The Samantha Rain Mysteries

Chapter 7

7

Conflicted, Sam arrived at the square that surrounded the vampire church. Despite her status, Sam didn’t feel all too comfortable treading on Gravitas territory as a member from another clan. As a Warden, she had the Nox equivalent of diplomatic immunity, but that hadn’t stopped the vampires from putting her under their spell before or from Catalina demanding her blood. At least this time, she was invited.

Whether that meant something or not… She was about to find out.

She approached the heavy door with a set of worries flitting through her. Maybe she should’ve told Lilith where she was going… in case something went wrong.

No, the two weren’t on speaking terms right now.

Sam straightened her back, driving most of her concerns to the back with forceful denial. She was a big girl, she could take care of herself.

She knocked loudly on the decorated door and braced herself. Now there was no turning back.

A small panel was yanked back and a set of eyes glared straight at Samantha. “Identification.”

“Umm… I’m here to see Cata— Vampire Master, Catalina,” she corrected, hoping that would be sufficient.

The eyes never blinked. “Identification.”

Sam hesitated. “I don’t know what that means…”

The panel was slammed shut and Samantha heard some stumbling from inside the church. She waited, half-expecting the door to swing open at any moment but when nothing happened, she knocked again.

The peephole was pulled open and another set of eyes found hers. Before Samantha could say anything, the door shrieked open.

“Enter,” a gruff voice said.

Carefully, Samantha gave up the safety of the outside world and crossed the threshold of the vampire church. Behind her, the door slammed in its lock and the darkness of the building swallowed her. She glanced back and counted two guards preventing her from reaching the door.

She swallowed audibly and kept moving forwards, the only direction left to go. She really, really hoped she hadn’t just made a terrible mistake.

At the altar, the slender form turned around slowly.

“Samantha Rain,” Catalina said, her tone slightly elevated. “You came.”

“You said it was urgent,” Samantha replied.

The Vampire Master raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. “I didn’t expect you to come running.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “I can just leave.”

“No, no. That… That won’t be necessary. Please follow me.”

“You’re not going to tell me what it’s about?”

“No, it’s rather… delicate.” Her tongue played with her left fang. “Can I count on your discretion?”

“Always,” Sam promised before she even thought about it properly.

“Hmm…” The Vampire Master studied her for a second. “You’re very odd, you know that?”

“So I’ve heard. Are you going to keep speaking in riddles or will you get to the point?”

“Right.”

Samantha followed Catalina through one of the decorated doors, into the sacristy of the church. She scanned the room quickly but nothing of note had changed since her last visit. The velvet arm chairs were still out of place.

Catalina took place in the centered chair under a golden cross and gestured to the opposite seat. “Sit.”

“Do I have to?”

“Are you always this stubborn?”

“Depends on who you ask,” Sam responded. It sounded like a clever answer, but in reality, she just didn’t want to admit to it.

The other woman chuckled briefly. “I’ll take that as a yes. Please, sit. Would you like a drink?”

“I’ll pass on the drink.” Sam sighed dramatically. “What do you want?”

“I… I think it’s easier if I show you.”

Maybe she was imagining it, but Sam could swear she detected a hint of worry in Catalina’s voice. Was a ruthless Vampire Master like her even capable of concern? Not that she actually had evidence of the ruthlessness, she just couldn’t imagine Catalina reaching her position with kindness and smiles.

The other woman rose from her chair with a slight grunt and crossed to the other side of the room. She paused next to a sizable cardboard box, hesitated for a moment, and then waved Sam over.

Samantha rolled her eyes. What was the point of sitting down if she had to stand up right away?

“Shh.” Catalina placed a finger against her lips.

Ominous.

Carefully, Samantha approached the other woman. Catalina flipped open the top and Sam got a good look of the inside.

Her eyes widened. “What? Is that a—”

“Shhh!”

Sam looked in the box again, her eyes widening “Why is there a child in here?”

Catalina pulled a face. “I didn’t know what else to do with it.”

She took another look at the box, but there was no mistake. Curled up in a blanket, a sleeping little boy was blissfully unaware of the heads hovering above him.

“You don’t put children in cardboard boxes,” Sam hissed.

“Hey!” The Vampire Master gestured to the top of the box. “At least I put breathing holes in it!”

For the child’s benefit, Sam managed to keep her voice down. “They’re not cats or hamsters!”

“I know that! f**k, of course, I know that. But what was I supposed to do?”

The genuine panic in Catalina’s tone calmed Sam down just slightly. Clearly, there was more to the situation than met the eye.

She rubbed her forehead and groaned. “Where did the toddler come from?”

“That’s what I want to find out! I woke up and I found him here, playing with a cross. I freaked out and texted you.”

“This is so messed up.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. How did he get in here? How did he get past the guards? What does he want with me?”

“What does this have to do with me? Can’t you have your own Wardens figure this out? I have other stuff I need to deal with.”

“No! No! If my clan finds out a child managed to bypass my security, that would be the end of me. Especially a human child! Nobody can know about the boy, not even Lilith. This has to stay between you and me.” She knitted her hands together and held them up. “You need to help me. Find out where the kid came from and send it back.”

“So you’re calling in your favour?”

“Favour? No, I’m asking my friend for help.”

Sam raised a single eyebrow. “I didn’t realise we were friends.”

“We are now.” Catalina shot her a pleading look.

Sam took another look at the child and groaned. How could she refuse helping a lost child?

“Fine, I still have some contacts in the police. I’ll ask around,” Sam agreed.

The other woman released a long breath. “Thank you. You won’t regret helping me.”

“I sure hope not.”

“You won’t.” She sat back down in her arm chair and grabbed one of the glass bottles within reach. “Care for that drink after all? I insist.”

Sam gulped. “Ummm… That’s not blood, is it?”

“Blood?” Catalina snickered. “Good gravity, you’re funny. No wonder Lilith keeps you around. This is wine. Just wine.”

Sam sat down opposite of Catalina. She had to admit, the velvet chairs were more comfortable than they looked.

She sighed. It didn’t seem wise to keep refusing a Vampire Master’s request. “Fine I’ll have some of that ‘just wine’.”

She would just pretend to drink so she didn’t upset her host.

“Excellent.” Catalina reached for a set of glasses and placed them on the decorative coffee table in between them. The neck of the bottle clinked as it met the edge of the crystal goblet and a red liquid glugged out with a viscosity that didn’t resemble wine, but Sam dreaded to question it further. .

“To the beginning of a new friendship.” Catalina handed her a glass and heaved her own.

Sam raised hers reluctantly. “Sure. To a new friendship.”

Who knew she’d ever make friends with a vampire?