Chapter Eleven
Robin ingrained in me the rules of being an assassin far before I set out to kill my first target. I could recite the three credos in my sleep. ‘Be quick. Be accurate. Do not let one set of eyes spot you.’ I held them as dear as a religion and paid sacrifice at the altar of my god each time I drew a blade. As much as I enjoyed my position, though, and relished the sadism it ensconced me in, being a vampire hitman leant itself to a peculiar conundrum.
After the first vampire I vanquished fell to the ground in a pile of ash, the elation which followed found itself unseated by a disturbing notion. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that once my mission was complete, I had no way of proving I was the one who sent the dearly departed packing from this mortal coil. Vampires are oft to wanderlust and can meet their end in a variety of manners. By this time, Sabrina’s enemies knew that for one of their own to vanish was suspicious business, but I wished to make certain all knew who the responsible party was.
Anthony, of Matthew’s coven, would be no different.
It seemed to take an eternity for the sun to set. I whittled away the hours by reading or swinging around a sword I acquired after visiting a shop on the northern edge of Center City. A handsome piece of craftsmanship if ever I saw one, the katana boasted of fine quality steel and a hilt with black and red adorning the otherwise simple weapon. I made certain to inform its maker of my approval. Then I left him bleeding on the floor of his establishment.
The sword hung at my side as I left my room and strolled into the corridor, headed for my brother Robin’s private quarters. Not his original room either, it represented my brother’s strange behavior as of late. I could only guess why he never allowed me far from his sight. The trade-off was more than acceptable, though. Robin often provided me an ear of counsel despite his frequent misgivings with my personal code of conduct.
I approached his door and listened for activity inside his room.
Silence greeted me. I rapped my knuckles on the sturdy piece of mahogany, but still no sign of life made its presence known. Sighing, I adjusted the black, leather gloves on my hands and pounded on his door much harder. This time a groan drifted outward and inspired a grin to curl the corner of my mouth. “Rise and shine, dear brother,” I said. “Sunset waits for no man or vampire.”
“Flynn,” the groggy voice of Robin answered. “Please do not tell me you are waking me prior to sunset.”
“Sunset passed a half hour ago, Robin.” I added, in a much lower tone of voice, “Perhaps if you were not merely taking up space in this coven, you might be more aware of the time.”
I heard his feet hit the hardwood floor and pad closer until the door swung open. The coven’s second stared at me, half-asleep and disheveled. His shoulder-length hair fell alongside his face, not tied back as normal in a ponytail, and nothing but a pair of loose pajama pants kept Robin from standing bare before me. “What the devil brings you here so early?” he asked. “You’re lying about sunset. I just checked my watch and it has not been a half hour.”
My smirk grew more devilish. “A half hour, fifteen minutes, what does it matter? It’s evening, brother, and once again you’re wallowing in sloth.”
Robin opened his door wider to permit me passage through before shutting it and surrounding us with darkness. I raised my hand to remove my sunglasses, but no sooner did I touch the hard plastic than my brother switched on a lamp and thwarted my plans. “Yes, well, just because I am not bounding out of bed does not mean I am lazy,” he said, walking toward his closet, his voice still hoarse from sleep. “Not all the world rises two strokes past dusk.”
I followed. “They should. Night perishes too quickly for us immortals.”
“I hardly think that is the reason why you rose early tonight. I think it has more to do with what day it is.”
“What would that have to do with it?”
Robin scoffed. “Oh come now, Flynn, I know how the mistress likes to thank you for being her angel of death. All of the coven has their designated moment when she spreads her legs for them and birthdays are yours.”
“Well, somebody is in a mood.” I perked an eyebrow as Robin picked a shirt and pair of pants out of his closet. “Do you have need of getting laid, dear brother?”
“Are you offering?” Robin shot me a look of annoyance before sighing and bringing his clothing to his bathroom. I lost sight of him, but heard the change in his demeanor when he spoke again. “I am sorry, brother. Last night simply wasn’t a pleasant night for me.”
I walked toward a wall and leaned against it. “What happened?”
“Nothing worth discussing. Give me a moment to freshen up. I’ll be out as quickly as possible.”
“Very well.” No sooner did I respond than the bathroom door shut, severing our conversation. I sighed, glancing toward the heavy shades blocking his windows, already feeling the siren song of the night beckon me out for a kill. The blood thirst was not all that made its presence known in my consciousness, however. Embers of dread caught fire once more, playing an unfamiliar tune within my normally cool and focused demeanor.
I indulged in a deep, steadying breath just as the bathroom door opened. Robin strolled out, his hair tied back and a dress shirt and pants on his slender frame. Order reigned over his regal appearance at last. “So, dear brother,” he said, walking back into his closet. “What was it you came to discuss?”
“I wished to ask you a question,” I said, drifting closer to my brother.
“A question.” The words were spoken not as an inquiry, but a statement. I watched Robin pick a tie from the rack and slide it around his throat, not bothering to tie it before moving onward to fetch a pair of shoes and socks. I began to think him ignoring me until he added, “Well, Flynn, speak your question. I can hardly read your mind.”
“Very well, then.” I took one step back, allowing Robin to exit his closet. “I wished for you to do me a favor.”
“How did I know?” Robin huffed a chuckle as he walked toward his sitting area. “I do not suppose this has anything to do with a black rose, does it?”
My grin turned cunning, the killer responding to his calling card. “As a matter of fact, it does. I must report to Sabrina, but while I do, would you see to delivering a present?”
My brother sank into a chair, placing his shoes on the floor. “Do I have much of a choice when it comes to you and your little errands?” He sighed, and began slipping on his socks. “Where am I headed tonight, Flynn?”
“I do not suppose you will be strolling by Matthew’s coven again any time soon?”
“Why? Who is the dearly departed?”
“His little scavenger Anthony is no more.”
“Matthew will be thrilled about this.” Robin frowned, moving on to his shoes. “No, I do not merely stroll past his coven. I already have the death of one of his elders on my head for the last time I came close.”
“Yes, no doubt.” My eyes returned to Robin. “The mistress is still quite suspicious of why you were speaking with Demetrius in the first place.”
The words created an immediate reaction. A smile laden with bitterness touched the corners of his mouth, his eyes remaining set on the task at hand. “Yes, I imagine she is.” Robin finished lacing his shoes. When his gaze met mine again, I had to frown at the way he regarded me. “Well, I ceased trying to please the mistress a very long time ago, Flynn. She can question me all she wants and find herself a new second if she so desires. I refuse to justify my actions to her.”
I continued watching the cavalcade of sentiments run past Robin’s eyes until he looked away. Standing, Robin started to thread his tie. Silence fell between us. When Robin realized I was yet staring at him, he looked at me again. The frown which surfaced struck me as peculiar. “Be careful, brother,” he said.
I smirked despite myself. “When am I not?”
“Oh, you are plenty careful on the streets,” he said. “Just not back home where it matters the most.” Robin stood, plucking a suit jacket from an adjacent chair. He thread his arms into each sleeve. “Whatever the matter, Flynn… I see you have a new sword?”
He glanced at the katana by my side. I grinned. “Do you like it?”
“It suits you.” Robin adjusted his jacket and nodded. “You shall have to allow me a better look when time permits. In the meantime, I will leave your black rose on Matthew’s doorstep and you shall see to the mistress. You know it is best not to keep her waiting.”
“Yes, indeed.” My eyes rose toward the ceiling, as though I could see through and into Sabrina’s bedroom. Once again, my skin crawled slightly before I shook off the premonition. I looked back down at Robin and nodded. “Join me for a hunt afterward? We can slay mortals and drink brandy like brothers.”
“I do not know.” For the first time that night, Robin smirked. “Every time we go out together, you wind up corrupting me.”
“I get you to remove that bloody stick up your ass, you mean.” I smiled in return and felt somewhat more at ease when my brother chuckled and walked ahead of me to his door. He opened it, but paused to look back at me, his hand still on the door knob.
I perked an eyebrow at him. “What is it?” I asked.
Robin sighed and nodded. “I will return here and look for you when my business is finished. To ‘remove the stick up my ass’ as you so eloquently put it.”
I laughed, walking out to the corridor and strolling beside him when he shut the door. “Did you just swear, Robin?”
“No, I quoted you. There is a difference.” His grin resurfaced and remained a fixture until we reached the stairs and headed in opposite directions. I nodded at him when he said, “Until later, brother,” and watched him trudge down the first flight of stairs. Then, I turned toward the next flight of stairs, regarding the path to Sabrina’s door.
Swift footsteps carried me upward and as I reached the top of the staircase, I took notice of a familiar face departing from Sabrina’s room. My brother Timothy nodded toward Sabrina’s guard and ran his fingers through his disheveled brown locks before looking at me. The grin on his face spoke a thousand words without a one of them uttered. I rolled my eyes and paused when Timothy stopped in front of me.
“Did you wrestle with a lion, Timothy?” I asked.
Timothy huffed a chuckle, a smug grin surfacing. “You know, you are not the only one the mistress shows favor to, Flynn.”
“Ah, Sabrina did this to you?” I perked an eyebrow. “So she is in that type of mood.”
“Oh yes, a regular firecracker tonight. I brought her dinner and let’s just say she came back for dessert.” Timothy stared at me. I failed to register a reaction to his words. His eyes glinted with a hint of loathe in response. “Rumor has it you’re slipping.”
“Oh, does it?” I shrugged, appearing more nonchalant about hearing such news than I truly felt. “Had to strike at the best moment possible. Not that you would know about such things.” I flashed him a sarcastic smile.
Timothy bristled. “I know more about those things than you probably suspect.”
“Undoubtedly, Timothy. A man of your skill and prowess could instruct even an assassin such as myself, oh captain, my captain.” I bowed with a flourish.
“Fuck off, Flynn.” A dismissive wave of his hand preceded a pivot and a turn toward the stairs. “I’ll let you get to the inquisition I have no doubt awaits you. Happy Birthday, brother.” Timothy cackled. I fought off the urge to draw my sword and sever his head from the rest of his body, hand upon the hilt and eyes focused on his entire trek until he disappeared from sight. My mouth opened to rain down obscenities on the ghost of his presence until another voice entered the fray.
“Flynn.”
Knocked from a homicial tail spin, I turned and directed my attention to Sabrina’s guard as he cleared his throat and stared at me. Even Paul possessed the fear of me in his brown eyes when they regarded me. “Sabrina awaits,” he said.
I nodded in response. Paul opened the door to her penthouse. A shiver ran up my spine as I entered and the click of the door closing behind me bore an eerie finality to it.
At first it seemed my fears were unwarranted. As was tradition, Sabrina lit the room with candles, conveying more of a sense of comfort than warning my imminent doom awaited. I removed my glasses, folding them up and slipping them into my pocket just in time for her to acknowledge my presence somewhere within. She asked, “Is that my dark killer?” and had it been anybody else, I would not have been disquieted by the soft, sweet tone of voice she possessed. As it was, hearing it did nothing to quell my apprehension.
“It is I.” I indulged in one last, steadying breath before continuing inside. Strolling through the sitting area without pause, I walked to her bedroom and leaned against the doorway the moment I arrived. A vision of my mistress flooded my eyes. “Good evening, dark mother,” I said. “You look radiant as usual. I trust your time in New York was pleasant?”
Sabrina smiled. Sitting in a chair facing her desk, she surveyed the jewelry laid before her, her hands busy fastening an earring to an ear. I stood straight again and walked closer, picking up her necklace. Sabrina lowered her hands, yet sat perfectly still, allowing me to fasten the gold chain around her neck and place a soft kiss just below her ear.
She smelt like roses. Her cheeks were ruddy from a fresh feed. A soft moan rose from her throat as I stepped away. “Darling Flynn,” she said with a chuckle. “You are debonair as always.”
“Only for you, Mistress.” I smirked as she looked at me. Her eyes caressed mine in a deep gaze reminiscent of ambrosia; delectable and decadent. I drank from it as we stared at one another. “My charms may seduce the mortals, but for you, they are a mark of my devotion.”
“And devoted you are, dear.” Sabrina turned in her chair to face me. “Five years has passed us by rather quickly, hasn’t it? And you have only impressed me all the more with what a vampire you have become.”
Bowing, I allowed my smile to become all the more sinister. “As always, I have you to thank for that.”
She stood. “I only bestowed the dark gift, my son. You are the one who has become the face the seven covens see in their nightmares.” Sabrina stepped close to me, placing a hand on the lapel of my coat, her gaze never straying from mine. “If I had to do it all over, I would slide my teeth into that scared mortal and allow him to cross into immortality again. Loyal killer. Your will is as sure as it was when I commissioned you to be my assassin.”
Her chest touched mine and her lips hovered close. I felt my fangs slip from their hiding place as I plunged into a state of arousal. “And I would drink from your wrist again,” I said, “Bathing my tongue with the taste of your blood.”
“Oh yes, I know you would.” I felt a hand slide down and cup me through my trousers. The groan I emitted brought a smile to her face. “You desire to kiss me, my killer?”
I shivered. “I desire to do far more than that.”
Sabrina laughed in response. Her hand granted me an extra squeeze. “Oh, I know you do, but first tell me, my darling Flynn, if the task I assigned before I left has been completed?”
“Yes, it has.” My hands burned with the desire to touch her as well, raising in a slow, nervous manner beyond my own volition. A slow nod preceded a hard swallow. “A dagger straight through his heart, just as you requested.”
“Very good.” She leaned closer, tipping her head to entreat me. My hands landed on her back. Shutting my eyes, I moved forward to engage her lips with mine.
Until a hand wrapped itself around my throat.
My eyes flew open. Hers did as well. A look of malice replaced the seduction which had been present no more than five seconds prior. “Insolent vampire!” she yelled, her fangs slipping out. “How dare you not confess your sins to me?!”
Before I had the chance to react, I found myself being thrown onto a chair, the hilt of my sword digging into my side as I spilled onto the seat. Sabrina slapped me across my face with such force it whipped my head to the side. Her foot crushed down on top of the arousal her previous actions brought about.
I screamed with pain. She grabbed my chin and turned my head to face her again.
“For four years, I have come to rely on you, Flynn!” she said, her voice ascending to a shout from the start. I imagined the entire coven house could hear her as she roared. “To do as you are asked and when you are asked to do it! I asked that you kill Anthony two days prior to when you finished the task. Two days! I had to find out from my spies that you extended Anthony mercy to go on a little hunt for you.” Grabbing my coat with both hands, she lifted me to my feet, slamming me against her body. “May I remind you I have killed people for less insubordination?”
I sneered. “No, you need not remind me. I am usually the one doing the killing for you.”
Sabrina hit me again, but held onto me to prevent me from flying back. I hissed at the affront. She ignored the outburst, however, and drew me close again. “I am embarrassed at you!” she said. “That I have to have a talk with you I normally reserve for the underlings. What do you have to say for yourself?!”
A growl rumbled from my throat. “I can only apologize for my lapse in judgment.”
“Lapse?” Sabrina threw me back onto the chair and straddled my lap. Her fingernails cut into my skin when she grabbed me by the neck, drawing rivulets of blood. “A lapse in judgment would have been for you to kill him in front of a witness or to strike at an inopportune moment, not to hold off his execution for two days. So, let me ask, what was so damn important that you would consort with a traitor and an enemy of the coven?!”
Swallowing hard, I presented a half-truth to the only soul I had a hard time lying to. “I lost something and I wished to have it back. Nothing more. There was no treason in my actions.”
“Your disobedience was your treason. What was this item?”
“A piece of jewelry.” I paused, attempting to make this sound convincing. “Anthony was unable to find it, though. I promptly disposed of the piece of waste when he failed me.”
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. Her grip relaxed, but only slightly. “Jewelry of what sort? And why was this important to you?”
“It was not important. Merely a trinket I stole from one of my victims, but sold in haste. I wished to give it to Rose.”
She continued staring at me, her gaze searching and skeptical. I met the look she shot me measure by measure, a disarming grin ghosting at the corner of my mouth. “Mistress, surely you do not think I would betray you. I merely thought the bastard should be good for something before I ran him through.” My smile broadened. “You would have been amused, watching him believe I would spare his life.”
Sabrina’s eyes remained locked for another precarious moment, until her scowl finally relaxed. She indulged in a deep breath and let go of my neck, her fangs retracting. I nearly sighed with relief when she smiled. “You are devilishly sadistic, my assassin,” she said. “I should have known you were merely making sport out of him.”
I scoffed. “Naturally, Mistress. I am nothing but loyal to you.”
“Yes, you are, Flynn.” Sabrina stood. She strolled back to her desk and sat in front of her jewelry once more. Lifting her other earring, Sabrina set about the task of securing it to her lobe. “It’s a shame Anthony was not able to procure your piece of jewelry.”
“Yes, well, we both know what a moronic waste of space he was.” I rubbed my neck, feeling the grooves where Sabrina’s nails had dug in. The scent of blood teased at my nostrils and when I lifted my fingers, the viscous liquid glistening on my glove verified the slight damage done. “He looked better as a pile of dust than he did as a vampire.”
Sabrina laughed. “This better have taught you a lesson, though. When I say they are to die, they die at once and not a moment afterward.”
“Lesson learned, Mistress.” Sitting up in my chair, I wiped at the blood on my neck one final time. “Now, tell your assassin what he might do to make it up to you.”
She smiled. “My darling Flynn. He does live for the kill.” Glancing at me to wink, she turned her attention back to the collection of gold in front of her and slipped her rings on her fingers. “Well, there is one thing, as much as I was hoping to hold off on assigning you a task on your birthday. I think you will find this target in particular amusing, though, so consider it a present of sorts.”
I perked an eyebrow. “Amusing? Do tell.”
“There is a human who is causing me a great deal of consternation.” She paused. “I want her gone before she meddles in my affairs any longer. Several members of the coven have caught her snooping around lately and one was successful in tracking her down. Now, I need my assassin to strike while the iron is hot.”
“A human?” I laughed. “Oh please, Mistress. Tell me you are jesting.”
“I’m not, Flynn, and this one is no ordinary girl.” She raised an eyebrow in my direction. “So don’t underestimate her.”
“Underestimate her?” My laugh turned more uproarious. I shook my head. “The covens throw the best they have to offer at me and all of them meet with a swift end. I highly doubt some mortal girl is going to give me much trouble.”
“Yes, but as I said she is not ordinary. I have reason to believe she is a sorceress.”
“A sorceress?” This only served to tickle me all the more. “Has she attempted to call down hexes on the coven or turn one of us into a newt?” I continued to chuckle, but when Sabrina failed to join in my merriment, I sobered slightly. The grin remained affixed on my face, however. “Who is the girl and what harm does she mean you?” I asked.
Sabrina stood, walking back to where I sat with a look in her eyes which caused my stomach to churn again. Heavy-lidded seduction dripped from every step she took and in the slow manner she lowered herself onto my lap again. Touching my chin, she lifted my head to ensure she had my full attention. This time, when her fangs slipped from their hiding place, my teeth slid out in arousal.
Sabrina grinned and leaned close. “Do you trust me, dark son?” she asked. Her lips touched my neck.
My eyes drifted shut. I nodded. “Absolutely, Mistress.” My voice descended to a whisper.
She placed a kiss further up my neck. The points of her teeth tickled at my skin. “And you still desire me?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Your mistress has not forgotten your birthday kisses. I will reward you very, very pointedly for your loyalty to me. But first, I need you to quiet your mind and listen to my words.” She paused. Her lips found my ear and teased at the lobe with her cool breath as she spoke. “The girl must die. And my killer — my assassin — will do it for me without needing to know why. Instead, he will do the deed exactly as he was asked. When he returns, then I will show him my appreciation. This is all the motivation you need. Understood?”
A slow nod followed her words. “Yes,” I said, speaking the word while hearing it reverberate as though through a tunnel. My mind seemed to be swimming down the current of Sabrina’s ministrations, not tethered to my body. “I understand.”
Her lips departed from their position beside my ear. She pulled back and, like a moon emerging from an eclipse, her face slowly came into view. Our noses brushed and mouths touched when she leaned closer, the contact tentative; teasing. I rose slightly to kiss her back, but she stopped me with a finger placed on my lips, pushing me against the back of the chair.
“My kisses will be here waiting for you,” she said. “In the meantime, you will go to Temple University. You will locate a girl named Monica Alexander. She has brown hair with a blonde streak that runs down her bangs, and she resides in a small house by the edge of the campus. Kill her quickly and silently, and bring me the scarf she keeps wrapped around her neck as proof of her death.”
I swallowed hard. “It shall be done as you say.”
“Good.” Sabrina stood, severing the connection. I blinked, my head feeling as though it was surfacing from being submerged. Sabrina looked down at me, smiling as I stood. “Is that a new sword, dear?” she asked.
Glancing down at the katana, I furrowed my brow at the weapon, as though I had forgotten about its presence until that moment. “Yes, it is,” I said. “I figured the red and black suited me.”
“And its previous owner?”
My grin turned devilish. “Gone to meet his maker, I am afraid.”
“Very good,” she said. Sabrina turned and began walking away. “Humans are such contemptible animals, aren’t they? Perhaps you can use that blade to do away with mine.”
I nodded. “I shall, Mistress,” I said as I produced my sunglasses from my pocket and adjusted my coat. “Contemptible, indeed. Thank you for freeing me of that curse.”
Sabrina smiled in response and her parting words carried just as much enchantment as the execution order she presented. Dazed, I did not recall when I started for the door, except that within moments I found myself in the corridor once more, headed for the stairs. The stride which led me out into the night was a purposeful one, and such a posture continued unfettered until I emerged out on the street.
Standing before the coven’s main entrance, I lit a cigarette and shoved the pack back into my coat. As I slid my gloved hand into my pants pocket, however, my fingers touched the hard metal of Lydia’s necklace and took hold of it as if on instinct. Withdrawing it brought forth my lie, positioned right before my eyes with moonlight reflecting from its pendant. A sinister smirk crawled across my face. Lydia’s voice resonated in my ears.
“I’ll suggest one better, Flynn. Why don’t you just wear it and spite me with it?”
“Your wish is my command,” I said. With a nod, I fastened the chain around my neck and hid it underneath my shirt. That done, my gait resumed its deliberate tenor, bound for Temple University. A slight shiver settled on my bones. The air about me took on a disquieting feel. I did not know from whence it came, only that it was there and did not belong to either Sabrina or myself. The wind carried a premonition, without a face and without a name, and the questions yet whispered at me while I walked.
At that moment, I knew I might be standing on the doorstep of revelation. Little did I know just how right I was.
