Mira stepped in closer to him, letting out a low, rolling purr and cupping his cheek.
“It makes me feel so very annoyed that I can’t show my feelings for you properly,” said Mira. “My sweet Jack. If you’d only return me to my previous form, I would be able to reward you for each and every sweet, caring gesture you make.”
“Funny you should say that,” said Jack. “I’ve always considered not giving you the Embrace to be one of said sweet, caring gestures.”
“You have a very strange perspective,” whispered Mira.
They’d drawn a little closer together, and despite the horrible handiwork of the water nymph still evident on the beach behind them, Jack was tempted to throw her down onto one of the towels on the sand. He took a slow breath and gave Mira a quick, teasing peck on the lips before she could pull away.
“I’ll be back,” said Jack.
CHAPTER 10
Jack had a good idea about where he needed to go next. The water nymph had a predictable method of attack, and though it was simple, it had already proven to be a threat to him, with or without his vampiric abilities. Also, it was a method of attack he was reasonably sure that he could find a counter for.
He headed up the boardwalk in flip-flops and a t-shirt. The beach wasn’t far from one of the thin, coastal roads that wound up the cliffs that faced the ocean on Lestaron Island’s southeast side. Few people bothered to head up that way, and Jack didn’t have to worry about cars as he enjoyed the scenery of the route.
It took him half an hour to arrive at his destination. A tiny shack with a thin roof of rusted aluminum and unpainted walls lay at the end of a long driveway on the flat, unused section of land at the top of the cliffs. The shack looked more like what a retired carpenter might build if they regained partial usage of their hands in the aftermath of a stroke. From the outside, at least.
Palmer was in his side-yard, tending to a blazing fire that was barely contained within an old steel barrel. He was a tall man, completely bald, with gaunt features and a pallor that reminded Jack of a relapsing drug addict. He wore a grey A-shirt along with jean cutoffs and was currently in the process of tipping a see-through bag filled with unidentifiable green powder into the trash fire. He flinched back as he let go of the bag, only just dodging a plume of red flames and sparks that exploded upward.
“Bloody fucking hell!” shouted Palmer. “Never again! Never one single, tit-sucking, cunt-fucking, time again!”
“Never again what?” asked Jack.
Palmer hesitated instead of grabbing another of the bags strewn about his feet. He tossed his hands up as he looked over at Jack, breaking out into a huge grin.
“Jackie Masterson,” said Palmer. “Good to see you, lad. How’s the harem treating you?”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Two women does not a harem make. Especially when one of them withholds sex as a bargaining chip.”
“Yeah, yeah, you have it so fucking hard,” said Palmer, still smiling.
They greeted each other with a firm hand clasp. The two of them had become drinking buddies, if not friends, during Jack’s time on the island. Outside of the residents of the mansion, Palmer was one of the few people on the island with a grasp on the supernatural.
“So tell me,” said Jack. “Never again what?”
Palmer made a “pshhh” noise and gestured to the bags.
“Discount alchemy ingredients,” he said. “I must be a fucking wanker for falling for the scam in the first place. All of it’s cut to the point of being as useful as the lint I pull out of my dickhole.”
“Thanks for that mental image,” said Jack. “You didn’t try to use any of it in place of your usual stuff, did you?”
“Of course not,” said Palmer. “Shame on you for even suggesting it.”
“I only ask because—”
“I know, I know,” said Palmer. “Your BDSM potions.”
“Anti-enthrallment potions,” said Jack. “I can’t have them failing.”
“I stuck to the recipe you gave me,” said Palmer. “Is that what you’re here about?”
Jack shook his head.
“No, something else,” he said. “Do you have a minute?”
Palmer tossed another bag, this one filled with a purple, gelatinous substance, onto the fire. It let out a plume of gushing, multicolored sparks that reminded Jack of a prematurely detonated firework.
“For you?” Palmer flashed a toothy smile. “I have several, maybe upwards of ten, even!”
The trash barrel’s flames dimmed slightly, and a distinct popping noise came from deep within.
“A few people drowned today down at the beach,” said Jack. “It wasn’t an accident, either. The culprit is a water nymph.”
“Oof,” said Palmer. “Those things are cute and all, but deadly as venom.”
“Yeah, I get that now,” said Jack. “You got anything that could help me out against it? Some type of anti-drowning potion?”
Palmer laughed, and Jack felt a slight prickle of embarrassment on his face. He wasn’t as well-versed with the magical world as he wanted to be. It wasn’t really his fault, given how little time he’d been aware of it and involved, but it left him feeling the breadth of his ignorance at times.
“I got something for you,” said Palmer. “Worry not.”
He left the trash fire and headed into his shack. Jack didn’t follow after him. He’d been into Palmer’s illusory estate once before, and he wasn’t overly comfortable with the way the magical projection fooled his eyes. It looked like a palace inside, complete with scantily clad women and a sprawling floor plan. But it was all just an illusion, created by spells and enchantments.
“Here.” Palmer came back out with a small bottle in hand. “This isn’t an anti-drowning potion, but it’ll do the trick for you, I think. It’s a breath potion. It will expand the capacity of your lungs by a factor of ten. If you can normally hold your breath for ninety seconds, this potion will let you hold it for…”
Palmer played with the fingers of his free hand, frowning deeply.
“A while,” he finished. “Long enough, probably, for you to stand a chance against this water nympho.”
“Water nymph,” said Jack, smiling. “I guess that will have to do. It won’t help me if she forces water into my lungs, but as long as I can keep that from happening, I should be okay. How long does it last for?”
“Two hours,” said Palmer. “That’s the general effect, mind you. No guarantee your lungs could hold air for that long.”
“I assumed as much,” he said.
“Right…” Palmer wiggled the potion back and forth. “That’ll be fifty of your American dollars.”
“I’ve covered your tab for the last three times we’ve been to Stickly’s Tavern,” said Jack. “Let’s call it even.”
Palmer sighed and handed him the potion. The clouds overhead had darkened further, and the wind was starting to pick up. It wasn’t weather that boded well for Jack, who would have to walk all the way back to the mansion.
“Anything else?” asked Palmer. He walked over to the fire and started reaching for another bag.
Jack was about to shake his head when he remembered something.
“Have you ever heard of someone named Adana before?” he asked.
Palmer froze in the middle of tossing more of his useless ingredients onto the fire.
“Someone…” said Palmer. “I think you mean something. Least, if you’re talking about the bloody Adana I know about.”
“What is it, then?” asked Jack.
Palmer stood up straight. He swallowed and looked past Jack toward the dark clouds in the distance. Lightning flashed, followed by the low rumble of thunder.
“There are some things that you honestly just don’t want to fuck around with,” said Palmer. “Believe me when I say this. Adana is one of them.”
“Tell me,” said Jack. “Please? I’ll cover your tab again next time we’re at the bar.”
“You’ll probably end up doing th
at anyway,” muttered Palmer. He hesitated. “Fine. But you’d better take this information and sit on it, Jackie. This is no bloody game, you understand?”
Jack nodded.
“Adana is a demoness from the Other Realms,” said Palmer, in a slow, deliberate voice. “She’s a sinister fucking cunt. The stories I’ve heard about her… don’t bear repeating. Her and her demon brother, Mezolak, well… they’re like something out of a horror movie. One of the good horror movies that’s almost too scary to watch.”
“She’s a demoness?” asked Jack. “So she’s like a monster or a ghoul?”
Palmer chuckled and shook her head.
“Oh, she’s a monster alright, but not like you’re probably thinking,” said Palmer. “They call her the temptress. She’s one of the few demons that can briefly manifest in the Mortal Realm when summoned. Plus, she’s the type that’s always looking to make a deal with humans. Literal fucking deals with the devil.”
Jack considered what Palmer was telling him as another thunderclap sounded overhead. Rain began to fall, moving past a drizzle to a heavy, thick downpour in a manner of seconds.
“What does it take to summon her?” Jack shouted, over the rising ambience of the storm.
“You’re out of your mind,” said Palmer. “No. I’m not telling you anything more. Too much of a risk.”
“I can handle it,” said Jack.
“You can’t, and that’s beside the point,” said Palmer. “I like you, Jackie, but this isn’t just a risk to you. Summoning Adana would put the entire town at risk, if not the entire fucking world. No. Best you just forget that name.”
Palmer grabbed the remaining bags of counterfeit alchemy ingredients and garbage outside and tossed them into the dwindling barrel fire. It dimmed for a moment, and then let out a tremendous plume of fire and smoke that reminded Jack of an exploding volcano. The rain continued to slam downward, countering the fire’s exuberance and soaking Jack’s clothes.
“Hold on,” he said, as Palmer headed for his shack. “If I did want to summon her…”
“Fuck off,” said Palmer. “The answer is no. Pleasure doing business with you.”
He slipped into his shack and slammed the door before Jack could get in another word.
CHAPTER 11
The walk back to the mansion was cold, wet, and thoroughly unpleasant. By the time Jack made it to the gate, he was as soaked as though he’d jumped into the water with his clothes on. He found himself feeling grateful that he’d left his phone with Mira, lest it be ruined by the elements.
As soon as Jack made it in through the front door, he took his shirt off and tossed it to the floor. The sounds of the wind and thunder echoed through the empty foyer, and even though it was only early in the evening, the black clouds choked out what would have remained of the sun.
Mira was reading a book in the lounge, and she let a silent chuckle when she saw Jack’s waterlogged state. He set the breath potion down on the table and crossed his arms, leaning against the back of the couch.
“Well,” said Mira. “Look what the storm dragged in.”
“It’s pretty insane out there,” said Jack. “Do you think it has anything to do with the water nymph?”
“Perhaps,” said Mira. “Though storms aren’t exactly uncommon on an island like this.”
A few silent seconds went by. Palmer’s words about Adana continued to echo in Jack’s head. Curiosity killed the cat, he reminded himself. But what killed the man he’d found buried in his father’s grave?
“You’re pensive,” said Mira. “What’s on your mind, dearest Jack?”
“…Do you know anything about a demoness named Adana?”
Mira sat up a little straighter. She slid a silk ribbon into her book to hold her place and closed it. She folded her arms across her breasts and licked her lips, looking far more serious than she had a few seconds earlier.
“What brings this up?” asked Mira. “Speaking of Adana is… not generally something that people do without good reason. At least, people who know about her.”
Jack knew he wouldn’t be able to get her to help without being straight about a few of the secrets he’d been keeping.
“For the past few months, I’ve been trying to figure out what really happened when my parents died and I was sent away from the island,” he said. “That’s where I was last night. Digging up my father’s grave.”
Mira’s eyebrows shot up.
“That’s… quite the place to start,” she said. “Did you discover anything of note?”
“There was a body in his casket,” said Jack. “It wasn’t his.”
Mira frowned and slowly shook her head.
“How does this relate to Adana?” she asked.
“I looked through Peter’s journals,” said Jack. “Found the one from the year I was sent away. Most of the pages from around the time of the accident were ripped out, but there was one sentence that referred to Adana. He cursed her name.”
“Probably for good reason,” said Mira. “…Hold on. Peter kept journals? Where are these?”
“There isn’t much in them that’s very interesting,” said Jack.
“I don’t care, I’d like to read them,” said Mira.
Jack rolled his eyes.
“If you help me summon Adana,” he said, speaking carefully, “I’ll let you read all of them.”
Mira was already shaking her head. She stood up from the couch and walked around to the other side, so she could stand next to him.
“My sweet Jack,” she whispered. “I wish you could have the answers that you seek. But I sincerely doubt you’ll find them through a demoness known for possessing people and tricking mortals out of their bodies.”
“I need to know,” said Jack. “You know how to summon her, don’t you?”
“Assuming I did,” said Mira, “I would require more from you in return than just the memoirs of an old friend.”
She looked at Jack directly, letting her deep blue eyes settle on his. He scowled and exhaled through his teeth. The last thing he wanted to do was give Mira what he knew she wanted, but who else would be able to help him? Even if Katie had been around, he doubted that she would have even let him finish his sentence once he mentioned summoning a demon, let alone aid him in summoning it.
“Mira…” he said. “You know how I feel about this.”
“I do,” she said. “But I also know that you’re reasonable. I promise I’d behave. Truly, I would! You’d have nothing to worry about.”
She smiled and let her fingers brush across his shoulder. Jack still hadn’t gotten used to interacting with her as a human. Their relationship had evolved into one of equals, which said a lot about how powerful Mira had been as a vampire and how capable and intelligent she still was, even without her blood magic.
“The only reason you have a comfortable life right now is because of me,” said Jack, sharpening his tone. “You don’t have a license or a bank account. If I decided to stop helping you, Mira, you’d be out on the street.”
“I’m well aware of that,” she said. “But I also know you, Jack. It’s because I know you that I set this as my price. Do you think I want you to attempt a demon summoning?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. You’ve never seemed to shy away from danger in the past.”
“Calling what you’re suggesting ‘dangerous’ is like calling the sacking of a city an ‘incident.’ You are biting off quite a lot with this. Perhaps more than you can chew.”
“How so?” asked Jack. “If I’m careful and know in advance not to trust the demoness or present any weakness to her, I don’t see what the issue would be.”
“It isn’t just Adana that you’ll contending with,” said Mira. “Demon summonings have a specific magical echo that resonates in their wake. You’re already on the Order of Chaldea’s radar, my sweet Jack. Summoning Adana… would put you on their most wanted list, so to speak.”
Jack winced slightly. The logical part of him knew that
it was a horrible idea for a dozen different reasons. But he needed to know the truth. The mystery had gotten into him like an untreated infection, and the fever was starting to affect his thinking.
“I’ll consider giving you the Embrace,” Jack said, in a quiet voice. “If you help me with this, I’ll think about it.”
“You’ll think about it?” asked Mira.
“If you can stay out of trouble for a few months, and prove that you won’t be the same kind of vampire that you were before, I’ll give you the Embrace,” he said.
He expected her to immediately refuse, but she considered his terms for a long moment, and then nodded.
“Fair enough,” she said. “But know this, Jack. I will hold you to your end of the bargain.”
He nodded slowly, feeling a little relieved that he’d managed to convince her. Unfortunately, that relief didn’t extend to the tension and anxiety he felt at the idea of performing the summoning. His shoulders felt stiff and heavy, and his heart was pounding a little too hard in his chest.
“Deal.” Jack extended his hand to shake hers. Mira playfully slapped it aside and kissed him instead.
She gave him a deep, passionate kiss, letting her tongue briefly dart into his mouth like a snake peeking out of the grass. Jack felt a little overwhelmed by how naturally he responded to having her body against his. She was so soft, from her butt to her breasts. And if he did turn her into a vampire again, she’d have no reservations about letting him take her.
“Let’s head down to the workshop,” said Jack. “We can discuss the details there.”
“Oh, you know just what to say…” Mira ran her hand through his hair, not pulling back from him immediately.
CHAPTER 12
“The spell is going to require a few additions,” said Mira. “The first of which being a clean, unspoiled area on which to draw the summoning circle.”
Jack nodded, leaning against the table of the workshop. There wasn’t much open space inside the small, hidden room. Katie had never returned to the mansion to pick up her alchemy equipment after leaving to join the Order, and most of it was still scattered around the shelves and cupboards.
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