“Here.” She held one out to Doug. “Drink it. It’s a synthetic version of Rogue One’s blood and will help us track him. If he’s in the area, we’ll be able to pick up his scent pretty easily, and it will make it difficult for him to sneak up on us.”
Doug uncorked it, took a whiff, and grimaced.
“Rogues created by rogues are usually a little crazy because they haven’t been properly trained or guided by their makers.” She shrugged and tossed the empty vial into a trash bin on the other side of the room. “The blood you drank earlier was from one of our human donors and had been cleaned.”
“It may be more than that, Olivia.” Xavier scratched his head and smoothed his white hair as he gave her a curious look.
“Like what?” Olivia adjusted the gun at her hip and inched closer to the table.
“I’m not entirely sure.” He pursed his lips. “It could be the essence of the vampire—Rogue One is pure evil. Or he was created by another rogue.”
Doug swallowed again and chucked his empty tube in the trash as well.
“No helping the bad taste, I’m afraid. Maybe if I could figure out why it tasted like that, then I’d be able to fix it.” Xavier hopped from the stool and waddled to the back wall. He pushed a button on the left, and the stainless steel wall slid open, revealing a deadly arsenal. Xavier grinned mischievously and ran a hand over his goatee.
“However, I can help with something else.”
“Son of a bitch,” Doug breathed.
Olivia watched him and smiled. The look on his face could only be described as a kid at Christmas. He ran his fingertips over one of the new guns with an expression of awe, wonder, and excitement.
“See?” Olivia sidled up next to him and elbowed him playfully. “There are some perks.”
“I always did appreciate a nice weapon.” Doug smirked and gave her a sidelong glance. “You’re right,” he said as his eyes wandered over her face. “There are some perks.”
Olivia kept her eyes locked with his and wondered briefly if he felt a smidgen of the attraction that she did. Was it possible that he didn’t hate her for making him like her? She opened her mouth but shut it again quickly.
What the hell was she doing? There was no time for childish nonsense or hormone-driven fantasy. She straightened her back and turned her attention to Xavier. She was afraid she might dissolve into a weeping mess, clinging to Doug and begging him not to leave her again.
“Did you finish the UV ammunition?”
“Yes,” Xavier said enthusiastically. He pointed to two large stainless steel guns with laser sighting. “These are the prototypes.” He lowered his voice and looked around, as if worried someone else might hear. “They are supposed to go to Shane and Pete, since they are our sentries, but it looks like the two of you get to try them first.”
Olivia lifted both guns from their spots on the wall and handed one to Doug as Xavier passed each a full ammunition belt. They strapped on the belts and loaded up their new weapons with the ease of experience.
“Impressive,” Xavier said as he watched Doug load his gun. His white eyebrows furrowed. “When exactly were you turned? You seem remarkably comfortable with your new situation.”
“Today.” Doug settled the gun in the belt’s holster. “Why?”
“Hmmm.” Xavier stroked his goatee and looked from Olivia to Doug. “It’s unusual but not unheard of.”
“Really?” Olivia said while inspecting her new toy, trying to seem nonchalant. “I was going to ask you about that. Doug’s turn only took twelve hours, and he slipped into being a vampire the way I can slip into a pair of great heels. Any idea why he seems to be… well… a natural vampire?”
Xavier remained silent but continued to look back and forth between the two of them. Olivia squirmed and couldn’t help but think that Xavier suspected there was more to her relationship with Doug than being his maker.
“Anything unusual for you, Olivia?” He flew to his stool and looked Olivia up and down. “You have turned a few vampires in your day. Is there anything different about his change as far as you are concerned?”
“She can only telepath with me now,” Doug added. “No one but me.”
Olivia shot him a look that could kill. “It’s nothing,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Doesn’t sound like nothing,” Xavier said quietly. He looked back and forth between them before waving his hand dismissively. “Then again, it could be an aberration, you know, a one-time thing. If your telepathy with the rest of your progeny doesn’t return in a few days, let me know.”
Olivia felt Doug staring at her as his voice touched her mind intimately. My gut tells me it’s not nothing, and based on your tense body language, you know more than you’re letting on.
“Tell us more about these new weapons, Xavier,” Olivia said, breaking the mental connection with Doug, which was similar to slamming a door in his face. “What do we need to know?”
Doug swore under his breath and paced behind her with his hands on his hips. He wanted answers, but now was not the time for that conversation, no matter how much she may wish it were.
“Now,” Xavier continued, “if these bullets perform as I believe they will, then you don’t need to hit a vamp in the head or heart. The UV light within the casing of the bullet should turn our rogue friends into dust upon contact. Questions?”
“Nope.” Doug shook his head and rested his hand on the gun at his narrow hips. “Point and shoot. Got it.”
“Thank you, Xavier,” Olivia said before placing a kiss on his white-haired head. “You always come through. We’ll be sure to return these prototypes when we’re done.”
“See that you do.” Xavier squeezed her hand and whispered, “Be careful, Olivia. It’s been a while since you hunted as a sentry.” He flicked his gray eyes to Doug. “It worries me that Augustus is sending you out there without Shane or Pete.”
“It’s a game.” Doug folded his arms over his chest and turned his serious eyes to Olivia. “He wants to see if we can do it. If we do, then he gets the rogues put down and gets to kill me in exchange for Maya. If we get killed in the process, he gets rid of both of us and kills the rest of Olivia’s coven.” Doug shrugged. “It’s a win-win for him and will entertain him at the same time.”
As Olivia and Doug made their way through the catacombs beneath the Cloisters, she tried not to think about what Doug said. It was a game to Augustus. Maya. The rogues. Getting her and Doug to hunt alone—all designed to entertain his bored two-thousand-year-old ass.
Olivia led the way up a dark, stone staircase, and they reached what looked like a dead end, but she pulled an iron handle to her left, and a massive door hidden in the wall swung open. They stepped through the opening and into the Unicorn Tapestry room of The Cloisters. Olivia didn’t miss the low whistle Doug let out when the fireplace closed behind them.
They stood silently in the dark, almost reverently, as Doug moved closer to inspect the famous tapestry.
“I’ve never been in here,” he said quietly. “I’ve lived in the city for over ten years and never stepped foot in here before today. I was never much of a museum guy, I guess, but if I had known about all the cool shit in here, I would’ve made a point to come. Gotta admit though, I never thought I would come in through a secret entrance in a fireplace.”
“There are several entrances, but this room is my favorite. The Hunt of the Unicorn is beautiful and tragic. Unicorns were hunted to extinction by humans so long ago that their existence has been turned into nothing more than fantasy.”
“Did you ever see one?”
“No,” Olivia said through a laugh. She put her hands on her hips and shot him a playful look. “Just how old do you think I am?”