by C. B. Miller
Chapter Thirty-Two
The shop was packed when I entered. It was a large place, with enough space for a dozen or so tattoo and piercers to work simultaneously in addition to a massive gallery that served as Eden Savage’s portfolio of works. On a busy weekend night there would be twenty to thirty people in the entire place between the staff and customers, but tonight there were nearly a hundred people packed in here tonight.
No one paid me much attention as I wove through the crowd to the back where the elevator went to our apartments above. Dozens of conversations were going on, a general cacophony of noise and topics. I caught snippets here and there as I passed groups gossiping about some woman. As I passed the throng it dawned on me that they were talking about Elizabeth.
My mind was on getting Shirene to my room and then reporting in to Eden so I had just assumed these were Eden’s wight. Looking around at the scene around me I don’t think there was more than a half dozen of Eden’s wight. I didn’t recognize most of the faces but those I did were all vampires.
My heart skipped a beat.
There had to be over eighty or more vampires in this room.
Vampires don’t gather in that large a number unless something very big was going down.
The elevator opened and blessedly it was empty, I stepped on and watched the doors close hoping that I had evaded notice. Bringing a normal to our living space is generally forbidden. I knew bringing in Shirene would cause me some problems but if I can get her in and out without anyone the wiser, then all the better for all of us. Yeah, I would still tell whomever is in charge tonight but I no longer needed to worry about explaining myself to grunts like me till it went up to the right people in the food chain ad nausem.
My room was much like I left it when I had left two days ago. Mostly picked up. Evidently I had kicked my socks off and forgotten about putting them in my hamper. My foot slipped on one and I nearly fell trying to cross the hardwood floors with Shirene still asleep in my arms.
She murmured something in sleep as I set her down and covered her with a blanket. As I did so I felt a cold breath on the back of my neck.
“Hello…” I said, unsure of who it was.
“Welcome back child. I see you got to play white knight as well?”
I rose and turned to see Eden.
The woman before me had silver hair tied into six long braids that went down nearly to her hips. She was nearly six foot tall, wearing a steel grey gown that hugged her frame yet gave me the impression she still had a full range of movement. Her skin was a deep shade of brown today which made the silver hair stand out against her latina features. Staring at me with her pearly white teeth flashing, were her ever present pale green eyes.
Eden is from old world Europe and of Slavic decent, so she should be a short blonde caucasian woman. However being a powerful flesh-crafting vampire she can change her looks to be pretty much anything she wants to be. So while I have seen what She always leaves her eye color alone, and whether that is because she can’t change it or won’t I can’t say. That smile was definitely all her as well.
“My lady. She was someone I cared for deeply once. She didn’t deserve to be lumped in with the mess her husband got her involved in.” I said.
“Oh, so you are judge, jury, and executioner now?” The smile on her face as she spoke never reached her eyes and she recoiled backwards a step feigning being impressed. As soon as she spoke, halted, utter still like a statue once more as she watched me.
“We are always the three.” I replied dryly.
A smile crept across her face, “Good! Remember that. We own our decisions. Always. Choices, choosing what we do and how we act is on ourselves.” Twin, faint dimples appeared as she looked me up and down. She took in a short breath, and before I could blink crossed the distance between us. Her cool hand wrapped around my throat and she applied enough pressure to restrict my breathing and make me uncomfortable without pain.
“And so are the consequences.” She whispered breathily.
Her hand slid down to the amulet around my neck, and she pulled it up into the light to examine it. She turned it over in her hand, drinking in its every detail while I stood there as still as I could be. Sweat dripped down my neck as I breathed in long, slow breaths. I did my best to adopt a neutral expression while my mind raced trying to comprehend what she meant by the consequences. Other than Stanley’s strange closure, acquiring the amulet had been the smoothest piece of the past two days. And she had been correct about how useful it’d be.
Her emerald eyes locked on to mine as she peered over the amulet. “Tell me, did it work as advertised?”
I tilted my head to the side and frowned. “I’m sorry, but I don’t recall anyone telling me what it actually did. I must have missed that, but I did figure out that doors seemed to open for me every time I needed them to after I got it.”
“Hmmm,” she purred, drawing the sound out as she turned the amulet over again in her hand. She released it, letting it fall back to my chest. “I’m going to tell you a little secret. An honest truth. Can I trust you with that?”
I suppressed the urge to laugh, keeping my face neutral as I shrugged. “That does seem to be the theme of the day.”
She raised and eyebrow at me, and the smile tugging at the sides of her mouth expanded just a bit more. “You are now in possession of an item I covet but I’m afraid of the things I might get myself involved with it was in my possession. I would have gone to great lengths to get it back if you died Kaedin. Great lengths.” Violence danced in her eyes as she let the last words sink in.
“I’d be happy to hand it over.” I reached up and grabbed the amulet. A flash of searing pain lanced through my hand as I touched it and I let go, hissing in pain. Crystals of frost covered my hand and the skin on my palm was blackened and cracked.
Eden sucked in a breath, smiling at me as she watched me examine my hand. “Yeah, it’s not that simple. Only the dead may freely give it over.”
Things clicked in my mind, and I stared at her stunned for a moment. “That’s why Stanley had it then? I’m stuck with this.”
She nodded gravely, “I’m afraid so. Until death do you part.”
“But why?”
She gave me a blank looked like she was explaining some mundane task a child could perfrom. “Necessities my dear Kaedin. I can afford to wait to take possession. Also, I know you’ll use it to help me whenever I need it, and I’m free and clear of any … side effects.”
“It opens doors, how terrible can that be?”
Eden leaned forward and held her forefinger up, “It opens forbidden doors.”
I paused, fighting the mental fatigue of the past few days as I thought about her statement.
“Oh Kaedin, we are going to have so much fun!” Eden squealed and jumped up in the air. My jaw dropped as she hopped to me, her face beaming as she clapped her hands together a few times. She placed both hands on my shoulders and took a deep breath. She bit her lip while she struggled with whatever it was she had to say to me next.
?
“Now, there are two more pieces of business we need to address before I need to run. Would you like the good news or the great news first?”
“The good news?” I haltingly replied.
“I”ve decided to declare Sunshine the winner of your little wager.” She pressed her finger against my lips. “I wanted the names of everyone involved and you failed to provide me with the name of the nasty mage that
“If that’s the good news, I’m not sure I wanted know the great news.”
“I love how you just speak you mind. It’s endearing. The great news is that you continue to impress all the right people in all the right circles, and I’ve been asked to send you on a special assignment.”
I gulped. “What special assignment?”
Eden laughed and languidly waved her hand toward me. “Don’t you worry about that tonight. We’ll talk later.” She winked at me and placed her hands on her hips.
”Is th
ere anything else you wanted to ask me about?” She looked at me expectantly.
“Erukzakir’s Judgment. It doesn’t have the same ownership issue the amulet has, does it?”
“No, but we’ve decided that you’re going to keep it for now. Anything else?”
I walked over to my backpack, and pulled out the grimoire. “Stanley gave me this, and –“
“I think you should keep it. Looks like some good light reading, but not my genre. It reeks of magic.
No worries my dear pretty. Consider this a promotion. You won’t just be ‘sitting around’. I assure you” She said and chuckled. “Now, get cleaned up and come downstairs. I want you to meet some of my friends. Also, I want you to meet a largeer number of my enemies.”
She turned and walked out of my room. Stopping in the doorway, her silloette framed by the lights down the hall she said. “We will talk about Shirene later. For now, she is welcome to stay. Relax Kaedin. Enjoy the moment and your success.” She stepped into the hallway and disappeared.
My heart was still racing but there was a tinge of fear now with the excitement. I quickly wrote a note for Shirene, and tapped it to the back of my door. Quietly I gathered up a fresh set of clothes and headed to the showers. I smelled like I had rolled around with a sack of dirty diapers.
***
The hot water was glorious, and I wasn’t sure how long I stood there as the grossness of the day wash away. I enjoyed the heat, along with the peace and quiet until the nagging feeling that I had been in the shower too long finally took hold.. Half-dressed, I paused at the sound of high heels clacking against the tile as they approached. I looked up to see Sunshine in a loose flowing black dress, a set of plan black flats, and wearing several pieces of jewelry. A string of diamonds and emeralds cut across her neckline, while each ear sported a half dozen ruby studs and hoops. She had a multitude of black and dark green gems embedded in the back of her hands that gave them a skeletal impression, I realized that the line of gems around her neck wasn’t a necklace, more precious stones attached to her flesh made to look like a necklace from afar.
“What is it with you and wanting to talk to me in the shower? ” I couldn’t hide the annoyance in my voice, she was going to make me even later getting to the gala upstairs than I already am.
“I just like to get a rise out of you.” Sunshine purred coyly. She looked me up and down as I continued to get ready. I let the silence hang between us as she just watched me, and self-conscious under her gaze like a piece of meat, My nose wrinkled at the smell rolling off my old clothes and I nearly vomited as I scooped them into a sack for disposal. I offered them to Sunshine and mocked gagged at me. It wasn’t just me then if someone who doesn’t have to to breath can’t stand the stench. Fortunately, there was a chute to the incinerator in the basement close at hand to dispose of things that couldn’t be cleaned properly, and I took in a deep breath when the hatch snapped shut.
I started to move passed Sunshine when she put her hand lightly on my chest, blocking me from exiting. “Now that we can breathe, just a moment. I have something to show you.”
“Are you that disappointed we broke even?” I smiled but didn’t look her direction.
“Oh, Kaedin, you never disappoint. I’ve come to enjoy the things you show me.” She whispered in my ear.
“You waited for me to get dressed to ask me to get naked?” I replied with a wry smile. She probably would do something like that, if only to call me out on my insincere offer.
“Not this time. I came to show you something..” She wrapped her fingers around my jaw and turned my face toward her. With her hother hand she pulled out a cellphone and started the queued video.
It was security footage of the shop two days ago when I left. I was talking to Bruce and then Mercedes approached, playing the role of the annoyingly persistent customer. Nothing seemed out of place from how I recalled the events. I left once Bruce pulled Mercedes aside just as I remembered and was going through different options with her. They were looking at tattoos. Not ten seconds after I left however, she stopped him in his sales pitch to answer her cellphone. She took a quick call, there was no sound on the footage so I couldn’t tell what she said and then hung up. She left a few minutes later after pretending to need time to think about a new tattoo.
“That’s Mercedes. She somehow survived the attack Alex’s circle, although I’m not sure why she was at Eden’s Pretties that morning.
Sunshine paused the video and scrolled back to the phone call Mercedes took before zooming in. The camera angle was just right to show part of the cellphone screen in the camera.
“Do you see it?”
I shook my head for a moment and then I saw it.
It wasn’t even on.
She never made an attempt to turn it on, the screen was dark from start to finish. She made a good show of talking into it.
“You think she was following me?”
“We’re not sure honestly. I was hoping you might have an idea why she showed up, but there are other matters to discuss tonight.” She poked the tip of my nose with her finger, “and you get to be my escort.” Sunshine abruptly changed from her statueque demeanor to something more lively. She was breathing and I could see her skin flush with color. She wrapped her arm around mine so we could walk together and I could feel warmth pouring off her skin, like a normal human being.
“Let’s go. There is a party and mischief to be had. We can talk about all the new friends you’ve made.” She nudged me in the ribs forward.
