Out of the Shadows 032

A 5-star machine-augmented MIDNIGHT'S WAR novel

“Excellent.” Medici rose with his usual grace, signaling the meeting’s end. “Remember, Elliott, you’re entering a critical phase. The initial transformation is essentially complete, but now comes the harder challenge: learning to live as what you’ve become while maintaining the appearance of what you were. More than a few fail to maintain this balance.”

“What happens to them?”

“They either retreat entirely into our shadow world, abandoning all human connections, or they cling too hard to their former lives and inflict great pain upon themselves and others.” Medici moved toward the door, expecting Elliott to follow. “You have advantages—intelligence, resources, my protection. Use them wisely.”

As they walked through the corridors, Elliott found himself studying the ancient vampire with new eyes. Medici played a game measured in centuries, moving pieces across boards that most couldn’t even see. The business with Romanov was just one small gambit in a much larger strategy.

“May I ask you something?” Elliott ventured as they reached a junction in the corridors.

“You may ask.”

“Why did you really accept Romanov’s apology? The money means nothing to you, and I imagine you could crush him if you chose.”

Medici smiled, and for a moment Elliott glimpsed the predator beneath the civilized facade. “Because, my young progeny, Andrei just paid fifty million dollars to confirm that he was the one who ordered your death. That signed apology? It’s a written admission of guilt. Now I know who my enemy is, and he’s paid me handsomely for the intelligence.”

“You weren’t suspicious of him before?”

“I was ninety percent certain. Now I’m one hundred percent sure. In our world, even such a small distinction can mean the difference between justice and atrocity.” Medici paused at another intersection. “Your quarters are that way. Give my regards to Miss del Giorgio. And Elliott? Do try to remember that in our game, the player who appears to have lost often holds the winning hand. They may simply not have chosen to reveal it yet.”

With that cryptic advice, the ancient vampire disappeared down another corridor, leaving Elliott to make his way back to his quarters alone. The weight of what lay ahead, of returning to his mortal life while harboring an immortal secret, pressed down upon him.

But there was also anticipation. Three days in the Citadel had felt like three years on an alien planet. He missed the familiar chaos of HemaTech, the rush of breakthrough discoveries, even the mundane irritations of corporate life.

And if he was honest with himself, the thought of Chiara accompanying him back to that world held its own appeal.

***

The HemaTech headquarters looked exactly as Elliott had left it—a gleaming testament to biotech ambition rising from the South San Francisco landscape. Yet everything felt different now. His enhanced vision caught details he’d never noticed before: the micro-expressions of the security guard’s surprise at seeing him, the accelerated heartbeat of a programmer working late, the lingering scent of fear-sweat from someone’s stressful day.

“Mr. Grahame!” The night security supervisor, Henderson, practically leaped from his chair. “We weren’t expecting you. Should I call up to—”

“No need, Henderson. I’ll be working night hours for the foreseeable future.” Elliott signed the after-hours log, mildly amused that even he had to do so. “Asian investors. Tokyo time. You know how it is.”

“Of course, sir. Welcome back.”

Elliott made his way to the executive elevator, Chiara beside him. She’d dressed for the role of a high-level executive assistant—a subtle charcoal suit that was as conservative as it was elegant. The two vampires from his security detail had melted into the shadows the moment they’d entered the building, invisible but present.

“Nervous?” Chiara asked as the elevator ascended.

“A little,” Elliott admitted. “It’s one thing to practice control in the Citadel. It’s another to maintain it here, where everyone knows me and I have to hide the way I’ve changed.”

“You’ll manage. Just remember what Marcus taught you—breathe even though you don’t need to, blink regularly, fidget occasionally. All those little human things that people expect without realizing it.”

The executive floor was mostly dark, but Elliott could hear someone in his office—Immy, judging by the heartbeat and the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the perpetual aroma of coffee.

His old friend and CFO looked up as they entered, and Elliott caught the rapid play of emotions across his face—relief, concern, calculation, and something else. Guilt? Knowledge? He couldn’t tell.

“Elliott.” Immy stood, coming around the desk with hand extended. “Thank God! I was genuinely beginning to think you’d been abducted by aliens!”

Elliott took the hand carefully, matching Immy’s grip precisely. “Not aliens. Just very demanding Asian investors with absolutely no respect for time zones.”

“And this is?” Immy’s eyes moved to Chiara with professional assessment.

“Chiara del Giorgio, my new executive assistant. She’ll be helping me coordinate with our new partners.” Elliott kept his tone casual, but he was watching Immy’s reaction carefully. How much did his CFO really know?

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss del Giorgio” Immy said, shaking Chiara’s hand. “Though I should mention, Natalie’s been handling—”

“Natalie will continue in her role, as before,” Elliott interrupted smoothly. “But my new schedule requires additional support. Speaking of which, we need to talk about that schedule.”

Immy’s expression tightened slightly. “Yes, I’d noticed your calendar has been… unusual. All meetings moved to after 7 PM, no morning appointments, several days blocked out entirely.”

“The reality of working with global finance,” Elliott said, settling into his desk chair with careful precision. “They expect my availability during their business hours, which means my days are now largely their evenings. I’ll be keeping overnight hours for the foreseeable future.”

“That’s going to raise questions,” Immy warned. “The team is already unsettled by your absence, to say nothing of this sudden switch to private equity. Now you’re turning nocturnal?”

“Then we’ll need to manage the messaging. Perhaps frame it as maximizing productivity—I can work without interruptions at night, be available for Asia-Pacific markets, avoid the circus of normal business hours, and work the European morning before I call it a day. Or, I suppose, a night.” Elliott pulled up his calendar on the computer, noting the dozens of pending meetings Natalie had been delaying. “We’ll also need to restructure the leadership team’s schedule to ensure coverage.”

“About that,” Immy said, and Elliott heard his pulse accelerate. “There’s something we need to discuss. The Blackrock situation—”

The office door opened without a knock, and Natalie Achermann strode in. She stopped abruptly short at the sight of Chiara, her expression cycling through surprise, hurt, and something that looked like betrayal.

“Elliott,” she said, her voice carefully controlled. “I wasn’t told that you’d returned. Or that you’d hired a replacement for me.”

“She’s not a replacement for you,” Elliott said mildly, though he could sense the tension crackling between the two women. “Miss del Giorgio will be responsible for my foreign schedule. Your position with regards to media and my internal meetings remains unchanged.”

“Does it?” Natalie’s eyes never left Chiara, who returned the stare with calm confidence. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve brought in someone to do half my job. The half that involves actually being present when you are.”

“Natalie—” Immy began, but she cut him off with a gesture.

“No, I think we need to address this directly.” She moved toward him, and Elliott could feel the fury on her—sharp, metallic, dangerous. Her heartbeat was racing, her eyes were narrowed, and her face was flushed with blood. “Three years I’ve been your assistant. Three years of twelve-hour days, of trying to anticipate your needs, of juggling your personal and professional schedules. And this is how you repay my loyalty?”

Elliott stood slowly, very aware that she was on the verge of a complete emotional explosion. “Natalie, perhaps we should discuss this privately.”

“Oh, now you want privacy? After bringing this Italian souvenir into our office?” The veneer of her professionalism cracked, revealing the hurt beneath. “Do you have any idea what I’ve sacrificed for you? What I’ve risked?”

“More than you know, I suspect.” Elliott said quietly. He nodded toward Chiara. “She’s here at Lord Medici’s personal advisement.”

“And you think you can trust her?” Natalie’s laugh was bitter. “She’s Medici’s creature! She has no loyalty to you!”

Chiara finally spoke, her voice calm but with steel beneath. “I think you’re projecting your own motivations onto others. Not everyone views relationships as transactions.”

“Don’t!” Natalie turned on her fully now. “Don’t you dare lecture me about relationships. You’ve known him for what, a week? I’ve been by his side for three years. I know every meeting he’s ever taken, every decision he’s struggled with, every—”

“Ladies,” Immy interrupted, moving between them with surprising courage for a man faced with two angry young women. “This is neither the time nor the place. Elliott, I really do need to speak with you about urgent matters. Perhaps Ms. Achermann and Ms. del Giorgio could continue their discussion elsewhere?”

Elliott seized on the lifeline. “He’s right. Natalie, we’ll talk tomorrow evening. For now, please compile a status report on everything that’s happened in my absence. Chiara, perhaps you could review the European correspondence in the conference room?”

Neither woman looked happy, but they recognized the dismissal. They left together, their body language suggesting their conversation would indeed continue elsewhere. Elliott wondered if he should be worried about them killing each other, then decided they were both too professional for that. Probably.

Now available in a hardcover edition

Out of the Shadows is available in Kindle, KU, audibook, and hardcover editions.