by K. N. Banet
“Meaning, while immortal, stress can cause the body to age a little, like Kaliya’s hair. There’s one naga who looks quite old, right?” Cassius looked over his shoulder at me.
“Yeah, and he is. He’s second generation, one of the first true born naga. He’s been through a lot, and if you ever see him, you’ll assume he’s a fifty-five-year-old Indian gentleman. He’s just as spry as he was when he looked twenty-five, though, so don’t toy with a supernatural just because they look old.”
“Age is power,” Cassius said. “You’ll notice a lot of supernaturals won’t tell you their exact age, but you can begin learning how to guess, based on things they keep around them. A ten-year-old vampire is much less powerful than a five hundred-year-old vampire.”
“Carter is a young vampire, and Sinclair is a…middle-aged one?” I figured, mulling over the numbers. “Sinclair can wipe the floor with Carter’s face, and there would be nothing Carter could do about it.”
“Okay. Older supernaturals are more powerful.” Raphael nodded slowly. “I think I’m starting to figure this out.”
“Give it a few years of actively trying to learn, and you’ll know what you need to live day to day in the supernatural world,” I said, thumping his shoulder. “Now get back to practicing. I want to see you try something a bit more powerful than that Glock.”
“Okay.” He jumped up, and I watched him grab an M4. He loaded it with practiced skill as Cassius moved a target into position for him. Once the target was in position, he began firing in bursts of three. He hadn’t had any military training when he was taken, but he obviously had some practice, some idea about how to handle the weapon. When he lowered it, I nodded in appreciation for his aim.
“Did you ever practice with these?” I asked.
“Yeah, had a couple over the years. Bought them illegally and lost them every time I had to run, but if I had the cash at any point, I tried to keep one in my place. Didn’t have enough time to settle in Phoenix to find out where I could get one without the paperwork,” he explained.
“Good. Well, I think you’re going to be as ready as you can be for tonight. We don’t need to teach you how to fire a gun. Cassius? Anything you want to go over with him?”
“No. I think we should all get some sleep.”
Leith cleaned up the mess we made, even breaking down and cleaning the firearms.
“I’ll leave several of these out for you to choose from later,” the butler promised as we walked out.
“Thanks, Leith,” I said, waving as Cassius closed the door. “Well, now we just get some sleep.”
“Wait…do we have any sort of plan?” Raphael asked.
“Yeah. We’re not going to let Sinclair take you. We’ll show up and lay down the Law,” I answered. Cassius caught my eye, and I quickly looked away. I wasn’t going to betray anyone here. I’d made my choice. The possible intel would have to wait. If Sinclair lived through the night, I could get someone else to interrogate him for whatever he thought he had.
“So, we get there and open fire? Talk it out? That doesn’t tell me anything,” Raphael huffed as we walked up the stairs to the main floor.
“We’ll probably talk to him for a moment, see if he really wants things to get bloody. He’ll probably try to taunt us—Sinclair likes to push people to the edge. We open fire once we have taken in the situation and figured out a way of freeing Carter without getting him killed. The best thing for you to do is stay not dead and shoot at the bad guys.” I smiled and started toward my room. Cassius disappeared to his suite, but Raphael was on my heels.
“Wait, Kaliya. Really, that’s it?”
“That’s it. Cassius and I have done this before. It’s not fun, and no, it isn’t easy, but it’s…procedure. We know the steps to the dance. The only trick is pulling them off at that moment and knowing how to adjust for different possibilities. Go get some sleep.”
He nodded slowly and stepped back from me. I noted the door he entered was my neighbor to the left. They put him in the friends’ wing of the mansion. Cassius had two wings—one for friends he liked and another for guests he didn’t really want there but had to entertain. His personal suite was most of the top floor above us.
I went inside and picked out my clothing for the evening, wanting to look over what I had. I noticed Leith had brought in all the stuff I brought from my house, including the weapons that hadn’t been stolen from my bag like my phone. He’d carefully laid them out, which gave me a good idea of what I could take. It took me another two hours to get any sleep. When I woke up, I knew exactly what weapons I was taking with me to kill Sinclair.
I also knew exactly what my plan would be.
26
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Don’t forget anything!” I called out as I loaded the SUV Cassius pointed out. It was ten at night, and we had an hour's drive to the meetup point. We were pressed for time, in my opinion. I wanted us there early, able to get a feel for the location.
I had barely slept, but anticipation was keeping me anxious, and I was already prepared for the night.
On my back was my talwar, a piece of home and heritage I couldn’t part with. At my waist was the katana I had been given decades ago by a friend. It comforted me, reminding me I was trained for deadly nights like the one I was about to face. Along my belt were throwing knives and shuriken, carefully treated with my venom. It would take more than a small scratch for it to work, but it was insurance if I got a good hit that wasn’t fatal. On my left thigh was a large hunting knife and on my right thigh, my Beretta. In the SUV, under my seat, was an M4.
It was a small armory.
“Do you have enough weapons?” I turned to see Raphael, wearing thick black jeans and a dark red shirt, almost maroon, topped off with that leather jacket. His eyes were the perfect, medium shade of brown, not the unearthly red, so I took my chances to be a bit playful with him instead of annoyed.
“You never know when an ex might show up to a party.” I shrugged, giving him an innocent smile.
“That’s worrisome,” Cassius muttered, walking around our giant not-human charge. “But to answer your question, Raphael, no, she probably doesn’t think she has enough weapons.”
“I could also get those fancy boots with daggers in them,” I pondered. “Maybe I could start wearing long sleeves and use my arms more. There’s a lot of real estate to carry more.”
Raphael started to chuckle. In all honesty, the mood was terribly light for the night ahead. For me, it was a point of habit. I didn’t like getting stressed out when I had so many sharp objects. The job was the job, and I did my best to survive the world I lived in. So far, my record was going fairly well, and I wasn’t too worried.
Unless tonight goes completely sideways, this should be fine. Not easy, but fine.
“It’s probably going to go sideways,” I mumbled to myself. “Just have to stay positive.”
“What?” Raphael was still standing there, giving me an odd expression.
“Get in the car,” I ordered, ignoring his question. He didn’t need to hear my internal thoughts.
Though it might be a good idea not to voice them out loud. I’m not alone in my own house.
The three of us piled in, and Cassius pulled out of the garage.
“Does everyone have what they want for tonight?” he asked, his hand hovering over the garage door button.
“I’m ready,” I answered.
“Let’s get your friend back,” Raphael said confidently. I was glad to see he wasn’t freaking out. If he stayed calm, everything would go smoother. If he started freaking out, that would be bad. I didn’t think he would freeze, but I was a little worried he would hesitate at a bad time.
Hopefully, he can channel that kill-or-be-killed attitude he had when I met him…when he tried to shoot me. Maybe he’ll go hard tonight and let the Catholic guilt eat him alive tomorrow when it’s all said and done. He seems to know what’s necessary at the moment, even if he’ll have a problem with
it afterwards.
Cassius nodded and closed the garage. Leith waved at us as the door closed. I knew Annie-Lyn and Terry were camping out inside, waiting for morning.
“Cassius, a couple of questions,” I said as we started driving. “I know it’s something you don’t really talk about, but can you take people when you shadow step?”
His face went from calm to severe in a blink of an eye.
“I’m not in the habit of shadow stepping,” he snapped. “You know that.”
“What is it?” Raphael asked.
“Something certain fae can do, particularly those with darker bloodlines, like Cassius, but he’s fucking weird compared to most fae.”
“Really? Are you going to pull open my family tree and show him?”
“No, I asked a simple question, and you got huffy. It’s important. Raphael also asked a simple question, and I thought he deserved an answer.” I narrowed my eyes on my fae friend. “Every supernatural with a toe in fae politics knows your bloodline. It’s not some big secret.”
Cassius sighed. “Yes, but it could prove fatal to those not of the right fortitude. It’s why I don’t do it.”
“Tonight, if things get crazy, pick Raphael or Carter and try to shadow step them to our way out,” I ordered. “And I mean crazy where they’ll die anyway, so the risk of the shadow step is minimal at best since it would be their last chance.”
“Okay. If it’s their last chance.”
“What’s Cassius’s bloodline?” Raphael sounded like a curious ten-year-old boy. When I looked back at him, he shrugged. “I would rather learn about one of you than talk about my impending doom.”
“You’re smart,” I complimented, nodding sagely. “Always good to keep from getting stressed out before these things even get started. Cassius? Can I tell him?”
“I’m the grandson of Oberon and Titania. Born of Brion and Isla, their two eldest children. I was their youngest child. I’m one of the few fae who has a strong claim over both light fae and dark fae abilities and can use certain abilities from either.”
“His grandparents were the original Fae King and Queen. They broke up and had dozens of other children with humans, creating the clans and the idea of light and dark fae, Oberon and Titania each passing on different types of abilities,” I said, launching into fae lore. I thought it was interesting. “Even though they had a touch of human blood, they were considered pure fae, thanks to being direct children of Oberon or Titania. From there, everyone started inbreeding to keep the lines pure, and the fae population exploded.”
“It wasn’t all sex, and it wasn’t considered inbreeding back then,” Cassius snapped. “They created some fae clans out of animals as well.”
“How…” Raphael’s mouth was kind of open, and I resisted the urge to close it for him.
“Magic. Magic kept it from being gross inbreeding,” I said. “Or so the fae say.”
“My parents…” Cassius looked downright furious now. “They weren’t siblings.”
“They had the same parents.”
“They looked completely different and had wildly different magic. If they were related, their magic would have been similar.” Cassius huffed. “Fae don’t really have DNA. We’re magical beings. The original fae weren’t related because everyone was so unique. Now, children seem like their parents, but not back then.”
“And you were their youngest? How many siblings do you have?”
I winced, slashing my hand across my neck at Raphael. Stop! Stop, damn it.
“None,” Cassius whispered. “Both were dead by the time I was born. I was the last child my mother had before she passed on. My father disappeared later.”
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”
“It’s…it’s fine. Someone would have told you eventually if you’re going to hang around us.” Cassius sighed.
“Sorry, I didn’t think he would ask more,” I said, trying to ease the tension and take the blame for it. “I shouldn’t have…”
“He should feel more comfortable, knowing one of the more powerful fae is helping him,” Cassius said, his face becoming stoic.
“I like teasing you about the bloodline thing…”
“I’ll remind you that everyone in your species is descended from the same one thousand nagas, and the only new genetics you’ve gotten have been from humans,” he said, narrowing his eyes on me. “And there’s only nine of you left now. I wonder how closely related you are.”
I nodded, admitting defeat. He had a point. Supernatural species didn’t exactly play by the same rules. It was a point he’d brought up before, every time I teased him about his parents. Though, I had known him before his father had disappeared. The joke became less funny since then.
“You are both fucking weird,” Raphael mumbled in the back. “All this is fucking strange.”
“Yeah. Supernaturals can be a bit mind-bending a lot of the time,” I agreed. “Want to know more crazy shit? We’re going to be in the car for a while, and there’s no reason for you to be ignorant.”
“She gets talkative when she’s about to kill someone,” Cassius said blandly. “You can tell her no, and she’ll try to sit quietly in her seat.”
“Sure,” he said in defeat.
“There are other realms,” I explained brightly. “Fae have realms, most of them small pocket dimensions, but there are bigger ones. The Market? The fae black market? It’s actually the exact same in every city, but it exists in multiple places at once. It’s similar to the Tribunal Chambers, a pocket dimension that can be entered wherever a door is made. Most of the Tribunal members have a door in their residence and jump in it whenever they’re needed. It cuts down on the traveling.”
“See, that doesn’t bother me. Humans have been trying to prove the existence of the multiverse for a long time now,” Raphael said, shrugging. “Honestly, it’s a little comforting.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow, wondering why he thought so.
“It means a lot of the supernaturals can go back to where they came from.”
“Ah, that’s a problem. Werewolves and werecats are just humans with a nasty, transmittable curse. Vampires are…kind of the same way. Once human, but they’re more like…magically reanimated dead. Witches are humans with a magical spark and a keen mind that allows them to bend the forces of the world around them. They try to be fae and fail every time, but they’ve got considerable skills as well.”
“What do you mean by they try to be fae?” Raphael yawned, and I realized he was finally getting more comfortable with the wildness of the world he was now living in. Being bored was better than being scared—always better.
“They make powerful, complex spells to try to do what a fae can do with a snap of their fingers.”
“They normally just blow something up,” Cassius mumbled. “But they are very good at blowing things up. They also dabble in things a fae can’t or won’t do.”
“Yeah, summoning demons and angels and other shit we try to pretend doesn’t exist, even as supernaturals. There are creatures that live on other planes that don’t belong here and can’t belong here. Like demons and angels. None of us want them around.”
“There are more besides them, but because humans have such a deadly fascination with them, they’re the most common beings popping up in our world, trying to break dimension barriers,” Cassius said.
“Are they…like Gabriel and…”
“Raphael, the angel your parents obviously named you after? Like archangels? Abrahamic lore?” I shrugged. “Don’t know. Never met either type. Don’t want to.”
Cassius pointed at her. “She actually has the right idea here. If you ever hear anyone say ‘summoning’ with ‘angel’ or ‘demon’ following it, please tell one of us. It’s an executable offense, and we’ll need to shut it down before it gets too far.”
“Um. Okay. Sure. You know, why don’t we pick up all this tomorrow? I think I just want to focus on tonight.”
“Fine,” I sighed heavily
. “I’ll sit here and be quiet.”
“Try to be quiet, you mean,” Cassius mumbled.
We sat in the car silently…well, almost silent. I played around with the radio until we lost any of the good stations. Then I started messing with Cassius’ phone to get some music going. My foot tapped. I kept moving around in my seat, trying to get comfortable.
I was never very good at not being restless before a kill. Even when I was doing more covert work, I got antsy and hyped up. The adrenaline started for me too early and wouldn’t stop until it was all said and done. Talking, keeping things light, those kept my mind busy before events.
And I didn’t want to think too hard on my plan. I didn’t need either man in the car to know something was coming, and if I stewed on the plan, Cassius would know something was off with me and be worried. He knew me well enough to know what would be unusual behavior.
Plus, I had been enjoying talking to Raphael. I liked seeing his eyes light up as he learned new things, even if the light was somewhat dimmed by caution and a healthy, reasonable dose of fear of the unknown that most humans had.
“Okay,” Cassius said softly, turning off the long, dark road we had been on, going far south of Phoenix. “We’re nearly there.”
I looked around. We were in the desert, all right. If anything happened, the likelihood we would get human attention was next to nil. Cassius was now looking at a state-of-the-art GPS map that was heading to the coordinates that Sinclair had given us. It had us turn off the small road we were on and head further into the desert, further away from civilization and help.
When Cassius parked ten minutes later, I was the first out of the car. We had beaten Sinclair to the place, and I was fucking glad to have a chance to look over the area, though it didn’t prove to be much. In snake form, there were tons of options to hide and get out of the way of anything, but I couldn’t do an entire fight in snake form, and the amount of cover we had for a fire fight was abysmal.
