Vampire Babylon - Midnight Reign Part 34

She licked her dry lips. "I'm going to find out why this happened." Why Jonah had let it happen.

Yes. That made much more sense. Maybe she shouldn't be here at all right now.

"You're going to cut the Vampire Killer in two? Didn't you already say she's dead?" Matt was shaking his head, reaching out to her but knowing better not to touch. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Can you explain everything to me? Now, who died?"

"Breisi." The name was a coiled tightness in her throat.

"I'm sorry, Dawn. I'm so sorry."

He made as if to touch her again, but she jerked back. One sear of his skin against hers and it was over. She'd melt into him and dilute her hate. Dawn didn't want that because the hate felt too good, too just.

"Don't be sorry," she said, "just hunt with me."

His hands looked useless from the way he held them. "I want to help, but I'm still not sure what you're asking me to do. I need you to tell me everything. I won't go out there unarmed with a lack of information."

Her mind locked up. She wanted to argue that he should tell her everything, too, but it'd be fruitless. She was the one who needed his aid.

There was a gusting whoosh outside, a chop of wind. Matt fixed a glance on the window.

"The more you reveal," he said, "the better off we'll be."

A p.r.i.c.kle of unease stole over her. He sounded too demanding.

"Dawn?" he asked.

At that moment, she knew how stupid she was being. Coming here had been a strike against Jonah, a screw-you caused by the shock of Breisi's death.

Or was she finally in the right place?

She stood, cuffing at the sticky tears, wanting to erase them. She needed to think some more, needed to get away.

"I've got to take care of something first."

"Don't go." He seemed eager, rising to stand beside her. "Just talk to me. Don't allow Limpet to control you. He's done enough damage. Trust me."

Eva's dress floated past her mind's eye, flowered poison.

She held up her hands, getting it together. "I'll come back."

And she would. G.o.d help her, being around him was sending off flares of need under her skin; she didn't know how long she could keep herself off him in this moment of desperation. She wanted to feel life because death had struck her such a blow. She wanted to know that there was still some good around.

But...no. Not with Matt. He was Eva's. How many times did she have to remind herself of that?

"I'll call." She rushed toward his door.

He reached out for her again, but she yanked her arm away, sending him a hurt glare.

It was enough.

He turned around, his broad back to her as she left.

Shaken, she shut the door behind her and took a deep fill of oxygen. What had she almost done?

As the Friends surrounded her on the walk back to her car, her doubts set in again.

Should she have talked to Matt? Or was Jonah really on the right side? There wasn't anyone to turn to now....

Dawn got into her car, starting it. She had to ask The Voice, once and for all, what the h.e.l.l was happening.

And if he wouldn't answer, that's when she'd know what to do.

I NSIDE Matt Lonigan's house, the "private investigator" turned away from the window as Dawn's taillights streamed into the distance, disappearing from view like the extinguis.h.i.+ng of red eyes in the night.

Glancing at the back of his hand, he inspected the blood-thick scratches she'd given him during their spat, but even if she'd been angry, he knew she'd be back again. Dawn was caught between the Scylla and Charybdis, and she needed him.

He walked to the bolted door, removing the basketball backboard before unlocking it and opening the entrance. Welcome darkness. The scent of dank comfort. He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him and securing it. While climbing down the stairs, his boot steps echoed against the tunnel walls.

The walk was a long, subterranean stroll. His form tingled, reacting to the nearing proximity of his home, s.h.i.+fting degree by degree.

The scratches Dawn had given him healed because he willed them gone. In fact, whenever he was in Matt's body Above, he could choose to delay any patch-up work, just to seem more human-p.r.o.ne to injury. He could also be seen on film, in mirrors.

He could slow vitals on others, too.

Step by step, his shape quivered, the illusion of clothes seeping into his core, his features disappearing into the vaporous blur he preferred most times.

But when he arrived at a holding chamber, he s.h.i.+fted back into the body he'd been doubling Above. On second thought, he wasn't quite ready for his fun to end yet.

Scratching at the rock, Benedikte-also known as "Matt"-waited for the door to open.

Inside the holding room, the real Matt Lonigan turned away from Tamsin Greene, holding her jeweled fingers in his cupped hand.

He was being entertained by the Elite while waiting to switch off with Benedikte and go back Above to do his own Servant work.

"Done already?" Tamsin asked as Matt let go of her.

The Master nodded. "Sounds like there were some snags, but the most important parts were taken care of. Breisi Montoya and the Vampire Killer have been reported dead." He gestured for Tamsin to leave, knowing her Underground vows would keep her from spreading news about these activities to the lower vampires.

With one last saucy glance at the human Matt, she pulled her sheer, filmy white peignoir around her and exited.

The Servant saluted his master, never losing any of his affable ease. "You were quick this time."

"I had to get back-all this nonsense about the Guards not returning from their watch duty is causing concern. The Vampire Killer's camera transmission hasn't helped to clear up what's going on, either, since we couldn't see anything that happened after it cut out."

Benedikte knew why the broadcast had been sliced short. Earlier, after Dawn had surprised "Matt"-the Master-on the phone, he'd contacted the Underground to see why she was out of Eva's care. Interestingly enough, a breathless Eva herself had just come Underground and revealed a wild story to Sorin: it seemed that Frank Madison had rescued Dawn, then had gotten wind of the whole plan and taken his hunter daughter with him out to the woods in order to save his coworker Breisi. The fighters had no doubt been the reason for the Vampire Killer's transmission interruption.

Luckily for the Underground, Frank and Dawn had ended up playing right into the most important parts of the plan.

Across the room, human Matt was putting on his long coat. He was a PI who'd been lured to the Underground nearly a decade ago-one of their most loyal Servants, always cooperating to the fullest. That's why it'd been so natural for the Master to double him.

"So everything's in place?" the human asked.

"Seems so. Breisi Montoya, Limpet's best fighter, is gone. Kiko Daniels, their psychic, has mental powers no decent team would depend on at this point, and he's physically unable to stand against us. Many of their spirits are neutralized, too, because now that we know how to captivate Limpet's main resource, his little army is nothing."

"So Limpet's all alone now," Matt said.

"Almost." Something inside of Benedikte throbbed-a craving, a wounding hunger. "You'd probably agree that Dawn is the wild card, but I can tell you that she's primed to come to our side."

"All ours." The PI smiled.

The Master's hackles rose. "Not quite."

The Servant obviously knew what that meant. Dawn didn't belong to human Matt at all. In fact, he'd never even come face-to- face with her. Bringing her Underground-and using her to take down Limpet-had been the plan all along, ever since they'd heard she was back in Hollywood.

"Let Limpet attack now," Benedikte added. "We'll be ready for any ineffectual attempts."

"Congratulations." Matt reached out to shake hands, but pulled back when he realized it was too familiar. "We're almost done with the enemy. Pretty soon, it'll be back to good times."

Benedikte accepted the handshake anyway. "Now, I need you to go Above and fetch Charity Flynn, otherwise known as Amanda Grace. We're gathering all Elites, and she might need an escort to tear her away from her big premiere tonight."

"Got it."

The Master went on to brief the Servant as much as he could since the PI needed to know every interaction with Dawn so the masquerade would be complete, in case he ever did run into Dawn himself. He even went so far as to strike the stalwart human with wounds that matched the ones Dawn had inflicted on Benedikte. Then Matt took his leave.

Like Tamsin, he cast one last look back, bemus.e.m.e.nt clearly written all over his face.

It must've been strange to see your own body doubled-a walking, talking mirror reflection in life's funhouse.

And that's what existence had indeed become since Dawn Madison had arrived-bright, intriguing, and hopeful.

Within minutes, the real Matt finally left to return to his home Above, where he'd take up where the "other Matt" had left off, discretely going about life as usual in his regular job at the private investigation firm. He'd never been hired by any "mysterious client" to find Frank Madison-that had only been the Master's ruse to get close to Dawn. A good ruse. And Matt also wasn't a vampire hunter, as she clearly suspected. But there were a couple of truths to the charade: the real Matt's parents had been murdered, even though Servants had gone on the Internet and planted news stories to dramatize the circ.u.mstances. Using Bruce Wayne's mythology as a backstory had been too tempting for Benedikte to resist, but everyone Above had worked with that.

Alone now, the Master took a moment to compose himself. Preparation, the actors called it. Finally, he'd become one of them, no longer a coward who didn't want to see if he had what it took to "make it." With this body he'd a.s.sumed for Dawn's sake, he was performing the most award-worthy role in existence.

Eva would be proud.

He left the room, closing it up, then continued his tunnel walk toward the Underground. All the while, he transformed back into his most comfortable form: vapor-thick darkness.

As he transitioned, he thought of Dawn again, as he did more and more every day. His. She wasn't terribly pure, but that could be changed. Like the movies they made Above, the right props and scripts could make her the perfect woman someday.

He'd taken so many risks to be with her, made a few miscalculations, too-especially when he'd given Eva's dress to her. That had been idiotic, and it still bothered him. He'd been too intent on merging mother and daughter that night. But now he'd slow down, never do anything so heedless again. With Eva's help-and with "Matt's"-Dawn would be manipulated into bringing down Limpet.

Floating the rest of the way into the Underground, Benedikte went straight to a private room.

He stopped outside a one-way window, looking in from the outside. Through the pane, he could see Sorin scowling at a tentative Eva and her new guest.

As Benedikte focused on Frank Madison, his outline crackled.

Eva's story had been too strange not to be true. She'd told them that, after seeing how Frank had beaten Breisi's location out of Julia the Servant, Eva had tracked her husband to the woods. She'd been able to bring Frank back here, but only after losing Dawn to Limpet's unexpected "Friends." Too bad the Underground hadn't antic.i.p.ated them-one or two hidden Elites would've taken care of the protective ghosts and Dawn would be down here now, too.

Pressing against the window, Benedikte a.s.sessed his rival. Bedraggled, wide shoulders hunched, dark brown hair tufting up, Frank Madison's face was a study in blank expressionism. Not much compet.i.tion there. He would've made a nice Guard, actually. So why did he hold Eva under such a spell?

One glance at the way she hopelessly looked at her withdrawn husband increased the mystery even more. It charred Benedikte from the inside out, making him steam.

Didn't Frank appreciate Eva?

Master? It was Sorin, glancing at Benedikte from the corner of his eyesight.I'm here.

Benedikte hadn't updated his second in command about the meeting with Dawn yet. Using Awareness Above was foolish, since, over the years, he and Sorin had realized that it could be picked up on by blood brothers. It was only while they were buried under the earth's layers that vampires were free to use their powers without detection.

That's why the Master hadn't utilized more than one mind trick on Dawn. He'd tried to discover what she knew about Milton Crockett when she'd visited "Matt's" home that night, but she'd blocked him.

His Dawn was so good at that.

But here Below...Benedikte was tempted to infiltrate Eva's mind, just to see if she truly loved Frank as much as she said. Yet the Master wouldn't do it. His love was too pure for such games. Besides, Eva was skillful enough not to let him in if she chose to block her Awareness. She'd feel his efforts to invade, and he'd have to pay a big price for the attack.

As Sorin used his maker/high-child Awareness, he remained unruffled. So Eva has returned with her new pet. She said Frank found her after a month of "tooling around" in Alaska. He had grown weary of the private detective life-as is his pattern with jobs-and tried to procure work in a new, adventurous location. But, she claims, when he could not find employment, he returned to Los Angeles. Here, he was struck by Jacqueline Ashley's resemblance to Eva Claremont, and he tracked her to the house on Bedford. When he found her absent, he used a Limpet brain trick on Julia to ferret out information regarding Eva. At the same time, he came across the Vampire Killer scheme. Then he rescued Dawn and went to save his fellow hunter Breisi Montoya. Eva punished him well enough, but it is all fairly...interesting.

Can Julia confirm this?

Eva's Servant was mind altered by Frank...so it seems. Hence, there is no record of what actually happened tonight. Eva's story is the only one we have at the moment.

This was true: besides having no camera transmission save for the beginning of the Killer's performance, Sorin couldn't silently communicate with a bunch of distant Guards Above who were too weak to have word Awareness.

But...The Master went back to what Sorin had said about Eva. Was his son hinting that the Elite had brainwashed her Servant?

Eva would never do that. Sorin didn't know her at all-not like Benedikte did.

His son must've heard his thoughts. The danger is: Dawn Madison knows her mother is alive. Eva revealed herself, and now Dawn is on the loose. That was not supposed to happen, Master. When Dawn found out, we were supposed to have her under our sway already.

Sorin, Limpet is just about destroyed. Let him attack.

What if there is a different danger out there? What if Eva has revealed us to another with her carelessness?

Benedikte shook his head, on such a high with tonight's success that he couldn't be brought down. Dawn won't be a threat. She's just as alone as Limpet is right now.

Sorin paused. Eva did say that Dawn is disillusioned with her boss....

And in this disillusionment, she's going to turn to family and also to the one man Above who offers her help. That's Matt Lonigan.

And you know I've got that covered.

When Dawn had first gotten involved, Benedikte had been the one to come up with the masquerade. Since he could s.h.i.+ft into diverse forms, it only made sense. "Matt" would be there to place doubt in Dawn's mind about anyone else except him, just as he'd done a month ago at Klara Monaghan's crime scene. "Matt" would win her over, would direct her suspicions about these Vampire Killer murders away from actual vampires."Matt" was invaluable.

Besides, Benedikte had longed to meet her, and when he realized just how much she could help the Underground, justifying his growing attachment to her had been simple. And when there'd been an entire month during the lockdown when he'd only been able to phone her, excuses about his absence had been easy, too.

It was all easy.