He’d taken the stairs to the right, so I did the same. The house was huge. There was a long center hallway flanked by more doors on the right and left sides. The wooden stairs had been refinished. At the top I wasn’t sure which way to go. There were four doors in that center hallway, but I sensed he wasn’t behind them. I followed my instincts to the right and saw that the door at the end was open. “Jake?”
No answer. Hell, here we go again. I moved a little faster and stopped at the door. Jake was wrapped in a towel lying across the bed, sound asleep. Poor guy.
I tried hard not to look at his incredibly buff body. He might work long hours, but he still found time to go to the gym. His shoulders were wide, his hips narrow.
Warmth spread through my body, and I wanted to run my hands down those muscles along his back. Alex, stop being a perv. I pulled the comforter up over him. He looked so peaceful, and I couldn’t stop watching him. Finally, I had to make myself walk away.
In the kitchen I put the tea and the sandwiches in the fridge. I found some paper in the drawer and left him a note.
Jake,
Hope you slept well. Food’s in the fridge, and I’d go with the mocha paint for the dining room.
-A
I thought about him asleep upstairs.
My body heated again. I needed to get laid in a big way. I’m actually lusting after poor Jake.
I touched my tattoos together and headed home.
Landing in my room, I tripped on the new rug I had put in recently.
“Graceful.” Mira sat on my bed, her long red hair piled on top of her head. “And my oh my, that’s an interesting smile on your face. Care to tell me where you’ve been?”
CHAPTER 12
I love my sisters, but sometimes they can be nosy bitches. I say that in the most loving way. I’m no better. I’m all up in their business, too. It’s just annoying when their attention is directed at me.
“I was helping a friend.” I sat down in the cushy club chair next to my window and yanked off my boots.
“Really?” She had one of those I-know-something-you-don’t-know looks on her face.
“What now?” I pulled my knees up under my chin.
“Everyone’s talking about you. The security tape showed you and Jake talking, and then you driving him out the tunnel. The team followed your GPS and practically drooled when they saw you took him out to his ranch. And they all know you were there for almost an hour.”
Damn GPS. It was a small dot that stuck behind our ear, but sometimes I wished Bailey had never invented the stupid thing. No privacy whatsoever. “So I ask again. What’s up?”
She continued to stare at me with that knowing look in her eyes.
I thought about telling her to go to hell, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. “I found him asleep in his truck. The poor guy had been working for four days straight, so I drove him home. End of story.”
Mira chuckled. “I’d believe you, Al, if I hadn’t picked up on something. I was looking at a new house on the beach in Sydney when I felt it. You care about him. So much so that it made me extremely curious. Something happened at his house. Did you sleep with him?”
I wanted to. The image of him half-naked was still burned into my brain “God, no. What the hell is wrong with you?” Damn her for being more in tune with my emotions than I was. Of course she had seriously strong abilities as a psychic and empath. But she was right about something shifting in regards to my relationship with Jake. Knowing that he loved his wife so much made me wonder if I would ever experience something like that. Maybe even if I could ever experience that type of bond with someone like him, crazy as that may have sounded.
I’d had plenty of boyfriends—too many, if anyone had kept count—but I didn’t really understand the kind of love Jake had for his wife. Or, for that matter, what my sister Gilly had with the demon king Arath. They weren’t married, but they definitely had a deep connection, and they were solidly in love.
I looked across the room at my sister. “You’re good, but you made a mistake. I just found out about his wife dying of cancer, and I felt really sorry for him. They must have really been in love. Anyway, that’s it.” I turned. “Well, that and he has agreed to be my temporary pretend boyfriend.”
She laughed. “What?”
“If Ginjin goes through with his threats to talk to Mom, I needed options. Jake was kind enough to say he’d do it. He’s a really nice guy. I consider him a friend, but that’s it.”
Studying me for a moment, she stood and walked to the door. “You can lie to yourself as much as you want, but I know better. Whatever you’re doing, be careful. One thing I do know for sure is that he’s a solid guy.”
I shrugged. “Even the great Mira Caruthers gets it wrong now and then. I’m telling you, nothing has changed. He’s just a friend.” That I seriously want to shag. Stop saying that!
Her brows drew together in a scowl. “I’m never wrong when it comes to my family. Since you don’t want to talk about your feelings for Jake, want to tell me what else has been going on?”
Grateful for the change in subject, I told her about the dragons in Montreal and the Fae club. Mira dealt with all kinds of Fae, most of them nasty creatures about as far from the storybook flittering lightning bugs as one could get.
“I hate that friggin’ place, and I’ve never even been there.” She stood and put her hands on her hips. “I say we burn it to the ground. Tonight.” She wasn’t kidding.
I stuck out my hand, and she helped pull me off the couch. “That’s kind of extreme.”
“It’s run by that asshole Graves. He loves stirring up trouble.” Mira had a thing against the guy, which was weird, since he was kind of on her side.
Graves was something like the Grim Reaper of the fairies, and the name was no joke. He got away with murder because he was half-human and half-fairy death. When the Fae died, it was his job to get them to their next life. Or if they misbehaved according to their own set of laws, he took them out. And he had a gruesome style when it came to that.
Under the Other World Treaty he could live on Earth as long as he abided by our human laws. Let’s just say he pushed the limits on a daily basis. He thrived on chaos and destruction. I’d come across him once or twice. To be honest, he’d always been really nice to me, even when I threatened to kill him. “I get the feeling you’re in the mood to bash some Fae heads.”
“Oh, girl, you don’t know the half of it.” Mira threw up her hands. “Graves has been driving me crazy the past few months. If the damn fairy would die, I’d kill him.” The words were angry, but her expression was chagrined. She liked him. She didn’t want to, but she did.
Now, isn’t that interesting?
Twenty minutes later we were dressed to kill, but not in the way most people understand the phrase. Under my long leather coat I wore my work clothes. Leather pants and vest, both with graphite inserts to protect me from claws and poison darts. Bailey had found a way to have the inserts made so that they slid in easily wherever we needed them. Since the crossbow was always noticeable, I shoved a couple of knives and one of Bailey’s new guns into the holster on my belt.
Mira did the same, though she usually preferred carrying boomerang-throwing stars with her. They could slice the heads off of most Fae before the creatures blinked, and they came right back to her. Her technique with them was nothing short of amazing. If I were to try to use those things, I’d slice off my hands.
We met in my room, took one look at each other, and smiled. “It’s been a while since we’ve had fun like this.” I buttoned my coat over the protective clothing.
She winked. “I know. If we’d had time, we should have called Gilly and Claire. We could have made it a girls’ night out.”
I laughed. “They’d be in for the fight, but I’m taking your suggestion about burning the place down to heart. I think it’s an excellent idea.”
“Yeah, Gilly’s need for things to be fair might get in the way of that. Though ou
r baby sister, Claire, has developed a hard edge the past few months. She might not light the match, but she wouldn’t say anything if we did.”
“I’ve noticed that, too. Just lately. She’s growing up.”
Mira sighed. “They always do. I think it may have happened when they took Bailey. Before that, I don’t think she took the job too personally, but now she does. Ready?” She held up her arms, showing off her sun tattoos. I had moons, Gilly had stars, and Claire’s were lightning bolts. We were born with the things, though they looked like birthmarks at first. As we grew older, the color deepened and the shapes became more defined, showing which worlds were ours to guard against.
A few seconds later, we landed in a dark alley next to the club. There was a line to get in that snaked around the corner, but we didn’t bother with that. No use calling attention to ourselves. We took the back entrance through the dingy kitchen. Since no food was served, it looked like the room was used to wash dirty bar glasses and for little else. From the smell I’d guess Bells had a rat problem or at the very least mice.
“We should definitely report him for health code violations,” I commented as we walked through. “Don’t eat the peanuts in the bowl if they have any.”
Mira chortled. “I’m going upstairs to chat with my buddy Graves. You check out the club.”
I nodded and pushed through the double doors into the back of the bar. The place was so crowded the bartenders hadn’t even noticed me invading their space.
The code violations continued. The place was packed beyond capacity. There was open use of drugs. I saw a mirror with rows of cocaine on a table in the corner. There was also the heavy scent of weed in the air. Fae used human recreational drugs like candy. It affected them little more than a martini at lunch would us. The problem here was that humans were using, too.
There were several little rooms off the main floor, and I didn’t even think about what was really going on in there. I did my best not to look at the naked flesh writhing, but the musty smell of sex that mingled with everything else was difficult to ignore.
I blended into the wall and watched as people mixed with the Fae. I didn’t notice any dragons, but I could see why Mira would want to burn the club down. Graves had been running this place right under our noses.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t done it before, but nothing like this. Graves had always run businesses that catered to humans: strip clubs, a hugely successful porn mag, and a lingerie company for skanks that carried a variety of sex toys as well.
My guess was that none of the otherworldly creatures in the room had shown up on our radar. That meant this place was protected by magic—a far bigger code violation and one that was punishable by death.
What the hell is he thinking? The guy was a tool, but a smart one. I didn’t understand why he would risk it all for a club like this.
He has to die.
Just one problem: Graves was death, so he couldn’t die. I sighed, which was a mistake. The smells in the place were overwhelming, and taking such a big breath could have been toxic if I weren’t a Guardian. Our metabolisms worked differently, so we were not as affected by drugs and alcohol as most people. Let’s just say it takes at least three dirty martinis to give me a slight buzz.
After surveying the room for a bit, I noticed a small alcove by the door. Since two large human men were on each side, it was safe to assume that led to Graves’s office. I shim mied through the crowd. I unbuttoned my coat, stuck out my boobs, and put on my sexiest smile.
“Hello, boys. I have a secret for you two.”
They looked over my head, doing their best to ignore me.
“What’s that? You don’t care.” I pouted. “That’s too bad.” I reached up so fast they didn’t see what hit them as I pinched a nerve in their necks that left them standing but with their heads lolling forward. That was a Master Kanashi trick, one that Bailey thought she’d probably learned from Spock on old reruns of Star Trek. I didn’t think Master K was the kind to watch television at all, but you never knew.
I opened the door and climbed the narrow hallway, which was painted a claustrophobic purple. That’s when it hit me. This couldn’t be Graves’s club. It was a dive. While his businesses might cater to people who gave me the skeevies, the clubs were always opulent, always over-the-top, and always spotless and tasteful. While he liked driving us crazy, he’d never had such a large amount of Fae in his clubs before. Oh, we’d see one every once in a while, but nothing like this.
Something wasn’t right here. Maybe he hasn’t had time to clean the place up.
At the top were two more doors. These were guarded by magic, which I could see. Nothing too painful, but if someone didn’t know, they’d get the shock of a lifetime. I’m not as talented as Mira with the magic, but I had enough knowledge to untangle the web of protection spells in a few seconds. Circling my index fingers, I mumbled the words my mother had taught me years ago.
Raised voices shouted behind the door on the right, so I assumed Mira was already doling out some pain. I wasn’t wrong. The door swung open, and she had Graves up against the wall, her fist shoved into his sternum.
“No fair. You’re partying without me—again.” I shut the door. “You know we need to call the cops on this place. Mr. Graves here is in violation of just about every code you can think of and a couple that don’t even exist. Not to mention the fact that he’s completely ignored the treaty. The magic surrounding this place is enough ammunition to put him down for a long time.”
Graves looked like a young George Clooney. That was the irony of it all. Death was gorgeous. Sad but true. Every time I see the real George at a premiere I always take a second look just to make sure it’s really him.
The club owner didn’t look very worried about Mira’s menacing pose or that her hand now slid firmly around his neck. “You can’t kill me, and Canada has different laws when it comes to codes.”
Mira rolled her eyes.
“The evil in this place stinks,” she ground out. “You have Fae and God knows what else sexing it up with humans downstairs. You get away with a lot of crap, Graves, because most people are afraid of you, but we aren’t. I’m dragging you back to the high council.”
His face didn’t give any sign that he was worried, but his right fist clenched. “It’s a waste of your time.”
“Technically, they can’t kill you, but the mages can bind you and stick you somewhere that you can’t cause trouble. In fact—”
“Uh, before you do that, I have a quick question for him.” I moved a little closer, taking in the office as I did. A beat-up desk, the same dark purple on the walls, and the place was a musty mess.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.
“At present, cuddling with your sister.”
Mira growled.
“Don’t make her angrier. She might separate your head from your neck. I know it won’t kill you, but it has to be painful to regenerate. This isn’t your club. I know it isn’t. So why are you willing to take the fall for this?”
Regret crossed his face, just for the briefest moment. “I can’t tell you.” He closed his eyes as if he were ready for Mira to do her worst.
Surprisingly, she let go of his throat. “She’s right.” Mira waved her hand around. “This place is a disgusting dump. Not your style. Even the magic isn’t yours.”
He stood there with his eyes closed.
Mira pounded the wall next to his head, and he didn’t flinch. I had to give it to the guy. He was brave. Stupid, but brave.
“Whomever you’re protecting—” The door slammed open, interrupting me midsentence.
A gryphon, two fairies, and a demon rushed into the room.
Lovely.
“Party time, Mira.”
Her guns were drawn before I finished the word “party.”
Everything happened all at once. The demon jumped me, and I elbowed him in the neck, grabbing the bowie knife from my belt as I did. I ducked his punch and then brought th
e knife up into his jaw. He stumbled backward, but he didn’t die.
Behind me, the gryphon’s claws shredded my leather coat.
I spun around, kicking out to hit the demon in the stomach. The gryphon took a good swipe at my face, catching my neck instead.
Ah, hell.
I probably had less than a minute before his damn toxins invaded my body.
Without turning away from the gryphon, I grabbed the plasma gun from my waist and shot the demon in the head. I knew I hit the target, because his headless body hit the floor to the left.
“God, I love these things.”
“I know, right?” Mira shot the last of the fairies, but not before his broad knife sliced through the top of her right thigh. I saw it as I squatted and tried to turn at the same time to keep the gryphon, which had gone scaly, from ripping off my head.
Shoving out my leg, I cracked his kneecap. Even with a boot on, it made the bottom of my foot hurt like hell. Their exoskeletons are incredibly protective even when they’re in half-human form. That’s what makes them so horribly hard to kill.
The kick made his right leg collapse, and he fell forward, right on top of me.
I would have laughed, had I any air left in my body. The monster snarled. It lifted a claw, and then suddenly it was off of me and flying across the room.
Graves stood above me and held out a hand.
I took it, and he hauled me up. “Drink this.” A glass of amber liquid magically appeared in his hand.
I stepped back.
“It will keep the toxins from killing you.” He shoved it toward me. “Drink it.”
I didn’t think he’d try to kill me in front of Mira, so I took it and chugged the contents. It was the same thing Mr. McMurphy had given me before.
What the heck?
I would have asked Graves why the hell he’d helped me, but he disappeared into the ether. I still couldn’t catch my breath. Finally I coughed, and the air whooshed into my lungs so fast it was like a thousand tiny needles piercing my skin.
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