Bathe In Fire - Shadows of the Night 2

Chapter 41

Hi!

Fasten your seatbelts for the final chapters of this book! We're heading towards the end, and it's going to be a bumpy ride! Let me know what you're thinking.

Lara

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Chapter 41

I passed through the headquarters' security check the next day with a major headache. I felt drained and beaten, and probably looked like it. The verbal showdown with Alexander had haunted me all the way down into my subconscious. I had slept about four hours, not really my average. Travis, the guy on duty for the mirror chamber gave me a funny look, but refrained from a snide remark. I guess he had some sense of self-preservation left.

I walked into Brown's office five minutes late, which made me the last one to arrive. Fortunately the meeting hadn't started yet, however. Time to calm down and assess things. I was grateful for choosing something casual to wear. I had gone for washed-out stretch jeans and a black shirt I could move in. My hair was in the usual ponytail, brown waves dancing down my back. No makeup. I was sophisticated or traumatized enough – take your pick – to go without the usual frills.

I took a standing position close to the wall, crossing my arms in front of me. I caught a glimpse of Tamara, another witch of the air lineage, who was standing at the other end of the room. She was CF by definition and choice. My gaze brushed over the other attendees, and from what I could tell, there were mostly CF members. Sweeping the room once again, I had to correct myself. Apart from Blaze, who was wearing his usual expression of mild amusement and toughness, I was the only one from the TF3. Everybody else was clearly CF, part of the Force. If my counting skills hadn't forsaken me, there were about eight of them.

Gustav Brown walked into the room and closed the door, before weaving his way through to his altar-like work desk. And just like that everybody fell into complete silence. It was so quiet, you could have heard a rubber pin drop. Brown turned round to face us. The rustling noise of cloth against black leather was the first stirring of sound, of life in the void around us as he slid into his office chair.

He sat down and, without a hint of formality or restraint, slapped the folder he had been carrying on the desk. The smacking sound of paper cut through the tension-filled atmosphere, the silence tearing like wet paper.

"The human police has files of everyone who has the authority to access the Municipal building as well as the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse," Brown said, his eyes wandering from one force member to the other. "They have video footage of the security cameras inside and outside the building, and yet they have no idea how our vampiric assassin managed to approach, less force the chauffeur and the secretary to kill the mayor. Clearly we are dealing with a vampire of immensely great power and unmatched skills," he said, lacing his fingers in front of him.

"I don't have to tell you that Currol's death would have had grave repercussions for all of New York. Had the mayor died because of a vampire, it could have been the trigger for a new war between the races." He paused and watched us for a long moment. "Our primary goal is very clear. We have to capture the assassin. Fast and neat. Given the situation as it now stands we will have to work together with the human forces, however.

"Since Frank Currol is human, the mayor's safety is a matter that belongs to the police. The human forces – and they include the FBI – have taken the lead in this case. We will assist them in finding the assassin as much as we can.

"The Circle's leading operatives are in agreement about the necessity of pooling forces and the need of cooperation. Because of the urgency of the matter, and because of the severity of the situation, I assigned various witches from different resorts and forces. Whatever you will be assigned to, I want you to keep in mind that this is not a Circle-led operation as such. We are merely helping the human police as individuals belonging to the magical community. We do not act as a force."