FIVE
The first thing Axel did when he landed was to check on his wife. Nyte was sound asleep. She had been expecting him. She had left him a detailed note outlining what happened as well as the name and address of the investigator she hired.
Axel double checked the address on the paper and knocked. A pretty brunette in a corset was sitting behind the desk, open books spread over every surface.
"Do you have an appointment with Vicki?" she asked, giving him a once over and instantly dismissed him.
Axel self-consciously adjusted his hat. He glanced to the books – vampires.
"My…" Toby started to say Nyte hired this Vicki but he was cut off by Vicki coming from her office. "Coreen, did you get those number traces yet?" She then noticed the tall cowboy. "Victoria Nelson."
Axel hesitated a moment, noticing the marks on Vicki's wrists. She had been branded by a demon. He decided not to drag Nyte into his troubles by revealing to Vicki what he was. "Axel Sheppard….New York PD. I have a warrant for the arrest of Damion Prince…once he's found. He's being prosecuted for murder in New York City." If Vicki checked on his story, she would be redirected to DA Sam Wright – all cases concerning Prince were and Axel knew Sam would vouch for any story Axel gave.
Thinking Axel was a cop investigating a murder with rap sheets longer then most novels, Vicki was quite forthcoming with the information. Axel did not even have to try any of his whammies, as Nyte called them. The information she gave was not very helpful however. Damion arrived on a Friday for a meeting and disappeared sometime that night. The meeting turned out to be a bust – a lure to get him here but so far there was no leads. Axel was able to answer a few questions Nyte had neglected to volunteer and Vicki once again promised to call later with information should she find any.
"Something wrong?" Axel arched a brow watching Nyte swirl her wine glass. He had taken her out for a quiet dinner date at a well-recommended Italian restaurant. Something was bothering her if all she was doing was playing with her food.
"Hmmm? Oh…just bothered." Nyte gently set the glass down. "Damion's disappeared and part of my mind was wandering. Thinking the reason they can't find him is because his luck finally ran out and someone whacked him." Her voice had a slight crack to it.
"If he was dead Marie, you'd know it. Hell even I'd know it and Sam….."
"Sam would be celebrating yes. I know that but…I just hate not knowing."
Axel reached out and gently caressed her cheek with a rough thumb. "Can't do or know everything Marie. You'll kill yourself trying to and you know it."
Nyte sipped at the wine, more to appease him if nothing else, as Axel explained what he told Vicki. They needed to make sure their stories worked together.
"You use Sheppard or Chevalier?" Axel asked. Nyte usually used her married name but for her photography, she used Chevalier exclusively. Her first magazine layout after the wedding let to a huge debate among the photography community wither or not Marie Sheppard was the same woman as Marie Chevalier or simply a knock off. Nyte was not very happy and since then had stuck to using Chevalier for her work. Hell Chevalier was not even her real name. She took her sire's name when he died. Her real family name long ago died out, victim of Lady Guillotine.
"Chevalier. I called Lauren in as well."
"Broken English recluse then?"
Nyte chuckled softly, "Oui. I left the ring on but it was probably missed. See the marks? It might be better if they didn't think we were together. Whole demon thingy…"
Axel frowned. He was not keen on the idea but Nyte was right. "If I think you're in danger, I'll be right there."
"Wouldn't expect you not to be." Nyte took his hand in hers.
After they finished their dinners, Axel walked Nyte to the parking lot. "Where'd ya park?" he asked, looking around for her rental.
"Around the corner."
"Alright I'll walk ya."
Nyte slipped her hand around her husband and Axel drew her close. She was so tiny she fit right against him.
"Oh crap," Nyte, said as the neared her car, which was still across the street. Three cars ahead, Henry and Vicki were getting out of Henry's Jag. Nyte broke apart from her husband, jangling the keys in her hands as she headed to her car.
"Ms. Chevalier I still have some more questions for you…." Axel called after her, falling into that cop ruse.
Nyte paused in the street, "Detective Sheppard, I've already given my statement. Speak to my lawyer." Nyte spoke perfect English but with the accent. She did not have time to do both; she was flying by the seat of her pants. Did Vicki and her vamp guard dog find something so soon?
"I could subpoena you Ms. Chevalier," Axel yelled after her as Vicki and her companion hung back, watching.
"Damn" Nyte knew she had to wrap this up fast. Another reason for the cop and witness ploy was sooner or later either Axel or she would forget they were acting as strangers and would slip up. A darlin' here, a sweetheart there, and it would be all over. "Talk to the French Consulate then…." Nyte yelled back at she crossed the street.
Henry saw the demon. Other vampires he could tolerate, not easily but he could manage. But a demon in the city, he would not... Within a span of milliseconds, Henry had Axel by his throat, snarling a warning. "Be gone demon."
Nyte growled, swearing in French, Gaelic, and Russian as she turned on her heels and made it back across the street, shoving Henry against the wall hard. "Mine" she snarled. Axel dusted himself off, eyes on Nyte and the vampire. He never quite understood the whole territorial thing but he knew Nyte was not above killing to protect her own.
"Will you two check the whole snarling thing at the door." Vicki snapped as she collapsed her baton. Her vision only allowed her to see shades of what happened. Chevalier started to cross the street. Henry growled and disappeared from her side, to attack a demon…
"He's a demon, Victoria," Henry said looking to Nyte and Axel. Axel had drawn his arm around his wife protectively the moment he was on his feet.
"Isn't that right Mr. and Mrs. Sheppard?" Henry said as he turned to Nyte, "You really shouldn't be photographed with your husband if you want to be able to continue this ruse….Nyte."
Nyte was irked but looked at her husband, "Wow he can read." She looked at Henry, "Now did you learn that this century or back when you still had a pulse?" She topped it off with a smirk.
Henry shot one back at her, "Son of a king, private tutors. And you learn to speak English this century or in the dark ages?"
Nyte glanced up at her husband. Well now, she was impressed. "Lady-in-Waiting. Private tutors."
Vicki interrupted, "Mrs. Walsh's first grade…hate to interrupt this little…thing, but can we please take this to somewhere less…conspicuous?"
Nyte started to pace like a cage animal in Vicki's office. She could not stay still.
"Marie sit down. You've already worn a path in our living room." Axel watched his wife, taking in every little non-verbal cue even the suppressed ones.
Nyte stopped in her pacing and sighed, "I did not wear a hole in the living room." She threw up her hands, exasperated and sat next to her husband on the couch.
"Alright. Let me see if I have things strait. You're a vampire and he's a…" Vicki started to say.
"Demon yes" Nyte finished with an exasperated eye roll. She wanted to be out hunting, not sitting.
"And you're married. This Damion Prince is a vampire as well and he's now missing.
Nyte was back on her feet, looking at Vicki. "You're mortal. Tell me….what would you do if the doctor's told you that you had incurable cancer or a loved one had an incurable disease and was going to die a hideous death. How far would you go to cheat death?"
Vicki stuttered a moment, taken aback by the question. "Not to kill if that's what you're getting at."
Nyte simply shrugged. "Immortality is a very powerful lure and to the fearful mind, an irresistible drug. Vampires are known to be immortal. We don't age; we cannot die of natural causes. Seemingly able to suspend time. Wouldn't be the first time someone tried to cheat death, just as Elizabeth Bathory."
"Yea but she was walled up alive." Vicki replied, "So why this elaborate ruse and the changing names?"
"Would you honestly have taken the case if I walked up and said, "Hi I'm a vampire, I need help finding another vampire and oh by the way a demon is on his way to help us out?" Nyte looked at her, "And the names…Marie is my Christian…given name. I only use it professional. However, I got tired of explaining that my name was Nyte because my parents were hippies and smoked too much Purple Haze in the 60s." Nyte sighed and sat on her husband's lap.
"So where are we with the whole Damion mess? A Draugr makes sense if Vampires are disappearing." She noticed Vicki's blank look. "Um…draugr is a…I guess ghoul would be the best term. Kinda like Renfield in Dracula."
Henry elaborated, "Leech is another term. A mortal who drinks vampire blood." He looked at Nyte. "Exactly how old are you?" She had used a term at least two hundred years out of date.
Nyte cocked her head to one side, thinking about it. "Um...two hundred thirty five."
"Marie Antoinette then. The queen you were a lady to was Marie Antoinette." Henry looked at her, a bit surprised. The way she dealt with him, he would have thought she was at least four hundred.
"Yea. Though I was kinda….dead…before the Revolution started. Died July 14th 1789. Or so says history." Nyte gently rested against her husband.
"The Bastille must make for an excellent cover story when someone wants to disappear after becoming a vampire." Vicki said, looking up from reviewing Damion's file. Now that the information was falling in place, she was not very keen on leaving a vampire to be used like that.
"Makes an excellent cover story when one wants to run away with their lover, yes. Now as I was saying, sick bastard draining vamps trying to stay young. Vampire missing. Now without any leads or any idea who is behind this…..how do we go about this whole mess?"