Chapter Two
Iris Auroch threw back the covers of Hex Redfern's bed slowly and quietly. She swung her legs onto the carpeted floor and paused, looking back at her boyfriend's sleeping form.
The sheets were twisted and lay across his stomach, leaving his muscular chest bare and his face, relaxed in sleep, weirdly vulnerable. Hex kept his cold, detached look on all the time except in sleep and it was a sight that never managed to leave her without a feeling of sudden warmth towards the sleeping vampire.
She pushed the thought from her mind and as she stood and walked naked to his wardrobe where she pulled a robe from its hanger and then shrugged into it.
In the kitchen she made herself a coffee and sat at the bench sipping from it. From the corner of her eye, Hex' answer machine blinked a furious red. Curiously, she leaned over and pushed a button, sending her brother's voice into the room with unearthly clarity.
"Hex, it's me," Colt stated. Her brother did not sound at all happy. She could hear a tone of frustration and impatience that was all too familiar. "Where the hell are you? You said you'd meet Iris an hour ago and as eager as I am to see you're gorgeous face right now, I'm equally as eager to rearrange if you don't get your ass here pronto." There was a pause as Colt took a sharp breath. "Got it?"
He hung up then and the answer machine beeped loudly then a mechanical voice informed her that the message had been left last night. Colt must have called from the Cave before Hex had shown up to meet her.
Iris brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and waited patiently for the next message.
"Uh, Hex," an alien voice said. "I need to score some stuff off you. Call me when you can, preferably soon. Please." The 'please' was obviously added as an after thought. The guy had obviously met Hex before.
The machine beeped again and left a time for when the message had been placed. ::Obviously someone wanting some drugs again:: Iris thought. Her boyfriend tended to dabble on the other side of the law and made a fair dollar out of it.
Iris was at the kitchen sink again, washing down some headache tablets with a glass of water when she felt warm arms wrap around her from behind. Hex' breath tickled her ear and neck as he nuzzled his face into her shoulder.
"Checking up on me again?" he asked. She turned in his arms to see his golden eyes regarding her lazily, a small amused smile curved his lips.
"There's two messages on the machine for you," she replied, pulling away from his hold and moving to the other side of the kitchen.
"Really?" Hex didn't seem very interested. "You'll make someone a great secretary one day."
"I'm going to have a shower."
"Mmm," Hex murmured. "That sounds like fun."
Iris frowned. "That wasn't an invitation."
"I usually don't need one," Hex returned, moving towards her again.
She dodged his reaching arms with growing exasperation. "Piss off Hex," she snapped, pulling the robe tighter around her. Her green eyes flashed as she had to once again move away from his moving body. "I'm having a shower and if I see you in there the only part of my body you'll see is my fist."
Hex sighed and glared at her. He was wearing absolutely nothing, which was no surprise since he slept in nothing even when she didn't stay the night. The word modesty was just not in the guy's vocabulary.
"What's with you?" he snapped. "Don't tell me you're making friends at the local convent."
"I don't believe in God remember?" Iris reminded him coldly.
Hex shrugged his shoulders and poured himself a coffee with his muscled back turned to her.
"Shame," he replied. "God had the right idea with Adam and Eve. Nakedness was never a problem in the Garden of Eden."
Iris rolled her eyes as she once again pulled her robe tighter around her slim figure. "You've conveniently forgotten the end of the story I see."
Hex turned back to her with a smile lighting his face. It was a smile she knew and had committed to memory many years ago. His golden eyes were slightly aloof as if their argument and its outcome didn't bother him in the slightest. He was just going through the motions.
He took a swallow of his steaming drink and when his eyes appeared from above the rim of the cup again they were cool and remote. "Just have a shower already, Iris," he said tiredly and walked past her and into the lounge.
Iris was left standing in the kitchen alone, glaring at his retreating back.
If she couldn't understand the relationship between her and Hex then she could never expect him to either. They went way back and she often wondered if they were together because they wanted to be or because old habits died hard.
When Colt and Hex and her had been at the conclave they had been the closest of friends. They were all the strongest, toughest and smartest people their and it wasn't just their own opinions. They learnt to distance themselves from the others because the others were weak.
They just kept pulling them down. And pulling them back. They tried to infuse them with memories of good times long gone and a sense of loyalty that proved to be more impossible than they bargained for.
Hex couldn't give a stuff about the conclave. Colt would quite happily return with the sole purpose of killing off every last one of them. Iris really didn't care and didn't spare the conclave a thought.
The one occasion they had talked about their past family was on the car trip away from the mountains that had been their home. It had been agreed that the conclave served to hold them back and punish them by forcing them all to stay and serve its elders and its community.
None of them liked being used and none of them would ever stand for it.
But Hex and her, they were another issue all together. They had been together since she could remember. Her and Colt, then Hex and Colt became best friends and then she had moved into the picture and stolen Hex' heart.
And now she had no idea what to do with it.
Hot water streamed down her back and pooled at her feet. Her hair was slicked back into a dark whirling curtain and her face, upturned into the pouring water, was calm and serene.
Her inner emotions however told of a different story.
Something was definitely bothering her. Colt for one. His unusual persistence in not telling her about his ancient book not only confused her but also royally pissed her off. And then of course there was the small matter of her vampire boyfriend.
Hex, for all his attitudes, habits (and there were more than a few) was her friend and most of the time, was more than a friend. He was loyal to her and to Colt and that earned him several points in his favor.
And she trusted him. Somewhere along the line he had proved himself to her and had managed to earn her respect. She knew he was cold, heartless, passionate and ambitious and she suspected that deep down inside that was why she liked him.
In him, she saw herself and it reassured her that there were other people like her out there. She had a brush off colder than an arctic storm and even Hex with all his ruthlessness and emotional detachment had trouble understanding her.
But she knew that he would be there always because despite his initial arrogant and self-glorifying intentions, he had grown close to her and there was now a strong connection between the two of them. Albeit, an unwilling connection but a connection nonetheless.
Colt was in for a better chance of figuring her out but then he was family and didn't really count. It didn't help that she could never hope to figure her brother out for herself and though it annoyed her and it hurt sometimes, she had come to realize that Colt was just someone that could never be categorized into a basic personality.
He was different.
Not different as in elf ears or tendencies for cross-dressing, he was just plain different. Something about him just threw people off. Namely, he just didn't have certain human qualities lurking in his persona and people usually sensed it when they met him.
It was nothing new to her. Hex and her were both missing more than a few it was just that Colt beat them to the count every time.
"Are you finished?"
Iris scowled fiercely to herself and reached outside of the shower to grab a towel that she wrapped around herself. She didn't need to look to know that Hex was standing at the door waiting for her to get out.
She stepped out of the shower and for a moment Hex simply stared at her. It was only a moment and a sharp intake of breath that she heard as easily as a police siren and then it was gone.
He stepped forward and around her carefully, positioning himself so he wouldn't touch her. She looked over her shoulder to see him and his face was a frozen mask that was as unreadable and unpenetrable as rock.
His eyes flickered to her standing figure briefly then closed again under the jets of water. "I'll see you tomorrow, Iris," he stated without looking at her again.
She didn't bother to reply. She knew he could feel her anger and she refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her respond in any way.
She left the bathroom and went to the bedroom where she dressed. She left by slamming the door behind her before Hex had made an appearance from the shower.
She just hoped he heard it.
~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.
"You owe me a favor."
Iris snorted. "You owe me five hundred dollars," she returned. "Do you see me calling it in?"
Colt's emerald eyes were sharp chips of glass that she knew were reflections of her own. She only hoped she could look as dangerous and lethal as her older brother.
"You owe me a favor and I'm calling it in," Colt replied. His voice was low and matter of fact. He knew that when it came to private battles he nearly always got his own way. "And here's your five hundred dollars."
Iris looked down to see a thick wad of notes being held in Colt's offering grasp. She looked up at him and smiled her thanks. The smile was lacking in warmth and any sign of sisterly regard but it was a smile in that her lips moved upwards.
"Thanks." She took the notes and pushed them into the back pocket of her pants. "What do you want?"
"A bit of devotion and everlasting awe and admiration wouldn't go astray," Colt said. He tilted his head to his side as he regarded her. "Having problems with lover boy?"
"'Problems', dear brother, are when you're stacked against a pack of vampire hunters with odds of 10 to 1. What I have with Hex is a mild irritation at the most." Iris scowled at Colt's undying gaze. "I'll drop my journal around if your so interested," she snapped.
Colt looked amused and a touch interested. "I never pictured you as the next Anne Frank, little sis," he commented with a sardonic smile.
Iris shook her head and glared at him. "Sarcasm is lost on you, dear brother."
"Ah," Colt sighed, holding a finger up to contradict her. "But a good face with a figure to match never will be."
"You are such a man whore," Iris returned, her temper rising with every word uttered from her brother's lips. "You're probably more disease ridden than the local rats."
Colt laughed at that. His smile was like a small ray of sunshine escaping clouds so dense and black that you would hardly think it possible.
Iris was forced to allow her small smile in return. Colt grinned down at her and threw an arm around her shoulders, slowly leading her down the street to his car.
"Where would I be without you, Iris?" he sighed.
"Cut the crap, big bro," Iris sighed. She knew she was getting herself into something here. If Colt was nice, it was a dead giveaway that he was after something big. Usually the something ended up dead as well. "What's the story?"
Colt laughed again and succeeded in making it even more obvious that he really did need her help. "Well," he began slowly. "Once upon a time an undeniably gorgeous vampire came across something a extra special value."
"I didn't know this story was about me," Iris interrupted.
Colt rolled his eyes tolerantly. "Ha ha ha," he said sarcastically. "You're a comedian now," his voice turned back to normal. "Let's turn the page and continue with the story."
"Shoot."
"I will if you don't shut up," Colt warned dangerously. "Now, if you're ready."
"I am." Iris assured him with a fake smile.
Colt's arm tightened around her shoulders and she let out a yelp of pain. She shrugged his arm off angrily and crossed them. "As I said before," Colt continued, this time with a triumphant gleam in his green eyes, "This gorgeous vampire, who naturally was me, happened to come across a certain item of extreme importance to him and a few others. This certain item was a little book called the Book of Vlath."
"It's all coming back to me now," Iris murmured under her breath. Colt elbowed her sharply until she swore at him.
"The Book of Vlath holds several spells that have been lost for generations. It was kept in a witchline called the Gedjara's. Of course, this line got wiped out a while ago and the book was lost. And then it was found." He smiled brilliantly. "You know who by of course."
Iris laughed coldly. "Obviously the finder was not the keeper." The flash of annoyance in Colt's eyes confirmed her comment. Her brother did not like being interrupted or having other people being a step ahead of him.
Needless to say he had been the sprint champion in his six months of high school.
"Obviously," Colt replied. His gaze made it obvious he didn't care for the reminder. "This is where you come in darling sister." He shone her a winning smile.
It did not however, have its desired affect. "I'm not doing any of your errands," Iris warned. "We agreed ages ago that we wouldn't get each other involved in any of our separate deals. And I still haven't heard why this book happens to be so special. Is it plated with gold or what?"
The curve of Colt's lips was slightly whimsical as he looked ahead of them with an almost dreamy expression on his face. For once, he was oblivious to the female gazes that as usual surrounded him.
"It contains spells that could earn me a lot of money. The Night World is after it because it holds the workings to raise the old powers; namely the dragons. It's going to make me a very rich man and rich and gorgeous is always a lethal combination."
"Firstly, you mean 'us', Colt," Iris corrected. "Gorgeous and rich is a lethal combination I agree and although it already applies to yours truly, my bank account will never begrudge a few extra zeros."
Colt's teeth were decidedly gritted and she knew that he was caught. He needed her help and he knew the only way to get it was to buy it. Family loyalty ran deep with them but if she was going to go out of her way for him, it wouldn't be out of the goodness of her heart.
"Fine." He gave in. "I'll let you rob me but I warn you, you'll be working for every penny."
Iris' undeniably beautiful face broke into a satisfied smile. "As long as I'll be getting more than penny's."
Colt nodded. "Oh, yes. Definitely."
Her brother grinned down at her and his face was almost as happy as it had been when they had been younger and life had not branded him with its harshness. When he looked up again, his sights were set on a blonde girl with an apron on. She was obviously a waitress at the café around the corner.
In her hands, she carried two trash bags and was making her way towards an alley to the dumpsters there. Colt's eyes followed her hungrily and Iris knew that this time it wasn't sex that he was after.
"I'll have to continue this later, sis," he said, his eyes not leaving the apron-clad form. The girl turned into the alleyway and Colt suddenly dropped his arm from around her shoulders and quickened his steps.
Iris watched him leave. He moved with a predatory grace that only his instincts could match. Tall, lean and broad shouldered with dark auburn hair that revelled in its naturalness and was set off perfectly by piercing green eyes; he was a man that was used to getting what he wanted.
And since he felt like snacking at that blonde vermin, it went without saying that he would.
~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.~'*'~.
On the other side of town, Hex Redfern was also cutting a deal. He'd got his message after Iris had made her indiscreet exit and had answered it.
Now, he was inside his apartment cutting cocaine and sweeping it into a clear, plastic bag and sealing it. He sealed four different bags with the same amounts and then tucked his stash away behind a set of books in his tall, sweeping library.
In the lounge, he could sense that dirtbag Eddie rummaging through his CD collection and the action grated on his nerves. His cheek twitched as he grabbed the bags from his desk and left the study, closing and locking the door behind him.
"Hex!" Eddie jumped higher than most humans could in his surprise. "Hey man," he greeted the vampire uneasily.
Hex resisted the urge to sniff the air. Eddie's fear was like a stench that surrounded him. The thought of a quick snack entered his head but he pushed it away. No eating the clientele was one of his very few rules.
"The Whitney Houston's and Bette Midler's aren't mine," Hex said. His face was etched in a smile that failed to reach his golden eyes. Eddie didn't realize how fortunate he was to have a stash of notes hidden in his boot. Otherwise, he would have been dead meat fifteen minutes ago. Literally.
Eddie's laugh was uneasy to say the least. "Sure, I won't say a word," he promised in a voice that basically summed up his personality.
One word and it was …weak.
Hex didn't reply. He moved towards the guy slowly and held the four bags out to him. "Got the money?"
Eddie looked startled for a moment and then he was rummaging everywhere, having forgotten where exactly he'd put the money. His fat, pudgy hands slid into his jacket pockets, then his jean pockets, both times coming up empty.
Hex gritted his teeth. "It's in your left boot," he stated, his eyes reduced to mere slits.
"Oh, yeah," Eddie attempted a smile that quickly fell when he saw Hex unamused face. "Yeah, right." He reached into his boot and as he bent over, Hex felt an almost overwhelming urge to snap his leg up and kick the guy in the head.
He had to tense every muscle in his body not to see the act through and when Eddie finally rose after several wrenching seconds, he decided that it was worth the effort.
Hex took the money from him carefully and tucked the bags under his arm as he flicked through it, counting every last bill.
"It's all there," Eddie assured him nervously.
Hex smiled. "So it is," he agreed. "Congratulations, here's your prize." He tossed the bags at Eddie who unsurprisingly failed to catch all of them. Two fell on the ground and the smaller and definitely fatter man fell to his knees in a scramble to pick them up again.
Hex' nostrils flared slightly as he smelt the guy's fear.
"Oh what the hell," he sighed.
Eddie's face landed on the tiles with a loud crack before he had a chance to look up. His body twitched momentarily then stilled.
Hex smiled.
"You had you're chance Eddie boy," he shook his head regretfully. "But you should know better than to tempt me more than once in five minutes." He reached down and scooped up the bags and tossed them on the counter then threw the bills on the couch.
He lent down and pushed the limp body over with one simply movement. Then he bent down and after he felt that satisfying and familiar feeling of his canines against his lower lip, he sank them into Eddie's still warm neck.
"*FUCK*"
Hex jerked upright with inhuman speed and spat on Eddie's shirt covered chest. He spat again with a wince and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"You didn't tell me you were a fucking junkie old boy," he scowled furiously. He lunged towards Eddie's arm and yanked it upward with all his strength. Then he ripped the guy's jacket sleeve off completely and twisted the arm so he could see it clearly.
Dots marked Eddie's inner arm in an erratic pattern that any dealer, nurse or doctor could recognize. The guy was damned heroin addict.
Hex sighed and stood up, kicking his foot sharply against Eddie's leg. "What a bloody waste," he snapped angrily. "I should have known not to hit a guy who wheels the goods. As much as I'd love to sample whatever it is that's playing carnival in your bloodstream Eddie my boy, I need a clear head."
He snatched the money from the couch and then his packages and returned them to the study. When he came back, the dead body in his lounge annoyed him immensely but he couldn't be bothered dumping it right now.
He did however, vent his anger by way of a mighty kick to the lump as he stepped over it. It made a satisfying thump that almost brought a cold smile to his face.
He was reaching for his jacket when his intercom beeped beside the door.
"What now?" he growled. He stalked to the intercom and pushed a button aggressively. "Unless you're in a bikini and roller skates, piss off," he snapped.
There was a silence.
"That's no way to greet an old friend, Redfern."
The voice was cold, controlled and deadly low. The tones were soft and pronounced and Hex' breath caught in his throat.
Slowly and deliberately he pulled his jacket off and hung it back in the hall closet. Then he pushed another button on the intercom.
"Come up."
Hex sighed and waited, hiding his nervousness behind a wall of cool disregard. First his fight with Iris, then Eddie and when he finally decides to make it up to Iris, he finds unwanted visits knocking on his door.
"Sorry babe," he whispered under his breath. "You'll have to wait."
