The Blue Devil

by Quirah Casey

  “Blue—”

  “I’m fine.” I cut her off, stepping away. “I’ll be in one of the private rooms.” Moving away from her, I finally return to the wolves. The two women are making out while the man reclines, watching them.

  “Let’s go,” I snap. The wolves stand, following me through the club to the private rooms. One of the women starts feeling me up before we can make it to the entrance, and just as I’m about to inform her that it's hard to walk with her hands all over me, a scream rings out.

  Pulling away from the wolves, I follow the sound, realizing as I approach the private rooms that the wailing voice is Alana’s. Fuck. A client must be crossing boundaries. My heart rate increases and I rush down the hall, but I’m not prepared for the gruesome scene that I find when I turn the corner.

  Alana kneels in a doorway, sobbing—she’s all out of screams. There’s blood everywhere, all over the room, damn near enough to paint the walls.

  And in the center of the room, on the dark carpet, lie two mutilated, bloody bodies.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “This is bad, Blue,” Mel says under her breath as we watch CDA agents take a statement from Alana, who is still visibly shaken up.

  “I know.” I try to keep the irritation out of my voice, but she’s right. This is really fucking bad. My hands are tied with this one—all the connections in the world won’t keep the CDA from investigating this. I can call my people, but no amount of power will erase the two dead bodies, one of which belongs to a dancer employed by my club.

  Duemon had worked here for a little over a year, and I barely knew anything about him. But his murder’s going to be an absolute shit storm for me. On top of the CDA, I’ll have the fae coming to me with questions about one of theirs being killed in my club. The Lair has always been a safe place for employees and visitors. But I guess that’s no longer true—on either count, because the other body belongs to a guest.

  The dead woman is a gorgeous young selkie who I had never seen in here before. So far no one is sure of her identity, but her species is obvious due to her smell and her beautiful, pale green and brown skin.

  “Fuck.” Mel watches the CDA agents nervously, and I discreetly wrap my hand around her wrist, trying to calm her. I don’t need her having a meltdown, especially not in front of the eager crowd that has accumulated behind the orange tape blocking off the crime scene.

  I don’t say anything to her, unwilling to risk being overheard. We’ll talk later, once we’re in a secure room.

  A beep in my ear alerts me to an incoming com. Dina sounds out of breath, panicked. “Palha, there’s no footage.”

  Mel’s eyes dart up to mine; she clearly heard the same words from her own earpiece. I grit my teeth, resisting the dragon inside me, who’s clawing to the surface more desperately with every breath I take. While I knew there wouldn’t be any footage from the private room—no cameras—there should be footage from the hallway, showing everyone who’d entered and exited the room tonight.

  “I’ll be back. Manage the CDA for me,” I instruct Mel, knowing that the agency will use the murders as an excuse to dig into my operations, exploring areas that have nothing to do with the crime scene. They’ll have far more access to my club than I like, and unless I want to be arrested for obstructing justice, I’ll have to let them look.

  I slip away, heading up to the security room. The CDA hasn’t tried to gain access to my security camera footage yet, and I need to speak to Dina before they do.

  “What the fuck do you mean there’s no footage?” I finally explode as I bust into the room, nearly crushing Klara, a wyryn, as the door swings back violently.

  “Palha, there is no footage. I-I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened to it,” Dina stammers, keeping her voice low, trying to calm me.

  That’s too fucking bad.

  “Move.” I shove past her, standing over the console and pressing rewind on the camera from the hall. I stop when I see Duemon and the young selkie enter the room. I wait expectantly, but no one enters the hall until Alana walks by, knocks on the door of the room, opens it, and falls to her knees, screaming. When I see myself enter the frame, I stop the video.

  “Fuck.”

  “I…I think…”

  “What? What the fuck do you think?” I yell at Klara, who recoils from me.

  “Th-the video may have been looped, Palha. I think someone hacked our system.”

  “Someone hacked our system?” I pick up a drink that someone left sitting by the console, throwing it at the wall. The glass shatters on impact, the sharp smell of inyt quickly consuming the room. “That means that someone wasn’t doing their goddamn job!” I grab Klara by the throat, slamming her against the wall. “So tell me who! Who was it? You? Dina?”

  Klara claws at my hands, but she’s like a worm trying to escape a bird’s clamped beak: her thrashing is pointless. I continue to squeeze, gripping tighter.

  “Blue! Siniy! Siniy!” My childhood nickname finally alerts me to Mel, who has apparently been pulling on my arm, trying to pry me away from Klara if the scratch marks on my arms are any indicator.

  “Why aren’t you downstairs where I told you to stay?” I growl, and whip around, looking at Mel without letting go of Klara.

  Mel holds her hands up in surrender, reminding me that she’s not a threat. “Blue, you have to calm down or you’re going to kill Klara.”

  “And why shouldn’t I? Because of her, the CDA is going to try to lock me up. There’s no footage, and they’re going to think I wiped it to keep them from seeing me kill those people.”

  “No, Blue. Just calm down and breathe. You’re not thinking clearly. You’re losing control, and if you continue, there’ll be a trail of bodies that you won’t be able to explain away, starting with Klara.”

  She steps closer, her hand moving to cover mine, her touch soft and warm. “Let go, Blue. You don’t want to do this.” Oh, but I do. I want to crush Klara’s throat, and I know she’s not old enough or strong enough to recover from it. She’ll die within seconds. Weak, just like a human.

  She doesn’t deserve to live.

  Mel’s voice drops to just below a whisper, pressing lightly against my ear. “Blue, come on. Come back to me. You don’t want to do this. Think about the girls,” Mel pleads, her voice bringing me back to reality. Finally, I let Klara go. She drops to the ground, clutching at her throat. Dina goes to her side, keeping her distance from me.

  “Blue.”

  I turn, meeting Mel’s eyes. She holds my stare for a second, then nods, accepting that I’m back, that I’ve let the darkness go. “Now change back.” She gestures to my hands, and when I see the claws, I realize that I’m in siem form.

  “Why are you up here?” I ask Mel as my claws revert back to my regular short, blunt nails and the hue of my skin goes from blue to pale peachy, my scales disappearing.

  “Because Dina called me and said that you were going to kill Klara. And that she’d probably be next.”

  “You should be downstairs.”

  “Marie is back. She’s downstairs, working the CDA, and you know she puts people at ease. Agent Levitsky’s pressing, though. He wants to see you. So if you’re done losing it,” she says, gesturing to Klara, “let’s go.”

  I turn away, but I hear Mel order Dina to get Klara to a healer before she turns and follows after me.

  “Blue—”

  “I know.”

  “You haven’t lapsed like that in a while.”

  “I’ve been drinking and smoking.”

  “Not enough to make that shit happen.”

  My ability to master the shadows is rare, and one of its side effects is a darkness incomparable to anything else. Most shadow masters end up killing themselves or being killed by someone else after they go past the point of no return. When I first came to town, Fran told me that my aura was darker than any she’d ever seen, even those of other shadow masters. Now I have Fran cleanse my aura twice a month, and between that and Mel’s vigila
nce, I’ve been able to hold the darkness at bay. Or at least get out of dodge, away from others, when it comes. I’m not stupid, though; I know these are only temporary solutions to a permanent problem. I could get my aura cleansed every day, bathe in holy water for the rest of my life, but the darkness would still claim me eventually. Right now, I’m just trying to manage it.

  Tonight it snuck up on me.

  “I’ve been calling the shadows a lot lately.”

  “That’s never been a problem before. I think you’re too stressed out. I’ll stay at yours tonight, keep an eye on you.”

  “I’m not a child.”

  “No, but you have three that you need to keep safe.” I wince. That ends the argument. We enter the hallway, and I see Marie talking to Agent Levitsky.

  Marie Alexander is the little sister I never had. Her past is a dark one, but you’d never guess it from her permanent smile and soft words. When I first took her in, I thought she wouldn’t make it through the rest of the year. Decades later, she’s proven me wrong. My saving her life created a bond between us—and gave me responsibilities that I won’t be getting out of any time soon. Still, I don’t regret having done it.

  “Agent,” I say, stopping next to the pair.

  Marie smiles at me, her shoulders relaxing, though the turmoil in her orange eyes reveals the worry she’s carrying. “I was just telling Agent Levitsky that you were on your way.”

  “Why did you leave when you knew that we wanted to question you?” Levitsky asks, frowning.

  “Agent, one of my employees has been brutally murdered. Surely you realize that some of the others are shaken up. I went to make sure that everyone was alright. As their employer, I do care about them.”

  From the way he tilts his head, I can tell that Levitsky doesn’t believe a word. “I had no idea you were so considerate.”

  “Well, you shouldn’t make assumptions, Agent.” Feeling eyes on me, I look beyond the crime scene tape, finding London and Paris standing there with a few other members of their den. London’s gaze, of course, rests squarely on me, making me wonder if he had something to do with this whole mess. But why would he kill two random people who were only peripherally connected to me?

  Maybe he just wanted to create chaos.

  Well, if that was his goal, he’s certainly accomplished it.

  Knowing that I don’t have time to interrogate London, I turn back to Levitsky. “Go ahead, ask your questions.”

  He eyes Mel and Marie. “They’ll hear you either way,” I remind him. Any nearby chöąt with supernatural hearing will be able to hear our conversation.

  Levitsky nods, unlocking his tablet. “Where were you when the murders happened?”

  “Hell if I know.”

  “Blue,” Mel warns, her arm brushing mine.

  “I don’t know, the VIP section.” I watch as Levitsky types on his tablet. I know from experience that he’s also recording the conversation.

  “How did you find the bodies?”

  “I didn’t. My employee Alana did.”

  “What alerted you to the dead bodies?” he rephrases.

  “I heard Alana scream.”

  He looks at me, frowning. “From all the way in VIP, over the music?”

  “I was on my way back here, about to have a private show of my own with three wolves. I’m sure they’re still around here somewhere if you want to verify that with them.”

  Finally, Agent Levitsky loses a bit of his composure, his mouth falling open slightly. “Three?”

  “Yes, three, Agent. You’ve been alive for centuries; I’m sure you’ve had a mini-orgy before.”

  The corner of his lip curls up slightly, briefly, before he covers it with his hand, pretending to cough.

  “Looks like you’ve finally fucked up, Blue.” Any self-possession I’d recovered since the outburst with Klara disappears the instant I hear the snarky voice behind me.

  Feliks Alenin is enough to put me in a bad mood on the best of days. On a day like today, his presence practically makes me homicidal. I turn to see the agent approaching, his brown eyes lighting up as he scans the gory crime scene.

  “Alenin, if you smile any harder, people will start to think you committed this crime yourself.”

  “Just happy that this town is going to finally be clean of the Blue Devil. Hopefully they’ll let me be the one to turn the key to your cell when they lock you up.” He folds his arms over his chest, a satisfied smile on his face. “It’s like Christmas came early this year.”

  “Don’t worry, there are still a couple more months to go.” Gritting my teeth, I try to keep my temper in check. However, if the CDA tries to detain me and I only get to take one person out on my way down, I’ll be more than a little happy if it’s Feliks Alenin.

  “I can wait! Trust me, I’ve waited decades, so I can wait a couple of months if it takes that long. We have hard evidence on you this time, so I’m sure it’ll only be a matter of days before the agency shows up for you.” Hard evidence? He’s bluffing. They’ve barely started to collect evidence. And for once, I’m innocent, so there’s nothing to find.

  “Alenin, don’t you have better things to do than taunt us?” Mel asks, trying to place herself between the two of us.

  “Oh, no. I’ve been waiting to see this bitch burn forever, and I won’t let anyone deprive me of my front-row seat. I’m hoping that they get you all—including you.” He pokes Mel in the chest, and she pulls away, her purple eyes brimming with anger.

  I step forward, moving in front of Mel and Marie. “You dickhead. It's one thing for you to fuck with me, but if you ever lay a hand on one of my people, I’ll cut your heart out and eat it for breakfast. Do you understand me?”

  “Blue.” Mel pulls on my arm, and Levitsky steps between me and Alenin.

  “Agent Alenin, there won’t be any arrests happening tonight. So you are free to go.”

  Alenin’s eyes bulge as he looks at Levitsky, his fists clenching. “Some partner you are.”

  “Leave.” Levitsky orders. He outranks Alenin, and his tone offers no room for argument.

  Alenin storms away. Levitsky turns back to me. “You should know better than to threaten a CDA agent in public. Someone might arrest you for doing such a thing.”

  “Thank you for letting it slide and getting rid of Alenin, Agent Levitsky,” Marie says, stepping forward and flashing that charming smile of hers.

  “Blue is very sorry for her behavior,” Mel adds.

  Levitsky smiles, tucking his tablet under his arm. “I doubt that. I’ll be in touch.” He turns, heading out in the opposite direction from Alenin.

  Feeling Mel’s gaze on me, I avoid meeting her eyes, instead walking over to the orange tape, where London and his den no longer stand.

  The crowd turns to me, finally looking away from the gruesome scene. “Alright, that’s enough for you guys tonight. Go back to partying and stay the fuck away from the crime scene.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  There are no leads on the killer.

  Marie, Mel, and I have searched the console multiple times, but none of us can find the fifty minutes of missing footage. We agreed that the recording appeared to have been looped, and the CDA confirmed it—once they were finally able to pry the tapes from my hands.

  The recording from the hallway was the only security footage tampered with, though. I was able to review the tapes from the rest of the club, so I know that London, Paris, and the Stendahl wyryns were all inside the club, split between the dance floor and the booths. None of them moved toward the private rooms at all until the body was discovered and the CDA arrived. I have a theory that London snuck someone else into the back, but Melodiya thinks I’m just being paranoid.

  There’s also footage of Duemon and the selkie entering the hall of private rooms from the club. It doesn’t show anyone entering after them, though. The only other way into the hall is a staff-and-den entrance, which leads to the second floor and security room. The security logs don’t show a
nyone entering or exiting the back door near the time of the murders; the door was only opened when I headed to the security room to thrash out Dina and Klara.

  When questioned, Alana said that she went to the private room because Duemon had been gone for nearly an hour, despite the selkie having paid for just thirty minutes. When there was no reply to Alana’s knocking, she’d opened the door. The time stamps on the footage verify her story: Duemon and the selkie entered at 10:55, and Alana discovered them at 11:48.

  The CDA has been demanding footage from the rest of the club, and I’ve been taking my time getting it to them; I’m trying to solve the case myself first. If I turn in the footage, they’re sure to turn up some illegal shit, shit that will incriminate not only me, but some of my customers as well. My time is winding down, though. The CDA has been blowing up my phone for the two days since the incident, and I’ve been redirecting the calls to Melodiya and Marie. It’s only a matter of time before I’ll be unable to put them off for any longer.

  Dina has been questioning some of the club’s guests, but so far no one has admitted to seeing or hearing anything other than Alana screaming.

  “Blue, there’s a messenger here for you.” Marie’s voice in my ear brings me out of my thoughts. Tapping the mic on my wrist, I let her know that I’ll be there soon.

  I slide the files and footage off my desk and into a drawer, locking them away before I head downstairs. While most of my den’s business is carried out at our compound, I find myself at The Lair more often, since that’s where people have learned that they can reach me. The compound is off-limits to outsiders unless I personally invite them in. Even the CDA wouldn’t dare to set foot on the den’s property.

  When I walk into the near-empty club, I find Marie taking to a young man with a black envelope in his hand.

  Shit. Not now.

  “Hand it here,” I bark out, and the man passes me the package before hurrying out the door.

  “You don’t always have to be so mean,” Marie says softly, but her eyes linger on the package in my hand, her shoulders sagging.