Chapter 16 : UNINVITED GUESTS
The alert hit Jenny's bond-presence like a thunderclap.
I was mid-sentence explaining glamour maintenance protocols when she stiffened, her eyes going distant in that way that meant pack communication was happening faster than words could carry.
"Perimeter breach," she said. "Western approach. Cole's team has something cornered."
The glamour training dispersed immediately—werewolves flowing toward their alpha, ghouls melting into tunnel entrances, Ruth falling into step behind me as I headed for the surface. The coalition had drilled emergency responses for three weeks. Now we'd see if the practice held.
The western approach wound through a boulder field that I'd designated as the primary security checkpoint. Anyone entering the territory from that direction had to navigate a maze of rock formations that offered countless ambush positions. Cole's patrol had intercepted our visitor somewhere in the middle of that maze.
I smelled it before I saw it.
Blood. Old blood. The kind that had stopped pumping through veins decades or centuries ago. Vampire.
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: VAMPIRE — SINGLE INDIVIDUAL] [AGE ESTIMATE: 40-60 YEARS TURNED] [THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE] [BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS: NON-AGGRESSIVE POSTURE — POSSIBLE DIPLOMATIC CONTACT]
Cole's team had formed a loose circle around the intruder. Four wolves in hybrid form—halfway between human and beast, claws extended, teeth bared. The vampire stood in the center, hands raised, making no move to fight.
Young, by vampire standards. Male, turned in his twenties, dark hair slicked back in a style that had been fashionable sometime around 1970. His suit was expensive but dated. His expression mixed arrogance with fear in roughly equal proportions.
"I've already told these beasts," he said as I approached. "I'm not here to fight. I carry a message."
"Beasts." Cole's growl rumbled through the night air. "Say that again."
"Stand down." I stepped into the circle. The wolves parted to let me through. "Who sent you?"
The vampire's eyes found mine. Assessed. Recalculated whatever assumptions he'd arrived with. "You're the one they call the Monster King."
"I prefer coalition leader. King implies I've finished building." I kept my voice level. Calm. The kind of calm that predators recognized as more dangerous than rage. "Your mistress. Who is she?"
"Catherine." He said the name with the reverence vampires reserved for their makers. "She rules the nest in Missoula. Has for nearly two centuries. She wishes to know who claims these lands."
Catherine. The System pulled data from its archives—fragments of information gathered during my two-year preparation phase.
[CATHERINE — MASTER VAMPIRE] [ESTIMATED AGE: 180-220 YEARS] [NEST SIZE: 8-15 CONFIRMED] [TERRITORY: MISSOULA AND SURROUNDING REGION] [THREAT LEVEL: HIGH] [REPUTATION: PRAGMATIC, TERRITORIAL, INTELLIGENT]
An old vampire. Established. Powerful enough to hold territory for two centuries in a region that saw its share of hunter activity. Not someone to dismiss—but also not someone who sent scouts unless she was more curious than hostile.
"Your mistress could have sent a message through normal channels," I said. "Entering marked territory without permission is considered an act of aggression."
"Apologies." The word cost him. Vampires didn't apologize to Skinwalkers—not in his experience, anyway. "My mistress wished to... assess the situation personally. Through my eyes."
I understood. Some older vampires maintained connections to their progeny that allowed limited sharing of sensory information. Catherine was watching this conversation through her scout's perception.
Good. Let her see.
"Tell your mistress," I said, "that the Silver Ridge Coalition controls this territory. Three species united under common leadership. We're not interested in conflict with our neighbors—but we will defend what's ours."
"Three species." The vampire's eyes widened slightly. "The rumors said two."
"Rumors rarely keep up with reality." I let that hang. Let Catherine process the implications. "Tell her also that I'm open to discussion. Formal channels. Neutral ground. If she has concerns about our presence, we can address them like civilized creatures."
"And if she's not interested in discussion?"
"Then we'll address things differently." I didn't elaborate. Didn't need to.
The vampire stood frozen for a moment—communicating, probably, receiving instructions through whatever bond connected him to his maker. Then he nodded once.
"My mistress appreciates your... directness. She will consider your offer."
"She has one week. After that, I'll assume she's not interested in peaceful relations."
I gestured to Cole. The wolves parted, creating an exit path. The vampire took it without looking back, vanishing into the darkness with the unnatural speed of his kind.
Jenny materialized at my shoulder. "You let him go."
"He was a messenger. Killing messengers is bad diplomacy." I watched the darkness where the vampire had disappeared. "Besides, I wanted Catherine to see us. To see what she'd be dealing with if she decided to make trouble."
"You think she will?"
"No." I turned toward the Haven. "She sent a scout instead of an army. She's curious, not hostile. Old vampires don't survive two centuries by starting fights they're not sure they can win."
"So we wait?"
"We prepare. And we wait."
The walk back gave me time to think. Vampires. I'd known contact was inevitable—the supernatural world was too small for different factions to ignore each other indefinitely. But I'd hoped for more time. More strength. More options.
[DIPLOMATIC OPPORTUNITY DETECTED] [VAMPIRE ALLIANCE: POTENTIAL HIGH-VALUE OUTCOME] [RISK ASSESSMENT: MODERATE — VAMPIRES HISTORICALLY UNRELIABLE PARTNERS] [RECOMMENDATION: PROCEED WITH CAUTION]
The System's analysis matched my instincts. Vampires made dangerous allies—they were predators by nature, hierarchical by culture, and tended to view non-vampires as either food or obstacles. But they also had resources. Information networks. Influence in human society that other monsters couldn't match.
If I could bring Catherine's nest into the coalition—or even establish stable relations—the benefits could be enormous.
If I miscalculated, the costs could be fatal.
Jenny and I found a ridge overlooking the eastern perimeter. The moon hung fat and yellow above the mountains, casting silver light across the territory. Neither of us spoke for a long time.
"You're playing a dangerous game," she said finally.
"All games worth playing are dangerous."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not meant to be." I watched a hawk circle overhead—one of Ruth's scouts, probably, making sure the vampire hadn't left surprises behind. "The coalition can't survive by hiding. Sooner or later, we have to engage with the wider supernatural world. Better to do it on our terms."
"And if Catherine decides we're a threat?"
"Then we deal with it." I glanced at her. "You don't trust vampires."
"I don't trust anything that sees my pack as food."
"Fair." I returned my attention to the moonlit mountains. "But she's not coming after your pack. She's coming after an opportunity. Vampires are pragmatic—if we can offer her something valuable, she'll negotiate instead of fight."
"What could we offer a two-hundred-year-old vampire?"
"We'll find out."
Three days later, a raven landed on the Haven's entrance.
Not a natural raven—vampires had tricks for controlling animals, using them as messengers. Ruth spotted it first, called me before anyone could disturb the bird. A small capsule was attached to its leg.
Inside: a single sheet of paper, handwritten in elegant script that belonged to another century.
The Coalition Leader is invited to discuss matters of mutual interest. St. Michael's Church, Highway 12. Midnight, May 9th. Come alone or with one companion. My word that no harm will come during parley.
Catherine's response. Faster than I'd expected.
I read it twice, then handed it to Jenny.
"Midnight at an abandoned church," she said. "Very dramatic."
"Vampires love theater." I was already calculating. "I'll need backup positioned nearby. Not attacking distance—extraction distance. Just in case."
"You're going alone?"
"One companion. You, probably. Unless you'd rather stay—"
"Not a chance." Her bond-presence pulsed with determination. "Where you go with vampires, I go."
I almost smiled. Almost.
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