Hungry is the Night - Page Twelve
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Gabriel sat in the taxi with Catlin's head resting on his shoulder. The club had closed at 3 am, and Catlin had declared they were all too drunk to drive and insisted they get a cab. Jade had vanished into the night with the couple from the club, but Gabriel wasn't concerned. Jade could look after herself perfectly well. Damien sat on Catlin's other side, leaning against the window. He looked alone, even though they were sat so close together. Damien always had that look about him though.
They went over a bump and Catlin stirred, moving to lean against Damien instead. He turned away from the window to look at her and for a moment, his eyes met Gabriel's. Then Gabriel turned away, his turn to stare out into the dark of night. He could see their reflection in the window though, hair glittering as they passed each street light. They worked well together, the gold of her hair tangling with the blood red of his. The contrast between his own dark hair and theirs made the sunlight brightness of Catlin's hair all the more noticeable. The three of them made a pretty picture.
The taxi slowed to a stop and Gabriel was surprised to notice they were at the house. It had seemed a very short trip home. Inside, Catlin kissed them both goodnight and went upstairs, leaving them standing in the hallway.
"Nightcap?"
Damien looked at the grandfather clock and shook his head.
"It's almost dawn. I'm exhausted. I think I'll head to bed too."
Gabriel saw Damien to his room, then went into his own rooms to watch the sunrise.
Jade eased away from the woman and searched the room for her clothes. The man was snoring heavily, masking any noise she made which might have woken one of them. Once she'd located everything, she slipped downstairs, dressed and then let herself out through the front door. From the sky, Jade guess it was about an hour to dawn - maybe an hour and a half. She checked her bearings and set off at a slow jog. Twenty minutes later, she was letting herself into an apartment. She headed straight for the shower and washed thoroughly. Then she headed for the bedroom. The gentle snoring stopped as she slid into bed.
"It's me, Jo," Jade whispered, as she pulled the covers up to cover them both.
The snoring resumed and Jade curled in and fell asleep.
Jade woke, smiling.
"Morning, Jo."
"Morning, Jade-ling. You got in late last night."
"Almost dawn," Jade admitted, stretching, then held up her arms. "Cuddle!"
The woman laughed and kicked off her shoes before sliding into the bed and cuddling up.
"How was work?"
"Eh, average. I left early so I'd be here when you woke."
"That was nice of you."
"I'm a nice person."
Their lips met and held.
"Mmm, you are."
"Are you staying tonight?"
"I can, if you want me to."
"Of course I want you to. Have you eaten?"
"Yes, I ate last night before I came here."
Johanna's expression changed.
"Deliberately?"
"No. I was out with the others, I went off without them, they went home. I was about 20 minutes from here, with about an hour until the sun rose. I figured I'd rather come and see you than get a taxi back to the house."
"Hmm."
"Jo, I love you."
"I know you do, Jade. But do you think I can't tell that you're avoiding feeding from me?"
"I just worry about you is all."
"Well don't. I know the signs as well as you do. I'll tell you if I can't."
Jade looked at her carefully, gently stroking back the chestnut hair. It was graying at the temples and the laugh lines had deepened enough that they were permanent now. Jo's age was starting to show.
"If you'd just let me..."
"No, Jade-ling. You know how I feel about this. Hell, I'm 86 and I still look and feel 55. We've been together for 62 years - it's a lifetime, in human terms."
"It isn't long enough."
"My love, you're going to have to let me go, one day."
"But we don't have to! I could turn you..."
"No, Jade. I don't want to be a vampire. You told me yourself that vampires can't live off each other, and it would kill me to share what we have with anyone else. I've had a long life, I am content to die when my time comes."
"What if it was cancer, or some other long, drawn-out illness?"
"Then I would hope that you would kill me."
"But I could cure you."
"At what cost? No, Jade. It wouldn't matter if it was cancer or a car accident. I want you to let me die."
Jade was sobbing silently and Jo gently stroked her hair.
"It took me 300 years to find you, Jo. What am I going to do without you?"
"Look at you, Jade. You still have the body of an eighteen year old. People will wonder what you're doing with an old lady like me."
"So we tell them I'm your daughter. Who cares?"
"I care, Jade. I love you, but I don't want to live forever."
Jade sighed and Jo stroked her hair and kissed her. They made love gently, then showered together. Jade sat on the edge of the bed beside Jo.
"Goodnight, Jade."
"You don't want me to stay?"
"Not tonight."
Jade waited until Jo fell asleep, then dressed and returned to the House.
"Doing any reading tonight?" Damien asked from Catlin's doorway.
"Nah. I'm having a day off."
"Perhaps we can extend our lesson then, and do a field trip."
"Really? Where are we going that it's going to take two nights?"
"Glastonbury."
"You're kidding me."
"Nope, completely serious."
"Why are we going to Glastonbury?"
"We're going to meet the queen."
"Isn't that London?"
"Of the fairies."
"Right - have you been drinking?"
"Of course not. Are you telling me you don't believe in fairies?"
"Are you telling me you do?"
"The Vættir are very real, Catlin."
Catlin looked at him for a long moment, then closed her eyeshadow box with a soft click.
"When are we going?"
"As soon as you've put a change of clothes in a bag."
"And what's in it for me?"
"I'll let you drive my car."
Catlin settled back in the low seat of the porche and watched Damien adjust the controls minutely. To his credit, he'd let her drive for a full hour, but he wasn't a very good passenger and once she pulled into a service station and returned the keys to him, he was much happier. Also he drove at nearly twice the speed she did, so they'd get there a lot faster. Catlin watched the trees zip past them as Damien wove through the traffic with skill born of many years driving.
"What about speed cameras?"
"I'd pay the fine," he replied, "but it's never happened. I think they have trouble believing that a 110 year old is driving down the motorway at 300 miles an hour."
"What if they come and impound the car?"
"Where would they come? You don't think we give them our real address, do you? They wouldn't know where to start looking."
"What if you got pulled over?"
"They wouldn't catch me. And if they did... well, I'd just have to get a new licence wouldn't I?"
Catlin nodded.
"So. We're going to meet the glistening throng."
"Actually, no. We're going to meet the darkling throng."
"I haven't heard that term for them before. Is that the unseelie court?"
"Yes. But it doesn't really make much difference, the courts are much the same."
"What do you mean? There's a bit of difference between seelie and unseelie, Damien."
"Who's the teacher here? There isn't as much difference as you might think. The Àlfar may be beautiful and pleasing to look at, but they're no less deadly than the Svartálfar, make no mistake about it. In fact, I'd sooner trust a Svartálfar than an Àlfar. At least the Svartálfar you know what you're getting yourself into."
The... Svartálfar?"
"The Unseelie. The night elves, the dark ones, the darkling throng."
"If you say so," Catlin said, dubiously. "The stories indicate a difference though."
"Oh? So the seelie court kidnapping a mortal and keeping him in thrall for 7 years is a nice thing to do?"
"Thomas the Rhymer? By most accounts he enjoyed his time underhill."
"Of course he did," Damien drawled.
"Are you saying he didn't?"
"I'm saying, Catlin, that there's no way of knowing what happened to him in his time underhill. Just because he thought he enjoyed it once he was returned to the mortal world, doesn't mean he actually did."
Catlin thought it best to move the conversation back to her original question.
"So we're going to meet the unseelie queen?"
"Well, if she agrees to see us. We will meet the prince though."
"There's an unseelie prince? How old is he?"
"Older than I am."
"And he's still a prince, not the king?"
"The fae are long lived. The current queen has been ruling for 2000 years."
"So, you're less than 2000!"
Gabriel gave her a look.
"Yes, Catlin, I'm under 2000. I'm actually younger than Gabriel."
"I'm just teasing. I knew that already. So, how old is the prince?"
"Eamon is about 1850. His elder brother is 2045, or there about."
200 years between siblings?"
"Yes, the queen was rather blessed. Their sister, Siobhaun was born only 80 years after Eamon."
Catlin stared at him.
"The three of them grew up together and are very close."
"They grew up together, but there's almost 300 years between the eldest and the youngest."
"In fae terms, that's like there being 3 years between them, Catlin. The fae are slow to breed and slow to mature. Siobhaun is now 1770, still an adolescent in fae terms. That's why we don't get to meet her. Her brothers are protective."
"And will she be the next queen of the unseelie court?"
"No, I think it likely that she will wed Jonah."
"And who is Jonah?"
"Jonah is the heir to the seelie court."
"So she'll be queen of the seelie court. What do the other seelie think of that?"
Damien gave her a look that said louder than words she'd asked a good question, but he wasn't going to answer.
"And how old is he?"
"Not much older than Siobhaun, actually. They've been destined for each other since conception."
"I think you mean intended."
"No, I mean destined. I have it on good authority that the fates dabbled quite heavily in their case."
"You believe in one true love for each of us?"
"Pretty to think so, but no. Only in certain cases, like Siobhaun and Jonah. Their marriage will unite the Seelie and Unseelie courts, for the first time in centuries."
"What's the hold up?"
"Fae can only marry if there is a child, and Siobhaun is not with child yet."
"How long have they been trying?"
"That's not the sort of thing you ask the fae. They're a little touchy about conception problems. But they were bethrothed at 1500."
"Christ."
"No, Catlin. He has nothing to do with the fae, and that's the way they like it. They are older than he is, and he knows exactly what will happen if he tangles with them."
"I only meant, 200 years of trying for a babe with no result. She must be heartbroken."
"There is no cause for concern. 500 years, perhaps then they would start to worry."
Damien pulled off the road abruptly and slowed dramatically to tackle the smaller, narrower streets surrounding Glastonbury. He was still driving faster than Catlin was comfortable with, but when you come down from 250 miles an hour to 80, it feels slow. Damien parked in the carpark behind the shops, which were just closing up for the evening.
"They're open late."
"This is Glastonbury. I'm surprised they're closing at all. Ready for a hike up the tor?"
"Now how did I know you were going to suggest that?" sighed Catlin, taking his offered arm.
"Because I know how you love vigerous exercise?"
"It's always sex with you, isn't it Damien?"
"It is if I can possibly help it."
He grinned at her and they started up towards the tor.
Jade tapped lightly on Gabriel's door, unsure if he would welcome her company. She'd been wandering through the house for several hours, unable to find anything that would keep her occupied. There was silence for several moments, then Gabriel bade her to enter. He was seated at his desk by the window, but he had turned from the view of the garden and watched her enter.
"Jade. You look lonesome this evening."
"I am, a bit. I need something to do."
"And you don't feel like anything we have to do in the house."
"No. Damien and Catlin are out, Alex is reading, so that left you. Want to go hunting or something?"
Gabriel laughed.
"Now I know my place in the househould. Just fractionally above the help. I have a better idea though. Let's do a different sort of hunting."
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to find out a little bit more about Michael and the little angel."
"Well then," Jade smiled at the challenge. "We had better find some costumes."
"I take it you think this serious?" Alex queried, leaning back in his chair.
"Yes," Jade replied seriously, "we do. Quite aside from the fact that they hurt Catlin and Anna..."
"We have no proof of that." Alex held up a hand. "I'm not saying they didn't do it," he added, forstalling Jade's protests, "only that we haven't any proof. Do you have proof of this?"
"We watched them last night and tonight. Our limitation is that they probably conduct a large part of their business during the day. That is the reason I suggested approaching Wahaya," Gabriel replied smoothly. "He would be able to continue the surveillance during the day, and we will gather more evidence."
"What if it turns out that the wolves already know?"
"I know Anthony," Gabriel replied. "We all do. He would not just let this slide if he knew of it."
Alex nodded.
"Yes, Anthony's ideas on drugs are well known. Something suggests to me that we gather the evidence before approaching him, however."
Alex considered for a long moment while Jade and Gabriel waited.
"Very well. I will give my permission for you to expand your investigation into the operations of the Lancashire Pack. Enlist the aid of Damien and Catlin when they return, and approach Wahaya if you think it will help. I do not wish to know any details; I will remain impartial. I would suggest you suggest to Wahaya that he do the same with Anthony. One cannot give the appearance of impartiality, let alone actually be impartial, if one knows all the details."
Jade and Gabriel bowed quickly and left the room as Alex returned to his reading.
Jade pounced on Damien's car as it pulled into the driveway. Damien grinned at her, which disappointed Jade, but Catlin had been dozing in the front seat and she jumped a mile, which was a little more gratifying. She rolled off the car and let him pull into the garage, then waited for them to get out of the car.
"You scared the life out of me," Catlin complained, closing the car door.
"What's so exciting?" Damien added, curiously.
"Fun," Jade explained, with a grin as they walked towards the house. "Gabriel and I decided to have a bit of a look at the wolf pack, to see what it is that Michael, Angelito and the other bad wolves are peddling."
"Bad wolf?" Catlin smirked.
"You mean like, 'Bad dog, no biscuit'?" Damien queried.
"No, I mean like Rose. Doctor Who? Never mind, continue Jade."
"So anyway, Gabriel and I did a little investigating, and we found a few interesting things. First, these drugs that they're peddling - it appears that they're getting them from vampires."
"Which ones?" Damien asked, eyes narrowing.
"Preliminary investigations indicate that it's the Hellebores."
"Of course."
"Of course," Jade agreed, starting up the stairs. "Some of the drugs seem to end up on the streets, naturally, but quite a lot of them just vanish."
"What do you mean, vanish?"
"Exactly what I said. Say they get a delivery of 10 crates. Two crates will end up being sold on the streets. Four crates will end up being dished out to various pack members and humans in bribes and for personal use. The other 4 crates just... vanish."
"Well, they can't just vanish. Someone has to be buying them."
"Yes, that's what we figure."
"Any thoughts?"
"That's what we're investigating."
"What sort of drugs are they?" Catlin queried.
"We're trying to get samples. The stuff sold on the streets appears to be fairly standard amphetamines. The stuff used for bribes and personal use appears to be mostly methamphatamines and steroids."
"Why would they bother to import that?"
"Good question," Jade approved. "The crates are coming from Australia, and it's a long way to transport things. Why bother with standard strength drugs?"
"Income," Damien guessed. "Maybe it's cheaper to buy it from the Hellebores and ship it than it is to buy wholesale here. But we don't know what's in the other 4 crates?"
"Nope. Possibly it's some sort of cover product. Baby powder or some such."
"But you don't think so?"
"No. My gut says there's something we're missing."
"Maybe we're looking at this from the wrong angle," Catlin suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"What if what's in those four crates is what's really important, and it's the drugs that are the cover?"
"What could be so illegal that you'd even consider using drugs as a cover?" Damien wondered aloud.
"I have no idea," Jade answered, "but I think we should find out."
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