She shifted into the milling crowds as if they should part for her by right. And they did, because it was her right, the Redfern's ruled, and that was as it should be. Her body guards had fallen back, shocked she supposed. Her mind running hyper fast, she raised a hand and silence fell over the club.
"Seal the doors, no one goes out or comes in until I say so" she watched as several of her people detached themselves from the stirred crowd and blocked the exit , then she turned and knelt next to Uriel. His eyes were empty, but he had been dead a short time, she gently touched her fingers to his eyes and pushed outwards with her telepathy.
It had been a Romany who'd taught her to do this, the eye held the last moments, a silent witness to the crimes it had seen. She gently opened herself and let his memories enfold her. He had been watching the dancers, waiting for something, and then a sudden blow from behind. Stunned he had turned and the stake had taken him through the chest. Falling there had been a glimpse, long legs in a short skirt and eyes like fire. A molten gold flame.
She opened her eyes again, but they were flat and far away, she could hear people talking near her but was unconcerned, if anyone touched her they weren't going away the same way they'd arrived. The anger she'd felt was fading from being flaming hot to chilling, she could almost feel the goosebumps on her skin as she stood. The skirt of her dress was plastered with dark blood.
"There is a traitor in out midst" for a second her quiet announcement didn't seem to penetrate and then the whispers fluttered around the room. She looked up into nearly a hundred pairs of dangerous eyes, she wasn't afraid, these were her people. Blood called to blood in the most elemental sense here.
"Those of you not of London may leave now, this is an internal matter" Three broke for the door, they would be escorted out of the district, of course they would be lightly probed before they were dropped off. But she didn't think they were her murderers. She had suspicions and they were growing second by second.
Looking back into the feral eyes around her she smiled again, then leaning down she made a scooping motion and stood again smearing the side of her face with blood. She looked like an unnatural phantom of the opera. The blood was drying warm against her skin, a tacky wetness, she felt her lips curl into a smile, the delicate tips of her fangs indenting her lips.
"Blood calls to blood, one of our own was murdered tonight" a voice from out of the darkness "He was a Daybreaker" she didn't turn but her eyes flared a deep hunting sliver, burning like the heart of a star. "He. Was. Mine." She calmed her voice from its hard promise of death with a real effort of will. "You are all mine that walk the darker paths of London, you know that, now I want you out on the streets, I want results"
For a moment, when she turned away, it almost looked as if that was going to be the end of it. The crowd stirred like a hungry sea before she turned and looked over her shoulder. The lights catching on the blood but leaving her eyes in shadow.
"Whoever it is, I want them alive"
And then she walked out of the door. She could feel them at her back, Braeden, Siren, Namir and, Lucifer, who should have been away from her by now. Turning she looked at him, those golden eyes were full of worry. So easy to read, so humanised, she wondered if this was what America had done to the Night World. Made them Verminous.
"What Lucifer?" His eyes shut down at the faint boredom in her tone, she hated the fact but felt the necessity. Redfern's, blessed and cursed, he was blessed with all their finer traits, now he needed to be hardened, just enough to give him a shell. Just enough to hate.
"Artemis, I want to help" she looked into those eyes, so alike, and yet so far apart. She nodded in decision "You can help. Stick close to me because I have a feeling, perhaps more than a feeling"
Sliding into the limo he followed her, looking puzzled and slightly worried. There was a gift of prophecy in the Redfern line. "What do you mean Artemis?"
The door closed shutting out the light for a moment, and in that space of seconds she spoke.
"I have the feeling that tonight's death is only the first, and mine may be the last"
Lucifer was silent after that, she had probably shocked him, she had shocked herself. For those were not the words she had meant to say, a shiver rocked her backbone and for the first time in over three hundred years she could feel the spectre of death hovering over her shoulder.
"Seal the doors, no one goes out or comes in until I say so" she watched as several of her people detached themselves from the stirred crowd and blocked the exit , then she turned and knelt next to Uriel. His eyes were empty, but he had been dead a short time, she gently touched her fingers to his eyes and pushed outwards with her telepathy.
It had been a Romany who'd taught her to do this, the eye held the last moments, a silent witness to the crimes it had seen. She gently opened herself and let his memories enfold her. He had been watching the dancers, waiting for something, and then a sudden blow from behind. Stunned he had turned and the stake had taken him through the chest. Falling there had been a glimpse, long legs in a short skirt and eyes like fire. A molten gold flame.
She opened her eyes again, but they were flat and far away, she could hear people talking near her but was unconcerned, if anyone touched her they weren't going away the same way they'd arrived. The anger she'd felt was fading from being flaming hot to chilling, she could almost feel the goosebumps on her skin as she stood. The skirt of her dress was plastered with dark blood.
"There is a traitor in out midst" for a second her quiet announcement didn't seem to penetrate and then the whispers fluttered around the room. She looked up into nearly a hundred pairs of dangerous eyes, she wasn't afraid, these were her people. Blood called to blood in the most elemental sense here.
"Those of you not of London may leave now, this is an internal matter" Three broke for the door, they would be escorted out of the district, of course they would be lightly probed before they were dropped off. But she didn't think they were her murderers. She had suspicions and they were growing second by second.
Looking back into the feral eyes around her she smiled again, then leaning down she made a scooping motion and stood again smearing the side of her face with blood. She looked like an unnatural phantom of the opera. The blood was drying warm against her skin, a tacky wetness, she felt her lips curl into a smile, the delicate tips of her fangs indenting her lips.
"Blood calls to blood, one of our own was murdered tonight" a voice from out of the darkness "He was a Daybreaker" she didn't turn but her eyes flared a deep hunting sliver, burning like the heart of a star. "He. Was. Mine." She calmed her voice from its hard promise of death with a real effort of will. "You are all mine that walk the darker paths of London, you know that, now I want you out on the streets, I want results"
For a moment, when she turned away, it almost looked as if that was going to be the end of it. The crowd stirred like a hungry sea before she turned and looked over her shoulder. The lights catching on the blood but leaving her eyes in shadow.
"Whoever it is, I want them alive"
And then she walked out of the door. She could feel them at her back, Braeden, Siren, Namir and, Lucifer, who should have been away from her by now. Turning she looked at him, those golden eyes were full of worry. So easy to read, so humanised, she wondered if this was what America had done to the Night World. Made them Verminous.
"What Lucifer?" His eyes shut down at the faint boredom in her tone, she hated the fact but felt the necessity. Redfern's, blessed and cursed, he was blessed with all their finer traits, now he needed to be hardened, just enough to give him a shell. Just enough to hate.
"Artemis, I want to help" she looked into those eyes, so alike, and yet so far apart. She nodded in decision "You can help. Stick close to me because I have a feeling, perhaps more than a feeling"
Sliding into the limo he followed her, looking puzzled and slightly worried. There was a gift of prophecy in the Redfern line. "What do you mean Artemis?"
The door closed shutting out the light for a moment, and in that space of seconds she spoke.
"I have the feeling that tonight's death is only the first, and mine may be the last"
Lucifer was silent after that, she had probably shocked him, she had shocked herself. For those were not the words she had meant to say, a shiver rocked her backbone and for the first time in over three hundred years she could feel the spectre of death hovering over her shoulder.