by B N Miles
Jared snorted. “That’s putting it mildly. Rolf is only partially sane, which is maybe being generous.”
“I’m not sure what I’m looking at here,” Nikki said, leaning over the documents. Jessalene joined her, looking over the Vampire’s shoulder.
“Rolf wants me to do a job,” Jared said. “Pretty simple one, actually.”
“Let me guess,” Jessalene said. “It has to do with this guy, this Taavi Plains.”
“My family wants me to find him,” Jared said. “Apparently the Marshals are already hunting him, so they think I can get some insider information.”
“Can you?” Jessalene asked.
“Maybe,” Jared said. “But it won’t be so simple. I’m not assigned to this case.”
“You could always get assigned,” Cassie said.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Jared said. “I’ve sort of used up all my goodwill lately.”
Cassie laughed and shook her head. “Come on, you’re their golden boy. Their ace in the hole. You caught Ferric for them.”
“And pissed off the Medlar,” Jared said. “So they don’t exactly love me right now.”
“Fair enough.” Cassie sighed and leaned her head against Lumi’s shoulder.
Jared moved back to the table and looked down at the documents with Jessalene and Nikki.
“Interesting,” Nikki said, tapping her finger on Taavi’s profile. “He’s a Plethoak.”
“Plethoak and a thief,” Lumi said. “Jared’s family used him to steal something.”
Nikki shook her head. “I don’t know this man.”
Jared took a sip of his beer and frowned at her. “Really?” he asked.
“Really,” she said. “And I know every thief, every scumbag, every killer in this city.” She stared at the picture then stood up and put her finger against her lips.
“What about the name, Three-Fingers?” Jared asked.
“That sounds familiar,” she said. “But I’m not sure.”
“He worked with my family before,” Lumi said. “With the Medlar, I mean.”
Cassie put an arm around Lumi’s shoulder, and Lumi smiled, but Jared could see the tension in her eyes. The strain of the priori still weighed on her, and he knew they’d need to take care of her soon. His own Need was pushing at him, and the alcohol did nothing to dull it.
“I’ll ask my people about him,” Nikki said. She walked over to a small black purse she had slung over the back of a chair and pulled out her phone. “Do you mind if I take some pictures?” she asked.
Jared gestured. “Go ahead.”
She snapped a few of each page. When she was finished, Jessalene picked up a page and whistled.
“This is his rap sheet,” she said. “Lots of stuff on here. Nothing major, but he did some time in Meta Max.”
Jared looked over her shoulder. “Petty larceny, aggravated assault, magic in a Human zone,” he said. “Three years in Max for the sale of a controlled enchanted item.”
“I guess that’s his specialty,” Lumi said. “Finding and stealing magical items.”
Jared nodded and frowned. “I wonder what it was,” he said.
“You could look it up at work,” Jessalene said.
“True, but I’m not sure we really want to leave a paper trail, not yet at least,” Jared said. “I’ll work on Wyatt first and see if I can’t get reassigned to this case.
Lumi grunted and rubbed her eyes. “He’ll do it,” she said. “He loves you, even if you’re a pain in the ass. I don’t really understand it.”
Jared looked at her and could see the strain. Her face was white and her jaw was clenched. She leaned heavily against Cassie and seemed to droop forward.
“We should get you upstairs,” he said.
Lumi shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“I felt how much you used out there,” he said.
“You’re practically shaking,” Cassie said, her voice low. “Let’s get you taken care of. We can talk about his more when we’re finished.”
“Playtime,” Nikki announced. She slipped her phone back into her bag and stretched with a big smile on her face.
Jared threw back the rest of his beer and nodded. He put the can down on the table as Cassie led Lumi toward the stairs with Nikki right behind them. He could feel their excitement, as palpable as electricity in the air. He loved that his girls had chemistry with each other, since that only made their little playtime all the more exciting.
Jessalene lingered at the table, a frown on her face as she sifted through the documents.
“What’s wrong?” Jared asked, his tone soft.
“Lots of official looking stuff in here,” she said. “Does your family have political connections?”
“They have all sorts of connections,” he said.
“Just seems strange they’d have so much on this guy.”
“That’s a good point,” he said. “If they can get all this, why would they need me?”
“I don’t know,” Jessalene said. “I’m not sure I like this, Jared.”
“I’m not sure I do either,” he said and slipped an arm around her waist. “But come on. I’m feeling my Need and the others are going to get started without us.”
She smiled a little. “You go ahead,” she said. “I’ll be up in a minute.”
He sighed and kissed her neck. She turned her chin and kissed his lips. He felt his Need go wild, and he knew he couldn’t wait much longer.
He left her standing at the table, a frown on her face as she sifted through the documents, and headed upstairs to join the girls for a little relaxation.
5
Jared stood on the roof deck and rubbed his wrist where a pair of fang marks blotted his skin. He leaned against the railing, his back to the city. The houses across the street were impossible to see at night, the wards completely obscuring the darkness. All the color and light were sucked out of them, muted into abstract swirls.
Nikki leaned against the railing next to him. She reached down the neckline of her dress and produced a single cigarette.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” he said.
“I don’t,” she said. “It’s a nasty habit. But sometimes… you know. After playing.” She gave him a shy smile.
Jared held his palm out and brought just a tiny touch of magic up to the surface. A flame appeared, flickering and dancing in his hand, and Nikki smiled.
“Here you are, my lady,” Jared said.
“What a gentleman.” She lit her cigarette, drew deep on it, and blew it out.
Jared let the flame disappear. The Need shimmered into being in the back of his mind, but he’d used so little magic that it was barely a whisper. He pushed it back and ignored it without issue. Before he met Cassie and began training again, even that small amount of priori would have left him suffering from the Need. But now he was stronger, and he could use small amounts of magic with no real adverse effects if he was careful.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
She shook her head and held the cigarette away from him. The smoke curled up into the sky as he looked up toward the moon. The stars were also obfuscated by the wards, but the moon persisted, though dim and distant.
“Just strange,” she said. “I know every Plethoak in this city. I know every thief. You’d think I’d know about someone like…” She gestured vaguely with her cigarette.
Jared sighed. “Yeah, it is strange,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that my family isn’t being straightforward with me.”
“I’m not sure dealing with a Plethoak is a great idea, either.”
“I’ve met a few and never had any issues,” Jared said.
Nikki shrugged. “Of course, they’re not all dangerous,” she said. “But what they can do… it’s not something you want to mess around with.”
Jared nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. Plethoaks were some of the more powerful Metas, and their abilities were particularly deadly. Their god was a Thunderbird n
amed Sani, though Jared didn’t know if he’d been spotted for hundreds of years.
“I’m not sure what choice we have,” Jared said.
Nikki took a long drag and blew it out. Her skin was still glistening with sweat from their playtime. He could still feel her fangs puncture his wrist and the tight suction of her lips as she drank his blood. He didn’t let her drink too much, otherwise he was afraid she might not stop.
But she let out these sensual, incredible moans as he pulled her mouth back, his blood still on her lips, and kissed her. He could taste copper, and she smeared it on his mouth and tongue, and that seemed to drive her wilder as she straddled his hips and shoved him back down on the bed with an inhuman strength.
Sometimes, Nikki could terrify him. She straddled that line between beauty and horror. She looked like a college Freshman girl at some California beach party school, with a tight gorgeous body and long blonde hair, but there was always a hint of danger beneath her.
Vampires were predators. It was their biggest strength and their single greatest weakness. Because of the Accords, they couldn’t just hunt Humans whenever they wished. That would break the greatest commandment of all, the single rule that bound all of Meta and Human society: Metas could not reveal themselves to Humanity and must remain hidden at all costs. The Accords were clear in that regard, and Vampires posed a particular threat.
That was why they had such a strong, centralized hierarchy. The Lords, Underlords, and Bottomlords kept control of their various territories and made sure that rogue Vampires weren’t going around wreaking havoc and feeding however they wished.
Still, Nikki had that predatory streak. She looked at Jared like she wanted to consume him, and he knew she might be able to. She was strong enough at night to tear him limb from limb, though with his magic he thought he’d be a match for her, but he was never sure. At least during the day, she was just another regular girl, although still immortal and still gorgeous.
“We always have choices,” she said, taking another drag. She let it out in a thin stream then stubbed it out on the railing. She flicked the butt at the wards and watched it burn to ash. “For example, I can choose to stop smoking that stupid cigarette, because it’s pointless and gross.”
Jared laughed and put an arm across her shoulders. She grinned up at him, and he caught a little stain along her lower lip. He thought it might be blood, or maybe it was lipstick, he couldn’t be sure, but the uncertainty sent a jolt through him.
Maybe that mix of beauty and danger was what attracted him to her so much. He couldn’t help himself when Nikki was around, even if their relationship was complicated, even if her status far outranked his own.
“It’s not that simple,” Jared said. “My family did me a favor, and now I owe them one in return. I can’t just refuse.”
“So what if you do?” she asked.
“They’ll come after us,” he said.
“You’re bunkered down inside some of the strangest wards I’ve ever seen,” Nikki said. “So what if they’re pissed off?”
“We can’t stay here forever,” Jared said. “And we can’t afford to have two Magi families after us.”
She sighed and rubbed her face. “That’s a good point,” she said.
“Besides, if we do them this favor, we might gain some goodwill,” he said.
“Do you care about goodwill from them?”
He shook his head. “Not really, but I’m thinking we’re going to need everything we can get in the coming days.”
“I hate to admit it, but you’re right,” she said and leaned her head against his chest. “And those aren’t words I say very often.”
“I’ve noticed that,” he said. “You’re used to being the big bad boss lady.”
She snorted. “Something like that.”
“Well, you’re not the boss here,” Jared said and tilted her chin up toward him.
Her eyes flashed and a smirk slipped across her lips.
“I’m not?” she asked. “You know I could tear you apart, limb from limb.”
“Maybe,” Jared said. “But I’m not so sure. And we both know you like me too much to ever do that.”
She sighed. “I like your blood, that’s for sure,” she said.
He kissed her then bit her lower lip.
“Don’t pretend like you’re only in this for the blood,” he said.
“I like your girlfriends too,” she said with a smile.
He pinned her back against the railing and she laughed. He knew she was letting him, since she was physically stronger than him, even though he was bigger. He gripped her wrists and held them down to the railing as he kissed her neck.
“You like all of this,” he said. “I think you’d live here if you could.”
She let out a little sigh. “You know I would.”
“So why don’t you?
“I just can’t.” She pulled away from him and reached up to touch his cheek. He stared into her eyes and felt that strange alluring draw again. “Believe me, I would if I could.”
“The invitation stands.”
“Thank you.” She gave him a little, sad smile. “But if the Vampire world knew that I was in a relationship with two Magi, a worldhopping Were, and a Dryad, I’m pretty sure I’d get an early retirement and a stake in the heart.”
He nodded and turned away from her. He knew all that already, but sometimes he hoped she would change her mind. He knew how much it would mean to Cassie to have Nikki move in with them full time. But it would never happen, not so long as Nikki was an Underlord. She couldn’t show any weakness, not even for a moment, or else some other upstart would come and try to take her power away.
He walked over toward the door and tried not to think about what Nikki had done to earn her current position.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go rejoin the others.”
Nikki glided over and slipped a hand through his arm.
“Don’t be angry,” she said.
“I’m not.” He slid his arm out and held her hand instead. “You know I’m just thinking about the others.”
“I know you are. It’s what we like about you.” She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.
“Can you stay the night?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I really should get back soon.”
“I thought so.”
“But I’ll stay a little longer,” she said. “And I’ll have my people look into that Plethoak.”
“I appreciate it, Nikki.”
She laughed. “If you’re going after him, you’re going to need help.”
“Please,” he said. “I’m a Meta Marshal. This is what I do best.”
She shook her head, a coy smile on her lips, as Jared began down the steps and into the house, tugging her along.
6
After one restless night’s sleep and a truckload of coffee, Jared kept his head down as he hurried to the office.
He used to love his commute. The city in the morning was beautiful, especially on a crisp spring day. He used to love the crowds of people that gathered at each corner, waiting to cross, the businessmen in their black jackets and tight suit pants, their briefcases clutched in one hand, or the young men in their jeans and tucked in button-downs with messenger bags slung across their chests. The sheer variety of people, packed onto each other, hurrying to totally different lives always amazed Jared.
And he loved getting swallowed by it all. He stared at the vast glass skyscrapers of Center City, at the intricate masonry of City Hall that was perpetually under renovation, at the long swaths of restaurants and retail stores and little bodegas tucked in underneath floor after floor of office space. The city teemed, writhed, wriggled like a living thing in the morning, before it had a chance to uncoil itself completely, before it could stretch out in the sun and bake its cold blood.
Those were the hours Jared loved best, the sleepy but still active hours.
Now though, Jared kept his head down, stared at the gum and oi
l stained sidewalk, at the cracks that broke across toward the potholed streets, at shoes he barely recognized as his own, and didn’t look up until he reached the Meta Marshal offices.
He knew the Medlar were watching. He caught sight of them sometimes, men in hats holding up newspapers, lingering in apartment windows, flashes of energy and priori flowing through their bodies. He knew the Medlar were everywhere, and he wasn’t just being paranoid about it. But he also knew they wouldn’t move on him, not on a crowded street, not when so many people would witness their magic.
Besides, he was a Marshal, despite their best efforts.
Jared showed his badge and rode the elevator up to his floor. The little space was crammed with businessmen and women riding to different floors, going to different lives, and he briefly wondered what their names were, what their families were like. They were the heroes of their own stories, but in his, they were just faces in a crowd.
He stepped off the elevator and onto the bland carpet. He smiled at the receptionist, a new young girl he hadn’t introduced himself to yet, and walked back into the cube farm. He was early, like always, and there were only a few others packed away at their little stations. He reached his cube, pulled out the chair, and dropped down into it with a sigh.
His computer booted up like it hated doing its job.
He leaned back and his chair creaked under his weight, the black fluffy back cradling his spine like a lover. For a moment, he let himself remember how much he used to love his job. The monotony of the paperwork, the boredom of the computer screens, the mind-melting repetitive forms that constantly needed filing, refiling, and fixing.
Times had changed.
His computer turned on, he checked his email, then went to the break room for more coffee. Instead of heading back to his desk, he skirted along the outside of the cube farm, passed several offices with open doors, and stopped outside of one. The little black plaque read CAPTAIN WYATT EKKER in white capital letters. He knocked, waited for a beat, then pushed it open.
Wyatt looked up from his computer screen and frowned. His graying hair was trimmed short all around and pushed haphazardly to one side. He had a thick mustache that needed a trim, and the skin around his eyes were lined and wrinkled. His skin was tan and weathered, and he reached up to rub a hand over his face.
