Nine Shillings

When One Case Closes

London - 1842

Thud.

I landed behind Tomas in the disused warehouse.

He looked up at the ceiling beams. 'You do love a dramatic entrance.'

'Just because I agree to meet somewhere doesn't mean I have to turn up where and when people expect.' I looked around the warehouse full of the carcasses of empty crates and dust. 'Especially deserted warehouses.'

He raised his eyebrows. 'Are you telling me Bran or Josef aren't around here somewhere?'

I smiled a fraction. 'Now that would be telling.'

He chuckled and turned his back on me to look at the drain. 'You look awful. Did you die again?'

'What a charmer.'

'You asked to meet me,' he said. 'I don't think it requires charm if I'm not the one who wants something.'

I glanced at the crease in his suit where he had something that looked like folded papers in the inner pocket. 'I think you do want something.'

He shrugged his massive shoulders. 'You closed the case and saved the day. I'd have to be a fool not to see the possibilities.'

'Not by myself. Team effort.'

'Every team needs a leader, I should know.' He smiled. 'Maybe I should be worried.'

I walked casually around him with my hands in my pockets. 'People keep saying that but I really have no interest in being a coven master.'

'The best ones always say that,' he replied. 'I didn't when I was...' he considered for a moment, 'a bit older than you are now, I'll admit.'

'No-one broke any rules to turn you then?' I asked.

'No, but people do like to say things about rules.' He smirked. 'Don't they?'

I shrugged, all innocence. I was far too good at looking innocent. 'I try not to break my rules.'

He chuckled, a pleasant warm rumble. 'So, what's the favour?'

'As I understand it, a vampire as young as me needs special dispensation to travel to another coven's territory.'

'We've got to make sure you don't wander off and eat people.' Though his expression said he very much doubted I'd ever 'accidentally' eat someone.

'That's a pity because I rather want to wander off and eat someone,' I said.

'Oh?'

'Tessa's mother, Gale, got away and my sources say she's in York.' I cleared my throat. 'A master won't take a woman seriously but another master...'

He considered the well-polished toe of his shoe. 'Does she have power?'

'No, she could prove a threat to supernaturals, if it suits her purpose.' The threat to my family wasn't going to sway the York Master; of that, I was sure.

He nodded. 'She and her daughter risked our exposure; it wouldn't be a tricky case to argue.'

I inclined my head.

'If I help you...'

I stopped walking and spread my arms in an invitation for his suggestion.

He pulled the folded papers out. 'I might have a case or two for you. I would be surprised if Isobel doesn't as well, once she stops being wary of you.'

'You know Isobel?' It was obvious he would as they were both leaders of supernatural communities in the same city, I wasn't sure it was in my interest to show how my mind worked.

'Every coven master needs connections to hold a coven. The triad; power, money, network,'

'I'll remember that.'

He chuckled. 'As long as you don't use it on me.'

'Don't give me a reason to.'

He offered me the pages. 'I'll try not to.'

I eyed the bundle. 'You should give those to Bran. He's the detective.'

'Etiquette dictates I communicate such things with a vampire I consider my equal. The Priest is more powerful than he thinks but he's not my equal.'

'Flattery,' I said. 'What about Josef?'

'Alas he did cut himself out of the equation or I would be handing these to him.'

I took the pages. 'I might've started getting suspicious.'

'I will grant you there is an appeal in your connection to Josef but I didn't get where I am by looking backwards and you've already got yourself a motley coven.'

'Most people call them family.' I flicked through the pages.

'Yes, well, I've been thinking like a vampire for a long time.'

The pages were indeed notes on cases. Nothing as serious as Tessa, it was comparatively small things like possible thefts and property damage where the complainant or the suspect wasn't a vampire. I was sure if I accepted the cases wouldn't stay small. We didn't need the money but a detective couldn't be a detective without cases.

'We live long lives, Lot, to truly accept that you have to see the potential in people. What most masters don't understand is The Coven doesn't exist to serve The Master, The Master exists to serve The Coven.' He smiled. 'It doesn't usually involve running around the city wearing a hood.'

I lowered the pages. 'I thought I sensed someone spying on me.' I'd assumed it was Tessa and her supposed ability to track my magic, maybe I should've checked if that was true before I offed her.

'You have human spies. I have human spies. And round and round we go.' He nodded in the direction of the drain. 'We cleaned out the drains for you.'

'Pity, it's where the shit belongs.'

He chuckled and glanced down at me. 'Naturally, I won't tell anyone but I felt the need to know more about the person who caught The Saracen's eye.'

'I can't decide if that's flattering or insulting.'

'Shall we go with flattering?' he asked.

'Seems safest.'

He nodded at the papers. 'Do we have an agreement?'

I folded them and tucked them into the back of my trousers. 'As long as you understand no man is my master. You can employ us same as anyone else.'

'Employ?'

'We'll take one case for the favour and I'll send you our rates for the rest.'

'I see why Josef likes you.' He offered me his hand. 'No nonsense.'

I eyed it for a moment. 'Oh, I don't know, I put up with a lot of his.'

'You can trust me.'

'If I trusted everyone who said that I'd be dead by now.'

'Fair point.'

'But I play the odds.' I shook his hand. 'Just don't call Josef "The Saracen" again.'