Kindred (16 page)

But the real problem is, ghouls can be called by a vampire to do its bidding. They don't like it of course, but they have little choice in the matter. The fact that Max had threatened to use ghouls was a real concern.

Auckland has a thriving ghoul population, well thriving in the sense that there's at least fifty or more. That's a lot for ghouls and even though it doesn't sound so intimidating, 50 ghouls could do a lot of damage in one night. They can be lethal.

Of course, I wasn't expecting Michel's response to this threat, I should have, but I'd lowered my guard, yet again. Stupid.

“
Two can play at that game,” he mused, a calculated look stealing over his features.

“
Oh no you don't, Michel! You cannot use ghouls to do your bidding.” My voice must have risen, because I suddenly felt
Sanguis Vitam
electrifying the air around me, blocking any of what I said from those nearest our table. It hadn't really hurt, but it did feel like a slap in the face. On more than one level.

“
Perhaps, we should continue this conversation elsewhere.” He rose and came to offer his hand.

I stared at it for a moment, refusing to give in to the blush that was threatening my cheeks and then simply ignored the offered hand and walked past him to the exit of the restaurant and into the night.

A few minutes later he came through the front door and joined me on the sidewalk. I glared at him. He didn't apologise, I hadn't expected him to, hoped for, but not expected. He offered me his arm and said, “Shall we walk?”

It wasn't really a request, but I gave him a good hard look before admitting we still had more to discuss. Pushing my anger and humiliation aside, I carefully laced my arm in his.

He felt hard and strong against my forearm, he pulled me a little closer, so we were shoulder to shoulder. I could feel the warmth of his body along the full length of mine. His hand stroked the back of mine as it was laced through his arm, his entire presence so near sent shockwaves down my side. I don't think I had ever voluntarily been this close to Michel before for any extended period of time. I fought the thought that it felt so good so hard, but I don't think I was winning.

We walked past all the crowds of people milling around the waterfront bars, past the upmarket stores and on down towards the ferry terminal and its ornately moulded concrete building.

Downtown was busy, as it usually is this time of night on a Friday. People laughing and shouting, walking arm and arm like we were. We blended in so well. No one would have suspected we weren't human.
Had I actually just thought that?

We crossed the road at the intersection and headed up Queen Street, passing souvenir shops, late night fast food joints and closed businesses and banks on the way. Finally Michel spoke. “He will use our own ghouls against us, as well as those he brings to our shore. We can not allow that, my dear.”

I knew what Michel was saying, but I still had to believe there was another way to combat Max. Lowering ourselves to his level was unacceptable. Michel being the vampire that he is, could not see that. I had to make him understand. The only way I could think that that may ever happen, was to make him meet a ghoul in person.

You see, vampires may be able to control ghouls to do their bidding, but they have absolutely nothing to do with them ordinarily. They actually shy away from them and pretend they don't even exist. Sure they set rules in their master owned cities for
all
supernaturals, including of course ghouls, to adhere to, but they don't choose to get to know them. They consider them like dirt on the bottom of their shoes most of the time and when needed, just a means to an end.

Ghouls, on the other hand, detest vampires with a bitter hatred. They welcome the anonymity the vampires give them and cherish the fact that most of the time they don't even register on a vampire's radar. I don't blame them, who would like the thought of a vampire having that sort of control over your actions and life should he choose. A bit like how I was feeling right now, so I could relate to their cause.

“
I think you need to meet someone,” I finally answered.

He turned his head slightly toward me and raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner. Me suggesting that he should meet someone had been unexpected, I think. I'd like to believe I could do that from time to time - surprise him.

“
I have a friend who might be able to help us, but you have to promise to be on your best behaviour, Michel. And I mean: Absolute. Best. Behaviour. Got it?”

He seemed intrigued at that, a small smile curving those full red lips, a little glint in his eyes, different shades of blue swirling in their depths.

“
Of course, my dear, of course. Anything you say.”

Why was I beginning to believe he was playing with me again?

Pete is one of my contacts. A vampire hunter has to have their ear to the ground occasionally, just to keep tabs on what's happening, or potentially could be happening, in their city. Pete is my man. He's a ghoul, of course, and ghouls are particularly good at finding information. If they don't know what you're after, then they'll find out for you. Period. They have a reputation to uphold after all. But, their currency isn't cash. If you want info from a ghoul, you have to provide info back in return. And they'll only offer up info that warrants the level of info, you have given them too. They like to consider themselves the gateway to knowledge in any given place. Pete was the head honcho of knowledge in Auckland City.

He runs a sports bar in Newmarket, just off Broadway, behind all the trendy fashion shops. It's called
Guts and Glory.
The Norms don't get the joke, but I kind of like it. Poetic, don't you think? He keeps it crisp and clean, who would have thought a ghoul with a hunger for raw meat would like a clean floor in his bar, but he does. Glasses sparkle, coasters abound. You
don't
want to start a food fight here. It would cost you an arm and a leg, literally. I don't think he'd have anything remotely like the champagne we just had with dinner, it's beer or beer all the way. If he really likes you, he'll spot you a pack of peanuts on the side.

The big flat screen plasma TV was playing a re-run of an All Blacks rugby game when we walked in. I couldn't tell who they were playing. Australia? South Africa? I always get those two mixed up. A few people were watching it, but most were just enjoying each other's company and ignoring the commentator altogether. The volume wasn't loud, just enough for those hardcore rugby fans at the front to be able to hear over the conversations throughout the pub.

Pete was in his element, behind the bar, cleaning glasses with a fluffy white cloth as he talked to a couple of guys at the counter. Ghouls. There were about six of them here throughout the room, all visibly stiffening when we entered. I was going to have to win Pete over quickly with my unexpected companion in tow.

“
Luce. Long time no see. I see you brought a guest.”

Pete doesn't beat about the bush. Ghouls are straight forward, no bull kind of guys. I guess that's why I like them. None of this innuendo crap and complicated games that I constantly get with the vamps.

He'd stopped cleaning and put both the fluffy white cloth and tall schooner glass down behind the counter, both his hands were resting on the counter top, balled in fists. OK.

“
Hey, Pete. Good to see ya. Can I have my usual?”

“
You can. Not him. I wont serve his kind in my bar.”

“
You do not have what I desire,
ghoul,
” Michel practically growled.

I sighed, this was going to be tougher than I thought.

“
Sit down, Michel,” I said tugging him into the bar seat beside me. I was surprised he let me do it, so was Pete by the look on his face. Maybe Michel was trying to stick to his promise to be good after all.

“
Pete, I guess you know Michel?”

Just a nod. Short, to the point. That's my boy.

“
Michel, this is Pete. He runs the place and has his ear to the ground.”

Michel slowly inclined his head, his eyes a slight purple colour in amongst the blue. Great.

The formalities over, Pete filled the schooner glass he had just been cleaning with some draught beer and pushed it across the bar top toward me. I like my lager pale. I took a sip quickly to calm my nerves.

Although ghouls are particularly straight-forward creatures, it's best not to rush into things too quickly with them. They like to banter a bit, although I was picking Pete would be happy to forgo that ritual if it meant Michel would leave sooner. A vampire in his bar was probably not good for ghoul business.

“
So, heard anything handy lately?”

He picked up another glass and started cleaning, never moving his eyes off Michel. “Things are heating up, but I'd guess you'd be aware of that, wouldn't you, Luce.”

“
What kind of things, Pete?”

“
Now come on, Luce, you know the deal. Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.”

Michel growled at that, low enough that only the three of us could hear over the noise in the bar. I put a hand on his sleeve to calm him, he immediately took hold of it with his other and started softly rubbing the back of it lightly with his thumb. Pete paused in his cleaning duty and stared at the motion. I fought a blush. Men.

Carefully removing my hand from Michel, who now wore  a slight smirk, I used it to play with the condensation on the side of my schooner of beer as though it was the most important thing right then. Better to look busy, I guess.

OK, Pete didn't want to beat around the bush, so right to it then. “There's a war brewing, Pete and we need your help.”

“
Yeah. So you say. Give me something I can work with.”

All right, so I had spent the entire trip over here in the taxi trying to formulate a plan, one that wouldn't put me in the centre of this scenario. But right now, I figured the truth was all Pete was going to go for. If I wanted him to trust me, and by extension the vamp that was feigning casual disinterest by glancing around the bar right now next to me, then I'd have to pull out the big guns. Unfortunately, the big guns were probably going to get me into more trouble than it was worth.

“
It's over me.”

He stopped looking at Michel then and turned his undivided attention on me.

“
Why?”

Michel casually moved his arm to rest behind my shoulders, he didn't touch me as such, just left his hand on the top of my stool's back. I'm not sure if he was encouraging me, discouraging me, or just letting the world know
I was his
, but I'd started this, so I might as well finish it now too.

“
A vamp named Maximilian wants me as his own and he's threatened to use ghouls against the city if I don't comply.”

Michel's arm abruptly left my chair. Oh, so I guess it was
discouraging me
then. Oops.

The thing is, I know Michel wanted that whole
using the ghouls
thing kept on the hush, so he could use the ghouls without their knowledge, but that was the reason for bringing him here. I did
not
want him to use the ghouls without their consent. I wanted to find a way to get them on board willingly, and Michel needed to be here to agree to it.

“
Why does he want you, Luce?”

Now two can play at the bartering information thing, I certainly wasn't going to offer up anything else if I could help it, without first getting something to go on from Pete. I wasn't new to this game after all.

“
No. Your turn. What have you heard?”

He smiled an appreciative smile. I think the ghouls don't like their informational sources to be push overs. Always do business with people you respect.

“
There's a bunch of ghouls in Sydney on the move. Unheard of really, that's why it got my man's attention. Couldn't find out what they were up to, but the intention seemed clear. They're on the hunt and it's not in their own backyard.”

“
How many?”

He was obviously in a generous mood, or my information was worth more than I had thought, because he answered straight away, “One hundred, maybe more.”

Shit. One hundred ghouls was practically a dozen legions of soldiers; SAS, Green Beret, Navy Seals, combined. This was
not
good news and I felt, rather than saw, Michel stiffen ever so slightly at it.

“
That's big. You think they're coming here?” I asked Pete.

“
What do you think, Luce? You tell me, would your Maximilian go for Aussie
Jinn
?”

“
He's not my Maximilian,” I answered automatically. “And yes, he would.”

“
Then, you've got a big problem, haven't you? And that observation was on the house. You want anything else, pay.”