Touch of Silver (Sanguine Series #3)

By Melissa R. Smith

It was supposed to be so simple for Devani Daniels. Stay away from Sanguines and the Militia would leave her alone. Knowing the inner workings of the fanatical organization, Devani should have realized that London Weinright, the division’s current leader, wouldn't give up so easily. Now, not only is she being harassed by her Sanguine-hating co-workers, but she’s alone without her one true love, Roman, the Sanguine she pushed away to keep him safe.

Despite releasing Devani from their connection, Roman has discovered the reasons behind her rejection and is determined to defy the Militia, no matter what it takes. When their paths finally cross, will Devani and Roman be able to deny what they truly feel?

Or will their love inevitably put them in Weinright’s line of fire?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melissa R. Smith
• Release date: Mar 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301733835

Melissa R. Smith

I'm an independent author looking for a following. I've spent the past ten years writing in various genre's, including historical and contemporary fanfiction. However, most all of my full length novels are of the area of paranormal romance. You'll find my books to have strong, adult female characters, a touch of humor and minimal sexual content. If you like my books, please spread the word!

Book preview

Touch of Silver

Part Two of Legacy

(Sanguine Series #3)

Melissa R. Smith

***

Copyright 2013 - Melissa R. Smith

Smashwords Edition

Other books by this author on Smashwords:

Legacy

(Sanguine Series #2)

Color of Night

(Panthera Series #1)

Six Hours to Sunrise

(Sanguine Series #1)

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only, it may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The action starts on page one of this urban fantasy, and Smith swiftly gets her readers involved in the plot. I enjoyed A Touch of Silver and recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy and paranormal stories. It would also be a great introduction to fantasy books for those who prefer the thriller and suspense genres. It is well-written and a lot of fun. I'll be looking for the other books in Smith's Legacy series.

-Jack Magnus, Readers’ Favorite

This story isn’t your regular Bella meets Edward kind of saga. It gives a very nice and interesting twist to the many vampire stories out there. It uses a refreshing, renewed and great way to entertain all the vampire readers in the world without tiring them of the genre. Smith combines a great plot and action in this paranormal romance. I recommend this great story to all adult vampire lovers. It is a good read and a page turner.

- Author Anna del C. Dye, Readers’ Favorite

"Melissa R. Smith’s Touch of Silver is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Legacy. It can be read as a standalone if you don’t mind not knowing the back story; however, Smith does an excellent job keeping readers up to date without bogging them down with history. The writing is engaging, witty and detailed. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. Please note: do not begin this book in the evening; otherwise you’ll experience a sleepless night because you won’t be able to put it down."

Jessica, Literary, etc.

Table of Contents:

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Epilogue

Prologue

Normally, when someone walks into their house and finds it ransacked, their first reaction is to call the local police. Violation, fear and anger are often the most common emotions suffered by the victims of such a crime.

But not me.

Well, that’s not exactly true. I was upset to find that my whole house had been turned upside down. However, after five minutes of discovering that nothing of value was missing – the television, my mom’s diamond wedding ring, my stash of vacation cash in the top dresser drawer – I felt relieved. Then I turned angry. The police? I would make the call, although I knew there was nothing they could do.

This was the work of the Militia. They’re the organization that decreed that their sole responsibility in life was to give Sanguines as much trouble as humanly possible. My father, Jake Daniels, the Oregon Division’s former leader, had retired years ago, leaving the second in command, Larry Weinright in charge. The older Weinright retired a year ago, handing off the reins to his ridiculous little brat of a son, London. Both of the Weinright’s hate that my sister, Jasmine, and I don’t want to adhere to the Legacy Act and become card-carrying members of the burn-them-in-the-sun brigade.

Did London really believe I was so stupid I couldn’t recognize the signs of a Militia-initiated search and seizure? Every door was wide open; every drawer had been emptied to the floor. Books had been searched. Each piece of clothing that hung in my closet was thrown across the room in big piles. Even my bottles of shampoo were emptied out in the bathroom sink. An ordinary thief looking for quick cash to buy drugs wouldn’t linger long enough to do this kind of damage. No, this was the handiwork of London’s little drones. And I knew what they were after.

While dodging accusations that I was associating with Sanguines, a clear violation of Statute 12 of the Militia’s code, I revealed to London that I had information ready to be used in the event that anything happened to me or my family. My mistake was that I spoke too soon, before I actually had the evidence in hand. Fortunately, months before, I found it after an exhaustive search of my Dad’s garage. Without a key, I couldn’t get into the locked metal box, so I took it to Jasmine’s house, where I buried it underneath my nephews’ old play fort in the backyard.

If London really wanted that evidence and nothing else, it would have taken much less energy to search my house without messing anything up. Shoot, I might not have even known the Militia had been there at all. No, he had a more nasty idea in mind; he wanted me to know he’d been there. Even though it’s been months since our first meeting, he still wanted to make sure I understood he wasn’t going away any time soon. I should have opened the lockbox sooner, but I was lured into a false sense of security since I made the heart wrenching decision to keep Roman out of my life for good. The only man I’ve ever loved and he turns out to be a Sanguine. Sometimes life just isn’t fair.

Roman Corbière was my father’s friend, whom I met when I was just eight years old. Over the years, we bonded in friendship and through an accident when I was fourteen, he tasted a small amount of my blood and we formed a fast, intense connection. That’s a big no-no in the world of Sanguine and Militia relations. The Lossbridge Treaty clearly states that no connection or companionship can be formed between a Sanguine and human female until she reaches the age of 21. Roman’s very existence was in danger, so to save him, my father had to separate us. Roman left for New Orleans in 1987 and the loss for the both of us was devastating.

Less than a year ago, Dad passed away and Roman returned to reconnect with me. It was a rough transition and I had a lot to learn about Sanguines beyond what the Militia had taught me since childhood. Still, I loved Roman. London made it clear that having Roman in my life violated Statute 12. That was because of the Legacy Act, which stated that children of Militia leaders are to fill the roles of their parents at the time of their death.

Statute 12: No member of the Militia’s highest ranking officials, or his or her family, shall enter into a relationship, business or personal, with any member of the Sanguine Brotherhood or any companion thereof.

Dad had drafted up an exemption to the Legacy Act for both Jasmine and me, but London had no intention of honoring it. Once again, Roman’s existence was in my hands. I made it clear to him that a companionship was not possible.

Roman released me soon after, officially. And in doing so, it left me feeling horribly empty inside. I couldn’t sense even the tiniest of his emotions now, no matter how much I concentrated. Finally, I was back to normal, as I’d wanted all along. I just didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. I missed the connection, I missed him.

From my purse, I pulled out the envelope that contained Roman’s last words to me, a letter that I found on Jasmine’s front porch after she had given birth to my niece, Maura. I held the wrinkled paper close to my chest. Only days ago, I had chastised myself for keeping it with me so long. Storing it would help me move on, the voice of my conscience kept saying over and over. Put it in the drawer with Mom’s jewelry; the same jewelry that was now scattered all over my bedroom. It would take me hours to sort through the mess. Now, I was glad I hadn’t listened.

I cursed the Militia and the Legacy Act. It was their fault that I couldn’t remain with Roman and have a happy life. London had succeeded in making sure that every trace of Jake Daniels’ administration and that of his friends were eradicated from the Division. That left me and Jasmine with no one to turn to for help. We were on our own against a powerful faction who followed no other rules but their own.

As I picked up some broken knick-knacks and picture frames off the floor, I vowed to get even with them and London Weinright, no matter what it took.

1

Jimmy the Toad, Orchid’s faithful little Observer, held a large manila envelope over his head. He was snickering at me, Mr. Roman, I seem to recall…to recall that when you asked me to do research for you, you promised me a huge reward.

We were meeting in Simeon’s home, a cozy underground structure converted from one of the many large bomb shelters the city had constructed during the huge nuclear scare of the ‘50’s. They were sealed and virtually forgotten until Simeon discovered one through the Siskin’s Warehouse cellar long before he ever purchased the building to renovate into Weeping Orchid. Once he secured the property, he spent a great deal of time and money converting that old bomb shelter into a home for him and Echo. Unlike my place, which I have to drive to Orchid, Simeon merely walks up two flights of stairs and through a long hallway. The journey takes him less than five minutes. Any time…day or night, with zero exposure to sunlight.

I stood, leaning against the cool, smooth stone wall in their main living area. "Huge reward?"

The little toad with a stuttering voice, danced around, Yep, yep, huge.

I conveyed far less enthusiasm, "I hired you in April to bring me this and it’s now close to mid-summer. Why should I reward you for taking so long?"

Three miserable, lonely months drifted by at a maddening pace. With each passing day, I regretted sending the letter to Devani that released her from our connection. In a few simple words, I promised her that it was over and she could have her freedom, move on with her life. But I lied. Devani was firm with Echo the last time they saw one another; she didn’t want to see me again, much less desire to have a companionship. But, Echo read it in her eyes – the apprehension and fear. Something was holding her back, far beyond our previous misunderstanding and I was going to find out what it was.

You know how hard it is to hack into the Militia’s encrypted files? It’s… it’s not that easy. They were set up by Observers too, you know. I worked… night and day, despite the fact that I do have other assignments to deliver, yeah. I’m, I’m not exclusive.

Jimmy, as most Observers, is a complete nerd in the truest sense – greasy hair, pimply skin, baggy clothes and all. Extraordinary with many forms of technology, but less than stellar with personal relations, Observers know nothing of time constraints, or of Sanguines and their level of patience. All they care about is the end result – what they can get in return.

What I give you depends heavily on what I find in that envelope. If I see nothing I can use, Simeon is going to feed you to a pack of Sectarians.

That made The Toad squirm. Observers work for any of us who belong to the Two Worlds – Sanguines, Panthera, even the Mystics on occasion. They fear Sanguines the most because we can turn on them in a heartbeat if they try to exploit our good graces. Beside their skills, Observer blood is absolutely delicious. Female Observers are restricted by The Order – an unwritten set of rules for the Two Worlds – from working with us for that very reason. They’re far too distracting. As it is, if they weren’t so valued, we would have eradicated more than half of the Observers of the world, centuries ago.

Every once in a while, Jimmy has to be taught a lesson.

Look, look, Mr. Roman… he stammered, I don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, so I have no idea if what I have is valuable to you. Here… he opened the envelope, let me read the first page and you give me a price. You did mention five thousand the last time we spoke. Maybe more?

Oh, and Jimmy also has a great memory.

I nodded with resignation, Make it worth my while, Toad.

Echo came into the room, Now, no killing that boy and getting blood on my new sofa. She was obviously in a good mood.

I noticed a new brightness to her eyes, You’re happy about something.

I have some news. She answered.

What is it?

She crooked her head towards Jimmy, Can he be trusted?

Not really, but he knows better than to snitch.

Hey, He spoke up in his defense, I don’t, don’t snitch.

Go ahead, I told Echo.

I spoke to Devani today. I hadn’t heard anything from her since her niece was born, so I took a chance and gave her a call.

I immediately left my position by the wall and joined her at the coffee table, How is she?

Physically, she’s well. She said she was just thinking about me and felt terrible for not keeping in touch. It’s just that work has been busy, plus it seems she’s having some sort of hassle with her home owner’s insurance adjuster. Her house was broken into.

Before I could throw out another set of anxious questions, she held her hand up, Before you freak out, it was in mid-June and she wasn’t at home when it happened, but the place was pretty ransacked. All she had to do was spend a couple of days with her sister until new locks could be installed. The insurance company has been giving her a hard time though. They claim her policy lapsed and she was gathering paperwork to prove her case.

I turned and began to walk slowly around the room, Umm, I should just call her, see if she needs our help.

No, I’m sure she didn’t want you to know about it, so don’t say a word.

But she needs…

Roman, I’m telling you, she’s starting to trust me, you have to stay out of it.

How utterly distressing it was to know that I couldn’t be there to comfort Devani. I could imagine that she must be feeling helpless and alone. Of course, I can only imagine. Because of our severed connection, I can’t reach out to sense her, And why in the world is this happy news? It only reminds me that we aren’t together anymore. I asked Echo, looking at her like she must have lost her mind.

Because, if you’d let me finish, she asked about you.

I quickly spun around to face her, trying to read her face and hoping she wasn’t joking, About me?

Um hum. She asked if you had moved on and made a connection with someone else.

For Pete’s sake, Echo, does she really believe I thought so little of her that she can be replaced at a moment’s notice?

"Give her a break, Roman. You declared it over and I’m sure she’s feeling the loss just as much as you. And not just that initial get out of my head loss, but the true loss."

Did you tell her I haven’t connected with anyone?

I told her you were doing well and your feeding was back to normal.

I was still using Roxanne as my primary donor, but in late May, I added another new donor, named Lynnie, a friend of Roxanne’s who parted from the Sanguine she was supplying because he took a companion of his own. Between the two of them, I could keep my feeding regulated to twice, maybe three times a week. Better than it had been, but more often than it should be. The only other solution is to return to New Orleans and lengthen the distance between me and Devani, but I’m not to that point yet.

That’s all you said? I asked Echo.

I also told her that you thought about her often. I hope that’s acceptable. I’m not sure how much you want her to know at this point.

It helped, at least a little. That’s fine. I answered, then started pacing again, Keeping up the pretense that I’m dealing with the separation is the best solution. I only declared it over so I wouldn’t have to keep myself closed off from her. Wish I hadn’t done that now.

You had to. I told you that she could feel your emotions, the more intense ones anyway. You did the right thing, letting her go.

Ah, our little Toad has arrived. Simeon entered the room in his typical graceful manner, buttoning the last button of his shirt. His hair was slightly damp. I expected you two hours ago.

Yes, sir…yes…had to make another delivery, sorry…sir. Jimmy leapt to his feet and his little voice screeched. If Simeon was to ever say Boo! I’m sure the skinny kid would soil himself.

Working both sides of the fence, are you now?

Uh, sir…no, I mean, I don’t know…

Echo started laughing, Jimmy, he’s just asking if you are working with other Two Worlders.

Oh, I’m sorry. No, I’m not, Miss Echo. Just some impatient…impatient humans.

Simeon turned to me, Have you been able to look over the contents of the envelope?

Jimmy was about to let me know what he found. Echo was telling me about her communication with Devani.

Umm, yes. I was distressed to hear about her recent troubles. Even though some time has passed, if you wish, I could send Seth to her for assistance.

Thanks, I would feel better if Seth was with her. The insurance company is giving her a difficult time.

Simeon, after a quick word to Dilly with orders for Seth meet him at the office in two hours, turned back to the task at hand, Now, as to why we pay the Toad, I am curious to know what he has uncovered. That is, with your permission, Roman.

I nodded and Simeon joined Echo on the couch but I was too psyched up to settle down just yet. I leaned across the back of one of the leather arm chairs.

Jimmy looked at the paper he had removed from the folder, Please understand, Mr. Roman...you asked for everything and I pulled what I could. Some…some are in pieces and parts. He then cleared his throat and began, London G. Weinright took over control of what was once called the Central Oregon Division in November of last year. He succeeded his father…uh, Lawrence S. Weinright, now retired. London Weinright has divided the division in half, keeping the main one at their current location just outside Cannon Beach, but creating a new division that focuses more on the Metro Portland area and the communities to the south and east. He paused to take a breath.

As always, I was amused. Jimmy stammered like a scared rabbit when speaking to us, but when reading documents, his voice flowed better than any professional newscaster out there.

You…you asked me to check into any associates of Jake Daniels. They have all been transferred to other groups in the Pacific Northwest Territory. I have the listings here, he tapped the envelope, a few are now retired, with side notes that they left in protest to their transfer.

I’m surprised that they would note stuff like that in a computer that could get hacked. Echo said.

No, Miss Echo, it’s ve…very common cause they think they’re unbreakable…nothing is unbreakable, no, not really, Jimmy told her, then continued, "I looked for any reports logged in that came from the Overton area and found an extensive file on a woman named Dev..oni Daniels."

Devani. I corrected, instantly interested. Good, this might be worth my time after all.

Relation to Jake Daniels?

Her father. I waved him on, impatience growing, What kind of file is it?

Jimmy shifted his feet and I sensed what was coming. He’d hit a nerve within me. Now, it was time for payment.

Is this good enough for my reward, Mr….Mr. Roman?

Of course it was, I just didn’t want to admit it to him. Greedy little… Four thousand.

Seventy-five hundred. He countered.

I growled, "Five thousand in cash."

I knew Jimmy couldn’t resist a cash payment, which is why I brought it along with me. Cash on the spot is fast and easy.

I suggest you take it, Roman won’t offer you anything better. Echo said teasingly.

Show me, show me cash, the cash…

I pulled out my wallet and showed him the bills tucked inside it. Do we have a deal?

Jimmy held out the envelope to me, Deal, good deal, Mr. Roman.

I didn’t take the information; instead I dropped the cash on the table. Continue on. The money is there when you finish.

He pulled all the papers out and held them in his thin, spindly fingers, then sat down on the ottoman nearby, The information on Miss Devani Daniels….the Militia employs a spy who has been making regular reports regarding her activities at work. And this here, he showed me a second section, stapled together, it’s a log of what she does at home.

I started walking around the room, She’s being watched. How far back do these logs go?

Jimmy shuffled the papers around for a second or two before answering, The earliest date I see is July of last year, July 8th. Each month after that…yeah, each month has a similar paper, but nothing…umm…nothing more than just a general listing. Job, friends, that kind of thing.

July. I looked at Simeon, Jake’s funeral.

They began watching her after Jake Daniels’ death. He agreed with me, then asked Jimmy, And this is nothing but a monthly occurrence?

It was, it was, Mr. Simeon, until late February.

That was around the time I first made contact. I said, more to myself than anyone in particular.

After that, Mr. Roman, yeah, a separate file was started on her, different from these others. I think that was because of the shake-up in the department though, because, you see, the authorization code on both files is not the same. Jimmy added.

I stopped my pacing long enough to peek over the young man’s shoulder. See here? He pointed, All of them were authorized by Lawrence Weinright, up until the report at the end of January. February’s report, the last one of the old file, it was approved by London Weinright, not his father.

None of us had any clue that Jimmy could gain access to high Militia leaders’ authorization codes. Very useful for future reference. The date changes too; February was filed into the system in the middle of the month and it’s wasn’t accessed until April. Weird. Why the delay? I said.

I have a theory. I talked….talked to one, one of my secret friends who has Militia ties, he like…he said that during the change-over, many paper files and computer disks were moved around. Maybe even misplaced and it took a long time to get them back in order. That file might not have shown up until April.

I agree. Also, I noticed there is no full March compilation. Just a weekly listing that runs all the way until….this is insane! The last report was a week ago. They’re watching her nearly every day now. I can’t believe how damn detailed it all is.

London Weinright must have seen the March file and read where you had made contact with her. That would explain the increase in surveillance. Maybe found the February file later on and added it in. Echo said.

Get this… I held up a piece of paper and spoke to Simeon, the spy in the bookstore, he or she had been making notes of each time Devani came in contact with one of us. Even the one time that you, Echo, Greg and Seth visited to ask her about Mael. It makes no assumptions or conclusions, just states facts. And each one was signed off by Weinright.

So, not only does London Weinright know about Roman, he knows about all of us. Echo gasped.

Simeon took her hand, keeping his eyes on me, Then this may be the solution to the mystery. It is possible that this information is being used to keep Devani away from you, Roman. Blackmail, perhaps. She may also be aware of the surveillance. Either someone informed her or she was contacted by a member of the Militia directly.

Who are the spies? I asked Jimmy. Is there more than one?

Don’t know, don’t, Mr. Roman. It seems as if the majority of the logs are from her job at the bookstore. Militia’s spies…they could be one person or multiple people. They aren’t listed, you know, in the logs because…most of the time, they’re low ranking rookies, even students who get paid to spy in exchange for college money?

Young and impressionable. Initiate them into their ranks before we can get to them. Simeon shook his head.

College students. I echoed softly, Interesting.

Simeon joined me, reading my face, Do you have a suspect?

I shook my head, Sadly, I can’t say for sure. I’ve only visited the bookstore once, but there was… I remembered, there was a young man there who seemed to take a particular interest in Devani. She told me later that he was a college student who came into the store every Saturday. I believe his name was Andres…something. At the time, I wondered if he recognized me as being Sanguine, but with everything else that was going on, I paid it no mind. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss it. I don’t know, maybe I’m just drawing at straws.

I don’t think so, Roman. Echo quickly spoke up, "On my first visit to the bookstore, I saw this young man there. He was friendly to Devani, but nothing more than that. I found out from Tracy that after Devani started glowing, this Andres guy,