Until Dawn

by brett hicks

  “You might want to keep that whole glamouring the driver part between us kid. I’m not sure your mom would like me teaching you to glamour humans like that.”

  Chelsea nodded sagely around her three boxes.

  “Momma wouldn’t understand how important it is to get the pizzas back while they’re hot.”

  I snorted and nodded.

  “Got that right kid I like my pizza practically scalding hot, but I’m weird.”

  Someone opened the back door for us. I looked up and spotted the feline shifter Phil from last night. I grinned at him and nodded to the boxes.

  “Hey, there are more of these in the car idling on the curb, mind helping a couple cute girls out?”

  Chelsea giggled, and I winked at her. Phil nodded and trot off like a cat on a mission. That could have been the fact that I got two pies with extra anchovies, just for the feline shifters.

  ***

  We sat up shot on the fifth floor; far enough up for the humans not to have cared to follow to see what we were doing. Besides, most the inhabitants were blazed out of their skulls. They wouldn’t have noticed a herd of elephants right now! Then again, they probably expected a herd of elephants, considering how high they were.

  I’m half tempted to convince Seri’s pukas to come over to test that theory. They can change into many different animals, so that would be interesting! Then again, those pukas were destructive enough in a perfectly stable club building. They would be like taking a wrecking ball to this crack-shack of a rundown apartment building.

  I ate some pizza with Chelsea and listened to her talking about some game one of her friends had. I pretended not to notice her mother cutting me speculative looks. I was not fool enough to cross that woman, and doubly so through her own daughter. I noticed no one refused the meal, nor did they thank me. That was life in the low dirty places the upper class like to keep swept under the rugs.

  Even if they were a dirty and scruffy bunch with abrasive attitudes, these people felt like home to me. They reminded me of the friends I made when I was younger. Friends I had been forced to leave behind when I moved to New York. Not that I was sorry that I moved here, redcap attack aside I loved this city.

  I should have known my luck was holding out too well, because Bix walked through the dilapidated doors during the middle of our lunchtime. I said a silent string of curses far too pungent to teach Chelsea at her age, and I chewed my food and eyed the tall elf in the door.

  Seventeen:

  I managed not to move or show any fear. I just kept chewing my pizza. I nodded to a box nearby.

  “Hey Legolas girl, want some pizza? You must be starving, considering how long it took you to find me.”

  Bix flashed me a weary look, one that spoke of no sleep, and even less nourishment. Oh yes, she had literally tracked me all night long. Considering, that was encouraging to me. I noticed the others were stiff now. They eyed Bix as if she was the grim, flipping, reaper.

  “A friend of yours Thea?”

  To her credit, Patty didn’t sound perturbed, but I noticed her flicking her gaze to Chelsea beside me. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

  “Bix, can you ensure this nice woman that you do not intend to eat her adorable little daughter beside me?”

  My voice was coated in sugar, a trick I learned from all them mean girls at my high school. Bix flicked her gaze to the skinny little blonde girl beside me and she gave her a weary smile.

  Yep, this kid is just that cute! I pity her father for when she starts dating!

  “Of course, I would never harm a child.”

  She said it in her very fae, haughty tone, but Patty relaxed. That had been the first actually words out of Bix mouth. She really must be exhausted. I motioned for her to take a seat beside me. If I had to defend myself, then I’d rather do it after I’ve eaten, and preferably not near Chelsea.

  I didn’t know what Seri’s current temperament was towards me, so I had no idea what orders Bix was following in being here.

  Bix sat down, only looking mildly disgusted with her surroundings.

  “So, pick your poison. We have practically every type of pizza know to inhuman. Just don’t touch the extra anchovy ones. The shifters are circling them like a fresh kill in the woods.”

  Bix smirked a little; apparently, humor was within her wheelhouse after all.

  “I’ll just have some of the meat lovers.”

  I handed her the box beside Chelsea and smirked sassily.

  “If that’s the case, shouldn’t you go find Liam? I’m sure he would be more than willing…”

  My smile was wicked, and she look could have shattered glass.

  “Eat, your mood will improve once you’re not so hungry, and you will suddenly realize just how funny I am.”

  Bix didn’t need to be told twice, she began to practically inhale her pizza. Good thing Chelsea and I had filled up before Bix walked in the room. Apparently, wood elves’ super power is their insane appetite!

  Patty eyed Bix as if she was about to start exacting some form of medieval justice. Bix seemed to be oblivious to the collective breaths being held since she joined the party. She just inhaled her pizza.

  ‘So, are you going to tell me what Seri ordered you here for? Execution? Drag me back to her to grovel for forgiveness for a crime I didn’t commit?”

  Bix flicked her gaze around and sighed.

  “I would prefer not to have this conversation in front of so many others.”

  I lifted my shoulder slightly.

  “And, I want to own a horse ranch and go back in time to marry Sarah Michelle Gellar before Freddie Prince Jr. got his hooks into her!”

  Bix shook her head and sighed.

  “It would be futile to point out that she was older than you are now, when you were born, wouldn’t it?”

  I arched my brow.

  “Look at that, the kitty does have some claws to her!”

  I turned and waved to the feline shifters munching the fishy pizza. And added, “No offense intended to you guys!”

  I received a mixture of indifferent expressions and a few shrugs. Even in human form the shifters seemed to have some of the traits of the species they changed into. IN human form, these felines seemed to be very relaxed and unconcerned with the rest of the world when they didn’t feel any immediate threat to their kind. They could be capricious and whimsical at times as well.

  I didn’t know much about wolf shifters, but they had a ridged sense of duty and loyalty. The one universal truth of all inhumans I have seen thus far is we all seem to have hyperactive sexual drives. I suppose that makes sense, since reproduction is generally slower. So, we are super strong and super horny, that is never a great combination! It’s little wonder we have marauding bands of redcaps in the world!

  “So, why are you here? You must know I’m not going back now.”

  Bix looked slightly bitter, as if she had just swallowed a lemon. Yes, I am not making her job easier than it could have been, whatever that job happened to be.

  She sighed and leaned back against the wall.

  “I promised Seri I would see that you were safe and to bring you back.”

  Shrugging, I pointed to myself.

  “You can see that I am perfectly fine. No vampire assassins have tried to kill me or kidnap me in my sleep. No new redcap attacks either! Besides, I’m surprised you even found me. I doubt anyone else could.”

  She nodded in agreement.

  “I will admit, this was not an easy chore. You are far better at hiding in plain sight than I thought possible, considering your age.”

  I grinned brightly.

  “So happy to exceed your lofty expectations of me Bix. Enough bullshitting tell me what’s happening back at Seri’s place.”

  The elf eyed me with mild annoyance; she wasn’t accustomed to being ordered around by many people, Seri and maybe Liam. However, I highly doubted Liam ordered her, considering he wanted into the honeypot.

  “If you were anyone else’s
kin I would have torn your throat out and beat you with your own windpipe.”

  I shrugged and airily said, “No biggie, I’ve had worse. Now stop stalling and tell me what’s going on.”

  She looked around again and heaved a breath.

  “Dean Sylvester paid Seri a visit. She is convinced that he is the one who organized these events. He threatened to have her kingdom leveled by manipulating the Sky Lord, the father of Libby, into destroying Brooklyn. As it stands, we have confirmation that the Sky Lord is on his way to New York and he’s pissed, understandably so, considering.”

  I whistled, and I felt a shiver roll down my back.

  “Well shit…”

  She nodded in agreement.

  “Shit covers it…”

  “So, what’s the story about this Dean guy? Why does he want Seri to have to move back to her dad?”

  “Because then she would be forced to obey her father’s proclamation to marry the son-of-a-bitch. His Majesty, in all his wisdom, believed that marrying Dean to Seri would help seal with the rift left by the war long ago.”

  “Wait, Dean is an Alchemist?”

  Bix shook her head no.

  “He’s like you, a Necrovamp. He was born to one of the ancient noble necromancers and his human consort at the time. Dean managed to swindle a vampire to turn him and make him kin. Dean’s kin died under mysterious circumstances later on. Now Dean rules all of France unchallenged and he is ever expanding his fiefdom. He wants Seri, because she is the most powerful pure-born vampire since the first—her father.”

  I bit my lip and my nerves were singing with my anxiety. Seri had nearly choked the life out of me, but I still owed her a lot for saving my life. Besides, I didn’t like the fact that some old-ass male was trying to bully her into something like an arranged marriage. His methods were also beyond deplorable.

  “So, is he the source of the runes that are breaking the wards? Also, are you guys checking the borders, I know you ward all the borders of Seri’s kingdom against uninvited inhumans. Considering the redcaps roaming three nights prior to Libby’s death, we should assume that there are breaches. Also, the four vamps that tried to kidnap me were not friendly, so whatever doorway he has opened, is still open, or so I would think.”

  Bix had a cell phone out; it was an old flip-phone. I wondered why at first, but then I realized it was a burner, so she couldn’t be traced. This elf knew all the tricks not that using a burner took a lot of forethought.

  I heard her repeat me verbatim and I could clearly hear Seri on the other end. My traitorous body was pooling, remembering the vivid wet dream I had this morning. I could still remember how her body tasted, how her scent was as I drove her over the edge, how her feminine muskiness thickened with what I could only process as extreme arousal and need. My mind was on the verge of short-circuiting, when Bix thrust the phone at me unceremoniously.

  “What do you want?”

  My mouth had formed the words faster than my angst-riddled mind could process. Ok, so I might still be a little bitter with the redhead! I head a low sigh and I leaned into the receiver.

  “I am beyond sorry for how I mistreated you. Please, come home.”

  “That is a bar, not my home. My home was invaded by ninja-vamps!”

  My bitch-switch was flipping without my consent. Part of me wanted to just drive right back to Seri right now and act out every scene in my dream, and then have her fill in the parts I was robbed of! The rest of my street-hardened mind was fuming with her telling me to come as if I was fucking Lassie!

  “Thea… you are my kin. My home will always be home to you, as is anything that is mine. I wish to rectify the situation between us. I have not been allowed a chance to get to know my own kin. Please, come back to Cold Coffin. Times are going to become extremely deadly now. You have no protection out in the open as you are.”

  I huffed and rolled my eyes.

  “I’m fine here, besides no one has a claim on Harlem. What if I were to claim it for myself? That would help shore up the city’s defenses, and it would put focus in multiple locations. I am sure it would also draw out Henry. That little bitch would come if he thought he could finish his job and lick his necrovamp master’s boots.”

  She went silent for a long moment.

  “That would not be advisable considering your age. You have absolutely no idea what I endured to hold my domain. How many challengers I put down, nor how many plots I have dismantled.”

  “Then why did you do it?”

  I shot back, and she sighed again.

  “Because, if I was Lady of my own domain, then I would not obligated to obey my father’s command to marry Dean. Not only do I hate the sensation of sex with men, I just loath Dean and his agenda. Though, I would have refused just to keep the member away from me if I’m being honest.”

  I snorted into the phone, lady like I am not!

  “Well, it would dissuade a lot of them from trying to make a play for me if I did take Harlem, right?”

  Silence was deafening, but finally she answered.

  “Yes Thea, they would be very terrified to attempt anything against one powerful enough to back a domain claim. But, that would require us sending word out to my father that you are now the Lady of Harlem Kingdom.”

  “Go ahead and send it out, but not kingdom, call it Harlem Republic. I’m not very keen on dictatorships. I will fight when I am forced to. Look for the weaknesses in your wards and help me seal up the wards on Harlem. We need to then draw out Henry, so we can serve him up to the Sky Lord on a silver fucking platter, lest he zap the entire city in a ball f thunder, right?”

  She paused for a moment, clearly considering my suggestions.

  “Are you truly two days turned? Or has this all been a ruse? You sound more the princess than I.”

  Seri sounded slightly jealous, if that were possible. However, mostly she sounded like she was teasing. Her humor was dry, so it was hard to tell it from insults unless you knew her.

  “Who fucking knows? For all I know, my dad could have been the grand fucking pooh-bah of the necromancers. Or my mom, I’m voting dad though, since my mom was too irresponsible to handle a child, much less an empire.”

  “Yes, and with such eloquent speech, you are a shining example to all his vassals.”

  Seri’s tone was dripping with so much sarcasm that I was sitting slack-jawed for a moment.

  “His vassals as you call them play with dead bodies for fun. I highly doubt I’m the most offensive thing they’ve ever experienced.”

  I nodded, proud of my witty retort. I had tipped the scales, two points for the tan girl!

  “Be that as it may, you will keep Bix with you and I shall send you Liam as well, once he has finished… questioning our new guests.”

  Very subtle fang-girl!

  “Sure, I like Bix; she’s practically doing a keg-stand, life of the party here!”

  I could feel Bix rolling her eyes beside me.

  “Thea… please, I would rather you come back to me…”

  My gut flipped, and my heart clenched at the same time. That was a new combo, even for me!

  “Sorry, but I’ve gotta do, what I’ve gotta do Seri. But, we’ll do lunch.”

  This time I wasn’t kidding, that was my way of sticking my big toe in the water, testing her temperature.

  “Yes, I would love that. We just have a grieving ancient Sylph and a megalomaniac to subdue first.”

  “You forgot the poser ass-hat witch, slash necromancer wannabe to kick in the balls.”

  Seri sighed, she sounded both tired and wistful. She sounded more the girl, less the princess of all the vampires now.

  “Put me on speaker please. I understand your new vassals are within ear-shot.”

  I clicked the speaker option and said, “You’re on with Harlem Princess.”

  She ignored me calling her princess this time.

  “I, Seraphina Herrington, Crown Princess of Earth, Heir apparent and Lady of the Kingdom of Brook
lyn, hereby name you, Thea Salvo, my kin and second Princess of Earth, third in line to the throne of Earth, Lady of the Republic of Harlem. Word shall be dispatched upon the ending of this call to all the four corners of the world. I so name you and I stand beside you, beside Harlem, equal and allied.”

  You could have heard a pen hit the floor; the room had grown so quiet. In the next moment, I was shocked by the sudden response of all gathered here. Everyone, including my little pal Chelsea, bowed on their knees. I felt power rush through my veins, raw liquid fire and suddenly my sense of the inhumans had broadened exponentially.

  “You feel that, the mantle of power, the burden of the throne. Now, all are yours and all the problems that come with ruling. Congratulations, you, my kin have managed to set an all-time record for fastest to snatch up a domain.”

  Any witty retort I could have launched was lost in the rushing torrents of binding power.

  I could suddenly feel the shambled wards that had once covered Harlem. I could feed power into them, of that much I was certain, but I needed to talk to Bix and Seri more, before I started blindly throwing my necromantic power around.

  I switched the phone off speaker.

  “Seri be careful and don’t turn your sweet ginger ass over to that perverted old necrovamp.”

  She giggled, a very girlish and adorable song to my ears.

  “You almost sound as if you care…”

  I bit my lip and whispered out, “Maybe…”

  She didn’t say anything, but I knew she heard me.

  “I’ll be in touch my kin. Sweet dreams…”

  She hung up on that and my mouth popped open.

  Sweet dreams?!!!!

  Yep, I am going to be stressing on this for a while…

  Eighteen:

  Seraphina thumped her head down on her desk and huffed out a very long exhausted breath.

  ‘Seri, my lovely sunshine, what’s eattin yer goat?”

  Seri’s voice was slightly muffled by the desk pressing into her lips.

  “My kin is seven different kinds of insane! ‘I’m an immortal for a single day, so now it’s time to claim my own domain!’”