Chapter 4: The Chase Begins

A sharp bang woke Serine from her sleep and she shot up on the mattress.

"Get up! Isaiah wants to see you," Marcus' usual angry voice came through the thin door.

Serine rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I'll be right there," she replied.

Marcus grunted and stomped away from the door.

Slowly, Serine stood up and began straightening her thin black tee and smoothing the wrinkles in her matching jeans. Isaiah had always shown a particular interest in her. He never really punished her for failures and always made sure she had enough to eat. She pushed her hair back and combed through it with her fingers. She owed him a great deal, as the food and shelter alone were invaluable.

Presentable, Serine stepped into the beautifully appointed hall and began walking toward the grand living area she knew Isaiah would be in. It was his favorite space in the whole mansion. He'd changed the room into more of a receiving and entertainment space, decorated with trophies from his various travels and hunts. Stuffed heads of various animals and creatures hung from the walls, tapestries made from rare and unique threads dangled from the ceiling, and an entire wall was devoted to a massive and ancient wine collection. His current favorite meals were displayed on carved tables in the room as well. Today a young woman, her tanned skin pale from bloodloss, lay unrestrained on a large oak table. Her dark hair spread across the beautifully carved wood and hung down the side. Her chest rose and fell slowly but regularly.

Serine knocked twice before stepping inside. Her eyes were drawn to a very pretty young woman in a white gown who was laying on a table to the side. She appeared to be asleep, her skin pallid and sweating. A few slight flecks of blood meant that Isaiah had recently fed and should be a good mood.

Isaiah stood up from his place in a large, red upholstered chair at the back of the room and Serine turned her full attention to him.

"Good morning, Serine," he said, his voice low and husky. "I do hope you slept well."

"Yes, thank you, sir." Anxious, Serine couldn't meet his eyes so instead focused on his chin and the dimple there.

He moved closer, walking slowly as he took her in. He reached out one hand, put a finger under her chin, and raised her head to look into his eyes. He smiled as she flinched a little, trying to force herself to meet his gaze. She focused on the scar where it passed over his eye instead.

"Tonight will be the third time I have sent you out to find Remmis." He growled their name. "No one else has taken you this long to find. Tell me, is there some reason for last night's escape?"

Serine desperately wanted to look away from him. Her eyes flicked around before landing back on his several times. "The dog," she finally spluttered. "The dog threw me off. Sir."

Isaiah frowned and Serine couldn't tell if he believed her or not.

He released her chin but remained in her space. "Then lets not have that happen tonight, yes? Bring her in or I will be very, very cross."

Serine nodded, focused on the patterning along his dress shirt, and fought down the urge to correct him about Rem's pronouns. "Yes, sir."

Isaiah leaned close and breathed in her scent. "You don't want to make me cross, do you?"

"No, sir," Serine whispered, frozen in place.

"Good," he whispered in her ear. "Now get moving. Marcus is waiting for you."

Serine turned and fled from the room. She rushed through the halls, panting, before she finally slid to a stop in the entrance hall. Marcus glanced up at her and sneered as he turned his attention back to the rest of the Masquerade that were gathered. Serine didn't bother listening to Marcus' instructions to the group, they didn't pertain to her in the slightest. Her only job was to locate their target, not capture them. Instead, she glanced around as she caught her breath to see who was coming with her on the hunt.

A different crew than before, Marcus had selected only three others this time. Shane and Leo were twins, both turned by Isaiah nearly a century ago, and both very large in stature and dark in features. They were skilled stalkers, vicious at the best of times and outright savage when hungry.

Serine edged a little away from the men, thankful that it felt like they'd fed that evening. She turned her attention to the third vampire, Rowan. A relatively new member of the Masquerade, she'd only been there slightly longer than Serine and the two hadn't crossed paths much. She was a pretty woman, with fine Asian features and long black hair tied into a bun at the back of her head.

"Serine!" Marcus shouted.

She jumped and looked up.

"Did you hear those names?" he demanded. When she bit her lip, he grunted in annoyance. "Brent Aragand and Kathleen Marley," he repeated. "We're looking for them as well as the shifter, got it?"

"I... I need pictures or an item," Serine began.

Marcus just growled at her and turned for the door. The group hurried to follow him out into the streets with Serine at the back.

It was still early evening, the sun just having set, and Chicago was still very alive. Roads were packed with traffic, sidewalks overflowing with Mundanes about on their business, and the Hunters were on nearly every corner watching everything.

The vampires, Serine in tow, moved slowly through the crowds. They made sure to spread out and keep their heads down to avoid attracting attention. They took measured breaths, decades of practice coming into play, and appeared perfectly human as they went along.

Rowan kept close to Serine, walking with her as if they were friends. She held up a phone and flipped through a few images for Serine. "Start looking, psychic," she said and held out a hand. Her tone was firm, but not rude, which Serine appreciated.

Serine nodded and lightly accepted the hand and unfocused her eyes, relying on Rowan to keep her safe for the moment. Before she began actively looking, she weighed her options. Isaiah was getting angry about Remmis and it might be that she'd done all she could to protect them. She was starting to regret doing it in the first place but the first time she'd touched their mind...

Serine shook her head. It didn't matter. It couldn't matter. She didn't have a choice but to do her job if she wanted to keep surviving. She put her personal thoughts aside, choosing to not consider them thoroughly, and concentrated.

Very carefully, Serine spread her mind out through the surrounding streets. She lightly touched every Mundane and Hunter mind as she went, gathering little details and snippets of conversation or sights they'd seen. Most were simple thoughts of coffee, dinner plans, work projects, and things of the like. Others were more complex; people considering their next painting, their next affair, or thinking about the homeless person they'd seen three nights ago. These little pieces weren't what Serine was looking for, though.

As the vampires led the way, walking right past the Hunters, she continued to reach, going further into the minds of the people on the side streets and in nearby buildings. Her hand tightened slightly on Rowan's as she picked up an image from a woman's mind a few blocks over. She whispered the name and Rowan made a call.

Serine turned herself and Rowan towards the woman whose thoughts she was reading as she grasped an idea of where the woman had seen the vampire’s next target. She dug a little deeper into the woman's mind and found a few more ties to the area, and possible buildings to explore, which the vampire could be hiding. Satisfied, Serine pulled away from the woman's mind and moved further down the streets. Now following a definite trail of memories, Serine began leading the chase.