Dr. Hamish Stewart sat in a first class seat, sipping wine that was the color of the liquid he longed for, though the taste did nothing to satisfy the burning which was slowly beginning in the back of his throat. He’d learned to ignore it, to control it, under most circumstances, but the high he was on right now made it much more difficult to brush the giddiness building inside of him aside, and as he looked out the window at the Midwest beneath him, he couldn’t believe he’d actually pulled it off.
Of course, he should’ve never doubted his skills. He’d taken every single precaution to ensure that if there truly was a Blood Moon Portal, it would open just as the moon hit its culmination above Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The fact that the six students he’d put in charge of making sure the marks stumbled inside at exactly the right moment had completed their tasks was what really shocked him. Standing off in the distance, he’d watched as the Guardian Leader and his idiot friend disappeared. He wished he’d been able to see the other portal as well, but he’d seen it in the minds of his former students enough times to know how it had gone off without a hitch, and he’d actually gotten a few bonuses in the other two Guardians who had rushed in after their friends.
He hadn’t dared contact Asteria’s liegeman yet to let him know that they’d been successful. Dr. Stewart would wait until he landed in California, half a world away from the scene of the incident, and then use a burner phone to call. Then, perhaps, his contact would see fit to let him speak directly to the Vampire Queen. Right now, Stewart was only guessing that Asteria was truly in charge of this operation since the one he’d spoken to had never mentioned her name—or his own for that matter—though Stewart knew enough about the world he lived in to guess it was likely the famous German physician before the man had even explained what he wanted the astronomer to do. He said he’d been looking for someone with his precise knowledge and skills and that the trail had led to Stewart—but all he knew was his last name and that he had a vast knowledge of astronomy. It was enough to entice him. Stewart had welcomed the opportunity to test whether or not the portal even existed. Now that he knew it did, he’d love the opportunity to have the queen praise him, right before he dethroned her, built his own army, and headed back to take care of the remaining business.
It should be simple enough. After all, if his powers were strong enough to allow him to open a portal to another dimension, surely he could kill two female Hunters while their protectors were away. He’d need to enlist the help of some more newborns since his were currently out of service, but having recently gotten over his fear of biting Innocents, that wouldn’t be difficult at all. No, it was just a matter of time now....
* * *
Asteria took a deep breath and looked out the window. She had no idea who it was that Hines had sent to open the portal, but she’d felt the power when the orb shifted and the door opened, despite the fact that she was situated halfway around the world and it was daytime. She didn’t need to see the moon to feel it. The only thing she’d done was send out images of Cassidy and Cadence Findley to mask two unnamed Vampires she’d never met at the moment the moon hit its highest point over Shepherdstown, West Virginia, and set up a shield for Hines’s operation.
The shift in the Ternion was evident as soon as Aaron McReynolds was out of the picture. Hines hadn’t said a word yet, so she assumed his contact hadn’t reported. She would let him know soon enough. Then, they’d have to schedule a reunion with the Findley sisters, a task long overdue.
Sitting in a chair, looking down at the filthy streets of Budapest, Asteria felt a stirring inside of her. Hines had asked her to put up a shield around the town where the event would occur to block that little bitch from being able to find his main source, the only one who could potentially link the operation back to Hines, but Asteria realized it didn’t matter once the portal was open. Cadence and Cassidy would figure out who was behind it soon enough. She didn’t even need Hines’s contact anymore. If the enemy found him, so be it. Still, she kept the shield up longer than necessary, keeping the barrier between the two sides so that Cassidy wouldn’t leap right into her own head while she was formulating what they might do next. Once she had a plan in place, she could risk letting go.
Curious as to who the man was, Asteria probed around in Hines’s mind for a moment until she accessed a name. Using her telepathy, she reached out to this Stewart person Hines had been in touch with and found him on a westbound plane. He was reveling in his own success, as if he’d done it all himself. When she caught his train of thought that he would build his own army and destroy LIGHTS himself, Asteria couldn’t help but chuckle. Who was this idiot that he thought he’d done this on his own? “Well, let’s see you try to escape them without my help, you moron,” she whispered aloud, letting it leak into his subconscious. She saw him stir in her mind’s eye, knowing he’d processed what she’d said, and then, Asteria cut him off completely, dropping the shield she’d created for him with her power, while keeping the one around herself and Hines still intact. Cassidy could find Stewart now with something as simple as a name, but even if she traced that to Hines, he wouldn’t be locatable, not until Asteria decided to make him so. And that time was coming. It wouldn’t be long now....
