by Laura Lee
“Yeah, they left like an hour ago.” She replied.
“They already left?!?” I shrieked.
“Uh yeah, did I stutter?” She answered.
Omigod, Vance and Leo together wasn’t a good situation in the first place. Adding a murderous demon to the mix was just asking for trouble.
***************
Okay, I am freaking out. I have a really bad feeling about this. I tried calling Vance but it went straight to his damn voicemail again. Feeling desperate, I tried Leo too. Same thing. Damn!
I got in my car and drove to Pixie Dust. I needed to talk to Erica and she was working tonight. I ran in from the parking garage and spotted her right away.
“Hey Erica! Over here!” I yelled from across the bar.
She walked over to me and said, “Hey K, whatsup? I’m guessing you heard about all the commotion going on around here? I was going to call you but we’ve been swamped.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I said. “Look, I need to find Vance and Leo. Can you do some kind of locator spell to find them for me?”
“Sure baby.” She replied. “All I need is a personal item from either of them. Do you have anything at your house…maybe some underwear that was left behind or a toothbrush in the bathroom?
“No, I don’t have anything like that.” I said. “It’s not like that between us. I haven’t been with either one of them.”
“If you say so sweetie. Well, if you go home and find something let me know. Hey I gotta get back to my tables, okay? Good luck treasure hunting!”
Damn! Why did I have to return that key fob? I could be getting something from Leo’s closet right now! Wait, I know! I’ll just get it back. I went up to the front desk and saw the same lady that I gave the key to in the first place.
I looked at her name tag. “Hi Marcy.” I said in my sweetest tone. “Do you remember me from yesterday? I came down here and returned a little black key fob from penthouse two?
“Yes, I remember you.” Marcy said, suspicion heavy in her voice.
“Great! Well, see Marcy, it turns out that I made a mistake in returning that key. The gentleman who’s staying there is a very close friend of mine. I promised him I would be waiting for him when he got back tonight but I have no way of getting up there now. I’d hate to disappoint him so I’m going to need that key back.”
“I’m sorry Ma’am but I can’t do that.” She said.
“Oh sure you can Marcy. I’m sure you wouldn’t want one of your penthouse guests to be upset would you? That wouldn’t be good for you, would it?” If charm fails, threaten her job security.
She narrowed her eyes at me and said, “Sorry Ma’am but I cannot do that. I would be more than happy to call Mr. Markos and explain it to him myself.” Damn, she called my bluff!
“Ugh! Nevermind!”
I decided trying Erica again. When I told her about my extortion attempt she said, “Well maybe Leo left something here.”
“That’s genius Eri! I knew I kept you around for a reason!” I teased. We looked around the bar but couldn’t find anything! Damn! Damn! Damn!
I hung out at work until closing just in case they returned. No such luck there so I went home and waited by my phone. Feeling completely helpless, I tried watching TV but nothing would take this nagging panic away. I had a feeling deep in my bones that something was horribly wrong. My anxiety must have worn me out because I eventually fell asleep on the couch.
My phone rang around seven in the morning, jolting me out of my slumber. I looked at the caller ID and saw that Leo was on the other end.
“Leo, what’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?”
He replied, “Yes, my dear. I am fine. It is Vance who had an unfortunate incident with an angry demon last night. He’s in the hospital over on Maryland. I thought you should know.”
“Omigod, what happened? Is he going to be okay?”
“The police had a lead on a suspect so we went to check it out.” He said. “He was attempting to put a stasis spell on the demon so they could collect a DNA sample to check for a match. Vance was……. distracted while he was performing the spell. The demon sensed his magical presence and attacked. He had some internal injuries which required surgery and a minor concussion. They said he’ll be in recovery for a few days. I stayed at the hospital as long as I could before sunrise. He was resting peacefully when I left. I’m calling because I thought you might want to be there with him.”
“Thank you for calling Leo. I really appreciate it.”
Impressed with Leo’s maturity, I drove to the hospital to see Vance. I got to his room and found him sleeping. I quietly pulled up a chair next to his bed and grabbed a hold of his hand. I couldn’t seem to stop the tears from falling. He looked so fragile being hooked up to all those machines. He woke up a short while later and squeezed my hand.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, still a little groggy.
“Leo called and told me what happened. I came as soon as I heard. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” I replied while wiping my tears.
He sat up slowly, wincing in pain. “What exactly did he tell you?”
“Well, I already knew about the stakeout because Roxy told me what was happening.” I replied. “Leo said you were trying to perform a stasis spell on the demon but you got distracted. The demon sensed your presence and attacked. Oh God Vance. I had this horrible feeling all night that something was wrong. I tried finding you but couldn’t. I’m so glad you’re going to be alright.”
He smiled. “Did he tell you why I was distracted”
“No. I didn’t think to ask. Why?”
“Because we were arguing about you.”
“About me? What about me?”
“We had a difference in opinion. No surprise there, huh?” He attempted a small laugh but stopped short from the pain.
“An opinion about what exactly?”
“He was telling me that I should stop being so childish and call you. He saw me ignore your call last night and told me I was a fool. He said I didn’t deserve you. I told him that my relationship with you is none of his concern.”
“Your relationship with me? Do we have a ……relationship?” I asked timidly.
Sighing, he tightened his grip on my hand. “Karli, honestly I don’t know what we have. We’ve only known each other for a week, yet I feel like I’ve known you my entire life. I think you feel it too. I don’t know how to explain this pull I have towards you. It nearly killed me to see you go off with Leo the other night.”
“Look Vance, I know what you’re probably thinking about the other night. I can---”
“Karli, please let me finish. I need to get this out. When I watched you leave with him, when I thought about how you called him to help you, it brought back a lot of really painful memories for me. I felt like I was reliving a very difficult part of my past. I needed some distance to deal with that.”
“I guess I could understand that. I just wish you would let me explain. It’s not what you think.”
“Karli, there’s a lot we need to discuss.”´He said. “I know you’re apprehensive, but you need to believe that you can trust me. You are obviously carrying a lot of weight on your shoulders, and I honestly think I can help you with that. I feel like I need to help you with that. I want to be someone you can lean on.”
“Oh Vance, I---”
He pressed his fingers to my lips. “Please Karli, don’t feel the need to say anything right now. Why don’t we just agree to talk after I get out of here? Can you do that?”
“Yes. I can definitely do that.” I smiled.
Chapter 13
*****************
I’ve been anxiously awaiting Vance’s release from the hospital for the past few days. I found myself warming towards Leo again for helping me with him. We never talked about it, but I could tell he’s keeping his distance from me out of respect. We were relating to one another in a strictly professional manner. His apology was unspoken but obvious
all the same.
He filled me in on the case while Vance was in the hospital. Apparently, Leo subdued the demon at the scene after it attacked Vance. They brought the guy into custody and tested his DNA. He was not a match so they let him go with a minor assault charge, since Vance technically did provoke him by attempting to cast a spell on him. They rechecked the demon registration database and found nothing new. The next closest Stryker demon lived somewhere in the Midwest. They were basically back to square one with no suspect and no motive.
Vance was released from the hospital yesterday but I was working when he called. I’m off on Mondays so we agreed to meet at my apartment today. He said it was important that we had no other obligations when we had our conversation. I was terrified, yet excited about seeing him. I was going to lay all my cards out on the table, essentially trusting him with my life. There was going to be no turning back after today.
He had to check in with work so he told me he’d be at my place around noon. I took a shower and selected one of my newest matching bra and panty sets. I’m not planning on getting pelvic with the guy or anything. Sometimes a girl just needs some sexy lingerie under her clothes to feel empowered. I threw on a white sleeveless cotton wrap shirt with twill shorts because I wanted to show off my darkened tan. I spent a little extra time on my hair and makeup. I wanted to look good, but not overly obvious. Shortly after noon, I heard the buzzer. With one last glance in the mirror, I pressed the intercom button.
“Hello, who is it?” I asked.
“Hi Karli. It’s me…Vance.”
“Hi. Come on up.” I said as I buzzed him in.
I opened my door and could hear his footsteps in the stairwell. Was he jogging? He slowed down his pace when he reached the top and saw me peeking down the hall.
With a slightly embarrassed smile, he said, “Hi.” He grabbed both of my hands with his own.
“Hi. Please, come in.” I pressed my lips against his cheek and stepped aside to let him in.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked.
“Sure. Anything would be fine.”
I went to my fridge and grabbed two Coronas. I popped the lids and handed one to him. Feeling a little nervous, I took a large swig of my own.
“How was work?” I asked. “You look like you’re healing pretty fast.”
“It’s one of the many advantages of being a warlock. There’s nothing like a little healing spell to speed up the recovery.” He gave me a cocky smile. “Work was fine. I just wanted to get a few things out of the way before I came over. We’re still stuck in the same place. We don’t have any more leads to run on. My team is interviewing some of Leslie and Jordyn’s friends again see if they can find the connection between the two women.”
“So, you don’t think this was an attack on Leo?”
“No. Not at all. As you know, Leo went with me to see the only suspect we had. He’s never met the guy before. Upon looking into his background, we couldn’t find any connection either. The attacks could be random but my gut is telling me they’re not. I’m trying to figure out how they were connected, besides being co-workers. So far, I have nothing.”
“If I think of anything I’ll let you know.” I said.
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” He set his beer on the breakfast bar and moved closer. “Look Karli, you know I didn’t come here to discuss the case. Would you like to sit down?”
“Uh, sure.” He led me by the hand over to the couch. I took another sip of beer before setting it down on the coffee table.
“Okay, where should I start?” He said. “How about the obvious? I know that you are a fairy Karli, at least partially anyway. I saw you conjure dust not once, but twice. There’s only one way you would be able to do that. I’m guessing because of your age, your magicks are getting stronger and you acted on instinct when you did it.” You could say that again.
“Well there’s obviously no point in trying to deny it anymore.” I said defensively.“So, now what happens?”
“Karli, please don’t be upset. I’m not here to expose you. I just want to talk.” Sighing he continued, “Look, maybe we’re getting off on the wrong foot. I think you might feel a little better if I showed you something first.”
“What could you possibly show me that would make me feel better about this?” I asked.
“Watch.” He said. He sat up a little and closed his eyes. He closed his hand for a moment then lifted it over the coffee table, sprinkling something iridescent over the surface. Is that what I think it is? I looked down and saw a tiny figure sitting on the table where the dust used to be.
Gasping, I picked it up for closer inspection. It was a miniature crystal fairy! “How did you---”
“As you know I am a warlock,” he said. “But that’s not the whole story. My father was a pure blooded warlock. My mother was a halfling…..a fairy-witch halfling to be more specific. Her blood makes me one quarter fairy. I do not openly admit my Fae heritage or practice their magic because of the danger involved, just like you.
“But your ears aren’t pointed!” I squealed in shock.
“An elder once told me it’s because my blood was so diluted.” He explained. “The physical characteristics that mark someone as fairy only appear on halflings or pure bloods. Your ears are rounded as well. What about your parents?”
“My parents died when I was four. They were both pure blooded, like me.” I whispered.
He shook his head. “I don’t understand. Your ears---”
With tears falling down my face, I explained how Irina took me in after my parents’ death and raised me as one of her own. I told him how she had magically altered my ears and taught me basic spells and potions to help conceal my identity. I also told him about the grandmother that I’ve never met who still lives in Faerie, and Irina’s unsuccessful attempt to contact her.
“Wow, that’s rough.” He said.
“Yeah, well you get used to it I guess. You want to know the worst part about all of it though? I hardly know anything about my people or the magicks they possess. I’m supposed to have some of the most powerful magic around, yet I have no idea how to channel it. I can only conjure basic things. I’ve never even met another fairy besides my parents.”
“Karli, I could probably answer any questions you may have. I lived on Faerie for ten years, studying under a very powerful elder. She taught me how to harness all of my powers.” Oh my God, is he for real?
“What is Faerie like?” I asked. “Irina had some stories from my parents, but nothing really substantial.”
“It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen.” He said. “They live in enchanted villages surrounded by woods. Their homes are modest, because they don’t see the need for extravagance. They are prideful people and they have a love for one another that is unsurpassed. It’s amazing Karli. They are a community in its truest form. The village really does raise the child in their world. Their magic is the most powerful in existence yet they do not allow that power to taint their hearts or their minds. There is no greed, corruption, or any ill will towards others. They exist purely to care for their land, their people, and to protect their magicks from getting into the wrong hands.”
“Why is our blood is so intoxicating to vampires?” I asked.
“What do you know about vampires?” He countered.
“Only the basics I guess.” I replied. “They drink blood, can’t go in the sun, and then some bits that Leo gave me.”
“Did he explain the origin of the vampire?” He asked.
“No.”
“It’s possible he doesn’t truly know. There are a lot of different versions that have been passed around throughout the years. I only know the true history because it was taught to me by my mentor.”
“So what’s the real story?” I asked.
“The first vampires were created thousands of years ago.” He said. “An Egyptian Moon God named Khonsu, was revered as a healing god because he carried regenerative powers. Khonsu had a dark si
de though which made him one of the more violent and dangerous gods. He eventually became a blood thirsty cannibal which earned him exile from the heavens. He was sent to Earth as an immortal, but without his powers. His punishment was to live forever as a commoner. Because he was a god of the moon, he was never able to tolerate the sun’s harsh rays for very long. Stranded in this realm, he was forced to hide in caves or underground during daylight hours.”
“Wow, that would suck.” I said.
“Well, he didn’t have to deal with it very long……without his powers at least.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
