Cheating Death (Wraith's Rebellion Book 2) Page 5

  “One falls off, so he removed the others?” I asked Troy.

  Troy shook his head. “I’m not answering questions like that.”

  “Okay, if the archivist isn’t a vampire, what is he?”

  Troy shrugged. “Just not a vampire. Not fae either. He can’t make more of himself and is sometimes old, sometimes young. At least, that’s what I’ve been told of him.”

  “Has your mother spoken to him?”

  “Gosh, no. It’s a standing order, which means everyone is told about it.”

  “Do you know who Lu is?”

  “He’s a vampire whose power is to spread disease. Mainly to humans. His description might be altered, but he’s said to have a marked face, is short, older, skin and bone type posture. He used to be said to wander the countryside with a scythe, always with a young boy at his side.”

  “Do you know anything about the boy?”

  “Just young and forced along. Boys are told not to go to Lu because then we’ll have to take the boy’s place at his side. Some of us thought that was pretty cool until my older brother sat us down and explained the symbolism in the myth.”

  “Lu’s a sexual predator, is what you mean.”

  Troy nodded. “The girls are told that if they go to Lu their brothers will be snatched and they’ll be killed. It’s apparently happened on more than one occasion. And more recently than the Council will admit.”

  “Families having tales of a disease spreading paedophile who carries a scythe. And none of the vampires are aware, it seems.”

  “Something about Lu that I should know?”

  “The vampires attribute that description to someone else.”

  Troy looked puzzled. Then it seemed to slowly dawn on him what I had said.

  “But he’s used to cull bad families.”

  I pointed to the kitchen door. “Bad people in your family are only ever culled by one person.”

  “My grandfather was culled,” Troy said.

  “And you think Lu walked among the people and didn’t start something, but I’m infected for sitting across from him for half an hour?”

  The young man looked highly uncomfortable. “Well, obviously, it is a myth, facts get twisted. Maybe you don’t get infected that easily.”

  “Besides, your family is practically immune to that.”

  “No, we aren’t.”

  “You think that you weren’t hand selected and bred for a purpose?”

  “Well, sure, but for a flavour of blood.”

  “Whose taste can only be detected by vampires. But your genetics alter your blood, right?”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “I might end up dead because Lu realized I exist and I apparently make your master salivate. So, I’m just a little more ballsy than usual. If I’m going to die, I want to know as much as I can before I do.”

  “You mean he’s leaking venom?”

  “Sometimes, yes.”

  “That’s not a sometimes. If he’s uncapped, he’s usually, you know. But that leaking doesn’t stop just because he stops talking about it. It happens anytime he’s near someone who makes it happen. He should be fighting with the doctor to get him here now, not later.”

  Troy pulled out his phone and frowned at it as he tapped away.

  “Are you texting someone that, should you be texting someone that?”

  “My mother. I report to her, then to Quin. She reports to someone else, so on.”

  His phone beeped and his eyebrows raised, almost meeting his hairline.

  “Don’t keep me in suspense, what’d she say?”

  “Not to worry about it,” his phone beeped again, this time the message made him blush. “She’s asking if I caused a leak.”

  “You guys talk in code?”

  “You know the NSA and their tapping programs?”

  “Which are in America?”

  “One, I’m from America, two, you really think they don’t read your texts because you’re Canadian and lead a rather boring life? Or that the Canadian government isn’t doing the same thing, but are better at it?”

  “Oh please,” I said.

  “Your professor was sleeping with several other students at the same time he was with you. He’s blackmailed them into continuing because if they come out the same thing that happened to you would happen to them. His wife doesn’t care and is in on it because if he’s having sex with them, he’s not bothering her. But she walked in on you two so she had to make a fuss.”

  “Uh-huh,” I said.

  “Also, Erin keeps texting you, pissed and freaked out. She says not to come back because her stuff got messed up. She’s going to sell your stuff to try to make up the cost of the laptops.

  “She makes her money by being a cam girl, and they supposedly damaged one the computers she needed for work. But given the language used, I somehow doubt that was actually the case and I think she’s a vengeful and petty person.”

  “That does explain some things,” I said.

  “If you’d like, I could even respond for you. The families wrote that code and gave the government the stuff we used ages ago.

  “Us? We can listen in on any conversation whether your phone is on or not. Those talking animal app games? My father’s idea. Now people even give us a camera view of their rooms talking to those things. They don’t think anything of it. We don’t need key loggers on your computer if you have one of our apps. We tell you to sign in with a rather popular and trusted email. Most people don’t realize that we’re creating an account for them on our server and use their email’s password, which is usually their password for everything else too.”

  Note to self: burn internet identity to the ground.

  “And if you aren’t online we can purchase your image from the phones of other people or every camera that there is. Closed circuit sets are even transferable. It’s just got a wi-fi attachment that no one recognizes because it’s ten years ahead of everyone else.”

  “You’re tech gods, basically.”

  “We have to be. Even them coming out, we suggested that. Not because we couldn’t keep up, but because most hacking is social engineering. If the world thinks we’re failing to keep up with the technology booms, instead of fostering it from the shadows, then they think they’re safe and that we can’t see them jacking it to child pornography, which is making it easier for us to report that stuff and get them caught.”

  “Why not just send a vampire in?”

  “The files would be found and a pattern would emerge,” Troy grumbled. “I suggested that. Got shot down.”

  “Yet you use a phone,” I said.

  Troy sighed loudly and picked up his phone. “Uncle has a drooling problem, totally gross. Don’t worry about it, he’s harmless. Wait, did you walk into the room and he started drooling?”

  “Makes your uncle sound like a creep.”

  “According to all our communication, he’s a very rich uncle looking for an heir.”

  “What about the vampires?”

  Troy shrugged. “Going public, there were few communications to see. They’re trying to text, and it reads like a grandmother writing her children. I don’t even know if it’s on purpose. All caps and they use lol as ‘lots of love.’ They ask such stupid questions too. Like asking family members how they send a text.

  “Dude, you just sent me a text, that’s how you do it.”

  “Lu had access to my phone.”

  “Yeah, I bagged it and will remote access to see if I can find him. I’ve already got an alert on all incoming communication purely standard operational policy. Remote access is my job tonight. I’m pretty certain they’re fucking with everybody and that they know what they’re doing. Most of what we know, they taught us. It’s just the social engineering they aren’t so great with. They miss the obvious. My mother managed to blacklist Quin with one call. Said he was an identity thief and a child rapist who had a victim stashed away somewhere.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “
He wouldn’t give her access to the family. She knew we’d be a part of it, but she was new blood, so she wasn’t allowed. Thanks to her, we are foremost in social engineering tactics.”

  Quin walked back into the kitchen and sat across from me.

  “Troy, I want living blood. Need to clear something from my system.”

  “Mom sent two bags, six hours old.”

  “That will do, get them.”

  “How did you get bags of blood through security?” I demanded.

  “In a suitcase?” Troy responded, looking puzzled as he stood. “Properly marked, documented, and I notified the airline when I booked the ticket several days before I actually flew. They thought it was for a research thing, didn’t know it’d get eaten. Doesn’t work for everyone, don’t try it yourself. You will find yourself in a tiny little cell with zap strap handcuffs on.”

  “Blood, Troy.”

  “Sorry, going.”

  I watched Troy leave, then swung my attention to Quin. He seemed annoyed, playing with his phone on the table for a moment before he cleared his throat and looked up at me.

  “He takes after his mother. It seems to create a spice in the blood, so I allow it. His brothers are more obedient but lack the flavour.”

  “Lippiness is like cayenne pepper?” I asked.

  “More like salt and pepper,” he murmured. “A little lemon. It’s a marvellous change.”

  I smiled. “So, I should be lippy, to give you something to really sink your teeth into?”

  He bit his bottom lip. Only for a moment, then he dragged his teeth back into his mouth, eyes focused somewhere over his shoulder. Giving himself a shake, Quin cleared his throat again and sat up in the dining chair.

  “No, that would not be a good idea. Follow the rules, quit being so annoying.”

  “You can’t even put an edge to your voice? You’re really bad about that.”

  “Trust me. I’m a good actor. I just see no reason to put on that mask in front of you.”

  Troy re-entered the kitchen with a thermos. As he set it in front of Quin and took his seat at the table, the vampire studied me. He was silent as he watched me as if waiting for me to carry on the conversation.

  “Troy, has there been rumour of other vampires going about uncapped?” I asked.

  The young man looked startled. He blinked once at me, then glanced at Quin.

  “No.”

  “That means yes,” Quin said.

  “S-seriously?” Troy got out.

  “Problem?” Quin asked.

  “No, sir. But maybe tell me when you’re doing that kind of thing. You had plenty of time to threaten to eat me. You could have let me in on that tidbit too.”

  Quin smiled. He reached for the thermos and opened it, sniffing the opening.

  “Your mother shouldn’t be contributing so much at her age,” he growled at Troy.

  “Tell her that,” Troy snapped back. “Because I tried, dad tried, even Mickey tried. Know what she did? Cuffed us all upside the head. All of us. Told us to mind our own business or it’d a frying pan next time.”

  “Back to the uncapped vampires,” I said.

  “No,” both men said at the same time.

  I watched the two of them glare at one another. On the one hand, at least I wasn’t the only one who could ruffle Quin’s feathers.

  On the other hand, I found it hard to believe that I had entered such territory. They were willing to tell me that there were vampires going about the world uncapped, but not answer any questions beyond that.

  I could only guess that the uncapping meant something. The most obvious answer was that the vampires were planning on turning mortals. The first time in a thousand years a vampire would be made.

  They might have voted to come out because they planned on making baby vampires. It’d be a lot easier to keep that kind of destruction under wraps while working with a government.

  Quin was on a short list to become a Maker.

  That was something I could ask about.

  “How do you get on the list to become a Maker?” I asked.

  “What?” Quin asked, the thermos almost to his lips.

  “The list of Makers, how do you get on it?”

  Quin seemed to struggle for a moment, so Troy answered instead.

  “The Council chose them,” he said. “They all had power, a base, and stock to provide for a baby vampire. They aren’t certain bagged blood will work as old or dead blood, as they call it, is an acquired taste. They also needed to be vetted by their Makers and families.”

  “While the Council appreciates my…” Quin’s lip twitched when I arched an eyebrow at him, “skills, they do not want a Maker to have the same opportunities that my Maker had with me. There’s always a desire to rip into a Progeny. It’s instinctive, but others use proxies rather than subject a baby vampire to that sort of destruction.”

  “Vetted,” I said. “Through your Maker.”

  “Not my Maker,” Quin said. “They went through Lucrecia, Sasha, Margaret, everyone I’ve ever slept with. Through my entire record, stripped me bare and looked at the secrets that no other vampire had to own up to, yet somehow I still made the list.”

  “Mortal friendly even,” Troy said, then made a sound at the back of his throat. “Since, you know, baby vamps make one hell of a mess. We’re taught as much as can be remembered, and it’s kind of scary.”

  “Because he’s on the list?”

  “He’s on the list?” Troy asked, jabbing a finger at Quin.

  “Are you really not paying attention to the things that I’m saying? To the words coming out of my mouth?” I asked.

  “No… no. I. No. I mean, yes, I’m paying attention, but I thought you were mistaken, not—” Troy looked to Quin in an almost desperate fashion.

  “That’s what your mother and Elders mean when they say I’m a rich uncle looking for an heir.”

  “Vampires who ooze venom bring the person who is causing the leak into the stock. It’s how you hunt for new blood.”

  “Other vampires don’t do that,” Quin said with a shake of his head. “They go for physical features.”

  Troy’s mouth dropped open. His eyes went wide, and he turned stiffly to me.

  “Hi!” I said with all the exuberance and positive brightness I could manage.

  “I’m not breeding her,” Troy said quickly.

  “While you were sent to me for us to discuss that matter while your cousin was found, at the breakfast table is not the time or the place.”

  “I don’t want to breed you either,” I grumbled.

  “Both of you stop that. Helen, eat your food.”

  “My stomach is unsettled. Last night is probably catching up to me. If I force myself to eat, I will be sick.”

  “This one time, fine. But don’t blame me when your stomach starts growling in the middle of the Council meeting,” Quin said.

  “I’ll pack her a snack. Crackers might help with the stomach,” Troy said. “When are you going?”

  “As soon as I’ve eaten. We will probably be gone all night.”

  “Okay, do you stock this kitchen, or should I get it from the other?”

  “I had to grab her breakfast from the other,” Quin muttered, that thermos hovering about his lips.

  I don’t think he had had the chance yet to drink. Every time he got close to it, Troy interrupted with another question.

  So, I waited until he sipped his breakfast before interrupting again.

  Calling it breakfast was the polite term, for certain, the thermos was about the size I might expect a construction worker carrying to work. A larger one, which Troy had said had two bags of fresh blood.

  I could only assume that the standard measurement was a blood bag, as in the bag that blood banks used to collect blood in.

  How much blood was in one of those? A pint? A litre? Was it even safe for a woman of middle age, perhaps older, to donate two bags in one night?

  Those thoughts flitted through my min
d as Quin swallowed and seemed to consider the flavour of his drink. Finally, he made a small sound and looked across the table at me.

  “Ask,” he said.

  “The Council is up.”

  “That’s not a question,” he said.

  “I just. I don’t… I don’t know what to even ask at that point.”

  “About?”

  “Who are the Council, what are their beliefs, what is the political atmosphere of the current vampire world, who is the new Council Member, because remember what’s-his-pickle died last night.”

  “What’s his pickle?” Troy asked. “Is that some kind of dirty talk?”

  “Given the fact that you are about to meet them, I suppose I should discuss that next.”

  “You’re telling her about the Council?” Troy asked.

  “Yes, why?” Quin asked in response.

  “Yeah, I’m out,” Troy said with a thumb jabbed over his shoulder. “I’ll bring her a snack to take with her, though I don’t think she’ll need it, all said and done.”

  “Because Quin is obsessed with mortals eating?” I asked.

  “I think that’s the third time you’ve used my name now,” Quin purred out.

  “Uh huh,” Troy said. The young man stood and put the dining chair between him and Quin. “Checking out now. You two just… just try not to burn the world to the ground as you do whatever in the hell it is that you’re planning. Okay? Great.”

  I have related some bits of my experience with the Council through last night. My first meeting with them was… blurry.

  The actual first meeting.

  Shit, that’s right, I told you that. Fine.

  My first true meeting with the Council was perhaps twenty years after I had been turned. Lu brought the mask and gagged me. To cover my smell, he had soaked the mask in spoiled Maker’s Blood.

  Some vampires are very capable of picking up certain smells. It seems someone on the Council at the time was one of those beings. I’m guessing it wasn’t the Elder Council as my second and third meetings would be years later.

  The point of the mask was to hide my features, whereas the smell was meant to cover who I was. It is said that once one of those vampires locked onto your scent, there was no escaping them. Near as I can tell, it’s true.

  How did he cover his smell, then?