The Goddess Durga Series: (Urban Fantasy box set)

by Jen Pretty

  He snorted a laugh and opened a bottle, taking a sip before handing it to me.

  "Thanks," the mind reading thing was maybe not so bad. I mean, it's possible I had thought some random dirty thoughts while we drank in the past, but as long as he wasn't spreading gossip about me, we were probably cool.

  His white teeth glinted in the low light, and I knew he had been listening.

  I thought every swear word I knew at him, including some super dirty ones, until he laughed out loud.

  When he got control of himself, he looked at me and lost all the humour. "I'm a warlock," he said straight-faced.

  I laughed this time. “Magic and shit?" I had honestly assumed everything else was probably true as well. If vampires are real, why not magic and fairies and whatnot.

  He looked conflicted like he didn't really want to tell me the answer but when he did speak again, all he said was "Sort of," which cleared up absolutely nothing.

  I snorted. “What is this place then? Some kind of warlock secret meeting place?”

  “You could call it that. It’s a place of power in the city. A safe place. But it is kind of a secret.”

  "You know all my secrets," I complained.

  "It's not safe for you to know any more right now. You’ll have to trust me a bit longer."

  That was the moment I realized he knew that I trusted him. He had plucked the thought out of my head the last time we were here and could easily take advantage of that trust since I had no idea if it was misplaced or not. Gah, things were easier when I didn't know any of this when we were just two people sitting on bar stools.

  "We were never just two people, Lark. But let's go to Arnie's. We can pretend it's like it used to be."

  "Ok," I said and followed him back out the door. The night had truly fallen now, and the darkness in the alley was sharp in contrast to the light of the street lamp which cut across the entrance.

  The streets were quiet tonight. Tuesday night was not a big party night for anyone. As we turned the corner to get to the bar, we came upon a group of men but as soon as they spotted us, they dispersed quietly. Once we were passed, I looked over to Frankie whose face betrayed nothing. Now that I thought about it, no one had ever bothered me when I walked with Frankie. He was tall but not particularly rough looking. He was clean-shaven, and if it weren’t for his leather jacket, he would look almost bookish.

  Frankie looked at me, and I knew that he had read my thoughts, but he seemed disinclined to fill in the details for me, so I let it go too. I just wanted a bit of normal like he had offered and talking about the thugs would probably not be normal. I'd just have to remember to walk the streets with Frankie at night – never alone.

  "You can walk the streets safely. I have made sure everyone knows not to bother you," he said, apparently not hiding the fact he was reading my mind anymore.

  "You can't control the drug dealers and muggers," I said, sure he was exaggerating.

  He winked at me, "Can't I?"

  That conversation was threatening to get really not-normal really fast. If he had some kind of power over the evil of our neighbourhood, I didn't want to hear about it tonight.

  Arnie's was quiet, as I predicted. A couple older guys watching the sports on the TV and sipping beers and then there was us. We sat at the bar, in our usual seats. Gin and tonic, rum and coke, empty seat between us. Arnie turned on the music, and I let my mind chill. I tried not to think about vampires or magic, but that was impossible. I started to wonder what else Frankie could do. Maybe he could fix me, so I didn't see vampires anymore. Would I be safe then? Argh, I was ruining it.

  Frankie slid onto the seat between us, and his elbow brushed against mine on the bar and said: "You are fine just as you are."

  I sighed.

  "You don't understand. Move back one seat. God." I shooed him away from me.

  He laughed and shifted back over. We drank quietly for a while before the bar started to get busy. Some people were playing pool in the back, a group of girls were at the bar drinking fruity drinks and giggling about something. Probably boys. I had never bothered trying to make friends. I moved too often after my family was gone.

  Frustrated, I kicked my booted feet under my bar stool, time for another drink. I waved to Arnie, and he smiled and slid a drink to me. "Thanks, Arnie," I waved.

  A man wearing a leather jacket like Frankie’s sat down at the bar and started talking to him about something quietly. I had never seen anyone else in that jacket, so I watched them out of the corner of my eye for a few minutes, but I was getting stir crazy and decided to go check out the pool tables. I knew how to play but wasn't very good. Usually, I shot balls around, trying to organize the balls on the table by colour. It was like a Zen garden except I got to smash the rocks with a pointy stick.

  After about twenty minutes or so, the guys playing pool at the other table went back to the bar leaving me alone in the back room. Arnie came in every now and then to take my empty glass and leave me a full one, but otherwise, it was empty. The voices and music from the main bar were muted back here, leaving me to my thoughts.

  If I moved to the left side of the table, I could see the back of Frankie's head. I thought at him that his ears were elfish, and he put a hand up to feel his ear. Ha. That was a fun trick. I turned back around and lined up a shot. That was when I felt eyes on me. I glanced under my arm and saw the vampire who had been here last time and bought yogurt at the Discount Emporium. He was just leaning against the wall in the shadow of the far corner, by the vacant pool table – watching me.

  Weirdo.

  I ignored him as long as I could before turning and glaring. "What do you want?"

  He didn't speak immediately, so I set the pool cue down and grabbed my drink. I walked back to where Frankie was still chatting with the same guy. My seat was occupied, but I was ready to go anyway. I downed my drink and set the glass on the bar. Frankie said goodbye to the guy and walked towards the door. I followed behind him and out into the cold night air

  "There was a vampire, and he has been following me, I think," I said. Frankie hadn't asked and probably already knew. If he did know, he didn't seem concerned.

  "I can't interfere. I said I wouldn't as long as you weren't in danger," he said mysteriously.

  Argh. "What does that even mean? I don't understand you! Can't you just give me a straight answer?"

  "I told him I would let it be. You should talk to him," he replied, making zero sense.

  "Talk to the vampire?" I shouted incredulously. We had stopped in the middle of the empty sidewalk. Deep shadows were hiding the storefronts and the alley, but we were directly under a street light. From where I stood, I couldn't see Frankie's face because he was backlit by the lamp.

  Things were so messed up.

  A limo pulled up beside us, and I recognized Randy behind the wheel. He had been absent for a few days, but I felt like I was being watched occasionally. He lowered the passenger window and leaned across the center console to look at me. "Mr. Crowden would like to speak with you if you can spare a moment."

  I looked at Frankie, but he avoided my gaze. Fine. That was how it was.

  "Sure, Randy, let's do this," I said throwing my hands in the air. Maybe it was the alcohol that caused my poor decision, but if Frankie wouldn't fill me in, maybe this vamp would tell me what was up before he ate me.

  "He won't eat you," Frankie muttered unhappily. The mind reading thing was already getting old, and I narrowed my eyes at Frankie to make sure he knew I was done with that. Randy hopped out and zipped around the front of the car, ushering me towards the back. He opened the door, and when I slid inside, he closed it again. Before I could blink, we were moving down the road.

  The limo went around the block and stopped in front of Arnie's. I opened my mouth to ask Randy what he was doing when the door opened, and that weird vamp that had been watching me slipped inside. He shut the door and then we were moving again.

  "Hello, Amelia," he said in that suave tone
he seemed partial to. I cringed at his use of my old name.

  "So, you are Mr. Crowden then?" When he nodded, I continued, "Call me Lark,"

  "I'm not calling you that."

  "It's my name," I said shortly.

  "No, it isn't. Your name is Amelia Rose Clark. That is the name your parents gave you."

  Insta-panic. He knew too much.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  "Stop the car," I said loud enough for Randy to hear me. He looked back at Mr. Crowden in the rear-view mirror. "I said stop the car," I nearly yelled, panic escalating in my voice as I pulled on the door handle.

  The limo pulled over, and I pushed the door hard to get out before slamming it behind me and striding off down the road. We were only half a dozen blocks from my apartment, close enough to walk.

  A vampire talking about my family was as close to a death threat as I could think of. There was a reason I changed my name and moved to a different state. This was a new life. One that I had made for myself. I didn't care that I lived in a shitty apartment or drove a shitty car when those things were mine. This life was mine. It didn't belong to vampires. Vampires ruined everything. If Mr. Crowden wanted to kill me, fine, but I wasn't going to be the mouse he toyed with.

  I walked along the dirty, darkened streets - followed by a sleek and shiny limousine. The night was chilly, but my blood still ran hot, and my mind was spinning.

  How did he even know who I was? Was he involved somehow in what had happened to my family, or did he hack some database to get my history? Ugh.

  I was in the dark all the time, while my whole life story was, apparently, an open book. Something had to change.

  I remembered the letters I had taken from the vampire house. Google could help translate them. Maybe they held useful information.

  It was nearly daybreak by the time I was home. Crawling into bed would have been perfect, but I had an early class, so I threw on my yoga clothes and headed back down to my car. It was still parked where I had left it. Thank God!

  Wednesday morning was my senior’s yoga class. I took a deep breath and let go of the anger and fear and guilt brought up by the vampire because I loved this class. The little old ladies giggled like school girls as they did modified yoga poses, and the dirty old men waggled their eyebrows at the ladies. I couldn't help loving them all. Seeing them made me think of my parents and what they would be like now if they had survived. It also made me wonder if I would grow old with someone too, someday, and if we would take some class together at the gym.

  When the last pair of grey-haired sweethearts had walked out, I went to the aerobics room and booked a treadmill. Running was my least favourite exercise, but it was, hands down, the best workout bang for your buck, so I forced myself to do it twice a week.

  I was jamming out to the heavy metal music that came with the iPod I bought at the pawn shop last payday and getting my heart rate up when the ass, Mr. Crowden, walked in wearing sweats and took up the treadmill beside me.

  "What are you doing?" I asked, pulling out an earbud.

  "Hmm? Oh, just getting in a workout," he replied casually. Great.

  "You don't even go to this gym." Do vampires even need to work out?

  "I do now. I needed a new gym; mine was quite boring." He turned the speed up to full, and the sound of the machine cut off our conversation – such as it was.

  Bitter at having to share my gym with him, I put my earbud back in and turned the volume up a bit more. I focused on the far wall and just ran. I definitely ran harder and longer than usual. My legs were threatening to give out, so I hit the stop button and moved to the walking track that circled the room to cool down.

  Of course, he walked up beside me. Between the metal music and my anger at his invasion of my sacred space, I got a bit bolder than I should have.

  "Why haven't you killed me?" I asked the vampire. A man with a ponytail on an elliptical looked at me. Hmm, maybe I should whisper.

  Mr. Crowden chuckled. Apparently, he wasn't winded at all from his run. "I have no interest in killing you while I have a need for your skills."

  I stopped dead, and he kept walking. "What do you mean?" I asked louder as he was still moving away from me.

  "As I said, you have a skill. I require that skill for a project."

  "Why would I do anything for you?" I asked hotly, walking after him but his long legs still carried him farther. Being short was dumb.

  Suddenly he was in front of me. His eyes were burning into mine from inches away. "Pretty brave. I can think of one excellent reason why you would do as I ask, but I don’t think I need to spell it out for you."

  Shit. Holy shit!

  I turned on my heel and hurried back to the locker room, but when I chanced a look behind me, he was gone. I should get in my car and leave. Now that he knew about me, it was always going to be like this; like walking on the edge of a knife. It would be better off in a city where no one knew about me. No matter what Frankie said, I couldn't just trust that he wouldn't eventually kill me even if he had a use for me right now.

  Back in my street clothes, I walked out of the building and immediately dropped my gym bag as anger crashed over me. My car was gone. Again. That rat bastard! I spun in a circle looking for any vampire. Not one was in sight. I was so done with this. I called a cab and sat on the curb. I didn't have money to be throwing away on cabs, but I was exhausted and just wanted to go home.

  A car pulled up in front of me, and the window lowered. It wasn't a cab.

  "You want a lift?" Randy asked from the driver's seat of his Tesla.

  "I already called a cab, move along, vamp," I replied, still completely annoyed.

  "I don't think that cab will be coming. I'll drive you home though."

  If the bastard had cancelled my cab, I would have to take the bus with my gym bag. "Frig. Why can't you people leave me alone?" I asked, exasperated.

  "Get in, please?" He asked. He looked so innocent and not at all like a monster.

  I considered my options then opened the door and jammed myself and my gym bag in the passenger seat.

  "Can you take me to my car?" I asked hopefully.

  "Sorry, the boss doesn't want you running away. I can drive you anywhere you want to go." He put the car in drive and drove towards my apartment.

  Randy seemed like he was maybe an ok guy, for a vampire. Perhaps he would be on my side. "Why is he doing this?"

  Randy just kept driving for a while, chewing his lip like he wanted to say something. So, I let him consider his words. After a while he whispered, softly "he is the boss, he doesn’t usually have to ask nicely to get what he wants, but you have powerful protection."

  "What protection?" I asked.

  He just bit his lip and shook his head.

  “Please? I have no idea what to do or who to trust,” I said hoping the truth might convince him to spill it.

  "Look, don't tell anyone I told you, ok? But your friend is a freaking powerful warlock and can basically do what he wants. There is a treaty that won't allow him to act first, but his wrath would be … uhm, unpleasant."

  I snorted. "Frankie? Huh. Well, that's good for me." I trailed off. Thinking about all the things Frankie had said about me being safe and that I won't be bothered by anyone anymore. Maybe there was truth to his words. I assumed his promises were more for my peace of mind than an actual guarantee.

  I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Frankie: Are you a complete badass?

  I got his reply a moment later: pretty much.

  Huh, well there you go. Even if I had no idea what the hell I was stepping into, having someone who demanded respect at my back, was probably an excellent start.

  Since I had Randy here and he seemed in a sharing mood, it was time to start Vampires 101.

  “Tell me about this treaty, Randy.”

  “Uhm, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’ll get in trouble if he finds out.”

  “Mr. Crowden?”

  He nodded but seemed nervous, so I let
it go.

  “Do vampires eat food?” I asked, hoping that line of questioning wouldn’t get anyone in trouble.

  “Oh yes, we eat just like humans do,” he said relaxing now that we had stepped away from the touchy subject. “We are just like humans except we don’t sleep and drink blood.” He seemed to realize his words and frowned. I didn’t want to hear about them drinking blood.

  At least it answered the yogurt question. I would have to find a different way to find out about this treaty, starting with translating those borrowed letters.

  When I got home, I booted up my laptop and started typing in words from the first letter. It all seemed very ordinary and boring. It talked about a trip this Vaughn person had taken and something about taking care of a family. Nothing incriminating at all but google translate did a pretty poor job of making sense of them.

  That evening I took Randy's offer of a drive to work and made it through my shift without a vampire in the store. Thursday morning, I struggled through my advanced yoga class, and that night I was back at the store and stacking soup cans on a shelf when a throat cleared behind me. I knew it was Mr. Crowden. I had no thoughts that he might have decided to leave me alone, but I was so tired of this game and just wanted it over with.

  "What do you want?" I asked him, not turning around.

  "I would like to speak to you about a job opportunity," he said tightly. Like it was literally hurting him to be civilized at this point.

  "What?" I asked, turning towards him.

  "I'm asking for your help," he said shortly before taking a deep calming breath. I swear he counted to ten in his head before he continued. "I would appreciate a few moments of your time, at a place and time convenient to you. Please let Randy know."

  He turned to leave, and as he got to the door, I called out "I want my car back." He didn't stop and was out the door without replying. Jerk.

  In the wee hours of Friday morning, as I was getting ready to leave, my boss called me into his office for our weekly visit. The bruising on my face was now easily covered with makeup, so I looked presentable. I grabbed my stuff from the break room, and Mr. Fellum ushered me into his office. My shift was the same as last week, but I had the Sunday night shift too. So, I only had two nights off. I should pick an evening to meet with the vampire. He was not going to leave me alone, apparently, and maybe what he wanted wasn't so terrible. A job offer didn't sound bad. Unless it involved selling my blood to him. Ugh. Only one way to find out.