08-03-2015, 05:20 PM
Corliss and Coyle were led through the moldy, dusty warehouse by a large werewolf. Coyle had forced her to walk beside him holding the crook of his arm. She wanted to yank her hand from him and shutter in disgust, but knew that their investigations and their lives might be on the line in those moments.
The warehouse looked like it had long ago been abandoned, and to anyone who didn't know any better it was. The large werewolf walked them into a small back room, and pulled away a part of the wall that revealed a stairway.
"Mistress Elysia awaits you in her quarters at the end of the stairway." The dark haired werewolf told them, "Do not wander and go directly to her room."
With that they were shoved into the stairway and the wall was shut behind them. Corliss looked up at Coyle, who only shrugged and continued his way down the stairs. He knew that the leech was not use to such treatment, and their guide's behavior had insulted her. He had learned, however, that when it came to kine, if you didn't allow them to make a big deal out of something, they normally wouldn't.
Following behind him down the stairs, the warehouse turned from an old damaged building to a place that even Corliss would gladly call home. The walls were covered in bright red wallpaper with dark wood and gold trimming. All doors were painted gold, and anyone who could be seen in the distant dinning room was dressed as if they were attending a ball.
Coyle found the door that had Mistress Elysia etched in gold in it's center. He knocked gently, and within moments the dark haired vampire appeared before them. Her skin was a milky white, her dress black, but her lip stick matched the bright red walls.
"I am so pleased that you returned to us, Coyle." She smiled at him, then turned her gaze to Corliss. "And what a beautiful lady friend you have. I can see from her outfit choice that she has chosen to dress more like one of the pack, then a kine."
Corliss bit her tongue, when Coyle took her hand. "Yes, well, she looks beautiful no matter what she wears." He said bringing her hand to his lips for a brief kiss.
Elysia grinned widely, "That is such a lovely thing to say." Her attention went back to Corliss, "And what of your name, my dear?"
Coyle was about to tell her, when Corliss interrupted him, "Corey." She said, not wanting the woman to know her real name.
"Corey and Coyle." She chuckled, "That's simply adorable." She took Coyle by his other arm, and began to lead them down the hallway. When they reached the dinning room, she stopped to look at the group of vampires and werewolves that were dinning at the table. "We here at PAKA, do not judge relationships between kine and pack members. It is a safe haven for those that would otherwise be mistreated for their love." She smiled at Corliss, "And to help those of us who are embarrassed to display our affection."
Corliss frowned when Elysia turned away, and they continued forward into a small indoor garden. The halls were small and at certain pointed Coyle felt like he couldn't breathe. The garden was filled with white flowers with white painted metal benches. Elysia took a seat in one, and pointed across the white rock path for them to have a seat together.
"I am going to ask you a few questions, they may seem personal, but I assure you that they are necessary." Elysia said when they both sat down.
Coyle nodded, but Corliss felt uncomfortable with the idea. She felt him put his arm around her shoulder, as if he were trying to comfort her. Yet, the more he touched her, the more she wanted to jump from the bench and tell him to unhand her. Her tension was felt easily, and Elysia carried a look of uncertainty in her eyes. She could tell that this kine was not use to being touched by Coyle, and certainly not a member of the pack.
Like clockwork, a male kine appeared and handed Elysia a clipboard and a pen. Elysia rested it on her knees, and filled out the top part of the form.
"How long have you two been together?" Elysia asked.
Corliss decided that it would be best to allow Coyle to answer the question; this way they wouldn't contradict each other.
"Around two years now." Coyle responded.
Elysia looked up with a smile, "That a good healthy time. So many kine and pack members come to us after only several months together. Most of the time, the kine is only looking for a momentary fling, and when the pack members proves they desire more, they flee."
"Doesn't the pack want a momentary fling, as you called it, as well?" Corliss asked.
Slowly she shook her head, "Not really, no. Most pack members mate for life, unlike us kine who have multiple partners in our lifetime. But if you live as short of lives as they do, I suppose it doesn't matter. Myself, I am on my twelfth husband, the last five being pack members."
"Oh." Corliss looked over towards Coyle, who still had his eyes on Elysia, and his arm around her.
"Have you two been intimate with each other?" Elysia asked, after she finished writing on the form.
Corliss nearly choked on her own tongue.
"I'm sorry to offend you." Elysia said with another smile, "We just want to ensure that only stable relationships become part of our group."
"Yes, we have." Coyle answered.
"Good." Elysia wrote it down, "Many times the kine refuses to allow such a beautiful thing to happen between them and their pack spouse. Still embarrassed about what they have done to their clan." She looked up at Corliss with a smile, "But, of course, as both of us ladies know, the wild, animalistic side of a werewolf during intimacy can be a wonderfully exciting thing. Much better then those boring old kine males that think they know everything about our bodies and don't."
"And refuse to learn." Corliss grinned in response, but her uneasiness was plastered across her face.
Elysia chuckled, "Indeed."
After several more questions that Corliss would have rather not answered; they came to one that would help with their own investigation.
"Who referred you to us?" Elysia asked.
"Amelia and Rylan." Corliss responded; it was an answer that angered Coyle.
His worry soon faded, when Elysia gave a large, friendly smile. "Coyle didn't mention that to me before. It has been so long since I've seen them, my goodness. I was afraid that they decided to call it quits. They were having such a rough time."
Corliss grinned, "You mean with the kine bothering him?" She didn't know what the woman was talking about, but knew she had to pretend that she knew some of the details.
"Oh, dear, the kine were bothering them too?" Elysia sighed.
"Were pack members harassing them?" Coyle asked.
Elysia nodded, "I don't like to tell tales, but Amelia's pack was not pleased that she joined that other pack, what was it?"
"Razor Claw?" Corliss answered, knowing that Elysia was looking to ensure that Corliss did know some of the story.
"Yes, them. Seems that they told her to stop dating Rylan or else they would both pay. So, she ended up with the Razor Claws, who didn't mind Rylan as long as he was buying the next round."
"Hmm, Rylan never told me that." Corliss responded.
Elysia nodded, "Well, when you are in relationships like we are, sometimes keeping secrets is the only way to survive." She cleared her throat, "Do you know if they will be back? They were suppose to get married this last weekend, but they never showed."
Corliss shook her head, "Rylan is dead, Mistress Elysia. I'm sorry, I thought you knew."
She looked shocked and covered her mouth for a moment, "Do you know who did it?"
"No, they are still investigating." Coyle told her, he was finally understanding where Corliss was going with their conversation.
"I'll bet you anything it was Amelia's old pack."
"What did they call themselves?" Coyle asked before Corliss could.
"Bloody Paw or something along those lines, I know that it had something to do with blood. I remember joking about kine needing blood, or some such nonsense. Not funny now that I don't remember the joke." Elysia cleared her throat again, as she tried to hold back her tears. "Anyway, let's get back to the form." She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, before looking back up. "Is Amelia ok? I would have thought she would come to me after hearing of Rylan's death, especially if she thought it was her pack."
Corliss shrugged, "We haven't heard from her either. They are suppose to be looking for her as well."
Elysia nodded, then looked back down at her clipboard. There was a small sniffle as the kine tried to hide her tears behind her clipboard. "Do you have a range for when you would like to get married?" The question seemed to stick in her throat.
"Mistress Elysia, why don't Coyle and I come back tomorrow? Give you time to gather yourself after such terrible news. Obviously, you are very traumatized."
Elysia nodded at Corliss, "Thank you, my dear. Come back for lunch tomorrow, we can speak then." She grabbed Corliss' arm when they past by her, "If you tell the investigators anything that I told you, please don't say where you heard it from. We need to keep PAKA a secret, if anyone learns where we are located, it would be devastating. The kine especially are unforgiving to our plights."
Corliss nodded her head, "I won't tell them who told me." She grinned, "We will tell the pack investigators the information, they won't share it with the kine."
Elysia smiled, "Thank you, dear." She said, before releasing her arm.
"How did it go?" Trent asked her as soon as she was within range.
Coyle answered, "Well, the further in we investigate the less likely it looks to be a human killer. You two might be taken off the case after this one."
"Oh?" Trent rose an eyebrow.
"Yes, it seems that Amelia's old pack had a grudge against kine. She was removed from their circle because she wouldn't give up Rylan." Corliss told them, "Bloody Paw was what Elysia said their name was."
"Never heard of them." Samara leaned against Isaac's car.
"She said it had the word blood in it." Coyle corrected, "I am going to assume Blood Fang, they are the only ones that I know of."
Samara gave a nod, "Not a good pack to get involved with. They are incredibly anti-kine, and will attack any leeches who are foolish enough to walk in their territory alone."
"Get involved with?" Corliss asked, "Aren't you born into a pack?"
"Well, if you want to get technical, we are all part of the same pack." Coyle explained, "Some of us just have different ideals, and have separated into gangs, calling them packs is a loose term. We are born into certain gangs, but some packies change their gang once they get older to match their ideals. Takes a lot of convincing to get into another gang though, except for females who can find mates within the gang."
"I see." Corliss looked over at Trent, who had his eyes on Coyle. "If they are anti-kine, then I doubt I would be welcomed to a meeting among them. Will Isaac be alright?" She had no idea why she asked that, she didn't want him to tag along with her and Trent.
"They have close bonds with humans, just not kine." Samara told her.
"Elysia, also, said that Rylan and Amelia were suppose to get married last weekend." Corliss announced.
"You thinking motive?" Trent asked.
"Perhaps. Neither the Blood Fangs or the Kine wanted them to wed." Corliss cupped her hands together in front of her. "However, none of the kine knew that Rylan was dating a pup. Yet, a whole gang of pups did."
Samara growled, "Don't you even start to pin this on us until there is proof!"
Corliss ignored her, "Elysia didn't know that Rylan had been killed." Corliss rubbed her upper arm as she spoke, "And I think she got the impression that we were investigators, and not a loving couple."
"Seemed like it, but I doubt we would have gotten through the door if we flashed our badges." Coyle patted her back, "Good work though."
"Don't touch me anymore." The words left Corliss' lips with a hiss.
Shooting his hand into the air, he grinned, "Excuse me, but with all the moves you were making on me in there, you can't blame a guy for getting the wrong idea."
"Moves? What the hell are you talking about?" Corliss turned to face him, "I barely touched you."
"Oh, that's your story now!" Coyle said with a large grin, and Corliss realized that she was being teased when everyone else started to laugh.
Taking a step back, she crossed her arms, before looking over at Trent, "I think we should get going." With that she spun around and headed for her car.
Trent looked at his partner, "Good luck."
Isaac gave a short nod, "Be careful, don't get yourself into anything that you can't get out of."
Trent brought his brows together, not sure what his partner meant. He chose not to say anything else to him before leaving the pups and him to their business.
The Upper Circle began long ago when the species began to live among each other. They were the first to begin investigations into kine and pack murders, and creating laws between the species. Though many people respected them for their work, many others hated them for giving into demands of the pack and kine. One particular law that was passed that Trent, himself, hated was the law that allowed the kine to keep human pets. This law was passed to stop kine from hunting humans, as even with blood donations there still wasn't enough blood for all the kine.
Many believed it was a necessary evil, allowing humans who wanted to be feed for the kine to practically give themselves to slavery. No law that was passed between the pack and kine was without enemies. Everyone wanted to live peacefully, but no one could agree on how, which was why the Upper Circle had been created to begin with. However, the Upper Circle controlled more then just laws, they were the center of the Paranormal Investigations Squad.
The Circle consisted of forty men and women who ruled on every investigation and situation between the species. Many more worked within the Circle, but the forty directors were the Circle's heart. Trent's father was one of the directors in the Circle, as a former Paranormal Investigator, he was given the position soon after retirement. It was not something that he had wanted to become, instead the Circle sought him out, and gave him an offer he just couldn't pass up.
Upon entering the building, a dark haired woman sat behind a large oval desk. She recognized Trent, and smiled as they approached. "Hello, Mister Monte. Your father told me that you would be here to see him today." She gave each of them guest passes that were used to unlock the elevators. "Please, go straight to his office, he is waiting for you."
"His office? I thought we were meeting with the Circle." Trent threw the small guest pass rope around his neck.
"No, your father thought it was best to speak with you two alone. That's all I know." She said with a smile.
"Alright, thanks, Kelly."
The inside of the building looked bare, nothing but metal and glass could be seen. There were no plants, no comfortable seats, it was more uninviting than a hospital. With good reason, they didn't want any kine visitors. Most kine wouldn't feel comfortable in such a place.
Franklin Monte was engraved into the metal door that they came to stop in front of. Pressing the small red button beside the door, it asked him to say his name. Trent offered his name to the machine and within seconds, the buzzing sound came from the door, then the sound of it unlocking itself. Stepping inside, Trent's father's office was more welcoming than the rest of the building.
His wooden desk sat at the end of the room near the windows, book shelves lined the walls, and there was a dark blue couch and two matching chairs positioned around the room. Franklin looked like an older version of his son in a suit. His hair was gray, and he kept it long. Trent always remembered his father having long hair that he wore tied back. Trent's brother always told him that when they looked into their father's face, it was like looking into a mirror of the future.
"Ah, good." Franklin stood up from his chair, and pointed to the two smaller chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat, boys."
Isaac sat down immediately, but Trent seemed a little nervous. His father had never asked to see them without the other Circle members. He tapped his fingers gently on the back of the chair, before sitting down.
"I recently received information that a kine was killed last week, a Macrea toy, and that you boys were assigned to the case." Franklin began to tell them as he opened a folder on his desk. "Seems this vampire was named Rylan Cullen, correct?"
Trent nodded, "Yes, a toy to Marcellus Macrea."
Franklin nodded his head, before coughing into his hand. "What have you learned so far?"
"Why?" Trent asked.
"We have taken a special interest in this case. And as a personal favor to me, I would like you to tell me what you have discovered."
"Why is the Circle so interest in this case?" Trent asked.
Franklin sighed as he shut the folder. His son had always been the kind to answer a question with a question, and unless he felt comfortable, he wouldn't tell him anything about the case. Franklin looked at Isaac for a moment, before looking back to his son. "This is off the record, Trent, got it?"
Trent nodded.
Franklin looked at Isaac, "Got it?"
"Yeah." Isaac responded.
"Rylan Cullen was an inside agent for us. We used him to gather information on the Macreas. He even helped us by bugging the entire Macrea building. We had suspicions for several years that the clan is planning to destroy a number of other clans. We needed to know for sure, before we made any claims."
Trent rubbed the bridge of his nose, he couldn't believe this. "But he was a double agent, wasn't he?"
"Not that we know of. However, Rylan decided six weeks ago that he no longer wanted to work with us. He had been getting death threats, we believe them to be humans because they were asking for money. If he didn't pay they would tell the Macreas. Some even went as far as to threaten his life, probably knowing that the Macreas wouldn't listen to them."
"How did anyone know that he was one of our agents?" Isaac asked, and scooted closer to the edge of his seat.
Franklin folded his hands atop of the folder, "We are beginning to believe that a human agent has been leaking information. To who… we aren't certain. This isn't the only isolated case recently, where one of our kine or pack agents have been killed." He handed over the folder to Trent, "Here are the death threats that he received."
Trent took the folder from him, "We had almost ruled out the possibility of it being a human." He dropped the folder on his lap.
"Afraid not, though they could have told a Macrea. If the Macreas found out that he was spying on them, then I don't doubt they would have him killed. However, the Macreas take traitors very seriously. I read your reports, and I don't see them killing a spy in that manner. Torture would be their solution to the problem."
"Rylan was missing for a couple weeks before he was found dead, but there was no evidence that he was tortured." Trent told him.
"Of course, that was coming from a kine examiner. They could have said anything, and Corliss was sure adamant about her lab receiving him." Isaac spoke to Trent, but he was trying to inform Franklin.
"Corliss?" Franklin swallowed, "Corliss Macrea?"
Both men nodded.
"She is the one that they put on this case?"
"Yes, is there a problem with that?" Trent asked seeming to be defensive.
Franklin ran his hand over his face, "Shit." He mumbled, "Shit, shit, shit!" He began to kick the underside of his desk.
"What is it?" Trent leaned forward.
"Rylan told us that we were never to involve Corliss in his matters that she could never be trusted. However, Rylan often received information that only someone close to Adriel could know." Franklin sighed loudly.
"So? Rylan was Marcellus' toy, he could have easily told him." Isaac said.
Franklin shook his head, "No, even if they work together that doesn't mean that they are sharing secrets. Marcellus could easily take over the Macrea clan. Adriel would never inform him of his plans until after they came to fruition."
"You are thinking that Corliss was informing Rylan? That she was an agent for the Circle as well?" Trent asked, realizing that he might sound a little too hopeful.
"We don't know. Rylan informed us that he did have an unnamed spy close to the elders, we called the agent the Shadow. After Rylan went missing, the Shadow continued to send information to his email here. Once Rylan was announced to be dead, the Shadow cut off all contact. We've tried to send him emails, asking him to continue to help us. Some fear that the Shadow was found out, and others think that he became scared when he heard of Rylan's death." Franklin leaned back in his seat. "All that we do know is that Rylan asked us never to approach Corliss. Some think that was because she was untrustworthy, and others believe it's because she was his inside man. If someone saw her with one of our agents, then she could have been disposed of."
"Her brother was protecting her by saying she wasn't trustworthy then?" Isaac asked.
Franklin nodded his head, "It's all speculation, but Corliss looks more and more like the Shadow with each passing day."
Trent covered his mouth with his hand, while he thought on what his father was saying. If this were true, then Corliss was putting her life at risk to give Rylan information about what the Macreas were planning. However, this also meant that she might know much more about Rylan's murder than originally thought. Perhaps it was she that informed the Macreas that Rylan was an agent for the circle.
"Keep the folder, but I wouldn't let the pack or kine investigators see it. Understand?" Franklin watched them both nod.
Isaac stood up and shook his hand.
"I need to speak with Trent alone." Franklin told Isaac, who nodded and stepped out of the room. "There is something else, son."
Trent looked up at him, "What?"
"The bugs haven't been removed from the building, so if they were informed of Rylan's treachery, they weren't told of them. We heard a conversation between Corliss and Adriel. It seems he knows that you are a regular visitor here, and he has ordered Corliss to try and recruit you onto their side."
"Recruit me? Like turn me?"
Franklin shook his head, "No, they very much want you to stay human. I believe they want to make you an agent for them. In time, you would eventually become a member of the Circle, and to have you reporting back to them… it would be disastrous."
"How is she suppose to get me to do this? I would never betray the Circle."
He nodded, "I know, son. And as far as how she was suppose to do this, Adriel has in a sense ordered her to seduce you. I would watch myself, if I were you boy."
Trent gave a nod before standing up. "I'll see you at your birthday party in a couple weeks."
Franklin nodded, "Ah, don't remind me."
The warehouse looked like it had long ago been abandoned, and to anyone who didn't know any better it was. The large werewolf walked them into a small back room, and pulled away a part of the wall that revealed a stairway.
"Mistress Elysia awaits you in her quarters at the end of the stairway." The dark haired werewolf told them, "Do not wander and go directly to her room."
With that they were shoved into the stairway and the wall was shut behind them. Corliss looked up at Coyle, who only shrugged and continued his way down the stairs. He knew that the leech was not use to such treatment, and their guide's behavior had insulted her. He had learned, however, that when it came to kine, if you didn't allow them to make a big deal out of something, they normally wouldn't.
Following behind him down the stairs, the warehouse turned from an old damaged building to a place that even Corliss would gladly call home. The walls were covered in bright red wallpaper with dark wood and gold trimming. All doors were painted gold, and anyone who could be seen in the distant dinning room was dressed as if they were attending a ball.
Coyle found the door that had Mistress Elysia etched in gold in it's center. He knocked gently, and within moments the dark haired vampire appeared before them. Her skin was a milky white, her dress black, but her lip stick matched the bright red walls.
"I am so pleased that you returned to us, Coyle." She smiled at him, then turned her gaze to Corliss. "And what a beautiful lady friend you have. I can see from her outfit choice that she has chosen to dress more like one of the pack, then a kine."
Corliss bit her tongue, when Coyle took her hand. "Yes, well, she looks beautiful no matter what she wears." He said bringing her hand to his lips for a brief kiss.
Elysia grinned widely, "That is such a lovely thing to say." Her attention went back to Corliss, "And what of your name, my dear?"
Coyle was about to tell her, when Corliss interrupted him, "Corey." She said, not wanting the woman to know her real name.
"Corey and Coyle." She chuckled, "That's simply adorable." She took Coyle by his other arm, and began to lead them down the hallway. When they reached the dinning room, she stopped to look at the group of vampires and werewolves that were dinning at the table. "We here at PAKA, do not judge relationships between kine and pack members. It is a safe haven for those that would otherwise be mistreated for their love." She smiled at Corliss, "And to help those of us who are embarrassed to display our affection."
Corliss frowned when Elysia turned away, and they continued forward into a small indoor garden. The halls were small and at certain pointed Coyle felt like he couldn't breathe. The garden was filled with white flowers with white painted metal benches. Elysia took a seat in one, and pointed across the white rock path for them to have a seat together.
"I am going to ask you a few questions, they may seem personal, but I assure you that they are necessary." Elysia said when they both sat down.
Coyle nodded, but Corliss felt uncomfortable with the idea. She felt him put his arm around her shoulder, as if he were trying to comfort her. Yet, the more he touched her, the more she wanted to jump from the bench and tell him to unhand her. Her tension was felt easily, and Elysia carried a look of uncertainty in her eyes. She could tell that this kine was not use to being touched by Coyle, and certainly not a member of the pack.
Like clockwork, a male kine appeared and handed Elysia a clipboard and a pen. Elysia rested it on her knees, and filled out the top part of the form.
"How long have you two been together?" Elysia asked.
Corliss decided that it would be best to allow Coyle to answer the question; this way they wouldn't contradict each other.
"Around two years now." Coyle responded.
Elysia looked up with a smile, "That a good healthy time. So many kine and pack members come to us after only several months together. Most of the time, the kine is only looking for a momentary fling, and when the pack members proves they desire more, they flee."
"Doesn't the pack want a momentary fling, as you called it, as well?" Corliss asked.
Slowly she shook her head, "Not really, no. Most pack members mate for life, unlike us kine who have multiple partners in our lifetime. But if you live as short of lives as they do, I suppose it doesn't matter. Myself, I am on my twelfth husband, the last five being pack members."
"Oh." Corliss looked over towards Coyle, who still had his eyes on Elysia, and his arm around her.
"Have you two been intimate with each other?" Elysia asked, after she finished writing on the form.
Corliss nearly choked on her own tongue.
"I'm sorry to offend you." Elysia said with another smile, "We just want to ensure that only stable relationships become part of our group."
"Yes, we have." Coyle answered.
"Good." Elysia wrote it down, "Many times the kine refuses to allow such a beautiful thing to happen between them and their pack spouse. Still embarrassed about what they have done to their clan." She looked up at Corliss with a smile, "But, of course, as both of us ladies know, the wild, animalistic side of a werewolf during intimacy can be a wonderfully exciting thing. Much better then those boring old kine males that think they know everything about our bodies and don't."
"And refuse to learn." Corliss grinned in response, but her uneasiness was plastered across her face.
Elysia chuckled, "Indeed."
After several more questions that Corliss would have rather not answered; they came to one that would help with their own investigation.
"Who referred you to us?" Elysia asked.
"Amelia and Rylan." Corliss responded; it was an answer that angered Coyle.
His worry soon faded, when Elysia gave a large, friendly smile. "Coyle didn't mention that to me before. It has been so long since I've seen them, my goodness. I was afraid that they decided to call it quits. They were having such a rough time."
Corliss grinned, "You mean with the kine bothering him?" She didn't know what the woman was talking about, but knew she had to pretend that she knew some of the details.
"Oh, dear, the kine were bothering them too?" Elysia sighed.
"Were pack members harassing them?" Coyle asked.
Elysia nodded, "I don't like to tell tales, but Amelia's pack was not pleased that she joined that other pack, what was it?"
"Razor Claw?" Corliss answered, knowing that Elysia was looking to ensure that Corliss did know some of the story.
"Yes, them. Seems that they told her to stop dating Rylan or else they would both pay. So, she ended up with the Razor Claws, who didn't mind Rylan as long as he was buying the next round."
"Hmm, Rylan never told me that." Corliss responded.
Elysia nodded, "Well, when you are in relationships like we are, sometimes keeping secrets is the only way to survive." She cleared her throat, "Do you know if they will be back? They were suppose to get married this last weekend, but they never showed."
Corliss shook her head, "Rylan is dead, Mistress Elysia. I'm sorry, I thought you knew."
She looked shocked and covered her mouth for a moment, "Do you know who did it?"
"No, they are still investigating." Coyle told her, he was finally understanding where Corliss was going with their conversation.
"I'll bet you anything it was Amelia's old pack."
"What did they call themselves?" Coyle asked before Corliss could.
"Bloody Paw or something along those lines, I know that it had something to do with blood. I remember joking about kine needing blood, or some such nonsense. Not funny now that I don't remember the joke." Elysia cleared her throat again, as she tried to hold back her tears. "Anyway, let's get back to the form." She wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, before looking back up. "Is Amelia ok? I would have thought she would come to me after hearing of Rylan's death, especially if she thought it was her pack."
Corliss shrugged, "We haven't heard from her either. They are suppose to be looking for her as well."
Elysia nodded, then looked back down at her clipboard. There was a small sniffle as the kine tried to hide her tears behind her clipboard. "Do you have a range for when you would like to get married?" The question seemed to stick in her throat.
"Mistress Elysia, why don't Coyle and I come back tomorrow? Give you time to gather yourself after such terrible news. Obviously, you are very traumatized."
Elysia nodded at Corliss, "Thank you, my dear. Come back for lunch tomorrow, we can speak then." She grabbed Corliss' arm when they past by her, "If you tell the investigators anything that I told you, please don't say where you heard it from. We need to keep PAKA a secret, if anyone learns where we are located, it would be devastating. The kine especially are unforgiving to our plights."
Corliss nodded her head, "I won't tell them who told me." She grinned, "We will tell the pack investigators the information, they won't share it with the kine."
Elysia smiled, "Thank you, dear." She said, before releasing her arm.
---***---
Corliss immediately took notice that Samara was holding onto Trent's arm as she approached them. Adriel's words of gaining Trent's trust echoed within her mind, and she knew that she needed to act fast. Her worries disappeared when Trent pushed her arm off his arm when Corliss was in sight. Samara looked slightly hurt, but remained silent."How did it go?" Trent asked her as soon as she was within range.
Coyle answered, "Well, the further in we investigate the less likely it looks to be a human killer. You two might be taken off the case after this one."
"Oh?" Trent rose an eyebrow.
"Yes, it seems that Amelia's old pack had a grudge against kine. She was removed from their circle because she wouldn't give up Rylan." Corliss told them, "Bloody Paw was what Elysia said their name was."
"Never heard of them." Samara leaned against Isaac's car.
"She said it had the word blood in it." Coyle corrected, "I am going to assume Blood Fang, they are the only ones that I know of."
Samara gave a nod, "Not a good pack to get involved with. They are incredibly anti-kine, and will attack any leeches who are foolish enough to walk in their territory alone."
"Get involved with?" Corliss asked, "Aren't you born into a pack?"
"Well, if you want to get technical, we are all part of the same pack." Coyle explained, "Some of us just have different ideals, and have separated into gangs, calling them packs is a loose term. We are born into certain gangs, but some packies change their gang once they get older to match their ideals. Takes a lot of convincing to get into another gang though, except for females who can find mates within the gang."
"I see." Corliss looked over at Trent, who had his eyes on Coyle. "If they are anti-kine, then I doubt I would be welcomed to a meeting among them. Will Isaac be alright?" She had no idea why she asked that, she didn't want him to tag along with her and Trent.
"They have close bonds with humans, just not kine." Samara told her.
"Elysia, also, said that Rylan and Amelia were suppose to get married last weekend." Corliss announced.
"You thinking motive?" Trent asked.
"Perhaps. Neither the Blood Fangs or the Kine wanted them to wed." Corliss cupped her hands together in front of her. "However, none of the kine knew that Rylan was dating a pup. Yet, a whole gang of pups did."
Samara growled, "Don't you even start to pin this on us until there is proof!"
Corliss ignored her, "Elysia didn't know that Rylan had been killed." Corliss rubbed her upper arm as she spoke, "And I think she got the impression that we were investigators, and not a loving couple."
"Seemed like it, but I doubt we would have gotten through the door if we flashed our badges." Coyle patted her back, "Good work though."
"Don't touch me anymore." The words left Corliss' lips with a hiss.
Shooting his hand into the air, he grinned, "Excuse me, but with all the moves you were making on me in there, you can't blame a guy for getting the wrong idea."
"Moves? What the hell are you talking about?" Corliss turned to face him, "I barely touched you."
"Oh, that's your story now!" Coyle said with a large grin, and Corliss realized that she was being teased when everyone else started to laugh.
Taking a step back, she crossed her arms, before looking over at Trent, "I think we should get going." With that she spun around and headed for her car.
Trent looked at his partner, "Good luck."
Isaac gave a short nod, "Be careful, don't get yourself into anything that you can't get out of."
Trent brought his brows together, not sure what his partner meant. He chose not to say anything else to him before leaving the pups and him to their business.
---***---
Trent and Isaac found themselves standing outside the large sky scraper, both men were dressed in their uniforms as it was a requirement when meeting with the Upper Circle. Their uniforms were a dark blue, their collars carrying their rank insignias, and the front of their shirts holding any medals that they had received in their years of service.The Upper Circle began long ago when the species began to live among each other. They were the first to begin investigations into kine and pack murders, and creating laws between the species. Though many people respected them for their work, many others hated them for giving into demands of the pack and kine. One particular law that was passed that Trent, himself, hated was the law that allowed the kine to keep human pets. This law was passed to stop kine from hunting humans, as even with blood donations there still wasn't enough blood for all the kine.
Many believed it was a necessary evil, allowing humans who wanted to be feed for the kine to practically give themselves to slavery. No law that was passed between the pack and kine was without enemies. Everyone wanted to live peacefully, but no one could agree on how, which was why the Upper Circle had been created to begin with. However, the Upper Circle controlled more then just laws, they were the center of the Paranormal Investigations Squad.
The Circle consisted of forty men and women who ruled on every investigation and situation between the species. Many more worked within the Circle, but the forty directors were the Circle's heart. Trent's father was one of the directors in the Circle, as a former Paranormal Investigator, he was given the position soon after retirement. It was not something that he had wanted to become, instead the Circle sought him out, and gave him an offer he just couldn't pass up.
Upon entering the building, a dark haired woman sat behind a large oval desk. She recognized Trent, and smiled as they approached. "Hello, Mister Monte. Your father told me that you would be here to see him today." She gave each of them guest passes that were used to unlock the elevators. "Please, go straight to his office, he is waiting for you."
"His office? I thought we were meeting with the Circle." Trent threw the small guest pass rope around his neck.
"No, your father thought it was best to speak with you two alone. That's all I know." She said with a smile.
"Alright, thanks, Kelly."
The inside of the building looked bare, nothing but metal and glass could be seen. There were no plants, no comfortable seats, it was more uninviting than a hospital. With good reason, they didn't want any kine visitors. Most kine wouldn't feel comfortable in such a place.
---***---
Franklin Monte was engraved into the metal door that they came to stop in front of. Pressing the small red button beside the door, it asked him to say his name. Trent offered his name to the machine and within seconds, the buzzing sound came from the door, then the sound of it unlocking itself. Stepping inside, Trent's father's office was more welcoming than the rest of the building.
His wooden desk sat at the end of the room near the windows, book shelves lined the walls, and there was a dark blue couch and two matching chairs positioned around the room. Franklin looked like an older version of his son in a suit. His hair was gray, and he kept it long. Trent always remembered his father having long hair that he wore tied back. Trent's brother always told him that when they looked into their father's face, it was like looking into a mirror of the future.
"Ah, good." Franklin stood up from his chair, and pointed to the two smaller chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat, boys."
Isaac sat down immediately, but Trent seemed a little nervous. His father had never asked to see them without the other Circle members. He tapped his fingers gently on the back of the chair, before sitting down.
"I recently received information that a kine was killed last week, a Macrea toy, and that you boys were assigned to the case." Franklin began to tell them as he opened a folder on his desk. "Seems this vampire was named Rylan Cullen, correct?"
Trent nodded, "Yes, a toy to Marcellus Macrea."
Franklin nodded his head, before coughing into his hand. "What have you learned so far?"
"Why?" Trent asked.
"We have taken a special interest in this case. And as a personal favor to me, I would like you to tell me what you have discovered."
"Why is the Circle so interest in this case?" Trent asked.
Franklin sighed as he shut the folder. His son had always been the kind to answer a question with a question, and unless he felt comfortable, he wouldn't tell him anything about the case. Franklin looked at Isaac for a moment, before looking back to his son. "This is off the record, Trent, got it?"
Trent nodded.
Franklin looked at Isaac, "Got it?"
"Yeah." Isaac responded.
"Rylan Cullen was an inside agent for us. We used him to gather information on the Macreas. He even helped us by bugging the entire Macrea building. We had suspicions for several years that the clan is planning to destroy a number of other clans. We needed to know for sure, before we made any claims."
Trent rubbed the bridge of his nose, he couldn't believe this. "But he was a double agent, wasn't he?"
"Not that we know of. However, Rylan decided six weeks ago that he no longer wanted to work with us. He had been getting death threats, we believe them to be humans because they were asking for money. If he didn't pay they would tell the Macreas. Some even went as far as to threaten his life, probably knowing that the Macreas wouldn't listen to them."
"How did anyone know that he was one of our agents?" Isaac asked, and scooted closer to the edge of his seat.
Franklin folded his hands atop of the folder, "We are beginning to believe that a human agent has been leaking information. To who… we aren't certain. This isn't the only isolated case recently, where one of our kine or pack agents have been killed." He handed over the folder to Trent, "Here are the death threats that he received."
Trent took the folder from him, "We had almost ruled out the possibility of it being a human." He dropped the folder on his lap.
"Afraid not, though they could have told a Macrea. If the Macreas found out that he was spying on them, then I don't doubt they would have him killed. However, the Macreas take traitors very seriously. I read your reports, and I don't see them killing a spy in that manner. Torture would be their solution to the problem."
"Rylan was missing for a couple weeks before he was found dead, but there was no evidence that he was tortured." Trent told him.
"Of course, that was coming from a kine examiner. They could have said anything, and Corliss was sure adamant about her lab receiving him." Isaac spoke to Trent, but he was trying to inform Franklin.
"Corliss?" Franklin swallowed, "Corliss Macrea?"
Both men nodded.
"She is the one that they put on this case?"
"Yes, is there a problem with that?" Trent asked seeming to be defensive.
Franklin ran his hand over his face, "Shit." He mumbled, "Shit, shit, shit!" He began to kick the underside of his desk.
"What is it?" Trent leaned forward.
"Rylan told us that we were never to involve Corliss in his matters that she could never be trusted. However, Rylan often received information that only someone close to Adriel could know." Franklin sighed loudly.
"So? Rylan was Marcellus' toy, he could have easily told him." Isaac said.
Franklin shook his head, "No, even if they work together that doesn't mean that they are sharing secrets. Marcellus could easily take over the Macrea clan. Adriel would never inform him of his plans until after they came to fruition."
"You are thinking that Corliss was informing Rylan? That she was an agent for the Circle as well?" Trent asked, realizing that he might sound a little too hopeful.
"We don't know. Rylan informed us that he did have an unnamed spy close to the elders, we called the agent the Shadow. After Rylan went missing, the Shadow continued to send information to his email here. Once Rylan was announced to be dead, the Shadow cut off all contact. We've tried to send him emails, asking him to continue to help us. Some fear that the Shadow was found out, and others think that he became scared when he heard of Rylan's death." Franklin leaned back in his seat. "All that we do know is that Rylan asked us never to approach Corliss. Some think that was because she was untrustworthy, and others believe it's because she was his inside man. If someone saw her with one of our agents, then she could have been disposed of."
"Her brother was protecting her by saying she wasn't trustworthy then?" Isaac asked.
Franklin nodded his head, "It's all speculation, but Corliss looks more and more like the Shadow with each passing day."
Trent covered his mouth with his hand, while he thought on what his father was saying. If this were true, then Corliss was putting her life at risk to give Rylan information about what the Macreas were planning. However, this also meant that she might know much more about Rylan's murder than originally thought. Perhaps it was she that informed the Macreas that Rylan was an agent for the circle.
"Keep the folder, but I wouldn't let the pack or kine investigators see it. Understand?" Franklin watched them both nod.
Isaac stood up and shook his hand.
"I need to speak with Trent alone." Franklin told Isaac, who nodded and stepped out of the room. "There is something else, son."
Trent looked up at him, "What?"
"The bugs haven't been removed from the building, so if they were informed of Rylan's treachery, they weren't told of them. We heard a conversation between Corliss and Adriel. It seems he knows that you are a regular visitor here, and he has ordered Corliss to try and recruit you onto their side."
"Recruit me? Like turn me?"
Franklin shook his head, "No, they very much want you to stay human. I believe they want to make you an agent for them. In time, you would eventually become a member of the Circle, and to have you reporting back to them… it would be disastrous."
"How is she suppose to get me to do this? I would never betray the Circle."
He nodded, "I know, son. And as far as how she was suppose to do this, Adriel has in a sense ordered her to seduce you. I would watch myself, if I were you boy."
Trent gave a nod before standing up. "I'll see you at your birthday party in a couple weeks."
Franklin nodded, "Ah, don't remind me."