Chapter
One
Camden
The snow outside lashed at the glass shop-front windows, the wind buffeting and screaming down the narrow street. The flurries were thick enough that it was hard to see the other side of the road, the sky a dark gray, the day growing darker by the minute. Sunset was minutes away, but it was already dark enough to count as night, the sun impossible to see past the heavy cloud cover.
Winter in Boston was always freezing cold, wet, and dirty, the narrow streets crowded with chaotically placed snowbanks, thick patches of ice, and deceptive slush puddles concealing shin-deep potholes.
The air was full of ozone from vehicles, muffled honks from impatient drivers, and the crunch of tires over uneven road surfaces. There was the occasional thump of a body hitting the sidewalk and some choice curse words as an unlucky pedestrian picked themselves up off the wet ground.
Inside Res Antiquae, Camden Russell was warm, comfortable, and bored. The antique artifact shop was brightly lit, full of magical treasures and mundane antiques from various points in history. The most common color was gold, from gilded wooden chairs to solid gold jewelry enchanted to never scratch or warp, and sometimes he thought he might need to wear sunglasses to handle the glare off the glass display cases and the impossibly bright gems and precious metals within the cases. When he was in the shop by himself he liked to tweak the dimmer for the lights to a more comfortable setting.
The shop was a maze of standalone displays, shelves, waist-high cases, and everything was either behind glass or bespelled securely in place on a shelf or stand to prevent accidents or theft. The street out front was deserted, and Camden was the only person in the shop, though Darrell, the security guard, was seated at his oak desk by the doors, reading on his tablet, occasionally looking up to check the street and clock Camden’s position in the store. Darrell liked the quiet afternoons, since they allowed him to get a lot of reading done in between his rounds and letting people in and out of the store.
Such was the content of the shop that guards like Darrell were a necessity—smash and grab thieves were a realistic threat, and burglars hitting when the shop was closed was also a potential risk. Danielle handled the first shift, Darrell handled the second shift, and Markham, a vampire, was the overnight guard. No one could get into the shop without being buzzed in by the guard or Camden himself when the guard was on a break or checking the rear of the building on his rounds. A limited number of people were allowed inside at a time, and Darrell was armed with a gun, a taser, and a collection of non-lethal but debilitating charms to be used against anyone deemed a threat inside the shop.
The entrance doors were made of thick glass, steel, bronze, and spells to make them nearly impenetrable. They could withstand a car driving into them at top speed. Maybe not a tank, though…perhaps they could stop a small tank.
In the few years he’d worked at Res Antiquae, he’d never been in danger, not directly. Sometimes people complained about the wait times to enter when the shop was at capacity during tourist season, but one look at the guard armed to the teeth shut down the most vocal of complainers. Each display case was under lock and key, with layers of security spells to keep the artifacts from being lifted from their stands or cushions without permission from a shop associate. Camden had free rein in the shop—he was added to the wards, shields, and active spells on every display case, allowing him to pick up and show off any artifact to an interested patron. He could move freely through the magical fields within the shop, same as any other associate or guard, and he made sure to keep his inner vision locked down unless actively needed—otherwise he would be blinded by the complicated and extensive spellwork on the shop and its contents.
The owner had spared nothing when it came to the shop, the artifacts, and the security.
The shop was quiet, the wind outside a dull roar, and Camden doubted they were going to see any customers that evening. The weather was forecasted to get worse, dropping a foot or more of snow on the city by morning. Thankfully, Camden lived close by and had the skills to keep himself warm and shielded on his walk home in a few hours.
Darrell grunted something and heaved himself to his feet, the big man heading to the front door. He took a long look outside, and then hit the button that unlocked the door with a buzzer tone. The double doors opened, wind howling, and some flurries came inside with the person, who stopped just inside and letthe doors swing shut behind them, knocking snow off their dark wool coat and brushing back burnished auburn hair, dislodging more clumps of snow.
Camden carefully approached the newcomer, weaving around display cases, greeting the potential customer with a practiced smile and pleasant expression. “Welcome to Res Antiquae. Are you all right? The weather is quite bad; can I get you a hot beverage? Coffee, tea, perhaps?”
Eyes as silver as polished metal flashed red for a swift moment, so quick Camden thought he might have imagined it, but the charming smile on the man’s face revealed two sharp, white fangs. The vampire slowly pulled off his leather gloves, tucking them into a pocket of his coat before loosening his scarf and letting it hang casually around his neck.
“No need for a hot beverage. At least not the kind you’re offering.” The accent was Italian, not too heavy, the English flawless, and the vampire looked around the shop for a quick second before those silver eyes locked on Camden. “Are you Camden Russell?”
“Yes, hello.”
The vampire smiled again, pleased, and gave Camden a short bow at the waist, longish auburn hair flopping over his high brow.
“I am Nicolo Barbarigo. Your boss, Achilles, sent me in your direction. I hope you can help me.”
Achilles Feybourne was his boss and the owner ofRes Antiquae. He was fae, an undisclosed species, and incredibly long-lived and powerful. And something of a hoarder, though Camden was never going to call him that directly. Most of the shop’s inventory were items from Achilles’ personal collection he no longer desired to keep, or were extraneous items acquired at auctions or estate sales in the pursuit of a particular item in a lot.
His phone beeped at that exact moment, and it was the tone he assigned to his boss. “Forgive me,” Camden said, and pulled out his phone to check the text.
Nicolo Barbarigo will be coming by for your assistance. Help him with whatever he needs—Achilles
“That’s Achilles texting you, I’m assuming?”
Camden slid his phone back in his pocket, giving the vampire a crooked smile. “Sorry about that, and yes, it was. I’m here to help. What can I do for you, Mr. Barbarigo?”
The bright smile he got was near blinding. He knew he wasn’t being Charmed—a talent vampires hand for beguiling and controlling humans and weaker supes—but the beauty of that smile was hard to contend with and he mentally girded his spine and made himself focus. Nicolo Barbarigo was dangerously attractive when he smiled in that manner, as if Camden was the center of his world and nothing made him happier.
“Please, call me Nicolo.” Nicolo looked around the shop, eyes curious as he took in the maze of wares. “I am looking for a gift for my sire. She is an eclectic soul, and she often laments that her most enjoyable years were during the Italian Renaissance.” Nicolo chuckled, gesturing effusively as he spoke. “I tell her she is showing her bias, as that is when she met and Turned me. I am her favorite child, you see. Well, I am also her only child, but I don’t let that little fact get in the way of being the favorite.”
Camden couldn’t help the amused chuckle that burst free, knowing his professional mask was off, and making Nicolo grin unrepentantly back.
“What’s your sire like? Can you tell me about her?” Camden asked, both curious and needing an idea of what she might like for a present.
“Priscilla Mancini, my sire, a noblewoman of old Roman descent, Turned in the late 300s AD. She was an adventurous widow, childless, and was delighted to join the ranks of thesentient undead when given the chance. She enjoys life—the vigor, the pain, the chaos—and has a fondness for the arts and natural sciences.”
