Chapter 18 (Adam Novus Chronicles - Book 1)

I managed my two hours of sleep, and after another scalding hot shower went downstairs. It was a Sunday, so Nina was sleeping in. Given her werecat nature, not an unusual thing. Seriously, living for some time in the same house with someone exposes you to their various eccentricities. For example, if she didn’t get her eight hours of beauty sleep during the night, she was catty the entire day. (That was a nice pun.)

There wasn’t any food in the fridge, except for some frozen stuff I was not keen on defrosting, so I went outside to see if I could find some grub. My ribs felt almost fine, which I ascribed to the new amazing regenerative properties of my body that Doc talked about. One thing was for sure, my appetite certainly did not suffer on account of what happened last night.

Surprisingly enough, Mrs. Barkin’s bakery was opened and there was a lady behind the counter that could substitute as her double.

“I'm Zelda’s younger sister, Ruth. She’s gone to the hospital to be with her granddaughter,” she said after she caught me staring at her. I guess she was answering the same questions the entire morning and didn't wait to get asked anymore.

After picking up my order of three bear claws and a big cup of coffee, I went outside to enjoy my breakfast. There were a few unoccupied tables in front of the shop, and I managed to grab one. The sweet explosion of taste made me smile, there is nothing like it. I was still munching on the first pastry when Hector showed up. He had his lookouts all over the neighborhood, even more so after the recent kidnapping, so it was easy to track me down.

I sensed he wanted to speak to me, but he was also looking at my plate, with dishonest intentions; his emotions were blatantly easy to read.

“Don't even think about it, get your own,” I hissed at him… my food is mine—I do not share.

Hector smirked and went inside for his order then sat his ass opposite me.

“There’s a word on the streets that something strange went down in Brooklyn last night,” he said casually, looking at his plate.

“Hmm,” no way buddy, I’m giving up no information, and I was eating.

“Yeah, lots of police cars there this morning, but there is no trace of the Alphas… it’s as if they disappeared into thin air,” he continued in the same tone.

“This is New York, people come and go, free country and all that,” I replied between bites.

Talk all you want Hector; I have two more bear claws to keep me occupied.

“And Mrs. Barkin’s granddaughter somehow got into a hospital, with a bunch of other girls, all in a similar condition she was in.”

I was rather impressed with his information-gathering capabilities, especially in such a short time. The people on the streets always knew what was happening in the city, much earlier than the general public, which relied on various media to tell them what was going on.

“That is good news, I wouldn't want her to worry; she makes damn good coffee, better than Ruth.” Yeah, the coffee was just a bit off; good enough, but not perfect.

He took another sip of his own and then nodded. He meaningfully cleared his throat and looked me in the eyes.

“Yesterday we all had a problem, this morning that problem is gone, and I don't believe in coincidences. But I'm not going to ask you what went down, that deep voice inside me tells me that I don't want to know. I survived this long on the streets listening to it. So... for what it's worth… thanks.” he kept his gaze for a few seconds more and then looked away.

“You should try this morning’s batch of bear claws, they are awesome.”

Smart move, Hector; there are things that go bump in the night, and I am one of them.

“Nah, too sweet, I got to watch my figure, or that woman of mine will start me on another diet, those are pure torture,” he said while eating his egg sandwich.

We sat there for some time, talking about anything aside from what happened with the Alphas. Hector was a good connection to have, he knew people in low places. You never know when you are going to need such a connection. Look at me; I was networking… another expression that evolved from the past. To me, it still conjured a mental image of technicians running cables between computers.

I returned to the office soon after, still unsettled by last night's events. I did what I had to do, but I didn't like it; taking so many lives in such a clinical manner horrified that young boy within me, but the soldier part understands the necessity.

I brought Nina a paper bag from the bakery and a still-warm cup of coffee. She knew something went down last night, but didn't ask any questions. It was the way the supernatural world worked; it wasn't always pretty, or nice. Yet, such a closed mentality ensured that it remained secret, away from the eyes of the normals.

“You have two messages,” she said after receiving her coffee and bagels. “One is from Esmeralda, reminding you to come for dinner tonight, and the other is from the ‘Were-Council’.” She was looking worried while saying the second thing and broadcasting anxiety.

“What’s worrying you kid?” She hated being called that, so it was a good way to rile her up; anger is a good antidote for anxiety.

“I'm not a kid, and they have summoned you to appear before them, tomorrow morning, for an informative interview. My mother is a member of the ‘Were-Council’ and I called her to ask what this is about… she wouldn't tell me a thing. Only gave me some official bullshit line about procedures. Adam, I do not like this, maybe you shouldn't go.”

Marcus told me about this ‘Were-Council’ while we were trekking out of the Jungle. They essentially regulated all the shifters in the city, and every city had its own. Werewolves, werecats, and all the rest were under their purview. It was somewhat similar to how vamps were organized, but the ‘Vampire-Council’ was there to execute his orders and deal with small problems, Marcus’s was the last word among Vamps in the city, and the entire state for that matter. But Weres were far more numerous and inherently hard to rule by their very natures, so as a compromise they went with a more democratic route.

“I'm sure it's going to be fine Nina, don't worry, it’s just a bunch of old busybodies,” I said offhandedly, smiling.

She was having none of it. “Will you take this seriously, they are a powerful faction in our world, don't take them lightly.”

“I won't, OK? Now go eat your breakfast.” And she did, grumbling all the while.

I had an inkling what this was all about; that shit-head in the warehouse said his father had some connections. Marcus should know more about it.

That evening I took my car to Vampire headquarters, aka Esmeralda and Marcus’s estate. A funny thing that I never noticed before was that there were stylized E&M letters in the wrought iron gate, very subtle, and a part of the overall design. Maybe I should do something similar; I just needed a gate and a big enough place to put it in front of. Then again, I don't see it working in the Bronx—too pretentious.

“Adam, you need to come more often.” Esmeralda welcomed me at the front door. “Marcus is getting bored, talking all the time about your trip through the jungle, and is starting to get on my nerves.” I know she was joking; her feelings gave her away. It was also a way to let me know that we were not talking about last night.

“I promise, next time we will take you with us; a fun jungle trip, living off the land, good times.”

She rolled her eyes. “Come on, dinner is getting cold, and I’ve slaved in the kitchen for hours.”

I raised one of my eyebrows in blatant suspicion.

“Fine, I supervised the chef, peeking over his shoulder—that's work too. At least until he threw me out of his kitchen. Chefs, a bunch of delicate prima donnas, the lot of them.”

The table was already set when we came in, and the mouth-watering aromas of several delicacies threatened to throw my manners out of the window.

“We better start soon, or he will be no use in a conversation,” Marcus said after we sat down. “When there is food in front of him, he is uniquely single-minded.” He was talking to Esmeralda like I wasn't there; but then, he watched me eat plenty of times.

Half an hour later, when the monster in my stomach was finally sated, I told them about the ‘Were-Council’ summons.

Marcus gave one look to Esmeralda and nodded. “I was expecting that; the gang leader from last night was the son of the werewolves representative to their council, and he is the current chairperson. Rumors travel fast in our world. With the Cleaners and all the people there, it was bound to leak. But I didn't think they know everything that went down, and the Cleaners take their reputation about confidentiality quite seriously.” He looked at Esmeralda, held her gaze for a few seconds, and then turned to me.

“Adam, maybe I should come with you, as a backup.”

I knew it would cost him if I accepted that. I had some inkling about the politics of various supernatural groups, and bringing a leader of the New York vampire clan with me to the ‘Were-Council’ meeting would strain most of them.

I shook my head. “Thank you for the offer, but this is my problem, don't worry, I'll deal with it.”

“OK, but you should not go unprepared. There are some ideas I have.”

We spent the rest of the evening with Marcus and Esmeralda explaining the finer points of Were hierarchy, their customs, and rules. Most did make sense, but that entire thing about dominance and submission I already knew from watching wildlife shows on the Discovery channel, and from my encounter with Milos’s father. The big bad wolves took offense if someone looked them directly in the eyes for a long time.

The now customary dark look from the servants followed me out as I was driving away; it was somewhat annoying that they still felt so afraid and edgy around me. I like to think that I had an approachable and easy-going personality… certain episodes excluded.

It would be a lie if I was to say that the whole thing about tomorrow's meeting didn't bother me at all, but there was no question about my presence there. As Marcus said, the Weres had their rules, and dismissing them could have some serious consequences. Them sending a few enforcers to bring in reluctant witnesses was not out of the realm of possibility. I had a feeling that if it came to that, everything would undoubtedly escalate in a bad direction from there. Marcus advised this thing needed to be nipped in the bud. On the positive side, there may be some potential customers there, so I had my business cards ready.

That night I went through all the possible scenarios and came to one conclusion, things were going to get bloody tomorrow, and in the end, I preferred that.

***

So here I was, in front of the ‘Were-Council’ building, on Lenox Hill. A private building in this location practically screamed wealth and influence. My car was from an entirely different universe in this setting, like a long-lost poor cousin visiting rich Beverly Hills folks. What do I care; it’s running and moving me from place A to place B.

“Mr. Novus, you are expected, if you would follow me.”

A young receptionist said as soon as I entered the building. I'll give them this, to know me by sight was impressive in itself. It made me wonder if there were pictures of me circling around?

I walked a few feet behind her, admiring her perfect posterior. She was a werecat, but damn, did she have a body. Unfortunately, all I could pick up was random feelings of boredom and indifference. Just as well, it is not as if I could do anything about it even if she was interested. This curse was getting harder and harder to bear; God, I needed some relief.

She knocked on wooden double doors at the end of the corridor she led me to and opened it. Pointing her hand for me to enter; she stood there, still looking disinterested.

“Thanks, honey, you have been a ray of sunshine.”

That got her attention, the same kind she probably gave a rat in the gutters.

It would seem I was the star of this show; the welcoming committee gave that impression. A long table in the middle of the room and a lone chair before it. There were ten of them, all older and very nicely dressed Weres. From where I was standing, I could see that the table and their chairs were on a platform that made them look down on the poor sucker the solitary chair was meant for. Surely not me, I had no intention to play their psychological games.

“How are you doing folks? Got your message, so here I am.”

They looked uncomfortable, all except the big grumpy guy in the middle. He was Zain’s father; there was an unmistakable family resemblance. He was barely controlling his rage, like a steam boiler ready to pop. Katarina Bast, Nina's mother, was at one end of the table. The only one of the whole bunch that was looking at me without any trace of animosity.

“Would someone explain why I was summoned here, and by the way, do you validate parking?”

“Please take a seat.” A small woman sitting close to the middle demanded, at least the tone of her voice did.

“Thanks, I'm good.”

Her sour face showed that she thought I most certainly wasn't.

“Mr. Novus, we have called you to shed some light on the disappearance of our chairman's son. It has been brought to our attention that you were somehow involved; would you care to explain to us what exactly happened?”

OK, Marcus was right, they knew something went on, but not the entire story. That was working in my favor, I’ll enlighten them in no time at all.

“Of course, I am all for the truth to be brought to light; as they say—it will set you free.” My smile confused them. I guess they were accustomed to more respect and humility.

“May I?” I pointed at a big TV hanging on the wall. Papa wolf was still looking at me menacingly, controlling himself to an impressive degree; not for long, I hope.

At least she nodded… if a little confused. I inserted a small flash drive on the side of the device, then pressed the play button on the unit. Marcus made it for me; it was the macabre highlights of the video files taken from the warehouse, the gruesome bits of torture, rape, mutilations, and murders. The clip was assembled from the raw footage the vampires had retrieved, so it even showed the faces of Zain and other gang members.

I looked directly at them as the video played. It was not long, five minutes at most, but it had such an emotional impact that several people turned their heads away.

“What is this Mr. Novus?” she shouted at me. “Why are you showing these disturbing images to us?”

“This is all handiwork of your chairman's missing son. He got off on raping and killing girls; made a lucrative business out of it, didn't you know?” My voice may have sounded calm, but listening to those sounds of torture, screams, and begging, was once again stirring the rage within me. Good—I will need it soon.

“That is a lie and that video is fake; my son would have never done such things!” The chairman finally spoke (OK, screamed), as he rose from his chair.

“Oh, come on, aside from the fact that his face is all over the video, you had to know about some things he did. He bragged how you always took care of the council and human authorities for him; made sure they looked the other way.”

His jaw muscles clenched, and I heard him grinding his teeth. Emotions of shame and guilt came from the council's direction. Only Katarina Bast looked me in the eyes, innocent. The others could not. That's right people, ignorance may be bliss until it comes to bite you in the ass.

“Where is my son?!” The chairman roared.

This was it; he was primed and ready to go; one more trigger should push him over the edge.

“I can honestly say I have no idea where he is right now, but I saw him last night, in fact, I even talked to him. Well, I did catch him in the act of trying to murder a young girl, so we had to have a little eye to eye. But the last time I saw him he was lying on the floor, doing a good impersonation of a cadaver, which was not that strange, because just before that—I ripped his black heart out of his chest.” OK, technically I didn’t, but it sounded much better than saying that I made his heart explode.

It took a few moments for my words to sink in, for him to understand what I’d described. People are like that if you deliver some bad news in an indifferent tone of voice.

His roar started out as human, but it transformed into an animal one at the half-point. It was fascinating to watch the complete change up close. Clothes ripping, his teeth and nails elongating, and hair growing super-fast out of the skin. It must have taken him a few seconds to fully transform into a werewolf, an abnormally short time for their kind; then again, he was seriously mad. This thing looked like a cross between a wolf and a man, a freakish thing if I ever saw one.

The other Council members got out of his way, scampering to the back of the room and wanting no part in what looked to be my imminent and quite savage demise.

His claws made furrows in the beautifully polished mahogany table, giving him enough traction to jump at me. That was another reason why I was not sitting in the chair—I needed space to maneuver.

This time my rage was intentionally released, I have been saving it up, putting a strong wall around it. Now the wall was broken and that inner me, the bloodthirsty one, emerged, ready for the snarling animal that was coming closer.

Several things happened in a few moments. The familiar feel of the black knife materializing in my hand, time slowing down, and my muscles flexing with new energy.

He came faster than I anticipated, going for my throat. I wasn't in the right place for a quick and easy response to his attack. I did the only thing that could; I took a dive to the carpeted floor and managed to go under him. Barely. I think I felt the touch of his claws in my hair—he was that close.

If I let him get behind me, he could gain an advantage, and I didn’t want that. I slashed at him while still on the floor, and managed to cut into the back of his leg. It wasn’t much, but that made him lose his balance, so he ended up smashing the TV. The screen cracked in a snowflake pattern, yet it did not stop him. He used the momentum to bounce off the wall, again going straight at me.

If this didn’t end soon, I don't think I would survive—he was a monster. My supposedly healed ribs didn’t appreciate the strain I was putting them through.

I did the unpredictable—I charged at him.

Not something he expected as he paused for a split second. That was exactly what I was counting on.

I managed to slide between his enormous paws, which were still wide open, preparing for a slash.

My knife pierced his skin and proceeded inside.

He was still moving forward so we fell to the floor. Me getting on top of him, by twisting us both to the side. The familiar energy transfer made my whole being tingle, warm and comforting. His yellow wolf eyes shifted to regular human ones, the change reversing; his life force transferring to me, the elixir of life.

I stood up after he was completely empty, feeling revitalized.

It took me a moment to push the rage down, all the while looking if any of the other Weres before me would attack.

I shouldn’t have bothered. The remaining council members were all standing pressed against the wall opposite of the entrance; in their eyes… horror. Fear and apprehension were the strongest among a whirlwind of their emotions.

“So… ladies and gentlemen, was there anything else you wanted to know?” I asked while taking a handkerchief from my pocket, clearing the red blood off my hand. It took an effort not to smile like a loon, just because of how good I felt.

They all kept silent, waiting for some of them to speak first. Finally, Katarina Bast cleared her throat and straightened her suit.

“No, Mr. Novus, that would be all. The ‘Were-Council’ thank you for your… cooperation.”

“At your service, Mrs. Bast,” I said and gave a small theatrical bow. Blood may have been spilled, but there was no need not to show a bit of politeness and class.

“May… may we count on your discretion, about today’s proceedings?” Nina’s mom asked, with a slight hint of a tremor in her voice.

That one I could understand perfectly. If everything that was revealed in this room became known by the general Were public, there would be a riot. In the end, regardless of their species, they were a bunch of politicians, knowing what the score was. And she was just cementing her position in the new power hierarchy. By the gleam in her eyes and strangely calculating emotions, I am certain that she was seriously thinking about how there was now a vacancy for the chairperson’s position.

“Of course, Mrs. Bast. My lips are sealed.” There, that would give her some creds in the power struggle for the top that would doubtlessly ensue.

I nodded and walked towards the door, casually, not a worry in the world, outside at least. As I was at the doorstep, I decided that one last thing needed to be said.

“Do your jobs better in the future, so things like this don't happen… again,” I said pointing at the dead werewolf in the middle of the room. I exited and closed the door behind me.

The hot receptionist was at her desk in the hall.

“See you around honey pie, keep looking good.”

This time there was a little interest in her emotions, as she followed me with her eyes. The sound isolation properties of this building were first-class; she had no idea of what just happened, or that there would soon be a funeral for the late Chairman.

Here’s the thing—I had to kill him, that was a given. By some things Marcus said about the man, he wasn't the kind who would let his son's death go unpunished. Maybe not today, but he would have gone after me, sooner or later. I couldn’t even blame him for it, it is a natural thing to do. The connection between a parent and a child is a strong one, no matter how twisted and monstrous the offspring becomes. I don’t know if the father had any hand in his son's obscenities, but it was irrelevant. He helped the situation by using his influence to cover up the crimes his son committed.

Be that as it may, ending him now was a safer option in the long run—necessary.

My car had a nice piece of paper stuck beneath the windshield wiper. I don’t think it was a coincidence; a way of giving me notice not to park such a cheap vehicle in such an esteemed parking spot. Hell, my entire car probably costs the same as the side mirror of a Bentley parked in front of it.

Just one more in my growing collection of parking tickets. Luckily, the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor has a big glove box.

Drat… I forgot to give them my business cards.

Oh, well... maybe next time