The Lost: Book Two of The Whitechapel Chronicles

Chapter 14

"You're wondering about the eyes, aren't you?"

We were locked away in Garrick's office, a small dingy room in one corner of the gym that made Josiah seem even bigger now that we were all housed in such a confined space. The room was sparsely furnished, containing two filing cabinets, one battered-looking desk and an old leather desk chair with jagged rips in the fabric. Garrick stood near the closed door and I stood next to Harper in front of the desk, craning my neck to look up at Josiah, who seemed to fill the rest of the place with his presence alone.

I struggled to utter a reply, not wishing to cause any offence by my words. I was sure I must have already caused a great deal with my inability to stop staring at him. Josiah Hope had me enthralled, that much was certain. His sheer size and presence was enough to knock anyone off their stride, but never had I imagined that he would also be a vampire.

Josiah chuckled. "Don't worry, they all think the same. How can you see when your eyes are completely white? But if you look very closely, you will see that I do have real eyes, a pupil, an iris, they're just white, that's all. It's the mark of a seer."

Unable to resist moving closer as he leaned down in front of me, his fingers stretching open the lids on his right eye, I studied the surface of his eyeball and was stunned to see that he was right. There was a slight discolouration where the pupil and iris were. I took a moment to covet his face, with its smooth dark skin, tiny laughter lines around his eyes and goatee beard that was tinged ever so slightly with grey. It wasn't until I saw his lips curl into a grin and his head tilt to one side that I realised he was coveting me just as I was him.

I stepped back quickly, flushing and feeling Harper's fingers creep around my waist as he held me in place against him. Josiah, clearly noting the territorial move, smiled even more and nodded his head at Harper.

"Surprised to see you here, Harper. Thought you'd gone all rogue vampire on us. The last I heard, you were scurrying through the gutters of London, doing jobs for cash and making a bit of a name for yourself. What happened? The assassin life not all it's cut out to be?" 

Harper bristled in response. "What I was or was not doing is no fucking concern of yours, sorcerer."

If Josiah was ruffled by Harper's clear animosity, he didn't show it. Instead he just casually rubbed the towel over his face, mopping up the beads of sweat on his forehead. "Same old Harper Cain. Always biting. Talking of which, I'll look forward to telling Caelan that you have resurfaced."

Harper stiffened. "Tell Caelan what you wish. That debt is paid as you well know." 

"When you two have quite finished beating your chests at each other, can we cut the silverback routine and talk business?" Garrick glowered, his face etched with a mixture of tension and impatience.

"You know me, Garrick, always ready for a bit of business." Josiah smiled and clapped his big palms together, the sound making me flinch as it bounced off the walls of the small room and resonated through my eardrums.

Garrick glanced through the narrow window of the office door, his eyes troubled as he drank in the view from the gym before turning back to face Josiah.

"You saw, right?"

"I saw, yeah," the big man replied, the grin already fading.

"Then I don't need to tell you that by agreeing to do business with us means you are also agreeing that everything we say stays strictly confidential. Nothing leaves this room and if you break my rules on this, then no amount of mystical foresight will stop me from coming for you. Do we have an understanding?"