As Dawn Breaks Read online

  The door opened while he thought, and he released Jenna from his embrace. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. “Jenna, here’s how to contact me. If you need anything or just want to talk, call me.”

  Father would be horrified, and Mother would be furious. But they weren’t here, and he’d had no contact with them since they’d left the house that day.

  “Thank you,” she said and took the card before climbing out of the vehicle.

  “Thank you, Mr David. We appreciate your assistance.” The woman who’d met the car smiled and bobbed a quick curtsey. It was the type of greeting his father would have expected, and he wondered if perhaps that alone was the reason. He felt distaste at the action. But how did he tell them not to do so? Yet another problem to be overcome.

  He waited until the women were once more inside before he closed the door. “Markus, would you take me to the warehouse? I’d like to check on the shipment about to go out.” Not that checking in was necessary, but he needed time away from the pressure cooker to consider what had occurred to him.

  The trip was slow, as they were caught in the early evening rush hour traffic. Not that it bothered him because it allowed him more time to think over the revelations that continued to bombard him.

  Glancing out the window, he saw the lines of traffic. Old cars. New cars. Families with bored-looking drivers. Some gazed back at his vehicle, no doubt seeing the sleek and shiny car and wishing they could step into his life.

  “I’d give it to them, right now,” he muttered.

  “What’s wrong, Mr David?” Markus called from the front.

  “Nothing.” He turned back. “Do you ever wish your life was different?”

  He caught the glance of the driver’s eyes in the mirror. Surprise.

  “Uh, no. I mean, it would be great to have more money, but I live a good life. I have opportunities to do more, be more. The houses have policies to help those who want their own businesses. One day, I will, but for now? I have a place to live, and it’s secure. Plus I’m paid a good wage.”

  David mused on Markus’s words as they drove into the industrial estate where the house processed their wares. It wasn’t big, but they’d bought the largest facility available, allowing for them to expand into the future.

  This was where he’d give back to the community that housed him, paid for his education. He’d give them his all.

  Straightening his suit, David opened the door and stepped out. He’d only recently taken over from Daniel, yet everywhere he looked, he could see the hallmarks of the man’s touch. The placements of the bathrooms in the work areas and the range of refreshments available to the staff and the new architectural style. Furnishings chosen for comfort over “style” his mother had demanded. Comfortable, casual clothing worn in the house rather than stiff monogrammed shirts, pencil skirts, and pressed slacks his previous house staff had worn uniformly.

  “Sir, we’ve received a shipment this morning, and we’re happy to announce our schedule is not just on track but currently two weeks ahead.” The woman who sidled up beside him carried a clipboard and wore a scarlet hard hat.

  “Serena?” He guessed her name, and she bobbed her head. The fiftyish woman handed him a black hat, which he slipped on. “Could you give me a quick tour? I’ve been trying to get here all week, but with the fallout from the attacks—”

  She nodded, and as they walked through the plant, she pointed out Daniel’s improvements. By the end, he was assured that this crew knew better what needed to happen on the manufacturing side than he did. She passed him an envelope with a range of printouts. “I’ll look them over this week and get back to you as soon as I can.”

  He made his way back to the car and checked his watch. Eight o’clock. If he headed back to the house, he’d be able to eat, then retreat upstairs to shower and look over the information in peace.

  “Let’s go home, Markus,” he instructed.

  They’d just pulled into traffic when the phone rang.

  “David Jardin.”

  “Alert.” He sat up straight, dread coursing through his veins. The automated system continued, “An attack on a nest in New Orleans. It’s a total loss, from what we understand. No survivors.”

  He swore. “Engage flight. Get us back to the house as swiftly as possible,” he called to Markus, then reached over, picking up the handset now that the previous call had disconnected. He needed to get the house locked down as swiftly as possible.

  The car sped up, then took to the air, the forces pushing him back into his seat with a grunt as he began the preparations.

  Chapter 2

  Genny scrubbed her hands over her face while the computer screen wavered in front of her. “Ugh, this makes no sense.”

  If only her job was as exciting as some people thought. It wasn’t all car chases and quick outcomes. Ninety-nine percent of her job was research, computer work, or pounding pavement. But given it was near to midnight, unless there was something pressing, she wouldn’t be leaving the precinct any time soon.

  Heading back to the break room, she stopped, hearing a wild commotion. Her legs propelled her forwards as other people gathered around the small television mounted on the wall.

  “What’s going on?”

  Her demand was lost over the raised voices. On the screen, she could make out bodies moving to and fro, trucks and police cars. Not their own, she noted with a brief release of the tension that had unconsciously built inside her.

  “Where?” she demanded.

  “New Orleans,” Katya muttered over her shoulder. “It’s bad. Most of the nest is lost, but they think some children have holed up in the walk-in refrigerator. They’re trying to get into it now. It’s been locked from the inside.”

  Her skin crawled, the outpouring of fear and concern like a million spiders climbing up and down her body.

  “Everyone is dead?” She turned and saw the fury on Katya’s face. The way her eyes narrowed to pinpricks and the subtle buzz that exuded from her aura.

  “Yeah. Brutal. A vampire attacking a nest. I’d suggest they thought it’s only happening everywhere else, and they had adequate defences. Poor decision.” Her answer might have been succinct, but it came out distinctly like a snarl.

  Impotence wasn’t an emotion Genny dealt with well. She clenched her fists and took a last glance at the screen, the need for the coffee she’d been about to make no longer foremost in her mind. “Has anyone contacted the local nests?”

  Katya shrugged. “You know what they’re like. Prickly and don’t really welcome outsiders.”

  Turning on her heel, Genny hurried to her desk, gathered up her authorised weapons and keys. Almost to the door, she stopped when a voice called her name. She turned to see the boss frowning at her. “Be careful. They’re on alert and won’t be happy to see an outsider.”

  Perhaps not, she thought after nodding her thanks, but she was a Liaison officer. It was her job and calling. Immaterial of if they agreed, she’d do her best to ensure their safety.

  At the car, she slid in and revved the engine. “Best to do this alone,” she muttered and reversed out of her parking space. The roads were jammed, as they were pretty much all the time, so with a frustrated growl, she hit the lights and sirens.

  Cars jockeyed to clear the way, but it took time, and her nerves shredded as she left the jam-packed areas behind.

  Her phone beeped, her partner’s name appearing on screen. “Where are you?”

  “Heading for the House of al bin Habbad. I want to be sure they’re—”

  “You’re mad,” he interrupted. “You upset the Yeux Secondes already, and I doubt he’ll be overly welcoming right now.”

  The reasonable tone only whipped the frenzy in her blood.

  “Perhaps, but it’s our job to ensure they’re safe.”

  “Oh, come on, Genny. They’re vampires and more than capable of keeping themselves safe.”

  His words battered her. Was that really how he felt? That they should stand alone? What would he do if he knew… Genny reined in her thoughts. No need to go there, she told herself.

  She gripped the steering wheel tight. “Really? So what happened in New Orleans, then?”

  Silence.

  The turn loomed, and she indicated and drove up the long gravelled driveway. “Gotta go,” she muttered and ended the call.

  After she’d parked and run up the steps, she was stopped at the door. Two big and burly men waited, their frowns foreboding, but even more so their massive size.

  “We’re not accepting visitors right now,” mumbled the larger.

  She glanced up, noting the red of his irises. Vampires, both of them. Her inner cat nudged against the bonds she’d mentally wrapped around it.

  Her hands flexed involuntarily, but she breathed out through her nose. “Officer Fernly, Liaison Division. I’m here to see either the Yeux Secondes or the master. Whoever will see me.”

  The larger man quirked an eyebrow. She reached for her shield, where it lay on her waistband. She raised it so he could see. He inspected it thoroughly and cast a glance to the man standing beside him.

  The smaller vampire shrugged, stepped away, and she was sure he was talking mentally from the way both his eyes tracked to the left. Subtle tells, but she was used to them having spent years in a nest.

  “Kharisma says let her enter.”

  The doors slid open, and she stepped inside. The foyer where she’d been earlier in the day was transformed. She guessed it was to prepare for whatever lay ahead. Tables and chairs dotted the enormous area, and vampires, more than she’d spied earlier, congregated around. She’d bet they were also armed.

  The creature inside her stretched again, and the fear and concern took on the sense of a million spiders climbing up and down her body. Genny gritted her teeth together. Hard.

  A woman broke away, stepped forwards, and extended her hand in welcome. “Kharisma,” she greeted Genny. “You’re to be escorted to David. Follow me, please.”

  Few words, but they clearly summed up the current state of the house. Readiness was key.

  Genny followed, footsteps echoing, and they entered a small meeting room beside the Yeux Secondes office where she’d been just this morning. The table was round, and Kharisma settled herself beside David Jardin.

  He glanced up as she entered the room.

  Suddenly, Genny was overcome with nerves. How would they respond to what she’d come to say?

  Silence gathered around her, lengthening and increasing her unease.

  “Officer Fernly, how can we assist?” David grinned in a cold and forbidding fashion.

  “I… uh, Kharisma and Mr Jardin, I’m here on behalf of the Liaison Division. We wish to offer our condolences and support in this time.” She shifted on her feet, moving unconsciously as nerves crashed around her.

  “We thank you, Officer.” Kharisma inclined her head. The formality cloyed, and for a moment, Genny was sure she would pass out. Then she smiled. “Come, take a seat, Officer.”

  She joined them at the table. “The Liaison Division is very aware that the situation right now is grave and worsening. I hate to be difficult…”

  Kharisma nodded. “I understand. There isn’t much I can share, which I know you’re aware of. You grew up in a house, I understand, so you know even I must abide by certain restrictions.”

  Shock stole her breath. “I… I didn’t know you had made enquiries.”

  She smiled, but it wasn’t condescending. It was friendly, and the cat in Genny inched a little closer to the surface.

  “I didn’t. Counsellor Cressida knew. She informed all of us.” Kharisma extended her hands to indicate those gathered around the table.

  “I see. Then you know…”

  “A little. Only what I need to be aware of.”

  It was a sucker punch. Did that mean the master knew what she was? Did the Yeux Secondes, David Jardin? It was like someone poured a ghastly drink down her throat, coating it with a sour aftertaste.

  “Fine,” she returned. “But to be honest, with all the attacks and the escalation, how do we know who’s behind this? How can we deal with them, and what do we tell the regular officers who may come face to face with these vampires?” Heaven knows, the situation is pretty dire.

  Kharisma winced. “I understand your concerns. I will give you as much information as I can, and we’ve been asked by the Council to offer you any help. David here will be available to you. We need to clamp down on what’s happening, but there appear to be two issues. The first, we are dealing with. It must be a vampire-led attack on the one we know as Attar. More details will be available soon. I can’t share more.” The woman smiled, and though it was apologetic, there was no way she didn’t also understand it was a firm line.

  “So, what else?”

  “Attar is making vampires. Lots of them, but some are straying. They are hungry. The situation in New Orleans is not connected to them, and neither are the larger attacks. The one you helped, that was a stray.”

  Genny rubbed the ache forming between her brows. “Stray? I’ve never heard that term before.”

  “No. It’s not used often. But we aren’t talking about true rogues. These are turned and hungering. They don’t belong in a nest, so they have no one to guide them, whichever way they choose to feed and live. To be candid, I’m not sure we have the manpower to deal with them and the situation with Attar. Everyone is hunting and searching. Everyone works together, but the strays are slipping through the cracks. If we could rely on the police via the Liaison Division, we have a hope of saving more innocents.”

  Kharisma’s words fed the growing unease in her gut. “You want us to mop up what you can’t cope with.”

  “I probably wouldn’t have put it so bluntly.” Kharisma swivelled. “I must leave. David will discuss in more detail with you what we know.” Then the woman rose and left the room.

  “I didn’t expect you back here so soon, Officer Fernly.” David’s eyes gleamed in the artificial light.

  “I didn’t expect to receive any further assistance,” Genny answered honestly.

  He frowned. “Things are fraught. We lost an entire nest, and there’s upheaval in other nests. Ours is growing far more rapidly than we could have expected, and with the change of Yeux Secondes, well, we’re all a little… edgy.”

  Genny blinked at the candour of his words. “Indeed. So, tell me about this Attar. Who is he, and what is the situation?”

  David grimaced. “We don’t have a lot of information. He’s an old vampire. We don’t know quite how old, but he’s dangerous. He’s been able to hibernate for centuries from what we’ve gleaned. There’s some suggestion he’s one of the first vampires, which makes him truly dangerous. We have people researching and hunting, but he’s sly and good at getting what he needs. His people are creating chaos, and no one is safe, not even in the nests.”

  “Why is he making vampires? Or at least more than anyone else?”

  David shook his head. “My take is he’s after power. Probably thinks he’s more important than the greater sum of those alive. Isn’t that the way with criminals?”

  Genny bit her lip. “Sometimes, but this isn’t a single lone gunman. This is a vampire, making more vampires, and they’re killing. The injury and death rates are climbing, Mr Jardin. People are restive. They want vampires controlled.” She wasn’t game to say any kind of paranormal was lumped into the batch, because that opened doors no one wanted to investigate.

  “How did you come to be in the Liaison Division?”

  His question surprised her, and Genny blinked. “What?”

  “How did you end up working with a division who are dedicated to liaising between all the varied species?”

  “I… I came from a family of shifters.” Really, it was a pride, but she didn’t disclose what she was, because most of them refused to acknowledge her. Deep within, the cat hissed and demanded release.

  “I gathered that much.” She didn’t ask, but he nodded. “It’s there in your eyes. When you’re agitated, they sort of contract into small slits.” Now he smiled, and it was warmer. “It’s very attractive.”

  She started. “What?”

  His laugh was rich. Full bodied, like a well-aged merlot.

  Inside her, the cat wanted to purr.

  She clenched the muscles of her stomach, ensuring any physical reaction was contained and hidden.

  “You don’t like being reminded of your inner animal, do you?” The words were silky, almost seductive, and Genny didn’t quite know how to answer. That was odd, because usually she’d be the first to remonstrate if someone enquired about her inner animal. It wasn’t something a person did. The animal was private and their individual connection soul-deep.

  “Look, I want to work with you, Officer. We got off on the wrong footing. Let me get you a coffee or tea, and we can talk.”

  She must have looked like a gasping fish, because surely her mouth was hanging open with surprise.

  “I’m here on business. Stopping for coffee isn’t really in my plan.” She rose, wanting to get far away from whatever it was about him that left her so muddled and unable to think.

  “Wait!”

  His call stopped her retreat at the door. When she turned back, his face was filled with an earnest concern. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just would like to talk. We’re not the most formal of houses, something I’m trying to get my head around. Please? Stay and I’ll try to answer as many of your questions as I can.”

  Genny shook her head. “I’m needed back at the station.” The words were lies, of course. She had to hide the fact that any sensible question had fled under the pressure of his smile and offer.

  Back in the car, she gripped the wheel. “What the devil are you doing?” But even sitting there, staring at the house, she knew whatever it was driving her to make poor decisions couldn’t be allowed to bloom. Because if it did, she was in for a world of pain.