A Hunters Promise by Gwendolyn Cease Page A

Charon came in. Kenshin thought about asking him about Aislinn, but decided against it. The whole Ancient/Liaison bond was something none of them really understood, and if Charon hadn’t realized what the woman was to him, Kenshin didn’t want to be the one to spill the beans. Conversely, if he did know, he didn’t look happy or relaxed, which is how Talon appeared after the bond was fully in place.
    Maybe the woman wasn’t Charon’s Liaison. Or, if she didn’t want him near her, they were in for trouble. Kenshin glanced over to find Talon also studying Charon and decided to table those worries for later. They could only deal with so much shit at once, and whether or not Charon got a girlfriend wasn’t high on the list.
    “I don’t know if all of you are aware, but Styx intercepted a nine-one-one call on the police scanner.” Kenshin addressed them. “By the time he got to the address, police were already on scene. He called Talon and me in. A male was found in the residence, dead from a vampire attack.”
    “Human?” Charon asked.
    “Yeah,” Styx answered. “His name was Patrick James Flaherty.”
    “Flaherty,” Charon cut in. “That’s Aislinn’s last name.”
    “It was her older brother,” Talon said. “He was killed approximately two hours before she was attacked. We think whoever did it wanted her whereabouts, since the attacks were so close together.”
    “Why?” Charon shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense.”
    “Sure it does,” Joelle said. “She’s like me. Vampire mojo doesn’t work on her. I don’t know if somebody thinks that makes her a better food source, but they were after her for a reason.”
    “Grimm,” Kenshin said as a prompt.
    “I checked out the body and the bite marks. The fangs and scent indicate an Ancient.”
    “Well, fuck,” Reaper muttered.
    “Rogue?” Charon asked.
    “Don’t know,” Talon replied. “Though the neck wound is a mess, I wouldn’t say the Ancient who made them is off the leash.”
    “That could be worse,” Grimm put in. “One thing to have an Ancient running around mindlessly killing, it’s another if he’s able to plot and plan.”
    “That’s what I was thinking,” Styx said. “I also don’t think he planned on us arriving on the scene so fast. I’m sure he’s the one that made the nine-one-one call.”
    “What’s the point?” Reaper asked.
    “He wanted us running around trying to cover his tracks,” Talon said. “He figured we’d be so busy doing cleanup with humans we’d miss the signs of an Ancient.”
    “Yeah, but what’s the point?” Joelle asked. “He can’t want the Parakind Community exposed. That’s all anyone needs is a bunch of humans running around with pitchforks and torches. And that’s certainly what would happen.”
    Quenton stepped out from behind a large bookcase and eyed them. “Do none of you have an office? Or has this become the official meeting spot?”
    “Until we figure out where the leak is coming from I thought this would be the most secure place,” Kenshin said.
    “It does seem we have a whole host of problems,” the half-human said softly. “And, to address Joelle’s question, I don’t believe the renegade Ancient wants to expose Parakind. Instead, he wants the PIA to be so focused on damage control that he quietly slips away. His failure comes from the fact that he doesn’t know the Ancients currently sitting here.”
    “Explain,” Joelle said. “Please.”
    He nodded at her with a slight smile, and Kenshin remembered back to when their exchange hadn’t been so very polite. In fact, Joelle had shoved him, and someone touching him was something Quenton did not allow.
    “It’s almost certain that this Ancient has been hidden all his adult life. He’s never been around anyone of his kind so, he assumes that Ancients cannot or will not work together. He has failed to take into account how long these five have worked together and how quickly they will call for backup.