by Steve McHugh
I took the stairs two at a time until I’d cleared the three flights and reached the only door above me: the entrance to the roof.
The wind was freezing cold, and it had started to rain as I opened the door and stepped onto the roof. It contained a mass of metal pipes, air conditioning units, and a variety of electrical equipment that supplied a lot of power to the hotel. The mass of steel meant that the winds, which had been biting at ground level, had some of their sting taken out of them.
Across the large rooftop stood my target. She was glancing over the side of the hotel at a smaller building a hundred feet away, too preoccupied to hear as I crept toward her. Once within a good distance, I created six tendrils of air, which moved toward the woman until they’d wrapped silently around her ankles and calves. By the time she noticed what was happening it was too late and I’d hardened the air into a substance easily as strong as the steel that littered all around me.
She screamed as I pulled back, causing her to drop to the ground. She slammed her hands onto the concrete roof, and I found myself falling back as the roof bucked in an attempt to get me to release my magic.
“I don’t want a fight,” I told her.
“Yeah, says the man who just threw magic at me.”
“Point taken.” Not everyone who isn’t a sorcerer can identify magic when it’s used against them. She’d clearly had some run-ins with magic users in the past. I released the magic and put my hands up. “Okay, I just want to talk.”
The roof stopped doing its impression of a bucking bronco and allowed me to stand up.
“Talk,” the woman said.
“You plan on keeping the balaclava on, or do I actually get to see your face?”
“Get on with it,” she snapped.
“Who are you? And why were you in that hotel room?”
“If I’m not going to remove the balaclava, I’m not going to tell you my name. And that last part is none of your business.”
Her green eyes held a determined expression, and her tone suggested that she wasn’t used to having to explain herself.
“My name is Nathan Garrett,” I told her, hoping that she might give me something to work with in return.
“Is that meant to mean something?” she asked after I’d paused for a second.
Apparently not, which was probably for the best. It meant she wasn’t with Avalon, nor any of the major players who worked with them. “No, I was just hoping you’d return the courtesy. My friend and I were here looking for the murderers of a cop in Ottawa, a friend of mine. I’m doubting that you were involved. They were more…chatty.”
“I’m sorry for your friend, but like you said, it had nothing to do with me.”
“His name was Bill Moon,” I told her and instantly noticed something in her eyes, a brief recognition.
“I’m going now.”
“How did you know him?” I demanded, feeling my barely concealed anger at his murder begin to bubble up inside me.
“I don’t feel like being questioned by someone who attacked me in a hotel room.”
“You’re going to answer my questions,” I told her. “You don’t want to do this the hard way.”
She laughed, which was something I wasn’t exactly expecting. “I’ve been threatened by bigger and badder people than you.”
“Trust me when I say this: I doubt that very much.”
She placed her hands on the three-foot wall that ran around the edge of the roof. With an almighty creak, the part she was touching extended outward, using the concrete around it to create a two-foot-wide bridge to the nearest building. It was instantaneous; I’d barely had time to register what she was doing, let alone move to stop her.
“That’s very impressive,” I said as the woman stood up on the roof and took the first step onto the bridge. “But it won’t stop me from getting the answers I need.”
“That will.” She pointed to my feet, and I looked down to find that the roof had solidified over my shoes, holding me in place. I struggled as the roof exploded up, covering my arms and shoulders, dragging me down onto all fours and forcing my hands inside the concrete of the roof itself.
Before I could get myself free, she sprinted across the hundred-foot bridge, which was sucked back into the hotel the moment she stepped off of it.
Once she was out of sight, the roof moved aside, allowing me to stand up without issue just in time for Sky to come crashing through the door.
“Where the fuck is she?”
“Over here,” I said as the last remains of the bridge returned to the building.
“Well, where is she?”
“She used the roof to create a bridge to that building over there and then ran across it and got away.”
“You let her escape?”
“Not exactly.” I explained about the roof.
“So, we have nothing.”
I shook my head. “We have two things. One, she knew who Bill was, although she didn’t kill him. Two, she could have killed me—I wasn’t exactly on top of my game up here. But she came here for some reason or another.”
“You think that dead body wasn’t just a message for us?”
I nodded. “Maybe, yeah. That could mean that Bill was working with her on an investigation. It seems a bit too much of a coincidence that Bill’s murderers lead us to a hotel where we meet someone who knew him.”
“Or it could mean that we’re being played with, the same as her, by a bunch of psychotic assholes.”
“There’s that. But if Bill was looking into something, and the writing of the bathroom wall suggests a link between Bill and his killers that could be very bad indeed, then I don’t have a lot of choice about my next destination.”
“And what does it mean?”
“That I have to go to Maine.”
Sky was silent for a few heartbeats. “You know I can’t go with you.”
“I know.”
“You’ll be alone there, that’s dangerous. And whoever this woman is, she’s capable. She kicked your ass.”
“Thanks for the reminder. You got stuck in a wall.”
“Okay, we’ll call that even.” Sky chuckled. “My point still stands, it could be dangerous there.”
“I’ve been alone before, and I know precious few people who aren’t linked with one group or another. Shadow Falls will never allow more outsiders to go snooping around.”
“Call Tommy. He’s independent these days.”
Tommy and I had been friends for centuries and had worked together many times. But he had a family now, and I was hesitant to fly him across the planet on the possibility that there could be trouble I couldn’t handle alone. Still, if I didn’t call and he found out, I’d only have to hear him complaining about it for a few centuries. “I will, although I’m not sure he’d be much help either. By the time he gets here—”
“Just do it. I guess I’m going to have to go back and tell Dad that this is no longer something we can look into.”
“There’s still plenty to do. You’ve got a dead cop who works for you, and someone gave the psychotic bastards who killed Bill my number. I’d put money that whoever it is, they’re playing a dangerous game.” And one I was sure Sky would take great pleasure in seeing they lose.
“I assume you don’t want to fly to Portland?” Sky asked.
“Not if I can manage it, no.”
“I have an acquaintance in town who’d be able to set you up with something, probably some weapons, too. For a price.”
“Is this going to cost me a fortune?”
Sky’s sly smile was usually reserved for the moments she thought I’d be out of my comfort zone. “Something like that, yeah.”
CHAPTER 6
The sun had set just before we’d left the hotel, although that hadn’t done anything to decrease the traffic. Sky phoned ahead t
o let the garage know we were coming and then drove us to a sizeable five-story garage on East 84th Street by the name of Full Moon Repairs. They advertised themselves as a twenty-four-hour auto repair shop. Several very expensive-looking cars were being worked on by a dozen men and a few women as Sky pulled into the garage. I wondered if they catered to a clientel that wasn’t a hundred percent human.
“Try not to piss anyone off,” she said as she got out of the car.
“I’ll try,” I called after her. I wasn’t exactly sure what she thought I was going to do, but she seemed very nervous and I didn’t want to add to whatever the problem was.
I got out of the car, trying not to notice the gazes that were suddenly on me as I walked over to Sky and the woman she was talking to.
“Felicia Hales,” she said. “So, you must be Nate. Sky tells me you need a car?” Her voice had a hint of a southern accent. She looked me up and down and smiled. “Gonna cost ya.”
“So I was told, Felicia. How much?”
“Depends what you want. Come with me, we’ll see what we can do for you.”
I followed her through to the rear of the shop, where she opened a door that led to a set of steps leading down.
“Where do you put all the cars?” I asked as I wondered exactly what Sky had gotten me into.
“We have a lift that can take the cars up and down. We keep most of our customers’ cars above ground, it’s easier. But we keep a selection of special cars down here to sell.”
“You mean stolen,” I said and Felicia stopped as we reached the bottom of the stairs, and turned back to me.
“Not always. Some are given freely, some are taken in payment. We have all of the documents for each car, so we do legally own them, no matter where they came from originally.” She held my gaze. She was a beautiful woman, her long dark-red hair framed her face perfectly, and her piercing sky-blue eyes appeared to look through me. “Will this be a problem?”
I shook my head. “Just want to know where I stand.”
“On thin ice,” Sky whispered and slapped me around the back of the head.
Felicia smiled. “I was not offended; it’s nice to have someone ask outright and not play games. I detest games.” She looked me up and down again and then turned around and led us down a short corridor, which ended with a set of double doors that looked strong enough to stop a tank. She placed her hand on the palm reader and, once it beeped, inputted a five-digit code into the numerical pad above it.
“Very security conscious,” I said as she held one of the doors open for Sky and me to walk through.
The room inside was cavernous and held dozens of cars, all in rows. A quick glance told me they were in make and model order. It was a mass of incredibly expensive metal and fiberglass. I wondered how long it would take Sky to start drooling.
“Oh my god,” she said as she started off toward a blue 1969 Boss 302 Mustang. “Screw Nate, I’ll have this for me.”
“Do you need a bib?” I asked her as she saw another car she liked, a red Ferrari 458, and ran off.
“It’s car porn in here,” she called out to me.
“So, Mister Garrett. What car do you want?” Felicia asked.
“Seriously, I can buy any of these?”
“Of course, although Sky tells me you wish to purchase some weaponry, too.” She led me past the cars to a small office at the end, where a young man sat reading a book.
“Warren, can you show Mister Garrett the weaponry?”
Warren bowed, then pushed something under the desk he was at. The wall behind Felicia slid open revealing yet another cavernous room.
“This place is like a maze,” I said as Felicia led me through the wall to another corridor with half a dozen doors.
“What do you need?”
“Blades,” I said.
“Of course.” We stopped at the third door and she opened it with a flourish.
I stepped inside and glanced around for some useful additions. Back in England, I kept dozens of blades of a variety of sizes and shapes, but I hadn’t brought any of them with me to Canada. A good sword is part of the wielder, like an extension of the person. And my jian had been made to be used by me and only me.
I picked up a katana and a dozen silver throwing knives on a leather belt that fit around my waist. I don’t like to rely on weapons, but I do like to have them as backup for when I go against something that my magic can’t beat.
“That everything?”
I stared at the huge claymore in the corner—it was probably overkill. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Felicia closed the door behind me and took me back through to the cars, where Sky had stopped running around and was talking to Warren, who Felicia passed the weapons to.
“Now for the car,” she said to me.
“Audi R8 coupe,” I said. “It’s fast, handles well, and has enough room in the storage space to put my stuff. Plus, it’s really, really fast.”
“You said that already,” Warren said.
“Yeah, but it’s worth mentioning twice. And besides, the people I’m after already know I’m coming. If I’m going to be a bull’s-eye, I may as well be one in a really nice car.”
“Do we have any in stock?” Felicia asked Warren, who picked up a tablet from a nearby table and tapped a few things on it. “Two, a red and a black FSI V10 plus.”
“Black,” I said.
“I believe that model had black rims too,” Felicia said, approvingly. “It’s a beautiful car. Warren will get it ready for you. It’ll be upstairs when you’re finished here.”
Warren walked off into his office and vanished through the still open wall.
“And now for payment,” Felicia said with a smile.
“Okay, what’s this going to set me back?”
“Well, Sky is a regular customer of ours, and we were going to do a discount rate for her, but I have a better idea. The payment is you.”
“Look, you’re a very lovely woman, and I’m sure you can spoon with the best of them, but I’m really not interested.”
Felicia laughed; it was deep and rumbled around the room. “My apologies, I probably should explain.” She opened her mouth slightly and showed the two long fangs.
“You want my blood? Go fuck yourself.” I was furious; blood is considered a sacred thing—you don’t take blood without asking, you don’t use someone else’s blood, and you certainly don’t give your blood to a group of people you just met. Blood can be used to do bad things. I know, because I’ve done some of them.
“Nate, calm down,” Sky said.
“Did you know about this?”
“They don’t want to take your blood away. She drinks it in front of you, here and now. My dad has done this before, as have I. Felicia is neutral, but she’s still our ally.”
Sorcerer blood is incredibly potent. Those species who feed on blood, such as Vampires, can gain a lot of power from it. “Did you tell her what I am?” I demanded to know from Sky.
“I already knew,” Felicia answered instead. “Your name is well-known in certain circles. Rumor has it you defeated a lich. An impressive feat.”
“Actually, Sky did the defeating. I mostly got my ass kicked.”
“But you survived. That in itself is something very few have done. It has been a very long time, over a century, since I’ve tasted from your kind. Your blood contains immense power. I will be able to taste that power, to see more about you and who you are. And in exchange for your letting, I will give you the car and weapons for free, and you will be known as a friend to the New York Vampires.”
The fact that both Hades and Sky trusted her went a very long way in changing my mind about allowing my blood to be used. “You’re in control of them all?”
“Three hundred and six vampires. Each of them was sired by me or by one of my own. I am the master vampire f
or the state of New York. What you do today could aid you in many ways in the future.”
“Who gets to drink?”
“Me and only me, I swear. One pint of blood.”
“Okay you have a deal. One thing: if I find out you ever used my blood to hurt, or do anything that causes me to come back and find you. I will erase you and every vampire you sired from the face of the earth.”
Felicia snarled—vampires don’t like having their brood threatened—but I kept my gaze cool until she nodded in agreement. “I promise, I shall do nothing of the sort.”
“Where do we do this?”
“I’ll stay here,” Sky said to me. “I’m going to make a few calls about our dead cop in a bathtub, see if I can get something on him.”
“I’ll be back soon,” I told her.
Felecia nodded and turned to me. “Follow me.” She led me back through the office and down to the final door on in the corridor, which she opened and stepped through.
In movies when a vampire lord enters a room, everyone does one of two things; they either stand and bow as one, or they resume whatever sexual games they were playing. As we walked into the room, neither of those things happened. There were nineteen people in the room, a dozen of whom were women, all clothed, which was real shame as each and every one of them could have held a stadium’s attention just by walking in. The men too looked like they’d just stepped out of a modeling shoot.
The room itself was covered in soft rugs and comfortable-looking couches. A huge TV sat on the wall at one end, playing a music channel, although the song itself was something I’d never heard before. The occupants had been lounging around watching TV, although a few of them had been reading or chatting amongst themselves. While it’s true that vampires tend to pick the attractive humans to turn, most of them also pick people who have a modicum of intellect or interesting things to say; no one wants to be stuck with a pretty idiot for all eternity.
When Felicia stepped through the doors no one moved to bow, no one even glanced her way. Only vampire masters with self-esteem issues make their people bow to them on a regular basis.
