The Stars Never Rise (The Midnight Defenders Book 2)

by Joey Ruff

  “Your…oh,” I said. I looked at Kinnara. “I’m sorry, she never mentioned you.”

  Her smile grew wider and her tongue touched the inner rim of her lip slightly and her brows danced together as she said, “She mentioned you.”

  I suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

  “Please, Jono,” Lorelei said as she cast a wary glance at her sister. “Do have a seat.”

  Two chairs stood before her desk. Kinnara took one, and I claimed the other, feeling her eyes on me as I did so. She crossed her legs and sat up straight.

  Lorelei took her seat and folded her hands on the top of her immaculate desk. I took note that she’d replaced the furniture in the room that had been destroyed on my last visit. She’d also added a painting, what looked like a Rembrandt. I’m not an art critic by any means, but knowing her, it was an original. The girl had very rich taste.

  “So, Jono,” she began casually. “What brings you to me this evening?”

  “Yes,” Kinnara said. “To what do we owe the pleasure?” I couldn’t tell from her tone if she was being flirty or ironic.

  “Seven,” I said. “Did you give him my number?”

  “I did,” Lorelei said. While I hadn’t seen her in months, I’d called and given her my cell number shortly after Ape bought me the phone.

  “Why?”

  “He asked for it. He said he needed to talk to you.”

  “Right,” I said. “I guess I’m more looking for why he would want to talk to me. The two of us weren’t exactly…”

  “I didn’t ask.”

  “Did he seem…nervous?”

  She thought about that a moment. “I suppose he did. Now that you mention it.”

  “You didn’t think that was odd?”

  She stared unblinking at me.

  “Right,” I said. Seven wasn’t exactly the most valiant of blokes.

  “Jono,” she said simply, almost the way you would to a child. Her tone alone said, get to the point. “Why do you ask?”

  “He was murdered tonight.”

  Lorelei watched me for maybe thirty seconds, perhaps searching my features for a tell, weighing my words to see if they were truthful. Finally, she nodded once. “I thought as much,” she said, her voice without emotion.

  My voice, however, had plenty of emotion. “You thought as much? What does that mean!?”

  “I know you well enough to know when you’re doing your detective thing to me, Jono. Your questions combined with the way you perceived him to be acting told me as much.”

  “And of course,” Kinnara interjected. “He’s not the first.”

  “The first…what?” I asked, turning to meet her gaze.

  The azure pools she called eyes flickered wildly. “Of the Song’s clients to be murdered recently.”

  I sat there stunned for a moment before turning back to Lorelei. “You didn’t pick up on anything when he came looking for me? You know he’s involved in certain circles. You knew there had been other murders. You didn’t think he’d gotten involved with something dangerous?”

  “Of course, I did,” she said.

  “Then why didn’t you do anything to stop him? Or contact me yourself?”

  “Jono,” she said calmly. “I am bound by my oath and act according to such.”

  Several years ago, she swore to me that she would remain neutral in the city’s affairs. The understanding was that she would run a business, and that was all. I knew she was good for it because we bound the oath with a type of ancient sex magic. I wasn’t sure of the exact details, wasn’t sure what would happen if she broke it. Because she had feelings for me, she had assisted me in the past by providing information and other things. Being neutral, however, meant that occasionally she had to play both sides. You can’t help the good guys without doing the same for the bad guys. Not that I was a good guy, by any means, but I was playing for their team.

  I nodded to her. “Okay. Fair enough.”

  “What killed him?” Kinnara asked.

  “That’s the mystery.”

  “And you have no leads?”

  I slid my phone from my pocket and called up the image of the feather. “That brings me to my second reason for coming here tonight.”

  Lorelei eyed me curiously, but she said nothing.

  “I need some information on harpies.”

  Her smile spread from mildly humored to fully amused. “My dear,” she said. “That is a question best answered by my sister.”

  “Why her?”

  “Because I am one,” Kinnara said, and her smile was wide and fierce as well, her cheeks well pronounced.

  Suddenly I understood the cold glimmer in her eye: it was death.

  “My dear,” Kinnara said. She put a hand on my arm. She must have sensed the sudden tension in my body. “Did you think I was a siren?” She laughed. “You are right to fear me, of course. I am fierce, and I am deadly. You think a Harpy was responsible for this Seven’s death?” She glanced at Lorelei and then back to me. “I will assure you, that is not so. Before I even see your evidence, Jono, I will tell you that I have killed no one recently. And if I wanted to kill you…”

  “I’d already be dead,” I said. “I’ve heard that song and dance before. Let’s say you didn’t kill him, though. Why not another harpy?”

  “Because I am the only one in the western hemisphere at present.”

  “How can…?”

  “I know, Jono, because I know.” She said the words with such complete finality that I let it drop. Apparently there was some council of the harpies that she was skipping out on.

  “Jono,” Lorelei said, “Our mother is…in need. This is the reason Kinnara has come to Seattle: to escort me home. She is gathering her children to her.”

  “Your mother?” I said. “Echidna?”

  She nodded.

  According to Greek myth, Echidna was the serpent that birthed the monsters of the world. While this wasn’t entirely true – especially regarding the Faye – gorgons, sirens, harpies and a few others owed their existence to her. They regarded her as a goddess. I only knew this from the time I’d spent with Lorelei. Pillow talk gets pretty deep when that’s the only kind you have.

  “Okay,” I said. “Umm…I’m sorry, Lori. I hope she’s okay.”

  Kinnara smiled. “This is what you humans say to each other?”

  “Pay her no mind,” Lorelei said. “Thank you, Jono. The goddess is well. She merely requires my attention on a matter.”

  “You and the entire harpy league,” I said.

  Lorelei watched me for a moment, perhaps weighing how much to tell me. After a moment, she said, “Show me this evidence that has you chasing my sisters.” Neither her words nor her attitude was unkind.

  I passed her the phone. She studied the picture a moment and said, “A feather?”

  “Seven was killed…brutally. He was torn in half. His chest was slashed and burned, and I found talon marks on a nearby rooftop with this feather.”

  Kinnara smiled coldly and took the phone from Lorelei. She barely glanced at the image before she said, “The feather is from a thunderbird.”

  “Ah,” Lorelei said. “That makes sense.”

  “I’m not following,” I said.

  “Thunderbirds are the original inhabitants to this area. Before your descendants came across the sea, Jono, the land’s native people worshipped them as gods.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But what do they do?”

  “Haven’t you noticed the weather these past days?” Kinnara said. “By the goddess, I’ve been in this city three days only, and already I’ve noticed the change in weather patterns.” When I didn’t respond immediately, she said, “Thunderbirds make it rain. They control storms and lightning. They make wind with each flap of their wings.”

  “They are spirits of nature,” Lorelei said. “They are elemental.”

  “And you’re saying that one killed Seven?” I asked.

  Kinnara shook her head. “I said no such thing. I
say only that the feather you found belonged to a thunderbird. The colors, the markings…you would be hard-pressed to find more firm proof. If the feather and the talons are your only clues…I allow you to draw your own conclusions.”

  “There hasn’t been a thunderbird sighted in this area in some time,” Lorelei said. “But, yes, that is definitely from where the feather comes.”

  I took the phone back and stared at the image. “But why go after Seven?”

  “You are the detective.”

  6

  A horny john was being led by two dancers into a private room as Lorelei walked me out. Rather than going back to the main room, she escorted me further down the hallway, and we stood at the side door. Apart from the quick-tempo Caribbean beat filtering in behind us, the hallway was quiet.

  I was a little nervous about being alone with her after last time, but I was glad for it as well. Life moves on, but even though I’d changed, part of me still missed being with her, missed the way she made me feel, the things she would bring out of me. I don’t mean purely in a sexual fashion, though that was definitely part of it.

  “So, you’re leaving?” I asked. “When?”

  “In the morning.”

  “For how long?”

  She shook her head, but her eyes held mine. I nodded.

  For a split-second, I felt vulnerable, uncomfortable. I felt weak, but fought against it, pushed those feelings down. I didn’t understand them. I hadn’t seen her in eight months. Maybe she goes home for a few weeks, so what? I shouldn’t miss her.

  But my feelings said otherwise. I didn’t usually put much stock in emotions because they didn’t usually make any fucking sense, but a part of me did not want her to go.

  “Are you gonna close the Song?”

  She shook her head. “I have yet to decide that,” she said. “However, I think not. Victor and Menkh will be enough to ensure it operates smoothly in my absence.”

  “That’s what that meeting was about?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, at least I got to meet your sister,” I said with a half smile.

  “She enjoyed meeting you.”

  “Sure did seem that way. She was a little friendly.”

  “She looks at you with desire because of the things I’ve told her.”

  “So I’m the new restaurant in town? Is that how it is?” I smiled at her weakly.

  “The analogy is not a bad one. Kinnara wants to taste you.”

  “Umm…”

  “Sexually.”

  I grew very hot very quickly, and I could tell it had nothing to do with her attempting to compel me. I’m sure my face was as red as Kinnara’s leather pants.

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “No,” she said simply. “I have forbid her from it. Yet, the fact remains, Jono, I have no claim to you anymore. The intimacy we once shared…”

  “We grew apart…”

  She nodded. “Yet you never found another.” I didn’t say anything. “I see the way you still look at me.”

  I put my hand up. “Let’s not do this, love. Not right now. When you get back, maybe we can grab coffee or something.”

  “Coffee?” she said and made a face.

  “Right. Forgot. I think maybe that’s why we didn’t work.” I smiled and touched her arm.

  Her eyes twinkled at me and her hand folded over mine.

  I sighed. “I need to go. I’ve got a thunderbird to find.” I moved to the door, pushed it open, and felt an emotional tug. I looked back at her. She looked sad.

  I moved quickly to her. She was taller than me in her heels, but I grabbed her and kissed her. I don’t know how long it lasted, but I tried not to let it end. When it did, I felt a sweep of dizziness flood over me.

  “Jono,” she said softly, and her hand moved to her lips.

  “I’m gonna miss you, Lori,” I said. Then I pushed my way out into the night.

  Once I hit the open air, I could feel the chill as the wind started to pick up and rake at the corners of my eyes. I cleared the building before the second gust came against me, and the way it blew, I half expected to see the fucking bird floating above the El Camino, laughing while pummeling me with frigid air.

  I fired up the car and pulled out onto the road, driving in silence. My body was cold from the night, but I could still feel Lorelei’s warmth wet against my lips.

  I listened as the radio played softly and waited for the rain to fall, but as I pulled into the outskirts of downtown, the sky was still clear, though the trees were blowing fiercely.

  I was so lost in my thoughts, I almost didn’t see the shadow.

  It was large and dark, sweeping from the midst of the buildings ahead of me and coming towards me along the road. Had it been raining or the moon not been as bright as it was that night, I might not have noticed it at all. Slowing the car, I rolled my window down and stuck my head out just in time to see the dark form pass overhead, directly above me, maybe two hundred feet in the air. I couldn’t see it clearly, but it was big, and its wingspan was impressive.

  I pulled a u-turn and followed after it, keeping my window down and checking its position every so often. It passed the Song and kept moving north, following the shore. The further out I drove, the harder the wind blew, and before long, the rain began to pour. At first, it was only a few drops against the windshield, but within a half mile, it was pouring so hard I’d about lost the shadow.

  I was paying so much attention to the sky, I wasn’t watching the road. From the quick flash I got, all I saw was an old man in a rain slicker and boots. He had a long white beard nearly to his belt. His eyes were blank, his face was stern, and the hands he held up to shield himself from my headlights were rust-brown and looked like lobster claws.

  I swerved just in time, spinning my car a complete one hundred and eighty degrees.

  “Fuck!” I said. The last thing I needed was a manslaughter charge from some idiot fisherman. The rain was really coming down now, and even in my headlights, I couldn’t see anything. I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of getting out of the car in this weather, but I figured I at least owed it to the old man in case he managed to get my plates.

  I sighed and opened the door, feeling the rain splatter against my face almost immediately. I pulled my jacket up over my head and stood near the open door, staring out at the rain that was coming down in sheets.

  “You okay?!” I called.

  There wasn’t an answer. I didn’t see anything. “Shit.”

  I stepped away from the door and closed it, moving back the way I’d come at a quick jog. It only took a few steps before my boots had soaked through and my socks squished between my toes. “Fucking perfect…”

  There was nothing on the road.

  “Old man!” I called. “Are you okay?”

  No answer.

  I didn’t go beyond the reach of my headlights into the black night that swallowed the road. The Puget Sound raged to my right, and a ragged cliff face climbed over a hundred feet to my left. The only sound besides the constant droning of the pattering rain was the purr of the car’s engine and the occasional interruption of the wiper blades.

  “Fuck it.” I was wet enough. The ride back would already be uncomfortable. I wasn’t waiting any more. Nobody answered. Either the man was dead or I’d dreamed him.

  I turned and headed for the car, but before I took two steps, I heard a sound that could only be described as a screaming locomotive. It was a sound I’d heard before, and it was not one I was glad to be hearing again.

  I spun around.

  Not ten feet from me, at the very limits of my headlights, stood a mountain of a form. It was almost nothing but shadow. Fifteen feet tall and six feet wide, it stood. Its breath came heavy and angry, and the stench that it carried was reminiscent of a dumpster filled with shit diapers and spoiled potatoes.

  It was a troll.

  “No fucking way,” I said, letting my eyes trail up the form’s height as I took several inv
oluntary steps backwards. The disheveled sprigs of hair, the massive tree-trunk sized arms that hung gorilla-long by its knees, the way its eyes glistened and twitched in the fringe light of my headlamps all seemed so hauntingly familiar somehow.

  I got my arse in reverse gear, not daring to look away. It took one massive step forward, then another. It bent low at its waist until it was almost my height, opened its jaws, and let out that same locomotive roar I’d heard just a moment before.

  Instinct kicked in, and I reached for my thigh, but nothing was strapped there. Grace was still under my seat in her holster.

  The troll took another step forward, and I felt the vibration of its shifting, massive weight in the road beneath me. It swung at me, and its mighty fist came within pissing distance.

  I kept backing up, slipped, and fell back on my arse.

  As the hulk bore down on me, the shadows that held it melted under the El Camino’s lights. I saw the deep green-grey flesh, rough and tough and wrinkly like the hide of an elephant, but covered with boils, warts, and puss-oozing sores. As it lowered its head and sniffed deeply for my scent, I caught a glimpse of the straw-colored hair that sprouted in clumps like the tails of a dozen carrots all over its head. It inhaled again through its upturned pig-nose, and its tiny eyes searched the area for me while it gnashed crooked, broken teeth and fumed in rage.

  As it took another step forward, my eyes were drawn to its left hand, to the black band just before its elbow and the red metal gauntlet that covered its forearm and ended in a round, smooth dome where its fist should have been.

  It was like seeing a ghost.

  I fumbled backwards on the balls of my hands without bothering to stand, pawing myself out of the light and towards the car door. My only thought was to get inside, just get to Grace.

  The troll roared back again, lifted both arms into the air like a couple of wrecking balls and inhaled deeply to bellow again. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I waited for it to strike, but it sputtered, stopped, and took a few steps away from me, its one hand, along with the stump, batting at the air before its face.

  It took me a minute to realize what was happening, to see the shadow that hovered before the beast, standing practically on the thing’s chest and beating massive, dark wings with all the fury of a scorned Hispanic woman.