House of Slide: Hunter

by Juliann Whicker

  “You’re going to have to work a little harder. I think it would be easier to blend if you had good posture like every other Wild than be a few inches shorter.”

  He looked over my shoulder, past me, his attention riveted on something that had only then reached the floor.

  “My mother is very beautiful,” I said quietly, a whisper that probably wouldn’t be heard by the other people in the room.

  He ignored me.

  “You’re staring kind of blatantly.”

  He finally looked over with an impatient frown. “I was her Intended before she decided to have your father instead. It’s well known that the reason I haven’t ever found anyone else to bestow my affection on is that I am still deeply, irrationally, besotted with your mother. If I failed to stare longingly every possible moment, it would trigger an avalanche of overeager girls, not much older than you, who have their hearts, I use the word lightly, set upon having a Head of House. I am Head of two Houses.”

  I stared at him skeptically then glanced around the room. I could feel the gaze of the Daughters boring into me, but most of them were actually fixed on my weird, old, crow-footed dancing partner.

  “You’re not kidding.”

  “Sadly, no.”

  “How strange that you pretend to love someone you actually love. Do you still love her after having her in your shack not talking?”

  He raised an eyebrow as his mouth curled into a sneer. “I worship the ground she walks upon. I inhale the breath she exudes with trembling lungs. She is the spark that keeps me from falling into everlastingly endless darkness.”

  I stared at him. “It’s hard for me to believe you. No wonder she doesn’t understand you. You tell the truth worse than anyone I’ve ever met.”

  He flashed a smile that would have sent anyone’s heart racing who wasn’t trying not to look past him to see her soul-mate.

  He stopped dancing, holding my hand out to the next in line, Slide, my grandfather who looked ageless and timeless, a shock compared to Matthew’s sagging features considering how much older my grandfather was of the two.

  He nodded to Carve with his expressionless eyes before taking my hand and moving me into a flawless waltz.

  “Welcome to the House, Daughter,” he said in a monotone that still made me tremble. I could feel the power in his skin, dancing over and through his cells like electricity.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, fighting the urge to snatch my hand out of his, find Lewis, and get out of there.

  “Your dress matches your eyes.”

  “Your suit matches yours.”

  A flicker of emotion crossed his face, maybe amusement? I could feel Lewis, far away, could feel the mounting anxiety as I danced with my ageless, powerful grandfather, Head of Slide who my mother had fought so hard to keep me away from.

  “Wear your scars with pride,” he said as we slowed to a stop.

  I blinked at him. “Yeah. Thanks. You too.”

  It was definitely amusement as he turned and let my bald uncle clasp my hand in his callused grip.

  “Darlin’, you have got to be the ugliest Wild girl I’ve ever seen.” He grinned like it was a compliment.

  “Yeah, next time I get a haircut, I won’t use a razor.”

  “Carve said there was rumor of a demon mistress.” This time there was no nonsense in his voice although he couldn’t hide the gleam of anticipation.

  I sighed as I shook my head. “Satan, if you’re looking for someone to set you up, you’ll have to go elsewhere. We’ve barely met. She kidnapped me, I crashed her plane, that’s about it.”

  “So, she’s real?”

  I blinked at him. “Raoul, House of Grasse betrayed me to her, but he also woke up my nerves so that I could enjoy the experience of going down in flames. Have you seen him?”

  “Can’t say I have. We’ll talk…” he said turning to let my father take my hand.

  “Hey,” I said as the energy washed up my arm from his cool hand.

  “Dari,” he said with a gentle smile that touched his silvery eyes. He’d tied back his long hair and wore the required black tuxedo, but he still looked otherworldly.

  “It’s not every day you get to waltz your daughter around her training ball, or whatever it’s called,” I said fighting down the urge to cry.

  “No, it’s not.” He smiled again, silver eyes sparkling beneath the bright chandelier.

  “You’re not going to say anything about the scars and tattoos?”

  He shook his head. “I had a conversation with Aiden.”

  “What did he say?”

  He frowned briefly, only a shadow passing in front of the sun. “A great deal, most of it derogatory. He doesn’t like me very much.”

  “I don’t think he’s very respectful to anyone. He’s okay though? I kind of worry about him. I think he has a death wish.”

  “Don’t we all,” he said soberly.

  I blinked at him. “I don’t.”

  He frowned. “I’m sorry, I meant the Old Ones, the ones who can’t die without great effort. I’m glad… We’ll talk later,” and then it was another uncle’s turn.

  Stanley scowled at me once then spent the rest of the dance staring above my head. It was a relief for both of us when he passed me to the next uncle. He looked so much like the other one whose name slipped my mind. Both of those ones said polite things about my training, didn’t mention my tattoos, and then there was Shelley, the soulful one who quoted some poetry to me before he passed me to Jackson.

  Devlin, an older, wiser edition that I’d never met in real life smiled at me as he took my hand.

  “Hey, cuz. Nice tats,” he said but I stopped with a gasp as I felt something from him that froze my limbs and heart.

  “Have you been Hunting a lot of demons? You feel like…” I didn’t want to say, ‘the demon mistress’ out loud.

  He gave me a puzzled look. “I’ve run into a few with the Uncles. They are incredibly good at taking care of them. I haven’t so much as nicked any before it’s burning and screaming while Satan laughs. You know how it is.”

  I nodded while my heart pounded and I desperately wanted to rip my hand away from Jackson’s, from the feel of her that sank into me, twisting my stomach and my heart.

  “How have things been with you? How do you like business in the House?” I asked.

  He frowned. “It’s good, mostly.” He cocked his head. “How well do you know your trainer?”

  “I know that he’s crazy,” I offered, glancing over to Matthew where he stood aloof above the dancing on the dais in front of the musicians.

  “She said that it was no use, but I’ve got to try, you know?”

  I blinked at him. “Try what?”

  “She’s his niece. She says that he would never agree to the Intending. I’m nowhere close to next in line for Head of the House. But I’ve got to try. I love her,” he said, his eyes shining. “Maybe you can put in a good word for me?”

  I stared at him as scenes from my own Intending to Lewis made me want to stop breathing. “Sure,” I said, while my throat closed up.

  “Thanks Dari,” he said, squeezing my hand while he felt a surge of excitement that he didn’t try to block. “Try to be subtle, okay? I don’t want him to know that I’ve been spending unchaperoned time with his niece.”

  “She must be quite a girl.” I stared at him.

  He nodded eagerly messing up his hair and making him look younger, less Wild and more human. What could she see in him? Not that he wasn’t great, but he was last in line at Slide, and so nice. Maybe she was as crazy as her uncle.

  “She’s really hard to get to know, but we kept running into each other until…” He grinned. “I’ll tell you later.”

  I blinked at Grim who in spite of looking less cadaver-like than usual still appeared ready to go to a funeral, even if it wasn’t his own.

  “These dances don’t last long enough for more than two sentences,” I complained.

  “There have been more
than two sentences worth of developments during your absence.”

  “Have you found out anything about the demon mistress?”

  He looked even graver. “No. Sanders managed to find Aiden, to talk with him without them trying to kill each other. Apparently there is bad blood between the two. There are some signs, subtle things that on their own wouldn’t amount to much, but Slide’s focus has been on the other Wild Houses, shifting alliances right now, losing some supporters that we didn’t expect to lose.”

  “I see. That’s…” I cut off my words as the music came to a stop along with our dance. Whoever came up with this processional waltzing should be shot. I hated all these half started conversations that only gave me a taste of all the things I should know without answering any questions.

  “Dariana,” my mother’s pleasant voice cut in.

  I stared at her in her red dress. She looked incredible, but even more tired and strained than the last time I’d seen her. When she grabbed my hand, I squeezed it back, feeling the emotions swirling in her for a moment before she tamped them down, blocking my leaning.

  “Do I dance with you, too?” I asked.

  She laughed, a polite and charming laugh as she led me away from the center of the floor, up a few steps so that when I stood there, next to Matthew, I could see and be seen by everyone else. She didn’t answer me, only took her place beside me, still holding my hand in hers. The rest of my uncles lined up, in reverse order so that Grim stood on Matthew’s other side, then Jackson on my mother’s other side, etc. As soon as we were all perfectly aligned, the music began again and the other Sons began dancing with Daughters, perfectly choreographed.

  “How long are we supposed to stand here?” I asked after what seemed hours of watching other people dance. I could feel Lewis’s worry build as he moved around, outside, out of the reach of the other dancers.

  “As long as Carve stays there,” my mother said, barely nodding to Matthew.

  He turned his head and caught her gaze, eyes flashing as she turned away. I felt her emotions, the uncomfortable embarrassment before she blocked it out, and I felt nothing.

  We stood there while the others danced until finally, Carve turned to me, bowed once then left, walking up the white marble stairs while he yanked off his black tie, leaving it trailing down the steps like dripping oil.

  “Finally,” my mother said stepping forward and taking my arm in hers, leading me away from the ballroom while the uncles dispersed rapidly. Slide had already disappeared when I thought to look for him, and the other uncles were checking the perimeter.

  My father’s voice came from behind me.

  “Helen, would you care to dance?”

  My mother froze, her grip on my arm turning painful.

  She turned her head to look at him, her dark blue eyes beautiful, full of emotion. Her voice however was matter-of-fact.

  “No, thank-you. There are things I must discuss with Dariana.”

  I waved at him while she led me across the floor.

  “This doesn’t feel right,” she said as soon as we’d left the crowded ballroom.

  “I know. I keep thinking that Lewis is on the terrace, or maybe down a few levels in the garden. It seems so pointless to be trained with no Intended.”

  She looked at me with wide eyes, concern on her face. “You’ve done beautifully, Dariana. I’m so proud of you. I hate seeing you struggle with the broken bond. When your father left, I had you and Devlin to keep me sane, but even with the two things I cared about more than anything in the world, I still wasn’t sure if I could make it. I’m not sure I really did. I don’t know how to give you the love and affection my mother gave me, not after everything.”

  I leaned forward and rested my cheek on her shoulder while she pulled me into a fierce hug.

  “It’s okay, mom,” I whispered. “I understand. You can’t go back to being the same person after you experience too much.”

  She pulled away and nodded then kissed my cheek, the one with the scar. “You’re so beautiful,” she said before she turned, tucking my arm in hers as we walked.

  “I don’t feel trained. Did you feel trained after your training? Everything I learned seemed so…basic defense maneuvers or completely pointless. Strangely enough, I kind of like Matthew. He’s totally cranky all the time, but I think that deep down, he’s really good.”

  She gave me a sidelong glance. “He protects those he loves. That is about as noble as Matthew will ever get.”

  “He loves. That’s something.”

  She smiled. “All Wilds love something, even if it’s only themselves. I’m glad you like him.”

  “You like him too.”

  She stopped and looked at me, shook her head slightly then turned back to the ballroom. I followed, half-heartedly until I stopped at the open doors. I did not want to go back into that lifeless throng, only now it wasn’t quite so perfectly lifeless. Watching the Wilds dance so beautifully distracted me from the aching in my heart and the buzzing in my brain that demanded I go and find Lewis.

  I felt my heart sink as I stared at Jackson dancing with a girl I would know anywhere. Valerie. They didn’t look bad together, exactly. She gazed into his eyes with unmistakable desire, but it was Valerie. She always looked like that. What were the chances that she wouldn’t break my cousin’s heart? He stared transfixed, helpless in her thrall as she danced him around the room. There was no question about who led whom.

  “That girl, who is she?” my mother asked, frowning at Valerie almost as much as I was.

  “Valerie?”

  “She was in Sanders.”

  “Apparently, she’s Carve’s niece.”

  My mother turned to me, eyebrows raised. “Carve would allow his ward to behave like this publicly?”

  I shrugged. “It’s just a dance.”

  She turned away from me, frowning then nodded as if to herself. “I will talk with him about it.”

  “Okay?”

  I watched her thread her way through the crowd, heading towards the stairs, the same stairs Matthew had walked up a few minutes before. What else would they talk about? Maybe she’d try to kill him again.

  “Are you going to stand here all evening?” Satan growled, his gravelly voice sending a shiver through me.

  I turned around and grinned at my crazy uncle, Son of Slide. He looked fantastic in his extra-extra-large suit. Even with his bald head and glistening runes, he looked elegant.

  “Good evening, sir. What brings you here?”

  “At Matthew’s house? It isn’t the food. Your face is wrecked,” he said in his usual subtle way. “Helen told me that Lewis died. How many did he take out?”

  I tried to shake off the shock, the pain. “Eighteen Wild demons died that night. We didn’t have a chance.”

  “But he got you out alive. He was an honorable Intended. We’ll have a memorial service for him when we get back home.”

  I nodded but I felt tears well up in my eyes while I fought back a sob. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me through the doors before he gave me a rough hug.

  “It hurts, doesn’t it,” he growled, patting my back as gently as he could.

  I pulled away and brushed the tears off my face. I was going to mess up my mother’s amazing makeup job. She hadn’t tried to hide the scar, but had somehow made my eyes more interesting than the wound.

  Satan tensed as he turned to the hall, putting his body protectively between me and the shadow that detached from the wall then came towards us.

  “Dad?” I asked, having a hard time focusing on his features. He seemed to grow more real and tangible the longer I stared at him. Had he been invisible, or simply bent people’s minds so that they couldn’t see him? What really was the difference?

  “Alex. You shouldn’t do that,” Satan growled.

  “Why not?” he asked, sounding vaguely curious.

  “I might try and kill you.”

  My father smiled, flashing teeth that looked metallic. “Y
ou’re very welcome to try.”

  “That does sound like good fun,” Satan grinned and shifted his stance.

  I shook my head and pushed him back, delighted when my rune enhanced arms actually knocked back my hulking uncle.

  “This is a ball, not a brawl,” I said primly before turning to my dad.

  His silver eyes were alive in his face, a face that seemed pale and cold. When he exhaled, mists curled in the air.

  “Dad, are you okay?”

  He looked strange, distant, alien. I knew that look; it was how Lewis looked when he rode his monster Pisces.

  “Things are changing quickly,” he said with a frown. He nodded down the hall. “Let’s talk.”

  I smiled at Satan before chasing after my dad, trying to keep up with his long stride. Satan followed, but reluctantly. Something about my dad bothered him. Well, me too.

  The room my dad led me to was small for a Wild House, but big enough that I could have waltzed comfortably with Smoke around the edges.

  He went to a very elaborately carved settee and dropped on it, almost like he felt tired. I sat down beside him, folding my hands in my lap.

  Satan found a bookshelf and pulled a book off randomly, the book dainty in his big hands.

  “You look tired.”

  He opened his eyes and I felt his thoughts slicing into my brain, shifting through the pieces of me, my thoughts before he blinked and I gasped, barely able to breathe.

  “The Demon Mistress is gathering her forces in the city, Slide’s city. We’ve found proof of two demon men seen by Hotbloods, very difficult to hurt, impossible for the locals to kill. Two demon men in one city, of the same power as Samaliel,” he said, his words so slick and smooth it took me a moment for the horror to hit me.

  “Two demon men like Samaliel in the city? Out in the open? We’ve been fighting demon men in the woods, but they were pretty easy to kill. So, like Samaliel? I thought that Samaliel was one-of-a-kind. Everyone told me that he was special, horribly, terribly special.”

  He nodded. “Two demon men would not be in the same area without something, someone even more powerful drawing them together. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything like this, but not long enough.”