Nimravid (The MacFade Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  “Just keep your ear to the ground. Do it in a way that doesn’t tip your people off. If you involve any of your thralls, keep it discrete. The press doesn’t know about this yet and a media circus could really complicate things.”

  “I’ll let you know if I hear anything. Good night, Mack. Thank you for a… interesting… evening.”

  “Good night, Kolann.” I closed the door and sank to the floor, sliding my back along its length. “That was exhausting.” Lucy came trotting out of the bedroom. “Alex good?” Her eyes were worried. “Alex is good, Lucy,” I reassured her. “Alex very tired. Lucy is a very good girl to have been so quiet.” I got up off the floor, it being too easy for Lucy to lick me on lips from there and I hate that. The little mutt’s tail wagged. “Lucy VERY good girl. Lucy protect Shelly, keep Shelly safe. Shelly very scared. Lucy not scared. Lucy brave, Lucy good fighter.” Her countenance swelled with pride. I reached down and scratched behind her ears.

  “She certainly is.” Mai said appearing in front of me. I gave her an arched eyebrow. “You were awfully quiet tonight.” She looked at me, very pleased with herself. “I didn’t need to say much. My best student handled the whole situation like a pro. Congratulations Alex, you brokered your first peace agreement, with one of the most treacherous species in the known universe.”

  “Not sure that sounded like a good thing.” Mai shrugged, “We’ll see. Like Oroku used to say. Negotiate from a position of power, compromise from a position of humility and allies will abound.” I puffed out my chest and leaned back in my chair. “Not bad for a night’s work. I’m starved. What do we have to eat around here?”

  “Not much. You haven’t been to the market this week.”

  “Ugh! Grocery shopping. I hate grocery shopping; short people are always asking me to get things off the top shelves.”

  Mai smirked as she faded out. “I never tire of the irony in that statement, every time I hear it, coming from someone who has had a love affair with food, since birth.”

  “Speaking of love affairs,” I quipped as my phone rang. It was Claire. I forced a smile on my weary face and answered the call. “Hey sexy! How are you?”

  “I’m good, Lover, how are you? You sound beat.” Claire replied, her initial purr turning into concern. I grunted. “It’s been a long night already, are you’re coming over tonight?” I said playfully. There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Sorry babe, not tonight.”

  “What?” My tone was flat. What a cruel trick to play on a bloke. I was halfway ready to launch from the way she sounded over the phone. “I have too much to do tomorrow. I just couldn’t possibly make it over there tonight.” The reception! My tux! Claire’s voice fell to an annoyed grumble. “You forgot didn’t you?”

  “Forgot? Of course not, it’s right here on my calendar.” And it was, if only I had it flipped to the correct month. “Mmmm hmmm…” Oh damn! “So why did Mr. Lee hand me Mr. Dalton’s tux tonight when I was picking up my gown, RIGHT BEFORE HE CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND?” I looked at my calendar, tomorrow was Duan Wu. I love the Dragon Boat races, must have been too busy. “Sorry Claire, something came up tonight that kept me at the house all evening.”

  “Really! What could possibly have been more important, than me, and the Mayor’s reception?” Now it was my turn to be steamed, after everything I had just been through. “Well if you must know, I had a fight with the local clan of vampires last night. About the time I should have picking up my tux, I was brokering a peace deal with the local vamp Godfather that keeps them from killing me and eating Shelly. Any other questions?”

  “Good Lord, Mack! Are you OK? Vampires, they really are HERE?” My voice became tired and weary. Doesn’t she ever listen to me? “They are EVERYWHERE, Claire. We’ve been over this.” I really didn’t have the energy for this conversation, apparently she did. “But you said that areas populated by vampires have a large number of unsolved homicides and missing persons. We don’t have any larger number than most major cities.”

  “These vamps are different.”

  “How so?”

  “Oh, bloody hell counselor, just let me off the bleeding phone, will ya?” I did not have the strength for this conversation but, she sounded sincerely interested. “Claire, can we discuss this tomorrow? I am about to fall unconscious; it’s kind of been a full night and I still have to deal with Shelly about this whole mess, she saw some things tonight. Things I’m going to have to explain, but I’m going to put that off until tomorrow.”

  “Why, what happened to Shelly?”

  “Son-of-a-bitch, like a dog with a bone, this one!”

  I took a deep breath. “She came over at a really bad time and one of the vamps snatched her. Regrettably, I had to Slip and get rough with a female to save her life. It was all a little upsetting for everyone involved.” I could Hear Claire’s head nodding over the phone. “Poor kid. Alex, I swear if you get that sweet little girl killed, I’ll never forgive you.” I smiled at her passion. “You and me both, Babe.” It had always been a great relief to me that Claire and Shelly got along. Most women wouldn’t understand a 40 year old man spending so much time with a 15 year old girl. But Claire knew about my having to leave my family behind and how much the big brother/little sister relationship helped me, as well as Shelly. She really is a peach, saddled with a prickly pear like me. Claire sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Mack. I just wish you didn’t have to deal with such things.”

  “Well on the bright side, the clan leader knew my mum.”

  “You’re kidding! What did he have to say about her?”

  “She was a brutal butcher, suffered a psychotic break and slaughtered hundreds of his brethren in horribly unimaginable ways, including children. This earned her the name, The Scourge.”

  “Oh my God, Mack! I’m coming over!”

  “That’s not necessary, Claire. I’m OK and there’s no food in the house.”

  “Oh! You make me so angry sometimes! You’re such, such A MAN!”

  “I have no idea how to respond to that.”

  “NO ONE can hear a thing like that about their MOTHER and be FINE about it!”

  “She’s right you know. You’re just repressing your emotions.”

  “Oh that’s rich, coming from the person who SUPPRESSED above mentioned information until the WORST FUCKING POSSIBLE MOMENT!” Mai got the point and stopped chiming in. “Claire, it’s OK. You’ve got a lot to do and I understand—”

  “Shut up!”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “I said shut the Hell up! I don’t want to hear it. It’s all bullshit anyway!” OK, I was just going to stop talking. Once she gets on a roll like this, there is no point in defending your position. If you stood your ground, you would be overrun by the speeding train and no one would find your mangled body for days. “Now, what do you need from the store? I’ll pick it up on my way over.”

  “Claire…,” I protested in an exhausted voice.

  “AHEM!” She cleared her throat for emphasis. I gave her a short list, like I had a bleeding choice. “Is that all you need?” I could Feel her fishing for a particular answer. “No—I need you,” I murmured. “Excuse me, I didn’t hear that. What did you say?”

  “I said I need you tonight, I don’t want to be alone.”

  “That wasn’t so bad was it?” It stung like a million paper cuts dipped in lemon juice. “No. How soon can you get here?”

  “I can be there in an hour and a half. Do you want me to pick up some Chinese food? I know you probably don’t feel like cooking tonight.” The Almighty hath made no more perfect creation in Heaven or Earth, than this woman. “Yes please, thank you. And some sweet and sour chicken for Lucy? No sauce, she earned it tonight.”

  “Of course. See you in a little bit. I love you so much, Mack.”

  “I love you too, Claire. See ya then.”

  Chapter 15

  Claire showed up an hour later. I helped her bring the food in and hang up the dry cleaning. Lucy was all
over her for the first ten minutes, per the usual Claire greeting ritual, but disappeared for most of the evening after the official presentation of the chicken. After a while, I Heard Claire talking with Mai, in the kitchen, as she was dishing up the Chinese food. I was on the couch, watching the telly in the living room, with an ice cold Rolling Rock, so Claire figured I couldn’t hear them. She still to this day doesn’t know I can Listen at great distances. I may never tell her, it comes in very handy in a relationship like ours.

  Claire finished putting the food on a tray and hesitated. “How is he really, Mai?” Mai shrugged. “He’s Mack, Claire. He’s hurting the likes that would incapacitate the Almighty himself, but per the usual, won’t admit it or acknowledge anything is wrong. He suppresses a great number of negative emotions and what he doesn’t tell you about our contracts is a burden to him.” Claire nodded, “I know, I think that’s why he gets those headaches.” Claire idly poured egg drop soup into two bowls. “Do you think he will ever tell me about Arianna LeBlanc?” Mai visibly cringed. “Probably not and I don’t suggest asking him to. I wouldn’t use the things we saw as a form of TORTURE, on my worst enemy, Claire. Those images damaged his psyche, but I’ll keep them locked up if I can. Now if there is nothing else—it has been a very trying day. I’ll retire for the night, to give the two of you some privacy.” Claire smiled and kissed Mai’s cheek. “Thank you, Mai. For everything you do for him.” Mai bowed and vanished.

  “Good night, Alex.”

  “Good night, Mai.”

  Claire and I snuggled close together as we ate and watched a movie, some chick flick she picked up from the movie box across from the restaurant. It was OK, but a little too fairy tale for my taste. A man in my profession knows all too well how very few fairy tales come true. After the movie was over, I told her about the evening’s events and the information I had learned about my mother. She just held my head to her shoulder and listened. At the conclusion of the story about my mother, I lost it. All the unanswered questions, the shame of my legacy and the anger at never being able to get her side of the story, all rushed in on me at once. When I was done pacing about the room, and roaring in anguish, she kissed me ever so gently and led me into the bedroom. Rejuvenated by the thrill of her touch, we made love all night and slept late into the morning. It was exactly what I needed.

  ________________________________________________________________________

  “Lucy hungry.”

  “Huh? What?”

  “Lucy hungry.”

  I opened my eyes to find my chest covered. The left side with Claire, her hand neatly tucked in under my ribs and the right side with Lucy, her little body sprawled out, with her head resting in the crook between my shoulder and chest. I eyed her for a second. “Alex sorry, does Alex not look busy right now?”

  “Alex not busy. Lucy hungry.” Her tail wagged tentatively. “Alex busy, not waking Claire,” I replied. Lucy looked from me to Claire and back again. “Lucy…don’t you dare.”

  She then hurled herself across my chest and started frenetically licking Claire’s face. “Ah, ugh! Yuck! I’m up I’m up. Call her off!” I scooped Lucy up with one hand and held her aloft so that we were nose to nose. “That was a very naughty girl.” Lucy gave me her most innocent look, darted her head forward and gave my nose a lick. “Lucy not naughty, Lucy hungry. Alex and Claire sleep all day, like Charles. Not good, sleep all day.”

  “We not sleep all day, Lucy. Alex feed Lucy in little while.” Claire sat up sleepily, giving me a spectacular view of her perfect creamy brown breasts. “What does she want?”

  “What?” I was clearly distracted. A hand grasped my chin and directed my face to Claire’s. “Hey! Up here fella.” I smiled contentedly. “I’m sorry, the question was?”

  “I said, what does she want?”

  “Oh, yeah right. Lucy is very concerned that we are sleeping all day and that it’s not good for us. She’s also hungry.”

  “Somehow I get the feeling that the latter was her point of greatest concern.” She bent over her knees, to scratch Lucy’s chest. Leaning forward, I placed a kiss at the base of her neck, just between her shoulder blades, or as I call it, the magic spot. I got an elbow in the chest for my trouble. “None of that right now. We’ve got a really busy afternoon ahead of us and not much time to get things done. Thanks to you.”

  I rocked back and snorted. “Oh yeah, like you’re complaining, with all the noise you were making. I’m so lucky to have you and still retain my hearing, such a good sport to put up with me the way you do.”

  “You were hurting, babe. You needed the encouragement.”

  “In a bloody pig’s eye, you fraud!”

  “EXCUSE ME?” Claire’s tone turned malicious. She turned to me, head bobbing and figure pointing. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

  “27”

  “I beg your pardon?” Claire’s confusion, plainly displayed across her beautiful face. “27 what?” I snorted and puffed out my chest. “You know EXACTLY, what.”

  “Wait for it...”

  “OH…MY…GOD! You were counting my orgasms?” I gave her an incredulous look,

  “Damn straight, I was. My personal best, thinking about putting this in my memoirs. Hell, might even take out a billboard on 270. How’s this sound? Dalton Walker, Orgas-magician.”

  “You’re absolutely, incredible…you know that?”

  “I do. I was there… remember?” I remarked sardonically as I stood up and put on my favorite pair of dragon print loungers. I was hit in the back of the head with a pillow, turning just in time to see Claire’s plentiful but gorgeous bum disappear into the bathroom. “Nice… hit and run, there are laws against that, counselor.”

  “I’m gonna shower. Feed Lucy before she starts gnawing on the furniture.”

  “She only did that once, when she was teething. Need someone to get at the hard to reach places?” I said, leaning my head in the bathroom door. A hand planted itself in the middle of my face and shoved me out. “We both know where that would lead and we don’t have the time. Now scoot! I don’t want to be waiting on you when it’s time to go.”

  “Yeah right, waiting on me when it’s ‘time to go,’ as if I have to change MY outfit at least four times and try on EIGHTEEN different pairs of shoes, with each one. This one or this one, Alex? Let me try them without stockings, no I need the stockings, maybe this pair…” I grumbled to myself as Lucy and I headed out of the bedroom. Claire’s head popped out the bathroom door. “I heard that!” Ooh! Gonna pay for that later.

  I fed Lucy, and Charles deigned to eat the “substandard fare” I provided. I don’t know where he became such a gourmet. For cripes sake, when I found him, he was eating old spaghetti out of a bloody dumpster.

  I entered the bedroom when I heard the water stop running, hoping to catch the next Claire Barnes live nude show, only to be disappointed. She came out of the bathroom fully dressed, jeans, black, and just tight enough, with a robin’s egg blue button up, open over a red tank top, hair in a bandana. I reckon it doesn’t make much sense, to style yourself up, right before the beauty shop. She smiled at me, drew her fingertips along my jaw line and kissed my shoulder, slapping me on the bum, like a football coach. “Get your shower. We’ll find someplace for breakfast along the way.” Food! I darted into the bathroom and took a quick but thorough shower. Claire was sitting on the side of the bed, having made it of course, (Why? No one is going to see it but me.) when I emerged from the bathroom.

  Claire was enjoying the Alexander MacFade live nude show, when her phone rang. “Hello? Good morning, Chief. No, now’s a good time.”

  “I beg your pardon?” I said, sounding just the slightest bit insulted. “Shut up, I’m trying to hear!” Claire hissed. “Well, by all means…” I grunted. She gave me a dismissive thumbs up!

  “Are you done being a child?”

  “Oh, good morning to you too sunshine.”

  “Just be quiet and listen, Alex.”

  “
I’m sorry, I can’t understand you, my language skills being undeveloped and such.”

  “Grow up.”

  “NEVER!”

  Claire eyed me suspiciously, knowing the look in my eye when an internal conversation is occupying my attention, “Sorry, what was that, Chief? Shit! Where? How many have been on the scene? No, that’s not necessary, he’s right here, very funny, Donald, does the term sexual harassment mean anything to you? Thought so, we’ll be down, as soon as we can. I have to get him something to eat first, his lordship doesn’t work at all well, on an empty stomach,” she said with a smirk. Offended, I tossed my nose in the air and turned my back on her, thereby ending the no longer appreciated show. She responded, by pinching my bum! Hard! “Oi! Easy on the merchandise, woman!” I spun around, to find her still on the phone, tossing various items of clothing at me. Apparently Mummy had already picked an outfit, to dress me in.

  “Good bye, Chief.”

  I grinned. “Was that the chief?”

  “Very funny. They’ve got one.”

  “Another cop go missing?”

  “No, too late, this time it’s already a murder scene, they don’t know how old it is either. Someone just happened on it. Sometime last night, the officer in question signed off for the evening, before he was abducted. He’s not married, so no one knew anything was amiss.”

  “Bloody Hell!” I swore. “Somebody has access to an arse load of very specific information, gotta be an insider, Claire.”

  “We are not going there, until we have proof,” she responded defensively. I rolled my eyes. “Fine, no jumping to incredibly obvious conclusions but I submit this, several police officers go missing while on duty. They are all black rookies with spotless records and well respected. Coincidentally, once an informal action is initiated the killers now are able to time their abductions until after the officers sign off for the night.” I gave an incredulous look. “I’m no detective, but my instincts have kept me alive for years, through numerous attempts on my life I might add, they’ve never been wrong. This is someone on the inside. I know it!”