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He noticed there were a few people out on the street as he turned left, heading to the seamier side of town. It too appeared to be struggling with change the boarded up buildings were being renovated and some of the businesses were getting a fresh coat of paint and new signage. It was better, but the vibe was still dodgy.
There was a fight to his left, two men on the sidewalk in the dark. He couldn't make out much about them apart from the fact that one had a backpack and the other was dressed in a long coat. It was not his business, but still, he couldn't keep his eyes off them until he slowly drove past.
He circled around and came back, but they were gone, and there was no sign of either one of them. He smelled blood in the air, so clearly, one of them was hurt. It wasn't his problem, so he continued out of town toward the Coven.
Skye checked into the local shelter and settled in. It wasn’t too bad and would serve his needs until he found a ride out of town. He couldn’t chance any public transportation for fear the kindred would be able to trace him. They had a long reach, and Skye was not going to take the risk. Hitching was anonymous and not always safe, but he knew how to take care of himself.
"Do you know of anyone hiring?" He asked the guy at the desk, an older gentleman with a patchy gray beard and a bald head.
"The truck stop is hiring wait staff and kitchen help. It doesn't pay much, but they let you eat for free." That sounded like an excellent perk as far as Skye was concerned. Eating was something done sparingly and not that often since money was tight. He used his phone, his one and only indulgence, and looked up the truck stop online and applied.
He laid out a few charms for protection and concealment before going to bed. It was hard to break the habits of nearly a lifetime. He didn't know if they truly worked, but his grandmother put her faith in them. She had been a good woman, just deluded and, in the end, utterly powerless to help or change the trajectory she had put their lives on. Just before he fell asleep, he received a message from the truck stop scheduling an interview for the morning. They must really need help, he thought as he drifted off.
CHAPTER TWO
Dante’s meeting the following morning included the Master and Ismael and all the specialist who were called home to protect the Coven. He recognized Draco Graves they’d worked together in the past, but he was unfamiliar with the others. The Master obviously considered the danger to be real and significant to have called in such specific talent.
"After speaking with Master Hadden, I believe it wise to safeguard our position." Master DuCane went on to explain the situation, in detail, that has afflicted the Hadden Coven in Pittsburgh. "I've sent Fox and Mateo, the hellhound elders, along with their mate Quincy, a skilled soldier, to Pittsburgh to gather further information regarding this threat. As you know, hellhounds are impervious to most magics." It's been years since hellhounds first made their appearance in Mt. Pleasant, and then several ended up as members of Coven DuCane.
Dante was amazed by them and found them to be enigmatic and nearly without equal. There was nothing that could go head to head with a hellhound except a dragon and even then they are evenly matched. Both dragons and hellhounds were rare creatures to happen upon, but it was a meeting you’d not soon forget.
“Isn’t there a dragon circle in the mountains of Pennsylvania? They may be of assistance considering, like the hellhound, they are immune to magics.” Dante recalled the Master assisting a young wayward dragon in finding a home among his own kind. The dragon had mated with a hellhound, and they moved to a dragon circle near Pittsburgh.
"Yes, there is, and it is my understanding that Master Hadden is working with them. Dragons are fierce beings, and in the event the situation in Pittsburgh grows, their assistance will become imperative." Master DuCane looked pensively around the room, making eye contact with each man present.
"If the threat that is present in Pittsburgh grows, it will do so rapidly. Everyone here has dealt with the magics, and you know how quickly they can infect an area and its people." Everyone nodded, understanding perfectly what was at stake. "I've called you home because you are some of my best, and the Coven needs you; we need your expertise, your doggedness. We need your protection. We are increasing patrols in town and the surrounding area and fortifying the coven grounds. Each of you will receive an assignment, and I trust you to carry it out with your usual skill."
Master DuCane stood silent for a few moments, letting everyone take in the seriousness of the situation. "I will turn the meeting over to Ismael for any further clarification." With that, he left the room, and questions filled the air for the next few minutes.
Dante looked around the room once again and took in the caliber of soldier present there. Like himself, they had been assigned to hot spots throughout the nation. When Ismael distributed assignments, Dante noticed that no one was attached to any established teams, squads, or units. Rather, each was to work independently and answer to Ismael. Dante wasn't surprised to see his assignment was the Palace and Grounds.
Dante had performed many roles out in the field, but his forte was interrogation. He was to be kept close to home for that specific purpose. He was especially effective at making magics talk.
He understood their needs, desires, and limitations in a way that allowed him to easily get under their skin and into their heads. He would patrol both the Palace and the grounds, but his primary function would be interrogation. He looked forward to getting all the answers the Master required.
Surprisingly, it wasn't long before he was called to one of the new, state-of-the-art interrogation rooms to pick apart a young magic that had been apprehended in town. Apparently, he’d offended and terrorized Ezra Bently, the Master’s beloved, while he was in town with his good friend Easton Sans, who happened to be Ismael Patronne’s beloved. The guy really picked the wrong people to threaten, but then Dante had never found magics to be particularly intelligent.
Dante had spent the prior day getting reacquainted with the Palace and the grounds, finding the strengths and weaknesses. He was impressed with the level of protection the Master had already in place. His responsibility besides interrogating prisoners was to maintain a tight border. Dante had a talent for detecting and recognizing magics in an area no matter how elusive or faint.
He was told the man he was to interrogate was a member of a kindred that had, at one time, been in Pittsburgh. Considering that damning information, along with the fact he'd attacked the Master's beloved, Dante was surprised the man still lived. But he was alive and waiting to be questioned, and Dante was more than ready to go a few rounds with the guy and extract everything useful before handing him back to the Master.
Skye got the job as soon as he showed up for the interview, he was right about them being shorthanded they simply tossed him an apron and said they'd do the paperwork after his shift. After the first day, he moved from the kitchen to the floor, which covered the counter and the tables and afforded better prospects for tips. He didn't plan to stay in the area long, only until he found a trucker going north, but he did not share that fact with his employer.
Everything was going well business was good and he’d already made a significant amount in tips over the breakfast run when things took a definite downturn. Never in a million years had he expected to come face to face with a specter from his past.
It was a stark reminder that nothing was ever truly done and over, especially where magics were involved. It started with a request to take over the customers up front by the large picture windows. Those windows looked out over the vast parking area.
"Skye, take care of the group seated in section four. Ray cut his finger and needs to get cleaned up before returning to the floor." His boss instructed, and Skye had no problem taking care of the party in section four. There were six of them, and they looked like good tippers, laid back and friendly.
The problem was that their table was directly in front of the large picture window and standing just on the other side of that window was someone Skye thought to never see again in the whole of his life. Someone from his past, a person who knew him and would very likely recognize him even after so many years.
Few people made it out of the Pittsburgh kindred before it was destroyed, but this man was one of them. Skye's Master, Adam, had taken him and a faction of the group to Alabama a few weeks before the group in Pittsburgh was wiped out. Skye had heard a few people had survived and Ezra Bently was a survivor and now Ezra stood on the other side of the window glass staring in at him.
The moment lasted just seconds, but it felt like hours. Skye was frozen, unable to move as he watched the man descend into hysterics. He melted down, screaming and crying out and pointing at Skye. The ramifications hit Skye too late as he noticed the caliber of bodyguards surrounding Ezra and coming after him. They were vampires, fucking vampires. Ezra was scooped up and quickly swept away.
Skye tried to run, but it was futile because the truck stop had only two doors, neither of which he could get to in time. He put up a fight, but he was no match for a group of vampires. He was quickly hog-tied, blindfolded, and tossed into a vehicle. He heard the door slide shut and felt the cold steel beneath him. They weren't Adam's people. These were vampires, and he had to acknowledge that he'd just gone from the frying pan into the fire.
The questions started almost immediately. “What is your name?” The tone was loud, curt and pitiless. Skye did not answer he would give these people nothing. Vampires were the worst of the paranormal lot, and he would not debase himself by showing them any fear.
