by Parker Blue
“Why not?” Luis snarled.
“The vibes—”
“You haven’t even tried,” Luis said and yanked her hood down. “What do you sense?”
Ivy’s face filled with horror. “Nooo,” she moaned, clutching at her head, and crumpled to the floor.
Chapter Five
Val
AS MICAH AND I rushed to Ivy’s side, Austin got into Luis’s face. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Getting answers,” Luis spat. “Or don’t you want to find Alejandro?”
Austin backed off, but his fists were clenched. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone to get those answers.”
“I don’t care—”
“That’s obvious,” Austin retorted. “You only care about yourself.”
Luis took a swing at him, but Austin blocked it and punched Luis square in the face, sending him stumbling into the altar.
GO, AUSTIN! Fang cheered.
Though I shared the sentiment, this small space was not the place for a brawl, especially with two powerful, destructive vampires moving at breakneck speed. Leaving Micah to care for Ivy, I jumped up as Luis leapt for Austin, blood in his eye. Throwing out my hands to thrust Lola into both of them, I yelled, “Stop!”
I’d been careful to keep Lola up to capacity, but it was even easier than I’d expected to grab them both and force their compliance, even without the amulet. They halted obediently.
But now that I had them, what was I going to do with them? Damn it, having to grab your date by the chakras and force him to your will was not exactly the way to a man’s heart. That’s how I’d alienated Shade.
THIS IS AUSTIN, NOT SHADE, Fang reminded me. HE UNDERSTANDS.
But it shouldn’t be necessary, I whined to myself. Why’d he have to go all Terminator on Luis?
OH, I DON’T KNOW. BECAUSE HE’S A MAN . . . BECAUSE HE’S A VAMPIRE . . . BECAUSE HE’S NOT A WIMP? WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A TOTAL WUSS FOR A BOYFRIEND?
Well, no, but if I had to use Lola on him too frequently, that wouldn’t make for a great relationship, either. He’s not my boyfriend, I shot back at Fang. Not yet, anyway.
BUT HE WANTS TO BE. AND YOU HAVE TO ADMIT LUIS HAD IT COMING.
Yeah.
Lisette was suddenly in my face, up close and way too personal. “Release them,” she ordered with a hiss, her canines elongating to make her, er, point.
I’d had about enough of her I’m-better-than-you, my-poop-don’t-stink attitude. Sheesh, she was like a human version of Princess. I narrowed my eyes at her. “Back off, or Micah will do the same to you.”
The tweedles seemed to take exception to that and took a menacing step toward me—or maybe toward Micah, who had risen to his feet beside me. “You, too,” I ordered as I flicked Lola over their chakras in warning.
They looked startled but backed away.
Fang said, YOU’RE SCARING THE GEMSTONE WHISPERER.
I glanced at Ivy, who had regained her equilibrium and was slowly coming to her feet. She winced, looking more pained than scared to me. It did remind me what was important here, though. I loosened my hold on the vampire lieutenants. “Sorry,” I told Austin and Luis, figuring an apology wouldn’t go amiss, “but fighting in this small space isn’t a good idea right now. Can you save it until after we find Alejandro?”
I reined Lola in but retained a light hold on them, just in case. Austin gave me a stiff nod. “I apologize, Slayer. I won’t initiate any more altercations.”
I appreciated the sentiment, but if he was calling me Slayer now and going all formal on me, did that mean he saw me more as an enforcer than a date? Not what I was going for.
NAW. HE WAS PROBABLY JUST EMPHASIZING IT FOR LUIS’S SAKE.
I glanced at Luis, who stood quietly fuming. Maybe.
YOU’RE NOT GETTING AN APOLOGY FROM THAT ONE.
Don’t I know it. But Luis did give me a curt nod as assurance he wouldn’t start pounding on Austin. I released them completely, and the tension in the room noticeably plummeted.
“Wow,” Ivy said from inside her hoodie, her attitude apparently restored, “that was impressive. What did you do?”
SHE’S A SUCCUBUS, Fang told Ivy. SHE GRABBED THEM BY THEIR LUST HANDLES AND MADE THEM HER SLAVES.
I stiffened, then realized Austin couldn’t hear that. Good thing.
Fang snorted. HE ALREADY KNOWS. AND NOW YOU’RE IVY’S HERO.
“What happened?” I asked Ivy. “Are you okay?” She certainly looked all right now.
She gripped the sides of her hoodie to keep it firmly on her head as she glared at Luis. “The reason I said I wouldn’t be able to tell anything is because the bloodstone is traumatized.”
“The stone is traumatized?” Lisette repeated in disbelief. “No, Guillaume was traumatized. A stone is inert, dead.”
“To you, yes,” Ivy said more calmly than I would have. “But from the moment gemstones are cut, polished, and admired, they become self-aware.”
Kind of like a hellhound, I thought.
NOT FUNNY. I AIN’T POLISHED.
You got that right, I said, grinning as I finally scored one on Fang.
“And that is helpful, how?” Luis asked sarcastically, his jaw tight and his fists clenched.
“Gemstones absorb the emotions of people around them,” Ivy explained. “The longer they’re around someone and the stronger the emotion, the more likely they are to have absorbed it.”
“Again, how is that helpful?” Lisette asked with a disdainful sniff.
“They can communicate what they know and feel to rock demons. I’m a rock demon,” Ivy added in simple words, as if implying the two of them might not understand that with their limited intelligence.
Before Luis or Lisette could blast her, Austin said gently, “We are unfamiliar with rock demons.”
“Call her a gemstone whisperer,” Micah suggested. “It’s closer to what she actually does.”
Austin nodded. “How do we know they will speak the truth?”
Ivy shrugged. “They don’t know how to lie, so they always speak the truth. Well, the truth as they see it from their limited, self-centered perspective, anyway.” At a questioning glance from Austin, she added, “They talk about what matters to them, not you, and they have a hard time handling strong feelings.” She glanced at the dagger. “This one must have witnessed some pretty awful emotions. I didn’t even ask it anything, and it wouldn’t stop screaming.”
“Did you get anything from it at all?” Austin asked gently.
“Besides the screech in my head?” Ivy asked in disbelief. At Austin’s nod, she said, “No, just that it felt the death. That’s why it’s screaming.”
“Could you tell if there was any magick on the blade or the stone?” I asked.
She looked surprised, then paused for a moment. “I didn’t think about it before, but there was no magick. I would have sensed it.”
Well, that was a relief. We knew we could touch it now without being blasted.
“Can you tell us who did it?” Austin asked.
As if a dam had released somewhere within him, Luis blurted out, “And if anyone else was in the room. Anyone else killed? Was there—”
Ivy held up a hand to stop him. “I won’t know anything else until I have a chance to cleanse the stone. It’s screaming nonstop, remember?”
“How do you do that?” Austin asked.
“How long will it take?” Luis demanded.
“I use a special solution, with water, salt, and other minerals,” Ivy said. “As with most magickal tools, the mixture soothes and purifies them.”
Lisette snapped her fingers at Tweedledee, and he rushed off to the kitchen.
“As for how long . . .” Ivy shrugged. “Maybe a couple
of days, maybe longer.”
“Not acceptable,” Luis said.
“Sorry,” Ivy said and gave him back glare for glare. “They work on their own timetable, not yours.”
The tweedle rushed back in, carrying a salt shaker and a Tupperware container full of water. Ivy looked doubtful but said, “Thank you. That’s a good start until I get the rest of my tools. Could you . . . ?” She gestured toward the dagger.
The tweedle glanced at Lisette and, at her nod, removed it carefully from Guillaume’s heart and placed the bloody thing in the plastic tub.
I glanced around the room. “What about the marble on the floor or the altar stone?” I asked her. “Can they tell you anything?”
Ivy shook her head regretfully. “It has to be a gemstone, though some of the things we call gemstones don’t hold awareness—those that come from a formerly living being, like coral, amber, and pearls.”
Luis looked impatient at the geology lesson.
“Even if the marble and altar stone were aware, I get the impression they’d be shrieking, too,” Ivy said, looking around in trepidation at the bleak room. “What was this place?”
“You don’t want to know,” I assured her.
Micah stepped forward. “Ivy and Val, why don’t we go so we can get the proper solution to cleanse the bloodstone—and question Shade to see if he knows anything.”
Austin nodded. “We’ll finish searching the house.” He slanted a gaze at Guillaume. “And take care of our own.”
I sighed and shared a glance with Austin. Not exactly how I expected this date to end.
WHAT? Fang asked. YOU WERE HOPING TO SUCK FACE? MAYBE GET A LITTLE SOMETHIN’ SOMETHIN’?
Again, I was soooo glad Austin couldn’t hear my hellhound. Shut up. But as an ending to a first date, it kind of sucked.
As if he’d read my mind, Austin quirked a smile at me and said, “We’ll try again.”
I sighed and nodded back. Now, if our jobs would just let us. . . .
Chapter Six
Val
FANG AND I RODE in Micah’s Lexus, which was a nice treat. Between his fancy car and the ones the vampires maintained, they’d kind of spoiled me, making me wonder if I should get something other than my Valkyrie motorcycle. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my bike—it was fast, maneuverable, and gave me a sense of freedom. But it was also noisy, let in the weather, and wasn’t exactly passenger-friendly. Except for Fang.
YEAH, I LOVE IT, BUT YOU GOTTA ADMIT A CAR WOULD’VE BEEN NICE DURING THE SLEET LAST MONTH. PLUS, YOU COULD GET MORE SLAYAGE EQUIPMENT IN A TRUNK.
Maybe I’ll look for a car, I told him. I couldn’t afford something as expensive as the guys had, and one this luxurious would just be ruined if I had to transport a slayed vamp, but protection from weather would be nice.
Sheesh—was I becoming a wimp?
Fang snorted. NO CHANCE, BABE. DON’T WORRY—I’LL WARN YA IF YOU START GETTING WUSSY.
Good to know.
Micah called Shade on his cell and arranged for us to go by his apartment.
In the front seat, Ivy yawned. “Do you guys always stay up all night?”
“Sorry,” Micah said apologetically. “But with me working at Club Purgatory and Val’s job as Paladin and her association with the vampires, we do tend to work at night and sleep during the day.”
I wondered why she’d asked, then realized we were going to be roommates for a while. I hoped she wasn’t too much of a day person, or we’d annoy each other with our opposite hours.
Ivy nodded. “Well, I’m a night person, too, so I get it. But I think this is the latest I’ve ever stayed up.”
YOU’LL GET USED TO IT, Fang said.
Ivy gave him a strange look as if she wanted to say she didn’t want to get used to it, but we’d arrived at Shade’s apartment, so there was no time to discuss it further. Shade greeted us at the door with a puppy in his hands and Princess at his feet. Luckily, that grounded him in this world so he wasn’t all swirly when he was introduced to the gemstone whisperer.
“How cute,” Ivy exclaimed, reaching out to run a finger over the puppy’s soft fur. She shot a glance at Fang. “She looks like you.”
THAT’S ONE OF MY GIRLS, Fang said proudly. I could almost see his chest expanding with pride.
“What’s her name?” Ivy asked.
“We’re calling her Delta for now,” Shade explained. “Hellhounds choose their own name when they’re old enough.”
“When will that be?”
He glanced with affection at the puppy. “I’m not sure. They’re about a month old now, so . . . ?” He glanced down. “Ask Princess.”
I wondered why we he didn’t just ask her himself, then remembered he’d blocked the hellhounds’ ability to communicate with him. Hmm, how would Princess feel about that?
SHE HATES IT, Fang said. AND SHE’S GIVING SHADE THE COLD SHOULDER TREATMENT UNTIL HE TALKS TO HER AGAIN.
Princess answered the question, even though Shade couldn’t hear the answer. THEY WILL CHOOSE A NAME WHEN THEY CHOOSE A COMPANION, Princess said, looking suspiciously at Ivy. But THEY ARE TOO YOUNG TO LEAVE ME NOW. WE MUST WAIT UNTIL THEY’RE AT LEAST TWO MONTHS OLD.
Ivy glanced down at Princess in surprise, apparently at finding another dog who could speak to her.
Micah smiled. “We are blessed with an abundance of hellhounds.”
I wasn’t sure anyone would call Princess a blessing. . . .
“Aren’t you beautiful?” Ivy said, bending down to look at the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
YES, I AM, Princess agreed. YOU MAY PET ME.
Ivy quirked a smile but did as Princess bid her. When Princess had enough, she pointedly ignored Shade and trotted back over to the other three puppies, who were tussling good-naturedly in the living room.
“Could I hold one?” Ivy asked.
“Sure,” Shade said and handed her the puppy he’d been petting.
Of course, Shade went all swirly, the ribbons of gray light spiraling endlessly within the confines of his skin. Ivy looked startled.
I hurriedly explained. “Shade is a shadow demon. Interdimensional energies move through him constantly, unless he’s grounded in a being from this world.”
“Oh,” Ivy said faintly. “I’ve never met a shadow demon before.”
“And I’ve never met a rock demon,” Shade said, humor in his voice. “I’ve read about your kind.”
“You read about rock demons?” Ivy said in surprise. “Where?”
Shade and I slanted a glance at Micah, uncertain if we should mention the books. “You can trust her,” he said.
“In the Encyclopedia Magicka,” Shade explained. “How do you talk to them?”
Ivy shrugged. “Mostly, I experience the emotions they’ve absorbed from the people around them. Once they’re clear of negative emotions, they will often communicate with me.”
“I’ve seen some books that list properties each stone possesses,” Shade continued. “Are those accurate?”
Ivy looked confused, as if wondering why Shade wanted to know.
“I’ve asked Shade to expand our knowledge in the encyclopedia,” Micah explained. “It’s important to know as much as we can so when someone needs help, we know how to assist them.”
Ivy nodded. “A well-cared-for gemstone can enhance your health, well-being, and other characteristics. Most of the ‘new age’ books published about their properties are pretty accurate—I can tell you which ones to use if you like.” Her gaze slid off his swirling face, as if she didn’t know where to look.
“Sorry,” Shade said. “I know I take some getting used to.” He scooped another puppy off the floor, and we could see his face again, bearing a sad smile.
Ivy smiled down at Delta in her arms. “H
ow cute. She’s talking to me.”
“She is?” I asked in surprise. They hadn’t talked to me yet, and I had to admit to a bit of jealousy. “What’s she saying? Goo goo ga ga?”
Ivy laughed. “No, more like ‘nice lady, rub my belly, feed me.’ ”
Definitely Princess’s child.
HEY, Fang exclaimed. WHADDAYA EXPECT? SHAKESPEARE? SHE’S ONLY A BABY.
Sorry.
“I’m sure you didn’t come by just to introduce me to Ivy,” Shade said to Micah. “What did you need?”
“Alejandro went missing tonight from the blood demon’s house, just about the same time you were there. Do you remember seeing or hearing anything?”
Shade frowned as he stroked the puppy in Ivy’s arms. “I heard some people wandering around in the other rooms, but I don’t know who they were.”
“You weren’t curious?” Micah asked with a frown when Shade wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“He was too busy muttering to himself while trying to open a portal,” I drawled. He probably hadn’t heard much.
Shade shot me an annoyed look. “Well, I won’t be doing that anymore, will I?”
“You can with Micah’s permission,” I reminded him tartly.
Micah gave me a questioning glance, and I explained about the shattered crystal that had sealed in my last order to Shade.
Shade shrugged. “I was trying to avoid everyone there,” he admitted. “Keep a low profile. I wish I could help, but I really don’t know anything about Alejandro’s disappearance.”
“You didn’t hear any screaming?” I asked. “Or anything else?”
He shook his head. “No screaming. It did sound like people were moving furniture around in that altar room, but that’s it.”
Moving furniture? Well, Guillaume was pretty much dead wood, but I wouldn’t call him furniture. “Could it have been a scuffle you heard?”
“Could be. I don’t know—I wasn’t paying attention.”
I sighed. “Okay, I guess I need to get the books back so I can see if I can find a spell that might help.” Though I was the Keeper of the encyclopedia, I’d loaned the books to Shade to help with compiling everything we knew about demons and other nonhuman entities. With the mage demons defeated, we didn’t have to worry as much about the encyclopedia being stolen—and the books tended to protect themselves from anyone else.
