Vivian

The shock of the outdoors sends a spike of pain through my forehead. The first inhalalation freezes my nasal passages and tightens my facial skin. Ignoring the happy twinkle of the Christmas lights adorning every bush, statue, and pergola, I race into the deep twilight.

Soon, the well-traveled asphalt pathway ends and I'm heading over hard-packed snow that's been plowed. The employees don't often walk all the way to the main building, especially this time of year, and the semi-cleared roads work well enough for vehicles. It's close to high noon and the sky is painted with the lingering colors of sunset.

The fierce beauty of this harsh land is breathtaking, and despite how this dreaded week turns out, I'm still thrilled to be here even after two decades. Once I veer off from the collection of employee buildings, the trek proves more difficult. After a quarter mile, the plowing stops and huge snow banks tower in three directions.

I climb to the top of the far one and take out the GPS to orient where I need to go. The air burns in my lungs as I note two blips on the screen. Crap, Stan must have been tracking her pretty close when she skirted the property line.

Slipping the tracker in my coat, I leap off the snow bank, grasp a nearby branch and drop softly to the ground. The quiet presses in from all sides as I walk and only the sound of my boots crunching through the crust of the snow can be heard. In a matter of minutes, I pass one of the signs indicating the resort's property will come to an end and guests should turn around soon. Did Emiko not see it? They are placed pretty far apart. Were her map markings off or perhaps she lost it?

I sense a presence and whip around to find Stan walking silently in my footprints. "Vivian? Is that you?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing out here?" His face looks dark in the low light; he really should have worn a facemask like most of the others. "Joining in the fun?"

Shit. I can't believe I didn't think up a viable excuse on my way here. "No, I... umm... thought you might have made a kill and was coming to check. Drew reported your and Emiko's signals coming from the same small area."

"Yeah, I thought I had her." He stops in front of me and the skin of his cheeks appears cracked and sore. "But it's like she's disappeared."

"I doubt she'd come out this way for long, the triggers to her bracelets start on those trees." I point across a small clearing of snow-buried scrub bushes to some trunks in the distance.

"If she got too close she'd be stuck in one spot right now, right?"

I nod. "That's the idea." She's here somewhere but I need to lead Stan away. "You haven't come across her lying helpless?"

He smiles his big crazy-ass grin, "Now if I had don't you think I'd be looking a bit bloody? I plan on drinking that bitch dry." He laughs at his own joke then shudders from the cold. "Fuck, it's bad out here."

"Look, if you've been scouring the area for a while then she must not have triggered the silver poison in the manacles and she's long gone."

He raises one eyebrow in hope, "You feel like calling in to confirm that theory so I can search elsewhere?"

"Are you asking me to cheat for you, Stan?" I say in a sweet, you-don't-really-mean-that tone.

"Christ, every time I feel like I get close, she gets away."

I pat him on the back and turn him around, walking side by side with him the way I came. "At least you're still in the game. You, Stephen, Jet and three of the wolves are all that's left."

"You'd think with most of us leaving footprints we'd have found her by now."

"Yeah, but two days with lots of feet and paws running off the trails can make it much harder to discern."

A howling wind whips through the trees. "Well, if it was easy, it wouldn't be worth it, right?" he says.

I nod my agreement and take my leave when we reach the snow banks at the end of the plowed trail. With a gentle mental push, he buys my excuse that I plan on checking the sensors north of here and we part ways. He's heading back to warm up and plans to head back out when total darkness descends again this afternoon.

Stan's mention of the footprints has given me an idea. Who would stick to the ground when off a trail and have their whereabouts revealed so easily? If I were hunting, I'd be checking the trees more than anything else. With that thought in mind, I leap up and pull myself into the nearest one. A few steadfast evergreen branches block me from being able to see too far, so I jump to the next tree and start to weave my way back to where I last saw Emiko's blip on the GPS.

The dark thrill of tracking prey fills me. Sure, it's not a fair rendition of a sanctioned execution when she's paralyzed by silver and I have a tracker on her, but my killer instincts don't care. My pulse quickens as excitement sings through my veins. The challenge of being an enforcer brought the creature within me too close to the surface for my liking. Reveling in the power of taking a semi-immortal life and doling out savage justice can quickly entice even the most stalwart vampire to embrace their inner beast and not look back.

For every vampire, always locking one's baser nature away becomes harder and harder through the years. A few decide to no longer fight it... those are the minority an enforcer stalks and destroys. Like a rabid dog too far gone for medical help, the best thing to do is put them down.

With each leap through the faded light, I push myself harder. Each calculated landing becomes whisper soft, barely rustling the branches. Every few jumps I stop and listen, searching for a sound of the poisoned vamp. Then again, what do I expect to hear when she's paralyzed?

I take out the GPS to verify her location and see I'm pretty much on top of her. An orange hue paints the forest and up ahead I make out a wider shadow on a trunk, mid-way off the ground. A few more hops and I'm standing behind the black-clad enforcer. The branch sags under the additional weight and I step to a lower one to prevent it from snapping.

Emiko sits with her chest snug against the trunk and her arms wrapped around the trunk in a hug. Wondering how she stayed upright with her arms not dangling, I lean to peer around the other side. Her wrists are bound together, ensuring she won't slide off and plummet to the snow beneath.

"Clever," I say. "Or maybe more accurate would be 'innovative'." Emiko's face remains hidden behind her black ski mask, but her eyes are open. "Cat got your tongue? Oh, yes. You tried to flee the property and got zapped? Must not be your first time being silver-poisoned because you had enough sense to climb the tree and bind your hands around the trunk before full paralysis set in."

Not waiting for a response, I slip a folding Spyderco knife out of my pocket and cut the strip of cloth tying her hands. One small push is all it takes to send the petite vampire crashing to the ground. Her body bounces off several smaller limbs in its descent and lands in an ungraceful heap in the snow.

"Whoops." I don't try to hide the humor in my voice. I like to think of this as two pros meeting face-to-face on the job, where one messes up and gets caught by the cops. Classic idiot move.

I descend the tree and stand by the assassin face-down in the snow. "You're lucky it's me and not Stan who found you. He's got a serious hard-on for cutting your heart out and drinking you dry.

"I can't be sure, but I think one of the perimeter sensors may have been more sensitive than the others. Perhaps you got too close and it triggered only one bracelet?" I shake my head. "Whatever it was, you were lucky."

Reaching down, I drag the limp form up and toss her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Personally," I begin while trudging through the snow, back toward the apartments, "I don't think you were trying to escape. You've been running these hunters ragged the whole damn week. Only two and a half more days to go? You don't seem like the type to bolt unless there's no other choice."

I pick up my pace and start to move as fast as the crusted surface will allow. "I'm taking you to see Margery Cook, our resident doctor. She's got plasma we can use to flush the silver out of your system and get you up and running again."

"I know you can hear me, so I'm going to tell you what we found out. We know about your husband and his six kids, three of whom are still alive and have wisely pulled back on the court case against you." A gentle probe of my mind to hers reveals nothing. I can't discern her thoughts or emotions. Damn, must be the silver blocking me.

"We also uncovered the connection between the property, the video will, and two of the drained bodies left on the Tribunal's doorstep. Makes no sense you'd kill off the two key witnesses supporting your claims to your former husband's extensive holdings.

"So it got us to thinking-who stands to gain the most with you out of the picture?"

I let her stew on this information and continue the rest of the trip in silence. In a little while the six-story, brick apartment building comes into view. The lobby is mercifully empty as I make my way down to the clinic next to the doctor's apartment. The waiting room is unlocked; so I dump the unresisting vampire on the couch and head next door to have the doctor open the exam room.

A ring of the buzzer brings the auburn-haired physician to the entrance. "Vivian? What are you doing here? I never see you in the building."

"I need access to the exam room, plasma, and fresh blood. One of the rogue's manacles was triggered and she's been poisoned with silver."

"Oh, dear." The bespectacled older woman nods, "I'll open from in here and meet you."

I head back the way I came and wait. In a brief moment, the doctor's head peeps around a metal door leading deeper into the clinic. "Come on back while I get things ready."

"Alley-oop," I say while hoisting the limp woman into my arms. I don't like that I can't read her mind. There are still unanswered questions regarding how deeply she's involved in the plot. I could kick myself for thinking my enemies in Argentina could let an opportunity pass to dig up dirt on me. The past is the past; I wish they'd realize that. No need harping over what can't be changed. Best to move forward and make the best of things.

I lay Emiko down on an examination table with the back end raised. With her head and heart elevated, a flush should work well.

"How much silver is in her system?" the doctor asks.

"Ten CC's."

"Double that and she'd be in a coma. Even five flushes might not have helped."

"That was the idea." At the doctor's shocked expression I shrug, "She's dangerous, Margery. We couldn't take a chance."

"Let's start with the plasma and see how she progresses." The doctor hangs a full, pale yellow bag on an IV pole and gets the drip started in Emiko's left arm. Outgoing tubing is inserted in her right arm and drains into a very large, empty pouch.

How much do I reveal to the motionless vampire? Should I tell her of our plan to stage her death or keep her here out of the way while we try to save her from the Tribunal's corruption?

"How much human blood do you have on hand here?" I ask.

"Quite a bit. Since the seethe has grown, we've been taking pints from employees like you instructed. Let me check the fridge." She bustles over to see and a thought occurs to me-I can't leave Emiko here as she is while she's recovering. She could hurt the doctor or any of the employees for that matter. "Twenty units. We're good to go."

I nod while stepping away for a moment. I open up a mental connection with my husband. Rafe, can you grab a set of the cloth-covered silver chains we've got in the dungeon room?

Planning a little fun I don't know about?

Nah, I want to secure Emiko while she's getting the poison flushed out. I don't trust her here while she's healing.

I take it you made it safely to the doctor's with her? No problems?

I ran into Stan, but other than that, no. I told him Emiko was nowhere in the vicinity and he went off in another direction.

Okay. I'll have Paul bring the chains up.

Thanks, my love.

A glance back over my shoulder reveals the Asian vampire still hasn't moved. The bag to the right is slowly filling with her tainted blood and the first pint of plasma looks half-gone already. "Dr. Cook, she'll need to be restrained."

"This one? She's not going to be able to move for hours."

"I'm not taking any chances. The chains go on whether you like it or not."

A sigh comes from the fifty-something physician, "Fine. You going to tell me how to do my job next, too?"

I smile at the woman's brashness; she's the one of the few humans on the property who would even think of giving me attitude. "You mean I might know something more about vampire physiology than a human?" Her head whips around and she shoots me a glare. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"I'll be back in ten. I left some tea to steep." As she leaves through the connecting door, she mumbles something close to "redheaded smart ass" under her breath. I'm alone with Emiko and the drip of the plasma and her infected blood is the only sound in the tight space of the examining room.

"For the record, I really don't think you were trying to escape. Like I said, it makes no sense when you were clearly ahead of the game against the hunters." I lean over the prone form of the rogue and peel up her ski mask. Smooth, pale gold skin stretched across a broad face with delicate features comes into view. Her dark-brown, almond-shaped eyes are no longer locked in place, but fixed on my face. "The full paralysis could take hours to wear off, but it looks like your eyes are able to track."

I settle on the edge of the table so she can still see me while I talk. "I've got things I need to do and I'm going to have to restrain you for the safety of my employees. Not that I think you'll launch off the table and suck them dry, but I'm not willing to take a chance.

"I heard about you carving up Sanji. Interesting method you chose in which to communicate. Did you know the same technique of thirteen strokes for 'guilty' was used on an Ancient several centuries ago? Although, from the story I heard, there was only the one word carved and not two. It was never proven-the body turned to ash in the sun."

I let that little detail sink in, seeing her eyes widen slightly in understanding. Yes, I just admitted in a round-about way to killing an Ancient and carving into his flesh first, but it's her word against mine if it ever were to come out. Besides, if I play this right she might wind up here in our seethe after this whole debacle ends.

"Asa said you wanted to talk with me, but I fear this whole adventure will be over before you have a chance. Could it be you are truly a pawn in this whole setup? That the crimes were charged against you conveniently when we put our request in to 'buy' a rogue for this expedition?"

I stare off in the distance, trying once again to reach into her mind. The silver still repulses me and I can't break through. "Or could it be that someone in the Inner Circle really wants your valuable property for their own gain?" I tap a finger to my lip. "I don't know. And it's driving me crazy."

I leave my perch and pace back and forth in her field of vision, her eyes tracking me the whole time. "If you are innocent, at least of the crimes they're charging you with, I would love to thwart their plans for inheriting your holdings.

"Interesting loophole in vampiric society, isn't it? The one to kill you drinks your blood and inherits your wealth." The room's dimensions only allow for three paces before I have to turn, hindering my preference of walking and talking out my thoughts. "Certainly paints a target on the back of any vampire master with no seethe to stand behind them... especially one so close to a crumbling governing body in desperate need of funds."

I pause in my pacing and note the plasma bag is almost empty. Foregoing sterile alcohol wipes or sanitary gloves, I wait 'til it's done and change it out for a fresh one. "You worked so hard to get to where you were, didn't you?" I glance to her eyes for answer; they still remain locked on me, no hint of emotion in the dark depths. "Why try to draw out my man, Asa, with the sword display and sliced words? Did you think the forced sex in the bowling alley would make him susceptible to your pleas?"

The minutes tick by in silence and I swap out the bag once more, waving the good doctor back into her suite twice to finish her tea and relax. I don't want her privy to what's being said and make her a possible target later because of the knowledge.

"Twelve years in silver was your sentence, yes?" I'm getting annoyed I can't read her. "Blink once for 'yes' and twice for 'no'." Emiko blinks once. "Any idea what would have happened to your accumulated wealth while imprisoned?" Two blinks. I smile. "Without a seethe, the Tribunal appoints someone to 'manage' it in your absence. Convenient, huh?" No response, but it was rhetorical anyway.

"Bet you can figure out that if the Tribunal had a need, your estate would be 'donating for the cause' on your behalf." Worry and tension plague me. To think some stupid little hunt planned at the urging of guests and my seethe could turn into such a mess. I pace again, the conflict boiling up inside me. Coraline, of all people, sent to deliver the fugitive? It can't be a coincidence. The woman has hated me for centuries and would do anything to dig up dirt on me.

What has she been doing while the hunt is going on? Has she truly been occupied with her guards in the fun rooms or has she been picking through the brains of my staff looking for angles against me? Fear grips my heart as I start to think back. How many of the employees have ever been involved with one of my projected illusions? As far as I can recall, it's been very few. I've only used the glamour-induced sex fantasies on the clientele. The anxiety I felt when Ivan threatened the individual safety of the people I protect is nothing compared to what I feel right now. Everything could crumble around me in a tangle of body parts and lies.

Coraline could trigger a domino effect within the council, exposing every secret I've kept hidden from my kind. The last manipulator? Try the biggest organized hunt across the globe our kind has ever seen. I'd be hunted like a damn dog and nothing would ever be the same again.

The anger within rises and I try to calm down. The Tribunal corruption started slowly from the bottom, creeping up little by little over the decades, until I'm not even sure if the eleven Ancients were aware there were two factions in their midst-those who skitter close to the black pit within their souls and those who have already fallen prey to the monster, but hide it well.

There's a knock behind me. I sense Paul in the hall, no doubt with the chains in his possession. Opening the metal door, I usher the chef in. I speak to Emiko like the last minute wasn't filled with silence, "What it really comes down to is trust," I say to her. Taking the cloth covered silver chains from Paul's gloved hands, I turn back to the immobile vampire. "And I'm not the trusting sort."

Her face is still paralyzed, but her eyes reveal more expression than when I first uncovered her in the snow. It's hard to discern if it's fear I see swirling in their depths, or cold detachment and calculation. Am I being paranoid? Would a healing vampire, fully infused with fresh human blood, turn on the people under my care?

As I drape a thin chain over her chest, I find I can't be bothered with arguing the point within myself. This week has turned out to be much more than I bargained for, more than any of us could have foreseen. Trust the facts or follow your instincts? Until I can confirm exactly what is going on with this woman and her setup with the Tribunal, I'm happy remaining on the side of extreme caution.

Not having a lock to secure the chains under the table, I rummage around in the medical drawers looking for something to attach them. Long plastic zip strips, used for God knows what in a clinic, will work nicely. Sliding back the black fabric at the end of the chain, I slip the sturdy plastic through a link, careful to avoid contact with the draining metal.

"Want me to get under the table and attach them?" Paul asks.

I shake my head before crouching down and repeating the steps on the dangling portion hanging past the other side of the elevated end of the table. One slight touch and a painful burn slides up my right index finger. I jerk away, cursing myself for not at least wearing latex gloves.

"You okay down there? Something smells bad."

"Fine," I grind out through gritted teeth. The plastic threads through the intended link and I secure the chain tightly under the table. I scramble out and take the next strand of silver from Paul. This one I loop first around the left wrist, then the right, wrapping the length over and over before binding the ends with another plastic tie.

I continue with the same method on her feet. When I'm done, she looks like something out of an old Spy vs Spy comic. The black-wearing spy trussed up with black cord, but in this case it's with silver hidden under the fabric.

"Good job," says Paul. "Think it will hold her?"

"It should."

"Would it hold you?"

Odd he would ask me that. Is he curious or still learning the bounds of what we can do as vampires?

I project to his mind, preferring not to answer aloud in front of Emiko. It would hold me physically, if you get my drift. No vampire is strong enough to break that much silver.

He bobs his head once in understanding and looks across the room. Dr. Cook comes back in. She examines the full drainage bag and pulls gloves on to swap it for a fresh one.

"This flush will take all the plasma we've got and still might not be enough," she says.

"Switch to blood when you run out," I say. "Ten pints in the average body, right?"

She nods. "But from my experience, your breed takes more."

"Really?" says Paul. "Like how much more?"

Margery looks to me and I answer, "About thirty to forty percent. We've got enough blood on hand. We might as well use some to flush the poison as well."

A tingle of sensation heralds my husband's mental voice piping into my thoughts, Hon, we're about to start staging the scene. You need to be here for this, right?

Yeah, I check the time to see it's close to three. I'll be there in a few.

"Dr. Cook?" I ask. "You can handle the rest from here?"

"Yes, dear. I'll call you if I encounter any problems."

Paul and I leave the clinic with the full bag of poisoned blood, and I inform him the group is ready to prepare the fight scene.

"What will I be doing?" he asks.

"Why, you'll be the dead Emiko, of course." The smile on my face must look gruesome because he turns about two shades of green.