by Linsey Hall
“Hot chocolate. Found it in the back of your cupboard.”
“The only thing the cats haven’t eaten.”
“Though they might have tried?”
“Bojangles, definitely. That cat’s got a sweet tooth like you wouldn’t believe.” I sipped and sighed gratefully. “You know the way to a girl’s heart.”
“I wouldn’t mind finding my way to your heart, specifically.”
I smiled at him, my heart thundering. But I had no idea what to say, so I went with silence.
He squeezed my arm and set his mug on the counter. “I’m going to take a shower.”
“You do that. I’m hitting the hay. You can, um, join me when you’re done.” I held up a hand. “Sleeping only, though. We’ve only got a few hours at most, and we need it.”
The corner of his mouth kicked up in a devastatingly sexy smile, and he nodded.
I listened to him go up the stairs and waited for the water to start. Once I’d finished my hot chocolate, I climbed into bed. Softness enveloped me. Felt like sinking into a cloud.
I drifted into sleep almost immediately. Vaguely, I felt Lachlan climb into bed next to me, and I rolled toward him, snuggling into his arms.
I could get used to this.
Jude found Shen by three a.m. We woke when she called, then dressed and stumbled down the stairs toward the main entry hall. Muffin led the procession, flying along and bumping into things.
When we arrived, Jude eyed us skeptically. “You look tired.”
“I feel okay.” I scrubbed a hand across my eyes. I really did feel a lot better after the five hours of sleep. Despite the godawful time, Jude looked pressed and perfect, as always, and ready to kick ass.
“You ready?” she asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” I said. “Where’d you find the guy?”
“A place called the Jade Tiger in New York City’s China Town. You’ll find it down Supe Alley, where most of the supernaturals congregate.”
“China Town?”
“He’s a Chinese dragon shifter.”
“Whoa. And he’s supposed to get us to a land from Celtic myth?”
She shrugged. “New York is a melting pot. If you went through Dublin, you’d probably ride a Kelpie to get there.”
I nodded. “All right, then. We’re off to China Town.”
“Be careful,” Jude said. “And do whatever Shen tells you. The realm of the Fomori is one of the most dangerous places there is. Missteps are not forgiven there.”
“We’ll be careful.” I tried to smile reassuringly.
“Good. I don’t want to lose you.” She gave us a nod, then walked off. No doubt to go to bed. Or to kick some demon ass, knowing Jude. Who knew what she got up to at this hour?
Lachlan and I swung by the kitchen to grab a to-go breakfast before heading out. Boris, the little rat, was curled up on a pillow in front of the fire. He loved food so much that he pretty much never left the kitchen, but he had excellent manners and only ate off of tiny plates designated specifically for him. I wanted to pet his head as I passed his sleeping spot but resisted for fear of waking him up. He was so cute that I couldn’t bear it.
Hans had left wrapped-up sandwiches in the fridge, along with an army of juice boxes. I grabbed one of each and followed Lachlan back up the stairs, eating as I walked.
When we reached the courtyard outside, the night was frigid. A slender moon glowed faintly in the sky above, and we polished off our sandwiches.
“Ready?” Lachlan asked.
“Ready.”
He held out his hand, and his magic surged on the air. The portal appeared, and I stepped in, letting the ether suck me through space and spit me out on the other side of the world. I appeared in a darkened alley, thankfully. It’d be no good to pop out of thin air in front of a non-magical person.
While I waited for Lachlan, I headed toward the alley exit, peering out onto the street.
It was busier here since it was only about ten p.m. Cars zipped down the street, and revelers stumbled from bar to bar, while restaurants served a few last stragglers a late meal. I didn’t see anyone that I would pinpoint as a supernatural, though I caught a whiff of some magical signatures that definitely weren’t normal New York City smells. The scent of fresh honeysuckle, for one.
Lachlan appeared next to me a moment later.
“Where are we exactly?” I asked.
“Near China Town and Supe Alley. This is my normal entry point for New York, so I figured it was safest.”
“Your favorite grungy alley?” I grinned.
“Gotta have one in every city.” He took my hand and pulled me out onto the street.
But he didn’t let go.
I smiled and squeezed tighter. Sure, we were on a job and this was dangerous. But that was basically my whole life. So if I didn’t steal a little romance when I had the chance, I’d never get it.
It was obvious when we made our way into China Town. Pretty paper lanterns decorated the street, and the scent of delicious food wafted on the air. Despite my sandwich, my stomach rumbled again. There was a mishmash of shops—some selling traditional goods like herbs and others that sold more touristy stuff.
Lachlan cut confidently through the crowd as if he knew right where we were headed.
“You’ve been here before?” I asked.
“Not to Jade Tiger but to Supe Alley, yes. Great place to buy potion ingredients that I can’t grow.”
I eyed a fascinating shop full of thousands of little glass bottles of herbs. “I can imagine.”
A few minutes later, we turned onto Supe Alley. At first, I thought it was just a dead end crowded with old dumpsters. Definitely not an inviting place, but that was the point. Had to keep the humans out somehow.
Lachlan clutched my hand and dragged me straight through a dumpster. Magic prickled against my skin as I passed through, and the lovely scent of incense filled my nose. I grinned. Someone had apparently given the dumpster doorway a nice magical air freshener.
There was one last crackle of magic as we passed through the dumpster doorway, and we were in Supe Alley.
The change in the air was immediate and intense. Magical signatures abounded, everything from the pretty sound of bells to the stench of old socks.
Here, there were shifters with their tails out and fairies letting their wings flow in the breeze. Supernaturals who looked a little different tended to love places like this, where they could be themselves without worrying about catching the attention of humans.
“I don’t think the shop is located at this end of the street,” Lachlan said. “I’ve been here a few times and never seen it.”
“Let’s head farther down, then.”
We made our way through the crowd, artfully dodging the people who filled the streets. The scent of food was just as strong back here, and even more delicious if possible. A group of women in beautiful silk dresses passed by us. The dresses looked like some kind of traditional garment, but for the life of me I wouldn’t have been able to come up with a name.
I liked this place, though. So much of our lives had been spent hanging out in crappy little towns like Death Valley Junction or living in the wilds of Alaska with our mom. I hadn’t had a chance to see much of the world, and this was pretty danged cool.
Yet another thing to thank the Protectorate for. With them, I got to see so much.
“I think we’re getting close,” Lachlan murmured. He pointed to a building up ahead. It was darker, with two guards out front, each wearing a fancy suit.
“How do you know?”
“That place looks like trouble, and that’s how our luck tends to run.”
I cracked a smile and wasn’t surprised when I caught sight of the sign over the place. Jade Tiger.
“Bingo,” I said.
We approached the door and the guards. I couldn’t see a weapon on them, but in the supernatural world, that didn’t mean anything.
“What do you want?” one of the guards grunted.
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“We’re here to see Shen,” I said.
“Hmmmpf.” Both guards scowled at us, then stepped aside and opened the two ornately carved doors.
Lachlan and I entered a room that was dimly lit and mysterious. No joke, if someone had looked up mysterious in the dictionary, this place would have had its picture right under the word.
The air smelled strongly of some type of herb, with the faint trace of antiseptic beneath. Smoke twisted through the air like a dragon, sinuous and smooth as it twined around the tables and chairs.
On one side of the room, people sat at the little tables, playing games. They chatted in low voices, the energy relaxed yet somehow still slightly tense. It was so weird that it made my skin itch.
On the other side of the room, the faint buzz of machinery was overlaid by a live band. Spotlights gleamed on people sitting in chairs. I squinted, trying to figure out what was happening over there.
“Wait, is this a tattoo parlor?” I asked. It was strange, given that the place had the feeling of a cool gambling den.
“I think so,” Lachlan said.
“Can I help you?” An older woman approached, her hair streaked with gray. She wore a sleek black suit and had eyes that were sharp as glass. They landed on my collarbones. “That’s quite the piece of artwork you have there.”
I reached up to touch the tattoo that glowed faintly on my skin. It wasn’t noticeable to most people, at least I didn’t think it was, given how faint it had been in the mirror. But this lady had an eye for tattoos, I had to imagine.
“Yes. It’s special to me.” I left it at that, hoping she wouldn’t pry. “Is Shen here? We’re looking for him.”
“Hmmm.” She scowled at us. “My son keeps the worst company.”
“Hey! I’m not that bad,” I said.
“Maybe not you, but he is.” She pointed to Lachlan. “And don’t even get me started on your cat.”
Her gaze dropped to something behind me, and I turned to see Muffin sitting there, shooting the woman a toothy grin.
“Don’t smile at me,” she said to him. “I know it was you who stole my jade necklace.”
Muffin put on a fake innocent expression that was the worst I’d ever seen. I could just see him dragging the necklace out of her bedroom. I’d have to have a talk with him.
I looked her. “I’ll make him return it. I promise.”
She gave me a hard look, then nodded. “See that you do. Now, come this way.”
We followed her to a door in the back. I shot Muffin a couple of disapproving glares. “You really need to return that.”
He wouldn’t look at me.
“Muffin!”
He glared at me. Fine.
“Good. I know I can’t change you, but don’t steal from people who help us.”
She wasn’t helping us then.
I rolled my eyes.
The woman pushed open the door, leading us into a room with slightly better light.
It was the most fabulous library I’d ever seen, second to the one at the Protectorate, of course. Though it wasn’t huge, the shelves on the walls were packed full of books and scrolls. There had to be thousands of books in here, their spines illuminated by the golden light shining from the lamps. But it was the scrolls that caught my eye. They gleamed, pale white and cream, and I itched to open one up and see what was inside.
I had a feeling I’d never get the chance, though. Iron statues stood guard in the room, positioned in front of the shelves. They looked like the Terracotta warriors but made of metal. I’d bet big bucks that if I touched a single book without permission, they’d come alive and jump me.
A movement from the back of the room caught my eye, and I turned to look. A young man stood there, his form slim and his eyes dark. His hair was expertly cut in a sweep across his forehead, and he’d look like a young movie star if it weren’t for the hardness on his face and the aura of danger that surrounded him.
“Yes?” His voice was cold.
“Shen, these people are here to see you,” his mother said. “Be nice.”
He gave her a look that was somehow loving and exasperated while still holding on to that cold edge. Then he turned to us and scowled. “What do you want?”
“We’re here from the Undercover Protectorate. We were told you could help us get into the realm of the Fomori.”
His face softened just slightly, and when he spoke, there was something heavier in his voice. Almost like longing, though I felt crazy for thinking it. “Jude sent you?”
“She did.”
He nodded, most of the coldness fading from his face. He looked like a different person now. Still not someone I’d want to mess with, but he didn’t look like he’d make a snack out of my heart anymore, at least.
I heard the door shut behind me and realized that his mother must have left. “What is this place?”
“Family business.”
“Doing what?” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized I shouldn’t have asked them. “I mean, this is a great library.”
“Knowledge is power.”
That was true. And while I had no idea what these folks did, they clearly had a lot of power.
“How do we get to the realm of the Fomori?” Lachlan asked.
“First, you pay. And it won’t be cheap.”
“That’s fine.” Lachlan stepped forward and pulled out his wallet.
While he made the transaction, I inspected the shelves, my fingertips itching. It was so danged hard not to reach for one of the volumes, but I was used to not getting what I wanted. I squeezed my hand into a fist.
“Now that that is settled, we can get down to business,” Shen said. “I can give you a ride to the main gate of Fomori. But once there, I won’t enter. You’re on your own. You’ll need a disguise, though.”
I shuddered at the memory of the nasty, dark-magic soaked cloaks we’d had to wear when looking for Grimaldi’s. Please not that. “We don’t have to pretend to be Fomorians, do we?”
“No. And you wouldn’t pass even if you tried. Your best bet is pretending to be traders. Go in with something so valuable they won’t turn you away.”
“Any suggestions?” Lachlan asked.
“Energy stones. They’re always looking for more power down there. It’s not easy keeping an underwater world running. Electricity doesn’t do so hot underwater. Same with the fumes from gas engines. And there’s no sun. So they rely on energy stones, but they’re in short supply.”
“That sounds like a good plan. Where would we get some?” I asked.
He grinned, and it was vaguely shark-like. “I can help you there. They’re expensive, though, and rare. I can only spare two, so you’ll go in with some fake ones as well. If you get stopped by guards, show them the real ones and hope they don’t check the rest.”
“What happens if they do?”
“You don’t want to know.”
After getting us each kitted out with a leather bag full of stones and some hats that looked like Indiana Jones rip-offs, Shen led us out of Jade Tiger and onto the main street.
“I have a preferred entry point at the river,” he said. “We’ll go there, then get started.”
“How are you taking us?” He hadn’t mentioned before.
“I’m a dragon shifter.” He gave me a look and raised his brows.
“A sea serpent?” Lachlan asked.
“Exactly.”
Understanding dawned. “So we’re going to ride you down?”
“That’s the idea. I hope you’re ready to hold your breath.”
“Can we? For that long?” I asked. “How long will it take, by the way?”
“Not more than ten minutes.”
“Yeah, that’ll kill us,” I said. Though, maybe not me, given my new ability to breathe water. Would that magic still work? I hoped so.
“I have something that will help,” he said. “It won’t be pleasant, but you’ll get there. I wouldn’t kill Jude’s staff.”
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nbsp; I had a feeling he’d do a lot more for Jude if she asked. I was dying to find out what was between them, but no way I could poke around there.
Shen led us through the street and out into the main part of the city. I assumed we were heading toward the river, and from the way Muffin was licking his chops, I had a feeling he was looking forward to it.
Why are these demons so afraid of missing out, anyway? he asked.
“What do you mean?”
FOMOrians. FOMO. You know. FOMO.
“What the heck is that?”
FOMO.
“Repeating it doesn’t help.”
He gave me a disgusted look. You’re really not hip with the youth, are you?
“I think we’ve established that I’m not. And I don’t think you are, either, if you say things like ‘hip with the youth.’”
He hissed at me but continued speaking. FOMO is Fear Of Missing Out. These Fomorians must have some real issues with FOMO.
I laughed. “That’s a terrible joke.”
I kind of liked it.
“At least you’re hip with the youth.”
Exactly.
11
We arrived at the edge of the river a few minutes later. It was in a more industrial part of town, with large barges pulled up to docks about a hundred yards down. We stopped in front of a chain-link fence.
I’ll be back in a bit. Muffin crouched low and launched himself off the ground, little wings carrying him up and over the fence. He barely cleared it, but he managed. Maybe practice would help.
He flew over to the river, disappearing from sight.
“That’s quite the familiar you have,” Shen said.
“He’s something else.”
“He could have come this way.” Shen pressed a hand to the fence, and magic flared on the air. “But I imagine he was excited about the river.”
“He’s always looking for tuna.”
Shen gave the river a skeptical look. “I think he’s going to be disappointed.”
A door appeared, and we stepped through.
Shen led us to the edge of the river, where the water gleamed darkly under the moon. I shivered at the idea of what was down there.
