Thralls

  Chapter 3-2

  Georgia's POV

  The address Persephone had given us pulled into view on the winding country ne and the building was practically patial. Pulling up to a gate I saw a man out front who quickly made his way over to the car.

  “Evening all, how can I help you?”

  Detective Khatri leaned over me to show his badge. “We’re with the supernatural affairs division, we need to speak to Jason Korhonen?”

  The old man looked bnk into the car, not responding at all but just staring at an increasingly unnerved Rami. I heard shuffling in the back seat and Persephone popped her head through the gap to see the man.

  “Persephone Konto. Tell Ovi I’m here on business for the Justiciar, so are my friends.”

  Persephone dipped back into her seat and as she finished speaking the old man nodded walking over to the gate speaking quietly into a phone at its side.

  Rami turned in his seat. “Where’s Konto from anyway?”

  “Ancient Greece.” Persephone replied bluntly.

  “Your Greek?” He asked disbelievingly as he gave the pale redhead another look.

  Before Persephone could respond the gates buzzed parting allowing the car to head up the winding drive.

  Persephone was the first out of the car once we came to a stop and she approached a tall bald man standing at the entrance, his face was a mess of harsh angles, creating a gaunt look on an otherwise full face. Regardless it did little to hide the disdain in his gaze as he stared over Persephone to us.

  “Ovi.” Persephone said with a nod, the bald man looking down to her and returning the gesture.

  “Why have you brought humans to my home Persephone?”

  Rami beat me to Persephone's side, responding before Persephone could. “I’m detective Khatri, this is detective Stoffat. We’re investigating the murder of an unidentified woman we believe to be Jason Korhonens, thrall? Was that it Persephone?”

  Ovi didn’t respond, his stare focused entirely on Rami who surprisingly stood unflinchingly before him. After a few moments he turned to Persephone

  “He hasn’t felt her bond since Friday. We assumed she was dead but you’ve seen the body?”

  Persephone nods. “She matched the picture Jehan forwarded to me, I’d never seen her at court.”

  Ovi waved her off. “She was too young and Jason an inept tutor, she would have found some way to disgrace or embarrass us no doubt.”

  The words almost made me recoil. “Sir, the woman’s dead maybe have some respect.”

  I heard Persephone's sigh before I saw Ovi turn to me, his face impassive save for the gre. “I’ll fetch Jason so you may speak with him Persephone, but stay out here with your pets they’re not welcome in my home.”

  He turned before either me or Rami could comment, I scoffed turning to Persephone as the door smmed shut.

  “Pets? I’m sorry, who does he think he is?”

  Persephone turned to me with a smile, finding humour in the situation. “He’s a seven hundred year old vampire and the head of one of the rgest bloodlines in Engnd, and you just scolded him like he was a child who took too many sweets from the jar.” Persephone let out a ugh shaking her head. “Remind me that we need to work on how you speak to most vampires, you’re not going to get anywhere treating them like you would a human.”

  Rami shared a look with me before speaking. “So what, we're expected to be happy with them talking over us and treating us like children?”

  Persephone shrugged the smile still on her face. “If a vampire wants to speak to me over you two, is that not what I’m here for?”

  “And when they call us humans and pets and try to make it sound like an insult?” I asked.

  “Ignore them? I had to put up with a lot before I was turned you get over it. Besides, usually the ones doing it are all younger vampires who are being looked down upon by their elders so in turn they look down upon those younger than them and humans.”

  Before I could point out how it all sounded like schoolyard bullying the doors opened once more and before us walked out a retively short attractive man. His skin was dark but the prominent fangs in his smile left no doubt as to what he was.

  “Persephone, now you're bringing me gifts to my doorstep, if you want me to fall in love you need but ask.” He turned to his and his smile seemed almost contagious. “And what pretty gifts at that. Well him less so but-“

  “We’re here about your dead thrall, these are detectives, Jason.” Persephone said curtly.

  His smile dropped and for a second his eyes almost looked sad before he smiled once more, noticeably dimmer this time. “Ahh, Olivia. It is a shame. You have her body?” Persephone nodded. “Right well, whatever you need, detectives, did a vampire do it or a human?”

  “We think she was drained, Mr Korhonen. We have just a few questions if you can help us work a few things out.” Rami asked

  Jason turned back to Persephone. “If she was drained should we not take this to the Justiciar?”

  “They found her and they’re investigating it. Besides I’m here anyway to find out who did it anyway, and we will find out who did it Jason.”

  They seemed to stare at each other a moment both unmoving, Jason still like a statue while Persephone noticeably fidgeted, her chest rising. Odd eventually Jason nodded, turning back to us. “Ask away.”

  “Can you give us her full name first of all and any contact information for family or next of kin?” I asked, pulling a small note pad from my pocket ready to take notes.

  “Olivia Stroud, thirty one, and I can give you her brother's phone number but they haven’t had contact since before I met her, we’ve been her family for long enough, detectives.”

  “Right and so Olivia is your thrall, can you tell us what sort of a retionship you have?”

  He looks at Persephone who gives him a short nod. He doesn’t react but starts talking. “She’s a servant officially, she feeds me, sorry fed me when needed. She carried out tasks during the daytime that I needed doing. She’s been my thrall for about ten years now, her retionship covered many things, she did serve me but I like to think we were also friends.”

  “When did you st see and speak to her?” Rami continued.

  Jason paused for a moment which I noticed caused Persephone's eyebrow to raise.

  “I saw her Thursday night, she left mine in a taxi back to Leeds at about midnight. She has an apartment in the city but spends most of her time here. She texted me during the day telling me she was going out to some party but didn’t give me anything else. She never responded after that.”

  Rami was writing down his answer as I looked to Persephone but her face was bnk, and seemingly disinterested. Rami looks at me and I nod so he continues.

  “Was your retionship ever sexual?”

  His smile turned cocky. “Can you bme her detective?”

  I scowled but Rami was the one to reprimand him this time. “You don’t seem all too broken up considering someone you thought a friend is dead.”

  Jason shrugged. “I’m not as old as some of us.” he says, turning to Persephone with a smile. “But I’m old enough to have seen a lot of my immediate human family die, detective. Most that I considered friends in my human life have died. Death is what makes us and it is a lingering presence in our life, something we must adapt too or be drowned by. Olivia wasn’t a serious girl, she could ugh and make a joke about pretty much anything, which is why my Sire and his Sire Ovi couldn’t stand her. Regardless though I don’t believe she would want me to sit and mope, she wouldn’t want to be remembered that way.”

  He seemed sincere but something he said stuck with me. “You said your Sire and Ovi hated her, could they have killed her or had someone do it for them?”

  The scowl that appeared on Jason’s face was immediate, the fangs that had been prominent in a smile before, now lengthening to poke his lower lip. I took a step backwards but Rami looked frozen. Persephone stood still rexed, although she was still like Jason had been, completely unmoving now.

  “Neither would have her killed detective and they wouldn’t need to find someone to do it for them.” Jason but out.

  “Why wouldn’t they? Would they do it themselves if they needed to?” I asked.

  “This is irrelevant, Jason text me all the contact information you have for Olivia so we can find her brother. We will find whoever has done this and you will have justice for her. Detectives, word to the wise, do not try to use a vampire against their Sires. Naturally we are very loyal and most, myself included, would take it as an insult. To answer your question for Jason, his Sire wouldn’t need to kill Olivia or have anyone else do it if he wanted her removed, he would just tell Jason.”

  I looked at Persephone outraged, I could see how tense Rami was but couldn’t see his face anymore from this angle. “And what Jason would just kill someone who’s his friend?”

  Persephone shrugged. “If a vampire has a good Sire you’ll find they are loath to disobey them. That is to say I don’t believe Jason has done it nor did his Sire or Ovi, if they had they would have never reported her missing in the first pce.”

  “Would that not have looked suspicious? We’d have found out who she was eventually.”

  Persephone nodded, walking away towards the car. “It would have, however usually a dead thrall would be taken care of by the bloodline she belongs to, if they wanted her dead you would have never found the body. Do you have any other questions for him?”

  Rami turned to look at me, he shook his head slightly but looked more exhausted than anything. “No more questions but Jason can you send your contact information to Persephone should we need to get hold of you again?”

  “She already has it.” He responded tersely.

  I nodded backing away towards the car Rami in pursuit. As we got to the vehicle Jason still remained by the door gring towards us, Persephone called out as she opened the door. “Remember Jason they’re under the Justiciars protection and officially I’m in charge of their safety, no threats next time.”

  Jason didn’t acknowledge her walking back into the mansion behind him. Persephone fell into the back seat and as she closed the door I almost felt a new tension settling over the three of us as Rami pulled out to the gate.

  “If a vampire kills their own thrall, you wouldn’t look into it would you?” Rami asks.

  “It’s frowned upon.” Persephone pauses for a moment, her eyes glowing like cats as the dim light in the car reflects off them. She turned to Rami in the rear view mirror. “But no we wouldn’t, thralls, as distasteful as it is, are seen as belonging to a vampire, like a pet. If they had killed her they wouldn’t have reported her missing.”

  Rami nodded but didn’t say anything else. I could see his knuckles turning pale with how hard he had the steering wheel clenched. Persephone's phone chimed from the back.

  “Jason’s sent over the contact info, let me get your numbers and I’ll forward it on.”

  I gave mine to her and ignored the fact I’d only offered it to her the night before. Rami hesitated but clearly put his job over his comfort and read it out for her eventually. Our phones chimed in unison receiving all the info Persephone had got from Jason and as I read it Persephone spoke again.

  “Do you mind pulling up here? I’m going to head home.”

  I checked the time seeing we were rapidly approaching three in the morning long past our official finish time.

  “You want me to drop you off in the middle of nowhere?” Rami asked, his brows scrunched in confusion.

  “I can travel faster than a car can especially with how windy these roads are, plus I recognise the area, I’m only about ten minutes from my sires house. I know it’s no longer relevant but I can still ask if a thrall ages upon death. It may help in a future investigation.”

  Rami slowed the car down pulling to the side of the road, I heard him mutter under his breath. “Whatever you want.”

  As the car stopped Persephone quickly opened the door and extricated herself from the car. Closing it behind her she almost disappeared into the darkness before her pale face appeared by Ramis window.

  “Well it’s not been as awful as I thought it would. I’m only working three days a week and I can be moderately flexible if you need anything but I was just thinking Monday, Tuesday Wednesday if that works for you two?”

  Rami shrugged so I responded. “That’s fine, are you sure you’re going to be okay though getting home from here? It’s pitch bck.”

  Persephone smiled and like Jason had been at the start of the night her fangs were small but evident. “Detective Stoffat, I assure you, I’m what people are usually afraid of finding in the dark.” Persephone stood up stretching, I tried not to notice the dark t-shirt riding up her stomach slightly, revealing a small amount of a pale toned stomach. I know Rami was successfully ignoring her. “Anyway if you text during the day don’t expect a response till after sundown, and I’ll probably be in a little ter than I was today in the future.”

  “Why? How much ter?”

  “Maybe half an hour? Just depends if I’ve spent the night with my partner, she doesn’t have any reflection so she likes me to do her makeup. Should be on time tomorrow though. Anyway gotta beat the sun, cya.”

  Without waiting for a response Persephone headed away from the car and in seconds it was like the shadows engulfed her disappearing completely from view. Rami waited a second before turning his rear lights on and illuminating the road to reveal nothing.

  Once again I heard him mutter under his breath. “Fucking vampires.” As he set off.

  We’d finally made it back into Leeds and amongst the ambient light of the city when Rami spoke again.

  “We need to be careful how much we trust the vampire.”

  “How so?”

  He turned to me as he pulled up at a red light. “She made it clear that if they had killed the thrall no vampire would report it or care. They operate under a different idea of the w than we do. We need to make sure that anything she tells us is correct and not be thrown off course by her.”

  “We don’t have any reason to believe she’d lie to us though, she’s here to help, it’s like a PR job for them.”

  Rami sighed. “Look I don’t know if there was something going on between you two or-“

  “There's nothing between us. We met once and it won’t affect my job.” I quickly interjected.

  “Good, but all I’m saying is we need to be careful and double check everything. If she’s being completely honest with us, then there's no harm.”

  I didn’t look at Rami as I responded. “I suppose not.”

  We didn’t say much more on the topic before Rami pulled into the HQs car park.

  “I’m going to go grab my bag from the office then head home, want me to get anything for you?”

  I shook my head getting out of the car, a yawn slipping from my lips unbidden.

  “No, I've got everything. I'm gonna head home and write up my notes in the morning, see you at six?”

  Rami huffed a small ugh. “Yeah I’ll be in on time, I don't need to do my girlfriend's makeup before I get here.”

  I smiled but didn’t say anything, it sounded cute at least to me.

  “Well yeah anyway, see you tomorrow.” Rami said turning back to the HQ. The parking lot was empty once he got inside and as I walked around to my car fishing my pocket for the keys, I got a strange sense of dread pooling in the pit of my stomach. Hesitating for a second at the car I looked around but couldn’t see anyone on the street or at any of the windows watching me. As I turned back to the car I grabbed my key finally jamming it into the car door, before I was able to turn it though the sense returned tenfold. I turned the key but the stiff old door didn’t give. As I continued to fight with the door the pit in my stomach only grew, the night growing colder around me. As the door finally gave way and opened I felt a cool breath slide over the back of my neck, turning in an instant pressed to the car, no one was around, the car park empty. Taking a second to steady my heavy breathing I quickly slipped into the car and shut the door behind me. The dread slowly faded and as the engine started it was gone, I was alone again. I debated texting Persephone but figured she’d be engaged. Taking a deep breath and shaking off the experience as my overactive imagination I pulled out of the car park heading home.