Supernatural Shadow: An Urban Fantasy Novel

by Fatima Fayez

  "Let me get you another one. Would you like more of the same?"

  I nodded, and he raised his hand, signaling the bartender.

  "Sorry, I've been rude. I didn't even ask." I tilted my head to the bar and brushed my hair back with my right hand, exposing more of my neck. I felt his gaze burning into me. "Do you want a drink?"

  His mouth opened, revealing his half-extended fangs. He licked a sharp incisor. "I'd love that."

  "What kind of blood do you drink? I'll order you one." I made to raise my hand.

  He shook his head. "No, I can't stand the preserved blood they serve in here. They don’t carry underage blood, despite me owning part of this place. Isn’t it ridiculous? It’s the modern political climate. Why can’t we have nice things? Since I can’t get what I prefer, I like organic blood straight from the source." His gaze practically tore my throat open.

  The bartender placed a new glass in front of me.

  My skin crawled at his preference. I was glad I had taken on this job. "Do you have a favorite type?" I took a sip of my drink. I slowly licked my lips afterward.

  "I drink it all, but my favorite is B-positive."

  I feigned surprise. "No way! That's my blood type," I lied to him.

  "What a happy coincidence." His eyes grew dark. His mouth opened slightly, and his fangs extended fully.

  "Can I tell you one of my fantasies?" I ran my fingers lightly against my throat.

  "Of course." His eyes were mesmerized by the movement.

  "I've always fantasized about coming to a vampire lounge, meeting a handsome stranger, and going out back for a little necking." I laughed lightly. "Isn't that silly? I mean, who would do that with a stranger?"

  "Funny, I have a fantasy that's kind of similar." He smirked.

  "Yeah?" I encouraged him to continue. I ran my fingers through my curls again. I pushed one of my bobby pins that had gotten loose. My left hand absently ran circles around my concealed dagger.

  "Yes, I've always wanted to meet a beautiful stranger, take her out back, and have a drink with her."

  I reached out my right hand and stroked his left arm. My smile grew. "How about we go make your fantasy a reality?"

  "I'd love to." The vampire rose and pulled me to my feet.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The vampire pulled me off the stool, and I allowed myself to stumble against his chest. His arms caught me. I laughed, leading him on. He placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me forward. His hand lowered slightly, but I used my hand to hold his in place before it could move any lower. I may have been flirting, but I was still on the job and I wasn't going to let him grope me.

  We made our way through the throng of people. I didn't dare look at Rafael. I didn't need him to follow me. This would be a quick job, and I could leave and collect my money. When we’d gotten halfway across the dance floor a succubus grabbed Nicholi and kissed him on the mouth, smearing his face with dark lipstick. He snarled at her and pushed her away, glancing at me apologetically. I smiled, and he calmed down with the knowledge that I wouldn't take offense.

  We moved through the pulsing swarm of dancers. I brushed against the bodies, pushing past them. A drunk demon swayed near me. She raised her glass at me. "Cloves and brimstone! Cloves and brimstone!" Her friends grabbed her, pulling her back to their table.

  We finally made it through the crowd, and my target pulled me along. We stumbled through a hallway and he took me to the lounge's back door. He pushed it open and stepped outside. I followed him. He turned to me and raised both hands to stroke my dark waves. "I love your hair.”

  I tilted my head, giving him another glimpse at my neck. I rearranged my expression into what I hoped was an alluring smile. "Start slow, alright?"

  He laughed and sniffed at my neck. I felt his fangs graze me. I only had a moment left to do what I had to do. I hadn't spotted any magic dispellers, but that didn't mean they weren't there. The element of surprise is powerful, but it can only be used once.

  "I can feel your pulse racing," he whispered into my neck.

  "Mmhmm," I murmured. I shifted my body closer to him, reaching up to hold the back of his neck with my right hand as my left hand skimmed his chest and lowered to his stomach. I removed my left hand, reached behind my back, and grabbed my dagger. With a swift motion I stabbed him in the stomach where my hand had been a second before, wrenching my neck away from his teeth. The last thing I needed right now was a neck full of fangs.

  He groaned, trying to lurch away from me, but I kept my grip tight around his neck. His eyes blazed with desire. "Oh, you like it rough? Is your fantasy trying to protect yourself from the big bad vampire?"

  I blinked. I had stabbed him, and he thought it was a game. In answer, I twisted the dagger, moving it farther up toward his heart.

  He finally realized that wasn't part of my fantasy. It was a very real attack, and he was in danger. His eyes darkened, and he reached for my throat. I let go of his neck and jumped away from his grip. My dagger was still in him, and he roared with pain.

  He swiped at me, and I took the opportunity to pull my other dagger out. It was time to test if he had any magic dispellers on his body. I pulled at my magic and whispered an incantation under my breath, adding more power to my dagger.

  He stood against the wall and placed a hand on his stomach. He pulled away his hand and stared at the blood on it. His eyes were murderous when they turned back to me. "You're going to pay for this, you hellcat." He hurled himself off the wall and flew at me.

  I dodged him, slicing at his side. He howled as my blade tore through his clothing and made contact with his flesh. Good. He wasn't wearing any magic dispellers.

  "Who are you?" he panted, eyes wide. That was usually the reaction to my speed.

  "It seems like you've been upsetting people with your shenanigans. Someone's paying me to make sure you never get up again."

  "Who is it? I'll pay you double what they're paying. Triple, even!" the vampire pleaded.

  Once I took a job I was committed to it. I didn't take money to walk away. I shook my head. "It doesn't work that way."

  The client had instructed that I deliver a message upon killing the target. Whoever it was had wanted the vampire to know that they had placed the kill, and I said the words that I was told to share with the target. "Katya says hello."

  "No," he said. The vampire's eyes widened, and a hiss emerged. "No. They cannot have forsaken me in this manner."

  I had no idea what he was talking about, or who this Katya was. It was none of my business. I lurched forward and plunged my dagger into his heart. The power of my spell got it through his chest. It pierced true.

  The vampire clawed at me, trying to wrap his hands around the dagger to pull it out, but he weakened the longer I held it there. I clung on as he struggled until his body went limp and slid to the ground.

  He was finally down. I stared at him lying with his eyes open and staring at nothing. I chanted a spell to open his chest cavity. His heart pulsed inside. I cut it out to ensure he never got up again.

  It took me a couple minutes to sever his heart. When I was done, I placed the heart on the ground beside the body. I looked at my work and got to my feet. I would have to take a picture of the body and send it to the client so they knew the job was done, but I had to send a picture of the destroyed heart. I reached down and picked up the still-warm heart, but before I could destroy it, I was interrupted.

  A creak sounded as the door opened behind me. There wasn't time to cast an invisibility spell. I turned around to see who it was. I raised my hands. A quick memory spell would do just as well.

  Or not.

  Rafael stood there looking down at my bloody hands and the dead body at my feet.

  Fire and brimstone.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  We stared at each other in silence. Rafael took in the sight of me standing over a dead vampire with a heart in my bloody hands. Before I could say anything, a wry smile crossed his face.


  "And here I was coming outside because I was worried about you. Maybe I should have asked you what the other person looked like after that fight a few days ago." Rafael shook his head. I could tell he was trying to reconcile his feelings for me and his obligations as an Alliance agent.

  I quickly calculated my options. I could escape, but he knew where I lived, which meant Noor was exposed. He knew where Leroy had met her. It would lead an easy trail back to her family. All of these were things that could be used against me. I’d have to make the best of the situation.

  "You're under arrest." He reached into his pockets and pulled out a set of handcuffs. Marching over to where I stood, he said, "Drop the heart."

  I let it fall from my hands as instructed. It made a soft, squelching plop as it hit the concrete.

  The two of us looked down at it.

  I glanced back up at Rafael, and I could have sworn he was trying not to laugh.

  He took my bloody hands in his and cuffed me. He was gentle as he clipped the handcuffs around my wrists. Without hesitation, he removed his jacket and draped it over my cuffed hands, seemingly indifferent to the blood on them. I stood in silence while he took out his phone and dialed a number. "I need a team down at Shades. Dead vampire." He hung up.

  He used his phone to take photographs of the scene. Briefly, I wondered if I could get them from him to ensure payment for the job. I almost laughed at my thoughts. Before I could even think about money, I had to get myself out of this predicament.

  Rafael shook his head as he studied the body of the dead vampire and the gaping hole where his heart had been. His gaze turned to me. "We'll have to go out the front. Don't make a scene," he warned me.

  He put an arm around my waist and let me back into the lounge. As he guided me through the crowd to the front door, I wondered why he didn't avoid the lounge and just leave from the back. We passed the table of elite vampires, and Rafael smiled and waved at them. From where they sat it simply looked like he had decided to go home with a woman. He was trying to maintain his cover. He gestured at someone, and the vampire came over.

  "Yes, Agent? Is there any way I can help you?" the vampire asked Rafael.

  "There's a mess out back. The suspect is in custody."

  "Thank you for letting me know." The vampire spared a glance at me. I wondered if he was the lounge owner or just a manager.

  "A few people will be coming over. I'd appreciate you keeping the scene secure and untouched until they get here.”

  "Of course, I'll put a guard on the back door."

  "And the alley," Rafael added.

  "And the alley," the vampire agreed.

  We left the lounge and stepped out into the cool night air. Echoes of the pulsing music still pounded in my head. My thoughts whirled as I tried to untangle the mess I was in. There were several options, but each one ended badly. I'd have to be careful how I played this.

  "I had to do that, or a hit would be placed on you," Rafael said in a low voice. "Vampires take vampire kills very seriously, as I'm sure you know."

  I remained silent. He led me to his car and helped me get into the front passenger seat. My cuffs were loose enough that I could have done it myself. He closed the door and walked around to his side. He got in the driver's seat, started the car, and pulled away from the curb. We drove in silence for a few minutes.

  "So, I'm going to make a few guesses and you're going to tell me if I'm right." Rafael stared at the road ahead. Traffic was light at this hour, but his fingers were clenched around the wheel.

  My answers would depend on his questions. It would be best not to say anything at all, but I had pretty much incriminated myself. A quick forensics check would confirm I was the vampire's killer. There was no way around this one.

  "Does your work involve late nights?" Rafael asked me.

  "Yes." Sometimes.

  "Does it involve research?"

  "Yes." These are really vague questions.

  "Does it involve copious amounts of money in return for results?"

  "Yes." Thankfully I never put all my eggs in one basket. The Alliance wouldn't be able to track down all my assets.

  I raised my cuffed hands to brush my hair away from the side of my face. The jacket was in my way, but I managed to fix my hair.

  Rafael reached out and tucked in a few strands behind my ear. "Better?"

  "Yes, thank you." I returned my hands to my lap.

  Rafael stopped asking questions and was silent for a few minutes. I snuck a glance at him, and his eyes seemed thoughtful. His jaw was tight, letting me know that he wasn't as nonchalant with the situation as he appeared to be. His eyes briefly left the road to look at me. "So, I slept with number three on the Alliance's most-wanted list."

  I was impressed by how quickly he had put it together. I wasn't going to lie to him. I was really tempted to answer yes, but even I wasn’t dumb enough to admit it. Careless yes, stupid no. He only had one dead body, and I could probably plead self-defense. I didn't have to give him other charges to throw my way.

  He gave me a wry smile. "I wasn't really expecting a confession."

  I shrugged. I didn't have to make it easy for him. It was too late for me to approach this any other way. I had to think about my next move and try to make the best of the situation.

  The car slowed, and Rafael parked in front of a building. We had arrived at the Alliance headquarters. I looked out the window at the structure. This building was full of people that had hunted me for years. And all it had taken to get here was a rash decision on my part and too much concern on someone else's.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Rafael escorted me inside the headquarters of the Alliance of Supernatural Protectors, my cuffed hands in front of me covered by his jacket.

  There was a single guard at the door. I had expected more security. I wondered what counter-measures they had in place. I glanced down and realized my weapons belt was visible. I hadn't felt any wards as I crossed the threshold, but I knew they must have had something. We walked over to the elevators and waited for one to appear. Once inside, Rafael pushed the button for the seventh floor.

  The doors of the elevator opened, and I stepped out into an open-floor setting. There were plenty of cubicles, but only a quarter seemed occupied. I figured that the staff here worked late hours or were simply working overtime. A few people glanced at us as Rafael marched me across the floor, his hand still clutching my upper arm.

  He opened a door and led me inside. It was an interrogation room with a single table, two metal chairs, and a two-way mirror.

  "I'm sorry, it's protocol." Rafael motioned to one of the chairs, and I complied. Once seated, he removed his jacket from my fists and attached my cuffs to the table. The sight of my incarceration appeared to bother him, because he draped his jacket over them once more. I wondered idly if he'd ever be able to wash the bloodstains out of the jacket.

  "You'll be here a while. Is there anything you need?" Rafael's lips pressed together in a thin line.

  I wanted to wash my hands, but this wasn't the time to tell him that. I shook my head, appreciating the consideration. I was pretty sure this wasn't how most agents treated their detainees.

  Rafael left the room, closing the door behind him. I stared at the two-way mirror, taking in my appearance. My crop top was rumpled. My hair wasn't too bad, considering. I had a streak of blood where I had brushed my hair out of my face in the car. My face looked bored. I wondered if there was anyone on the other side of that glass yet. If there was, they must have been getting quite the show. I was sure that I looked just ravishing, bloody face and all. I turned my gaze back to the jacket covering my hands. I unclenched my fists and moved my fingers, feeling how tight the cuffs were. They weren't loose enough for me to slide my wrists out, but they were just loose enough that I wouldn't have bruises from the metal. I was pretty sure they were magicked cuffs, which meant a spell wouldn't work on them. I looked around the small room, wondering if there were any magic
dispellers. Probably. I searched, but all I saw was a camera in the corner with a red light.

  I chanted aloud, a spell that would make the door open wide. Nothing happened. I gave my reflection a crooked grin. I had to try.

  After twenty minutes of waiting, the door finally opened. A man walked in. He raised his face ever so slightly to sniff the air. Shifter. I narrowed my eyes. I wondered what type he was. His movements were confident as he made his way to the chair across from me.

  His golden eyes took in the jacket over my hands. He didn't exhibit surprise, so I knew he must have observed me behind that two-way mirror before coming in.

  "My name's Leon." His voice had a smoker's rasp to it. "I run this branch of the Alliance. Rafael tells me you go by the name Aisha. Is that your real name?"

  There was no point lying about that, so I nodded.

  "I can't believe I'm finally meeting the legendary Supernatural Shadow. You've proven to be quite elusive. We wasted a lot of manpower in our search for you." The tone of his voice almost sounded as if he was awestruck by my presence. Almost.

  He could call me the Supernatural Shadow all he wanted to, but he didn't have any proof that I was. I remained silent.

  "We've attributed thirty-two kills to you." He leaned back in his chair.

  I kept my head straight and looked directly at him. He didn't need to know that the number was higher. That was only a fifth of my kills. Despite his feigned relaxed pose, I knew he was paying attention to every word I said and every gesture I made.

  "Of course, we're expecting you to deny you're the Supernatural Shadow. Maybe you'll even claim self-defense to justify the slaughter of that vampire at the lounge. Rafael claimed to have seen a dagger at the scene, but it disappeared before our team showed up. Some kind of retrieval spell, I assume? It's quite smart. Here's the thing." Leon leaned forward. "We knew who you were before Rafael met you."

  I tried to keep my expression neutral, but I must have twitched, because a small smile appeared on his face.