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Chapter 1

PROLOGUE: AUCTORITASNONVERITASFACITLEGEMAuthority, not truth, makes law.

Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan

Isaac Constantine sat at his makeshift command table in a New England Freightwarehouse. The table was constructed from empty boxes, and pallets. They were in thefifth hour since his Neuri and Aniwaya squads had staged their maneuvers againstVeronica Devries and her Nocturne war packs. The wounded combatants had beentrickling in over the hours. The small warehouse was full of wounded Neuri andAniwaya. The few men and women kept in reserve had been committed to the battlehours ago.

He and Veronica Devries had both shown in their long history of conflict that noquarter would be asked for or given. They were long past an amicable end to theirconflict. He had lost two sons and an eye to this war. The wounds and grievances werefar too deep for such measures.

He stared at the two-way radio on the desk in front of him anxiously. He held hishands bridged together waiting for a report back from the battleground out in the city.Every strategy he had planned and executed for the past ten years was working towardsthe defeat of his Nocturne rival.

For most of his almost century long life they were evenly matched. The scales hadtipped in their favor when the Aniwaya agreed to commit their forces to full-scale war.Their minimal conflict philosophy had changed after the massacre of the Mojave Desert.An enterprising Baron saw an opportunity to add valuable territory by creating a falsethreat with the local Aniwaya. The end result was the destruction of an entire protectorateof the Aniwaya. The Aniwaya were wiped out to the last man, woman and child.

The radio crackled to life.Wolf-home this is Alpha Dog come in. Over The voice over the radio then cut off

to silence.Isaac picked up the radio receiver and pressed the transmit button. Alpha Dog this is

Wolf-home reading you clearly. OverWolf-home the target is bagged. I repeat the target is bagged. Over The voice

said.The warehouse erupted into loud cheers, discipline and noise restrictions temporarily

forgotten. Isaac let out a deep breath he did not realize he was holding. He closed hiseyes tightly and pressed the radio to his forehead. They had caught her. It was almost


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over. He motioned for silence and pressed the transmit button again.Good job Alpha Dog bring yourselves home with the package. Over Isaac said.Roger that Wolf-home, were on the home stretch now. ETA sixty minutes. Over The

voice responded.Isaac watched his Neuri counterpart Nita Carter speaking with the and Amala

Locklear speak quietly. Something had them unusually tense this evening beyond theobvious. They had been throwing meaningful looks his direction all day. Amala was astunning olive skinned brunette in her forties, the only sign of her age was a streak ofgrey in her hair and faint lines at the corners of her eyes. She was dressed in form fittingarmy green fatigues and a button down shirt. Nita lived up to his name whether that washis given name or a nick name Isaac never asked. He was bearded broad shouldered withlong grey hair and sapphire colored eyes. He stood a head above Isaac and was an easyfour hundred pounds. The Aniwaya had brought a much needed advantage to the war.Their ties with the unseen world of spirits made them invaluable for reconnaissance andintelligence. Nita and Isaac had a terse relationship considering the unfortunate

encounters of their past. Isaac stared at the cargo entrance to the warehouse waitinganxiously for the various teams to return. He counted each Neuri and Aniwaya as theyreturned over the next hour.

Out of the hundred that had committed to this operation twelve were dead, twentywere seriously wounded and seven more would not likely make it through the night. Thewounded were carried to the rows of cots where their combat medic were triaging andtreating the worst of the wounded.

The fifty man Nocturne battalion that Devries had led had lost forty-six of theirnumber. Only Devries and three of her closest lieutenants were taken prisoner. Alphateam was the last to arrive. Leading four individuals bound by silver chains with

blackened airtight bags tied tightly around their necks. They were pushed to their kneeslong true-silver blades placed point first at the base of their necks in case they should tryto move.

Isaac felt years of suppressed rage bubbling to the surface as the covers were removedfrom their faces. He recognized them from photographs and descriptions he had seen andheard over the years. Samuel, Marcellus, Corena and of course Veronica. He wasstanding up from his seat hands balled into fists before he even realized. They were allfour murderers. They had slaughtered his people throughout their unnaturally longlifetimes. Made children orphans, killed husbands and wives.

His hands began to change of their own accord, the muscles and bones lengthening

and curving into claws. His feet brought him inexorably forward. There was nothing butlooks of silent agreement and grim approval from the Neuri and Aniwaya in the room forwhat he was about to do. He looked towards the darkened half of the warehouse wheretwelve still forms lay on the ground covered by tarps and sheets, whatever could befound among their supplies to cover the dead.

He gripped Corena by the hair and forced her head back. She stared back at him withdefiant hate filled eyes. Remorseless eyes.


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Wait a soft male voice said.Isaac looked around, Nita stood by him.What is it Nita? Isaac asked.I need you to do something that you will not want to do The figure continued. I

need you to let them all live

WHAT! NO! I CAN NOT DO THIS! Isaac screamed back at him.You must Nita replied. For your children, and your childrens children.Isaac shook his head THIS IS HOW WE END THE WAR RIGHT HERE! BY

DESTROYING THEIR LEADERS Isaac yelled back at him in angry disbelief.Nita took the brunt of his anger calmly. No. It is not. Let me show you why you must

let them live.Nita moved closer. Isaac tensed but did not pull back, Nita touched its index finger to

his forehead. Isaac blinked.Is it real? He asked.It could be Nita responded. We cant take that risk.

Isaacs muscles were taunt with the strain of not acting. He wanted to slaughter themall. Make them pay. He gritted his teeth tightly. Amala opened his hand and placed thefolded crayon picture of a wolf his granddaughter had given him before he left NewEngland. It must have fallen from his pocket.

It must be done. It is time for it to end Amala said gently.He envisioned once more in his mind what Nita had shown him and sighed as he

released his hold on Corena. Isaac looked around at the Neuri and Aniwaya watchinghim in confusion. He clutched the crayon drawing in his hand.

Its time for a change. Its time for peace. I want our children, and grandchildren togrow up during a time of peace

Chapter 2

CHAPTER1: THECOYOTECoyote never loses. Because I change the rules of the games my enemies play. What

are the rules of your game?

Patricia Briggs, Frost Burned

December 3rd 2015, I-90 Corridor Ohio

Mika Stillwater sat with her legs tucked beneath her on the couch in the living area ofher fathers RV, watching the traffic and sights go by as they drove along I-90 East. Shewas reasonably sure that her father had been talking to her, or probably more accurately,at her for the past few hours of the journey but as she expected the conversation wasentirely one sided. She had not heard a single word over the music playing in her earbuds from her phone. She was listening to an old mix play list her and Kai, her closestfriend, well her only actual friend had made when she was living with her mom at the


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reserve in North Carolina.The familiar electronic beat of Nine Inch Nails began and the distinct vocals of Trent

Reznor thrummed into her ears bringing a slight smile to her lips. She stood up grippingthe sides of the furniture as she moved through the RV living space to get to themicrowave with the intent to pop a bag of extra butter popcorn. She was stress eating, it

had been five years since she seen her mom or Kai and she was feeling particularlyawkward about the reunion. She was excited but scared of how their relationship mighthave changed.

When IT happened she had been packed up and shipped off so fast with her Dad,gone the very next day without ever getting the chance to say good bye. Five years afterliving in the Rockies in a place so remote Walmart was a day trip, had left her socialcircle even sparser than before. She had sent letters to her Mom for Kai but neverreceived a single response. Mika looked inside the cardboard box of microwave popcornand sighed in disappointment, she had eaten the last one without noticing ten countiesago. She performed a preliminary search through the RV cabinets and came up broke.

Based on the travel plan that her father had shared, their next stop was not going to befor another three hours when they stopped in the fringe of Cincinnati for the night beforebeginning the final leg of the journey to her moms place in Lumberton, in NorthCarolina. Mika decided that three hours was too long to wait for artery clogging butteredpopcorn. She hit the pause button on her phones MP3 player.

She pulled herself along the edge of the furniture, gripping the table for balance asthey hit a pothole; she made her way toward the drivers cab where her dad was stillholding the same one sided conversation. He was probably completely unaware andequally unconcerned that the only one listening to him talk was himself. She caught thegist of the current topic of conversation. It was something completely inane about the

differences between Kansas barbecue and North Carolina barbecue, and the superiorityof Applewood over Cherry when smoking meat.

Mika waited till he reached a pause in the tirade of words to take a breath beforeinterjecting.

The wood used makes all the difference in the flavor Luca said absently.Mika interjected Dad, we need to stop at the next truck stop so I can use the

restroom.Luca Stillwater turned his head slightly and ran a hand through his messy salt and

pepper hair, examining her intently from his peripheral vision. He furrowed his brow inconsideration and inhaled from the damp rolled cigarette hanging from his lips before

answering.Just use the one in the back. Its really not that bad, stop being such a Luca

offered.Mika quickly realized that she was going to have to change tactics to get her way.

Fortunately she had already prepared a response for this eventuality. She folded her armsbeneath her breasts and summoned forth her best resting bitchy teenage girl face. Sheinterrupted him before he could finish his statement, counting off points on her fingers.


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Dad, first off, I am reasonably sure that there are in fact completely new forms of lifeforming in that bathroom that have been incubating since 1987 which was probably thelast time it could be considered clean by any creatures living standard above bacteria andamoeba.

Luca sputtered indignantly.

I clean! It has only been a few week-monthsMika raised an eyebrow at him incredulously. He hated that, leading her to practice till

she had gotten particularly good at that look.Secondly if you must know it is not that kind of rest room stop.Lucas brow furrowed further as he tried to work out what that could possibly mean.What? What other types of restroom stops are there?Mika rolled her eyes and sighed in exaggerated exasperation.If you really must know father I forgot my bag with the feminine hygiene products

and as luck would have it, its shark week do you need any further explanation aboutthe biology?

Luca was clearly unprepared for that graphic of an answer. His mouth opened wide inshock causing the cigarette hanging from his lip to fall and hit his leg causing him toump with a curse as the ember burned his leg through his jeans. He jerked the steering

wheel and the RV swerved over the line onto the shoulder. They almost hit the eighteen-wheeler in the opposite lane when he jerked the wheel, over correcting. The truck driverresponded with his air horn liberally and mouthed several choice words at them as hedrove by.

Luca located the cigarette and stamped it out with his boot vigorously before the shagcarpeting caught fire. He opened his mouth several times in a fair imitation of a goldfishbefore clearing his throat.

JESUS FUCKING CHRISTI mean of course honey; I will stop at the truck stop at the next exit.Mika nodded curtly and turned before smiling smugly to herself in silent celebration

of her victory at shocking the old man. She climbed back on the couch pulling her kneesup to her chest and hitting play on her phone again, the music picking back up where itleft off. She glanced out finding the lighted sign of the truck stop advertising gas pricesand a special sale on sodas and candy bars.

She watched through the rain splattered window as they approached the exit to accessthe truck stop and got to her feet when the RV pulled to a halt by a vacant pumpstretching until her back popped. She pulled on her beanie hat and corduroy coat,

bundling up against the frigid winter weather.She watched Luca take a quick look around and then glance at the growing queue

inside thoughtfully. He muttered under his breath and wiggled his fingers starting directlyat the single open cash register which suddenly stopped responding completely much tothe clerks annoyance. He slammed his hand against the side repeatedly trying to bringthe register back to life. Luca waited for the family of four with the minivan to enter thetruck stop leaving the father behind to pump the gas. Luca waited for him to swipe his


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credit card and made a discreet throwing motion at the pump, and another series ofmumbled syllables under his breath. The pump display when completely blank, showedERROR 5 and started beeping annoyingly.

The father furiously pressed the buttons on the display and flipped the pump switch upand down and slapped his hand hard against the side of the pump before storming into

the gas station cursing under his breath. He walked to the back of the growing linewaiting for the clerk to get the register back online. Luca walked over and casually to thepump beside the minivan which came back to life immediately and inserted the dispenserinto the filler neck on the RV and started pumping.

Mika shook her head, she was all too familiar with the general chaos her father likedto cause everywhere he went all in the name of hoodooing and swindling those aroundhim. She headed inside and made a show of visiting the rest room for a few minutesbefore wandering around the store glancing at the shelves of snacks and merchandise.She prepared a large cup of two dollar cappuccino waiting for the line to clear.

She used her own considerable skill at slight-of-hand to slip a few snacks into her

shoulder bag for later and then got in line with the coffee. She realized that the registerwas still down and concentrated on it, the small electronic spirit appeared at the top as athree inch transparent blue imp that watched her with cat like curiosity. She lookedmeaningfully at the blank display of the register and motioned for him to turn it back on.The imp tilted his head and held his hand out meaningfully and she dug in her pocket andheld some Canadian coins out in her palm.

The spirit squealed and clapped disappearing back into the register which quicklycame back to life eliciting a cheer from the waiting crowd. Luca had spent years buildingup favors with all the various spirits that permeated the world allowing him to pull off allkinds of tricks wherever he went. She was still building up a rapport with the spirit world

often requiring her to perform small favors in return for their help.The line cleared quickly, she paid for her coffee and dropped the coins into the give-a-

penny tray and left the gas station holding it in her gloved hands for warmth. As sheapproached the RV she saw Luca on the phone with his back to her, she strained to hearand approached quietly, lifting her feet just enough not to make noise and watching hisbody language for any signs he had noticed her approach.

No, Ill make it in time for the summit. We should be there by tomorrow night OK, keep me postedYeah same to you good nightMika walked forward faster and more loudly to make it seem like she just walked out.

Luca turned around but glanced behind her and she turned her head to see the minivanowner arguing extensively with the clerk about the $200 charge that was on his pumpwhen he returned to pump his gas.

Luca watched him slam his hands down on the counter, his face turning red as he andthe clerk shouted at each other.

He looks especially pissed; we should probably not be here when he gets back.Mika shook her head and climbed back inside the RV and back to the small living


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room area that she had setup as her temporary nest for the journey. She waited till the RVwas once again on the highway and popped a new bag of microwave popcorn beforegoing back to the couch. She opened her laptop and queued up the next few episode ofher favorite Teen Vampire Drama TV show to pass the time. She made it through twoepisodes, were the teen vampires were being especially broody and dark before her eyes

drooped closed and she fell asleep on the couch.She was awoken when they went over a speed bump. Mika yawned and looked out the

window as the RV pulled off the highway and into an overnight stay RV park. Lucaturned his collar up against the wind and rain and went into the reception office. It wasseveral minutes before he returned with a tag to put in the window to show they hadchecked in. He smiled at her smugly, disgustingly pleased with whatever he had done.

What did you do now?Luca put his hand over his heart in mock affront.Me?Nothing, we were just fortunate that the credit card system went down so they could

not charge the credit card. I told them we would stop by in the morning before we headedout to see if it was fixed.

Mika shook her head.It is not going to be fixed is it?Luca shook his head.Not at the prices they charge per night, absolute robbery. They should be ashamed of

themselvesMika rolled her eyes and stifled another yawn.You are a regular Robin Hood.Luca yawned and covered his mouth.

Stop yawning. Go get some sleep before you make me tired. I am going to go plug usup for the night and pump the sewage.

Mika nodded and headed back to the small bathroom. It was a horrible shade ofyellow and consisted of a shower stall and a toilet both of which were permanentlystained with decades of mildew and grime. She found a clean towel and grabbed hertravel bag before undressing and folding her clothes. She climbed in the tub and turnedon the water, testing it with her hand before stepping under the spray from the shower.She soaked in the hot water eyes closed and blindly reached out for her body wash andpoured some into her hand and massaged it into her hair and skin.

Devoid of other distractions her thoughts went back to her anxiety about returning to

live with her mother and picking up her old life again. With THAT one added additionalcomplication of course. She thought of seeing Kai and found herself getting angry. Screwhim if he had not cared enough about her to even return her letters then she obviouslywas not as important to him as he was to her.

Mika climbed out of the shower fuming and wrapped up her long hair in a towel andwiped the fog from the bathroom mirror with her hand and regarded her reflectioncritically. Although her figure had filled out over the past four years she still would not


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describe herself as curvaceous. At best she was borderline ugly duckling emphasis on theugly. Her eyes were too small for her face, her nose too big and her lips too thin. Herchest left a lot to be desired in the bikini filling department and her butt was kind of flat.Finding herself in a worse mood than before she quickly slipped into her sleepingclothes, a pair of dark blue cotton shorts and a well-worn in Hello Kitty tank top.

She took her hairbrush with her and went back to her spot on the couch, which wouldalso serve as her bed for the night. She read her book for a while but found herself to befar too distracted to really comprehend the words. When she heard the latch on the dooropen she set the book down and pretended to be asleep, she was really not in the moodfor socializing at all tonight.

She wallowed in her foul mood, tossing and turning for hours before finally fallingasleep. Her dreams were both familiar and alien. She dreamnt she had returned to thereservation where she grew up and there was some kind of celebration going on. Batterypowered tea lights dangled from every tree and post surrounding the common meetingarea, pavilions and gazebos bordering the clearing which had been laid out with carpet

for the night. Faceless couples danced together to soft music. In her dream she wasperfect, her hair naturally curled and bounced just right upon her shoulders without asingle split end or frizzy strand to ruin it, the style perfectly complimented her mid-thighlength floral patterned summer dress and lace up sandals.

She was at the small elevated deck by the clearing where the tribe members met to tellstories and eat together, affording her a clear view of the reservation. The strong scent ofpine and the glimmer of reflected light told her it had been recently polished. Twists ofwhite cloth and ribbon fluttered in the light breeze tied to every tree branch.

The border of the dance floor itself was marked with white candles. The choice ofdcor gave the entire scene a very ethereal feel. The polite clearing of a throat caused her

to turn around in surprise. She saw a familiar profile waiting at the edge of the deck,dressed in black dress pants and white shirt tucked in. He was standing with one handbehind his back holding a trimmed white rose. Kais normally haphazardly styled hairwas gelled and brushed back from his face. He approached her and regarded her withfaintly luminous green eyes. He smiled warmly and held the rose towards her, Mikasmiled and took the rose tucking it into her hair above her ear blending it in with thegemstone studded silver hairnet.

His voice was soothing and deep.You look beautiful.Mika smiled

Thank you, you clean up pretty good yourself.Kai smiled a little nervously. He did look good; he had filled out in the chest and

shoulders since she had seen him last and gained another few inches in height. He movedwith confidence, each gesture was graceful and each step economic. He offered Mika hishand.

May I have this Dance?Mika nodded and smiled taking his hand. Her skin tingled where he touched her. He


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very gently closed his hand around hers and led her off to the dance floor. They selecteda place to begin and Kai placed his hand on her waist and lead her through the dancesteps without hesitation, moving in easy harmony with the other dancers. The dancersdisappeared one couple at a time. The song changed and Mika put her arms around hisneck and he closed his hands around her waist as they moved closer to each other.

He smelt good, like fresh cut sandalwood and clean sweat, she noted he had missed apatch of stubble while shaving below his chin, an endearing flaw in his otherwiseimmaculate appearance. He tilted his head and looked at her questioningly when henoticed her scrutiny she shook her head slightly and rested her head against his shoulder.At the end of the song she reluctantly went to move away but he caught her hand, thefamiliar bolt of electricity shot up her arm.

Wait Mika Kai said his eyes sought hers holding her in place.She looked back at him and he stepped closer to her. She wasnt sure her heart had

ever beaten so fast in her life. She saw Kai in a different light for the first time, not as afriend, but as something more, someone she wanted to be more. And more than anything

right now he wanted him to kiss her, to feel his lips on hers. Time moved at a crawl forher, just as the anticipation became unbearable Kais lips met Mikas. His lips were soft,and his breath carried the lingering taste of peppermint and vodka. The familiar warmtingle became a jolt of electricity through her body, quickly building towards a crashingcrescendo of pleasure. She secretly thanked her good fortune that she had just reappliedher cherry lip gloss.

The end of the kiss was like a shock of cold water to the face and it took her a momentto process what had just happened. When she did not respond Kais posture became stiffand he began to turn away, mistaking her lack of reciprocation to mean she did not wishto be kissed. Before he could leave she grabbed a handful of the hair at the back of his

head and pulled his mouth back to hers and kissed him urgently. She tried tocommunicate the sum total of her feelings in the depth of the kiss. The intimacy of thekiss caused her cheeks to flush but she made no move to end it.

He stopped unexpectedly taking a sharp intake of breath, she briefly worried if shehad nipped his lip too hard as he made a quiet grunt of pain and stepped back away fromher. She opened her eyes and once she refocused she started screaming, Kai lookedcompletely surprised to find six inches of steel sticking out from his chest. He glanced ather and reached for her as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, Mika glancedaround and saw that the dance floor was covered in the bodies of the dancers, bloodstained their clothes where they had bled out from their wounds and pooled around them,

glistening in the light of the candles. She turned and a living shadow thrust a knife intoher chest, red eyes regarded her menacingly for a moment before letting her drop to theground with the rest of the corpses.

Mika woke up in a cold sweat breathing raggedly. She checked the time on her phoneand sighed, it was only 4am it would be a few hours before Luca was up. She climbedout from under the covers and went to the fridge and took out one of the small bottles ofOrange Juice. OJ always made her feel better after a bad dream. She went back to the


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couch and opened her journal and quickly noted down the details of the dream that shecould recall and closed the book. Ever since that night she had suffered from regularnightmares, her mom sent her a journal to write her thoughts in and record her dreams onpaper, it seemed to help.

Mika finished her juice and put the bottle in the recycling bin in the kitchen and then

climbed back under the covers. Sleep completely evaded her grasp. She grabbed herbook, a well-broken-in novel she had picked up from some Goodwill store. The next fewhours passed in a kind of half-sleep until she heard Luca get up and head into thebathroom whistling cheerfully. She groaned and forced her way out from under thecovers and headed into the kitchen area, turning on the coffee maker as she passed andput some bread in the toaster. She checked her email on her phone while waiting for thecoffee to finish brewing.

Luca came into the kitchen just as she sat down with her coffee and two pieces oftoast, slathered with butter and strawberry preserves. He poured himself a coffee andgrabbed one of the toast slices from her plate when she was preoccupied with reading

something on her phone. Her eyes stabbed him with a death like glare. He took a bite andset it back on the plate and headed outside to disconnect the RV from the power andsewage removal port.

When he came back he went to the cab and started up the RV and drove up to theoffice near the exit. He went inside and came back ten minutes later with a cooler boxfull of glass cokes and a warm apple pie. Mika fixed him with a glare.

You didnt.Nope I didnt. They were so frustrated with the guy on the phone trying to fix their

register that when I offered to fix it for them they forgot to charge us for last night, andthe Apple pie and cokes were on the house.

Mika shook her head in disbelief. Two things were constant in her life, the sun wouldrise in the east and her father would swindle someone wherever they went. They hadmoney. He just believed in being a con-artist for the love of con-artistry. He was such agreat role model for his impressionable daughter. Luca cut out half of the apple pie andstuck it on a plate and left the rest for her taking his to the cab with a fork to eat whiledriving. Once they were on the road Mika went and got dressed picking a pair of capris,spaghetti top and a flannel shirt to wear. She left the shirt mostly unbuttoned, showing abit of cleavage and tied the front of the shirt in a knot above her stomach. Examiningherself in the mirror she found she was happy with the result and went back to her TVshow marathon to pass the time while they traveled.

They stopped for dinner on the South Carolina border at a truck stop that servedhomemade barbecue, they spent the dinner like they normally did Luca would do thetalking for them both in between charming the waitress for free desert and coffee. Shehalf listened to the conversation. Some of what her father said had to be tuned out for hermental health. It occurred to her during the dinner that she had never asked what heplanned to do once they reached her moms place.

They were barely on speaking terms so she highly doubted he would be invited to stay


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a few days. She found that thought was more upsetting that she expected. She did loveher father as much as he got on her nerves and she disapproved of his way of life. He hadhis issues. The fact he got her mother pregnant and ran. And the fact that he was about asresponsible as a High school kid at prom night after a fifth of vodka on one of his gooddays. But he had provided for her. He got her into a school and he helped her transition

after her change. She had almost forgiven him for not being there when she was growingup and all the birthdays and Christmas holidays he missed. She wasnt going to tell himthat however.

Luca noting her melancholy expression pushed a piece of chocolate pie across thetable with a fork. He glanced around and lowered his voice conspiratorially.

I hear chocolate helps to stem the red tide.Mika spit coffee over the table and her shirt turning beet red. She gave him such a

venomous glare he slid back out of her immediate reach. He was barely holding backthe laugh when she began stalking away to the bathroom to clean off her shirt and try todry it out. It took her a solid ten minutes with the hand dryer before her shirt reached

passably dry, the stain blended with the dark material of her t-shirt.She stalked back into the restaurant with the full intention of changing her assumed

role of daughter to underage prostitute when the waitress came back by, it would servehim right to have to explain his way out of that. What she saw made her hesitate, hertable was empty but there were two cops, a male and a female talking to the waitress whowas looking at a printout they had handed her and then she pointed in the direction of thebathroom. The female cop talked into the radio at her shoulder and walked towards thebathrooms, striding with purpose.

Mika began to panic. Shit. Where was Luca?She backed into the bathroom and hit the button on the dryer to make noise. The only

outside window had bars. She grabbed the mop from the cart and used it to push up oneof the nicotine stained ceiling panels to make it seem like she had climbed up there to tryand escape. She went into the last stall and closed the lid on the commode and crouchedon top of it. She heard the door open just as the hand dryer came to a stop. There was thesteady rhythm of booted feet and the sound of slight exertion as the cop crouched downto see if any of the stalls were occupied. When she saw no feet she stood up and spokeinto her radio again.

Steve, are you on your radio? The female police officer asked.There was a muffled, distorted response through the radio from Officer Steve.Find out whether there are any exit points that can be reached from the ceiling. One

of the panels is out of place. I am going to finish checking the bathroom then I will catchup.

The female cop cautiously opened the stalls one be one gun pointed directly in frontof her. She started at the front and working her way to the end. Mikas breathing becamepanicked and she clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from making any sound. Asthe cop approached the last stall Mika was unsure how she could not hear the sound ofher heart pounding in her chest traitorously.


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She desperately tried to decide what she was going to do, she could not think of anyplan that did not seem like a terrible idea to do with an armed cop on the other side of thedoor. She saw the door start to swing inward and then the lights went out, leaving theroom in darkness.

She heard the cop curse to herself, turning on her flashlight before talking into her

radio again.God damn it.Steve whats going on?There was a hard to hear static laden reply that might have beenTransformer blew.The trashcan near the door fell over with a resounding thud and the door slammed

against the wall. The cop who managed to get her flashlight working went runningtowards and ended up slipping on the layer of hand-soap that had mysteriously ended upall over the floor. She flew straight up in the air cracking her head on the edge of the sinkbefore falling to the tiled floor unmoving.

Mika waited a moment to see if the cop moved at all. But she appeared to be out coldsprawled in front of the door. She carefully made her way across the bathroom using thelight of her phone to avoid the slick patches of hand soap. She was almost past theunconscious cop when she grabbed her ankle in a vice like grip. Mika turned, thewomans eyes glowed faintly amber in the dark. Mika tried to escape her grip.

Where do you think youre going girl? The cop inquired.The grip tightened on her ankle painfully.Youre hurting me. Mika pleaded.The cop smiled unpleasantly and spat back at her No girl, this is hurting you.The cop twisted her wrist snapping her ankle and leaving bone jutting from the flesh.

Mika screamed and fell to the floor, barely avoiding blacking out. Her pain-laden mindreacted with the first response that came to mind.

Mika screamed, HELP!!! RAPE!!!Mika kicked at the cop blindly in the dark. The female cop countered by squeezing her

broken ankle tighter eliciting further screams. Three figures with flashlights ran into thebathroom in a rush. They slid along the slick floor and went down in a heap of bodies,falling over each other on the soap slick floor. In the confusion the female cop lost hergrip on her ankle. Mika took advantage of the confusion and crawled out of thebathroom.

Every time she moved her ankle she was rewarded by blinding white hot pain. She

took three frantic breaths and then pushed the bone back together inside the woundscreaming the entire time. Mika focused her mind on her ankle. She felt the similarvibration in her nerves as the muscles and skin began to shift. She watched through tearfilled eyes as the broken fused back together.

She struggled to remain conscious as the torn muscle repaired itself and finally theskin healed over, she stopped her body from changing any further. There was a blood redhand shaped rash on her ankle where the womans hand had gripped her, the rash was hot


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and tender to the touch. She pushed herself to her feet and stumbled out of the restaurantlimping towards the RV.

Her panic escalated further. There was no sign of Luca. She felt the air stir beside her.Lucas voice spoke in a phantom whisper Pssst -- I am here lets get the fuck out of

here.

Mika hobbled onto the RV and got in the passenger seat. Luca appeared out of thin airas he slammed the door closed behind him. He dived into the drivers seat started theengine. The truck stop was in chaos from the power being out. They slipped out of theTruck Stop while the police were still trying to direct cars around in the dark.

Luca shakily put a cigarette to his lips and lit it with his zippo from his breast pocketonce they were out on the highway. He glanced at the leg she was favoring.

Luca asked with concern Let me see that ankle.Its fine. Mika answered stubbornly.Luca asked again in clipped tones, all pretense of being aloof gone. All the same, let

me see it.

Mika sighed and held up the ankle with the hand print against the dashboard of the RVfor Luca to see.

Luca muttered quietly Thats not good.Mika tensed at his worried reaction What is it?Luca turned her ankle in his hand gently careful not to put pressure on the rash. He

steered the RV one handed and nodded in confirmation to no one in particular.Poison He muttered.Mika looked at him wide eyed. What kind of poison? She asked frantically.Something created by dark magic by the looks of it Luca responded distractedly.He rolled her jeans further up her leg and noted the thin red lines forming along the

pathways of her blood vessels and hissed under his breath. He tapped his cigarette on thecarpet completely missing the ashtray.

He muttered under his breath She gave you a good dose of it tooLuca took a long pull from his cigarette and paused a moment before exhaling the

smoke over the rash.Pau He whispered quietly.The smoke transmuted when it touched the air into an icy frost. The cool breath

soothed the rash, cooling it down. The red lines visibly retreated back towards the rash.Mika felt her panic begin to spiral out of control.

So was that you in the bathroom back there? sheepishly asked.

Luca gave her his you are stating the obvious look. She absently observed that it was alot like her you are stating the obvious look but only not as cute. She must have inheritedit. She folded her arms and hugged herself tightly, shivering now that the initial adrenalinrush had passed.

What do we do? She asked fearfully.Luca was deep in thought. He turned his head briefly.Huh? Oh you mean about the poison? Luca said distractedly.


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He continued in a reassuring tone Well nothing right now. The Aniwaya healersshould be able to deal with it when we get there, youre not human, and it will onlybecome dangerous if we do not treat it in the next 12 hours

Give or take a few hours he slipped in at the end under his breath.Mika nodded absorbing what he was saying as best she could

What about the cops? Wont they be after us? She asked with some trepidation.Luca flicked his finished cigarette out the window.Those werent cops. He responded in a fearful tone.Mika turned her head and fixed him with her own your stating the obvious look.No shit Sherlock. I meant what are we going to do about them?You are not going to do anything about them. I am going to drop you off with your

mother and then they will keep chasing me and not you.Mika began to protest indignantly. Luca cut her off with a firm stare.No discussion Mikasi. He said in a no nonsense tone of voice.Mika went quiet. She did not think Luca was capable of being a responsible parental

figure. He was a lot more complex that she had given him credit for. She silently resolvedherself to make a better effort to improve their relationship if they survived this. Whoknows, they may even work out their differences.

She hesitated a moment before speaking again Dad, why are their dark magicwielding cops after us?

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye at the use of the parental pronoun. Lucaunbuttoned his sleeve and showed her a tattoo on the inside of his forearm. The tattoowas distinct, a circular depiction of a coyote eating its own tail.

They are chasing us over a bad tattoo? Mika asked confused.Luca smiled.

No, its not really a tattoo at all. It is more like a brand created through my mojo itcontains some locked away memories. The type of memories that would cause a lot ofproblems for those things boss if they got out

Whats the memory of? Mika asked in surprise.Luca squinted and turned on the windshield wipers as the rain began to pure down.I dont know, as part of binding them to the tattoo I made sure I forgot so it couldnt

be taken from me by force.How do you get them back then when you use -- your mojo to lock them away?

Mika asked.Luca clucked his tongue for a moment in consideration on how to respond Thats a

complicated question. It depends on how they are created. Every piece of mojo isconstructed differently

But how this specific one works is by drawing on the right key memory which willunlock the carving and allow me to see the memory

What memory? Mika inquired.Luca shook his head Dont know that eitherMika looked at him in absolute confusion.


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Luca elaborated for her I do not need to figure out the memory because I am going tomeet someone who can break apart my mojo that I put on my memory to keep theinformation safe.

Does anyone else know how to unlock the mark? Mika asked.Luca nodded thoughtfully giving her a strange look.

The person I trust most in this world can do it.Luca suddenly slammed on breaks as he saw the lights of two cop cars blocking the

road ahead, there was a loud explosion and then the RV was spinning out of control untilit finally flipped. Mika had the sensation of being thrown in the air and dropped to theground repeatedly before she hit her head on the windshield and passed out. When shecame to again a few seconds later the world was upside down. She touched her foreheadand winced when she found a large lump forming, her hand came away sticky. Shelooked over at Luca, he was limp in his seat being held up by his seatbelt and thedashboard crushed against his legs.

Mika looked out the window and say the cops cautiously approaching guns and

flashlights held before them and pointed at the RV. She unbuckled her seatbelt causingher to fall to the floor of the RV. She did a quick check for broken bones and findingnone crawled over to Luca. At least one of his legs were broken and his face was coveredin cuts were the glass had broken and hit him in the face. She shook him vigorouslywhispering as loud as she dared.

LucaLucaDAD!Lucas eyes shot open in panic and then looked at her as he became aware of where he

was at and what had happened. He tried to move wincing and found that he could not get

the crushed dashboard to move at all off his legs. Mika tried with him for several secondsto no avail. He glanced out the window and saw how close the cops where and grabbedher hand.

You need to get out of here Mika.Mikas eyes filled with tears as she realized what he was asking her to do.I am not leaving you here to be killed.Luca rubbed tears out of his own eyes but gave her a look of resolution.I need you to survive, they wont kill me.Mika shook her head vigorously. Shout whispering angrily.No. You cant possibly know that for sure Dad.

Luca grabbed hold of her forearm and there was a brief flash of light and warmthagainst her skin and when he removed her hand the soul crafting was gone from his armand now could be seen on hers. The edges of the coyote tattoo stayed red for a fewmoments before fading to black as her skin cooled.

Mika shook her head in denial, she felt physically sick. Luca took her chin in his handand made her look him in the eyes.

I will survive, I am good at it. Now please go. Get to your mother.


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Mika could hear the cops outside talking on their radios now. She nodded once andturned her head away and started moving towards the back of the RV. Luca called out toher once more.

Mika, I love you baby girl.Mika tears flowing freely down her face turned her head so she could see him.

I love you too Dad.Mika continued down the length of the RV until she reached the back window she

used her bloody shirt to protect her hand as she punched it out, hoping that the othernoises going on outside would drown out any sound. The glass shattered after a fewblows but remains mostly in one piece allowing her to push it out with minimalresistance.

Once she was outside the RV, she looked up at the moon. It was full tonight. Shestripped off her clothes as quickly as possible, the cold evening air forming goose bumpson her skin. She stuffed her clothes into her bag alongside her phone and laptop thensecured the bag to her back and willed her body to change forms. Her arms lengthened

and her spinal curvature changed pushing her down onto all fours. In a few seconds itwas over. She shook out her fur and sprinted into the tree line as fast as her coyote legscould carry her without drawing attention to herself. Once she had plenty of cover sheran adjacent to the road attempting to follow it to some sign of civilization. About half amile from the crash site she heard another mournful howl behind her, there weregunshots and shouting, followed by a loud yelp and then silence. Mika whined softly toherself but continued on her way, heading towards her mother and home.

Chapter 3

CHAPTER2: A CELEBRATIONDo we not each dream of dreams? Do we not dance on the notes of lost

memories?

- Nathan Reese MaherDecember 3rd 2015, Nashville, Tennessee

Samuel Rafe stood upon the mezzanine of the Union Station Hotel lobby. The floorbelow had been cleared of its usual furniture and trappings for tonights gala. The sidewalkway normally used to access the gift shop and elevators was decked in red carpetand velvet drapes to create a temporary pit for the Orchestra. Floating freely at the levelof the second floor balcony itself were dozens of floating lanterns.

Each lantern contained a wisp of light and suspended in place through soul carvingsprinted and cast upon the material of the lantern. The effect made it seem like large paper


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globes of light floated across an invisible body of water suspended above the dance floor.The lighting was intentionally subtle, just enough to supplement the spotlights thatemphasized the carvings of the Celestial host upon the ceiling and walls.

The moon was full tonight and shone through the stained glass window at the centerof the vaulted ceiling. The light splashed the dancers below in hues of blue and red as the

moved in an elegant waltz to the familiar melody of the Blue Danube.Tonight was a celebration for his mate Evelyns appointment as Ambassador of Peace

for the upcoming peace Summit that would formalize the Neuri Armistice of 1965 into aformal peace agreement. Her appointment was the culmination of a decades worth ofsocial maneuvering and politics. Evelyn had been selected over four other strongNocturne, Aniwaya, and Neuri candidates. As Ambassador of Peace she would beresponsible for the progression of the discussion and the eventual signing of the treaty.

The sound of leather boots moving swiftly across the marble floor warned him thatsomeone had found his hiding place. He had been taking a short reprieve from playinghost. His diligent shadow for the night Brandt moved to block the approaching

supplicant. Brandt was arrayed in full dress uniform, black with silver trim. The clothingwas designed as formal wear for the Wardens to wear at official functions and gatherings.

A short balding Nocturne man dressed in slightly disheveled white tie mopped at non-existent sweat on his brow with a handkerchief.

Duke Rafe, I had hoped to discuss a private matter with you this evening. The mansaid nervously.

Samuel suppressed a sigh. The moments he enjoyed most at this gatherings where hepulled back to quietly observe the social dynamics of the gathering were growing sparse.He continued to pay for his elevation to Duke in time and privacy. He was the first baronof the Rafe dynasty to be elevated to Duke. His recently expanded fealty territory was

comprised of the baronies of North Carolina and South Carolina and several majorbaronies of Georgia. He had absorbed the failing Blackwood Dynasty, that once heldmuch of South Carolina, into his family.

Samuel drained his champagne flute and set it on the rail of the balcony before turningto speak to his guest. He forced a faint smile onto his face and offered a hand to the man.

Squire Lawrence, what a pleasant surprise. How may I be of service?If Lawrence had been capable of sweating he would be saturated in it. He shook

Samuels hand weakly and then clasped his hands together, wringing them anxiously.Lawrence was likely in his early forties when he was made a Nocturne. He was not ahandsome or vigorous looking man. He had been in the late stages of balding and was

considerably overweight when he was turned. The transition from human to Nocturnehad smoothed out the blemishes on his skin and repaired the scars. But it had done littleto improve his overall appearance. The best that could be said about LawrenceBlackwoods appearance was that he had a good tailor.

I was hoping to speak with you privately Duke Samuel, if you do not mind, it is of arather sensitive nature you see. Lawrence stated nervously.

Samuel pursed his lips and sighed theatrically.


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I would very much like to be able to grant your request Lawrence but unfortunatelyEvelyn becomes quite vexed with me when I try to travel without my security escort.Samuel responded smoothly. I am sure a gentleman of your stature understands that onemust allow those who serve under them to execute their responsibilities with minimalresistance.

However if you would like to discuss the matter here, I assure you those who areselected to be members of my Wardens group handle themselves with the utmostdiscretion and respect the privacy of all discourse that may occur in their company.

Lawrence nodded eagerly. He was clearly surprised that he was being granted anaudience at all. Samuel knew what the topic of conversation would be about beforeLawrence even spoke. Lawrence had been attempting to annex enough territorysurrounding his minor holding in Roanoke Virginia to be elevated to the position ofBaron by the College of Dukes from his current position of squire of New River Valley.He had already approached his more powerful neighbor the Baron of Richmond forfinancial and political support and been refused. He would likely travel throughout the

gathering seeking audiences with the other Barons of note on the East Coast trying togarner their support to resurrect the failed Barony of New River. Her neighbors hadsundered the Barony when Lawrences grandfather had been caught abducting Aniwayagirls from the nearby Fairfax County reservation. Samuel had no desire to empoweranother incompetent Lord to threaten the fragile peace with the Aniwaya and Neuri.Lawrence recited his argument for the restoration of the barony and the legitimacy of hisclaim at length. Samuel more or less ignored him keeping enough awareness of theconversation to nod or make non-committal sounds of affirmation.

Samuel lost any sense of the conversation when he saw a stunning raven hairedwoman pass below heading to the courtyard outside with his brother Marcellus. The

woman was dressed in a smoke colored gown, cut low at the bodice and overlaid withsheer black lace that covered her shoulders. She seemed to be chatting pleasantly withMarcellus. But he was concerned, his brother was a notorious chauvinist and had nottaken a female being selected for Ambassador of Peace over him graciously. Samuelcontinued to observe them until they passed beneath the mezzanine out of his line ofsight. He moved to the other side of the mezzanine so he could listen to theirconversation. Lawrence followed him continuing to petition him for his support. Samuelfrowned when he watched the woman directed the Wardens accompanying her to waitinside. He heightened his hearing and pressed his ear closer to the glass. He sawMarcellus grip her arm tightly. His lips pulled back in a snarl. Samuel noticed that

Lawrence had stopped talking and was awaiting some kind of reaction or response.What do you think Duke Samuel?The womans voice tugged at his attention. Baron Marcellus I am honored and

lattered that you would be willing to mentor and assist me in my transition tombassador but I believe I have the matter well in hand. The woman said politely.Marcelluss response dripped with condescension. Evelyn, you are a charming young

woman but politics is a male distraction and I would not see you fail because of your


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ride. There is no shame in a woman having a male presence to show that she has theroper guidance to make wise decisions. Believe me when I this will make all the Barons

much more comfortable with your appointment Marcellus replied insultingly.Baron Marcellus thank you but I must continue to decline your kind offer. However

rest assured, if I find myself in need of male guidance I will call upon Samuel, your

brother. Evelynresponded coolly.Samuel had completely lost track of the conversation with Lawrence while distracted

by the conversation going on outside. He tried to recall what the question Lawrence hadasked was to no avail.

I am sorry Squire Lawrence I find myself quite distracted this evening. Perhaps wecould discuss this at another time? Samuel said apologetically.

Samuel watched Marcellus close the short distance between himself and Evelyn andpin her against the wall. He still held her arm in one hand while the other touched herface seductively. Marcellus graced her with a smile that suggested he wanted much morethan a political partnership.

Evelyn, I care dearly for my brother but he lives in his history books, politics is hisduty not his love. Together we could be a formidable team, and I assure you, you wouldind my -- attentions quickly wiped any memory of Samuel from your mind. Marcellus

said coaxingly.Evelyn attempted to move past him but he refused to budge, maintaining his tight grip

on her arm. Baron Marcellus, please remove your hands from my person. I would like togo back inside now before the guests assume that this polite meeting between businessassociates is more than it truly is. Evelyn retorted calmly.

Samuel had seen enough. He handed Lawrence his empty champagne flutedistractedly. Lawrence astutely sensed Samuels rising temper and opted not to object.

Of course Duke Samuel, perhaps I could arrange to visit you and Lady Evelyn nextmonth at your estate in North Carolina? Lawrence asked delicately, his hands clampedtogether to keep them from shaking.

Samuel nodded absently, his gaze focused on Evelyn and Marcellus outside. Thatsounds perfect Squire Lawrence, I look forward to it. Samuel said calmly. You willhave to excuse me Lawrence. I need to remind someone about using proper etiquettewhen interacting with anothers mate

Samuel dropped over the edge of the balcony to the courtyard below without furtherwarning landing lightly on the balls of his feet. He drew upon the font of stored powerand sped up his movement and reactions to superhuman levels. He moved through the

courtyard passing a surprised Jaeden as he closed the distance to Marcellus. Marcellushad his arm firmly around Evelyns waist and had moved his face intimately close tohers. Samuel struck Marcellus with his shoulder throwing the other Nocturne backwardsinto a bench which disintegrated with a thundering crash of splintering wood. Marcellusstood up and brushed off his clothes. He pulled back his lip in a snarl revealing longpearl white canines. His fingers lengthened and sprouted thick claws. Samuel mirroredhim: displaying his fangs and transmuting his own fingers into claws. Jaeden and Brandt


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hurriedly crossed the courtyard to stand in front of Evelyn. Marcellus and Samuel circledeach other searching for an opening to strike.

Marcellus smiled at him switching to French. Samuel. Brother. That was poorly doneyou scuffed my jacket. Marcellus said in mock affront.

Brother, just as I told you many times in the past. Women are not pets or toys for you

to play with. I have told you to stay away from Evelyn. If you need a more viscerallesson I can carve it into your chest. Samuel spat back at him in French.

The courtyard door opened and another dozen Wardens in uniform stepped out intothe courtyard. Marcellus spared a glance for them as they arrived before turning back toSamuel. Marcelluss confident smile held but Samuel could sense his fear.

Are you going to mob me? Marcellus inquired pleasantly.No. I am going to give you an option brother. If you wish we can settle our dispute

like gentlemen, or you may return to the gathering. With my guarantee no one will raise ahand against you. Samuel replied calmly.

However if you even try to approach Evelyn again, they will tear you limb from

limb. I will compose a pleasant condolence letter to accompany with your corpse to DukeAlarich in a box. I am already composing the letter in my mind

Marcelluss face twisted with rage. The anger faded after a moment. He smiledbroadly and retracted his claws.

Of course brother Marcellus emphasized. Let us go back inside and forget thisgross misunderstanding. There is no need to spill blood this evening. It would ruin theambianceof polite society you have so masterfully crafted tonight.

Marcellus bowed deeply and then stalked back into the hotel pushing through theWardens standing in his way. Samuel waited till the door had closed before dropping thetransmutation. He gave Evelyn an angry look and turned to one of the Wardens standing

nearby.Benjamin, please go back inside and make sure Baron Marcellus does not cause any

further issues this evening. Samuel requested politely. Benjamin nodded and salutedbefore heading inside.

Evelyn let out a breath and reached out for Samuels arm, holding on tightly when hewent to pull away.

SamuelEvelyn turned realizing that the rest of the Wardens were still present. There were days

when she really disliked having an audience everywhere she went. She was tired ofrequiring constant protection. She knew it was irrational. But right now she was

embarrassed and upset. Samuel was clearly angry with her and someone else needed tobe the target for her ire.

I would like some privacy gentlemen. Please Evelyn asked politely.The Wardens looked to Samuel for approval. Samuel nodded curtly. All of the

Wardens reentered the Hotel with the exception of Brandt and Jaeden who moved backunder the shadow of the awning over the door.

Samuel refused to look at her. She moved in front of him. Samuel -- please just look


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at me Evelyn pleaded.Samuel lifted his head and looked at her. He was definitely angry but she also saw fear

and concern there. Samuels intensity and protectiveness could be terrifying but it wasalso oddly reassuring to have someone care that deeply about you. I am sorry Samuel. Ihad thought that I would have been safe with Marcellus at such a public gathering. I got

relaxed. It was a severe lapse in judgment on my part. I will take greater care in thefuture before meeting with anyone else like that in private Evelyn promised him.

Evelyn reached up and touched his face and he placed his hand on top of hers. Helifted his eyes to meet hers. I am OK Samuel. It was foolish but I am not made of glass.I will not break into pieces I promise Evelyn said trying to reassure him.

Evelyn kissed him tenderly trying to communicate as much love and contriteness asshe could in to her kiss. Samuel resisted but reciprocated the kiss finally after a fewmoments. Evelyn nestled her head under his chin and lay against his chest. He held herclose. Evelyn permitted herself a moment to enjoy the feeling of contentment and safetyshe felt when he held her like this. Am I forgiven then? Evelyn whispered softly.

He snorted. Not even close. But its a start Samuel said softly.Evelyns lip curled upward in a sly smile. She had a few ideas in mind to make-up

later when they were alone. She reluctantly broke their embrace and pulled away.Samuel grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms pressing her tightly to hischest. She looked up at him and he brushed his lips against lightly against hers. His bodywas tense.

Samuel was holding back. Evelyn could always sense when he was holding back. Shefelt it like something wild lay barely suppressed just beneath the surface of his properexterior. He clutched the back of her dress in his fingers. She entwined her fingers in hishair and pulled him down closer to her, deepening the kiss. His fingers laced around her

waist and squeezed her hips in his hands. She felt the sharp edge of his canine against hertongue. He opened his eyes and pushed her reluctantly back breaking the kiss.

Her body ached for more and she suppressed the desire to grab him and pull him backto finish what he started. He smiled at her knowingly. Yes. She thought. Several longvigorous make-ups were definitely called for tonight. Samuel smoothed out his clothesand adjusted his shirtsleeves back into the correct position. Evelyn took a moment tomove her shawl back into a more modest position before turning to Jaeden and Brandtwho were still waiting, pointedly not looking in their direction. Evelyn releasedSamuels hand and held onto his arm as they walked back inside. Jaeden held the doorfor them as they passed through.

Inside Lawrence was waiting at the edge of the dance floor still holding the emptyflute of champagne Samuel had left him with. Lawrence vibrated nervously whenSamuel glanced in his direction. Brandt retrieved his champagne glass from Lawrenceand gave him a polite inclination of his head.

Evelyn fixed Samuel with an inquiring look raising one eyebrow. She graced her childBrandt with a warm smile. Samuel glanced back to Lawrence.

I appreciate you being so courteous as to return my glass to me Samuel said


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smoothly. Why dont you join us for dinner in North Carolina next weekend? I have an1876 vintage I have been meaning to try and guests seem like the perfect excuse fordoing so

Lawrence looked equally pleased and concerned. Thank you Duke Samuel thatsounds wonderful. Lawrence said shrilly.

Lawrence nodded respectfully to Samuel and then bowed to Evelyn.Duke Samuel. Ambassador Evelyn. I look forward to seeing you next weekend then.He turned and retreated as quickly as was proper. Evelyn smiled at Samuel and shook

her head in amusement. She fixed her hair in a nearby mirror. She had her hair pinned upin a twist of braids to accent her neck which was adorned with a simple silver pendant setwith a polished diamond.

She batted her dark eyelashes at Samuel and smiled when she saw him watching her inthe mirror.

There was a subdued round of applause as the orchestra finished its set and thedancers retreated from the floor for a brief respite between performances.

Evelyn returned to Samuel and straightened his skewed bow tie. She stepped back toexamine her work and nodded approvingly.

You look quite fetching this evening Duke Rafe. Evelyn complimented.Thank you Ambassador. You look quite ravishing yourself Samuel replied with a

hint of amusement.He bowed and took her hand brushing his lips lightly across her knuckles.May I have this dance Ambassador? Samuel asked formally with a hint of theatrics.Evelyn placed her hand over her heart in mock surprise.Duke Rafe this is rather unexpected. I am afraid my dance card is rather full but I

will make an exception for such a prestigious personage --just this once. Evelyn replied

teasingly.That is most gracious of you Ambassador. I am humbled by your kindness. Samuel

responded sarcastically.Samuel took her hand and led her out to an empty place on the dance floor just as the

orchestra started their new set. Samuel took her hand in his and placed his other hand onher hip. He began to move in time to the music at the opening notes of the Waltz of theFlowers.

The other dancers filed back onto the dance floor. Soon the entire floor filled withgraceful spinning couples. Samuel and Evelyn moved across the floor. They moved inrhythm with practiced ease and grace. Samuel glanced out of the corner of his eye noting

that Brandt and Jaeden had taken positions opposite each other on each side of the room.How are you enjoying your celebration dear? Samuel asked.Evelyn tilted her head and gave him a catty smile. The venue was nice shame about

the guest list, the host is a bit of a prude. She responded teasingly.I had heard that. I also heard he had terrible taste in women. Samuel responded

through a smirk.Evelyn snorted and then kissed him lightly. It was lovely Samuel, thank you. By the


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way, did you invite Lawrence? She asked curiously.Samuel shook his head slightly in the negative. No I assumed you did. That sly

bastard, I will find out who he bribed to get on the guest list and make them pay for mysuffering Samuel said exasperatedly.

As the melody came to a climax they departed the dance floor with their arms linked.

Samuel looked up at the large wall clock left over from before the train station was re-purposed as a hotel. It is almost time for our meeting, shall we? he inquired of Evelyn.

Evelyn nodded in agreement. Samuel glanced to Brandt and Jaeden who fell in behindthem immediately and led them through the hotel to the designated meeting room.Samuel opened the door for Evelyn who proceeded inside. Jaeden and Brandt tookposition on either side of the door. Samuel took the seat opposite Evelyn.

Samuel enhanced his senses and focused tuning out the ambient noises of the room.He could hear the sound of the music and faint conversations back at the main gathering.He felt the steady vibration of active magic from his wards in place to protect the roomfrom spies. Those not specifically included in the ward could not enter the room without

triggering the ward.It was rare to have four of the twelve duchies of the confederacy represented at the

same gathering. Duchess Iona was the first Duke to arrive after Samuel. Iona claimedterritory over parts of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. Iona had chosen to dresspractically. She wore a burgundy gown formed around a leather corset. Two of the threefront panels of the dress had been removed revealing her form fitting leggings and leatherboots. Ionas white streaked blond hair was tied back in a practical ponytail with ribbon.

Samuel gave Iona a polite smile in greeting and nodded. Baron Terrand of BatonRouge arrived next. Terrand was representing Duke Romero of the Central Dominancewho claimed territory over Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Last to arrive was

Baron Ablard, dressed in black velvet embroidered with flowing vines and floralpatterns under which he wore the more traditional white waistcoat and bow tie. Herepresented Duke Cicero who ruled the largest territory holding fealty from the Baronsof California, Nevada and Washington. Ablard was his child. The way he stumbleddrunkenly into the room indicated that he had enjoyed too much of Samuels hospitalityalready.

The attendees exchanged pleasantries and small talk while they waited and settleddown. Samuel let it continue for a few minutes after the last arrival before interrupting.

Ladies and Gentlemen shall we begin? Samuel interrupted, silencing the softmurmur of conversation.

I wanted to have this meeting before the Summit with the Neuri and Aniwaya laterthis month. As you know Duke Cicero, Duchess Iona and I will be representing theNocturne interests there.

But before we discuss that topic and review our objectives. Are there are any newconcerns that need to be addressed? Samuel inquired of the table.

Revenants. Ablard declared theatrically.I am familiar with them Baron Ablard, partial humans, do not age, consume


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Nocturne blood, what in particular about them did you wish to discuss? Samuel askedimpatiently.

Iona chuckled softly at the biting retort.We have had an unusual number of rogues infesting our duchy that we have had to

put down. I have sent missives to their local leadership but they disavow all knowledge

of these rogues. I believe he is mostly telling the truth at least about being responsible forthem. Ablard continued.

Samuel nodded acknowledging his words.I believe it is most likely unrest after therefusal of their most recent request for acceptance into our society as full members withthe same rights as the Nocturne. Samuel explained.

But perhaps we should all keep an ear close to the ground for any further movementsamong them. There is a high concentration of them on the west coast since we officiallyaccepted Tucson as revenant territory. I have not encountered any unrest among the fewrevenants I am aware of in my domain.

Samuel looked to the other Nocturne present. Have any of you encountered any

abnormal revenant activity in your domains? Or heard anything from the other Barons?Samuel asked.

Terrand bridged his fingers looked thoughtful. New Orleans is a rather transient city.There has always been a strong revenant presence there. But I have not heard nor seenanything to indicate anything abnormal going on. But I will focus my thoughts on themand see if I can skein anything from the strands of events going on when next I mediateand utilize my sight Terrand said.

Samuel nodded. Thank you He replied.There was a polite knock at the door. Jaeden opened it. Alicia one of the Nocturne

from Duchess Ionas entourage stood outside. Alicia had been hired to organize and

supply the event. She brought in a tray of champagne filled flutes and some assorted horsd'oeuvres.

As the tray came closer to the table Samuel began to hear an unintelligible whisperand felt a deep sense of wrongness about the situation. Alicia bowed and then departedclosing the door behind her hurriedly. When she left the whispers ceased. The sense ofwrongness grew as the Barons picked up flutes from the tray. Samuel frowned. Evelynpicked up her flute and placed it to her lips. The sense of wrongness grew worse to thepoint it was painful.

Evelyn stop Samuel said firmly.Evelyn stopped with the flute touching her lips and lowered her hand looking at him

curiously. The sense of wrongness immediately lessened.Stop what Samuel? She asked in confusion.Do not drink from that flute. Something is wrong. Samuel explained, frowning at

how vague it sounded even to himself.The two Barons in the room suddenly stopped. Lowering their champagne flutes from

their lips back to the table. Iona frowned looking suddenly very suspicious and angry.What are you suggesting Rafe that Alicia is poisoning her? You know I raised that


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one myself. Shes as trustworthy as I am Iona insisted.Ablard muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. Which is to say you should

only trust her when you do not have your back exposedAblard blinked and placed his hand on his chest embarrassed. Oops he said.

Please forgive me Duchess Iona; that was a highly inappropriate thing for me to say

Iona grunted staring coldly into his eyes. Take care not to say any more inappropriatethings Ablard or watching your back will be the least of your concerns Iona promisedin a chilly tone.

Samuel picked up Evelyns glass and felt the faint vibration of muted magic. The glasshad an enchantment carved into the base. He felt around the surface of the glasssearching for scratches or imperfections. He lifted it up so he could example the bottomof the base and found what he was looking for.

Carved with precision into the glass base of the flute was an Enochian construction.He poured the champagne onto the tray and flipped it over offering it base first to Iona toexamine then checked his own flute finding the same markings. Iona glanced at the

bottom of the glass. She lashed out with her arm sending the flutes crashing into the wall.Daughter of a syphilis ridden dock whore Iona cursed virulently.She closed her eyes for a moment until she regained her composure. When she opened

her eyes she spoke to Samuel.Duke Samuel would you have your security detail escort Alicia back here so we can

get to the bottom of this matter? Iona asked.Samuel nodded and looked to Jaeden who saluted and opened the door to relay the

orders to the other Wardens on standby outside.Samuel examined the construction more closely. This construct contains the rune for

silver, time and change joined together. I think we can logically work out what this curse

was intended to do. He said quietly. The champagne would have become liquid silverafter it had been consumed guaranteeing a painful if swift death

Evelyns mouth opened in shock and shivered. The group sat in silence staring at oneanother while they waited for the return of Alicia. Ablard become restless and picked uphis glass of champagne checked the base then began removing them one by one from thetray until he got to the inside row of surviving champagne flutes.

Oh look, this one does not have the carving. Ablard said curiously before drainingthe glass in one gulp. He picked some crackers and cheese off the d'oeuvres tray andbegan to eat.

Samuel examined the other glasses finding that only the outside row of flutes were

cursed. Jaeden returned after twenty minutes carrying a slumped form in his armscovered in a blanket.

Duke Samuel, we found her in the kitchen like this. We carried her out around theback of the building so as not to raise alarm.

Jaeden set the body down on the table and uncovered her. Alicias throat had beenviciously torn out.

Iona turned to Jaeden. Where there any signs of who did this to her? She asked


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distraughtly.Jaeden looked to Samuel for his approval to continue. Samuel nodded.Yes Duchess Jaeden said cautiously.Jaeden removed the covering further and held up Alicias right hand which was

covered in dried blood and pieces of flesh. She ripped out her own throat Jaeden

confirmed.Jaeden please set her down and take the Wardens and go check the rest of the

Champagne flutes for the construction Samuel requested.Jaeden simple nodded. He set Alicia down near the back of the room and left with

Brandt.Samuel looked at Iona who had not spoken a word since she had seen Alicias bloody

fingernails.Duchess I propose that we retire for the evening and allow the investigation to be

completed and allow you some time to regain your equilibrium. Samuel offereddelicately.

Iona simply nodded and stood up in a daze. Evelyn moved to help her sympathetically.I propose we meet in a week. I will secure a location and keep it as confidential as

possible Samuel said glancing around the room.Everyone nodded in agreement but Ablard who was focused on eating some grapes

and cheese. Evelyn glanced one final time at Alicias body before leaving the room. Shesilently prayed that the next meeting went more smoothly, considering the Peace Summitwas in eighteen days.

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