There was a knock at the door. Lady Christine moved to open it, but stopped just second to glance at Sophie. The look was intended as a warning for the young vampire to be on guard.
Any supernatural letting a fixer into their home was taking big risks -- that much was common knowledge, but this situation called for a professional.
When Christine opened the door she there was a flash of color and movement. The full-blooded vamp turned around startled to find her guest standing there looking amused.
Rebecca said flatly " You called?"
She phrased like a question, but they already knew the answer. Christine hadn't worked with, or contracted Rebecca before but she heard from several reliable sources that this woman was the best fixer in London. Hell, the whole of Europe even.
One tale told said she had once killed a arch-mage conjurer in the American Embassy in Paris without raising so much as eyebrow, let alone an alarm. The real kicker to that story was not only that it was in fact true -- but that Rebecca had done the job entirely of her own accord, after the idiot wizard in question had been stupid enough to criticize her beautiful tattoos within her hearing. Never mind that Rebecca's hearing range was far beyond the norm, or that it could penetrate solid stone buildings.
Christine was still a little thrown off by Rebecca's entrance but she was composed enough not show it when she spoke.
" Yes. We" She said gesturing toward Sophie "Need some assistance. My lovely Sophie here is still young, and she needs time to get her bearings. The problem, as I see it, is that we may not have it. I had a premonition last night. It concerns a local softbites coven. Recently it seems as though they are getting the jump on vampire activity."
"Just say what needs to be done, and i'll get to work." Rebecca was all business.
"First, I wish to know how they are divining vampire presence. Then, if necessary you may need to do some killing. Its really not my style to get needlessly violent, but if this pattern persists it shall become much harder for all of us to get things done. Worse still it may keep our numbers from growing and at the same time see theirs grow to unimaginable proportions. That, my dear Rebecca, is unacceptable." She had made her pitch and now stood waiting for a response.
"Well, I can't say I'm too thrilled with a job that only has a 'chance' at getting physical. As needlessly violent, IS my style, but your point is well taken about the difficulties for us all, should the softbite population get out of control. I heard just last week that a Moscow coven is bragging about it's unprecedented number of fresh initiates. The events may be connected in some way. I shall enjoy looking into it I think."
Rebecca left her true reason for motivation unsaid. Every job presented new chances to acquire special skills. This one, may very well be something that would bring those smug full-bloods to their knees. A position she personally would love to see them in, all the better for groveling at her feet.
"I'll be in touch soon."
With that Rebecca was gone again in a blur. Christine and Sophie were left looking amazed and a little uneasy after the meeting. Christine spoke.
"I want you to stay on your toes around that one. Fixers are unpredictable at best, and this one seems a tad too eager for my taste"
XXX
Rebecca was quick in locating what she thought was the coven's base of operations. It had been surprisingly simple really. The bitches were always so fond of church architecture and what passed for subtlety in their circles seemed like a red flag for anyone who knew the lore of a city.
The church in question had been the site of a rather grisly virgin sacrifice in the 1700's and was rumored to be very haunted. Witches couldn't resist such things, they quite wrongly assumed that a history of such events made their protective wards stronger and thus made their hideaway harder to detect.
This might be the case with a supernatural just born, but Rebecca had enough experience to know better. She licked her lips in anticipation of a fun night ahead.
XXX
Yevette was was growing a little annoyed with her sister-witches. Ever since Emmaline's initiation Alana had become enthralled with the younger girl. Their playtime sessions seemed a non-stop marathon of sighs and moans. In certain circumstances this would not have been an issue.
Perhaps if they had invited her to join them in their games she would have felt different. Still, she envied their passion and energy. It seemed to Yevette that even immortals got tired after a while.
She had been doing a disproportionate amount of travel lately. Her gift for Seeing had grown more powerful over the past few months and the larger Softbite authorities had taken notice when they'd discovered more of ways to put it to use.
She had just gotten back from Russia, and the cold hadn't seeped out of her bones yet. Yevette had orders to carry out, but she would need some things first for a very elaborate ritual.
She thought of asking the girls to come along but rightly figured that they were off in Emma's bedchamber having fun. So, she would go to the apothecary alone.
Just as Yevette opened the door to the church she saw a hazy flash of light pass and felt a sudden poke at her neck. She fell limply into the arms of Rebecca's silent companion and creation.
Dolly caught the body and looked to her master for approval. Rebecca's smile told her she had done well.
XXX
Rebecca's familiarity with the London's old underground tunnels helped her locate the perfect place for the planned interrogation. It was an old prison of some kind, small but efficient. Rebecca wondered if it might have been used by one of London's wealthier citizens who had need of a single holding cell and what looked like the tools of torture.
There was a metal table and stocks in the middle of the room. They were the old fashioned kind they used to use for public punishment, the ones that had holes for a prisoners head and hands and forced them to stand bent over while they were either flogged or held so crowds could throw rotten fruit at them for a laugh.
