Page 114 of Eternal Obsession

I strolled through the open doorway, my immortals trailing closely, and the door was slammed shut. We headed into the darkened vehicle that awaited us. Jadeon pulled himself to his feet and banged at the door.

It was locked.

He turned and slid down the wall.

Chapter Forty-Seven

ORPHEUS

Alex paced.

He had promised Jadeon that he would not do anything untoward but await his brother’s return. He had almost succeeded with his venture to steal the blood, actually holding the plastic container within his hands. The scent of it had first stirred his appetite when removed from the fridge but the coldness of it had suppressed his desire. He had lingered in the hospital basement looking down at the unappetizing blood. So engrossed with his thoughts on whether to abandon his venture, he hardly noticed the uniformed mortals until they had descended upon him. They had attacked him using an electric device, sending waves of excruciating pain through his body and rendering him unconscious.

I sent in my finest.

Three well-dressed gentlemen entered the police station at 0355, all distinguished lawyers familiar with the environment in which they now stood. The senior of the three spoke to the police receptionist.

“We represent Lord Alexander Artimas. We believe he is to be released within the hour. We have come to complete the paperwork and ensure his bail. Who is the officer in charge of this case?”

“Hello, sir,” the young and intimidated police officer answered. “That would be Inspector Jansen, but I’m afraid she’s not here. Sergeant Rutledge is in charge of the holding cells. I’ll get him for you.”

The lawyer backed away from the reception desk, whispering to his colleagues, causing the police officer to feel even more worried. She phoned down to Sergeant Rutledge, asking for his presence at the reception desk immediately.

The lawyers were guided down the steps toward the department where their client was held. Expediting all paperwork, they ensured his immediate release. They could hear him within, frantically struggling to break down the door.

Dawn stirred at the horizon, trembling beneath the veil of night. He felt it. Like a slow-burning curse, ancient and absolute. The sun would rise, indifferent to immortality. Indifferent to one of the purest vampires ever born.

Should the rays find him he would burn.

Approaching Alex’s cell, the senior lawyer spoke again, his colleagues at his side. “Calm yourself, Alex,” he whispered. “We are here to take you home. All is well now. A car awaits you outside.”

The door was unlocked and opened.

Alex burst out of the cell toward them. “Where is Jadeon?”

Alex was guided through the police station to the waiting car parked outside the front of the building. He leapt into the long limousine, avoiding the rising of the sun by a fraction. Swiftly, too afraid to use caution in movement, not caring if he was seen or not, he jumped into the long black coffin that lay within the limousine and shut down the lid, blocking all light.

Alex was safe.

The three lawyers joined him within the car, sitting comfortably upon the leather seats, resting their feet on the lid of the coffin, their client secured within it.

Chapter Forty-Eight

ORPHEUS

The world was broken and tangled, but for reasons Ingrid couldn’t name, she believed it was her burden to mend it. Perhaps a quiet fault line in her mind, carved long ago by the silence of an only child’s loneliness. Or something like that, she solemnly mused as Ingrid made her way to face her boss’s inquisition in his office.

She answered question after question about why their only suspect had been released. Her first warning had been given. One more bad decision, and she would be suspended. Though she believed mitigating circumstances had led to the confusion, she was reluctant to relay such information. She took full responsibility for the error that she promised to put right. She had her colleagues back, after all, the ones who had made that dreadful decision.

Ingrid left his office deeply troubled. It was now 0645, and she was exhausted. She had been unable to fathom why the second murdered girl would have been replaced at Stonehenge. With most cases, she had been able to at least grasp some reason, some underlying influence that made a criminal act in such a way—hate, anger, self-defense, or just plain evil.

However, this case left her bewildered. She could see no motivation or sense how the criminal’s mind worked. She would have to completely rely on the forensic psychologists. A text pinged on her phone and pulled her out of her harried state. The forensic scientists working on her case were requesting her presence.

She drifted in that direction, pausing only to cradle a cup of coffee between her hands. This time, she finished it off to appease the staff.

Ingrid entered the laboratory, struck immediately by that old familiar sterility. She was directed toward the lab’s darkroom where she found Andrew, the department’s senior technician, peering through a microscope, engrossed. Ingrid tapped him on the shoulder and he looked up.

“What have you got for me?” Ingrid said. “Fingerprints?”