'A package is here for you my Lord.'
Fauna told him at the entrance where she had been waiting on him.
'It came straight into my hands.'
Nicholae appreciated her efficiency.
Now if she could explain how someone else knew where he was going and when he'd be there.

'What is he doing here?'
Nicholae thrust his hands on his hips and sighed exasperatedly at the ceiling.
'He is my guest, father.'
To Fauna, he instructed 'Please show him to my study.'
Ivan took his time coming down the stairs knowing his son was awaiting his decent.
'I remember a time when you were telling anyone who would listen that he tried to kill you.'

'An honest misunderstanding. That's why I've invited him. For tea.'

He quickly left his father to attend to matters. And there were a lot of it.

'The package is on the table.' She pointed at the small black cardboard box on the table.
Osei was already behind the computer with the list.

He'd open it later.
'Who is it from?' He asked her.

'It came anonymously at the front door. But the guards swear they saw a sprite leaving the premises.'

On second thought... he might just open it tonight.
Nicholae turned on his phone since he had to make a few call and call in a few favors. They had they entire dawn and day to get ahead of this serial killer.
The messages flooded in. Some of which were from Valentina.
So he called her. He hadn't heard her voice in a while.
A while being Six hours ago.

'Hey babe.' Her voice sounded tired. Most likely she'd been asleep.
Nicholae just thought about the time he was calling her.
'Why did you answer, go back to sleep. I'll call you in the morning.'

'No it's fine.' The sound  movement over the phone indicated that She must have sat up.

'Niko said you were in a meeting?'
She'd spoken to Niko.
The boy was taking the temporary divorce much better that he'd anticipated.

'Yes. I just got back. And I invited Osei over to the Manor to smooth things over.'

Valentina chuckled.
'How was the reception?'

Nicholae excused himself and went into his closet.
'As good as it would get. I didn't necessarily broadcast the news, kind of just happened.'

'I'll let Semi know. So she doesn't wait up.'
Then there was silence.
Nicholae didn't know if he should say it.

'I miss you.' He blurted.

'I miss you too.' His stomach did a little flip at her confession as well.

'Do you want to go on a date with me?'

If she was partially awake then, he was sure she was wide awake now.
'When and where?' The eagerness in her voice made him sent a warm feeling all around his body causing to smile and kick at imaginary stones on the floor.

'Tomorrow evening. And it'll be a surprise. I'll pick you up.'
She sighed.
'Alright.' She dreamily sighed. 'I can't wait.'

'Goodnight Valentina.'
He held all the glee which threatened to spill over. He had guest on the other side of the door to whom he needed to save face.

'Goodnight Nicholae.' She softly responded. 'I love you.'

'I love you.'
He opened a picture of Valentina on his phone. It was one he'd taken of her in an off guard moment at the Den.
She was smiling at something Semi had said.
But no one would know that because he'd cropped Semi out.
Firstly because Osei would kill him if he saw Semi's picture on Nicholae's phone. Secondly, he didn't want anyone else in the picture with Valentina.

'Okay lover boy. If you're done. Let's get back to business.'
Nicholae got on the phone and made the calls.
Luckily most of his phone calls were answered. It helped that these contacts were vampires and shifters on night duty.
That was when the crazies ran a mock in the cities.
Like the killer in Cranston.

'Fauna,' She looked up from the tablet in her little corner.

'Did anyone else know where I was going tonight?'
Fauna answered without hesitation.
'No My Lord. It was just the three of us. Was there a problem?'
Nicholae told her about the little scene they found in Cranston.
'I swear Lord, I didn't tell anyone. And I made sure to keep the information well hidden.'

Nicholae understood the meaning of the subtle tilt of Osei's head. He believed Fauna, and didn't doubt one word she spoke. And neither did Nicholae so if she said it wasn't her, then it wasn't her.

Osei signaled him over.
'I matched the marked names to the info your man sent us.'
He didn't need to build the suspense.
'They are dead. About half of these people are human and the other half witches. '

'What about the ones who are still alive for now.'
Osei opened the other tab he'd been working on.
'Same thing. I can't find a single shred of something that connects them.'

'Even two of these women were associated with 'The Mistress', they don't have any thing connecting them. Not that we can see.'

He was right. From the surface they had nothing in common. One was a human in Cranston and the other a dark witch hiding in No Man's Land.

'We have the list of people working with the Mistress. Do we round them up? What do we do?'
Fauna brought a fairly good question.
One Nicholae was already contemplating.
'Is Lily's name on the list?'

Osei checked again.
'I don't see it. Could she be using a false name?'

Not if Sonya kept her as part of the staff.

Still, He he couldn't just shake away the feeling that this girl knew something, her closeness to him when he was possessed set off all the alarms inside his head.
There was a possibility of this all being a conspiracy solely in his mind.

A few more hours spent yielded no result and brought them to a shaky resolution.
'Billowing Willows retirement home. We start there.'
Hilda Ackles, one of the few people on the list who were very easy to find. Also her name was the last on the list and that automatically made her the first on theirs.

Nicholae folded up the sleeves of his tunic then got into the G wagon.
Fauna held out a bottle for him to take along on the trip.
'There's enough for your trip.'
Nicholae gratefully took it from her.

'Keep an eye on them please.'
The two rascals were still asleep in Niko's room. He didn't want to wake him up from his peaceful sleep so he simply left the help with instructions.

They slowly pulled out of the garage and into the driveway.
His name phone buzzed with the arrival of Sonya's message.

'You won't reply that?' Osei asked.

'She wants to know where we're going. She wanted to talk to me but she can wait.'
Nicholae turned his phone face-down and concentrated on driving.
Dealing with Sonya would have to wait until another day.

'We can take turns driving.' Osei offered as he set up his phone to the car's stereo.

'Alright. I'll let you know when.'
Osei turned up the volume to the foreign music streaming from his phone.

'Where is this from?' Nicholae asked when he found himself actually enjoying the music.
'Ghana and Nigeria.'

'Ghana, that's where your name Osei is from.'
He recalled that tidbit of information from his day's digging for anything and everything about Osei.

'Yes. That's where my mother was born.'

For the hours they were on the road, they actually had a conversation about Osei and his mother land. He learned Osei could speak the language, Twi, very loosely since he had no one to really teach him. Also Osei has been to Ghana a number of times and he planned to take Semi and their child with him.

'I was planning on taking her to check the gender of the little one. And a little baby shower now that she has friends here.'

Osei sized him.
'What? Why are you looking at me like that?'

Nicholae chuckled.
'I didn't think you were the type.'
Osei didn't think he was either but he'd caught Semi watching those videos.

'You know, romantic, thoughtful or caring.'
For Nicholae's candor, he was rewarded with a punch in the arm.
'Well, Ow, that hurt.' Nicholae laughed with Osei.
'Let's plan this in detail. It's not such a horrible idea. First let's deal with this.'

The 'billowing willows' sign greeted them, welcoming them the retirement home.

They parked their vehicle at the entrance.
'Shit, duck.'
Osei pulled Nicholae back in before he could get out.

'Don't look now. At your 3'oclock. Our old friend.'

Nicholae counted till three before daring to take a peek at the retreating figure he knew all too well.

The man possessed by four demons.
So they waited for him to be far beyond calling distance.

'Okay. So we know she knows something.'
Osei said straightening up once the coast was clear.
'For all we know, everyone here could be working for the mistress.'
With this said, Nicholae didn't have to spell it out for Osei that they needed to be careful.

They quickly got out of the car and went to the receptionist desk.

'Hilda Ackles.' Nicholae told the vampire at the desk.
Nicholae wiped away the sweat building up in his forehead as he worked to keep his mind of the desire to drink from her.
He thought after Harris had left the building, his desire for vampire blood would have left with him. And yet here he was.

'What's your relationship to her?'
She looked from Osei to Nicholae.

'We're family. Show her to us and leave.'
Nicholae quickly compelled her.

Nicholae abruptly stopped and blocked Osei.
'That man over there. Buzz cut, wheel chair, old lady.' He whispered.

Osei casually looked around the room.
'Hmmm?'

Osei joined him in inspecting the art work behind them.
'Im guessing you've met.'

'First time I came looking for you. He was there. Couldn't compel him.' The explanation should suffice. And it did.

'How do we proceed?' Osei asked.

It seemed they were out of time.
'Sirs, this way.'

'We could use a witch right about now.' Osei said under his breath.

'Yes we could.'
But they did not have one and so they would need to improvise. And he wasn't a huge fan of improvising in that moment.

'Miss,' Osei pated the vampire temporarily halting their procession.
'I'll like to talk to my cousin.'
Even Nicholae looked confused.
'The man over there with Aunt Hilda.'

The vampire managed to looked surprised.
'What you thought we didn't know our own aunt?'

'But sir, why are we whispering?'
Osei and Nicholae nervously laughed.

'Tell him I'll be waiting for him in the back. I want to surprise him.'
He winked at Nicholae.
'We'll join you and Auntie later.'

'Of course. But first I must use the bathroom.'
Nicholae quickly excused himself.
He only cane out when he was sure the one who couldn't be compelled had left.

'They said I had a visitor. Who are you young man?'
The thoughts running through Nicholae's head were nothing short of murderous.
She had the decency to act coyly in front of him. Well he was on a time crunch.

'Let's cut to the ending. You know who I am and I know who you are.'

The old woman clapped her wrinkled hands and smiled mischievously.
'And who would that be.'

'Well, seeing as the demons just left and Johnny our cousin personally see's to you, it's safe to say your the infamous one called the mistress.'

Her smile widened sending mountains of discomfort down his spine.

'Then you must surely underestimate me if you came here alone to make accusations.'

Nicholae smiled back against every grain of his being.
'Well, we didn't come only to make accusations. The plan was to kill you too.'
Now all he has to do was tell Osei that as well.