Jocelynn Drake - Wait for Dusk

“I doubt it was his plan since he prefers to stay close to Venice,” I replied.

Valerio reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of supple leather gloves, which he proceeded to pull on. “Besides, Mira has spoiled that plan by claiming Budapest as her own. She may not truly want it, but she is the keeper of this domain now. As keeper, it’s her responsibility to clean out old management.”

“Which you approve of,” Danaus sneered. “Being as Budapest is so close to Vienna and you’re sure that Mira won’t encroach on your territory.”

“You make it sound like it’s awful that I approve of Mira’s new acquisition. Of course I like having her close at hand once again.” Valerio paused and narrowed his dark eyes on the hunter as a wicked grin spread across his full lips. “Mira and I have a long history. It would be nice to have her around again.”

Danaus took a step forward, his hand dropping down to his waist where I knew he kept an assortment of knives. Valerio was taunting him, seeing how far he could push Danaus. I had no doubt that he was also testing how far my relationship with Danaus went. The Ancient nightwalker smiled at the hunter, his fangs peeking out from under his upper lip. I didn’t have time for this chest beating and territorial pissing. We needed to find Clarion.

“Enough!” I shouted, placing a hand on both their chests. “I need to find Clarion. Do you have any useful suggestions?”

Valerio laid his hand over mine, stroking my fingers in an attempt to annoy Danaus just a little bit more. I was about to smash my fist into his jaw. Instead I shoved. Valerio simply stood there, smiling down at me. “A coffeehouse called Gerbeaud Cukrászda,” he said. “It’s been around for ages and is located in Central Pest between the Chain Bridge and the Elizabeth Bridge. Any taxi driver should be able to locate it with no problems. I can come along—”

“No,” I said sharply, causing his smile to widen. I was beginning to think that he and Danaus had spent more than enough time together. I knew that I had already spent enough time with Valerio. This was a case of too much of a good thing. “There are naturi hanging out on one of the islands in the Danube. Last I saw, there were three islands in the region. I want you to go check them out.”

“This is my punishment. Taking on the naturi alone?” he demanded incredulously.

“Would I be so cold?”

“Yes.”

I smiled up at my friend for the first time, shaking my head. “I’m not asking you to hunt the naturi. I simply want you to locate them for me. Find which island they have claimed as their own. It will be easier for the four of us to hunt them down if we are sure of their ultimate location. Don’t engage if you can help it. Meet us later tonight back at my hotel room.”

“Aren’t you planning to change hotel rooms? Or are you planning to stay with me in Vienna?”

“I’m staying at the Gellért,” I said. “I’m not leaving Budapest again until this mess has been cleaned up.”

“It’s not safe.”

“Danaus will be there. I’ll be safe.”

“As you wish,” Valerio said with an easygoing shrug of his broad shoulders. He took a single step backward away from Danaus and me before disappearing from sight. I looked forward to the day when I attained that ability. It would be so much easier than trying to grab a car or a plane or any other vehicle to get from point A to point B.

My eyes strayed over to Danaus’s face and I winced inwardly. The hunter was not happy with me, and it was most likely Valerio’s fault. Of course, Danaus could also still be upset over my choice to control him than use my own powers. My excuse had been extraordinarily thin and weak. I didn’t think he actually bought it, but then I had been desperate and we weren’t exactly in the best spot to discuss it. To my glee, we still weren’t. The night was fading away and we still had to locate Clarion.

“I know.” I sighed. “He’s a complete pain in the ass.”

“Reminds me of someone else I know.”

“Yeah, well, that could be a long list. You’ll have to narrow it down for me.” We glared at each other before finally turning in separate directions. I looked over at Ferko to find that he had yet to move from where he lay. I didn’t expect him to be unconscious much longer. He’d eventually pick himself up and scurry back off to Veyron to complain about the slaughter of his people. If Ferko was lucky, our destruction of the local pack might succeed in drawing out a few of the nightwalkers. I had a sinking feeling that this entire town needed to be thinned out. Veyron and his gang had a negative influence on everyone there, like a sickness eating away at the brain tissue.

“How is Valerio going to track down the naturi if he can’t sense them?” Danaus asked, surprising me with his concern.

I smiled up at my companion as we trudged back through the woods toward the car we had stolen shortly after sunset. “He’s a smart guy. He’ll figure it out. A place where the humans have been murdered at an alarming rate, a heavily wooded area, or just a place where humans are afraid to tread. That’s enough to ferret out the naturi.”

“You’re using humans as a guide?”

“Sure, they’ve got a natural sixth sense about danger.”

“Then why do they flock to vampires?”

“I never said they were very good about listening to it. Besides, we’re not trying to kill them, just feed off them. The naturi are the ones that actually want them dead.”

“Nice rationale,” Danaus said as he walked around to the driver’s side and opened the door.

“Yeah, I thought so.”

Danaus paused, standing next to the car with the door open. He stared at me over the roof of the little car. “We’re hunting a warlock?”

“We’re just going to have a nice little chat over coffee,” I corrected with a shaky smile. I was beginning to think that Valerio had the easier task. For a brief moment I thought about reaching out to Stefan and requesting that he come along. However, I pushed the idea away as I climbed into the stolen car. Stefan needed some time to cool off and get back in control of his temper. As surprising as it was to me, he had lost someone important to him simply because she was beautiful. Michelle deserved better than that, and Stefan was determined to give it to her. He would need to kill both Odelia and Ferko to have his revenge. Unfortunately, to help him succeed, I first needed to deal with a warlock that was determined to see me dead.

Gerbeaud Cukrászda was stunning. I’d grown accustomed to cramped, dark little coffeehouses with people hunched over laptops or hiding behind a newspaper. But Gerbeaud Cukrászda was an old traditional Hungarian coffeehouse with its enormous arched windows looking out onto the city. Gold gilt and crystal chandeliers hung from domed ceilings, casting the room in a warm glow. Along the walls were rich wood sideboards that held delicate pieces of ancient china with slightly faded patterns, worn by the massive passage of time.

The coffeehouse was crowded, with people relaxing at small round tables laden with their coffee and frothy pastries that left me briefly longing for my more humans days when I craved things like sugar, milk, and airy whipped cream. Where coffeehouses in the United States were little dens of caffeine sin, Gerbeaud Cukrászda was a palace dedicated to the ancient art of coffee and decadence.

Danaus and I arrived looking as if we had just survived a fight for our lives. Our clothes were torn, dirty, and splattered with blood. I shoved one hand through my hair, trying vainly to smooth it back and into some semblance of order.

Danaus smiled at me, catching my eye in a nearby mirror. “You look vibrant,” he said in a low voice, causing me to smile as well. He was being far too kind. We both looked a mess and had no business walking into such a civilized setting, but there was nothing that could be done about it. The night was still young, and the longer we remained in Budapest without taking care of this nonsense, the more dangerous it became.