The sun had crashed behind the horizon and the moon was rising. She could feel it slicing through the plate glass of the window behind her touching her skin with icy fingers. Standing from behind the desk she stretched. It was rare for the moon to break through the clouds and pollution that hazed the London skyline. But when it did it touched everything, the wolves would be out in force tonight.
She could pass among them with immunity, she was a Lamia, they were rare in Britain, Made Vampires and Were creatures abounded but many of the Lamia families had emigrated to avoid the purges of the nobility under Cromwell, her brother had gone. She had remained. Even now she could remember the moonlit dock and the boat bound for Chesapeake bay, her brothers hair catching the lanterns fire and throwing it back burning a thousand times brighter.
"I cannot stay Artemis, not after I've struck this devils bargain with the witches, I want a chance to distance myself. To work it out" there had been an odd pain under his voice, of course finding out you had a vermin soulmate could do that to a man already married to the Maiden. She had held her chin up, looking at him, he was letting himself age for the first time in centuries, to be a father to his children. "I understand Hunter, but I will stay, the Redfern's Rule. They always have, and they will as long as I have breath in my body"
That had brought a smile, brief as winter sunshine on snow. He had bent then and kissed her cheek. "Brave heart little goddess, take care, never forget" Then he had turned and run up the gang plank, as if to stay had suddenly become to much of a pain. She had watched until the boat pulled out into the channels of the Thames. Then she had turned and returned to her life, and how she had chosen to live it.
The same moon touched her now, and silvered the tears on her cheeks. She never wept unless she was alone, but she mourned her brother, the fact that he was gone and would never burn so brightly beside her again hurt her heart. She scrubbed at her face and crossed to the small dressing room at the side of her office. Tonight she was going out as herself, Artemis the untouchable, the nights virgin goddess. The room was a dressing room, small enough to be almost unnoticeable in the plate glass and oak of her office but large enough to hold outfits for when home was too far away and the time was short.
She flicked through the outfits and drew out a leather mini dress. It was a matte black colour and should have looked tacky, but the sharp clean lines stopped that and instead fitted it like a glove. No bra, simple underwear. She pulled on a pair of inch high stilettos in the same black leather, made of straps that wound up her legs and knotted like ballet slippers around her knee.
Turning she looked into the mirror and smiled. She was 5'5 in heels, tall for the time of her birth, below average now. But she made up for it, many short people looked unfinished in a world that loved long legs and curvy figures. She filled her dress, but she was svelte, her muscles easy under a tiny layer of fat, her breasts curved out of the top the dress were large but not enough to make her top heavy. Her face was what attracted the most men, she had the sharp angled features that all Redfern's seemed to share with a sharp pixie like chin. Her eyebrows winged upwards in almost straight lines towards her temples, her nose was slightly snubbed at the end over a generous mouth.
Her eyes marked her apart, they were shimmering changing things. Rare even in the Redfern line, Maya's eyes. Tonight they were a dark gold that showed she had been thinking what Jared would have called 'sad thoughts' Her hair was loose it fell in a tumble to her knees, she could have cut it, should have to fill the role of business woman but she couldn't bare to. Her mother had loved her hair, it was a curling mass of hair such a dark red that it possessed black highlights, blood under the stars her brother had said once to make her laugh.
She turned from the mirror and banished the thoughts to the back of her mind. It didn't matter now, the slight knock on the wall told her that her car was here, tonight she was gracing the Black Mamba with her presence. They wouldn't be ready of course, that was how she ran her inspections, even her little squad didn't know where she was going until she told them.
Stepping out of the office she looked at Siren and smiled, the girl looked a Harman to her bones, pity her father had been the Harman. Platinum blonde hair skimmed her shoulders and lilac eyes were large in a face almost as pointed as her's. She was wearing a little sheath dress made of red silk that fell to her knees before dispersing into a black voile mist. With the tiny heels she was wearing she still stood around four inches taller than she could ever hope to be.
One eyebrow raised "I didn't know you were man hunting tonight Siren?" the girls face flushed "I'm not particularly but Jared said he might pop by" "Ah" she nodded blandly, but she had to train her eyes down, because she knew they would be laughing. Jared had this one hook line and sinker, he really was the incurable flirt.
They were moving now towards the doors, there were two men waiting there, they always stood in front of the doors to her office. Her inner sanctum and she smiled up at them, it irritated her sometimes that all the women were so tall but men were meant to be taller than women and she like it that way. "Boy's anyone special planned for tonight?" it was amazing that two Nigh Worlders a shifter and a Vampire, both over one hundred could be reduced to blushing like school boys at that sort of question.
"No Ms Redfern, no one" she looked to Namir who shrugged "No one In particular Ms Redfern, I might look up some vermin though" she let a half smile creep onto her face "Try to finish what you star though, hmm, no messy piles of entrails in Soho back streets please" he made a mock sigh and turned to the other "Sometimes Braeden she's just not fair" The vampire who had stood outside her door from almost ten minutes after she'd made him smiled. "No, I suppose not, but then I'm not a messy eater like you"
She made a light gesture with her fingers towards the exit and walked behind them to the stairs, going down vampire quick, there were no security cameras. If someone got through the wards she had on the place, robbed it, and managed to live a full and healthy life then good luck to them.
The limousine that was waiting was a work of art, dark as midnight without that tacky sheen that so many cars had. It was her business Limo, she preferred to drive a vintage jaguar when she had a choice. They slid in to the back, Namir sliding into the front seat to drive, she hadn't had a permanent driver since daybreak had shot a man who'd been with her for over a century.
They pulled out into the London traffic and where in it for all of five minutes, a Friday night made the time high, she could have walked faster. But then that would have given away the fact that she'd come straight from the office. And that wouldn't suit her purposes at all.
Pulling up outside the club she let a little smile grace her features and eyes that were a sudden sparkling jade. "On with the motley my children, and in we go" And she slid gently out of the back of the car and into the storm of the Friday night club scene.
She could pass among them with immunity, she was a Lamia, they were rare in Britain, Made Vampires and Were creatures abounded but many of the Lamia families had emigrated to avoid the purges of the nobility under Cromwell, her brother had gone. She had remained. Even now she could remember the moonlit dock and the boat bound for Chesapeake bay, her brothers hair catching the lanterns fire and throwing it back burning a thousand times brighter.
"I cannot stay Artemis, not after I've struck this devils bargain with the witches, I want a chance to distance myself. To work it out" there had been an odd pain under his voice, of course finding out you had a vermin soulmate could do that to a man already married to the Maiden. She had held her chin up, looking at him, he was letting himself age for the first time in centuries, to be a father to his children. "I understand Hunter, but I will stay, the Redfern's Rule. They always have, and they will as long as I have breath in my body"
That had brought a smile, brief as winter sunshine on snow. He had bent then and kissed her cheek. "Brave heart little goddess, take care, never forget" Then he had turned and run up the gang plank, as if to stay had suddenly become to much of a pain. She had watched until the boat pulled out into the channels of the Thames. Then she had turned and returned to her life, and how she had chosen to live it.
The same moon touched her now, and silvered the tears on her cheeks. She never wept unless she was alone, but she mourned her brother, the fact that he was gone and would never burn so brightly beside her again hurt her heart. She scrubbed at her face and crossed to the small dressing room at the side of her office. Tonight she was going out as herself, Artemis the untouchable, the nights virgin goddess. The room was a dressing room, small enough to be almost unnoticeable in the plate glass and oak of her office but large enough to hold outfits for when home was too far away and the time was short.
She flicked through the outfits and drew out a leather mini dress. It was a matte black colour and should have looked tacky, but the sharp clean lines stopped that and instead fitted it like a glove. No bra, simple underwear. She pulled on a pair of inch high stilettos in the same black leather, made of straps that wound up her legs and knotted like ballet slippers around her knee.
Turning she looked into the mirror and smiled. She was 5'5 in heels, tall for the time of her birth, below average now. But she made up for it, many short people looked unfinished in a world that loved long legs and curvy figures. She filled her dress, but she was svelte, her muscles easy under a tiny layer of fat, her breasts curved out of the top the dress were large but not enough to make her top heavy. Her face was what attracted the most men, she had the sharp angled features that all Redfern's seemed to share with a sharp pixie like chin. Her eyebrows winged upwards in almost straight lines towards her temples, her nose was slightly snubbed at the end over a generous mouth.
Her eyes marked her apart, they were shimmering changing things. Rare even in the Redfern line, Maya's eyes. Tonight they were a dark gold that showed she had been thinking what Jared would have called 'sad thoughts' Her hair was loose it fell in a tumble to her knees, she could have cut it, should have to fill the role of business woman but she couldn't bare to. Her mother had loved her hair, it was a curling mass of hair such a dark red that it possessed black highlights, blood under the stars her brother had said once to make her laugh.
She turned from the mirror and banished the thoughts to the back of her mind. It didn't matter now, the slight knock on the wall told her that her car was here, tonight she was gracing the Black Mamba with her presence. They wouldn't be ready of course, that was how she ran her inspections, even her little squad didn't know where she was going until she told them.
Stepping out of the office she looked at Siren and smiled, the girl looked a Harman to her bones, pity her father had been the Harman. Platinum blonde hair skimmed her shoulders and lilac eyes were large in a face almost as pointed as her's. She was wearing a little sheath dress made of red silk that fell to her knees before dispersing into a black voile mist. With the tiny heels she was wearing she still stood around four inches taller than she could ever hope to be.
One eyebrow raised "I didn't know you were man hunting tonight Siren?" the girls face flushed "I'm not particularly but Jared said he might pop by" "Ah" she nodded blandly, but she had to train her eyes down, because she knew they would be laughing. Jared had this one hook line and sinker, he really was the incurable flirt.
They were moving now towards the doors, there were two men waiting there, they always stood in front of the doors to her office. Her inner sanctum and she smiled up at them, it irritated her sometimes that all the women were so tall but men were meant to be taller than women and she like it that way. "Boy's anyone special planned for tonight?" it was amazing that two Nigh Worlders a shifter and a Vampire, both over one hundred could be reduced to blushing like school boys at that sort of question.
"No Ms Redfern, no one" she looked to Namir who shrugged "No one In particular Ms Redfern, I might look up some vermin though" she let a half smile creep onto her face "Try to finish what you star though, hmm, no messy piles of entrails in Soho back streets please" he made a mock sigh and turned to the other "Sometimes Braeden she's just not fair" The vampire who had stood outside her door from almost ten minutes after she'd made him smiled. "No, I suppose not, but then I'm not a messy eater like you"
She made a light gesture with her fingers towards the exit and walked behind them to the stairs, going down vampire quick, there were no security cameras. If someone got through the wards she had on the place, robbed it, and managed to live a full and healthy life then good luck to them.
The limousine that was waiting was a work of art, dark as midnight without that tacky sheen that so many cars had. It was her business Limo, she preferred to drive a vintage jaguar when she had a choice. They slid in to the back, Namir sliding into the front seat to drive, she hadn't had a permanent driver since daybreak had shot a man who'd been with her for over a century.
They pulled out into the London traffic and where in it for all of five minutes, a Friday night made the time high, she could have walked faster. But then that would have given away the fact that she'd come straight from the office. And that wouldn't suit her purposes at all.
Pulling up outside the club she let a little smile grace her features and eyes that were a sudden sparkling jade. "On with the motley my children, and in we go" And she slid gently out of the back of the car and into the storm of the Friday night club scene.