by D. C. Gomez
Our celebration was cut short when Eric came rushing through the pedestrian doors. He was so focused he didn’t even see us as he ran up the stairs. I gave Katrina a quick look.
“That’s not a good sign. Let’s go,” I told her, and we both ran after Eric.
By the time we reached the loft, Eric was pacing back and forth. I was surprised to find the boys up already. Granted, they all still wore their pajamas, but at least they were awake.
“Eric, slow down and repeat everything you just said,” Constantine told Eric as we walked in. Constantine stood on the kitchen table watching Eric. “Some of us don’t ‘habla crazy.’”
From what I could tell, Constantine was the only one that looked fully awake and he was still couldn’t follow Eric. Not a good sign.
Bob and Bartholomew were in the kitchen. As we went in, he handed Katrina a large mug of coffee, then he gave Bartholomew and me cups of hot chocolate. I did a double take to make sure Bartholomew was actually wearing a Onesie. Yes, he was, and he was rocking that thing. It even had the footie-sock-thing.
When I looked back, Eric was taking some quick breaths, probably to calm down. He turned in our direction and his mouth dropped when he saw Katrina. After spending the last few days with her, I was used to boys drooling over her. Katrina was awesome. She gave poor Eric her best Farrah Fawcett wave and the poor boy almost swooned.
“Eric, today. Focus boy,” Constantine yelled at him.
I grinned. For some reason, I loved watching Constantine yell at others. Probably because he was always yelling at me and it was nice to have a break.
“I’m sorry,” Eric said, his eyes still on Katrina.
“Hi, I’m Katrina. I’m War’s Intern and I’m old enough to be your mother.” Katrina knew how to crush a man’s dream.
Bartholomew and I worked hard not to laugh.
“Really?” Eric asked, confused.
Katrina just nodded and smiled. I had no idea which part he was asking confirmation for.
“Now that we settled that, get to the point Eric,” Constantine growled.
“Sorry,” Eric said as he ran his hands through his hair. “We got problems. A group of vampires checked in to the hotel at the convention center last night. They have taken the entire top floor.” Eric had his hands on his hips when he finished. He was doing his Peter Pan pose.
“Which convention center?” Bob asked.
“The one on the Arkansas side,” Eric replied.
“How many convention centers do you have?” Katrina asked us.
“Two. One on the Texas side and one of the Arkansas side,” Bartholomew added. “Don’t ask why. We are still confused about that.” Katrina smiled at Bartholomew when he finished. He really did look adorable in his onesie.
“That’s the other problem,” Eric continued.
“We have more problems?” I asked him. Eric sure knew how to ruin a morning.
“An elf delegation checked in to the other hotel at the other convention center.” Eric started pacing the room again.
“That took them a while,” Constantine told us. “I was expecting them yesterday.”
“Why yesterday?” Katrina asked before I could.
“We figured out both groups were tracking the jet,” Bartholomew told us. “As soon as you made it to hell, Constantine told the pilots to head home. So, the only logical location for them to pick up your trail again was here,” Bartholomew finished with a grin.
“Why wouldn’t they follow the plane?” Katrina asked.
“Our pilots and the jet are stationed at Miami,” Constantine added. “Most influential people in the supernatural community know that information. As soon as the plane headed back to Florida, they probably stopped tracking it.” Constantine took his favorite Sphinx pose.
“Do you think this means they know we are here?” I asked Constantine.
“It is hard to tell,” he answered. “If they just got here, they are probably getting their spies in place to search their area.” By his tone, I could tell Constantine was not happy.
“It sounds like we should save them the trouble,” I told the group. “It’s time to remind our guests this is Haven and they better behave.” I gave Constantine a wicked grin.
“It’s about time we go on the offense. Just try not to turn every vampire into dust,” Constantine told me. “It doesn’t foster good will if you kill them all.”
Constantine made a great point. Which meant I needed to do something to control my third eye.
“Okay what am I missing here?” Eric asked, looking lost.
“Isis is only able to see the vampires’ true forms,” Katrina told him. “From what I gathered, it’s horrible and she goes straight into fight mode. Last one that got near her she cut to pieces and he evaporated into a cloud of ash.”
Did she need to give him that much detail?
“Ouch. Vicious,” Eric told me.
“You have no idea how hideous and evil they look,” I said, trying to defend myself.
“True,” Constantine added. “The younger they are, the more monster-like they are. The older ones almost look human, though, so be careful,” he said the last part almost like a threat.
“Random question number fifty-five,” Katrina said, raising her hand. At least she knew how to get the attention of a group. “Aren’t people going to notice all these weird strangers in town?” Katrina asked us.
That was a good point, and one I hadn’t even thought about.
“I doubt it,” Eric replied. All eyes went to him as we waited for him to continue. “Thanks to Constantine’s Halloween parade, the city is packed with all sorts of weird, freaky people. They will fit right in.” Eric narrowed his eyes at Constantine.
“No need to give me that look,” Constantine said, as sweet as pie. “The new coven in town wanted to make a Halloween celebration and asked about the parade. Now that we have close ties to the Order, I figured it would be a great peace offering,” Constantine finished.
“Is that the only reason?” I asked Constantine, not believing this noble gesture of his.
“And they have a giant float of him,” Bartholomew added under his breath.
“Now I believe that part,” I told him.
“How could I punish them for having great taste?” he asked. “You should see the float. It’s almost identical to me. I’ve never seen anything like it. Well, unless I look in the mirror, that is.” He started purring like a mad cat.
“Well, that’s my cue to leave,” I told the boys. “Katrina, would you like to join me in welcoming our new guests to Haven?” I figured Katrina had enough anger inside that she could hurt anyone.
“It would be my pleasure,” Katrina replied with an evil smile.
I was glad she was on my side.
“Eric, please keep us posted if you find anything else on Noah,” I told him.
“I will,” Eric told me. “Isis, be careful. These are powerful beings.” Eric frowned.
I just smiled back at him. No sense in him worrying. I was worried enough for the both of us already.
“Now that we settled that, we’ll run and take a shower before making our house call,” I told the boys.
Katrina and I headed towards the bedrooms. I stopped in the middle of the hallway, feeling like an idiot.
“Katrina, I’m so sorry. I should have offered earlier. I have a closet full of clothes you can pick from,” I told her, trying not to sound creepy.
“Thanks Isis, but it’s all good,” Katrina told me as she headed towards Constantine’s room. “Bartholomew contacted my team when we went to hell. They mailed him my clothes and other gear. He thinks of everything,” Katrina said, more than impressed.
“He is good like that,” I told her. “Okay. See you in a few.” I entered my room and got ready for the day.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Katrina and I took Ladybug to the convention center on the Texas-side. The Hilton Garden Inn Hotel was attached to the convention center and from
what I’d heard, the chef in the restaurant was world class. I wondered why the vampires didn’t pick this one instead.
When we went inside, Katrina used her gorgeous looks to get the whereabouts of the elves from the front desk boy. I felt bad for him. He didn’t have a chance at resisting her. It was almost painful to watch.
According to Katrina’s new fan, a group of elves was hanging out by the pool outside. We made our way towards the pool, admiring the décor of the place. It was a lovely place as far as hotels went. By the time we reached the pool, we found Iason chilling beside the water, sitting with an elder version of himself.
“They take their sunbathing seriously,” I joked with Katrina.
“Tell me about it,” Katrina replied. “Looking at them makes me want to go on a diet,” she added.
She had a point. The pool was surrounded by beautiful people. Counting Iason, the other guy in the chair next to him, and the bodyguards, there were at least seven elves in the pool area and they all looked amazing. I also noticed we had more trees around this part of town. That reminded me, I needed to check the area around Reapers for our trees. I was hoping they were back as well.
“By the way. I have been meaning to ask, where are their pointed ears?” I whispered.
“You will only see it with your third eye, but I don’t recommend it,” Katrina replied in a low tone. “Their true forms can be as overwhelming as the vampires, but not for the same reason.”
I made a mental note not to look at them with my third eye. I wasn’t ready for more overwhelming visions.
“What a surprise to find you all here in town,” I told the group in my loudest voice as we walked up to them. The five elves standing around all tensed up. It made me curious to see what kind of weapons they were carrying under those fancy jackets.
“We are enjoying the Texas climate,” Iason said with a smile. At least he wasn’t in full glamour mode. “We were told it’s fabulous this time of year. What do you think, Father?” Iason asked the man sitting next to him.
I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. The elven king was gorgeous, and way younger than I imagined. I was expecting some old, crippled guy who could barely move. This king looked like he had just stepped off of a runway and graced us with his presence. No wonder humans fell prey to these beings. They play with our emotions. Who could resist them?
“Not bad at all for almost November,” the king replied with a sexy voice that made you think of Elvis Presley. That was too weird and definitely not fair. “How could we help you ladies?” he asked us.
“Oh, we don’t need anything, sir. We were in the neighborhood and decided to come over and personally welcome you to Haven,” I said in my sweetest voice. “We weren’t expecting you,” I added, just in case they missed the sarcasm in my voice. I didn’t want them to think I was glad to see them.
“You hadn’t checked in, so we decided to visit,” the king said in a condescending tone.
“I wasn’t aware I was supposed to check in,” I told him, putting my hands on my hips. I could play sassy with the best of people. “Did you get that message Katrina?” I asked her in my calmest voice.
“Not at all,” Katrina replied, not bothering to look at the elves. “I was under the impression we had three days. Last time I checked, we still have the rest of today.” The last part Katrina directed at the elves.
“We are talking about the safety of my daughter. I will not leave that in the hands of children,” the elf king told us. I felt like he was staring down at us. How was that possible when he was sitting down?
“That’s funny. Last time we spoke you didn’t think your daughter was in any danger,” I told the king. He could play concerned dad with someone else.
“The safety of my daughter was the reason we started all this,” the king said to me. “I recommend you find her quickly. If the vampires get their claws in her, we will destroy everything in our path to get her back.” His eyes were wide and crazy, and he rolled his hands into fists.
“Let me remind you, sir, that you are now in Haven and not in your own territory,” I told the king, putting as much strength into my words as I could muster. “I recommend you follow the rules of Haven and stay on your best behavior. I will do everything in my power to protect the citizens of this city. Don’t force my hand or I will make you an example of what Death’s wrath is like.” I had no clue if I could carry that threat out, so I was hoping they wouldn’t try me.
“Young lady, those are some bold words,” the king told me. “Are you planning to enforce the same rules with everyone?” He angled his head up towards me and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Trust me. Your buddies down the road will be getting the same speech shortly.” I was pretty sure he knew the vampires were in town.
“As long as the rules apply to all, it will be our honor to follow them,” the king said, bowing his head. “Now, I recommend you hurry and find my daughter.” He turned his face to take in the sun again.
Iason gave us a little wave and winked at me. He almost looked proud of me. Elves were strange beings. I gave Katrina a look and we left the pool area. Based on the king’s behavior, we had been dismissed.
Katrina and I headed back towards Ladybug, neither of us saying a word. I wasn’t sure how many people were reporting back to the king and I didn’t want to take any chances. We made it back to Ladybug in time to see Shorty pulling up next to us.
“Boss-lady, big Bob said I would find you here.” He jumped out of the truck.
“Why didn’t you just call me?” I asked him.
“And miss seeing your lovely face this morning? Never,” he replied, but he wasn’t really talking to me. No, he stared hard at Katrina.
I shook my head. “Well Shorty, here I am,” I told him, waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention. “What do you need?”
“Right.” He shook himself and turned my way. “We found our guy,” I wondered when poor Noah became public enemy number one to the underground.
“Are you sure? Where?” I asked Shorty. We never found people this quickly. I was amazed. I gave Katrina a surprised look.
“We added extra people around the downtown area, now that the gates of hell have relocated there,” Shorty told us like it was a natural thing to have an elevator to hell in his neighborhood. “A couple of the ladies saw a guy that matches his description entering the lofts downtown.” He beamed, tucking his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans.
“Which lofts, Shorty? Downtown is exploding with those things now.” I wondered if lofts were the new rental term. Nobody called the housing downtown an apartment anymore. They were lofts, plain and simple.
“The City Hall ones,” he replied. “We can’t guarantee if he is still there, but he went in last night.”
“That’s a great start, Shorty,” Katrina told him sweetly.
He grinned, and I thought he might fly away under her praise.
“Are you up for a little detour?” I asked Katrina.
“Best lead we’ve had,” Katrina answered. “It’s not like the vamps are planning to do any sightseeing during the day.”
“Wait. We have vampires in town?” Shorty asked, looking around nervously.
“Yes. They are staying at the other convention center,” I told him. “Make sure to warn everyone you have in that area and pull back at night. I don’t want any accidents happening.” I really didn’t want any of our people to fall for their tricks and end up becoming someone’s dinner.
“Boss lady, that’s too easy.” Shorty grinned. “Anyone we need to worry about in this one?” He pointed at the hotel.
“We got elves in that one,” I told him. “They are just as dangerous as the vampires. Make sure people watch, but do not engage. Got it?” Most people never paid the transient population a lot of attention. I didn’t want them to become collateral damage in case a war broke out in town. For the Reaper team, they were family.
“Boss-lady, are you
going to be okay?” Shorty asked, concern etched into his tone.
“I got super soldier with me.” I pointed at Katrina. “I’m pretty sure she can take them.”
Katrina gave Shorty another million-dollar smile and he took a step back.
“If the boss-lady is looking at you for back-up, it means you are a bad ass,” Shorty told Katrina. “Cause the boss lady is as tough as they come. I can’t mess with you. You could kill me with a spoon.” He gave Katrina a quick bow and headed back to his truck. “Call if you need me boss lady,” he yelled right before he took off.
“I knew you were pretty tough, but how bad ass are you?” Katrina asked me. “If being told that I’m tougher than you makes me hard to date, you are the Queen B.”
“Get in the car before I leave you here,” I told her, and she started laughing.
If she could make jokes again, I knew she was at least in a better mood. However, I wasn’t sure I liked the jokes when they were at my expense.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The drive to downtown from the Hilton’s convention center was an easy one. At this time of the day, most people were at work or school. Texarkana also didn’t have a traffic problem. We just had crazy drivers that refused to follow traffic signs, and Shorty was the main culprit. The way people were driving today, I wondered if Shorty had opened a driving school in town and nobody told me.
I had Katrina call Bartholomew for me on our way to the City Hall lofts. I wanted him to check the records of the building for anything unusual and find out who the current residents were. I was pretty sure Noah didn’t have friends or family in town.
It took us less than ten minutes to get to the loft. The building was located right behind City Hall on the Texas side. I wasn’t sure why anyone was nervous of downtown. That part of town had more cops roaming the area than anywhere else, a fact that made me jittery. Last thing we needed was to get arrested for trespassing.
Since Ladybug stuck out a little too much for me to park in front of the loft, Katrina and I parked behind the TRAHC building and walked over. We made our way to the building as casually as possible. Katrina looked around, pretending to be a tourist. I knew better, and I could tell she was memorizing the area in case a quick escape was needed. We made it to one of the side doors of the loft building, hoping we hadn’t attracted too much attention.
