by Jacey Ward
“Mandarin Oriental Hotel,” she instructed. She hoped she hadn’t lost her reservation, being a day late.
I should’ve called but I was so wrapped up in Kalen’s spell, I didn’t even think about it. I didn’t think about anything.
“You are here for Fashion Week?” the kindly man asked and she nodded slowly.
“Yes,” she replied, not in the mood for conversation but she didn’t want to be rude to the old mortal man. She could only imagine how hard he worked every day just to put food on the table for his family.
What a shitty world we live in. Beings like this guy and the Brownie maid work their asses off every day for a few cents while assholes like Kalen Connor have more money than all the gods.
Instantly she berated herself.
He’s not an asshole. He’s just not the man that you thought you knew. You’re judging him without cause…but you can’t really overlook the fact of what he’s done either…
Kalen’s father, Dreyphus Connor had a horrible reputation of violence and vengeance. He had maintained his lordship of the Corpus for over half a millennium but how he had sustained such an organization was beyond the comprehension of anyone. His wit and skill were lacking and he seemed to have a huge fondness for schnapps and women. But until Severn had cast him into limbo, no one had challenged him – possibly because of his bloodthirsty attitude. He wasn’t much of a strategist, preferring to just slaughter anyone who bothered him. The Corpus hadn’t thrived under his leadership, it had stagnated.
It wasn’t until his son had taken over the Corpus that the businesses began to profit, becoming the thriving force it had been in ancient times, before the first Deviant civil war.
Kalen had intentionally kept the Corpus beneath the radar, not attracting the attention of other warring groups while he grew the empire to one of power again. He kept his own identity and face a closely guarded secret – allowing himself the freedom to travel amongst other Deviants and not often be recognized. Especially here in the Americas.
Circe had found out much about Kalen on her flight to Europe.
The driver was still prattling on in Italian but Circe was only half-listening, wondering if Kalen enjoyed the underground life he led with the more menacing races in the Deviant world.
Stop thinking about Kalen. Thank the gods that you learned the truth about him now rather than after you helped him find Uvall. You dodged a bullet.
Then why did her heart hurt so much?
It took forty minutes and cost a hundred and sixty euros to get to the hotel, but Circe gave the driver another fifty for his pleasant chatter. The gratitude in his eyes almost brought tears to hers.
“Oh, Signorina Lancaster! I will tell everyone that you are as beautiful inside as you are outside!”
Am I? Circe wondered, forcing a smile on her lips. Why do I feel so conflicted right now? Beautiful people don’t walk away from people based on folklore and innuendo, especially when that person had taken care of her.
“Grazie.” She waved him off and made her way into the five-star building, her pulse racing in anticipation.
She glanced around at the people milling about, looking for a familiar face, but she saw no one as she ventured toward the reception desk.
“Good afternoon,” she greeted the clerk. “I had a reservation for Tuesday but I wasn’t able to fly here until today. Can you see if it’s still on the books?”
“Si, signorina – wait! Aren’t you -?”
“Circe Lancaster, si,” she replied, stifling a groan of annoyance and maintaining her smile.
“What an honor, signorina,” the girl gushed. “I think you are the most beautiful model I have ever seen! When I graduate…”
Circe desperately wanted to silence the girl and order her to look for the reservation, her body and mind exhausted but she wasn’t a complete bitch. Certainly not to an aspiring young girl anyway. It would go against everything she had ever preached. Circe Lancaster was about empowerment, not bullying.
“Thank you,” Circe murmured, pulling her glasses up to look intentionally at the computer.
“Oh!” the receptionist gasped, her face blushing pink with embarrassment. “Let me check.”
Circe watched as her small hands flew over the keyboard, a small frown forming on her lips.
“Oh, signorina, I don’t see your name here at all,” she choked as if she expected Circe to fly into a rage.
“It’s all right,” Circe said. “Any room you have will do.”
Slowly, the girl looked up to stare her in the eye, regret flooding her face.
“No, Miss Lancaster. The hotel has been booked for months for Fashion Week. I am sure you understand.”
“I do,” Circe sighed. “Thanks anyway.”
She turned and froze as Analeigh sashayed toward her, a cold, cruel smile on her face.
“Well, well, well,” the bleached blonde cooed. “Look what the cat dragged in. You really do look awful, Circe.”
“Analeigh, it’s been a long couple of days. I’m here now. Where can I get a suite in this town?”
The agent sneered out a laugh.
“There’s no suite for you, Circe. You’ll be lucky if you find a back room with a toilet in it. That outta bring back memories for you, right?”
Circe ignored the dig about her impoverished past and changed the subject, hoping to sidestep Analeigh’s wrath.
“Shit. Well, what room is Cassie in? She won’t care if I crash on her couch this week.”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
Analeigh’s voice was like shards of glass and Circe knew she was not going to get off so lightly this time.
Holy fucking Lady Macbeth. Say what you must already and get it over with.
“What is it I’m supposed to get?” Circe sighed.
“You’re done, Circe. You’ve gone too far this time.”
“Analeigh, can we please save the melodrama for another day? I really could use a nap and a hot shower.”
“Well good luck with that, you conniving bitch,” Analeigh hissed. “You forget that I made you and I can just as easily take you down.”
“Oh, come on. All this drama for me not showing here three days early? I think you skipped your meds again, Ana. And what does Dr. Oz say about that? Hm?”
Analeigh’s face twisted into one of rage. Suddenly she moved in closer, her face only inches from Circe’s, albeit four inches lower.
“No, you ungrateful wench...this is about you telling Cassandra to call her attorney and re-examine the terms of our contract. It cost me a lot of money on a girl I could take or leave but was forced to concede based on an iron-clad codicil. Imagine my surprise when I learned that it was your idea.”
Thanks a lot Cassie, Circe thought, but she didn’t really blame the girl, not when she knew exactly how intimidating the agent could be. Analeigh had probably done everything to find out what happened. Cassie was just trying to save her own ass.
I can handle this bottle blonde nightmare. Cassie is more sensitive.
“Whoops, sorry I told Cassie to seek legal counsel for your incessantly psychotic behavior.”
Sorry, not sorry.
A small, mirthless smile formed on Analeigh’s lips as she shook her head.
“No, honey, you don’t need to be sorry. Save it for later when you’re scrounging for jobs. You are officially off my roster.”
“Ana, doesn’t this same horseshit threat get old? I’m the one who told Cassie to go to her lawyer for this very reason, remember?”
“I know very well,” she retorted, throwing her head back to stare haughtily at the slender model before her. “And you breached your contract by not being here on Tuesday.”
“I did not,” Circe replied indignantly. But there was so little fight left in her, she was willing to let Analeigh believe she had won. “But if you say so…”
What am I doing with this crazy bitch anyway? If she’s cutting me loose, I’m flying away before she changes her mind a
nd reaches for that net. I’m one of the most sought-after models in the world and if she fires me, there’s no non-compete clause. Sayonara, crazy lady!
Analeigh leaned forward again, her cigarette breath wafting up to invade Circe’s personal space.
“Oh, there’s just one more thing,” Analeigh purred. “I know what you really are, Circe, and if you even think about going to one of my competitors, I will expose your secret to the world.”
Chapter 10
Things had gone from bad to worse in Circe’s absence, a fact that did not escape Kalen’s observation.
In three days, they had approached two Valkyries for aid. They had not gotten within ten feet of the first one whom, they later learned, was a madam for a low-end escort agency and thought they were underworld cops coming for their cut of her business.
The second one, Althea, had come to them willingly.
Too willingly, Kalen thought bitterly, eyeing the small statured goddess with contempt.
“She’ll never do,” Kalen muttered to Evander mere hours after they had found her in the seedy Cloudless Tavern in Harlem. It was one of the handful of Deviant bars in Manhattan, and Althea was already loaded on sangria when Evander hauled her before the Corpus lord.
“Of course I know who you are and I would love to help you!” Althea cooed, her purple eyes bright with either drunkenness or anticipation. Kalen couldn’t be sure which.
At first, he’d been sure that she just needed to sober up, but it became clear that ditzy was simply part of Althea’s personality.
“Kalen, Valkyries are not known for their intelligence,” the vampire reminded him. “They are warriors and they are able to get into small spaces undetected. But if you’re looking for brains, you should seek out someone else.”
“That’s not true!” Kalen snapped. “Circe is intelligent!”
Evander sighed deeply.
“Circe is an exception – and she isn’t here.”
The reminder both angered and depressed him but Kalen checked his temper.
“This one will do. Find Uvall fast. I just want to get the hell out of this city.”
But Evander still seemed stuck on the idea of Circe.
“Kalen, are you sure she’s not a hybrid? Valkyries are cute, but I’ve never seen one who looks like Circe Lancaster.”
“I have no idea,” he replied flatly. “As far as I know, she’s full Valkyrie.”
Kalen didn’t want to talk about Circe anymore. He just wanted to get back to her.
He had been wrestling with what to do about Circe. His calls and texts had gone unanswered, of course, and while he knew exactly where she was, he knew going to her would be a mistake. But that didn’t stop him from thinking about her constantly.
Especially when Althea was proving to be everything that Circe was not.
To make matters worse, Althea had a drinking problem and she flippantly tried to seduce him or Evander every ten minutes. It was both vile and distracting.
“We need to find someone else,” Kalen growled, as Evander hovered over his cell phone, waiting for word from one of his contacts. Uvall was on the radar again, this time in Queens.
“We’ve already wasted enough time looking for this one. We’re better off cutting her loose and going at it alone as we had intended,” the immortal replied without raising his eyes from the phone in his hand.
“Are we?” Kalen wasn’t so sure.
He maintained that with the Valkyrie’s shifting capabilities, she could be useful, but could also ruin things with her drunken behavior.
“I’m going to have a shower,” Althea called coyly, swaying slightly as she dropped a sweating glass of pure vodka onto the baby grand piano without a coaster.
Kalen grimaced.
And the Corpus is supposed to be uncivilized, he thought, rolling his eyes as he looked away.
“All right,” Evander called. “Have fun.”
“Anyone want to come and wash my back?” Althea cooed, drawing closer to them, despite the bathroom being in the other direction. She was already slipping off her shirt, her lilac irises glazed with interest as she licked her rosebud lips.
“There’s plenty of room for three of us.”
“Hurry up!” Kalen snapped at her, his patience gone. “We have a lead and we have to go.”
Althea pouted and cast Evander a hopeful look. The vampire was still glued to his phone.
“Evander?” she called and he waved her away.
“You have ten minutes,” he warned her. “Or we’re leaving without you.”
Kalen knew that the tip had not materialized yet or Evander would not have let her go. And there was no way they were leaving the boozed-up immortal in the suite unattended.
He just wants her out of sight for a few minutes.
“You guys are no fun,” Althea moaned. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“You don’t know what you’re going to be missing if you don’t hurry the fuck up,” Kalen growled. His anger was almost palpable and it seemed to do the trick. Althea spun on her heel, falling sideways to saunter away. She was muttering about what assholes they were but Kalen didn’t give a rat’s ass what she thought about them.
They had a job to do and her pathetic attempts at seduction were helping no one.
“She was right,” Evander mumbled. “He’s underground.”
Kalen’s head whipped upward.
“What? Are you sure?”
“About ninety percent. I’m waiting for confirmation.”
“Where? Where underground? Is he being hidden by trolls?”
Evander glanced at him, his face registering uneasiness.
“I can’t say for sure,” he replied evasively.
“I’m a big boy, Evander. Tell me what you know.”
“If it is him, he’s hiding in probably the most obscure place imaginable.”
“Queens?” Kalen snorted. “That’s hardly obscure. Stupid, maybe.”
“It’s not the city, it’s the spot. It’s been widely debated that it even exists.”
“What is it?”
“A subway station which can’t be found on any map nor reached by any train. It’s called 76th and its outside Ozone Park in Queens. I’ve heard rumors in the past about a troll society living there, but it’s never affected me enough to look until now. It could just be gossip, Kalen.”
The demon sighed and shook his head.
“You and I both know that if there’s a rumor, it probably exists. Goddamn it! There are trolls in the Americas? How have I not known about this before?”
“If they are here,” Evander offered. “They’ve gone through great pains to hide themselves. In the Old World, they’re often seen outside the hollows.”
“This is just fucking great,” Kalen mumbled. “One more shitshow to deal with after I find Uvall.”
“There’s no guarantee that the trolls are helping him,” Evander offered. “But even if they are, they could very well be under the influence of Uvall or the priestess. You and I both know how susceptible they are.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that they’ve been hiding in the New World!” Kalen argued. “They shouldn’t have been here for decades!”
Evander’s phone pinged and his eyes grew wide.
“He’s there. He’s in the 76th Street Station.”
“Get the girl!” Kalen roared, leaping to his feet, his pulse thudding. He wouldn’t let Uvall get away, not this time.
And then he would be free to go to Milan and make things right with Circe.
“Uh…Kalen…?”
Evander’s voice called out from the master bathroom and he hurried toward him.
“What?”
But the vampire didn’t need to speak as he gestured at the Valkyrie who was passed out in the corner of the steam shower, water pouring over her head as she smiled blissfully, clearly in the throes of some inebriated dream filled with cock.
“What should I do with her?” Evander asked u
ncertainly and Kalen wasn’t entirely sure himself.
“Well she can’t stay here alone,” he snapped. “Throw some clothes on her and get her into the car. If she doesn’t wake up, I’ll dump her on the Heathen Stretch.”
As if he had said the magic words, Althea began to stir, moaning slightly as her eyes fluttered open.
A wide smile formed on her lips.
“Oh…” she purred. “You changed your minds.”
Kalen threw up his hands, fury burning through him.
“Fuck. I thought Valkyries were supposed to be able to hold their liquor. She has ten seconds to get ready before I throw her out off the balcony.”
Evander gave him a nervous look but Kalen didn’t apologize for the threat.
“What? She can fly if she needs to.”
He didn’t wait for a response as he stormed into the living room to gather his wallet and cell phone. Swallowing, he stared at the screen of his iPhone, but of course there was no message from Circe.
She’s not going to reach out to you, he told himself, wishing he didn’t have so many things on his mind in that moment. His most pressing concern was taking a backburner to the Valkyrie who had captured him, mind, body and whatever was left of his forgotten soul.
“I’ll be in the car!” Kalen yelled to the others, but as he moved, Evander and Althea appeared. The Valkyrie wore a velour tracksuit, her white-blonde hair slicked back into a dripping mass at the base of her skull. She seemed unhappy at being dragged along.
“When I signed up for this, I thought it would be more fun,” she muttered, looking hatefully at Evander who kept a firm grip on her arm.
“You can have all the fun you want when we find our target,” Evander assured her and Kalen wondered why he was being so patient. The demon was at his wits’ end with the goddess. Whatever happened in the abandoned subway station, he was getting rid of Althea.
My expectations are too high after Circe, he realized. It’s not Althea. It will be the same with anyone else I recruit. No one will ever be Circe and I shouldn’t bother trying to replace her. Evander and I will have to find Uvall ourselves if this doesn’t work.
