by SGD Singh
Lexi grinned. “Depends on what?”
“On whether or not you can convince a bunch of blood-sucking Vampires to join us.”
“A test?”
Javin inclined her head. “If you like.”
Lexi held her hand out, and Javin took it with a frown. Lexi was tempted to pull the stoic Master into a hug, but said instead, “Deal.”
They all looked around, and Zaiden said, “Should we walk around each landing? Maybe the guy is on the other side.”
“Good point!” Tanvir slapped Zaiden's back. “Why don't you and Lexi start that way, and I'll meet you on the other side? Javin and Garud will pretend to be tourists down there, out of sight. Digesting noodles.”
Lexi shook her head, but obediently began walking along the narrow, zig-zag walkway that hugged the side of the temple.
Is he trying to set us up in some romantic situation?
Definitely.
He does realize we lived in the same place for the last thirty-nine months, right?
Lexi was careful not to look at him when she felt her now-familiar longing to touch him, and as always, she resisted the urge. It was getting harder to ignore these days, if she was prepared to be honest with herself. Which she wasn't.
Tanvir's a romantic. He can't help it.
Zaiden's own longing flared, an automatic reaction to her own, filling Lexi with a different kind of warmth. He reached out and let his hand brush hers, and Lexi's fingers twined with his on their own, as if she was starved for the electrical current she knew his skin held. And for a second she forgot every reason she kept herself from happiness, forgot why she'd determined she should always suffer.
Lexi closed her eyes and sighed.
Had it really been three years? How had she become so accustomed to suffering? How had she starved her heart and denied her skin the touch it craved? How had she chosen misery for so long?
Hand-in-hand they rounded a sharp corner—and nearly bumped into a man with prematurely graying hair and thick glasses, and Lexi dropped Zaiden's hand in an instant.
She had a split second to notice his white clothes and the malas around his wrists before the man threw a well-aimed bucket of holy water at them, drenching Lexi in welcome coolness.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “David Duangjan, I presume?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but Tanvir rounded the corner behind him, his revolvers already pointed at the man's back. Without pausing, he shot him with a volley of cayenne bullets, which sent him into a coughing fit.
Slapping him between the shoulder blades, Tanvir said, “I think we got off on the wrong foot, my friend! Let's do that again. I am Tanvir. And this is Lexi. You have no idea how lucky you are that she's too hot to react unkindly to a shower.” He slapped him one last time. “And the royally handsome man you see at her side is Zaiden.”
“Nice… to meet you,” David wheezed. “I'm sorry. It's just that with my recent case I can't be too careful. Please, forgive me…”
Zaiden bowed. “You are forgiven.”
“Why don't you tell us about your case,” Lexi said, tying her wet hair into a bun. “If it involves anything that's hurt by holy water, it's right up our alley.”
David studied them carefully, obviously warring with his lingering mistrust. Finally, though, his curiosity overrode his fear. “The director said you're looking for Vampires.”
Garud and Javin joined them then, crowding the little man backward on the narrow ledge, and his eyes widened as he clearly considered running, but instead he swallowed, nodding with determination. “There is a kind of high-stakes casino. Tourists bet on Mauy Thai fights and pretend they're competing in Mixed Martial Arts tournaments. It's anchored somewhere beyond Koh Tao, but no one knows exactly where. And it's been run by the same young man for more than two hundred years.”
Garud crossed his arms and looked intimidating. “Why hasn't he been stopped before now?”
David paled but stood his ground. “Because they don't kill anyone, at least as far as we can discover,” he said. “And because everyone in the RTP and CIB think that I've gone mad. I only keep my job because of an impeccable record.”
Lexi said, “How are they surviving, if they don't kill? Fucking blood banks?”
David shrugged. “Bangkok is a large city. With a lot of questionable activities taking place every minute.”
“Okay,” Tanvir said, flipping his cap around on his head. “How do we get into this casino? Gambling is more than illegal here.”
David eyed Lexi and she glared, crossing her arms.
Is he… flirting with you?
Not if he wants to live. No, I think he's noticing I look like an American tourist.
“Simple,” David said. “Join the Full Moon Party on Ko Pha-Ngan. Act like very rich tourists, and hope one of their scouts notices you and offers you a ticket before it's too late to bet on the final fight at midnight. If not, wait for the next full moon.”
Javin began to walk away, followed by Garud, and Tanvir said, “Thanks, David. You've been a real sport.”
“Wait,” he called, his voice so desperate it froze Javin and Garud mid-stride. “Who is in charge?” He looked between Tanvir and Garud expectantly, and blinked in surprise as everyone pointed at Lexi.
“Oh… uh, of course,” he stammered, and it was Javin's turn to cross her arms and raise an eyebrow.
“What can we do for you?” Lexi said. “Besides put on a bikini and act drunk on a beach with a bunch of fire-breathing American jocks?”
A bikini?
Don't. Even. Think. About. It.
Oh, it is way too late for that.
“It was my understanding that you were interested in my case.” David seemed to notice Lexi was distracted, and he looked even more worried. He started to actually wring his hands. “It's just that… no one will take me seriously. I thought if you believe in Vampires, I thought that maybe…”
“Tell us,” Lexi said.
They circled around the man again, their arms crossed, and he paled. “Women have been dying in childbirth in the last month,” he said, and Lexi felt the temperature drop. “The numbers were normal until about three weeks ago—”
“And now?” Javin asked, stepping forward in an inhumanly smooth motion, and David Duangjan blinked.
“Now…” He cleared his throat and focused on Lexi. “Now every woman who has given birth within a one mile radius of the center of the city… has died, along with her child.”
“Why has there been no report of this?” Lexi demanded. If anyone was talking about this, Jax would have picked up on it with her fancy computer program.
“Because orders were to avoid panic,” David said, straightening his glasses with a trembling hand as everyone but Zaiden cursed in unison. “I advised against it. I said we should ask for help, but—”
“No one believed you,” Zaiden finished.
“They think Krasue are nothing but ancient superstition.” David studied their faces as if waiting for them to laugh at him, too. When no one did, he continued, “Something made up by, I don't know, people selling pineapple?” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. In fact, Lexi thought the man looked as if he might throw up.
She turned to look out at the view and sighed, wishing she could feel the warmth of the sun again.
Krasue. It was a creature able to pass as a female human by day, but at night it transformed into a kind of Vampire ghost, nothing but a head and floating entrails, with the ability to enter any room through walls or floors. And it fed on those giving birth.
Legend said that growing pineapple beneath your house and warding windows and walls with spiky vines would render the Krasue helpless, entangling its poisonous intestines, but that sounded like total bullshit to Lexi.
The books all said that Krasue were extinct in Satya long before the portals were destroyed, but no one knew what they were or how they were created. Maybe some kind of Vampire sickness turned traditional bloodsucker
s into these? It wasn't as if The Guard had ever known Vampires well enough to ask.
Lexi touched David's shoulder and pretended she didn't notice him flinch. “Gather everyone you trust and meet Garud and Javin at the city's largest maternity ward before sunset. They'll begin to take care of the problem.”
And the rest of us? Seems like the Vampires can wait, under the circumstances.
Javin and Garud can destroy a handful of Krasue with blindfolds on. They're basically Vampire jellyfish, nothing but floating heads with sharp teeth. They aren't exactly warriors.
But…
The full moon is tonight, and I have no intention of being stuck here for another month.
You can't know how many—
Don't tell me how to do my fucking job, Zaiden. I swear to God, I'll leave you here and Silas can kiss my ass.
“Now, now,” Tanvir said, looking between them. “No fighting, children.” He draped an arm around Zaiden's shoulders and led him away, saying, “Don't worry, Highness. No new mothers will die tonight—not at the hospital, anyway.”
They had about eight hours before sunset, and so Lexi and Zaiden went with Javin back to the Guards' apartment. All she wanted was an ice-cold shower, but she soon discovered lukewarm was as good as it got.
When she finally gave up on the shower, Lexi found that something had vomited slut clothes on her bed.
“Javin!” she bellowed, and glared at the tiny warrior when she arrived in her doorway. “I hope you don't expect me to wear this shit. These aren't clothes. They're straps.” Lexi held up a hot-pink tank top. “I mean, look at this! It looks like it's been through a fucking shredder, for Christ's sake!”
“It's called undercover, Hewitt,” Javin said, yawning. “You'll stand out like a nudist in a mosque if you don't look properly drunken party-girl chic.”
“Sweet mother of fucking creation.” Lexi tried pleading. “How am I supposed to carry weapons?”
“You'll figure it out.”
Lexi narrowed her eyes at Javin, but the Jodha only yawned again.
“Tanvir will stay hidden until he's needed,” she said. “And I told Zaiden it would be better if he looked like a white surfer dude. More fleeceable that way.” Javin turned, waving over her shoulder. “Have fun.”
Lexi groaned, falling back onto the bed. She involuntarily pictured Zaiden in some golden-tanned surfer disguise, wearing nothing but shorts. She focused on the fact that at least his shorts would be long and loose, while she wore mere inches of florescent Lycra, and hoped that her flaring temper heated up before he could detect her desire.
Lexi crammed two handfuls of clothes into a worn backpack and put the most modest outfit she could find—jean shorts she was sure her ass hung out of and a T-shirt that had only the back shredded out of—and left the room. At least the sandals were a nice change from her canvas shoes in this heat.
When Zaiden saw her, his gaze froze on her legs, and his now-pale skin turned a beautiful shade of pink.
“Yeah, well,” Lexi said, rolling her eyes. She turned away from him to leave the apartment, and realized her mistake too late when she felt Zaiden struggle to breathe.
Her ass was definitely hanging out, damn it all to hell.
Lexi decided if the Vampires wouldn't join them, she was going to have a lot of fun killing them.
They drove to the ferry in silence. Tanvir turned the music up loud enough to almost drown out Lexi's thoughts of murder, and once on the island, they rented scooters like the rest of the tourists. The three of them made their way to an expensive hotel closest to the full moon party beach, just in case familiars kept tabs on the rich tourists before sunset.
Lexi tried not to notice how beautiful the scenery was.
After they parked their bikes, Tanvir said, “You two are a fun-loving, happy-to-spend-money couple. I'll be the cutest crow to ever exist. You won't see me, but I'll be waiting, more than fully armed, and ready to help when the time comes.”
Tanvir handed them fake Canadian ID's, and Lexi squinted at hers. “Crystal Sparks? What did you do, look up popular stripper names, for fuck's sake?”
Zaiden frowned. “Dane Slater.”
Lexi burst into laughter. “This is absolutely ridiculous.”
What's so funny about Dane Slater?
Never mind, surfer boy.
Tanvir blinked innocently at them. “What?”
Lexi shook her head and started taking the hotel steps two at a time and winced as she felt her shorts protest. “C'mon Dane. We don't wanna be late to the party.”
“Make yourselves memorable,” Tanvir called, giving them a thumbs-up and a cheerful grin.
Lexi gave him a sarcastic salute in return, and went to check into their room.
Maybe this place would actually have cold water.
† † †
At sunset, Zaiden and Lexi joined the party. The beach was already packed with mostly pale-skinned, nearly-naked tourists. Music pulsed from the nearest makeshift club and spilled across the littered sand. Dozens of people danced on a wooden platform that looked unstable to Zaiden as black light strobed and body paint decorating miles of endless skin glowed.
Zaiden avoided looking at Lexi, but the memory of seeing that much of her skin seemed permanently seared into his brain, making him dizzy with what Ursala would call “a severe case of arousal sickness.” She still wore nothing but white shorts ending in tassels that brushed her smooth thighs, and some kind of tie-dyed backless top over a florescent pink bikini top. Her golden hair was even tied up in two adorable messy buns, with ribbon pigtails.
Okay. Lexi stopped, so Zaiden halted, still keeping his gaze on a young man drinking out of a small orange bucket. It looks like there are about twenty of these stupid clubs along the beach. Fuck.
Zaiden nodded and wished again that he hadn't worn the surfer necklace of wooden beads. It felt like it was choking him. Plus, he looked ridiculous.
Say one word about that fucking necklace when I'm dressed like a hooker covered in Unicorn rainbow shit and I will stab you right in your perfect abs.
I wasn't—
Yeah, whatever. Lexi turned in a circle, and Zaiden made the mistake of glancing at her. He quickly turned back to study a dog eating the remains of a meat kabob someone dropped in the sand.
We need a plan. There are thousands of people here, and the last fight starts at midnight.
Okay. Zaiden watched three men with matching body paint try to drink from buckets while keeping hula hoops turning around their waists. We have three hours to get invited, right? So, if there's twenty clubs, we have nine minutes at each to make ourselves noticed enough to get tickets.
He could feel Lexi's approval as she warmed to having a plan of action. Nine minutes to make a spectacle of myself. That's easily doable.
Without warning, she spun and grabbed his arm, her hand brushing his ribs in the process, and Zaiden jumped, her touch like electrical fire on his skin.
“C'mon, Dane! Let's spend money on a bunch of expensive booze.”
Wait. We're not gonna actually…
Don't be an idiot. Of course not. But the Vampire's scouts don't have to know we're sober, do they?
But…
Zaiden, it's a fucking party! Would you relax? You really suck at undercover, you know that?
Your outfit's not helping me stay on mission.
My outfit? My outfit? In case you haven't noticed, you're wearing nothing but some low-rise shorts! Have you seen your hipbones?
Zaiden realized with a jolt that while he'd been avoiding looking at her, Lexi was doing her best not to look at him. Now she ran ahead of him, the tassels on her shorts dancing cheerfully as she laughed loudly, stumbling toward one of the many temporary bars set up between the clubs on the beach, each stacked high with small, bright-colored buckets full of various bottles. She waved cash around, acting confused, and Zaiden saw that Lexi was very good at “undercover”.
After skipping back to the first club, Lexi ho
pped amongst the mostly drunk dancers, sharing the contents of the buckets until they were empty, and then, leaping onto the platform in a movement Zaiden thought came dangerously close to inhuman, she began dancing.
Zaiden knew he was gawking, but he seemed to have lost complete control of his body.
Well? Aren't you gonna join me, Dane? Unless you'd rather I make a spectacle of myself with Moe and Larry here.
You already know their names?
Lexi laughed, the sound drowned in the music, and Zaiden knew it was hopeless to even try not to stare.
Forget it. Let's go to the next one. She leapt from the platform, flipping once, and a few people applauded as Zaiden lunged forward to catch her before she landed on the crowd.
And Lexi was in his arms.
Her eyes met his, and they stood frozen in place for an endless moment. Zaiden could barely breathe past the feeling of her skin against his and the rush of emotion he could feel the instant she felt it—her undeniable longing.
Then Lexi scrambled out of his arms, and away, running to the next club, twirling with a girlish laugh to high-five a bunch of painted, half-naked guys, and Zaiden struggled to keep up behind her, struggled to smile and laugh as he watched her stumble toward the next group of booze-laden tables to buy more buckets.
Let's start a fight with a mean drunk, c'mon!
Wait—what?
Memorable, Zaiden. Memorable. Defend my fragile honor! I know those perfect biceps are good for something other than making every woman on this beach drool.
Wait—what?
Zaiden wasn't sure how much of a memorable spectacle they made. They tried to start a fight with “a mean drunk,” but the closest they came was when a guy who looked no more than seventeen tried to kiss Lexi. To be fair, she'd first flirted shamelessly with the poor guy. But when she started screeching and trying to make a scene, he only laughed and began singing something about world peace. When Zaiden threatened him with his biceps, the kid had hugged him, which earned all three of them a huge round of applause from the thirty people closest to them.
