Reflected (Vampire Tales 3)

Reflected (Vampire Tales 3)
Alexa Piper
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2023 Alexa Piper

I lifted my head to stare at a sign directing travelers to restrooms, baggage claim, and customs, wondering what precisely it was about airports that made them all just look the same regardless of whether you were traveling for a photo shoot or to trace some secret church-endorsed brotherhood to its roots. Not that we had any idea whether Brother fucking Christian, the murder-agent-monk -- or whatever the fuck he was -- would lead us that far, but retracing his steps was what we had come to London for. And to Heathrow Airport.

The Prague train station had given me so much more, and with my camera bag slung over my shoulder and nothing useful to photograph, I gave in to the whimsicalness that came with little sleep, woke my phone, navigated to the photo app, and snapped a selfie with me and Auris in it.

The phone brought out my blue eyes, sharply contrasted against my pale skin, although Auris, pale and wearing nothing but black, was the pure embodiment of contrast.

I put my phone away again, and he put a hand on my back. “Do you want to stop for a rapid test?” He carried our bags, leaving me only with my camera bag. His hand settled at the small of my back, black eyes reflecting the light.

“Oh.” I glanced at the rest of our odd little group, Lucas, Danielle, and Matheo, the werepersons, and walking between Matheo and Lucas, Brother fucking Christian. “Do you guys get sick?”

Danielle turned, tugging her hair back behind her ear. “My aunt swears she had a cold about half a year ago and blames it on the Covid. She’s a bit cuckoo, though.”

“We don’t,” Lucas clarified. “I assume, Auris, since we’re having you traveling with us, testing isn’t really mandatory?”

Brother fucking Christian sort of growled. Auris had him entranced, but while the murder monk looked like he’d been on a three-day bender with his bloodshot eyes and wrinkled clothes, he was apparently still fighting Auris’s mind control.

“It’s not,” Auris said. “Ethan?”

“Uhm, I guess I’ll let them swab me. Feels unfair not to.” I remembered Auris saying something about how Christian had complained about having to take a test, back when he’d pretended he needed our help. “And can you please make the medical staff ram a swab up that one’s nose?”

I jerked my thumb at the Gladius agent.

“I like him,” Danielle said, jabbing her thumb at me. “Ethan, I like you.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“Danielle, can you go get us a rental in the meantime?” Lucas asked.

We were headed straight for the test station. At this time of the night and with us coming in on a charter flight rather than commercial, there wasn’t even a line there that Auris needed to help me skip.

“Sure. Do I just --” She pointed at the medical staff in their protective gear.

“Yes, go right past,” Auris said.

The rest of our group moved along while Danielle hurried away.

Thanks to Auris, there was no paperwork at all for the test. I wasn’t a fan myself, but watching Brother Christian squirm as one of the staff did a very, very thorough swab of his nostrils was rewarding.

“Don’t you look happy?” Auris said. He drew me with him to a row of chairs, a sign next to them reminding people to keep two seats apart from each other. He didn’t and sat next to me.

“I can’t believe we fell for him. I can’t believe I felt sorry for him.” I took out my phone again and set the photo I’d just taken as my screen background. I should’ve probably set something nicer as my background to keep up my professional appearance, something more elaborate than a selfie, but Auris already had me set as his background, so this was only fair.

Back at the testing station, they finished with Christian, and Matheo roughly pulled him toward us, followed by Lucas, although the two gave Auris and me some space. Especially Lucas -- the green-eyed leader of the group was mindful of keeping his distance.

“There was no way you could have known he wasn’t what he said he was, not when we found him by the bone church.”

I sighed. “I don’t want to move. I like Prague.”

“For now, we’ll not talk about moving. If this excursion goes as we hope, there will not be a reason to move.”

Auris turned toward Lucas, caught his eye, and waved him over. The berserker -- bear -- still wore his light jacket and infinity scarf, a small backpack on his back.

“Yes?”

“Where exactly is your safe house?”

“South of Kensington Park,” Lucas said, glanced at me, then lowered his head. I was beginning to think that was either a show of respect or deference, possibly both. “Ethan will be able to rest soon.”

“I’m fine,” I said.

“You’re tired,” Auris said. “And you don’t enjoy being near him.” He indicated Brother fucking Christian with a nod.

I snorted. “You helped him, and then he wanted to do fuck knows what to you.” I looked at Lucas, who met my gaze for once. “Did he tell you anything about your friend? That vampire?”

“Our Gladius agent grudgingly admitted Jonathan’s alive,” Lucas said.