ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSI wish to personally thank Jenn, my editor, who managed to edit, move across country and start a new job all at the same time without screaming at me once. To my beta readers Celt, Joe, Kristin, and both Amandas for their invaluable feedback and encouragement. An extra special thank you to Brittany for not only being a beta reader but helping go through all the final edits for three days straight.

To my parents for the endless supply of books and support that gave me the courage to write. For always encouraging my pursuit of whatever made me happy even when that meant leaving home.

And finally, to my loving and supportive wife, Nikki: My deepest gratitude. Your encouragement when the times got rough is much appreciated and duly noted. Without you I doubt this novel would ever have been finished.

To Shane, never forgotten, forever missed, and always cherished.

PROLOGUE: AUCTORITAS NON VERITAS FACIT LEGEM“Authority, not truth, makes law.”

― Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan

Isaac Constantine sat at his makeshift command table in a New England Freight warehouse. The table was constructed from empty boxes, and pallets. They were in the fifth hour since his Neuri and Aniwaya squads had staged their maneuvers against Veronica Rafe and her Nocturne war packs. The wounded combatants had been trickling in over the hours. The small warehouse was full of wounded Neuri and Aniwaya. The few men and women kept in reserve had been committed to the battle hours ago. The Neuri and Aniwaya skin changers had a small edge in numbers, each fighter was ferocious and committed to the cause. But their enemy the Nocturne were as close to immortal as anything in this world. They were strong, fast, and naturally cunning. Their leaders had centuries of gathered knowledge at their disposal, which had allowed them to dominate the Argent war for over a thousand years in spite of their smaller numbers and inability to walk in the light of the sun. Veronica Rafe, the New England Nocturne leader had lived through almost every major event in history. If rumors were true she was born in the age of Alexander the Great and turned to Nocturne on the cusp of her fortieth year. He and Veronica Rafe had both shown in their long history of conflict that no quarter would be asked for or given. They were long past an amicable end to their conflict. He had lost two sons and an eye to this war. He had wiped out more than half of her brood in the last five decades. The wounds and grievances were far too deep for such measures.

He stared at the two-way radio on the desk in front of him anxiously. He held his hands 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 towards the defeat of his Nocturne rival. For most of his almost century long life they were evenly matched. The scales had tipped 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 Rockbridge. An enterprising Baron saw an opportunity to add valuable territory by creating a false threat with the local Aniwaya. The end result was the destruction of an entire protectorate of the Aniwaya. The Aniwaya of Georgia 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. Over.”

“Wolf-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 his eyes tightly and pressed the radio to his forehead. They had caught her. It was almost 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, we’re on the home stretch now. ETA sixty minutes. Over.” The voice responded.

Isaac watched his Neuri counterpart Nita Carter speaking with Amala Locklear with quiet urgency. Something had them unusually tense this evening beyond the obvious. They had been throwing meaningful looks his direction all day. Amala was a stunning olive skinned brunette in her forties, the only sign of her age was a streak of grey in her hair and faint lines at the corners of her eyes. She was dressed in form fitting army green fatigues and a button down shirt. Nita lived up to his name whether that was his given name or a nick name Isaac never asked. He was bearded broad shouldered with long grey hair and sapphire colored eyes. He stood a head above Isaac and was an easy four 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 and intelligence. Nita and Isaac had a terse relationship considering the unfortunate encounters of their past. Isaac stared at the cargo entrance to the warehouse waiting anxiously for the various teams to return. He counted each Neuri and Aniwaya as they returned over the next hour.

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

The fifty man Nocturne battalion that Rafe had led had lost forty-six of their number. Only Rafe and three of her closest lieutenants were taken prisoner. Alpha team 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 knees long true-silver blades placed point first at the base of their necks in case they should try to move.

Isaac felt years of suppressed rage bubbling to the surface as the bags were removed from their faces. He recognized them from photographs and descriptions he had seen and heard over the years. Samuel, Marcellus, Corena and of course Veronica. He stood up from his seat with his hands balled into fists before he even realized. They were all four murderers. They had slaughtered his people throughout their unnaturally long lifetimes. Making children orphans. Killing 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 were nothing but looks of silent agreement and grim approval from the Neuri and Aniwaya in the room for what he was about to do. He looked towards the darkened half of the warehouse where twelve still forms laid on the ground covered by tarps and sheets, whatever could be found among their supplies to cover the dead.

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

“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.” Nita 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 our children, and our children’s 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 can’t take that risk.”

Isaac’s muscles were taunt with the strain of not acting. He wanted to slaughter them all. Make them pay. He gritted his teeth tightly. Amala opened his hand and placed the folded crayon picture of a wolf his granddaughter had given him before he left New England. 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 watching him in confusion. He clutched the crayon drawing in his hand.

“It’s time for a change. It’s time for peace. I want our children and grandchildren to grow up during a time of peace.”

CHAPTER 1: THE COYOTE“Coyote 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 of her father’s RV, watching the traffic and sights go by as they drove along I-90 East. She was 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 was entirely one sided. She had not heard a single word over the music playing in her ear buds from her phone. She was listening to an old mix play list her and Kai, her closest friend, well… her only actual friend had made when she was living with her mom at the 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 gripping the sides of the furniture as she moved through the RV living space to get to the microwave 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 particularly awkward about the reunion. She was excited but scared of how their relationship might have 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 after living in the Rockies in a place so remote Walmart was a day trip, had left her social circle even sparser than before. She had sent letters to her Mom for Kai but never received a single response. Mika looked inside the cardboard box of microwave popcorn and sighed in disappointment, she had eaten the last one without noticing ten counties ago. 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 be for another three hours when they stopped in the fringe of Cincinnati for the night before beginning the final leg of the journey to her mom’s place in Lumberton, in North Carolina. Mika decided that three hours was too long to wait for artery clogging buttered popcorn. She hit the pause button on her phones MP3 player.

She pulled herself along the edge of the furniture, gripping the table for balance as they hit a pothole; she made her way toward the driver’s cab where her dad was

still holding the same one sided conversation. He was probably completely unaware and equally unconcerned that the only one listening to him talk was himself. She caught the gist of the current topic of conversation. It was something completely inane about the differences between Kansas barbecue and North Carolina barbecue, and the superiority of Apple wood over Cherry when smoking meat.

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

“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 in consideration and inhaled from the damp rolled cigarette hanging from his lips before answering.

“Just use the one in the back. It’s 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 arms beneath her breasts and summoned forth her best resting bitchy teenage girl face. She interrupted him before he could finish his statement, counting off points on her fingers.

“Dad, first off, I am reasonably sure that there are in fact completely new forms of life forming in that bathroom that have been incubating since 1987 which was probably the last time it could be considered clean by any creatures living standard above bacteria and amoeba.”

Luca sputtered indignantly.

“I clean! It has only been a few week-months…”

Mika 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.”

Luca’s 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 about the biology?””

Luca was clearly unprepared for that graphic of an answer. His mouth opened wide in shock and the cigarette hanging from his lip fell hitting his leg which made him jump 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 driver responded with his air horn liberally and mouthed several choice words at them as he drove by.

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

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST…”

“I 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 knees up to her chest and hitting play on her phone again, the music picking back up where it left off. She glanced out finding the lighted sign of the truck stop advertising gas prices and a special sale on soda’s and candy bars.

She watched through the rain splattered window as they approached the exit to access the truck stop and got to her feet when the RV pulled to a halt by a vacant pump stretching 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 staring directly at the single open cash register which suddenly stopped responding completely much to the clerk’s annoyance. He slammed his hand against the side repeatedly trying to bring the register back to life. Luca waited for the family of four with the minivan to enter the truck stop leaving the father behind to pump the gas. Luca waited for him to swipe his credit card and made a discreet throwing motion at the pump, and another series of mumbled syllables under his breath. The pump display went completely blank, showing ERROR 5 and started beeping annoyingly.

The father furiously pressed the buttons on the display and flipped the pump switch up and down. He 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 line waiting for the clerk to get the register back online. Luca walked over

to the pump casually beside the minivan, it came back to life immediately and he inserted the dispenser into the filler neck on the RV and started pumping.

Mika shook her head, she was all too familiar with the general chaos her father liked to cause everywhere he went all in the name of hoodooing and swindling those around him. She headed inside and made a show of visiting the rest room for a few minutes before 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 register was still down and concentrated on it, the small electronic spirit appeared at the top as a three-inch transparent blue imp that watched her with cat like curiosity. She looked meaningfully at the blank display of the register and motioned for him to turn it back on. The imp tilted his head holding out his hand out meaningfully as she dug in her pocket and held some Canadian coins out in her palm.

The spirit squealed and clapped disappearing back into the register which quickly came back to life eliciting a cheer from the waiting crowd. Luca had spent years building up favors with all the various spirits that permeated the world allowing him to pull off all kinds 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 she approached the RV she saw Luca on the phone with his back to her, she strained to hear and approached quietly, lifting her feet just enough not to make noise and watching his body language for any signs he had noticed her approach.

“No, I’ll make it in time for the summit. We should be there by tomorrow night… “

“OK, keep me posted…”

“Yeah same to you… good night”

Mika 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 minivan owner arguing extensively with the clerk about the $200 charge that was on his pump when he returned to pump his gas.

Luca watched him slam his hands down on the counter, his face turning red as he and the 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 to the small living room area that she had setup as her temporary nest for the journey. She waited till the RV was once again on the highway and popped a new bag of microwave popcorn before going back to the couch. She opened her laptop and queued up the next few episodes of her favorite Teen Vampire Drama TV show to pass the time. She made it through two episodes, 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. Luca turned his collar up against the wind and rain and went into the reception office. It was several minutes before he returned with a tag to put in the window to show they had checked 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 headed out 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 themselves.”

Mika 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 us up for the night and pump the sewage.”

Mika nodded and headed back to the small bathroom. It was a horrible shade of yellow and consisted of a shower stall and a toilet both of which were permanently stained with decades of mildew and grime. She found a clean towel and grabbed her travel bag before undressing and folding her clothes. She climbed in the tub and turned on the water, testing it with her hand before stepping under the spray from

the shower. She stood under the hot water with her eyes closed taking her body wash and pouring some in her hand to massage 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 additional complication of course. She thought of seeing Kai and found herself getting angry. Screw him if he had not cared enough about her to even return her letters, she obviously was 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. She wiped the fog from the bathroom mirror with her hand and regarded her reflection critically. Although her figure had filled out over the past four years she still would not describe herself as curvaceous. At best she was borderline ugly duckling emphasis on the ugly. Her eyes were too small for her face, her nose too big and her lips too thin. Her chest 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 sleeping clothes, 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 would also serve as her bed for the night. She read her book for a while but found herself to be far too distracted to really comprehend the words. When she heard the latch on the door open she set the book down and pretended to be asleep, she was really not in the mood for socializing at all tonight.

She wallowed in her foul mood, tossing and turning for hours before finally falling asleep. Her dreams were both familiar and alien. She dreamed she had returned to the reservation where she grew up and there was some kind of celebration going on. Battery powered tea lights dangled from every tree and post surrounding the common meeting area, pavilions and gazebo’s bordering the clearing which had been laid out with carpet for the night. Faceless couples danced together to soft music. In her dream she was perfect, her hair naturally curled and bounced just right upon her shoulders without a single split end or frizzy strand to ruin it. The style perfectly complimented her mid-thigh length floral patterned summer dress and lace up sandals.

She was at the small elevated deck by the clearing where the tribe members met to tell stories and eat together, affording her a clear view of the reservation. The strong scent of pine and the glimmer of reflected light told her it had been recently polished. Twists of white 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 of décor 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 a white shirt tucked in. He was

standing with one hand behind his back holding a trimmed white rose. Kai’s normally haphazardly styled hair was gelled and brushed back from his face. He approached her and regarded her with faintly luminous green eyes. He smiled warmly and held the rose towards her, Mika smiled and took the rose tucking it into her hair above her ear blending it in with the gemstone 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 moved with confidence, each gesture was graceful and each step economic. He offered Mika his hand.

“May I have this Dance?”

Mika nodded and smiled taking his hand. Her skin tingled where he touched her. He very gently closed his hand around hers and led her off to the dance floor. They selected a place to begin, Kai placed his hand on her waist and lead her through the dance steps without hesitation. They moved in easy harmony with the other dancers. The dancers disappeared one couple at a time. The song changed, Mika put her arms around his neck 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 a patch of stubble while shaving below his chin, an endearing flaw in his otherwise immaculate appearance. He tilted his head and looked at her questioningly when he noticed 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, the familiar 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 wasn’t sure her heart had ever beaten so fast in her life. She saw Kai in a different light for the first time, not as a friend, but as 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 for her, just as the anticipation became unbearable Kai’s lips met Mika’s. His lips were soft, and his breath carried the lingering taste of peppermint and vodka. The familiar warm tingle became a jolt of electricity through her body, quickly building towards a crashing crescendo of pleasure. She secretly thanked her good fortune that she had just reapplied her cherry lip gloss.

The end of the kiss was like a shock of cold water to the face and it took her a moment to process what had just happened. When she did not respond Kai’s posture became stiff and he began to turn away, mistaking her lack of reciprocation to mean she did not wish to 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 to communicate the sum total of her feelings in the depth of the kiss. The intimacy of the kiss 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 she had nipped his lip too hard as he made a quiet grunt of pain and stepped back away from her. She opened her eyes and once she refocused she started screaming, Kai looked completely surprised to find six inches of steel sticking out from his chest. He glanced at her and reached for her as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Mika glanced around and saw that the dance floor was covered in the bodies of the dancers, blood stained 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 into her chest, red eyes regarded her menacingly for a moment before letting her drop to the ground with the rest of the corpses.

Mika woke up in a cold sweat breathing raggedly. She checked the time on her phone and sighed, it was only 4am it would be a few hours before Luca was up. She climbed out from under the covers and went to the fridge and took out one of the small bottles of orange juice. OJ always made her feel better after a bad dream. She went back to the couch and opened her journal and quickly noted down the details of the dream that she could recall and closed the book. Ever since…… that night she had suffered from regular nightmares, her mom sent her a journal to write her thoughts in and record her dreams on paper, 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 her book, a well-broken-in novel she had picked up from some Goodwill store. The next few hours passed in a kind of half-sleep until she heard Luca get up and head into the bathroom whistling cheerfully. She groaned and forced her way out from under the covers and headed into the kitchen area, turning on the coffee maker as she passed and put some bread in the toaster. She checked her email on her phone while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing.

Luca came into the kitchen just as she sat down with her coffee and two pieces of toast, slathered with butter and strawberry preserves. He poured himself a coffee and grabbed 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 and set it back on the plate then headed outside to disconnect the RV from the power and sewage removal port.

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

“You didn’t.”

“Nope I didn’t. 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, and the apple pie and cokes were on the house.”

Mika shook her head in disbelief. Two things were constant in her life, the sun would rise in the east and her father would swindle someone wherever they went. They had money. He just believed in being a con-artist for the love of con-artistry. He was such a great role model for his impressionable daughter. Luca cut out half of the apple pie and stuck it on a plate and left the rest for her taking his to the cab with a fork to eat while driving. 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 a bit of cleavage and tied the front of the shirt in a knot above her stomach. Examining herself in the mirror she found she was happy with the result and went back to her TV show marathon to pass the time while they traveled.

They stopped for dinner on the South Carolina border at a truck stop that served homemade barbecue. They spent the dinner like they normally did Luca would do the talking for them both in between charming the waitress for free desert and coffee. She half listened to the conversation. Some of what her father said had to be tuned out for her mental health. It occurred to her during the dinner that she had never asked what he planned to do once they reached her mom’s place.

They were barely on speaking terms so she highly doubted he would be invited to stay a few days. She found that thought was more upsetting that she expected. She did love her father as much as he got on her nerves and she disapproved of his way of life. He had his issues. The fact he got her mother pregnant and ran. And the fact that he was about as responsible as a high school kid at prom night after a fifth of vodka on one of his good days. 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 growing up and all the birthdays and Christmas holiday’s he missed. She wasn’t going to tell him that however.

Luca noting her melancholy expression pushed a piece of chocolate pie across the table 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 down her shirt with her face turning beet red. She gave him such a venomous glare he slid back out of her immediate reach. He

was barely holding back the laugh when she began stalking away to the bathroom to clean off her shirt and try to dry 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 serve him right to have to explain his way out of that. What she saw made her hesitate, her table was empty but there were two cops, a male and a female talking to the waitress who was looking at a printout they had handed her. She pointed in the direction of the bathroom. The female cop talked into the radio at her shoulder and walked towards the bathrooms, 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 one of the nicotine stained ceiling panels to make it seem like she had climbed up there to try and escape. She went into the last stall and closed the lid on the commode crouching on top of it. She heard the door open just as the hand dryer came to a stop. There was the steady rhythm of booted feet and the sound of slight exertion as the cop crouched down to see if any of the stalls were occupied. When she saw no feet she stood up and spoke into 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 catch up.”

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

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

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

“God damn it.”

“Steve what’s going on?”

There was a hard to hear static laden reply that might have been…

“Transformer 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 running forward and ended up slipping on the layer of hand-soap that had mysteriously ended up all over the floor. She flew straight up in the air cracking her head on the edge of the sink before falling to the tiled floor unmoving.

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

“Where do you think you’re going girl?” The cop inquired.

The grip tightened on her ankle painfully.

“You’re 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 mind reacted 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 the bathroom 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 her grip on her ankle. Mika took advantage of the confusion and crawled out of the bathroom.

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 wound screaming the entire time. Mika focused her mind on her ankle. She felt the similar vibration in her nerves as the muscles and skin began to shift. She watched through tear filled eyes as the broken fused back together.

She struggled to remain conscious as the torn muscle repaired itself and finally the skin healed over, she stopped her body from changing any further. There was a

blood red hand shaped rash on her ankle where the woman’s hand had gripped her, the rash was hot and tender to the touch. She pushed herself to her feet and stumbled out of the restaurant limping towards the RV.

Her panic escalated further. There was no sign of Luca. She felt the air stir beside her.

Luca’s voice spoke in a phantom whisper “Psst — I am here let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Mika hobbled onto the RV and got in the passenger seat. Luca appeared out of thin air as he slammed the door closed behind him. He dived into the driver’s seat and started the engine. The truck stop was in chaos from the power being out. They slipped out of the truck 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 pocket once they were out on the highway. He glanced at the leg she was favoring.

“Let me see that ankle.” Luca asked with concern.

“It’s 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 RV for Luca to see.

Luca muttered quietly. “That’s 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 the carpet completely missing the ashtray.

He muttered under his breath. “She gave you a good dose of it too.”

Luca took a long pull from his cigarette and paused a moment before exhaling the smoke over the rash.

“Pašāṭu.” 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?” she asked sheepishly.

Luca gave her his you are stating the obvious look. She absently observed that it was a lot like her you are stating the obvious look but only not as cute. She must have inherited it. She folded her arms and hugged herself tightly, shivering now that the initial adrenalin rush 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.

He continued in a reassuring tone. “Well… nothing right now. The Aniwaya healers should be able to deal with it when we get there, you’re not human, and it will only become 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? Won’t they be after us?” She asked with some trepidation.

Luca flicked his finished cigarette out the window.

“Those weren’t 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

resolved herself to make a better effort to improve their relationship if they survived this. Who knows, they may even work out their differences.

She hesitated a moment before speaking again. “Dad, why are their dark magic wielding cops after us?”

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye at the use of the parental pronoun. Luca unbuttoned his sleeve and showed her a tattoo on the inside of his forearm. The tattoo was 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, it’s not really a tattoo at all. It is more like a brand created through my mojo… it contains some locked away memories. The type of memories that would cause a lot of problems for those things’ boss if they got out.”

“What’s the memory of?” Mika asked in surprise.

Luca squinted and turned on the windshield wipers as the rain began to pure down.

“I don’t know, as part of binding them to the tattoo I made sure I forgot so it couldn’t 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. “That’s a complicated question. It depends on how they are created. Every piece of mojo is constructed differently.”

“But how this specific one works is by drawing on the right key memory which will unlock the carving and allow me to see the memory.”

“What memory?” Mika inquired.

Luca shook his head. “Don’t know that either.”

Mika looked at him in absolute confusion.

Luca elaborated for her. “I do not need to figure out the memory because I am going to meet someone who can break apart my mojo that I put on my memory to keep the information 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 until it finally flipped. Mika had the sensation of being thrown in the air and dropped to the ground repeatedly before she hit her head on the windshield and passed out. When she came to again a few seconds later the world was upside down. She touched her forehead and winced when she found a large lump forming, her hand came away sticky. She looked over at Luca, he was limp in his seat being held up by his seatbelt and the dashboard crushed against his legs.

Mika looked out the window and saw the cops cautiously approaching with guns and flashlights held before them and pointing at the RV. She unbuckled her seatbelt causing her to fall to the floor of the RV. She did a quick check for broken bones and finding none crawled over to Luca. At least one of his legs were broken and his face was covered in cuts were the glass had broken and hit him in the face. She shook him vigorously whispering as loud as she dared.

“Luca…”

“Luca…”

“DAD!”

Luca’s 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 seconds to no avail. He glanced out the window and saw how close the cops where and grabbed her hand.

“You need to get out of here Mika.”

Mika’s 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 won’t kill me.”

Mika shook her head vigorously. Shout-whispering angrily.

“No. You can’t possibly know that for sure Dad.”

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

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

“I will survive; I am good at it. Now please go. Get to your mother.”

Mika could hear the cops outside talking on their radios now. She nodded once and turned her head away and started moving towards the back of the RV. Luca called out to her 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 other noises going on outside would drown out any sound. The glass shattered after a few blows but remained mostly in one piece allowing her to push it out with minimal resistance.

Once she was outside the RV, she looked up at the moon. It was full tonight. She stripped off her clothes as quickly as possible, the cold evening air forming goose bumps on her skin. She stuffed her clothes into her bag alongside her phone and laptop then secured the bag to her back willing her body to change forms. Her arms lengthened and her spinal curvature changed pushing her down onto all fours. In a few seconds it was over. She shook out her fur and sprinted into the tree line as fast as her coyote legs could carry her without drawing attention to herself. Once she had plenty of cover she ran adjacent to the road attempting to follow it to some sign of civilization. About half a mile from the crash site she heard another mournful howl behind her, there were gunshots and shouting, followed by a loud yelp and then silence. Mika whined softly to herself but continued on her way, heading towards her mother and home.

CHAPTER 2: A CELEBRATION““Do we not each dream of dreams? Do we not dance on the notes of lost memories?”

- Nathan Reese Maher

December 3rd 2015, Nashville, Tennessee

Samuel Rafe stood upon the mezzanine of the Union Station Hotel lobby. The floor below had been cleared of its usual furniture and trappings for tonight’s gala. The side walkway normally used to access the gift shop and elevators was decked in red carpet and velvet drapes to create a temporary pit for the orchestra. Floating freely at the level of the second floor balcony itself were dozens of floating lanterns.

Each lantern contained a wisp of light and were suspended in place through soul carvings printed and cast upon the material of the lantern. The effect made it seem like large paper 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 that emphasized 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 center of the vaulted ceiling. The light splashed the dancers below in hues of blue and red as they moved in an elegant waltz to the familiar melody of the Blue Danube.

Tonight was a celebration for his mate Evelyn’s appointment as Ambassador of Peace for the upcoming peace Summit that would formalize the Neuri Armistice of 1965 into a formal peace agreement. Her appointment was the culmination of a decade’s worth of social maneuvering and politics. Evelyn had been selected over four other strong Nocturne, Aniwaya, and Neuri candidates. As Ambassador of Peace she would be responsible 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 that someone had found his hiding place. He had been taking a short reprieve from playing host. 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 clothing was 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 man said nervously.

Samuel suppressed a sigh. The moments he enjoyed most at this gatherings were when he was able to pull back to quietly observe the social dynamics of the gathering in recent nights were growing sparse. He continued to pay for his elevation to Duke in time and privacy. He was the first baron of 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 major baronies of Georgia. He had absorbed the failing Blackwood Dynasty that once held much of South Carolina into his family.

Samuel drained his champagne flute and set it on the rail of the balcony before turning to 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 Samuel’s 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 a handsome 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 Nocturne had smoothed out the blemishes on his skin and repaired the scars. But it had done little to improve his overall appearance. The best that could be said about Lawrence Blackwood’s 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 a rather sensitive nature you see.” Lawrence stated nervously.

Samuel pursed his lips and sighed theatrically.

“I would very much like to be able to grant your request Lawrence but unfortunately Evelyn 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 one must allow those who serve under them to execute their responsibilities with minimal resistance.”

“However if you would like to discuss the matter here, I assure you those who are selected to be members of my Wardens group handle themselves with the utmost discretion 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 an audience at all. Samuel knew what the topic of conversation would be about before Lawrence even spoke. Lawrence had been attempting to annex enough territory surrounding his minor holding in Roanoke, Virginia to be elevated to the position of

Baron 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 for financial 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 to garner their support to resurrect the failed Barony of New River. Her neighbors had sundered the Barony when Lawrence’s grandfather had been caught abducting Aniwaya girls from the nearby Fairfax County reservation. Samuel had no desire to empower another 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 his claim at length. Samuel more or less ignored him keeping enough awareness of the conversation to nod or make non-committal sounds of affirmation.

Samuel lost any sense of the conversation when he saw a stunning raven haired woman 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 with sheer black lace that covered her shoulders. She seemed to be chatting pleasantly with Marcellus. But he was concerned, his brother was a notorious chauvinist and had not taken a female being selected for Ambassador of Peace over him graciously. Samuel continued to observe them until they passed beneath the mezzanine out of his line of sight. He moved to the other side of the mezzanine so he could listen to their conversation. Lawrence followed him continuing to petition him for his support. Samuel frowned when he watched the woman direct the Warden’s accompanying her to wait inside. He heightened his hearing and pressed his ear closer to the glass. He saw Marcellus 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 woman’s voice tugged at his attention. “Baron Marcellus I am honored and flattered that you would be willing to mentor and assist me in my transition to Ambassador but I believe I have the matter well in hand.” The woman said politely.

Marcellus’s 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 pride. There is no shame in a woman having a male presence to show that she has the proper guidance to make wise decisions. Believe me when I say 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.” Evelyn responded coolly.

Samuel had completely lost track of the conversation with Lawrence while distracted by the conversation going on outside. He tried to recall what question Lawrence had asked to no avail.

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

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

“Evelyn, I care dearly for my brother but he lives in his history books, politics is his duty not his love. Together we could be a formidable team, and I assure you, you would find 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 to go back inside now before the guests assume that this… polite meeting between business associates is more than it truly is.” Evelyn retorted calmly.

Samuel had seen enough. He handed Lawrence his empty champagne flute distractedly. Lawrence astutely sensed Samuel’s rising temper and opted not to object. “Of course Duke Samuel, perhaps I could arrange to visit you and Lady Evelyn next month at your estate in North Carolina?” Lawrence asked delicately, his hands clamped together to keep them from shaking.

Samuel nodded absently, his gaze focused on Evelyn and Marcellus outside. “That sounds perfect Squire Lawrence, I look forward to it.” Samuel said calmly. “You will have to excuse me Lawrence. I need to remind someone about using proper etiquette when interacting with another’s mate.”

Samuel dropped over the edge of the balcony to the courtyard below without further warning landing lightly on the balls of his feet. He drew upon the font of stored power and 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. Marcellus had his arm firmly around Evelyn’s waist and had moved his face intimately close to hers. Samuel struck Marcellus with his shoulder throwing the other Nocturne backwards into a bench which disintegrated with a thundering crash of splintering wood. Marcellus stood up and brushed off his clothes. He pulled back his lip in a snarl revealing long pearl white canines. His fingers lengthened and sprouted thick claws. Samuel mirrored him: displaying his fangs and transmuting his own fingers into claws. Jaeden and Brandt hurriedly crossed the courtyard to stand

in front of Evelyn. Marcellus and Samuel circled each other searching for an opening to strike.

Marcellus smiled at him switching to French. “Samuel. Brother. That was poorly done you 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 visceral lesson, 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 into the courtyard. Marcellus spared a glance for them as they arrived before turning back to Samuel. Marcellus’s 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 a hand 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 Duke Alarich in a box. I am already composing the letter in my mind.”

Marcellus’s face twisted with rage. The anger faded after a moment. He smiled broadly and retracted his claws.

“Of course brother…” Marcellus emphasized. “Let us go back inside and forget this gross misunderstanding. There is no need to spill blood this evening. It would ruin the ambiance of polite society you have so masterfully crafted tonight.”

Marcellus bowed deeply and then stalked back into the hotel pushing through the Wardens standing in his way. Samuel waited till the door had closed before dropping the transmutation. 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 saluted before heading inside.

Evelyn let out a breath and reached out for Samuel’s arm, holding on tightly when he went to pull away.

“Samuel…”

Evelyn 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 of requiring 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 to be 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 back under the shadow of the awning over the door.

Samuel refused to look at her. She moved in front of him. “Samuel — please just look at me.” Evelyn pleaded.

Samuel lifted his head and looked at her. He was definitely angry but she also saw fear and concern there. Samuel’s intensity and protectiveness could be terrifying but it was also oddly reassuring to have someone care that deeply about you. “I am sorry Samuel. I had 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 the future 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. He lifted 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 as she could in to her kiss. Samuel resisted but reciprocated the kiss finally after a few moments. Evelyn nestled her head under his chin and lay against his chest. He held her close. Evelyn permitted herself a moment to enjoy the feeling of contentment and safety she felt when he held her like this. “Am I forgiven then?” Evelyn whispered softly.

He snorted. “Not even close. But it’s a start.” Samuel said softly.

Evelyn’s 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 his chest. She looked up at him and he brushed his lips lightly against hers. His body was tense.

Samuel was holding back. Evelyn could always sense when he was holding back. She felt it like something wild lay barely suppressed just beneath the surface of his proper exterior. He clutched the back of her dress in his fingers. She entwined her fingers in his hair 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 her tongue. 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 back to finish what he started. He smiled at her knowingly. Yes. She thought. Several long vigorous make-ups were definitely called for tonight. Samuel smoothed out his clothes and adjusted his shirtsleeves back into the correct position. Evelyn took a moment to move her shawl back into a more modest position before turning to Jaeden and Brandt who were still waiting, pointedly not looking in their direction. Evelyn released Samuel’s hand and held onto his arm as they walked back inside. Jaeden held the door for them as they passed through.

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

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

“I appreciate you being so courteous as to return my glass to me” Samuel said smoothly. “Why don’t you join us for dinner in North Carolina next weekend? I have an 1876 vintage I have been meaning to try and guests seem like the perfect excuse for doing so.”

Lawrence looked equally pleased and concerned. “Thank you Duke Samuel that sounds 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 up in a twist of braids to accent her neck which was adorned with a simple silver pendant set with a polished diamond.

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

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

Evelyn returned to Samuel and straightened his skewed bow tie. She stepped back to examine 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 on her hip. He began to move in time to the music at the opening notes of the Waltz of the Flowers.

The other dancers filed back onto the dance floor. Soon the entire floor filled with graceful spinning couples. Samuel and Evelyn moved across the floor. They moved in rhythm 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 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 my suffering.” 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 behind them immediately and led them through the hotel to the designated meeting room. Samuel opened the door for Evelyn who proceeded inside. Jaeden

and Brandt took position 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 room from 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 claimed territory over parts of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. Iona had chosen to dress practically. She wore a burgundy gown formed around a leather corset. Two of the three front panels of the dress had been removed revealing her form fitting leggings and leather boots. Iona’s 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 Baton Rouge arrived next. Terrand was representing Duke Romero of the Central Dominance who claimed territory over Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Last to arrive was Baron Abélard, dressed in black velvet embroidered with flowing vines and floral patterns under which he wore the more traditional white waistcoat and bow tie. He represented Duke Cicero who ruled the largest territory holding fealty from the Barons of California, Nevada and Washington. Abélard was his child. The way he stumbled drunkenly into the room indicated that he had enjoyed too much of Samuel’s hospitality already.

The attendee’s exchanged pleasantries and small talk while they waited and settled down. Samuel let it continue for a few minutes after the last arrival before interrupting.

“Ladies and Gentlemen shall we begin?” Samuel interrupted, silencing the soft murmur of conversation.

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

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

“Revenants.” Abélard declared theatrically.

“I am familiar with them Baron Abélard, partial humans, do not age, consume Nocturne blood, what in particular about them did you wish to discuss?” Samuel asked impatiently.

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 for them.” Abélard continued.

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

“But perhaps we should all keep an ear close to the ground for any further movements among them. There is a high concentration of them on the west coast since we officially accepted Tucson as revenant territory. I have not encountered any unrest among the few revenants 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 looking thoughtful. “New Orleans is a rather transient city. There has always been a strong revenant presence there. But I have not heard nor seen anything to indicate anything abnormal going on. But I will focus my thoughts on them and see if I can skein anything from the strands of events going on when next I mediate and 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 Iona’s 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 hors d'oeuvres.

As the tray came closer to the table Samuel began to hear an unintelligible whisper and felt a deep sense of wrongness about the situation. Alicia bowed and then departed closing the door behind her hurriedly. When she left the whispers ceased. The sense of wrongness grew as the Barons picked up flutes from the tray. Samuel frowned. Evelyn picked up her flute and placed it to her lips. The sense of wrongness grew worse to the point 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 one myself. She’s as trustworthy as I am.” Iona insisted.

Abélard muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. “Which is to say — you should only trust her when you do not have your back exposed.”

Abélard 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 inappropriate things Abélard or watching your back will be the least of your concerns.” Iona promised in a chilly tone.

Samuel picked up Evelyn’s glass and felt the faint vibration of muted magic. The glass had an enchantment carved into the base. He felt around the surface of the glass searching for scratches or imperfections. He lifted it up so he could example the bottom of 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 to examine 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 silver after it had been consumed guaranteeing a painful if swift death.”

Evelyn’s mouth opened in shock and shivered. The group sat in silence staring at one another while they waited for the return of Alicia. Abélard become restless and picked up his glass of champagne checked the base then began removing them one by one from the tray until he got to the inside row of surviving champagne flutes.

“Oh look, this one does not have the carving.” Abélard said curiously before draining the glass in one gulp. He picked some crackers and cheese off the d'oeuvres tray and began 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 arms covered in a blanket.

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

Jaeden set the body down on the table and uncovered her. Alicia’s throat had been viciously torn out.

Iona turned to Jaeden. “Where there any signs of who did this to her?” She asked 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 Alicia’s 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 simply 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 Alicia’s bloody fingernails.

“Duchess I propose that we retire for the evening to allow the investigation to be completed and give you some time to regain your equilibrium.” Samuel offered delicately.

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 Abélard who was focused on eating some grapes and cheese. Evelyn glanced one final time at Alicia’s body before leaving the room. She silently prayed that the next meeting went more smoothly, considering the Peace Summit was in eighteen days.