AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER ONE
Nik looked up from his desk, surprised when Andrew rushed into his office, breathless and talking so fast that he could not understand him. He stood and raised his hand asking for calm and Andrew stopped took a deep breath and started over.
"I'm sorry sir." He stammered between breaths and then calmed down and took a long steady breath.
"What is it?" Nik asked, stirred by the excitement.
"Master DuCane has a lead on a charmer, a credible lead," Andrew stated with a smile that took up his whole face.
“What do you mean by credible?” Nik was afraid to hope since he’d been disappointed so many times during this search.
“He has a name and an address.” Andrew told him and then added. “He’s on line one.” Andrew left the office, and Nik took a seat and after a deep breath picked up the call.
"Hello, Louis."
"His name is Evan McCormick, he is nineteen and resides in Toronto, Ontario." He stated. "The details are on their way to you now. He's a young man who lives with his father andbrothers. I have been told that he does not know what he is, so take that into consideration when you approach him."
"Who found him?" Nik asked, knowing that there were hundreds searching.
“Edward the Black Knight. He has endless avenues of contacts and influence, and he decided to help.” Louis sounded unsure of his intent but thankful for the assistance.
"Thank heaven he is still on his road to redemption and doing penance." Nik breathed a tentative sigh of relief. "Thank you, Louis, and I'll keep you informed."
"Good luck, Nik, and if you need me, I'm here." With that, they closed the call, and Nik called Josef to give him the good news.
Conrad Smith one of Master Hadden's personal guards stood on the balcony overlooking the main floor of the Imperial and observed the action below. The club was busy as usual, with no indication of the trouble churning just below the surface. The sooner they found a cure for the curse, the better it would be for all.
In the meantime, it was imperative that they maintain a normal front and business-as-usual appearance for the city at large. The human population remained blissfully blind to the horrors nipping at their heels.
He would be glad when the coven reunited. He missed his cousin Ivan and even Ivan's beloved Pete. The little Fae was a difficult handful at times, but he was a sweet little man, and he was good for Ivan. Ivan thought the mountains would be safer for his little Fae, considering the dark magics that were at work in Pittsburgh. Conrad looked forward to them coming home.
He relaxed on the balcony and kept watch over the club. He had a couple hours before he was to join Master Hadden and the rest of the team heading for Toronto. Word was that a charmer had been found and they were going to check it out.
They had been sent on so many wild goose chases in the past months, but his time felt different. It felt like the information was true and solid. The tip came from Coven DuCane, and they have a reputation for getting it right. Thoughts of locating a charmer and actually moving this nightmare forward into the light filled his mind. But he tried to temper his excitement, knowing that, in all actuality, success was still a long shot.
Dinner was served and they would not be needing him again until cleanup so Evan McCormick the youngest son of the eminently powerful Sedric McCormick disappeared to his room. It was just off the back porch a small room with an attached bath he had at least an hour that he could rest.
The family ate fast so it would be no longer than an hour even with dessert. The cleanup would be a good two hours and then he could hide in his room again for a while. Just getting away from them and the staff and the energy in that part of the house was a relief and he took every opportunity to duck out.
“Forget it Evan you’re not leaving.” The tone was harsh and superior as usual. Manfred the house manager called to him and pointed at the floor in front of him indicating that Evan return to that very spot. Evan walked back to the room but stopped at the door and waited for an explanation. Manfred gave a fake smile clearly not pleased with his insolence but he didn’t do anything about it.
“Sedric has guests arriving late in the evening and refreshments need to be prepared.” Manfred tossed an apron at him and turned away as if to leave and then abruptly turned back. “You have one hour and if you fail, you will sleep outside tonight.” He gave him a condescending smile and left the kitchen.
Evan was alone. Everyone else had left, and he was expected to pull something together in an hour and also complete all the cleanup afterward on his own. It was one of Manfred's games. He was being set up for failure, and he felt no reason to play into it.
He was going to fail no matter how hard he tried, so why bother. When Manfred was gone, he switched off the lights in the kitchen, grabbed his coat, and headed outside. He was going to end up in the shed for the night anyway, so why wait.
The shed off the back garden was his home whenever he displeased anyone in authority mostly it was just Manfred. The guy loved making Evan’s life miserable. His attacks, as of late, were not hitting with the same effect. Try as he might, Evan was not responding as usual. This resulted in Manfred doubling down and getting harsher but still Evan found his efforts unimpressive. For some reason, Evan was beginning to not care.
The shed was clean because Evan kept it clean it had a cot and he kept a few personal items there. He found the separation from the family and from the home to be calming and peaceful like his room. He preferred his room because the shed was rustic and chilly, but it was still better than that awful house.
He crawled into his bed and pulled the blanket up to his chin. He wondered how angry Manfred and his father Sedric would be when they realized he’d prepared nothing for theguests and had not cleaned the kitchen. He searched his heart and realized he no longer cared what either of them thought.
Conrad and three others remained outside while Master Hadden along with Killian and two guards entered the house. It was located within a large, gated community several miles outside of Toronto. The place had a strong feel of magic about it that put everyone on edge.
The house was large and took up probably an acre of property. It was a pretentious building, more show than substance. A hollow and shallow impression exuded from the cold, modern structure and did not give the sense of being a home.
The McCormick’s must be a formal or detached sort of family for there to be absolutely no emotional warmth detected. They were humans according to the report but were in possession of magics.
