Shadow Land

Get Set

The second the door opened, Damien went to great pains to look relaxed and keep his eyes away from the new comers. DJ, on the other hand, straightened up and smiled faintly with hope at them.

“Alexander and Miranda, what a pleasant surprise,” He smiled, still not looking at them but keeping his voice as relaxed as possible without it sounding like he was talking in his sleep.

“Can’t say it’s the same for us,” Miranda spat back.

Damien finally turned around to face the couple standing side by side at the door. “Alexander, I see you didn’t fancy humanity. I can’t say I’m surprised, you never seemed the type to want to grow up. But enough of the small talk, since this clearly is not a social visit, may I ask what occasions this get together?” He smiled coolly, glad the Count had pre-warned him that Alexander had done the impossible and become immortal once again, otherwise he would have been too shocked to speak.

“You have something we want,” Miranda stated simply, moving to the side of the room with feline grace.

“Well I can’t think of what that might be. I know Alexander turned down this position, and I hardly think you would be inclined to have it, Miranda. Let me think now…oh, could it be DJ? Well I’m afraid I can’t just let you take him away. He’s proved quite useful. And Miranda, please don’t try to coerce me into giving anything up. If I were to feel threatened in anyway, well I might forget what I’m saying, or ordering.”

Miranda narrowed her eyes, “Is that a threat?”

Damien shook his head, “If you want to consider it as one, then be my guest. I would just like to tell you that DJ has been ordered that, if I were to be attacked or in physical danger, he is to do everything within his power to kill the offending party. And, if it gets really drastic, I may just skip the killing and order him to die. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”

“You evil, sadistic ba-” Miranda started, striding towards Damien.

“Miranda,” Alexander cut in, his voice cold and ringing with authority that made everyone in the room stop and look at him. When Miranda made eye contact with him, he shook his head slightly. With an annoyed look, she walked backwards away from Damien until her back hit the wall and she leaned against it.

In the other conference room, Alycia walked towards Jessica until her lips were just centimeters away from the vampire’s ear.

“Now,” She whispered.

Jessica nodded slowly to show she understood.

Damien looked Miranda up and down with a smug expression on his face, “If you two don’t mind, I have some work I really must be attending to.” He sight in a tone filled with superiority and contempt.

He leaned back in his chair and reached out into the Connection to Call his head of security and have the two taken care of, then froze. He couldn’t find the Connection. The part of his mind that had housed his link to the rest of the world ever since he was Turned was just…gone.

“I’m afraid, Damien,” Alexander said in the same tone Damien had used, “That you will not be able to contact your security or anyone, for that matter. We have disabled all lines of communication except for that landline over there, next to Miranda.”

Damien looked over his shoulder at Miranda, barely keeping the panic from his face. Sure enough, there was a white landline phone hanging from the wall just a foot from her. Every room in Division had a similar phone; he remembered having those installed, at the Count’s orders, but up until now had not seen any use for them.

Up until now, when it was too late.

Damien turned to Alexander, carefully collecting his face. Alexander was blocking the exit, and Miranda his one line of communications to the outside world. Even with DJ, there was no way he could fight his way out; these two had been fighting for longer than anyone could remember and could surely beat him.