Daughter of the Night

The werewolves led us through the foyer, still dusty from disuse. Clearly, the wolves didn’t use the front entrance to come in. I wondered at their real entranceway, but there wasn’t any reason for me to find it.

Aerrinaekaiyan was visibly struggling with his habit of putting his hand on the hilt of his sword; in this situation such an action would have violent connotations. He caught me looking at him from the corner of my eye and pulled a face.

We were lead up a marble flight of stairs, then another, and then down a hallway and to another less majestic, more practical flight of emergency stairs. Still we climbed upwards. I counted six floors before we finally were led to a much better maintained section of the hotel. The upholstery was shockingly tasteful, although the werewolf stench was everywhere.

As we arrived at the front of a very expensive, ornately carved deep cherry-colored door, several more werewolves seemed to materialize into the wide hallway.

“Sasha, what the hell is this?!” exclaimed one werewolf to the female, gesturing at Aerrin and me. His buddies glowered at us, showing off their fangs. I reciprocated immediately, fully extending my own. Aerrin elbowed me in the ribs and I shot him an evil glare before turning from them to appraise the female’s response.

“They’re here under terms of peace to negotiate an alliance,” she replied curtly. Clearly, she wasn’t on the best relations with these werewolves.

“They’re here to get themselves killed in nasty and creative methods is more like it,” the werewolf chortled to his friends.

I stepped forward, but Aerrin caught my arm and pulled me back. “I think we’re capable of defending ourselves,” he said mildly to the dogs.

Especially from the likes of you, I wanted to say, but I managed to bite my tongue. I didn’t think Aerrin would appreciate me saying that.

The werewolves looked him up and down slowly, evaluating him. Their eyes caught on the three and a half feet of faerie steel poking over his shoulder and the way he held himself, as if he was totally relaxed and confident even when surrounded by potential enemies as he was. His warrior stance would make even me give him a second glance.

“Who’re you?” one asked.

“Aerrinaekaiyan, Summer Knight of the Court of the Fae,” he said with a flourishing bow. Although he looked entirely sincere, I knew him well enough to recognize that he was mocking the werewolves big time. Being a species of lesser intelligence, however, they failed to detect it.

“And what’s that doing here?” said another, looking distastefully at me.

“Muzzle yourself, mutt,” I snarled without thinking, “before I do it for you.”

My hostility was met immediately with wolfish growls, too rough and deep for a human voice to form.

Aerrin shoved me back against the wall, out of sight. “What she means to say,” he informed the werewolves, “is that she is here to oversee this step in the process of Dracula’s overthrow as an active member of the alliance, and she is not here to start trouble with gentlemen like yourselves.”

I was about to open my mouth and correct him, but he shot me a rapid look of warning, complete with a tiny sideways shake of his head. It was then that I realized that I should really take backseat with the negotiations, because Aerrin had far more self-control than I did. Not that I minded.

Just before the obnoxious werewolf boy was about to respond, a secretary of sorts poked her head out of the office door. “The Alpha’s ready to see you now,” she informed us. Her voice reminded me of shards of ice.

Aerrin gave me another glance, reminding me to stay in line and follow his lead, before turning to the office door and following the female werewolf inside. I went after him as soon as I gave the werewolves outside a long, measuring glare. They returned my gaze, but none of us was about to put our feelings to voice with Aerrinaekaiyan present. I merely saw no reason to irritate him needlessly, but those dogs did not want to see what Wildfire looked like unsheathed.

The office was large and open, with no furniture in the middle of the room. Lining the walls on either side were bookshelves filled with ancient tomes and volumes of encyclopedias, as well as binders filled with reports.

The walls not covered with books were a deep red, and the far wall behind the huge desk sported a gigantic window that gave a great view to the city. The room was lit with a crystal chandelier in the center of the ceiling.

My eyes were pulled up over the enormous antique desk to the werewolf sitting behind it. He rested his lips against his folded fingers, elbows splayed on the desk as he studied us with ice-pale blue eyes. His light brown hair was clipped short, revealing a silvery scar that twisted through his left eyebrow down to the corner of his eye. A sharp nose and strong jaw made him appear fairly attractive, for a dog.

My initial distaste was almost immediately swept away by surprise; he was young. This new Alpha couldn’t be more than twenty-five. Last time I had checked, pack leaders were the most experienced and therefore usually one of the oldest werewolves. This kid must either be a puppet to a power behind-the-scenes, or he was a sheer genius to be in such a position at such an age.

I heard Aerrin make a sound in his throat and looked at him curiously. His eyebrows were drawn together as he saw the Alpha, almost as if he had had a revelation. His hand went almost halfway to Wildfire’s hilt before he forced it back down to his side.

“Greetings,” the Summer Knight called to the Alpha, and as my vision was pulled back to the werewolf behind the desk I noticed exactly how tightly his fingers were knit; they were white from pressure, as if the werewolf was restraining himself from leaping over the desk and attacking us. That he did restrain himself impressed me; werewolves were not known for their self-control.

The werewolf rose slowly from his chair, his whole body rigid. He wore a white button-down shirt and dark jeans, which seemed out of place to me, although I didn’t know what Alphas were supposed to wear.

“I am told you are here to form an alliance,” the Alpha said slowly. Even his voice was etched with suppressed fury.

“Correct,” Aerrin replied calmly, green eyes catlike in the light.

The Alpha’s eyes roamed from Aerrin over Aerrin, and I realized that they were filled with pure hatred.

“You’ll have to have an excellent reason,” the werewolf said slowly, “as to why I should ally my pack with the murderer of my mother.”

I blinked, thinking he was referring to me, when I realized that all the hostility was directed at the Summer Knight. I tilted my head, curious at this progression of events.

“I have never met your mother,” Aerrin informed the werewolf, “and I certainly have not moved against her, let alone killed her.”

The Alpha pulled back his lips, revealing stark white canines. “Not directly, no. But you freed that.”

Okay, now he was referring to me. And I didn’t like being called ‘that’.

“Careful, werewolf,” I spat. “You may not want me as your ally, but you do not want me as your enemy.”

The little brat had the audacity to snort as if my threat had been a bluff. “Says the creature that goes limp as a sleeping babe at the first hint of sunlight. You weren’t quite so feisty when you were chained to the rooftop, vampire.”

I leapt for his throat before the last words even fell from his mouth, the monster in me surging forward on a wave of bloodlust.

Aerrinaekaiyan was on me in a flash, before I even saw him move. He barreled into my side and sent both of us crashing against one of the bookshelves, which resulted in several of the old tomes falling on top of us.

The monster brought my claws towards his chest in an instinctive counterattack before I saw his face and reminded myself that this was Aerrin. I still strained to throw him off me, which I could have done with ease given a few seconds.

“Cross,” he hissed at me, “he’s trying to provoke you into making the first move. That way, he can accuse us of attempted assassination. He can’t attack us first, however, without triggering the wrath of the Fae. He wants you to do this! Don’t let him win.”

I exhaled slowly as Aerrin rolled off my back, trying to regain control of my emotions. I rose to my feet, shaking off several large encyclopedias as I did so.

The office door swung open to reveal eight or so werewolves eagerly pressed into the entranceway.

“Did it start-oh,” one said, disappointment clear in her voice as she realized that none of us were engaged in mortal combat. The door swung shut before the Alpha could say anything, hiding the pack members from view. It was only the four of us in the office once more.

“Your barbaric nature makes you extraordinarily predictable,” the Alpha commented as he leaned against the front of his desk and crossed his arms, entirely unruffled by my display. “Fascinating that you’re even sentient through all your violent tendencies. To a lesser degree, at least.”

“Those were some big words for a werewolf,” I snarled. “I was under the impression that your doggy brains didn’t have the retention span required for anything above two syllables.”

The Alpha’s eyes narrowed, but Aerrin stepped between us before he could respond.

“Shame, Moonchaser!” the Summer Knight finally snapped, using an ancient title of the werewolves to address the Alpha. “I dare not believe that the Children of the Moon have stooped to such a level! You know the true culprit of your suffering, yet you cower from the concept of retaliation! We offer you an opportunity at vengeance, yet all you can do is lash out at us, potential allies, in fear! Do you not have the strength to challenge Dracula for his actions against your people?”

As he finished speaking, he exhaled slowly through his nose, emerald eyes flashing dangerously. I, for one, was mildly shocked. I had never seen Aerrin lose his temper before, and I had never expected him to be able to wield words with as deadly an effect as his sword.

The Alpha’s face had drained of all color so that only the icy color of his eyes remained. I looked from him to Aerrin and realized that the faerie was, of course, using his powers over emotion to the fullest. Although the Alpha’s face remained expressionless, I could see doubt and shame flicker in his eyes. Still, his determination was strong and his hatred was still dominant.

“We had the means to save my mother,” the Alpha growled, “and you prevented us from saving her! You knowingly rescued that-that abomination at the cost of my mother’s life! Mark my words, faerie, you are going to pay.”

“Weak,” Aerrinaekaiyan said, steel in his voice. “With a broken leader, your people are weak. You are blind to the truth; you read the letter as surely as I did. You know it was Dracula who took your mother hostage, Dracula who murdered her in cold blood. Do not deceive yourself, boy!”

“Your actions caused her death!” the Alpha shouted, his eyes wild. He sank into a crouch not unlike my own hunting stance, although he resembled a crazed wolf more than anything. I almost felt a stab of sympathy for the werewolf. Almost.

“My actions saved the life of a person I care about,” Aerrinaekaiyan responded, his voice pitched at a lethal note that I had never heard before. “You detest me for succeeding where you failed. I empathize with your pain, but not only is your fury misdirected, it is childish. Your own immaturity will destroy your pack long before Dracula’s Court will be able to. I represent the Fae when I ask you to discuss an alliance with the intent of destroying Dracula. We are a powerful nation, boy, and not one you may brush off easily! I advise you to reconsider our offer, Alpha, for it is more salutary for your people than your own petty hatred.”

The werewolf exhaled hard, his icy eyes glazed as he processed his options. The seconds ticked by, and I watched the rigid set of Aerrin’s shoulders as he warred with the Alpha’s emotions as well as his logic.

Finally, the werewolf straightened from his stance, relaxing his posture. “My mother will be avenged,” the Alpha said. “Dracula will die.”

Aerrin nodded curtly in approval.

“Her vengeance will be complete,” the Alpha went on, his face hardening. “So you, also, will die by my hands.”

Aerrin nodded again, unsurprised, and I had to catch myself from letting my jaw drop in shock. He had seen this coming!

“If you can kill me,” the Summer Knight corrected coolly. “I presume you are challenging me to an honor duel?”

“Correct,” the Alpha said.

“My weapon will be Wildfire,” Aerrinaekaiyan told the werewolf. “Where do you want to do this?”

“My weapon is myself,” the Alpha informed us, “and there is enough space inside the front entrance.”

“Fine.” The Summer Knight turned and swung open the office door, ignoring the gathered werewolves who had been eavesdropping on our conversation. As soon as they saw him, they parted to either side to allow him to pass. From what I could tell, they were in awe of the faerie that had subdued their leader with words.

Because the front entrance was where we came in, Aerrin and I led the procession of werewolves back through the hallways and down the stairs.

“What the hell is this?” I hissed at him.

He looked at me sideways, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “I’m one of the filthy manipulative Fae, remember? I just did what we’re best at.”

“You manipulated him into challenging you to a duel?”

“Yes. It was either that or sit there and let you two fling insults at each other like a jacked-up ‘Yo Mama’ contest. That would have only resulted in the two of you rolling on the floor trying to rip out each other’s throats.”

I digested this slowly. “Can you explain why he thinks you’re responsible for his mother’s death?”

Aerrinaekaiyan grimaced. “I am, indirectly. When I was hunting for you, I told you about the letter I found in this office, right?”

“That was this office?”

“Yeah. Anyways, the letter didn’t actually come right out and say ‘Cross is on the roof’; I figured it out because it was a ransom note from the Court of Dracula to the Beta of this werewolf pack. Not only did it list your weaknesses, which is how I figured out you were being exposed to the sunlight, but it said that the vamps had kidnapped the werewolf Alpha and would kill her unless you were given to them by a certain date.”

I felt the comprehension flow across my face. “So you were aware that saving me would be condemning this previous Alpha, and the werewolves figured out that you had been in that office as a human and had read the letter and then rescued me anyways, and then you admitted to being that human, so now the old Alpha’s son hates you.”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Okay,” I said, much happier now that I understood what was going on. “That still doesn’t change the fact that you’re about to fight to the death in an honor duel.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “And?”

“Don’t get killed,” I mumbled to the wall.

A grin split his face. “What was that?”

I glowered at him. “You heard me, you bastard.”

He adopted a serious expression. “I don’t plan to,” he informed me. “But if I’m gravely wounded, I expect you to nurse me back to health.”

I threw back my head and laughed. “Not a chance. You’re on your own for that one, my friend.”

“I still have hope," he said with a grin as we reached the first floor. Muffled sounds of werewolves echoed down the stairwell behind us.

We stepped into the foyer and I observed it with a renewed interest. It was huge, so Aerrin would have enough space to use Wildfire without worrying about being hampered by the walls. The floor was solid stone, which wasn’t good for Aerrin’s style, which was very aerobatic; he tended to roll a lot, but the cold stones would be painfully hard at best. Also, there were clouds of dust all over everything, which not only was disgusting, it would make it easier to slip.

The werewolves followed us down and they crowded into a semicircle around the front door, effectively blocking the front entrance in case either of us was thinking of running.

“Combatants, step forward,” a female werewolf said, and I recognized her as the one from before, Sasha.

Aerrin stepped away from my side, sliding with ease into his warrior mentality. His eyes lost their usual playfulness and filled instead with lethal intensity. The façade of innocence that he usually wore dropped away, and with it, any illusions the werewolves had that Aerrinaekaiyan was a youth not unlike their Alpha. The Summer Knight was a seasoned warrior, older than any of the Children of the Moon present, and the werewolves were just coming to realize it.

“What is your choice of weaponry?” Sasha asked each of the combatants. When they replied, she ordered them to shed any extra weaponry.

The Alpha made no movement, for he was unarmed, but Aerrin immediately reached around to the small of his back, where he pulled his sheathed double daggers out of their harness. He threw those aside before bending to one knee and fishing two more throwing knives out of either shoe. He threw the four knives onto his pile before standing and reaching up his jacket sleeves, where he freed another collection of tantos. Those went on the pile as well before he unzipped his jacket and reached into the inner pockets, where he removed a deadly silk cord and several small grenade-looking things, which I assumed were more powerful than human grenades. He then got another pair of daggers, shorter and wider than his earlier twin blades, out of his jacket pockets and placed those with his others.

The werewolves looked more and more impressed as Aerrin’s pile of armaments grew rapidly into a miniature mountain.

“Are you sure you got everything?” Sasha asked faintly. Aerrin considered her briefly before reaching into his jeans pockets and removing a pair of studded brass knuckles made of faerie steel. He threw those onto the pile.

“Now I’m clean,” he said, flashing his teeth in a lethal grin.

I snorted. The werewolves didn’t think the situation was as humorous and glared angrily at me. I looked back disinterestedly before returning my gaze to the duelists.

“State your names,” Sasha said.

“Aerrinaekaiyan, Summer Knight of the Court of the Fae.”

“Dacian Krull, Alpha of the Brooklyn Werewolf pack.”

“Bow to show respect,” she commanded, and the two did so, albeit stiffly and while maintaining heated eye contact.

The female werewolf backed up slowly until she merged with the wall of her pack members, away from the fight. “Commence.”