Day 6 part 7

Victoria watched as Weatherton reread the letter from Victoria. "I can only hope," his blue gaze returned to her as he spoke, "that Abberline has caught wind of our dilemma and is trying to help us out. He has a reputation as one of the last centuries great detectives, you know. But surely, being from his clan house, you have dealt with him yourself."

Victoria lowered her gaze. What would Roderick Weatherton think if he knew that less than two weeks ago, she herself had been in hiding from everyone and everything? What would he think if he knew that before two weeks ago she had never stepped into a clan house for fear of being hunted down?

She returned her gaze to him. "Yes, I have had the pleasure and you could very well be right about him." She flashed a lovely smile. "Perhaps you ought to tell me everything you know about these young vampires." She settled back in the overstuffed chair and folded her hands neatly in her lap.

With a sigh, Roderick nodded. "That is part of the problem. We've captured a few, lucky that, but they could provide little to no enlightenment. They were all turned by what they believe to be a male vampire. This is due to the strength. They all remember someone of great strength." He looked at Victoria. "They nothing like us. They went through no thrall period or training. They are turned and basically abandoned. Many kill one another."

He stood up and moved to the desk. "Lately the reports have come in that they have formed a lose affiliation, with a pecking order. Now they are truly dangerous. like a pack of wild dogs." He picked up a folder and brought it over to her. "Why don't you take a look at these reports? I'll have you shown to your room. You can take your time, then come down this afternoon and I will have called some of my Guardians in to meet you."

Victoria took the folder from his hand and nodded in agreement. It was thick. After she retrieved her handbag, she paused.

"You said they believed it was a male vampire, not of the newly turned saw their master then?"

Weatherton stood by the door. "No, they did not," he said with concern before opening the door. A young woman in a maid's uniform suddenly appeared.

"Meg, take Miss Dupree to her room." He turned his attention back to her. "I'll have a tea tray sent up shortly." Victoria smiled and followed the young woman. Victoria looked into her thoughts. Meg was a thrall, and had served Weatherton's household for the last three years.

Victoria tried to get a look around the great house as the pair walked. Strange, she thought it looked very much like the New York house

"Here's you room, Miss." Meg opened the door and showed her in. Victoria's bag was sitting on the bed and patches of sunlight filtered in through the window as the far side of the room. "Shall I close the curtains Miss?" Meg asked, clearly sizing Victoria up.

"No, I rather like the sun." Victoria smiled exposing a sharp fang. She really did not care for busybodies.

Meg's eyes widened. "You may go," Victoria said quietly and Meg rushed out of the room.

Victoria settled onto the window seat with the folder and began to read the pages within. Several hours passed only interrupted once with a tea tray, that still remained untouched.

Putting the papers aside, Victoria looked at the clock on the nightstand. It said it was after 5p.m. She compared its to her own watch, and realized she hadn't put it ahead yet. She remedied the situation, then stood and stretched. It was probably time she find her way downstairs.

She took the time to look at the room she was in with a critical eye. It had a lovely large lead glass window that faced the immaculate gardens below and unless the window curtains were drawn tightly shut, sunlight would filter in all day long. Obviously Weatherton had arranged this particular room before meeting her, so he must have assumed she was an older vampire. No, mature, she thought smiling. She would never let herself get old.

Picking up the papers, which were all stamped in red with the word "Confidential," she headed for the hallway.

Retracing her steps, she easily made her way back to Weatherton's office. Straightening up, she listened for a moment and heard several voices from within. She knocked on the door and waited, smoothing her shirt and then running a hand along the side of her dark hair.

The door opened and Victoria found herself looking into the bright blue eyes of a woman about five feet tall. She reminded Victoria of Weatherton and she wondered briefly if they were related.

"You must be Victoria," the vampire held out her hand. "I'm Agatha. Do come in." She gestured with her hand to the room beyond. In a quick count, Victoria saw more than a dozen vampires of all shapes and sizes. She smiled at Agatha. "Thank you," and stepped inside.

In London, Abberline stood by a window looking out at the darkness. "How much longer, do you think?" Sands asked, coming up behind him.

Abberline stood gazing out the window , arms folded as he seemed to stare off into space a fixed point. He did not turn to meet Sands 'gaze. "Two hours before the sun completely sets. Then they'll be out, but as long as our shields are up we should be able to avoid meeting them on any terms but our own. " A brief smiled appeared at the corner of his lips.

"This gift you gave me," Sands said softly. The tone of his voice drew Abberline's gaze away from the window. "It's been a life saver. Did I ever thank you?"

Abberline smile more broadly, a twinkle appearing in his dark eyes. "No, I don't believe you ever did."

Sands sniffed. "I'll have to remember to do that some time." He put on a charmingly disarming smile. "Time to get dressed in our new clothes."

Abberline shook his head. "It's not a game."

"Oh, but it is." Sands went over to the bags they had piled at the foot of the bed. "Everything is a game. We can't take it too seriously or it's no fun."

"I don't understand you," Abberline said, watching the way Sands stood, the tilt of his head, the way his long wet hair was dripping onto the bathrobe Abberline had loaned him.

"What's to understand? I live for the moment. Oh, no. Wait. I'm not really alive am I? So I'm dead for the moment."

"Don't you take anything seriously?" Abberline questioned, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly arms still tightly folded against his chest.

Sands looked thoughtful for a moment. "Just my job, boss." He looked around the room. "I would feel better if we had some decent weapons against all these young critters."

"They are people," Abberline told him.

"No," Sands' dark eyes met his. "Don't think of them as people or you will feel sympathy. Sympathy may delay you, just for a second, but it may be the second that determines if you continue on in this world or not." He gave a quick half-smile, one that said 'I'm sorry to have to tell you this even if you're technically my superior, but there it is.'

Abberline's head lowered as he took a deep breath releasing the tension that was building inside. He did not relish the job ahead of them. After all, Sands was right, they would all have to be destroyed. Abberline watched Sands through half closed lids. Sands was busily pulling their new clothes from the black plastic shopping bags and throwing them into piles on the bed in a nonchalant manner. Abberline turned and began emptying his pockets on to the bedside table.

"You hide your emotions well, Sands, perhaps too well." Abberline commented dryly as his cell dropped onto the small table.

The noise from Sands stopped. "I don't hide, I submerge. You were lucky, Abberline, you had a powerful mentor who sheltered you. But I bet you remember what it was like before you were turned." Sands moved up to him and Abberline found himself looking onto eyes that were difficult to fathom. "You remember the pain of seeing bodies in the morgue. Of seeing children dying in the gutter. I lived in London then, too, you know."

"I don't know what you mean," Abberline replied dismissively, focusing more on the dingy carpet below Sands' wet feet.

That didn't seem good enough for Sands, he moved up even closer, invading Abberline's personal space. "Then you know we have to treat them like the enemy they are," he told Abberline. "No sympathy. No exceptions. We hunt them down before they hunt us down. Capiche?"

Abberline was at heart a gentleman, but he understood Sands' meaning. Too much was at stake, this situation was too dangerous. Abberline took a step back and looked up into Sands' dark eyes. "Well," he paused, "that's why I have enlisted you." Pointing to his pockets, he continued, "Leave your personal belonging behind." He raised an eyebrow. "In case you're captured of course." A thin smile appeared across his lips.

Sands got a cocky look on his face. "I have no intentions of letting the little buggers get me. I'm the hunter now." He had a predatory gleam in his chocolate-colored eyes now, one Abberline had seen before as Sands headed out of Clan House loaded down with the newest weapons hidden upon his person.

"Empty your pockets," Abberline repeated as he poked at Sands' torso.

Sands got an exasperated look on his face. "I'm wearing your robe. The clothes are all new and have nothing of mine in them. What am I supposed to empty?" He had an innocent choir boy look now as he demanded a response.

"Well, I know you are not planning on being apprehended, but it has happened in the not so distant past and we would want to lead these creatures back to the ones we love, now would we?" Abberline took out a billfold and laid it on the table next to his cell phone and then removed a distinctive gold ring and placed it carefully on the table.

Turning, Abberline saw that Sands had not moved. His eyes were staring straight ahead, an almost feral look upon his handsome face. Suddenly it struck Abberline like a bucket of cold water. He heard his own words echo in his head: "I know you are not planning on being apprehended, but it has happened in the not so distant past." Thoughts of the stories he had heard about Sands being apprehended by the Nazis came to mind and he inwardly cringed for speaking so thoughtlessly.

Abberline slowly placed a hand on Sands shoulder, his voice grew softer. "I'm sorry, I did not mean what I said, I was careless in my choice of words. You must forgive me, too many thoughts are rushing through my mind."

Sands blinked, his gaze refocusing on Abberline. "What?" He blinked again. "No, you are right. If there is someone behind these kids, he may be waiting for vampires like us to make a move. I didn't think of it before. This is not such a piece of cake after all." He looked pointedly down at Abberline's hand on his shoulder. "I didn't know you cared," he said with a wicked grin, his mood switching as suddenly as a strobe light.

Abberline quickly cupped his hand and playfully swatted Sands in the head. "Get dressed," he instructed as he reached for his own pile of clothes.

9