Stanley was excited to get started and wanted to bring Pal- Marisa up to speed on all the updates he'd put in place. "When can we get started?"
The three women smiled and Marisa moved forward to follow Stanley out.
When the door closed, Camila shared a look with Sigrid. Marisa had just finished filling them in on the Fae's visit the previous day. Camila was shocked to learn her daughter had some strong seer abilities and truthfully was a little hurt this had been kept a secret from her. She understood Marisa's hesitance to let anyone know. The only reason she had divulged it was to punish that bastard Ghammen and to protect Stanley. If Camila and Sigrid read the situation properly the Fae council wouldn't press the issue. One of their own had been caught red handed perpetrating the most heinous of crimes one race could do to another and there was a very plausible answer for their outstanding questions. They'd avoid any overt interference with Marisa.
While Marisa hadn't said it out loud Camila and Sigrid read between the lines and both had strong suspicions as to who was responsible for preventing Heriahn from speaking to the Fae Council. They were both nervous about what her ultimate plan was for Stanley but for now all they could do is not interfere.
Camila's line buzzed. "Yes, Felix?"
"Mr. Duncan on the line."
"Put him through." There was a click. "Mr. Duncan, you're on the speaker with myself and Sigrid."
"Very good. We've had another situation with the car following our Mr. Garin to the office. I was waiting for them this morning when Mr. Garin arrived. When I stepped outside they sped off."
"I see. It looks like they aren't going to stop without some direct intervention." Camila sighed.
There was a deep chuckle from the other end of the line. "Yes, it seems that way."
Camila looked across the desk at Sigrid whose eyes were almost glowing. "Mr. Duncan, would you be so kind to arrange for a car to take the three of us on a visit."
"Right away." The line went dead.
"My ex, Ulysses wants to know what's so special about Stanley. I know him. He won't give up until he gets what he wants. His little enterprise doesn't hire Humans. That makes things a little easier for us."
Camila and Sigrid left the office and glanced in the new server room where Stanley was excitedly explaining all of the new equipment and how it was all coming together to Marisa. Unlike Siobhan, Marisa 'got it'. She'd retain everything Stanley explained and would be able to retrieve it later in conversations. Camila had asked her if she wanted the CIO role but Paloma had laughed at the time. She'd explained that while she understood the nature of the components she didn't have the skills required to design a system, make the components work together, or maintain them.
VRL's CEO and Head of HR left the building where they met the Security Chief in the back of the limo. Camila gave the address and the three rode in the back quietly. As they approached the headquarters for 'Ulysses Global Investments' Camila leaned forward to address Mr. Duncan.
"Did you bring sunglasses?" she asked.
"No," he replied curiously.
Camila glanced at Sigrid who smiled in anticipation. "You take the security office then. We'll take the executive offices. Wait in the lobby for two minutes for us to reach the top floor. The last I heard, they didn't hire Humans. Scent first then happy hunting."
The Security Chief's eyebrows rose high then he too was grinning hungrily.
The neighborhood wasn't as upscale as the one VRL was located in. The building was older and more run down. They walked in and Duncan took a seat on a couch that had seen better days. His eyes scanned the area and his nostrils were flared. He grinned.
Camila went directly to the elevators with Sigrid at her back. They entered the car and rode it to the top floor. Camila knew Ulysses had a ridiculously large office on the south side of the floor with a large waiting room between him and the elevators. They entered the waiting room and crossed it towards the executive secretary's desk. Camila immediately identified her as a young Succubus, barely out of college. Most likely sexually abused by Ulysses. She pulled a business card from her jacket pocket and handed it to the young female.
"Take this to VRL and apply for a position there," she said firmly. The woman looked at her with wide eyes. "Go. Now."
The secretary grabbed her purse from her desk and ran for the elevators. Camila looked at Sigrid who was looking at all the extra doors leading into the waiting room. She smiled and nodded to Camila.
There were two doors which had to lead into Ulysses' office as they were huge, old carved oak double doors. Camila opened one and slipped inside.
Sigrid smiled and walked slowly to the center of the waiting room. By now Mr. Duncan was making a nuisance of himself downstairs. Pretty soon- ah.
The doors around the room opened almost simultaneously and people, dressed in the shadow garb she'd seen in the alley during Stanley's attempted abduction, began to pour into the room. Sigrid picked up the foul scent of Ghouls and Goblins, no Human's at all. Their clothes absorbed the light from the room which became dimmer and darker until she was surrounded by at least twenty five of Ulysses' shadow troopers. Only the dim light from the florescent above her illuminated the carpet around her. All other light was being sucked away.
"You made a terrible, terrible mistake coming here alone and unarmed." The voice came from someone in front of her but she couldn't tell who spoke. She could barely see where one started and the next one ended.
She looked down and rubbed her shoe against the floor. "Shame about the carpet. They should have tiled this room."
There was an uneasy shift as they heard her confidence. Then the lights went out.
The explosion of white light was more terrifying for its complete silence. It was as if a small nuclear device had exploded where the tall blond had been standing a fraction of a second earlier. The blast wave ripped through the shadows like smoke and slammed the troopers against the outer walls.
Some, the lucky ones, went through the plaster, missing the studs to fall unconscious on the floors beyond. The wall leading to Ulysses' office was cinderblock and wasn't so forgiving to those smashed against it. Those who remained in the room and recuperated quick enough to launch a counter attack were met with a huge blurring streak of white light so intense it blinded them temporarily and left them dazed. If weapons were brought into play a streak of light would sever the offending limb. The air in the room became a vortex, spinning and tossing the bodies of the unconscious and injured around like so much confetti. The secretary's desk, bolted to the floor, accumulated a stack of broken bodies against its windward side.
The streak darted to the bodies of the fallen then finally moved to the center of the room once more. Huge wings flapped, cancelling the force of the winds.
Sigrid looked at the carnage around her and remained vigilant in case one of the fallen had any fight left in them or if reinforcements arrived. She grinned, hoping for the latter.
As Camila walked into Ulysses' office she rolled her eyes. He'd placed his desk on a raised platform. The man looked up sharply then smiled as he saw who it was walking towards him.
"Camila, how lovely for you to visit. I take it that little disturbance downstairs is your doing," he said smoothly. She saw his hand slip to the edge of his desk. Most likely calling his security.
"You made a mistake Ulysses."
The Incubus frowned. He didn't make mistakes and he certainly didn't like it when people told him he did. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he said, bristling.
"You've gotten sloppy and you're obviously on your way down the food chain," Camila said, stopping a few feet from the raised platform.
Ulysses snarled then clamped down on his reaction. Camila knew how to push his buttons and she did it well.
But he'd kept an eye on her movements since the incident in the alley and he knew something she was trying to hide. She normally went out clubbing to find a source for her meals. His spies told him she hadn't fed in days. She was weak!
He'd fed the night before. Met a bachelorette party and had two of the bridal party and the bride before calling it a night. Not a quality meal but quantity was sufficient to make him feel quite energetic.
He stood and stepped down from his desk to walk around to face her. "You must be a little delirious from hunger to walk into my inner sanctum to yap at me like the petty little bitch you were when we were together.
Camila snorted and looked at him with utter contempt.
Ulysses ground his teeth together. She was infuriating! He struggled to keep his calm.
"This new toy of yours. Stanley Garin, I think his name was. I'm going to take him and find out what makes him tick-"
He didn't see the blow until it hit then he was on the ground with her standing over him. Her glamor was gone and her gold eyes glowed with an intense brightness. He didn't understand. She hadn't fed!
His head rang with the power of the blow. The room kept sliding sideways and that made him feel so nauseous. Something was wrong in his head.
"You're nothing Ulysses. You keep lying to yourself in a sad attempt to make yourself feel important but every action you take shows that same sad desperation. You haven't realized yet that your pinnacle was when you were with me catching the crumbs I threw you. When I realized you had nothing to offer I cut you loose like the piece of trash you are."
He tried to push himself to his feet but her foot slammed into his chest and knocked the wind from his lungs. He wheezed and whimpered. Why was this happening? How was she so strong? Why was he so... weak?
Her foot slipped up to his neck and he felt the blades of her toenails resting on the pulse in his neck. He held as still as he could as his lungs strained to inhale. His eyes looked up at her fearfully.
"Do you understand now? I will no longer tolerate someone of such low standing interfering with anything or anyone who belongs to me. If I hear of you again, I will end you. Because you are nothing."