fidently walking up to the group of vampires, Tatum curtsied and smiled. “My pleasure to aodate, Miss Miakoda.” She peered around the elder vampire. “Miss Rivers.”

  “Fuck you.” Casey said matter-of-factly and dropped her fangs into pce. “I really want to tear you limb from limb you promise-breaking bitch.”

  Settling behind her lover and progeny, Sylvie soothed Casey’s toxid spinning mind. “Casey, darling.” Sylvie pushed the image of them rolling in a pile of moonlillies enjoying each other uhe night sky. “I would prefer that you not kill her … just yet.”

  Crossing her arms, Tatum tapped her foot lightly. “Yet? I want to see you actually try.” Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to gather her emotions, Tatum exhaled softly and held up her white glowing palm. “We both know that it wouldn’t be that easy, if at all.” Hearing her shoe g on the rock, Tatum looked down and smiled. “So that’s why they aren’t attag.” Holding up one of her index fingers, Tatum o the group of vampires. “Iive and adaptive. I approve.” Squatting down to grab heaping handfuls of bloodstone rubble, Tatum stuffed as much as she could into a few small leather pouches that she’d removed from her purse. “Shall we keep the peace as long as possible, Miss Miakoda?”

  Gng at the others of the new ‘cil’ Sylvie saw the same look on all their faces. “I agree, Miss Bckwell, we have a bigger threat.” Sylvie poio the burning city below. “You did a fantastic job of holding that white-ghost busy. I don’t think I could have done any worse.”

  “Let’s take stock of what I have done, Sylvie.” Tatum quickly interjected. “First, I saved Miss River’s mother. That alone should make me clear of my vow.” Smoothing her hair bad tying it in a ponytail, Tatum she hair band ihen after a little huff of relief tinued. “You see, I have kept that one busy, and as a result I am out of both bloodstone and nearly out of kyanite. I had to save quite a few federal agents from the possessed Miss Miller.” Her face hardened, “Your problem is much bigger than the few that just killed those other vampires. The building had hundreds of the vile things cirg.” Tatum balled her fist and half-growled, “Your kind has made a mess so bad with that damned portal that I had t down the building, sure they lost…some agents…but the majority got away without being possessed.” Grabbing more of the dust aing it sift through her hand, Tatum added, “It was your Mister Brown that has stripped the area of bloodstone, did you know that? He dumped all the bloodstone he could into that portal-pit thing you blood-thieves built.” She ughed, “Minus what it took to possibly save himself.”

  “Unbelievable bastard.” Casey muttered and was quickly silenced with one of Sylvie’s fingers pressed to her lips.

  “Mind telling me how you know all of this, Miss Bckwell?” Sylvie calmly spoke.

  “I did as I promised I would, I followed the white-wraith.” She smiled, “Who is called Archaios Enas by the others, loosely transted from Greek as ‘First One’. I think that is pretty self-expnatory as names go.” Tatum ughed, “It came here about the time that your friend Amber was taken into your fold.”

  “We know that. Add something we didn’t.” Casey calmly stated and leaned bato Sylvie’s arms. “I am really starting to love when you do that.” She poio her arms, “Gives me chills.”

  “I aim to please, darling.” Sylvie looked back at Tatum, “She does have a point. Amber told us everything. So far it still looks like you’ve dohing to stop the beast.”

  Using her fio t the seven vampires in a semi-circle arouatum hummed to herself. “The irony of you saying what is and isn’t a beast.” Waving her hand at the ground, her white rune pulsed and brought up the hill that taihe portal. “As I said, I followed it…since I had very little choice given that another of your lovely kind stopped me from being able to acquire bloodstone from here to Washington Dbsp; She waved her hand in a circle, making the image spin slowly. “I offer information, as pensation.” Waiting for the others to nod, Tatum offered more to the group. “The fire was a diversion for specifically you, Miss Miakoda. They wao occupy your thoughts while they searched and then burned your home for that book you took from me.”

  “We got to it first, mage.” Casey gleefully chirped.

  “It doesn’t really matter at this point, does it Miss Rivers? You have the information you need from it and by stupidly not keeping it with you, the enemy has the means to keep you occupied.” Tatum smiled, “That makes me happy. To know while you struggle with them, you’ve done me a huge favor.”

  Having had enough of Tatum’s taunting speech, Sylvie opened her cws. “Both of you are batshit crazy…You and Miss…Crow.” Stepping from behind her partner, Sylvie readied herself for bat. “Leave now or I will find time to have this out with you as we speak.”

  Uerred by Sylvie’s threat, Tatum surrounded herself with a bright white bubble that had a mist passing through it from all angles. “I knew you blood-suckers couldn’t be trusted for ah of time.” She pulled a k of kyanite from her purse. “However, I io finish my … report.” Tatum slowly found a better position for herself close to the overturned cars. “Two more things. I have a bcksmith friend who has agreed to assist you with your … bracers.”

  “How did you know about that?” Jester quickly snarled. “We just found out about that less than an ho.”

  Patting her new boyfriend on his strong cheek, Daniel ughed. “You o know more about who you’re fighting, Jason.” Daniel poi Tatum, “True mages see the past as easily as we drink blood. Only the stro do that, and see part of the future.” She paused, “Evehat future is from sets of natural hints.”

  “At least one of your kind has brains.” Tatum wiggled her finger casually at Daniel. “I am not going to ask how you know.” Waving her palm around the bubble she’d created, Tatum added more of her white energy to the shell and then pced a business card on the ground. “That is his address and he works mainly at night.” She then got a huge smile on her face, and pointed back at the city. “Finally, I want to thank you all.” Tatum saw the fused looks on the collective’s faces. “Thanks to your inability to maintain your precious veil, you have awakened more mages tonight than I have in ten years. My home is now a school.” She bowed and ughed, “Looks like all you do is find ways of ending your existence.”

  Softly gliding closer to Tatum, Sylvie plucked the business card from the ground. “Call it even, now leave Miss Bckwell.”

  “Ah, business cluded. Well then I bid you adieu, for now.” Tatum fidently smiled.

  With a swift curtsy and a spin on her heels, Sylvie watched and mildly admired the mage as she disappeared into the darkness without a sound. “She’s going to be a problem at some point, you all know that right?” Sylvie looked around at the other five vampires. “Perhaps we take up that issue at the meeting?”

  Rubbiemples lightly with a stressful sigh that followed, Kynthia poio the moon that was beginning to set and the Mill. “We’ve been so preoccupied with what is going on, that I holy lost track of the time.”

  “One in the m.” Briely added. “Nat and I aren’t going to make it ba time, so we need a pce.” She looked up from her pho Sylvie. “Where are the lightout shelters around here?”