by Krista Walsh
“We’ll see,” Daphne said. “I guess I owe you for the free drink.”
She sipped her bourbon, eased onto a torn stool, and turned her attention to the rest of the room, watching some sports game on the small television in the corner.
Allegra left her to it and took her empty glass over to the table where the otherworldly men were drinking and talking in low voices.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” she said. They fell silent and turned toward her. At once, the energies of all of them drifted over her taste buds. Some turned her away with their strength and flavor, but one or two caught her attention. She followed the scents to their sources and was relieved to find that neither of them was too hideous. Younger, one blond and one brunet, their combined energies reminding her of rich herbs and chocolate. If she’d actually come here to feed, she would have done her best to walk away with both of them. As it was, she would enjoy the few sips she managed to take during her stay.
She sashayed closer to the table and set her empty glass between the men. “I wonder which one of you wouldn’t mind buying me another drink.”
***
It took three drinks to convince the man who tasted of herbs — earthy and raw — to leave the table and join her outside behind the bar. She didn’t want the others at the table to witness their conversation. This way, she could convince him he’d enjoyed one of the best nights of his life and let him return to his friends ready to brag. She, on the other hand, hoped to walk away with more knowledge of the prison than anyone not employed there should know.
“You’re so beautiful,” he panted, his lips trailing down her neck. She relaxed in the sensation of his desire, her core warming to dangerous levels. She wished she could take what she needed from him, plus a little extra, but her reason for luring him outside was too important to be distracted by a bit of meaningless lust.
Grabbing his forearms, she shoved him against the wall, pressing the length of her body against his. His moan sent another current running through her, and she brushed her lips over his, inhaling the fresh tang of his energy.
Desire was a good start, but she needed to be sure she had more control over him before she started her questions. With another kiss, she passed more pheromones into the young man’s system and watched as they took over his mind. In a few more moments, his inhibitions would be washed away, leaving him nothing more than a sexually charged husk.
A few months ago, she wouldn’t have doubted her ability to get the information she needed, but at the Garden, her eyes had been opened to her own limitations. For the first time in her life, she’d failed to gain enough power over her prey, and she would not make that mistake again.
Trailing her fingertips down this man’s neck, she traced the collar of his T-shirt. With each pass, she released more of her allure under his skin, the tingle of it passing back into her.
His exploring hands fell still and dangled at his sides. His mouth parted, and his pupils were so dilated his eyes appeared black. She wondered how much of that was his passion and how much was the demon blood she sensed lurking under the surface.
“What do you do for a living, Samuel?” she asked, relieved that she’d remembered his name. It wasn’t a habit in her usual encounters.
“I’m a security guard,” he replied. His words were faintly slurred, falling from his lips as though he were only partially aware he was saying them.
“That must be fascinating work. Have you…held the position long?”
She pressed her palm against his stomach, drawing up the edge of his shirt to caress his skin. He sucked in a sharp breath. “A few years, but not always here. I was at a factory in New Haven before.”
“That’s quite the distance. What encouraged the change?”
“Money,” he said. “And a promise of something greater once this place becomes known. It’s going to change the world.”
“With you involved, I have no doubt,” she purred. Her lips were close to his ear, and she flicked out her tongue across the lobe. “Have you ever killed anyone, Samuel?”
“No,” he said, his voice shaking now. “It hasn’t come up. But I feel like here it might. They’re serious about keeping Project Oracle a secret. No one’s allowed in or out without a pass or written permission from Mr. Mayes.”
Oops, she thought, repressing her smile. He likely was not supposed to let that slip.
“I am sure Mr. Wenzell is content to let his partner oversee affairs here,” she said. His name would have been unfamiliar to her, but Zach and Daphne had explained the situation as best they could. Mayes and Wenzell were CEOs of some company based out of New Haven. She didn’t quite understand how that linked to Tartarus, but it hardly mattered.
“Wenzell is dead,” Samuel said. “He had an accident a few weeks ago and didn’t make it out to the new factory.”
Interesting. She wanted to ask how he died, but was worried her interest in one thing in particular might loosen her hold over him in a wave of suspicion.
“How unfortunate,” she said. “But I am glad you are still in the best of hands.” She slid her fingers under the edge of his jeans to direct his thoughts back to his own situation. He sank against the wall and rolled his head back, exposing more of his throat. “With so much security, it must not be easy to get inside. Do you not find it makes the job dull for a man with your skills?”
His chest puffed out with pride as he smiled and slid his fingers over her hips. “There’s more to it than you think. See, people think there’s only one entrance — via the ferry, right? That’s not true. There’s also a tunnel. It starts from one of the houses and goes underwater all the way to the center of the fortress. It’s how some of the prisoners escaped to begin with. But shh, don’t let that get around. We don’t want to spread a panic.”
He winked and brushed his lips over hers. Allegra smiled against his mouth, then exerted more control over him, preferring him subdued. He sucked in another sharp breath and bowed his head to rest on her shoulder as his middle contracted.
“I am confident everything must be well in hand now, if you and your fellow guards are there to help guard the tunnel,” she said.
“Of course,” he breathed. “We tour the tunnel at all times to make sure no one sneaks in. Not even the rats make it out. Some of us move through each floor of the prison, too, but I don’t have that kind of clearance. Yet. But I will. I’m close to proving myself and being allowed where the real action happens.”
You will be dead before that takes place, she thought, but it wouldn’t be tonight. Not when he was being so helpful.
“I am sure it will not take long for them to see your worth,” she said. “Especially once they find out how much better you are than the others. I know the way these companies do business, and I am certain many of the men they currently have on staff have been hired due to some family connection rather than their ability to do the job properly, like you.”
Sam grunted. “That’s for damn sure. Darryl Finch, the idiot. Do you know, he left his pass in the break room the other day? One of the top guards, and he just left his most important possession lying around. Me and the boys swiped it to teach him a lesson. Wasn’t really worth it, though. Once Lozak found out, he gave us all a beating. I’m still healing.”
He pulled up his shirt to reveal the deep lashes across his chest that circled around his back and covered him from ribs to tailbone. Whoever had done this had been merciless.
Allegra’s chest tightened, and she forced herself to swallow her unease. Bending down, she placed a gentle kiss on his skin. “Scars are the marks of a true warrior. Wear them proudly.”
She knew she should try to get more information from him, but the energy it had taken to get what she’d learned was starting to wear her out. She didn’t know how long she’d be able to keep a strong enough hold over him to prevent him from remembering. At least the knowledge she’d already picked up would be enough to get them started, and from there, she was sure the others could dig deeper.
Stroking her fingers up Samuel’s chest to the bottom of his chin, she leaned in and graced him with a deep kiss, massaging his tongue with hers so he could ingest her pheromones directly. His entire body tensed, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. With a final kiss, she released him and walked away, leaving him to sag to the ground in a haze of bliss and confusion.
When she walked back inside, his friends stared at her, and she gave them all a wink. “Samuel will return shortly. He required a moment of privacy to get his legs back.”
She detected a trace of concern and suspicion in the eyes of the one she’d picked out as the warlock, but before he had time to panic, Samuel came through the door, staggering and wearing a smile the others had no trouble interpreting.
Allegra returned to the bar and ordered another drink. The bartender set it down, once more waiving the cost, and she threw it back, hating the faint tremble in her hand.
“Have fun?” Daphne asked.
“More than I expected,” Allegra said, giving her a smile that she hoped covered up her shaking nerves. “I think it would be best if we left now. I may have indulged a bit too deeply.”
Daphne finished her drink and set it down on the bar, saluting the bartender, who had now spent enough time with her to acknowledge her, though his final gaze was for Allegra as she swept through the increasingly drunk men slouched over the other tables.
As soon as they were outside, Allegra drew in a deep breath of air.
Daphne leaned in close. “Get anything?”
Allegra allowed the distaste of her evening to fall away, leaving only the richness of satisfaction. “Where Gabriel has failed, I have succeeded. I have just found our way into the prison.”
21
Daphne arrived back at the abandoned neighborhood with Allegra. While they’d been gone, the RV had been moved off the road into the backyard of one of the empty houses. Zach was there to meet them at the end of the street.
“What took you so long?” he demanded.
“Good information cannot be rushed,” Allegra said, but she barely seemed fazed by his anger. Ever since they’d left the bar, the succubus had been quietly contented with herself, like a cat who had found her way into the milk.
Daphne had tried to get the inside scoop from her, but all of her efforts had been rebuffed. Allegra was obviously too eager to hold on to her knowledge until they made it back to the others. Considering how much time they’d spent at the bar, Daphne hoped it was worth it. It was nearing eleven o’clock, which meant they only had seven hours before the Collegiate carried out their threat.
Zach led them to the bungalow three streets over. “Percy thought this would be a better place to hide than the street. The backyard has a fence, so they can stay out of sight but still have the flexibility to run if necessary.”
“Good idea,” Daphne said, but Allegra seemed uneasy with the decision.
“Was the house searched in advance?” she asked.
“Of course,” Zach said, the scars on the right side of his face drawing downward with his scowl. “We’re not stupid.”
“I am not suggesting you are. But from what I learned this evening, it would be wise to be careful.”
Zach opened the front door, and they stepped into the living room to find the others arrayed on the floor. Percy had a laptop set up in front of him, and Gabe was leaning over his shoulder.
“Another dead end,” Percy was saying. He looked up at Daphne. “Good timing, sorceress. I don’t suppose you have any experience with technological magic? Something that might have worked into my system without leaving a physical trail?”
Daphne flipped through her mental collection of magical knowledge. “It’s not my particular skillset, unfortunately.”
“Well, shit,” he said. “That might count me out of the game.”
Gabe clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t give up yet. We still need to figure out where they’re keeping it. If you can’t backtrack to them, maybe you can find another way in.”
“How did it go?” Vera asked, looking from Daphne to Allegra.
“She says it went great,” Daphne said, jerking her thumb in the succubus’s direction. “But she won’t tell me squat.”
Matthew drifted over to Allegra’s side and rested his hand over her shoulder. She appeared to lean into him, her eyes closed.
“I may keep my secrets close,” she said to the others, “but in a few minutes, I do not believe you’ll regret my decision to stay.”
As she told them everything the security guard had spilled to her outside the bar, the expressions on the others shifted from skeptical to shocked to impressed. Daphne couldn’t deny the woman knew what she was doing.
“A tunnel in one of the houses,” Gabe said, shaking his head.
Percy frowned. “I’m worried about how that’s going to affect our plan. The earpieces will work through magic, but I can’t guarantee their efficacy buried beneath the earth. There are too many variables.”
Allegra snorted. “Then perhaps I should not have bothered.”
“No,” said Vera. “It’s a risk we’ll need to take. The earpieces won’t do us any good if we’re stuck on this side of the island. Daphne, Percy, do you think one of you would be able to figure out which house the tunnel starts in?”
Percy nodded, and his fingers flew over his keyboard. “If I can get into the satellites, I can trace heat signatures in this area of town. Something our demon friends won’t be able to do to us, thanks to my genius. You’re welcome.”
“I could walk through the streets to see if I could pick up traces of magical energy, but his way sounds faster,” Daphne said. “What about once we get inside? That guy mentioned clearance and passes?”
“Vera and I can break our way through,” said Zach.
Daphne rolled her gaze toward the ceiling. “That’ll be a great way to sneak through the place. And if there are enchantments on the doors like Matthew says? How would you like getting trapped in some kind of magical prison while alarms go off and a dozen demons charge you?”
Emmett paled. “Is that what will happen?”
“It’s as likely as anything else.”
“All right,” Gabe said. “So we need to get our hands on a pass. Any thoughts?”
“Who’s most likely to lose his pass? Evidence says, someone who’s lost it before,” Percy said, swinging the laptop around. “I give you Darryl Finch.” The laptop screen showed a heavy-set man with dark scruff along his jaw and thick round glasses. “He got his security license ten years ago and has been a registered employee of Mayzell Industries ever since.”
“How do you know this?” Allegra asked.
Percy pointed to the screen. “Because licenses have to be registered, and employees work through agencies, meaning everything is documented. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look.”
Daphne clasped her hands to her chest. “Can I keep you?” Having someone like Percy around would make her job at the Chronicle so much easier.
“Hey now,” Emmett said, “don’t trade me in too quickly. You’re going to need to get this guy’s pass, right? Who has two thumbs and can totally do that for you? This guy.” He jabbed his thumbs toward his chest.
Daphne’s heart skipped a beat, apprehension replacing awe. “Is that such a good idea? The guy probably isn’t even human, Emmett. What if he catches you trying to steal from him?”
Emmett squared his shoulders and fidgeted with the frayed bottom of his long gray sweater. It was one he’d brought with him from the streets. Both Daphne and Cheryl had attempted to get rid of it when he wasn’t looking. It made him look wasted away, despite the weight he’d put on since he’d moved in with them. So vulnerable and young.
She just couldn’t put him in a situation that could get him killed.
“Look,” he said. “I’m great at what I do. There’s a reason I’ve survived as long as I have, and I think it’s only fair you let me do my part.”
“You’re only seventeen,” she said.
“And Molly’s sixteen, and she’s trapped in a prison, getting tortured, and having to wait for us while we drag our heels because you don’t want to use the resources we have.”
Daphne’s thoughts stumbled at that.
“He’s right,” Zach said. “If he can get that pass, we need to use him.”
Emmett gave him a smug smile.
“But—” Daphne said. She looked to Vera and Gabe, but Vera turned away and Gabe offered an apologetic grimace.
“If he doesn’t do this and we can’t get through to the prison, he’s going to end up dead anyway,” he said. “It might be our only option.”
She clenched her teeth and glared at each of them in turn. “Fine, but I will be going with him, and I need at least one of you to help. We can stay out of sight, but if anything happens, we will move in without hesitation.”
“I’ll go,” Vera said. “If need be, I can get inside Finch’s head and convince him Emmett’s a cat. Then we won’t need to raise any alarms.”
“If we’re going to do this, we need to move now,” Zach said. “If we’re not in that prison with at least four hours to spare, I’m going to break some heads.”
Daphne didn’t doubt him. She glanced at her watch and followed the second hand as it ticked by, striking off every moment they’d wasted.
I have no idea how we’re going to make it.
***
Daphne, Vera, and Emmett went on foot back down the road, staying far enough away from any street lights that anyone coming and going from the bar wouldn’t spot them and possibly recognize Daphne.
Not that they would. The moment she and Allegra had left the building, she’d pulled down her shirt and wiped most of the makeup off her face, happy to be rid of the ridiculous getup that had only succeeded in preventing anyone from recognizing her from her newspaper column.
“Percy’s right. If this guy’s known for leaving his pass around, that should make our task a little easier,” Emmett said in a hush as they moved through the shadows. Almost every other streetlight had been smashed or was burned out, leaving the road dark, lined by shapes that Daphne only recognized as hedges because of her earlier visit. “I can grab the pass, and he’ll probably assume that he left it somewhere he shouldn’t have. He won’t want to report it until he’s looked around, which will give us a bit more time to use it before he realizes anything’s wrong. Then he still might not want to report it, because then he’ll be the guy who lost his pass again and then waited to tell anyone.”
