The Scarlet Deep: An Elemental Vampire Romance

On the waves of the North Atlantic, a poison spreads, sapping the life from humans and striking madness into immortals. Patrick Murphy, the immortal leader of Dublin, has been trying to stem the tide of Elixir washing into his territory, but nothing seems to stop the drug. Anne O’Dea retreated from public life over one hundred years before to help immortals in need… and to heal from her break with Murphy. Though powerful connections keep her insulated from vampire politics, even Anne is starting to feel the effects of Elixir on her isolated world. When Anne and Murphy are called to London, they’re forced to confront a connection as immortal as they are. Is a second chance for them still possible? Behind the facade of politics, old hungers still burn, even as an ancient power threatens the fate of the Elemental World. The Scarlet Deep is the third novel in the Elemental World series, a continuing series of stand-alone paranormal romances based in the Elemental Mysteries universe by Elizabeth Hunter, author of the Irin Chronicles, Love Stories on 7th and Main, and the Cambio Springs Mysteries.

Chapter One

The man sat across from Murphy with desperate, angry eyes. He knew he had no recourse . Nothing he could say to the vampire leader of Dublin would make Patrick Murphy change his mind.

Perfect.

“Andrew,” Murphy said, his voice cool, “what did you think was going to happen? Did you think I was going to sit idly by and watch as you tried to maneuver the Blue Delta contract out from under me? That was my contract, Andrew. Just because the Americans will always go with the lowest bidder doesn’t make that the way we do business.”

“Mr. Murphy—”

“Just Murphy, Andrew.” He spread his hands, palms up. “We’re not strangers. I thought I knew you better than this. Thought we had respect between us.”

He saw Brigid roll her eyes in the corner, but he ignored her. His eyes kept focus on the nervous human across from him.

Garvey wore a work shirt and pants. His clothes and carriage spoke of a man who worked on the water and had since he was a boy. But Murphy also noted that the man’s shirt was carefully pressed, even if the pocket was torn. Murphy noted things like that because the measure of a man was often seen in the details.

Garvey was no slob; he had ambition.

Nor was he a threat to Murphy. The man knew about vampires; his father had worked in the docklands before him and knew how things ran. The American contract was Murphy’s to turn down. He had a reputation to maintain after all. He needed to make a point with the human, and he wouldn’t let a little thing like actual business interests stand in his way.

“I do respect you, Murphy.” Garvey’s voice said one thing, but his eyes said frustration. The young man had grown up working with his dad and had hustled through the grey areas of the docklands in order to improve his lot. Murphy could respect that. He also knew that Garvey was leaning closer to the darker shades of grey on a few deals lately. “You know my da—”

“Never would have expected Tim’s son to pull something like this.” Murphy made sure to keep his voice low. He didn’t need to project anger. Not anymore. He was aiming for disappointment. “I had people lined up for that contract, Andrew.”

He hadn’t.

“I had plans for those people.”

He didn’t.

“And now what do I tell them, Andrew? What do I tell those people who were counting on me?”

Murphy took a deep, considering breath he didn’t need. Vampires, after all, had no need to breathe. As long as he had blood and water to draw his elemental strength, he’d last until God and all the saints returned. The breath wasn’t for Murphy, the breath was for Andrew Garvey.

He looked down and shuffled some papers on his desk. Papers he’d had his assistant, Angie, bring in a few moments after Andrew Garvey had sat down across from his desk. He lifted up the “Blue Delta Industries” file and paged through it.

You’re a bastard, the first paper read.

Murphy didn’t let the smile break through his solemn exterior as he perused the papers Angie had typed out at her desk outside his office.

You had no interest in that shipping contract until you heard Blue Delta went to a human first.

He flipped through them one by one, scanning the mostly blank pages as Garvey squirmed across from him.

Pint after work, boss? One of the new lads thinks he can beat you, and I need the money. Declan must have slipped that one in. Declan was full of it. Murphy knew the man lived like a monk and saved like a miser. He didn’t need the money. He just wanted to show the new employees what was what.

Andrew Garvey is a nice young man, and his wife just had a baby girl.

Angie was being a touch dramatic, wasn’t she? It wasn’t as if he was going to kill the human. He just needed to scare him. And maybe remind Garvey why Murphy had been stricter about who did business on his docks the past few years. Despite what Angie thought, this was about more than just a minor human shipping contract.

“I expected courtesy from Tim Garvey’s son.” Murphy steepled his fingers together and leaned his elbows on his desk.

“I never intended…”

Murphy brought his dark eyes up to lock on Garvey’s exasperated gaze, and the man fell silent.

“It’s not respectful to bring cargo into my city without knowing what it is, Andrew.”

The human’s face want from frustrated to downright pale.

“I… There hasn’t been any—”

“Don’t ever lie to me.” Garvey shut his mouth.

“It’s one thing to take a bit that doesn’t go on the books.” Murphy’s voice was barely over a whisper. “We’ve all shipped a few crates of this and that, haven’t we?”

Garvey was trying to smile, but it wasn’t working. “Just a few crates, sir. Even my da—”

“But you didn’t know what was in those crates, did you? And ‘we don’t ask questions’ isn’t an acceptable answer anymore, Andrew. Not for anyone who wants to call me a friend.”

Murphy had him. Andrew Garvey had gone from confused, to irritated, to angry, to frustrated, and now he was at defeated.

Garvey knew the vampire had laid down the law among those in the know that he would be watching more closely. The drug problem had gone out of control, and one drug in particular had devastated his city only two years before. A drug there was no cure for yet. A drug that killed both humans and vampires.

Elixir.

It was supposed to be a cure-all, for mortal and immortal alike. Healing power for humans and a cure for bloodlust all at once.

It wasn’t.

“I want to keep my friends in business, Andrew. And I can’t do that if they’re not open with me.”

Garvey leaned forward. “I want to make this right.”

Gotcha.

Murphy took another deep breath as Brigid had a suspicious coughing fit in the corner of the room.

“I know you do, lad.”

“How do I make this right?”

“The Blue Delta contract—” “Is yours.” The human nodded. “Absolutely. I’ll withdraw my bid tomorrow.”

“Now, now.” Murphy held up a hand. “You already have time and money invested in that. I’m not interested in putting you out of business. I need good people around. Dependable ones.”

Garvey nodded enthusiastically. “Absolutely.”

“You’ve a family, don’t you, Andrew?”

“Yes, sir.” He saw the man grow pale.

Christ, maybe he did need to lay off a bit. He wasn’t going after the human’s little wife and babies.

Murphy let a smile touch his lips.

“I consider my employees my family.”

“I know you do, sir.” Garvey relaxed a bit.

“I take care of the people who take care of me. And I know you’re just as interested—being a family man—in making the city as safe as it can be.”

“I am, Murphy.”

Murphy let the silence fall between them as he stared at Garvey. He could hear the man’s pulse pick up.

It was difficult—very difficult—to not see the man as prey when his heart beat like that. The scent of his fear filled the room. The tang of adrenaline. Murphy glanced back at Brigid to see the younger vampire staring at the back of Garvey’s neck with heated eyes.

“Tóg go bog é,” he said in a voice only she would hear. Take it easy.

Brigid was younger and still struggled with control. He could feel the room heat up from her amnis. While Murphy’s elemental affinity was water, Brigid’s was fire.

Unstable. Highly dangerous. And excellent for his reputation. It was worth putting up with her temper if it meant having a fire vampire on his payroll.

“No more unquestioned cargo,” Murphy said quietly. “It’s not a friendly thing to do.”

“Sure thing, Murphy.”

“And I know you’ll be taking a hit,” he added. “I’ll keep that in mind. I have some contracts I could use a sub for. Local jobs.”

The human’s face had morphed from scared to grateful. “You’d do that?”

“I told you, Andrew. I take care of my friends.”

“Some of these lads—”

“I can send Tom or one of my people around more,” Murphy said. “Make sure everyone knows where things stand with you and me. Make sure no one causes trouble. If that would suit you, of course. It’s your business, Andrew.”

Garvey nodded. “I’d be grateful.”

And I’ll be grateful for that fat envelope I know you’ll have ready.

Murphy picked up the fake file and shuffled a few more papers.

The last in the stack read, Don’t make me poison your tea, Patrick. It won’t kill you, but it will give you an awful stomachache you will deserve one hundred percent.

He let the smile curve the corner of his mouth. Oh, Angie. What a treasure.

Murphy closed the file and stood. “I don’t want to keep you any later. Thank you for coming by, Andrew. I know it’s after dinner hour with your family.”

“It’s no problem, Murphy.” Garvey stood with him and held out a hand. “Glad we were able to get this cleared up.”

Murphy smiled, letting the warmth of it flood the room. He pushed the feeling of security and contentment up the human’s arm, knowing that Andrew Garvey would lay his head down in bed tonight knowing that Patrick Murphy was damn near his best friend.

“I know you’ll do well with that Blue Delta contract,” he said. “Come to me if you have any questions, yes?”

“I will.”

“And no more unquestioned loads, yes?” His face grew serious again with just a touch of concern. “We need to know what’s coming into our city, don’t we? For everyone’s safety.”

“Yes, sir.”

Murphy clasped his other hand around Garvey’s and gave it a friendly squeeze.

“Good man.”