Chapter 31

The doors were locked, Serenity After Dark was empty except for the council and some of the staff. Boden and Baker sat at the bar with Emery, all keeping their thoughts to themselves for a change. The mood in the room was heavy and oppressive. Remi was ready to climb right out of her skin.

Attis and Vienna sat at the bar. Neither was offering their opinion, which worried her. They had their focus faces on at least, which told Remi they were thinking the problem through.

Getting up from the table, she paced halfway across the room and looked back at the group sitting at the table. Collectively, there was enough power and experience sitting there to be able to handle anything. Hopefully, she prayed, that would be the case this time.

Nodding to herself, Remi turned to Baker and Boden. “You boys go home. I want you to fill in your brothers and your folks. It’s up to them if you come back tomorrow.” Both opened their mouths, determined looks on their faces. “No.” She stopped them from speaking. “I can’t expect any of you to take a chance coming here with this hanging over us.” Glancing over her shoulder, she gave Pascal a look. “Can you do your stalker thing and make sure they get home?”

He grinned and got up. “Of course.”

“I’ll go with him.” Elaine started to stand.

Remi turned and looked at Leontes, hoping he would understand what her eyes were trying to convey.

He made eye contact with her briefly, a look of acknowledgment on his face. “I think your input will be beneficial here, Elaine.”

Finn stood up. “I can go.”

Pascal clasped his hands in front of his body and looked at her, tilting his head slightly, giving her that look that he always did, saying she needed to loosen the apron strings a bit.

Exhaling, she studied him for a moment and then turned to Finn. When he’d come to Serenity, she’d only been here a year. The man he was now was so vastly different than the run-down, skeletal-thin, almost insane vampire that had walked through the doors the first time. It had taken four years to bring him out of his shell and back to life, as much as you could with a vampire. Now, he was as important to her as Emery and Cait. Finn stood there, a hopeful look on his face, and she knew she was going to have to let him go with Pascal. He was, after all, twice her age. Nodding, she pointed from him to Pascal. “You listen to him.”

Finn saluted her, a smirk on his face. “Yes ma'am.”

It almost hurt to see the expressions on Baker and Boden’s faces as they walked out. Remi turned from the door and looked at Darien. The guarded look on his face told her he knew she was aching at the thought that the boys wouldn’t be back tomorrow.

“Okay,” she turned back to the table to see everyone was watching her. All members of the council were sitting there with patient looks on their faces. That annoyed her that they could be so calm. She knew they were used to enormous threats and danger, but they could at least look mildly concerned. Elaine was the only one that didn’t look indifferent. She had this sour look on her face. Remi wondered if she realized how unappealing it made her.

Dell and Kyran stood at the end. Neither seemed sure what to think of the most recent turn of events. Kyran’s face was filled with emotion. Remi was beginning to understand that he belonged at Serenity as much as the paras that were her family. Dell, on the other hand, she really wished he would transfer to a far-away-foreign country and stop reminding her how stupid she’d been to fall for him.

Attis, Vie, and Emery were leaning against the bar now, expressions mirroring her own thoughts. Now what? Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus and stay calm. “So, back up and fill in some blanks for me.” She looked straight at Brome as she spoke. She didn’t know him any better than the rest of the council, but he had a vibe she was comfortable with, barely. “Too many traces to count…” She held up her hand and shook her head, “No, let’s start with the fact that magic was definitely involved, but not from a witch or mage?”

He nodded. “Correct.”

“And how many kinds of magic are there?”

“More than you’d like to know,” he answered slowly.

“I’m sure you’re right about that.” Unable to stand still, she paced across the room. “How many traces did you detect?”

“Innumerable.” His voice was serious, practically flat.

She lifted her hands. “Which means?” Holding up her hand, she motioned in the air, “In simple layman’s terms, please.”

Brome glanced at Alaric and then looked back at her. “That it’s somewhere between a large coven and an organization involved.”

Remi looked at Darien. His thoughts were the same as hers; that answer hadn’t told them anything.

“So,” she looked down at the floor, trying to stay calm, “the magic, it’s being used to control whoever is doing this, but not to actually kill?” She flicked her eyes back to the table.

Elaine smiled. She looked like she was enjoying her confusion. “The killer” —she glanced at Leontes out of the corner of her eye— “or killers, are the pawns. They’re not using the magic.”

Hope nodded. “They actually think they’re smart enough to not be caught, even though eventually the pawns will be, but they will pay the price.”

Biting her lip, Remi closed her eyes for a second. “But they’ll still be out there.” She looked from one to the next, going around the whole table, meeting only guarded sets of eyes. “They could just find new pawns.” It didn’t have to be said that the threat would never go away unless they found out who was behind it.

“Can I try something?” Vienna came over and stood in front of Remi. “It may not work, but then again, it could help.”

Just the fact that Vie had figured something out with her amazing brain that they all feared and loved made Remi feel like there might be a chance. She motioned to the table. “Have at it.”

“I’ll try to get you answers.” Vie held her look for a moment.

“That would be great.” Remi knew she was tired, and she was starting to fight snapping at anyone that breathed the wrong way. Crossing her arms, she waited as Vie walked over to stand beside Brome.

“Did you touch them?” she asked him.

“The bodies?”

Vie nodded.

“I had to.” He gave her a puzzled look.

Clasping her hands together, she gave him a hesitant look. “I’d like to try something. I may be able to follow the traces you sensed and get a number or,” she flipped her hair back over her shoulder, “something.”

Brome pushed his chair back and opened his hands in a welcoming gesture. “Be my guest.” His expression was amused.

Remi didn’t know what the two had been up to half the night before he’d gone to the morgue, but there was obviously something between them.

“Okay.” Vie rubbed her hands together and then held them beside his head. “This might feel a bit weird.” She paused. “Just don’t fight me. I don’t want to hurt you.” He raised an eyebrow at her. She grinned. “I promise not to dig into all your secrets.”

Brome sat there for a moment studying her face. “I’m an open book for you.”

Remi glanced at Darien. He smirked and then sobered quickly. Yep, definitely something going on there.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as Vie placed her hands against the mage’s head and closed her eyes. Brome also closed his, discomfort clear on his face.

Remi started counting in her head to not demand if it was working. She knew better than to interrupt Vie when she was in her zone. A body could get hurt. She’d seen that firsthand a few years ago and didn’t want to repeat that experience ever again. Hope leaned closer and then looked at her with a curious expression on her face. Lifting her finger to her lips, Remi shook her head. The witch nodded and sat back again.

Brome whooshed out a breath as Vienna lowered her hands. “My gods,” he whispered breathlessly and looked up at Vie. “That was…” He studied her for a moment. “You have mage blood.”

Remi wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling gradually, Vienna nodded. “Parts.”

Darien made eye contact with Remi again. That explained so much, yet didn’t.

“Did it work?” Hope asked excitedly.

Vienna steadied herself on the back of the chair and glanced at Remi. She couldn’t express how she felt that her waitress and friend was looking at her and not the table of power. On a good day, Remi felt like she was a tiny, insignificant human. Since the council had arrived, she was feeling the size of an ant. With her staff and friends still looking at her, it made her feel invincible.

“I don’t have names or anything, but…” Scrunching her face in a look of concentration, Vie wandered slowly across the floor.

Remi didn’t need to ask what she was doing. She’d seen Vienna in action or knew the signs of when her brain was processing facts.

“There’s something familiar about one of the traces…” she spoke quietly, not looking at anyone. Her head popped up, and she zeroed in on her. “I need Pascal.”

Remi glanced at the clock. “He should be back in a few minutes.”

Nodding, Vie crossed her arms and stared at the floor again. “There are at least,” she closed her eyes like she was trying to remember. Opening them, she looked right at Brome, “twenty distinct paths from the magic that was all over the body.”

Brome sat forward in the chair. “Twenty.” He studied her in a way that made Remi think he had many questions but wasn’t going to ask them. “Why do you need Pascal?” He looked around the table at his other council members. “One of us can’t help?”

Vie shook her head and focused only on him. “Pascal and I have…” she looked over her shoulder at Attis, a look passing between them, “done this before, so I am comfortable working with him.”

Remi’s eyes connected with Darien’s. They knew what she was really saying was that she trusted Pascal and none of them. No one at Serenity knew of Vienna’s past or even what she was, and despite the mystery, were okay with it. They also knew what upsetting Vie could result in. Some things were just safer left alone.

“Were you able to sense who the pawn is?” Alaric stood up and walked over to her, a brilliant smile on his face. “Or perhaps whether the pawn is para or not.”

Vienna looked up at him, an amused look on her face. “Trying to use your fey charms on me is a waste of your time, sparkles.” She motioned toward Remi, “It’s the same result as if you tried it on Remi.”

Frowning, Alaric looked over at her. “I’m not sure what she means.”

Shrugging, Remi crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an awkward smile. “I’m immune to all forms of magic, spells…” she waved her hand around, “and all that.”

“I see.”

Brome started laughing and sobered quickly when the large faerie glared at him.

“How is that possible?” Hope inquired softly. “Alaric can even get me if I let my guard down around him.

Brome got up, a large smile on his face as he wandered in Vienna’s direction. “I suspect Miss Vienna has a touch of Fey in her.”

Vienna gave him a cute grin. She wasn’t about to confirm or deny. Heaving a sigh, she walked away from them both and went behind the bar. Grabbing a bottle of juice, she opened it, waving it in their direction. “The pawn is definitely para.”

Randell turned and studied her. “You’re sure?”

Vie nodded and then took a drink, ending any further possibility of response.

The fact that normals were killed by paras spawned a noisy discussion with the council and two detectives. Remi noted that Kyran seemed to be more on the council’s side than his partner’s. Tucking that piece of happiness away for her own enjoyment, she went over and sat beside Emery. He had, oddly enough, been quiet throughout all of this. He also, she noticed, had that lonely, sad look about him, one she had lived more than enough on her own. “Did you send Corey away?”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he studied a spot on the floor by his feet. “Yeah, I sent her to her aunt’s before we opened.” He sighed. “She called me when she got there and agreed to stay until I told her it was safe to come back.”

Rubbing her hand up and down his cool arm, she leaned down so he would make eye contact with her. “You did the right thing.”

He looked at her finally. “Does the right thing always hurt?”

Remi snorted and patted his arm. “Yeah, pretty sure it does.” He groaned and got up to stand with Darien and his uncle, also standing on the sidelines, waiting for some sort of decision to be made by those scrambling for the lead position on this investigation.

Brome turned and moved in her direction. Apparently, he’d had enough of the group trying to one-up each other as well. He sat on a stool next to her and watched from that viewpoint for a long silent moment. “Does it really matter who stands in front on this?”

Remi smiled and looked at him. “Give them a minute. They’ll figure out what’s important once the hormones settle.”

He nodded and then sighed. “The council doesn’t necessarily represent maturity at all times.”

“I don’t think anyone does.”

Vienna leaned forward from behind the bar and looked at Brome. “How’s the head?”

He took his time answering. “I can still feel bits and pieces of you in there.”

She shrugged. “It will fade.”

Brome turned the stool so they were almost face to face. “Tell me, how can you have a touch of mage and fey inside you?” He frowned. “They’re quite incompatible.”

Vienna took a drink, her eyes studying him the whole time. “I’m guessing that being on the council means you are privy to many lost files.”

He nodded without comment.

“Do you recall reading about a group of brainy scientists from several clans experimenting with gene splicing?”

Remi looked from one to the other.

His eyes widened. “There was the Gen project…” he shook his head, “but that was never continued after repeated failures.”

Her expression didn’t give anything away as she looked from Remi back to the inquisitive mage. “Officially, on paper, it was.” She smirked. “Unofficially, the eight scientists decided…” she snorted, “for whatever reason, to toss together their own DNA in a big ‘ol stock pot and let it stew and mature, hoping the results might lead to more answers.”

His eyes searched her face, a look of confusion on his.

Vienna straightened up and opened her arms. “Tada! They got me instead.”

Remi felt like she was sitting on the outside looking in. Her brain wrangled with it for seconds longer than Brome’s did.

“That’s impossible,” he whispered.

Leaning forward again, Vie lowered her voice. “And yet, here I am.”

He blinked several times, opening and closing his mouth like he wasn’t sure what to say first. “That would mean you have eight parents…”

Vienna pointed at him, a bingo expression on her face. “All from different clans and one normal.” She held his eyes for a moment. “Let me tell you, family gatherings are never dull.”

Brome inhaled deeply and then exhaled all at once. “I…”

Capping the juice, Vienna set it on the counter and turned it in her hand for a moment. “I would appreciate it if this stayed between us.”

He nodded slowly and then looked at Remi.

Vie grinned. “Remi won’t tell a soul,” she watched him carefully, “aside from Darien, that is.”

Brome stood up quickly. “I vow I will not either.”

She nodded abruptly. “Good, because someday it’s bound to come out, and having allies could come in handy.”