Archangel's Shadows (Guild Hunter 7)

As he’d predicted, the bloodlust had begun to cool the instant the order rippled through the vampire community. Seven of the leaders had contacted him already, the tremor in their voices barely hidden. “Please tell the sire I have taken care of the problem,” had been the message of each, though the exact words may have differed.

It was too little too late. What Raphael needed from Dmitri was to know the names of the worst offenders, the ones who had encouraged the lack of discipline through their own actions or inaction. It hadn’t taken Dmitri long to gather that information, not with the reports recently filed by Trace and Janvier, as well as input from Illium about the Made who wielded the most authority over others.

Dmitri had also had a long and interesting conversation with Adele that had clarified certain matters. She might refuse to join the Tower officially, but Adele’s loyalties were unquestionable—and she knew as well as he did that punishment could not be avoided once the crime had been committed. While Raphael wasn’t capricious or brutal without cause, he was also ruthless when it came to maintaining order in his territory.

Bloodlust equaled carnage. It would never be acceptable.

However, when Dmitri exited out into the glassed-in enclosure that housed the elevator, he was surprised to find Naasir and Elena on the other side. They were using the flat surface of the roof as a training ground and going at each other no holds barred. No, he thought after a second glance, that wasn’t true. Naasir wasn’t moving with anywhere near his ordinary speed.

It wasn’t because he’d been injured that morning—the wound had looked bad, but was comparatively minor relative to Naasir’s age and strength. No, it was because the two of them were still gauging each other’s strength.

“She calls him a tiger creature.”

Dmitri turned to the archangel who’d come up behind him. Raphael didn’t use the elevators, so he had to have used the stairs. That, too, was highly unusual. Dmitri guessed he hadn’t wanted to fly up, disrupting the practice session outside. “Well, she’s heading in the right direction.” Naasir’s Making was a unique and terrible thing. “He did actually tell her several truths at dinner.”

Lips curving, Raphael kept his eyes on Elena and Naasir. They were stepping it up now, Elena’s knives slicing faster as Naasir moved with a swift grace that was fascinating to watch. Venom was as fast, but more sinuous, with the startling and jagged speed of a viper. Naasir’s strikes were fluid, feline, and oddly stealthy for being so feral.

“She’s holding her own—that’s something.” Elena had once slit Dmitri’s throat on a busy Manhattan street, so the hunter had considerable skill, but she was up against a very dangerous vampire of over six hundred with nowhere to run; she couldn’t even take off fast enough to avoid Naasir. “You have warned Naasir that she’s not yet fully immortal?” The other male wouldn’t fatally hurt her on purpose, but he might not realize he was doing so without an advance caution.

“Yes.” Raphael’s smile deepened. “Even with having to restrain himself, he’s laughing. You know what that means.”

“He’s enjoying himself.” There were an extremely limited number of people who could put that look on Naasir’s face, especially in a sparring session. “It’s because she’s as unpredictable as he is. No rules, just do what’s needed.” That balanced out the fact that Elena wasn’t strong enough to take his blows at full strength.

“Her sessions with Janvier have honed that aspect of her hand-to-hand combat skills.”

“Good.” Dmitri was the one who’d recommended Elena train with Janvier. The Cajun was one hell of a street fighter and Elena needed every skill she could learn; a considerable number of people would like to see her dead. She was, after all, a living, breathing manifestation of Raphael’s heart.

Continuing to watch the session outside, he slipped his hands into the pockets of his black pants. “Trace got in touch earlier.” The elegant vampire with his taste for poetry and art had healed enough to take over the watch on Khalil a couple of hours back, only to have to hand it off to Emaya and Mateo forty-five minutes ago. “He found the Umber dealer—unfortunately, it appears the man’s head was separated from his body late last night.

“Trace believes his supplier didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and I agree with him.” Whoever was behind this did not want to be famous or to have his name known to the Tower. “The dealer himself was low-level scum who was in all probability chosen for his contacts among the bored and the rich. I don’t expect Trace to find anything to connect the dealer with his supplier.”

Raphael’s expression changed to the merciless focus that made him a member of the Cadre. “It’s no coincidence this drug has made its appearance now.”

“Yes. The weak fear what may yet come.” The clash in the skies above New York had only been the first battle. “But the malaise is generally restricted to the cowardly pleasure seekers who scuttled into hiding rather than fight.” Dmitri had been happy not to have to deal with their pathetic uselessness during the hostilities. “I am sorry about Rupert. He fought with courage. He must’ve taken the Umber in a moment of foolishness.”

“Is his death and devolution chilling the ardor for the drug?”

“On the surface, but to some, the incident has lent it a deadly glamour.” Russian roulette played with a crystalline substance, murderous bloodlust only a taste away. “If we don’t shut off the pipeline, we’ll have more incidents.”

Raphael’s eyes tracked Elena as she managed to swipe Naasir on the thigh, but got her wing twisted in the process. “A mistake,” he murmured. “She won’t do that again.”

They watched the two outside for another minute before returning to their conversation.

“There’s a chance this drug is another move by Charisemnon or a different member of the Cadre who seeks to weaken the city.” The intense black of Raphael’s hair gleamed blue-black in the light pouring through the glass. “I’ve spoken to Keir and he tells me a drug of such virulent effect on the Made would be near impossible to manufacture using known chemicals.”

Dmitri agreed, especially since their own labs were having difficulty analyzing the compound. “The latest tests say it has an organic rather than manufactured base, but that doesn’t get us much closer to breaking it down.”