Elfreth’s Alley was a historic site named after an eighteenth century blacksmith. Its cobblestone alley was lined with renovated row homes that proudly displayed the preserved eighteenth century, working class homes that remained. The country’s past, and sadly now the present, lay across the stones marring the historic site. What the fuck is wrong with people?
The site had already been contained. Sydney ducked under the tape and approached the body. She knew she should have called Kade, but she figured someone on his team would let him know. After last night, she was afraid of her body’s response to his voice even over a phone. Eventually she would have to see him, hear his voice, and breathe in his delicious masculine scent. He would be pissed that she didn’t wait for him. But Sydney figured she’d take action and apologize later.
Sydney leaned in to get a better look at the body, another “Death Doll.” The girl was a brunette this time, but had the same almost pure white, porcelain skin. She was not damaged by water like the other victim. Instead, it looked if she had been gently laid on the street only hours ago. She appeared as if she were simply sleeping. She was as young as the other girl, in her twenties, but she was dressed differently this time in a long, evergreen, velvet dress, sans shoes. Again, her eyelids had been sewn shut with thread. Someone had taken care to put makeup on her face. She looked like a collectible doll you would buy on home-shopping television. The scoop neckline dress was fitted tightly around the front of her body. Sydney snapped on a latex glove and reached over to lift the neckline slightly, another tattoo.
The tattoo was small enough that it adorned the top of the girl’s breast. It looked almost like a cross, but with a round, large protuberance on the head. Sydney stood up straight and spoke aloud to herself, “Jennings is dead, so either he did this before he died or there's someone new doing the tattoos, and what is this? It isn’t exactly a cross. I know I’ve seen this somewhere.” She shook her head at the needless loss of life.
“It’s an Ankh. Ancient Egyptian symbol of eternal life.” Sydney spun around startled by the velvet caress of Kade’s voice. But his tone was not warm. No, he was angry with her, presumably for not calling him. Great, here we go. “Forget something, Sydney? You know, I am not above punishing you for your blatant disregard of my orders.” Kade was pissed. What the hell did she not understand about their conversation? They were supposed to be working this case together. Did she not get that there was danger out here that could get her killed in the blink of an eye? Kade knew the danger was very real, and now he had a name...Simone.
After Sydney left the club last night, Kade talked to Tristan about what Luca had found: a ribbon with her scent on it. She was back, Simone. Kade first met Simone in New Orleans in 1822. He found her beaten and starving in an alley. Newly turned, she was a lost fledgling. Not wanting to watch her kill or be killed, he took her under his wing and taught her how to feed on humans without killing them. Along with several other young vampires, including Luca, Simone lived with him in his safe compound that he created within the city. Despite the apparent abuse she had suffered over the years, she came to trust Kade.
Simone told him that a man named John Palmer had sent for her from England and brought her to Jamaica. She was given as a gift to his new wife, Annie Palmer. She worked as an indentured servant, a handmaiden. It was in Jamaica where she learned Voodoo from Annie who was a dangerous and abusive mistress known as the White Witch. Annie regularly tortured Simone and the other workers and slaves on the plantation. Simone had been beaten or whipped nearly every day she’d been at the plantation. Nothing ever made the mistress happy except when she practiced her dark arts. During these sessions, Simone was expected to assist the mistress, but Simone was not happy to merely assist. She kept her eyes lowered but secretly copied Annie’s notes and memorized whatever spells Annie cast.
One night during one of the many extravagant parties they held on the plantation, a guest expressed interest in Simone. Annie offered her handmaiden as a gift to him to use as he wished. Simone reluctantly took the stranger’s hand out of fear of a whipping. The stranger led her out into the fields where he raped and turned her. She was not aware that she had left Jamaica until she awoke in a dirty hotel room in New Orleans. Her new master sat on a chair next to her and explained she’d been turned into a vampire; she’d be his new slave. While she shook in bed trying to come to terms with what he was saying, the door burst open, and a man shot a wooden arrow into his chest. The vampire disintegrated on the spot. Assuming Simone was an innocent human, the killer said nothing as he turned and left the building. Simone scrambled out onto the street, but realized she was weak. She stumbled into the muck and lay helpless until Kade found her.
During the next few years, Simone seemed to adjust to life in New Orleans and transformed into a beautiful woman. Her white, pale skin highlighted her lush, ebony hair. It wasn’t long before Kade and Simone became lovers. He wasn’t in love with her, but he was lonely and she was available. He could not risk being involved with a human during those times, so another vampire offered him the companionship he needed. What Kade didn’t realize was that Simone never gave up practicing Voodoo and had started secretly practicing the dark arts when he was out of town. She knew Annie’s secrets and wanted the power she knew could be hers. It wasn’t until a werewolf, named Tristan, approached him and told him about his missing sister, that Kade found out Simone had evil intentions. Tristan had come for Kade’s help, and an agreement. Tristan would offer peace with the local wolves. In exchange, Kade would get his sister back from Simone.
Kade was horrified to find Simone in the barn that day. She had captured at least ten girls, including Tristan’s sister, and was holding them hostage. The girls were barely alive, cuffed with silver, beaten and naked, hanging on the walls. Infuriated, he commanded Simone to him and shoved her to her knees. While he initially wanted to kill Simone for her crimes, she begged for her life. Granting her mercy, Kade banished her forever from the United States. Forced to leave, Simone left with only a ticket for passage overseas and the clothes on her back. He destroyed her ritualistic objects, her spell books, and all that remained was a burned field where the barn used to stand.
He had nearly forgotten about Simone until Luca told him he scented her at the Jennings’s scene. If Simone was involved, he knew she would kill Sydney without a second thought. If she was able to capture and torture strong werewolves, like Tristan’s sister, she could easily kill a human. He didn’t know what he could do to convince Sydney of the danger that she faced. He knew he couldn’t stop her from continuing the investigation, but damn if she was going to go out on the streets without him. He had to be serious with her and make her understand that she would obey his orders in order to work with him. He needed to tell her about Simone.
Sydney had never seen him this angry. Who the hell did he think he was? “Newsflash, vampire, I'm not your daughter, nor are you my boss. So, let me make myself clear. I do not take orders from you. We may be partners for now, but this is my city. I do apologize for not calling you, but I figured you’d be...I don’t know...sleeping or whatever it is that vampires do during the day. I knew your office would call you, and I'm not your secretary. You’re here now, so let’s get to work.” She knew she was wrong, but that was the best apology she could cough up at the moment. She was not going to let some guy tell her what to do. She was a competent detective who kicked ass and took names later. So what? There was a murderer killing women on the street. They’d catch the guy and then, next year, it would be a different perp out killing people; that was life in the big city. She was here to catch bad guys, and was not a little girl playing cops and robbers.