“Partners. Now let’s go mingle with the nastiest fae on this side of the West Coast.” Even though a smile lit her face, gravity descended with her words. “Now, I’m assuming you’ll want to discuss a certain topic in private?” Danica asked, arching a brow.
Liz shook her head. “The boys can hear it too. I’m living with them after all, and if my kind are a threat to theirs, they deserve to know what trouble they’re getting into.” She stepped a few paces away, crossing her arms over her chest and wishing she had something in her immediate vicinity to lean on. The vicious swirl of hope and anticipation threatened to consume. She took another step back to steady herself and smacked straight into a solidness behind her.
Kieran wrapped an arm around her shoulder, offering the support she’d been craving. “Lay it on us. We’re not willing to risk our booking manager. I’ve been told they’re tough to come by.”
Danica tapped her heel against the desk she sat upon. “There have been fae going missing for years, and whispers of hunters—humans able to resist the fae and ones who’ve made it their sworn mission to destroy them. Think like … Buffy the Vampire Slayer for our kind. Except, Jolly Old King Tiberius just got a signed declaration of open war—meaning the hunters are tired of hiding in the shadows—they’ll be searching for blood.”
“Don’t suppose they have a headquarters I can crash?” Liz joked, barely daring to believe what Danica said. That she had a purpose, a reason for these abilities. Her heart squeezed tight in her chest as she leaned into Kieran’s hold, her lifeline at the moment. While there were fae she’d love to take down, the boys of Discord’s Desire were ones she would protect with her life.
Danica grabbed a thick steno pad and one of the six dozen neon green pens scattered across her desk and scribbled something. She ripped off the paper and thrust it forward. “Here’s an address. It’s not headquarters, and it’s hearsay, but it’s worth a shot. Though I’d recommend going by your lonesome.”
Liz stepped forward, her legs trembling from excitement as she grabbed the piece of paper from Danica and stuffed it in her pocket. Their eyes met.
“Thank you,” Liz said, her throat squeezing tight. She’d been an outcast her entire life—a freak amongst the humans, an outsider amongst the fae. Yet for the first time she had the chance to find others like her out there. Liz just needed to tackle a minefield of Unseelie at the Lotus Garden first.
Chapter Fourteen
The preparation for the ball had been all glitz and no teeth, but for the Lotus Garden tonight, Kieran took the opposite approach. He didn’t bother with handguns, but they kept their own storage of weapons—anyone outside of the Court did. Tonight, he busted out his nastiest pair of black jeans, a wifebeater, and his leather jacket. Simple was best.
“Otherworld be damned, need any more needles, porcupine?” Renn mouthed off while Jett slipped knife after knife into the utility vest he donned.
“Sorry, my plan consists of a little more than stumbling in and trying to fuck my way out of the situation,” Jett said, ignoring Renn while he placed a bigger dagger inside his boot, this one copper. Most of them packed at least one copper-lined weapon in case this night devolved into a fight with the Unseelie. The metal would scald anyone from that court.
Trevor’s fingers twitched while he sat at the booth, staring at the window, like his smoker’s urges ramped up to overdrive. His nerves must be riding him hard. Any fae-governed locales spelled bad news bears for Trevor on the off chance he’d run into his old captor.
Liz buzzed with silence as well. She slipped her Beretta into the waistband of her baggy cargoes and popped brass knuckles on the inside liner of her black hoodie. Given the current climate toward hunters, taking her into a place like the Lotus Garden begged for trouble, but both sides had to respect she belonged to him. While the poaching penalty on a claimed human was death, some fae—especially Unseelie—liked living on the wild side and wouldn’t mind the risk. His stomach tightened, and he fought the protestations rising within him about her coming. He would only get attitude in response, and worse, she’d sneak out and follow, which would leave her unguarded.
All of this tension raced through him, setting his nerves on fire. “You lot look like you’re preparing for a funeral,” he said, his voice echoing around the weighty silence of the bus. “We’re taking a sweet tour of San Fran’s underground. I bet we’ll make tons of friends. The guys at the Lotus Garden are known for being cheery bastards, right?”
Trevor snorted. “Yeah, butterflies and sunshine that lot.”
“Let’s see how cheerful they are with my Beretta up their asses. We’re going for information, and we’re rolling out right after,” Liz said, her hand slipping to her waist.
“Elizabeth,” Jett said in mock surprise as he placed his hand over his mouth. “Who put that foul mouth on you? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”
“Save the shock and horror for the gonorrhea you’re going to get when you try to bone one of the ladies strutting her stuff around the place. Can almost guarantee Lotus Garden will be overflowing with prostitutes,” Liz muttered.
“You promise?” Renn grinned as he slipped his pipes into his pocket. For anyone else, it’d be a mere instrument. For a satyr, pipes were an instrument for destruction.
A knock shook the door of the RV, drawing everyone’s attention that way. Kieran took the initiative and strode toward the front of the bus, brimming with unspent energy.
Danica stood outside, arms crossed and looking nothing like the business professional they’d encountered this morning. She’d donned black leggings, black stompers, and an oversized purple jacket with plenty of pockets. Even still, the easy smile she flashed upon entering the RV provided a direct contrast to the doom and gloom crowding out the air in here.
“Did someone die?” Danica wrinkled her nose once she stepped into the bus and peered at the rest of them.
Kieran snorted. “You’d think with the way these bastards are brooding.”
“This is my face for everything,” Trevor commented, standing from his seat, which caused a jangling in his pockets to tip off the sheer amount he’d packed away for this excursion. “I mean, we’re going to a puppy parade, right?”
“Oh yeah,” Danica responded, rolling on pure sarcasm. “That’s the main event of the Lotus Garden, followed by a kitten dance party.”
“Plus, strippers,” Renn said. “A bunch of walking, talking Five Hour Energy shots.”
“And we’ll never get to any of them if we don’t get a move on.” Kieran took the reins like always, heading for the front of the bus. Even though his adrenaline kicked into high gear, guilt flooded through his veins like a numbing poison. No one would be dealing with this mess or heading into danger if his brother hadn’t made him a target. Hell, Liz had enough problems to deal with after finding out who her people were without needing his bullshit. The nagging fear descended that she would run off with the first hunter she found, her time as their booking manager a mere pit stop on the road.
They’d parked in one of the nearby city lots, yet another fee he’d swindle his way out of—incubus charms had their perks. This time of night, the neons glowed on every corner, and the slope leading to Chinatown was bedecked with busy storefronts with silk purses and brassy ornaments cluttering the windowsills. The giant red arch adorned the entrance with gilt statues on either side. Even though the salt-water breeze spanned most of San Fran, here, the outdoor produce vendors and fish purveyors who hadn’t packed up yet gave the air in this area a flavorful and sometimes terrible odor.
Jett locked the doors tight as the last to spill out of the RV, and together, their group took off, heading toward the Chinatown entryway. Average humans near jumped out of the way to make space, not wanting to try and navigate their way through a group of thugged-up folks in black leather. Not like he blamed them—they weren’t projecting tourist-friendly in any sense. A group of girls stumbled out from one of the dimly lit sushi restaurants, thei
r laughs pealing in the air as they made their way to the sidewalks. One look at the crew approaching, and even the drunk girls veered out of the way.
“Well, that’s a first,” Jett said. “I’m used to women throwing themselves at me, not heading the other way.”
“Poor baby, dealing with rejection like the rest of us average folk.” Liz patted Jett’s shoulder, a grin rising to her face.
“How do you deal with their constant whoring?” Danica wrinkled her nose, with a bluntness he hadn’t expected from one of his kind. Kieran’s brows lifted in surprise. No wonder Liz liked her.
“A good pair of earplugs and the ability to nap through anything.” She flashed the other woman a broad smile. Even though Liz put on her best show face—they all did—Kieran knew her well enough to notice her tells. The way her hand rested on the hip her Beretta hid beneath, the sharper edge to her words, and the quick way her smiles disappeared after each quip signaled she skated on adrenaline.
Farther into Chinatown, fewer folks wandered these streets, and many of the storefronts shut down for the night, leaving gaping black holes along the main section. Kieran wandered closer to Liz on instinct. He didn’t trust what might slink in the alleys.
“Didn’t know I ranked high enough on the VIP list to get a bodyguard,” she murmured to him as he slid beside her.
“Top of my list any day,” Kieran said without thinking, the intensity clear in his voice. Her eyes flashed with surprise at the admission, and he cursed himself. Before he bungled it further by saying something he regretted, Renn’s loud mouth gave the timely intercept.
“Who wants to call this shit off and go get dumplings?” He complained while they passed yet another restaurant, the open doors greeting them with the drool-inducing scent of spiced meat.
“Dumplings are for closers,” Danica responded. A building came into view in the distance, framed by rose-colored bulbs blinking on and off in regular intervals. A rinky-dink sign with bent neons spelled out Lotus Garden.
Trevor brimmed so full of nerves he pulled out a cigarette and began smoking, even with Renn in their midst. Clouds streamed from his lips as he took the lead, gunning toward the building.
“Don’t leave my side,” Kieran said, leaning to whisper in Liz’s ear. “This isn’t a place to mess around.” The nerves in his chest reached a drumline beat, and every step closer, more fears blossomed—not for his own safety, but if anything happened to Liz, he’d lose it.
Liz lifted a brow at him, crossing her arms over her chest. “Whatever you say, Your Royal Bossiness. I’m just a dim-witted doll about to toddle into traffic.”
“Cute,” he shot back. “The Unseelie around here’ll make those ones with the acid spit look like bunnies. My mojo works on some of them though, so sticking with me might mean less necessary brawls.”
Liz placed a hand over her chest in mock surprise. “Actual logic, coming from you? I may faint.”
Trevor reached the exterior of the Lotus Garden first, and he leaned against the plaster wall, ripping through his cigarette until ash tumbled to the ground. The rose-bulbs cast patterns on the banshee’s silver hair, deepening the shadows under his eyes. Trev wouldn’t be feeling better until this whole jaunt was over.
Danica stepped up next, casting a glance at the clear display of nerves. “What’s got you in a tizzy?”
Jett clapped a hand on Trevor’s shoulder while Renn beelined for the door. “My brother here has some fae friends he’s avoiding.”
Danica nodded, smart enough to let the matter drop rather than pressing on.
Liz rolled up to the door, following Renn’s busting on in approach, while Kieran tailed her. He hadn’t been kidding about sticking to her side. When they entered, the smell of tobacco and spilled beer greeted his inhale in a powerful way. The seething darkness of the corridor ahead guaranteed no casual passersby would venture in, and even Renn slowed his pace to approach with caution. A gray door greeted them at the end of the hall, visible due to one dim light shining overhead.
“Can’t we save ourselves the trouble and cap your brother?” Trevor mumbled, stopping a hair away from bumping into Kieran’s back as they came to a sudden halt.
“I wish,” Kieran said, running a hand through his hair. A slight sweat broke out along his arms, and he couldn’t shake the foreboding while they stared at the door ahead of them.
An elbow hit his side as Danica muscled to the front. “Out of the way, bucko. This isn’t a place they let anyone into.”
She stepped into view and knocked three times at the door. It creaked open for a moment, even though no one stepped into sight.
“What has an eye but cannot see?” a gruff voice came from behind the door.
Kieran rolled his eyes. Of course, the place would involve some sort of riddling.
“A needle,” Danica said with a surprising quickness. Either she’d studied up beforehand, or she’d been lying about her worries of coming to this place by her lonesome. For their sakes, he hoped it was the former not the latter. She stepped back, and the door banged open as the handle slammed against the dark wall.
“Come on in.” A gruff minotaur hulked in front of the entryway, leaving them a mere gap to enter.
Kieran’s back scraped against the doorframe as he pushed his way through, brushing against the creature’s thick fur. He tried to ignore the overwhelming stench of wet dog. The minotaur cast a sullen glare even as he delivered a charming smile in response. The moment they stepped by, his arms prickled with the familiar shift into fae territory. Stepping into the pockets of the Otherworld was like entering a whole different country.
Lanterns hung from the ceilings, strung in wide arcs and twinkling with a cold metallic glow reminiscent of stars. The walls were a deep carmine, blending with the stretching shadows that covered the tables in the corners of the room. This casino didn’t roll in machines, but instead big tables dominated the center of the place, turning the gamblers into a spectator sport as different fae sat around playing blackjack and roulette.
On the far side of the place, a small stage elevated from the rest of the casino with a spotlight cast down on a sultry succubus who oozed sensuality onto the crowd in waves. The woman’s slinky black dress exposed plenty of skin, and her pouty mouth was the exact sort the rough and tumble folks down here would start slinging fists over.
Kieran shook his head, immune to those charms. Not like he hadn’t taken a spin in the sack over a sweet pair of legs in the past, but none of those women seared his very soul like Liz did.
The working girls wore bright red cheongsams exposing plenty of thigh, marking them out from the other ladies who happened to be in attendance. Some sat on laps at the tables, their high, fake laughs crystallizing in the air, while others were leading men to back booths with long crimson curtains for privacy.
Renn lit up like Christmas at the buffet of women wandering through the place.
“Stay on task, jackass.” Jett elbowed Renn in the side, beating Kieran to the punch.
While the glitz of the place bedazzled, as quick the seediness surfaced. Kieran led the way to one of the round bar tables in the shadows, carving his way past the grizzled bastards who made mobsters look like schoolgirls. The Unseelie were an ugly bunch, the monsters that came crawling straight out of your worst nightmares. A wispy creature half his size glared at him from another table, red eyes glowing from the face enshrouded in shadow.
Liz brushed by his arm in an effort to veer as far away from it as possible.
Danica swerved past to claim the nearest seat at the empty table, quiet for the first time since he’d met her. After a clatter of chairs, everyone snagged a seat at the perfect vantage point to survey the whole arena, which brimmed with all different shapes and sizes of fae.
“I could use a drink,” Liz muttered by his side.
Trevor grunted in agreement while his nails threatened to burrow into the surface of the table.
As if by magic, a goblin approached, a slide to his
step and a hunch in his shoulder. “Does the lady want a beverage?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye.
Kieran glowered. “No, but I want two pints. In fact, a round for the table would be a good start.”
The goblin nodded even as he scowled, his leathery skin crinkling with every movement. As fast as he appeared, the creature stepped away, vanishing from view. The slipstreams in the Otherworld were effortless, and here into Winter’s realm meant wandering farther outside these gates in the opposite direction would place them into the dangerous Arctic territories.
“We’re not going to get anywhere unless we mingle,” Danica complained, smacking a palm on the table. Her voice reached a level of whine competing with Renn as those bright, curious eyes scoped out the arena.
“Any suggestions who to fraternize with?” Jett asked. He played with the buttons of his sleeves while casting the occasional distasteful glance to the surrounding crowd.
“Why don’t we hit a table?” she suggested, looking over to Trevor who shook his head with his lips forming a flat line.
“I’ll go,” Kieran intercepted, knowing his friend would prefer sticking to the shadows or even better, getting the hell out. He glanced to Liz next to him. “Only if you’ll be my good luck charm.” He winked, hoping she’d humor him.
“Fine, since I’m sure as hell not blowing any money here.” Liz shrugged. Her boots thumped onto the smooth tile as she hopped up from her seat. “What about the pints?”
“He’ll find us,” Danica said, leading the way over to the roulette table with a couple of empty seats. Five players crowded the table: two severe, but stunning pixies who buzzed around rather than using the seats, a spriggan whose long oaken tendrils brushed against the rim of the table, a troll who took up more space than reasonable and whose long scraggly body hair brushed anyone nearby, and a white lady whose opacity flickered every so often.
Kieran sank into the nearest available seat even though the goblin dealer didn’t even pause to look at him. He glanced to Liz and gestured to his lap. “Want a seat?”
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