even the samples I took of the girls were all gone. The physical ones, at least. Had I not listened to Felipe and backed up all my research on a separate hard disk, I would’ve lost all of those hours of hard work,” Irina said with a tiny smile.

“Thank the gods for Felipe and his love of modern technology,” I said, smiling back. Had Irina not arrived when she did, my Knights would’ve been dead before we even knew what happened to them. “Were they all like...this...when you got here?"

“Boris was still conscious when I arrived, but only barely.”

“Did he say anything?”

Irina’s eyes turned hard when she said, “Only one word. Marcel.”