And Gregor jumped back before either of us could make our move. Blood trickled down the side of my neck. He hadn’t even licked the bite mark closed. A vampire of his age and experience wouldn’t have been so clumsy.

  Unless he was in shock.

  “Nosferatin,” he whispered. And then something swept across his face; something awful and visceral and full of such pain.

  I didn’t want to. But I had to. I inhaled.

  Washroom bleach. Apple mixed with lime. Bruised rose petals and overripe summer fruit. White lilies and loose leaf tea. And finally calming chamomile tea.

  Surprise. Confusion. Pain. Sorrow. Compassion.

  Shit. What did I do with all of that?

  “How?” he asked, still not at full volume. Something had thrown the Master vampire for a loop.

  A big arse loop.

  “How?” he said again, his voice returning to normal.

  “A long story,” I said, feeling uncomfortable.

  “We have time.” And the car pulled over to the side of the road without him having to tell the driver.

  We were clearly close to the Taniwha’s settlement. But Gregor had deemed this conversation more important than the missing politicians or the misbehaving shapeshifters. Which was telling.

  I just didn’t know what it told me.

  I looked at Samson. He had his blank mask on. He was uncertain, or he was worried, or he was any number of things and I’d scented enough in this vehicle to last a lifetime. Thankfully, the Dark Shadow agreed and just watched Gregor warily from behind my no doubt red-tinged eyes.

  “This information is priceless,” I said softly.

  “Name your price.”

  I sucked in a breath of air that hurt. Looking at Samson again, I noted his mask had shattered. He looked shocked and definitely uncertain.

  Vampires can lie. They can cheat and trick and fool you. They can do anything if they think it serves their purposes and is their right. Gregor could have been playing me. He could have been laying a trap and when I stepped into it, he could simply take my head and to hell with Lucinda’s anger and Samson’s heartache. I didn’t trust him. I couldn’t trust him.

  But then the Dark Shadow inhaled when moments ago she’d been happy to keep that talent to herself, and pointed out that there was no scent of sharp citrus on the air. No scent of a lie.

  He could still have ulterior motives, I told her.

  Or he could be an ally.

  You’re preaching caution and cooperation now?

  We must survive.

  She saw this as a means to ensure our survival. A way to make one threat, at least, disappear. We faced danger from so many different directions, having one of those threats removed could mean our life.

  But Gregor Morel was more than your average Master Vampyre. He was a member of the Iunctio Council and answered to the Champion; the head vampire of all vampires.

  Could his word be enough? Even if words to vampires meant more than they did to others?

  “My life,” I said. That’s all there was to say, really.

  “I understand,” the Master of Wellington City replied. “Whilst in my city, I pledge no harm shall befall you from me or mine.”

  Not enough. Not nearly enough.

  “And elsewhere?” I demanded.

  “The same applies for Auckland, but I cannot say for anywhere else. I answer to the Champion. And should you harm that which is mine, I reserve the right to hunt you outside of those boundaries and take your life.”

  Was that enough? I didn’t know. I’d wanted to escape; to run to South America or somewhere far from my troubles. But my troubles would have followed me regardless. Aliath could find me anywhere. The Iunctio might not have a presence in South America, but that didn’t mean that vampires weren’t there. Where could I hide? Nowhere.

  So, that meant facing my fears and standing my ground.

  I turned to Samson. “What do you think?” I asked.

  His hand slipped into mine, and he held it tightly. All thoughts of our argument were gone from his face and person. Beside me sat my friend. My lover.

  The vampire I trusted above all others.

  “This is your life, Gigi,” he said. “This has to be your decision.”

  I leaned in and whispered, even though we all knew Gregor could hear me, “But can I trust him?”

  “He is vampyre,” Samson said simply. “Bind him.”

  I sat back and looked at the Master of Wellington City who sat patiently across from me. I wondered if that patience was a front. The Dark Shadow laughed and let me scent his eagerness. He wanted to know this. It meant something to him. Was this really because he loved a Nosferatin and he felt a kinship with every other one?

  No. It couldn’t be. There was more going on here than I knew, but one thing was for certain: I could remove a threat here today. I could make my life easier. Safer.

  “OK,” I said. “I want an accord.”

  “You shall have it.”

  He pulled a stainless steel knife from inside his jacket; silver would only have harmed the both of us. He sliced his palm in the next heartbeat. This guy meant business.

  He handed me the knife and said, “Do not use your Light.”

  “My Light?”

  “I will not accept it. I have not tested you, but even if we are compatible, I will not accept you. I have another in mind for such an honour.”

  What the hell was he talking about?

  “Don’t worry,” I said archly. “My Light’s well in hand.”

  “Good.”

  He pressed his palm to mine as soon as I’d sliced it. The Dark Shadow watched on silently, well in control of my Light. There’d never been any chance of it getting out without her consent, and right now she wasn’t feeling so inclined.

  What did he mean? I asked her as our Sanguis Vitam connected, mingling through our blood, and the accord was sealed.

  I have forgotten much, she said. Some of it returns. But not all.

  I guessed that was an I Don’t Know.

  My Dark Shadow had always felt ancient to me. Older than a newborn vampire. I’d thought that was to do with something Nut had done. But maybe it wasn’t. Maybe vampires-within are reincarnated, and I just lucked out and landed an old one.

  An old one with memory loss.

  She snarled. I flashed her a metaphorical fang. Gregor started to wipe the drying blood off his hand with a handkerchief, drawing both of our attention.

  He finished up and then lifted silver and platinum eyes to my face.

  “Tell me,” he said. “Tell me who did this to you, so I can make them pay.”

  I looked at him; stunned.

  “He’s already dead,” I said. “I staked him.”

  And for the first time since I had been turned, I didn’t blame Lucinda or Samson. Protecting them came naturally. Protecting them felt right.

  “Good,” Gregor said. “Then tell me the rest. All of it. I paid the price, and I intend to reap the reward.”

  Just what reward did he see in knowing so much about me?

  It didn’t bear thinking about. So, I started to talk.

  14

  Fury

  I didn’t tell him everything. He wanted to know how I had become what I am. How I had become a mix of Nosferatin and Nosferatu. Two things that should not co-exist. So, I didn’t tell him what my talents were, or what parts of me were all vampire, save to say what he already had seen; that I was sensitive to sunlight and that silver harmed me. Samson didn’t know about that last one. Nor about the fact that I needed an invitation to enter a human’s home. So, I glossed over both, hoped Gregor wouldn’t get pedantic, and just gave him a rundown on how Nut had acted to save me when my Sire had failed to turn me completely.

  “Blessed by Nut,” Gregor said.

  “I don’t see it as a blessing,” I replied, voice taut.

  “Our Goddess does not visit everyone, Georgia,” he argued.

  “I didn’t ask for this.”

  “And yet you have received something that most of our kind can only dream of. A gift that Nut does not bestow on many.”

  “Have you met her?” I asked, interested despite myself.

  “Yes.” He wouldn’t elaborate further.

  The car began to move again without Gregor having to say a thing.

  “We’re almost there,” he said, staring out the window.

  I couldn’t tell if my question had upset him. He certainly wasn’t acting as I expected. I glanced out the window, but most of my attention was on the vampire before me. He was a puzzle I would have loved to work out, but we had more pressing things.

  “They have to be keeping the MPs somewhere,” I mused.

  Gregor brought his attention back to me, but it was Samson who answered.

  “They may have gone to ground in Auckland.” It was possible.

  So, I asked Gregor, “Will you be able to tell who’s missing?”

  “Only if they are key players in their hierarchy,” he replied. “I have vampires who check on them occasionally. I have not had need to do so myself until now. I know who is their Alpha and who their Alpha trusts most. But more than that has not been a necessity.”

  “Let’s hope the Alpha gives us something.”

  “Agreed.”

  The car turned off down a dirt road. There hadn’t been a signpost to say this was the right one. No Trespassers Beware or Beware of the Taniwha warnings. Just a pine tree-shrouded, narrow dirt road leading on a winding path up into the higher reaches of the Rimutakas. The moon was almost full; we must have been only a day or so away from a Full Moon. Possibly not the best time to be visiting the shapeshifters.

  But the light it gave did help the driver navigate the poor excuse for a driveway. Even vampires needed a little assistance from time to time.

  We came out into an open area; small log cabins edged the wide space. The moon shone down on rusted SUVs and banged up utes. I didn't think the Taniwha were kind to their cars. Several of the cabins had porches; some just had rudimentary steps down into deep puddles of mud. Our driver managed to turn the limousine around by making a precision three-point turn. There wasn’t much space for anything else.

  We sat in the car and stared at the silence; if silence was a thing to be stared at. And this was. No sound in the trees, no moreporks or owls. No insects or rodents. Nothing. The place seemed deserted.

  “Perhaps they’re running in their Taniwha forms,” Samson suggested.

  “Someone should have greeted us,” Gregor replied.

  He opened his door and stepped out into the night. Showing fear in front of a vampire was a big no-no. Showing it in front of a bunch of hillbilly shapeshifters was probably a bad idea, too. So, I got out behind him and inhaled the scents that made up the night. Pine needles and musk was the first I identified. My body instantly homing in on Samson, despite the plethora of natural and unnatural scents that surrounded. I pushed the visceral reaction I had to Samson’s signature scent aside and concentrated on the ones that could get us killed.

  “They’re here,” I said. Wet dog prevailed and not a lingering scent but one that meant they were nearby and watched. “In the trees,” I added, turning in a slow circle. “All around us.”

  The noose had closed, and we’d walked our own dumb necks right into it.

  I glanced at Gregor. He looked like a very angry vampire. He wasn’t even trying to hide it.

  “Greet your Master of the City,” he demanded.

  Nothing moved. No one made a sound.

  “Show yourselves!” he shouted.

  We waited. The Taniwha watched.

  I couldn’t reach the shadows to use them; we were out in the open, and the moon was too bright. But I could try something that might help. I pulled on my Dark Shadow’s Sanguis Vitam and sent it out into the night with her eager blessing.

  Hunt, she said.

  Yes, I agreed.

  Together we found the weakest Taniwha; singled him out as if we were lionesses attacking a herd of antelope; separating him from the rest. It was easier than I thought it would be, but the Dark Shadow wasn’t fighting me. We worked as one.

  The Taniwha walked out of the trees to our left; a lone figure fighting the compulsion and losing. He was young. Ten years old I guessed, and he was in human form. I felt bad about what I was doing, briefly. But these Taniwha had entered my city, taken some of my people, and done harm. I didn’t know what they had planned, but the evidence so far was compelling.

  I only wished the weakest link hadn’t been a child.

  Gregor glanced at me, then flicked his eyes back to the boy.

  “You’re doing?” he asked.

  “Yes.” There was no point denying it. Some vampires could use their Sanguis Vitam to control people. It was different to glazing them and less prevalent in our kind. But it wasn’t entirely unheard of.

  Or, at least, I hoped so. I was aware that Samson was watching me and not the boy. Yet another secret I had kept from him. If I ever did decide to mate with him, we had a hell of a rocky basis to form that kind of lifelong relationship on.

  “Interesting,” Gregor said, making me think it was more significant than I had hoped. Jett had warned me. I wasn’t very good at heeding warnings, though.

  The boy came to a stop before Gregor because I placed him there. The Dark Shadow gave me a nudge, making me inhale the scents on the air. The Taniwha were angry. Scared, angry and volatile. I might have just made things worse.

  “What’s your name?” Gregor asked the kid.

  “Murray,” he said. He had dark skin, broad features and spoke with a typical kiwi accent. I’m not sure why, but I thought they’d be different. Not so…normal.

  “Where is your Alpha?” Gregor asked.

  “I’m not supposed to tell you,” the kid said.

  “I am your Master of the City,” Gregor pointed out. “You should tell me anything I want.”

  “Not our master,” the boy said through clenched teeth.

  I didn’t want to, but I ramped up the Sanguis Vitam. His hand shook when he lifted it to point at a particular area of the trees. The whole experience made me feel sick.

  “Just come out,” I said. “We know you’re there. Make it easy on yourselves.”

  Nothing. The kid’s teeth had started to chatter.

  And then in the next instant, a wave of power washed over him and us, and he changed into a Taniwha. I’m not gonna lie; even ten-year-old Taniwha are frightful. And if this was a kid, I dreaded to think how big an adult Taniwha was.

  His head was shaped like a shark’s; long snout and row upon row of sharp teeth. His shoulders were broad and his hindquarters were as high as my chest. He was covered with sandpapery scales, dark grey everywhere except for a white stripe down his belly. His paws were tipped in sharp claws and attached to tree stump sized arms and legs. There was a barbed spike on the end of his tail.

  It swished. Menacingly.

  Out of the shadows of the trees stepped a dozen more Taniwha. Bigger. Scarier. Oozing stringent ammonia. My Dark Shadow immediately released my Light, allowing me to touch it unhindered for what felt like the first time in days not hours. I let it thrum just beneath the surface, there but not there. Its familiar presence was more reassuring than I thought anything had a right to be.

  Samson stepped closer to my side, but only so we provided a united front and could cover more of the approaching threat than if we were apart. Gregor hadn’t shifted an inch; all Master vampire and proud of it.

  “Where is David?” he asked.

  “Gone,” one of the Taniwha said in a guttural growl. It was fingernails on chalkboard ghastly.

  “Who stands in his stead?” Gregor demanded.

  “I do,” a Taniwha said, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she sounded female.

  “You are not Beta,” Gregor announced.

  “No.” She stared him down.

  There were more Taniwha in the trees who hadn’t come out. I wondered if Gregor and Samson knew, but I didn’t have a monopoly on vampire powers. Both were Masters in their own right and quite capable of assessing the threat level. So, I kept my mouth shut and let my Light leak out.

  Nosferatin Light is designed to recognise the Dark in vampires, but it can also touch the Dark in other creatures as well. I don’t feel the pull of a human about to kill. Nor any supernatural other than vampires. But I know Dark when I see it, and these Taniwha were steeped in Darkness.

  “Are you declaring a change in leadership?” Gregor asked.

  “If I were, I would not declare it to you.”

  Part of me liked the stubbornness of the girl. Part of me liked that she practically spat the words in the Master of the City’s face. This girl had balls, but she was also very Dark. Her anger stemmed from a Dark place indeed.

  “I am the Master of this City,” Gregor growled. “You are subject to my laws like all others.”

  “We no longer answer to you.”

  The clearing filled with more and more Taniwha. Five, ten. I lost count. Many of them carried silver. Chains. Knives. A fucking candlestick of all things. And all of it was silver. While Gregor had been letting one of his vampires check on the shapeshifters in his city, they’d been arming themselves for a supernatural fight.

  “This is a dangerous road you choose to tread,” Gregor told the woman. “Step wisely for there can be no going back from this.”

  “You are not welcome on our land,” she said in answer.

  There were too many of them. Only three of us and the driver, who on closer inspection was at least a level two Sanguis Vitam Master. So, four powerful vampires against twenty odd Taniwha in their shark form. If I needed convincing that these creatures were involved in the abductions, I had it. Hostility, irreverence, and shark-like features. They’d hit the hat-trick. But why the politicians?

  What did this woman hope to achieve?

  I watched Gregor out of the corner of my eye. This was his turf, but I was ready to act if he didn’t. The Dark Shadow agreed wholeheartedly.

  “Help is coming,” Gregor’s voice said in my ear, his Sanguis Vitam leaving a distinct mark on the air. I thought perhaps he had told Samson as well because Samson cracked his knuckles as if readying for a fight.