A/N: Love and thanks for your kind attention!
(By the way, I really enjoyed all the speculation about the doctor in the last set of reviews—it never occurred to me that you might think of Doctor Who! I was actually picturing Christoph Waltz, but feel free to imagine whoever you choose...)
Chapter 17
My heartbeat sped wildly. Even though the screens had stilled, the images of Eric and me caught in our violent encounters ghosted across my vision. I tried to focus on the situation at hand, but the incongruous presence of the stylish stranger just seemed more and more surreal.
It was a detail that brought me back to the present—the audacity of the doctor's choice of chair. Eric's throne. It seemed at the least a deliberate provocation, if not an outright usurpation.
Eric rushed toward him, fangs extended, but the stranger merely held out his hand, a wry smile playing about his mouth.
"I wouldn't," he said calmly.
"Where is Pam?" Eric asked, low and menacing.
"At her home, I expect!" the stranger laughed, as if it was the most natural answer in the world. He arched an eyebrow. "Or wherever you vampires go after a work night."
"When did she leave?"
"Forty-seven minutes ago," he replied. Eric and I did the math. Pam—or at least a Pam—had spoken to us within the last twenty minutes. The doctor's eyes danced. "I hope you don't mind. I couldn't resist."
"Do you do that often, face-changer?" Eric spat out.
He smiled. "That depends on your definition of 'often.'"
"Like with a certain Andras Mirto?"
The doctor seemed genuinely touched at the suggestion. "Thank you for thinking of me! Alas, no. Just a stunning example of serendipity."
"Rai Anderson, then?" I cut in, my interest overwhelming self-preservation.
"Now you're on to something," he positively twinkled before turning back to Eric. "I must say, though, it's much more fun to work with a relationship as old as yours… All the little details to master!"
Eric's contempt was so intense I couldn't tell if he was actually impressed. I thought it was remarkable. The clothes were one thing, but how did the man change his voice? Though bursting with curiosity, I knew it wasn't the right time to ask.
The doctor winked conspiratorially. "Come, sit with me, dear boy. Let's begin our chat." He patted the chair next to him.
The belittlement rankled Eric. He drew himself up to his most menacing height, fury radiating off him. I expected him to exhibit a display of strength, perhaps even harm the man, but he spoke clearly and slowly instead.
"You broke into my place of work. You impersonated my staff. You are sitting in my throne. I am not a patient man, and I am very, very strong. You should be pleading with me to let you live instead of inviting me to 'chat.'" Eric bent his head down to glamour the stranger.
The doctor's eyes glittered back, cold and determined. His mind was silent, impermeable, inscrutable.
"You underestimate me, vampire," he said. I had a feeling "vampire" contained the same subtext that "face-changer" did for Eric. He held Eric's gaze for a long moment before he visibly relaxed, still in the throne. "So you want reasons why you should talk with me." He checked over his fingernails in a bored manner and sighed. "Fine. I will oblige."
He rattled the next part off like a laundry list, though I hung on every word.
"First, I have enough information on you to make life difficult for the foreseeable future. For example—" he gestured to the media displays that had just blinked off, "—footage from your slaughter of the witches and your disposal of the werewolf."
The doctor paused and smiled before continuing. "Second—and hold on for this one; it's really compelling—if you kill me now, you will activate a device that automatically distributes all the data I've gathered to my partners. Right now you have one problem. If you make the wrong decision, you'll have a hundred." I didn't know what partners he was referring to, but the notion chilled me.
Then he stopped, and for the first time in the stretch of the conversation turned his eyes on me. "And, if you're still not convinced we should chat, there is, of course, the matter of the hybrid…" Eric became deadly still. "But surely we don't need to talk about that. There is a better reason. We are, shall I say, kindred spirits? Isn't it nice to feel equally matched?"
"You think we're equals?"
"Well, I do admit I have bested you in the data department. But if we weight your physical strength a bit, I'd be willing to concede we're on the same level." The doctor adjusted his posture in the chair as if to reassure. "Oh, don't look so serious, dear boy! I have no intention of harming you! I am not a competitor. I am merely…a complication."
Eric eyed him, suspicious. "How did you come by these images?"
"Oh, I shot them," the doctor replied nonchalantly. "They're mine. I'm a scientist—I never pilfer data." At that admission, Eric looked positively unhinged. I remembered the stranger's warning about his "partners" and gripped Eric's arm to stop him from tearing the small doctor apart.
"Am I to understand you are responsible for these attacks? For endangering the life of Miss Stackhouse?" he bellowed.
Considering what he knew Eric was capable of, the doctor remained remarkably calm. "Come now, surely you know the two of you were never in danger. I was gathering information on you; what good would it do me, or my partners, if you wound up dead?" he dismissed.
"I do not like to be the subject of experiments," Eric seethed.
"Neither do lab rats, I suspect. And yet, how else would science progress?" The doctor tented his fingers in front of him and continued. "I've found you a most…intriguing specimen. Especially regarding your unparalleled control. I have thought about how you resisted Miss Stackhouse in the woods and again at her house many times. It was remarkable." His eyes seemed to unfocus a bit in his revelry, mesmerizing and profoundly unnerving. "I know she's not full-blooded fae, but I've never seen anything close to it."
Eric glowered in hatred.
"Don't be so upset. You should be proud. As for Miss Stackhouse," the doctor turned toward me with an empirical hunger, "let's just say I am…interested."
"You touch her, you die."
His laugh rang out musically. "You underestimate me again. I am no fool. I know when to exploit your loyalties and when to play to them."
"So, what's your game, then? Blackmail? Extortion?"
"Think harder, vampire. Although it does give me great pleasure to best someone who loves to win as much as you do, that is not my purpose here today." He leaned in and spoke with import. "I am here, dear ones, to warn you."
I was sure Eric could feel the icy chill that knifed through me. If this dangerous little man—this silent-minded human-shifter who had orchestrated the deaths of others just to analyze our true capabilities—was our friend, who the hell were our enemies…?
"Of what?"
"'Of whom?' would be a more accurate question. I did not do this research on my own. As you might guess, a man of my talents can find out quite a lot by himself. But for subjects like you…I need funding."
Eric flexed his fingers and curled them into fists. "If you tell me you applied for a government grant to commit these atrocities, I will rip out your lying tongue."
"You would be surprised, vampire, if you knew what the government would pay to know your secrets." The doctor turned toward me again. "Both of your secrets." He took a pear out of his suit pocket and began to peel it with a small knife.
"I don't need to tell you that the world is a difficult place for magicals, but it will soon be even harder. Forces are gathering. Factions are splintering. There will be new problems ahead. Problems that haven't been seen in our lifetime. Official ones, legislative ones, violent ones. They will affect you both. They will affect us all." He offered me a slice of newly peeled pear, which I took out of habit.
"Who are you? How do you know all this?" I asked quietly.
"I am a scientist at core, but I suppose you could consider me something of an independent contractor. People hire me from time to time to acquire information, to conduct experiments—the nature of which you already know." He smiled incongruously as he ate. "But. I am first and foremost in business for me."
"Money," Eric scoffed.
"Oh no—nothing so trite and drab as all that. When one's been around as long as we have, one has to be motivated by other means. For instance," he leaned in a bit and almost whispered, "adventure."
"You're playing with people's lives," Eric replied coldly.
The stranger guffawed outright. "Says the vampire who has directly dispatched more people this week than I have in the last hundred years! Let's not fool ourselves, dear boy. You only care because I am playing with yours." He included us both in that assertion. "Then again, I already told you, you have nothing to fear from me. Partners or no partners, I do not give up my data easily, especially when it is hard-won. I have no intention of parting with yours. I am merely here to ask for your caution."
"Why are you helping us?" I asked.
A look of sincere pity crossed his face. "Because you are so defenseless." My stomach turned over at the comment; whether monster, friend, or both, his candidness frightened me. The doctor continued, "And I admire you. How you have managed to live as a hybrid undetected for so long is beyond belief, especially considering your talents."
As if worried he had committed a social faux pas, he turned quickly to Eric. "I admire you, too, Viking. There aren't many men with your skill set who have remained relatively independent in this country. I think they should be rewarded, not punished."
Eric was not convinced. In fact, he was livid. "So you're trying to tell me you have no angle, that you're merely here to give us a friendly warning. Forgive me, face-changer, but after the bloody episodes and graphic replay you put us through, you'll have to grant me the courtesy of some skepticism." His formality spoke more about his anger than a violent action ever could.
The stranger nodded without mirth. "And now we've come to the heart of the matter. I agree with you. These tactics are quite ruthless. I'm very good at my job. As you can see from my demonstration today, I know who is dangerous." He paused pointedly. "And I know how to subdue them."
Though I expected Eric to crush the life out of the little doctor for that admission, Eric remained absolutely still. I searched for him through the bond but felt nothing, which I was coming to realize was a very bad sign.
The doctor continued, "I know I have been…vague about my partners tonight. Even vaguer about the changes that are to come in the magical world. The Authority, your queens and kings, this precious state of Louisiana… They will not save you; in fact, they very well may do the opposite. I think you've anticipated this." He hesitated briefly. "I came here tonight to get your attention. I wanted to make my intentions known, because when the time comes, I want you on my side."
"You barely know us. And we don't know you at all," I said, bewildered.
"You know enough," he replied sharply through his unflappable smile, "and that's sufficient for today, I think." He rose from Eric's throne and adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. "When I leave here, I will make sure to wipe my hard drive of these little…incidents." The doctor gestured at the screens and winked.
"What about your partners?" I asked.
"Most scientific experiments confirm the ordinary. They are used to such results."
I felt utterly helpless. "How could we possibly believe that is true?"
The doctor laughed but sobered enough to impart a final warning. "You're going to have to trust someone outside your circle some day. Just make sure it's the right person."
"And you want us to believe that is you?" Eric countered.
The doctor didn't answer directly. "Think about what I said, Viking. I am not your enemy. You will be forced to choose your political allegiances soon. And don't delude yourself into thinking you're neutral." He looked at me with a long, shrewd stare. "The moment you decide to put something in front of yourself, you can no longer afford to be."
He did not attempt to shake our hands. Nor did he walk away in a rush. He bowed in a courteous, old-fashioned manner, smiled again with the same unsettling private joke, and turned to exit the building.
Curiosity and frustration gnawed at me—I had to ask. "Do you really have that footage backed up and ready to stream in case of…an incident?"
The doctor did not even turn around; he continued out the door with complete confidence. "You're just going to have to trust me."
The door closed behind him without an echo. All was still again. We were once again alone in Fangtasia, as if nothing had occurred.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Eric. I had never seen him provoked with such impunity before. Would he fly out of the door in a murderous fit and tear the doctor to pieces? Would he smash all of the furniture in a petulant rage? Would he shut down completely and leave me standing alone amid the terrible images on replay in my mind?
Eric did none of those things. He looked at me quietly and opened the bond. I felt the requisite love and protective impulses, but where I expected cold fury I found an aftereffect of…regret. Perhaps even shame. He snapped it closed immediately.
No. I could not accept that Eric felt bested by this man—this insignificant-looking, well-dressed little scientist. It was like a bad joke. I realized then that I was angry. I didn't care how Eric interpreted the exchange any more. I wanted to take action.
Sensing my agitation, Eric pulled me into him for a long embrace. I was not in the mood to calm down, though.
"What do we do now? Do we tail him? Kill him? Trace his technology and find his partners?" I waited in silence for Eric to respond until I got impatient. I shoved at his chest with my hands. "Come on, Eric! What's the plan?"
"Vigilance," he replied, his eyes stony.
"For who?"
"Everyone."
I realized he was right. The situation was larger than this one exchange. In fact, this event had been relatively small. In a moment of strange clairvoyance outside of my telepathy, I felt time expand outward infinitely. I recognized just how mild the events of the last week were in the broad scheme of things.
The doctor had been the first of many potential conflicts we would need to face. Whether the stranger was right about the future or not, Eric and I would always attract attention, together more than apart. We would have to watch our backs. Watch out for each other. Forever. The realization was binding. I saw now that we would never be free of interference. But—and this thought was comforting—we would also never be free of each other.
Both frustration and relief overwhelmed me. I collapsed into Eric's waiting arms, and, for the first time in our relationship, let myself cry.