Brimstone Bound (Firebrand, #1)

by Helen Harper

She regarded me implacably. ‘It’s very rare that trainees like you are given a rotation to Supernatural Squad. You should look on it as an honour.’ But it wasn’t an honour. As green as I was, even I knew that nothing could be further from the truth. ‘I’d been expecting Cyber Crime,’ I said, aware of the tinge of desperation in my tone.

Oo

Yes.’ I folded my arms and glared at him. ‘And I’m dressed like this because I was expecting to be placed with Cyber Crimes for the next two weeks. Not with you.’ I sniffed. ‘I’m not any happier about this than you are, but it’s for fourteen days. I’d prefer it if those days weren’t spent with a monosyllabic mentor who does nothing but gripe. And I’m sure you’d prefer it if I could actually be of some help to you. Which,’ I added pointedly, ‘I can be, if you let me.’ From behind her desk, Phyllis stared at us goggle-eyed. I wondered if I’d gone too far and had already blown my chances of getting a good report or learning anything useful during the next two weeks. Then Tony threw back his head and laughed, before clapping me heartily on the shoulder. ‘Well, well, well,’ he chortled. ‘So the little mouse can roar. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all. What did you do, anyway?’ ‘What do you mean?’ He waved a hand. ‘What did you do to get yourself lumbered with this gig? We never get trainees at Supes.’ My mouth tightened. ‘I don’t know what I did,’ I muttered. ‘But I’ll make the best of it, regardless.’

><

‘And?’ And that was it; that was the extent of my knowledge. I shrugged. There was no point pretending otherwise. Somewhat surprisingly, Tony looked pleased. ‘Good,’ he said. ‘You know absolutely fuck all and that means you’re not a groupie. There’s been a few of those in the department. It’s hard enough to do our jobs as it is, but when you’ve got police officers who go weak at the knees at the first glimpse of a fang or a patch of fur, it can become nigh on impossible.’

Oo .... that seems bordering on predjudice to me?

‘What’s that smell?’ I asked, as much to myself as to Tony who was striding ahead. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. ‘You got wolf in your family?’ he enquired. I was taken aback. ‘No. Of course not.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘You can smell the herbs, though.’ ‘They’re not exactly subtle. And when you say herbs—’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t get your panties in a twist. They’re nothing illegal. It’s verbena blended with wolfsbane.’ ‘To ward off the supes?’ I guessed. ‘Yep.’ He started walking again. ‘Does it work?’ ‘No.’

Oo .... so it's for the sake of whoever writes policy?

‘Sure. They just don’t choose to do it much. Think of the vamps as students – partying all night, sleeping all day.’ ‘And the wolves?’ Tony pursed his lips. ‘They’re dogs. They mark their territory and are food obsessed.’ He paused and his voice dropped slightly, as if he were afraid that he’d be overheard. ‘Don’t underestimate them, though. Any of them. No matter what anyone would have you believe, both groups are still predators. They’re at the top of the food chain. They keep us at bay through some nifty lawyer tricks, but if they wanted to rule this city they could do it in a heartbeat.’ We passed under the arch and into the werewolves’ quarter. I suppressed the shudder that ran down my spine and considered what Tony had said. ‘So,’ I said finally, ‘Supernatural Squad is essentially window dressing?’ Tony nodded approvingly. ‘Pretty much. Our presence appeases those humans who are intelligent enough to be scared of the supes, but we don’t have any power.

hrm

‘Why did you stop me from telling him my real name?’ ‘Because our job is to fit into the supes’ way of doing things. Not the other way around. And the supes’ way is that you don’t tell an outsider your real name unless you absolutely trust them. They believe that names have power. Fluff-headed nonsense, if you ask me, but when in Rome…’ ‘He knew your real name.’ A trace of a smile crossed Tony’s mouth. ‘Yeah. But I’m a foolish old man who’s been here too long. I gave my name freely in the hope that it would encourage the supe community to trust me. Needless to say, it didn’t work.’

Oo

He held up his hands in mock horror. ‘Just when I was beginning to like you. Supes is most definitely not the right place for you. Don’t you dare tell anyone else.’ He glared at Cassidy. ‘Don’t you go blabbing to anyone either, Cass.’ He sighed. ‘We’re in the bloodiest, most meat-driven quarter in the entire City of London, and those idiots at Head Office send me a vegetarian. Unbelievable.’

^-0

Her jaw worked uselessly. ‘I’m Emma.’ I glanced at the ID clipped to her coat. ‘You’re Dr Hawes? Have you been a pathologist for long?’ I gestured at myself. ‘Because you might need some re-training.’ I’d never seen anyone look so pale. ‘You were dead,’ she whispered. ‘Clearly not.’ She lifted her chin. ‘No. You were definitely dead.’ She shook herself, her hand automatically going to the small gold cross around her neck.

Oo

Fuck that. I tightened my grip around the body bag-cum-latest-fashion-item and marched after her. I wasn’t going to let Dr Hawes out of my sight, not until I got my stuff back and received some sort of explanation – and apology – for whatever had happened to me.

Oo

‘I should report all of this, of course,’ Laura said. I started to shake my head in alarm, but she was already there. ‘However, I reckon you’ve got enough problems as it is. The faster you get out of here the better. Someone tried to kill you, Emma. Hell, someone did kill you. We can worry about the whys and wherefores of your resurrection later. Right now, you need to work out who sliced open your throat so you can stop them from doing it again. There’s no guarantee that you’ll wake up a second time.’

Atta girl

Laura squeezed my arm. ‘I’ll hold the fort here. I won’t manage it for more than a couple of days, but I can postpone your post-mortem and make up something about other cases when the police come calling. It actually helps that they weren’t able to identify you immediately. With nothing else to go on, your case will be put on a back burner.’ She nodded decisively. ‘And if the worst happens, I can always pretend to lose your body for a day or two. I can’t keep it up forever, but it’ll buy you some time.’ She hesitated. ‘I should draw some blood from you.’ ‘To test for vampirism or signs that I’m turning furry?’ I guessed. ‘Yeah.’ She looked apologetic. ‘There’s no sign that you are, but then I’ve never seen a corpse reanimate before.’ She peered at me. ‘You don’t feel the sudden urge to eat brains, do you?’ I tried to smile. ‘No. But I could murder a cheese sandwich.’ ‘Then you’re absolutely fine.’

:)

‘Is that because he’s already in a committed relationship?’ I asked. He barked a laugh. ‘No! Because he’s got women of all ages and types throwing themselves at him all day long. The man’s virtually got his own harem.’ Oh. That made more sense. ‘The vamps are all about fun,’ Fred said. ‘And the wolves are all about seriousness and stiff upper lips.’ There was a wistful note to his tone. I cast him a sidelong glance and wondered if he had a hankering to be turned. I thought he seemed far too lethargic to fit in with either group.

Oo

I held the crossbow loosely at my side, doing my best to appear casual about it, because nothing proclaims confidence more than relaxed insouciance.

Oo The opposite of walking quickly while looking at a clipboard. ;)

There was something about the façade of the hotel that always made me think of Paris. Not that I’d ever been to Paris, but I’d seen enough of the French capital on television to know that the glitzy DeVane was designed with that intention. I’d never set foot inside it – why would I have? It was the sort of place that’s very existence made someone on my salary feel inadequate.

probably the point

My mentor, Detective Constable Brown, has gone missing and his trail leads here. I need to locate him before his disappearance creates a bigger incident.’ Wilma Kennard winced. If there was one thing worse than having a crossbow-bearing police officer wandering through your hotel and scaring your guests, it was having an entire troop of police officers searching your hallways for a missing colleague. Trainee or not, she wanted to deal with me with the least amount of possible fuss; if that meant giving me access, that was what she was prepared to do.

:)

‘Jedi mind tricks again?’ Lukas glanced at me. ‘I don’t have a light sabre, but I’d take on Luke Skywalker any day. He wouldn’t stand a chance.’ Did that mean the vampire belonged to the dark side? It wouldn’t have surprised me.

:)

I saw the anger in his dark eyes. ‘Check the window,’ he said. ‘Can it be opened?’ I stared at him. ‘We’re on the fourth floor.’ ‘We’re not in your world any longer, D’Artagnan,’ he retorted. ‘Humour me.’

Point ... newbie check yourself.

Barnes stared at me. ‘Did you know this was going to happen?’ the vampire asked. She flinched. ‘No,’ she whispered. ‘I had no clue. Have you tasted her?’ He smiled, clearly amused. ‘I don’t think we’ve reached that stage in our relationship yet.’ I flicked my eyes from one to the other. ‘What the fuck is going on here? Are you discussing drinking my blood? And why on earth would DSI Barnes have known what was going to happen?’ I got to my feet, raising my voice. ‘What the hell is this?’ ‘Sit down.’ Barnes sighed. ‘There’s no great conspiracy here.’ ‘That’s not what it sounds like to me!’ ‘Sit down,’ she repeated, her expression returning to its usual hard-nosed professional facade, ‘and I’ll explain.’ I did as I was told like a recalcitrant child. I’d hear her out – but I wanted some fucking answers.

I mean who wouldn't?

We’ve been searching for a detective who is willing to learn, and has the potential to grow into the job, but who won’t let their head be turned by what the supes have to offer. Someone who won’t take any shit.’ I met her eyes. ‘Me,’ I said flatly. ‘You are our opening gambit. You meet our skill requirements and, as a trainee, you haven’t got the baggage that other detectives might carry.’ She leaned forward. ‘Please understand that you’d never be forced into taking a position at Supe Squad. The plan was that we would discuss it with you at the end of your rotation. If you found the notion distasteful, we would never mention it again. There are plenty more trainees where you came from.’ I frowned. ‘You should have explained this to me at the start.’ ‘If we had, your attitude would have been different. We need someone who is completely unbiased.’ ‘Well,’ I remarked, ‘you won’t find a much more unbiased police officer than a dead one. Good work.’ DSI Barnes winced.

oO

‘In theory,’ he continued, ‘Brown used the herbs to root out any supes who are hiding their identity. It’s a technique Supe Squad have used for decades.’ ‘And in practice?’ ‘Could be habit. But it’s probably for the tourists.’ I frowned. ‘To impress them?’ Lukas laughed. ‘No. To ward off all those idiots who appear at the door convinced that they themselves are supes.

oO

when they’re in human form, werewolves still possess an inherent wildness that can make them wholly unpredictable and incredibly dangerous.’ ‘Unlike vampires, who are warm and cuddly?’ ‘Werewolves are governed by the moon,’ he responded without rancour. ‘They are less in control of themselves than we are. And full moon is only a few nights away.’ He waved a hand. ‘The closer it is, the longer the wolves stay out for. They sleep less. From tomorrow, they’ll start fasting in preparation. A tired, hungry animal should always be approached with caution.’

Fasting? Why?

We vampires might be able to go out during the day, but at heart we’re creatures of the night. I’ll walk. And I’ll enjoy every breath of the sweet, dark air.’ Okay then. ‘That’s not creepy at all,’ I muttered.

Oo

Fred handed me a cup of coffee. I had the odd sensation that my near-total collapse on his sofa of choice had made him decide that we were now kindred spirits. ‘Thank you.’

heh

‘I’ll repeat what I just said. I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ Lukas’s expression was patient. ‘Lady Sullivan is the clan alpha.’ ‘Yep. Got that.’ ‘Beneath her are a dozen betas.’ ‘Okay.’ ‘Then there are selsas, who rank below the betas. Below the selsas are the deltas. Then the gammas, who are the betas of the deltas, followed by epsilons, zetas and iotas. Iotas are the pups. That’s not including the omegas, those wolves who are on the periphery of the clan and outside the usual hierarchy for a variety of reasons.’ I stared at him. ‘Are you even speaking English?’ Lukas let out a short laugh. ‘I gave you the condensed version. It’s not difficult. I thought everyone knew about the wolves’ hierarchy.’ ‘I knew there was a hierarchy,’ I muttered. ‘I didn’t know it was so complicated or that it was going to sound like an American college fraternity.’

darn hoity toity latin/greek users

Maybe nobody had thought to tell me that because they believed I already knew. My lack of knowledge of the supernatural world was proving an insuperable barrier in this investigation. ‘I’ll never learn everything there is to know about supes,’ I muttered, as much to myself as to Kennedy. ‘We speak the same language, we live in the same city and we breathe the same air. And that’s about as far as it goes.’ ‘The greatest enemy of knowledge isn’t ignorance, it’s the refusal to do anything about that ignorance. That’s what we should really be afraid of. At least you’re trying.’

point -- ignorance can be cured, dumb is forever.

From her expression, she’d been expecting that demand. She might even have been hoping for it. ‘Very well.’ She rose to her feet. ‘I’ll make all the necessary arrangements.’ I watched as she picked up her bag. ‘Aren’t you going to say something along the lines of “I’m sure you won’t regret your decision”?’ DSI Barnes laughed. ‘Oh, I’m sure you will regret it.’ She smiled. ‘But that doesn’t mean it’s not the right decision to make.’ She nodded and walked out, leaving me alone in the office.

Oo