Supernatural Shadow: An Urban Fantasy Novel

by Fatima Fayez

  I could swear I saw his lips twitch just a fraction. "When haven't you needed a favor?" Ibrahim folded his arms across his chest.

  "Isn't that the beauty of our relationship?" I gave him what I hoped was a winning smile.

  "Not when I call in all the favors you owe me. That day will come." Ibrahim always threatened to call in all the favors. Knowing the vampire, I was sure he’d kept track of everything I had ever asked of him.

  "I pay you for most of our transactions," I reminded him.

  "They're still favors." He leaned back. "What do you need? I may entertain you."

  "Do you know an exclusive new vampire lounge that just opened a few weeks ago?"

  "Yes, the Immortal Blood. I was invited to the soft opening."

  Of course he had been invited. I resisted rolling my eyes. "I need to go there tonight, and I heard I need an escort."

  "Who's your target?" Ibrahim asked. "Are you going to make a scene with one of my people?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about. I just want to have fun, and Mateu told me it's a cool lounge." I narrowed my eyes and dared him to contradict me.

  He raised an eyebrow and said drily, "Yes, you're the epitome of fun."

  "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" I frowned.

  "Nothing. You always amuse me."

  My frown deepened.

  "If you were all about the fun, then why don't you take your roommate?" Ibrahim unfolded his arms and began tapping his fingers on the tabletop.

  "Because she's not a vampire.”

  "We'll bring her with us. If you invite her, I'll go with you myself." He mirrored my narrowed eyes and dared me to call his bluff.

  "Fine, fine." I glared at him. "I have a job. Are you happy? I need to find a guy, and time's money."

  "I'm not interested in the scene, but I will have someone join you. Do you have any preferences?"

  "Female."

  Ibrahim nodded. "Consider it done. She'll meet you outside Immortal Blood at the stroke of midnight. Will that do?"

  "That would be perfect." I had found my ticket in. What was one more favor owed to the vampire?

  He smiled back at me, flashing his sharp fangs.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After a successful job like last night's, I always rewarded myself with gold jewelry. There was only one place to do that: Karam Jewelry.

  After leaving Miguel's, I made my way to the small storefront. It was a cool day and the air was crisp and fresh. The sun was bright, but clouds covered it, causing the temperature to be colder. I put my hands in my pockets and walked down the winding streets.

  A large sign outside the store said Karam Jewelry. I peered at the window display. There were some gorgeous pieces. Dina, the store owner, was a true artist. She had a magic touch with metals and created innovative designs. One of the pieces on display was a beautiful ruby ring. If I had been the type to wear rings I would have purchased it, but rings in my line of work could be an issue. I limited myself to necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Sometimes I couldn't help myself, though, and bought something purely because it was so beautiful, but I felt bad that it wouldn't be seen. I tried to resist those impulse purchases.

  I walked into the store. It was a spacious place with a high ceiling. The large windows allowed sunlight to stream in and illuminate her designs. I looked above at the loft, where Dina had her workroom. The height of the loft allowed her to work and simultaneously be able to see when customers walked in. Sometimes she liked to give customers their time to browse before she went downstairs to ask if they needed help with anything.

  "Hello up there. People are here wanting to spend their hard-earned money," I called up to her. I could see her head bent over her worktable.

  She raised her head and leaned over the railing. "Hey, Aisha. Give me a minute and I'll be right down."

  "Take your time.” I ambled between her displays and peered at the collections. I was familiar with most of them, but I liked to look nonetheless. I hovered over a collection of golden braids. Dina had managed to weave gemstones in between the strands that made the pieces stand out.

  Dina descended the spiral staircase. She wore gloves and held a jewelry tray in one hand. She placed the tray on the counter near the cash register and came over to where I stood. "How are you?"

  "Good thanks, and you?"

  "Can't complain. Did you see anything you like, or are you interested in creating a custom piece?"

  I pointed at the braided bracelet in the display case. "I love this."

  Dina beamed. "That's one of my new designs. I was experimenting. I was inspired by a rainbow and thought about the leprechauns hunting for their pot of gold. I thought I'd incorporate all the colors."

  I looked at the piece again and noticed that the different gemstones did appear to match the colors of the rainbow. I had totally missed it, having focused on the intricacies of the goldwork.

  "Do you want to try it on, or should I just wrap it up for you?" Her eyes sparkled. She knew the answer, but always asked me anyways. "Try it on," she insisted.

  In most cases, once I tried one of Dina's designs I didn't take it off. She would just give me the box, certificate, and receipt, and I'd store them at home until I decided to change my jewelry.

  She unlocked the case with a touch of her fingers. The cases were magically locked and therefore had no need for keys. Dina never had to watch her customers for suspicious behavior because she knew they wouldn't be able to steal anything, anyways.

  She removed the bracelet from the case. I turned up my wrist, and she placed the bracelet around it and closed the clasp. I raised my hand until the bracelet settled. I looked down at it as I moved my wrist from side to side. The gemstones sparkled, and the gold glimmered in the sunlight. It was a stunning creation.

  "I love it," I repeated.

  Dina made her way over to the counter. She rang me up and I paid for my new bracelet. Dina pushed the box, receipt, and certificate toward me, but I gently pushed them back. "Can you keep these with you?" I asked. "I'll pick them up on the way home. I need to go somewhere after this."

  "Sure.”

  "Who are these for?" I nodded at the tray she had brought down from her workroom. They were polished charmstones. Several glowed red with streaks of orange within. They looked like small fires. At a glance it appeared there were over a dozen of them.

  "The dragons have a new intake. I'm just checking the inventory.”

  That made sense. Charmstones were rare and highly regulated. Of course it would be the dragons who could afford the expensive gems in bulk.

  "What's the latest secret project?" I teased her.

  Dina allowed herself a small smile. "I'm working on a new collection. The last one was the 'Pot of Gold' project, which is the one you got your bracelet from. This time I'm working with silver on a range of rings. I'm using the mermaids and selkies as my inspiration for them."

  "Why silver?" I tilted my head. I knew that Dina favored gold as her material of choice to work with.

  "It will be mixed with blue and green gems to reflect water."

  "If you manage to catch that beautiful shimmer of the light hitting the water in the morning, I would buy that piece from you in a heartbeat."

  "And store it in your vault at home?" Dina asked. She knew I preferred to wear gold, and what happened to her stunning art.

  "I'd try to wear this one, but it might be too distracting," I said with a rueful grin. "That's the problem with your work — it's so pretty that all I want to do is stare at it."

  "That's a wonderful compliment. Thank you." Dina beamed. "How's work going for you?"

  I shrugged. "Same old." I could tell her that I was being hunted, that I had a fight with the Enforcer in a few weeks, or that I was chasing after a vampire, but there was no need to share all that with her. I raised my wrist. "Today's going to be a better day because of this. Thank you."

  "Thanks for passing by. Remind me to show you a piece from the new collection w
hen you come back for your bag."

  "I will," I promised her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I headed to the bounty office. I needed to know if Javier knew about the vampires. If he didn't, then he needed to be given a head's up. Poor Donnie.

  "Hello," I greeted Sandra.

  "Aren’t I lucky, seeing you so often these days?" She beamed at me, ever cheerful.

  "Do you ever go home?" I asked the nymph.

  "Why would I need to when I work with such delightful people like you?" Her dimples deepened as she smiled widely.

  I grinned at her. "No need for the sarcasm."

  She laughed. "You know you're not just Javier's favorite. You're one of mine, too."

  "Who's my competition so I can eliminate them?" I put on a fierce face and took out one of my daggers, waving it theatrically in the air.

  Sandra giggled. "Can't you guess?"

  "Luke and Tahani?"

  "You'll never know." She smirked. "I won't have you tell the other bounty hunters I have favorites and have them squabbling for my affection. Go do that with Javier."

  "He's in there?" I sheathed my dagger behind me.

  "Where else would he be?" She gave me a mischievous look. She knew the mystery of their seemingly constant work hours was killing me. If I ever got bored enough, I might just spend an entire day at the office to see if they ever left.

  Fair enough. I waved at her, went down the hallway, and quickly reached Javier's office.

  "I don't get jobs as quickly as you complete them, Aisha," Javier said when he saw me enter. He pulled at his beard.

  "I didn't come here for a job. I came here to tell you about that last one."

  "Decided to take a vacation at last? That will give me time to drum up more work for you." The dwarf continued to stroke his beard as he thoughtfully watched me. In all the time he'd known me, I had never taken an extended leave. I wasn't about to start now. He didn't need to know that I was working on something. Javier leaned back in his chair. "What do you need to tell me about that last job?"

  "I delivered the demon to the location, as agreed. The clients were there waiting for me."

  "They caused you trouble?"

  "They killed the demon in front of me."

  Javier frowned. "They could have asked for him to be delivered that way."

  "That's what I told them. They said they didn't want to pay more."

  Javier narrowed his eyes. He hated to be cheated out of a bigger payday. He began to curse, but I raised my hand, cutting him off. "They were vampires."

  Javier's jaw snapped shut. His face darkened. "You're sure?"

  I nodded.

  He turned to his computer and pounded the keyboard. He scrolled until he found what he was looking for. I waited as he read silently to himself. He turned toward me. "They didn't identify themselves as vampires on their profile."

  "There were three of them. There might have been a fourth, but I never got a look at him, so I can't be sure he was a vampire. They took orders from him, so I assumed he was."

  "I'm flagging their account, and I'll look into it. Thanks for letting me know."

  "No problem." I shrugged. "You might want to add on there that they made a threat."

  "What?" Nothing pissed off Javier more than clients threatening his bounty hunters.

  "I managed to talk them out of it. Told them it would hit their rating if they did away with me. Someone else may not have managed to walk away, though." I had to admit the fourth client's role in tampering down the tensions. Had he told them to go ahead with killing me, I had no illusions about how things would have turned out.

  Javier hissed under his breath.

  I gave him a wry smile. "Sorry for ruining your morning."

  "It's on them." He waved dismissively. "I'll get them sorted out."

  "Find some interesting new jobs for me. I need a challenge," I called over my shoulder as left his office.

  "Take a long vacation," he yelled after me as I made my way back to the front lobby.

  I was still chuckling as I passed Sandra. I said goodbye and returned to Dina's store. I picked up my bag and headed toward Passeig del Born, a small inlet behind the Santa Maria del Mar Cathedral. I stopped and watched a bride and groom step out of the church as their family and friends clapped and congratulated them. Customers sitting in cafes across the street clapped for them also. People always enjoyed seeing love and the thought of new beginnings. I continued walking and saw a few teenagers sitting on a stone wall, kicking their heels against it. A couple of skateboards lay in front of them. Elderly folks sat chatting on the benches nearby. I smiled at their shared contentment despite their contrast in age.

  I passed the street leading to my home and continued straight to the supermarket, which was conveniently located next to my apartment. It was small, but it had everything we needed. For other stuff I usually visited the other markets. I loved markets.

  I picked up a basket and browsed the aisles. We were running low on orange juice, so I picked up a bottle. I hovered over the fresh produce section. I thought about what I wanted to make for dinner and idly wondered if Rafael would be returning to my place any time soon. I flirted with the idea of inviting him over for dinner. A small smile hovered on my lips. I hadn't looked at the card he’d left on my table. I could call him later and ask if he'd like to come over. We didn't have to have dinner. As I continued down the aisles, I picked up items that would be easy to prepare after vigorous activity. I wouldn't mind having Rafael back for seconds.

  I paid for my items and headed home.

  I put the groceries away in the kitchen and padded over to my room, but hovered by the door. I could see Rafael's card on my bedside table. I bit my lip. Would I be able to resist calling him once I saw his number?

  I shook my head, clearing all thoughts. I had a job to do. Once I completed it, Rafael could be my reward instead of a piece from Dina's. I wasn't going to look at his card until the job was complete.

  I stepped back and went back to the living room. I had just enough time to nap on the couch before I had to go hunt vampires.

  Chapter Sixteen

  At precisely the stroke of midnight I was standing outside the Immortal Blood vampire lounge. Cursing myself for forgetting to ask Ibrahim what his vampire contact looked like, I hoped he had at least given her a description of me. I wondered how long I'd have to wait.

  I had spent my time earlier researching Sloan Nicholi, and, from Hubert, I had discovered he owned shares in several vampire lounges.

  Someone tapped me on my shoulder and I spun around. I hated people sneaking up on me, and it was rare that people could do it. Vampires excelled at it. I scowled.

  "Hello." The vampire in front of me was stunning. She had waist-length hair the color of honey. Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown. Her beauty melted away my frown. "I'm Helen," she said.

  "I'm Aisha, but you already knew that. I love your eyeliner." Her eyeliner was winged; it was something I could never perfect.

  She smiled, revealing blindingly white teeth. "After all these years, I managed to finally get it right."

  I grinned at her. I guess that’s one advantage to immortality: you have all the time in the world to ensure your makeup skills are flawless.

  "Come on, let's get you in." She waved at the bouncer, and he lifted the red velvet rope that barred unwanted guests from entering. He didn't ask a single question, even though I was clearly not a vampire.

  The lounge had an industrial-looking interior. It was all exposed concrete and dark colors, but with modern decor. The lighting was dim, but my eyes quickly adjusted.

  Vampires sat at circular tables with glasses of blood in front of them. I recognized a few familiar faces. Some of them glanced at the door to see who had stepped in, and I felt a sharp sense of satisfaction as all of them looked away first. Most of them were friends of Sebastian, my ex-boyfriend, and I hadn't seen them since I’d killed him.

  The waitresses were vampires, t
oo. They wore slinky outfits that shimmered as they walked around the place. My eyes automatically searched for exits. The windows were blacked out, and other than the door we’d come through I couldn't see another, but I knew there had to be a back exit.

  In the far corner, a DJ’s face was illuminated by the glow of the laptop in front of him. He surveyed the crowd, paying attention to how many people were enjoying the music, and looked back down at his laptop.

  Helen leaned close to my face. "How do you want to play this?"

  "I'd like to just keep an eye out for the vampire I'm trying to find. Maybe you can do the same?"

  "Sure, who is it?"

  “Sloan Nicholi,” I told her.

  Her eyebrows knit together. "Are you sure you want to find him?"

  "Yes, why? Do you know him?"

  She shook her head. "No, but I've heard of him. He runs with a bad crew. I wouldn't go looking for him if I were you."

  "What makes them so bad?" Here was an opportunity to understand vampires better. Vampires in general had a lax ethics system. Saying that someone was "bad" didn't clarify anything, but who was I to talk? I'm sure many would say my ethics were negligent, too.

  Helen looked troubled. "I can't really discuss it."

  Interesting. Her hesitation implied that there were vampire secrets behind the assassination request, that this was bigger than I'd previously thought. I wondered how big of a hornets’ nest I was stirring. I'd have to be extra careful with this job.

  I changed the subject. "Don't worry about it. I'm going to get a drink. What do you want?"

  "A-positive," she replied.

  I gave her a nod and left her. I was almost certain she wouldn't ask about the target after that conversation. This was good — I was on my own.

  Mateu had been right about the Immortal Blood. It was the place to see and be seen. All around me vampires wore the latest fashions and glittered with gaudy jewels. I reached up to my hair and made sure the bobby pins kept my hair in place. I felt underdressed in my sleeveless black dress and ballet flats. I glanced down at my beautiful new bracelet and felt better.