I cringed internally when the two men looked my way.
"Augustus. Fancy seeing you here."
Fuck. Why would he have left his coterie and moved here?
The vampire didn't look much changed in the three years since I had last seen him. His blue-black hair was pulled into a neat pony tail at his nape. He was wearing a bastardized version of the clothes he would have worn as a human. A high collared shirt and short black cape as was tradition in the fifteen hundreds, but his pants were a more modern suit pant along with which he pared shiny black dress shoes. He looked down his long aristocratic nose at me, and I met his dark eyes calmly.
"Indeed. It seems you require an audience with my Queen?"
I knew the two men were reassessing the whole night. They would assume I had lied about my knowledge of the Stygian Queen and her scions since I knew one of her subjects. That bitch was smart. We had been here all of twenty minutes and she was already well on her way to eroding the tentative trust we were building as a team.
"We do, if she will see us. How are you doing? Was your King not treating you well enough?"
Read between the lines guys.
"The night is young we will have plenty of time to discuss my former keeper and catch up, Delany," Augustus replied. Annoyed by my subtle hint to the men that the games had already begun. "If you would follow me, I think my Queen will be pleased to grant you an audience."
We followed the vampire back behind the house and onto a well-worn footpath. I fought not to look at the men on either side of me, but crossed my fingers that they would stick to the plan no matter what else the Stygian Queen would throw at us. I was nervous with Augustus here. He had information about me that she would not have previously possessed.
The dirt path cut through the forgotten neighborhood in a line leading straight to the vampire queen's home. I made mental note of our surroundings in case this meeting went poorly and we had to make a quick exit.
Castiel began trying to make polite small talk with the vampire in front of us. "It is nice to meet you, Augustus. My name is Castiel and this is Maverick."
The vampire sniffed and ignored the nephilim.
"Delany, you are looking well, and you smell delicious as ever. I am so glad you came to visit tonight. It has been ages since we last...spoke."
Another tactic. Ignore the men, make it seem like he and I had a close personal history. If the dig landed then right now the two men would be wondering wether or not we had been lovers, if I had been a blood whore. Fuuuuuuuuuck. We weren't ready for this.
"You seem in good spirits, Augustus. Especially since the last time I saw you were covered in blood. Tell me, how long did it take the finger to grow back?" I bared my teeth at him in some semblance of a smile. He flexed his hand subtly at the reminder.
My counter strike. Listen closely boys, our shared history isn't one of friends. I had to be so careful. I couldn't come right out and tell the men I didn't know he would be here, that he and I were in no way friends, or the Stygian Queen would learn that our alliance was new and untested. And that would be dangerous.
Augustus said nothing more. Having done his job to sow the seeds of discontent and suspicion he led us quietly up to the massive black mansion that I could only assume belonged to the Queen herself.
The windows on the front of the massive colonial were all dark. The once white columns along with the red brick exterior had both been painted an unforgiving black. She must have a real flair for the dramatic.
Augustus mounted the entry way steps and we followed behind him. He pushed open the dark wooden front doors and motioned for us to enter. I took a quick breath and led the way into the darkness waiting beyond.
My eyes adjusted to the dim light from the sconces along the wall and I carefully took in the foyer in front of me. The floor was black marble, and the walls were painted a burgundy so deep I would almost call it black. There was a crushed velvet rug that led to two stair cases that rose into the dark second floor.
Another vampire was waiting in between the stair cases in the gloom. His hands behind his back, wearing a black suit.
"I will take the guests from here," he spoke to Augustus.
The vampire bowed mockingly to me and disappeared down a side hallway, ignoring the two men at my side completely. I grit my teeth but said nothing and approached the suited vampire in front of us.
"This way please." He turned and led us into the black heart of the mansion.
We reached another set of double doors that opened silently, seemingly on their own. The vampire walked through and stood to the side. We could do nothing but follow.
The room we entered looked like it had once been a ballroom, but was now clearly a throne room. Tapestries decorated the walls between more gas sconces depicting bloody scenes from long ago battles and bloody lovers locked in sensuous embraces with fangs piercing skin. The floor was a continuation of the light eating black marble in the foyer. The only furniture was a tall obsidian throne, upon which a woman was sitting.
Her skin was as dark as the throne she sat on, only her eyes and teeth were visible in the dim lighting. As we continued forward I was able to discern more details. Her ebony hair was pulled up into a regal bun and a crown of black diamonds adorned her head. She was wearing a glittering dark red gown that hugged her like a second skin. How could she sit down in that thing?
Her long ruby nails were clicking rhythmically against the arm of the throne and when we reached the foot of the dais it sat on her full blood red lips pulled up in a smile, but she kept her eyes downcast. I was sure many had seen that very smile the moment their souls left their bodies. I forced myself into a low bow and felt my pulse hammer while I waited for the two men beside me to do the same. Out of the corner of my eye I watched Castiel bow like he did it every day, but I could tell Maverick was fighting his body for every inch as he bent at the waist. It seemed like neither of us was comfortable bowing to the cold presence on the black throne in front of us.
"Greetings to you, Delany and companions. It has been a while since the Fae have graced my darkened halls."
I pulled up from my bow right as the Stygian Queen lifted her gaze. Cloudy white eyes met mine. She's blind?
"Not blind in the traditional sense. I can see well, arguably better than you."
I quickly checked my mental shield, but the white hot flame around my mind was in tact and untouched. She was assuming and after centuries of practice she did a damn good job of it.
"What is your name?" That empty gaze swung toward Maverick, but the Male didn't flinch.
"Maverick, your majesty."
"Please, I want us to be friends. Call me Amaris."
"Amaris, we come seeking your council, and hopefully your assistance." Castiel voiced.
"And your name nephilim?"
"Castiel."
I was curious how she knew that Castiel was a nephilim, and what exactly those vacant eyes of hers saw.
"Castiel, what a beautiful name. Why do you hide those gorgeous wings under such a poor glamour?"
Castiel startled and moved as if to reach behind him, but dropped his hand before he could finish the motion.
"I find it easier to travel unnoticed when they are out of the way," he answered smoothly. Recovering himself from the shock of her seeing his wings.
"Pity." She swung her head back to me and sighed. "Delany, I have so wished to meet you. Why did it take so long?"
"You'll forgive me if I didn't trust that the meeting would end with my blood in my body."
"Ah you allude to the death of my former lover. He is old news." She waved her hand in dismissal. "I have a new paramour now. Young Augustus is such a treat isn't he?" She finished with a girlish giggle.
"I wouldn't know. The only dealings I have had with him were far more violent."
"Don't presume to know how I like my men in bed, Delany." Her tone was cold and hard as granite.
"Amaris, your majesty, may we discuss upon the reason we have visited today?" Castiel asked, directing her attention back to him and off of me.
Thank the merciful gods.
"Of course. Let us discuss the future of the Guild."
Castiel quickly cleared his throat. "I feel we are not utilizing our resources to the best of our advantage and could substantially increase our profit if we were to merge back into the Guild's network."
I was glad to see he was taking my advice and approaching this from a monetary angle. We couldn't want the network contacts too much or she would find a reason not to give them to us. She inclined her head for him to continue.
"Right now we are losing jobs to the private sector. When the Guild's network declared us unaffiliated we lost our insurance and employee benefits along with it. No one wants to work for us and without skilled mercenaries we have to turn down most of the higher paying jobs, cutting into overall profit. Currently we are in the green, but the cost of the warehouse itself eats into a lot of the gross profit before employees get their percentage. We are unable to expand and without more employees we are again limited on the job options. Rejoining the network would cut into profit the first four months, but then should show a substantial increase directly after the adjustment period."
"Hm. I agree with your assessment. You seem to have a high degree of business aptitude. So why, Castiel, would you buy the Guild in the first place? I am curious as to what would drive a Noble Fae and a nephilim to purchase such a low profit Earth business." Amaris's red nails tapped thoughtfully on her chin. "Well, does anyone have an answer?"
We had prepped for this well.
"My House controls the coffers and does not agree with my particular flavor of... fun." Maverick grinned roguishly. Playing the part perfectly.
"And what predilection of fun is that?" The Stygian Queen asked, amused.
"The kind that can be found here in the Abyss. And what better way to fund my deplorable tastes than with blood money."
A small frown tugged at Amaris's lips and I felt a trickle of nervous sweat drip down my spine. If she decided we were lying to her the results would be unpleasant to say the least.
"Hm. You just don't seem like the type, Male."
"Well majesty, I have had to hide it well these long years, but I think it's time to let loose and explore, and humans are just so... convenient. Don't you agree Amaris." The Male purred her name and licked his lips. The Queens milky eyes followed the motion.
I didn't know he could talk like that, but I do know who's bed the Male could warm tonight, if he could stomach it.
"And you nephilim. What is your stake in this?"
"I got where my master follows."
Again something the Stygian Queen can relate to. We are just like you Amaris. Dark, deplorable, demented. Helping us would be in your best interest.
"Delany." Those kohl lined white eyes landed on me. "What is your purpose here tonight."
"I have come simply as a Guide for these gentlemen and to beg forgiveness from you. For only with your gracious mercy may I leave tonight unharmed and exonerated."
Groveling, another thing the vampire in front of me related to.
"You rid me of a future problem with your brash and careless actions. I will grant you forgiveness. But do not cross me again with the death of one of my own staining your hands."
Brash and careless my ass. Instead of voicing my thought I dipped my head in supplication.
"I grow tired of this formal setting. We are of a like mind. Let us retire to my private rooms."
"My Queen are you sure that is wise?" The vampire at the back of the room who had been silent up to this point asked.
"You dare question me?" She hissed.
I turned in time to catch the full body flinch from the vampire.
"Never my Queen." He hit the marble on his knees hard enough that I heard the impact across the room.
"Dismissed."
The vampire scrambled to his feet and disappeared quickly from the room.
Amaris stood and began to descend from the dais. I shrugged subtly at the two men and followed the trailing gown of the Stygian Queen out of the room through a side door and down a short hall. She stopped in front of a black metal door and laid her hand on it. My ears popped as I felt the magical pressure of a ward come down when her hand came in contact with the door.
We hesitantly entered the private chambers of Virginia's most powerful vampire ruler and looked around. I expected the black theme to be continued in here, but the sitting area we walked into was decorated in warm browns and beiges. She motioned to the comfortable looking chestnut couch and chair.
"Please. Have a seat."