Page 22 of Vampire's Bite

Rook

"Right this way, gentlemen." Ash stepped aside and allowed us to enter his condo. It was a typical bachelor pad, all leather and dark wood, and no doubt Ash entertained many women in the space. I was sure he was surprised to see us at his quarters, especially since we'd always met in my space.

The only thing that was surprising about the space was the mural art that decorated one wall. The piece went from floor to ceiling and looked like a forest. It was realistic enough that I would swear I could have just walked into it and been transported to somewhere else entirely.

"Please, have a seat," Ash said as he gestured to the whiskey colored couch. "Drinks?"

I shook my head as we moved past him and sat at one end of the couch while Cross sat at the other. Ash took the armchair, which I would have guessed was his favorite seat in the room based on the wear of the leather and wasted no time in getting down to business. He glanced at Cross first then turned his attention to me.

"So, what can I do for you?" he asked, although it didn’t seem as if he wanted to hear anything we were about to say. His tone was droll, his face a mask of boredom. It was also one that most people wore at the vampire court, making me wonder if he'd just come from there, and that was why he was acting this way.

I took a deep breath and began to briefly fill him in on the situation. My chest went tight with worry at the words that had to leave my mouth. Not because I didn't trust Ash, but somehow admitting it to him made it all seem even more real than I already knew it was.

"The short version is that we need a familiar to camp out at Cordelia's house to guard her ailing grandmother." I looked at Ash, almost daring him to ask for more details.

"Well, okay. I think I can help you with that." Ash reached for his phone. "There's a familiar I can highly recommend, I refer to him as Renfield. I can assure you he'll do whatever's asked of him." Of course it was never free. There would be a price, although I didn’t ask. Whatever it was I would pay it, or at least figure something out

"Alright, if you approve of him, make the call," I instructed, glancing at Cross to see if he had anything to add. He nodded in approval.

Ash slid his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen a few times before holding it up to his ear.

"Hey, Renfield," Ash spoke into the phone. "Listen, I need a favor.” A favor? We would owe him big for calling in a favor. And maybe that was his plan. Maybe he wanted me to be in his debt, it would be unlike him, but it wasn't every day someone could have a prince in their debt. “I'm sitting here with the prince and he has an assignment I think you'd be perfect for." Ash listened for a few moments and then continued. "Great, we'll see you soon."

Ash hung up the phone and turned back to me. "He's happy to help you out. I think he's eager to please me."

I'd be the first to admit that I had many trust issues, so entrusting a familiar, of all creatures, to guard Cordelia's grandmother wasn't exactly ideal, in my opinion. But I was out of options and desperate to keep Cordelia's grandmother safe while I focused on rescuing Cordie herself. Swallowing my pride, I nodded my head in agreement.

"How about a drink?" Ash asked, not waiting for an answer. He strolled to the kitchen and came back with three bottled beers.

I took one and opened it with my hand—it was one of those old style bottles that required a church key opener—which was another advantage to having super strength. No need for bottle openers, though it was common for young vampires to overestimate how much strength they'd need and crush the entire bottle. It only happened a few times before they learned though.

A thought had been bubbling inside me this whole time. It was the only thing that seemed to resonate strongly within me outside of the drive to save Cordie. "I hate to say this, Ash, but I don't have Massimo under as much control as I originally thought," I started, crossing my legs and leaning back against the couch.

Ash took a long pull from his beer before setting it down on the coffee table in front of us. "What makes you say that?"

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. I was the one that had started this conversation so I may as well go all in, and if it ended up biting me later then that was something I'd deal with at that time. "I potentially have evidence that the son of a bitch is working with vampire hunters, which, as you know, is considered treason," I explained.

Such treasonous activity could result in Massimo's death. For such a violation, the council would make him walk into the sun, which wasn't a pleasant thought. But the bastard definitely had it coming to him. And if they were generous then they'd allow me to be the one to shove him out there.

Ash's eyes grew wide. He stared and Cross and the two of them seemed to share some unspoken conversation that didn't include me. Not okay.

Even to me, my tone sounded brittle, but I didn’t like being out of the loop. "Excuse me, would either of you like to fill me in on your little secret?" I asked, crossing my arms.

Ash turned to me, his blue eyes narrowing to thin slits as he evaluated me. "Is the woman you're doing all of this for really worth it?" he asked. He wore one of those smug gazes that said he thought I’d been trying to hide my motives from him. I wasn’t. I just didn’t think he needed to know all of my business. And it most definitely was just that—mybusiness.

I glared at him. "Don't you dare judge me, Ash. I would do anything to keep her safe. I love her." My voice was laced with venom that was etched with anger, and I could feel the rage bubbling up inside of me.

"I see," he said thoughtfully. "It seems you're in a bit of a predicament then." He paused again, this time for longer as he leaned to one side on the armchair and tapped his chin with his forefinger. "When you say you'd doanythingfor her, what exactly do you mean by that?" Ash was suspicious of my loyalty to Cordelia, and that wasn't good. Or possibly he was asking how much saving her was really worth to me, how far I would go. I wish we had been able to spend more time together these last few decades so I could still read him as well as I used to, but that hadn't exactly been an option given how I was exiled and all.

I decided to believe he wanted to know the lengths of my affection for Cordie, and since I'd already put my Massimo cards on the table, I threw caution to the wind and decided to be honest with him. No hiding, no vague language. Just the truth.

"What I mean," I leaned in close, making sure Ash couldn’t claim later that he misunderstood a single word that flowed from my mouth, "is that I would turn her into a vampire if she asked me to. No questions asked. Council permission or no." I sat back and watched as Ash and Cross acted as if I had just handed them a death sentence. Cross must have suspected how far I'd go because his shock was only momentary, but Ash looked as though I'd told him I spent my last few days at the beach.

Ash and Cross may not have approved, but if not then they simply didn't understand the depth of my feelings for Cordelia. I would do absolutely anything - even risk my own life - to make sure she was safe.

Ash sat silently, slack jawed, as Cross finally spoke up. "I think Cordie is Rook's Blood Heart."

This wasn't the first time Cross had suggested this, but it was the first time that I believed what he said was true. I couldn't deny it anymore and didn’t see a reason to do so. In fact if I didn't think it was just another thing that would put a target on her back I'd shout it from the rooftops.

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