PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “What the hell are you doing?” She crossed her arms and tilted her head at me.

  “Just give me a moment.”

  I closed my eyes and swallowed hard as I worked to pull my arm back in its socket. My stomach roiled, threatening to eject the beer I’d had earlier. I pushed out again. The muscles in my face twisted in impossible directions as I fought not to cry out. My shoulder popped back into place, and I threw my head back, panting. I swayed, my legs almost giving out.

  “That’s better,” I said. “Now where were we?”

  She leaned against the door and crossed her arms. “That was kind of hardcore.”

  “Why are you here, then?” I asked.

  “I’ve been tracking the D-boyz since N’awlins”

  “D-boyz.”

  “I know. They don’t have the brains to come up with something better.”

  I snorted. Typical of demon worshipers. Either they became too pretentious or didn’t bother with any creativity. One thing remained the same. They all loved showing off the fact they bowed down to hellspawn.

  The sirens blared from the parking lot, drowning out the low buzz of the television. Marguerite stiffened, glancing to the flashing lights through the window. I gritted my teeth as an itch ran through the inside of my muscles. I dug through my duffel bag, past the jars and sacks to the neat rolls of clothing. I pulled out a pajama set and stripped my clothes off.

  Marguerite scowled. “I don’t owe you that much.”

  “The police will come to ask questions.” I ran my hands through my hair and tangled it more. “It works best if they think I was asleep.”

  “And where am I supposed to be in all this?”

  “The bathtub. Can you manage to keep your mouth shut until they've left?”

  Her eyes burned into me as she opened her mouth. She shut it again and formed a sour little smile. “Sure.”

  I nodded to the bathroom, and with a roll of her eyes, she moved. She was probably planning something as revenge. She seemed the type to remember the slights more than what people did for her. I had the urge to tell her to get out. Unfortunately, she would have done it, and I wanted to know why she was tainted. I had too much work to do to add breaking her out of prison to the list.

  A corner of the red and pink paisley comforter half-covered a yellowish stain on the carpet and covered my bag in its spot underneath the bed. I tucked my sword under the pillows, which left me with my knife in a calf sheath hidden by my pants. The sirens were replaced by muffled banging on doors. I sat on the bed and watched the window, my heel tapping against the floor in rhythm with my heartbeat. I started when the automatic air freshener hissed out a spray of freesia. I could say a car backfired, but that wouldn’t explain the glass or shouting.

  After twenty minutes, there was a knock on my door and a woman’s voice. “Hello? This is the Hampton Police Department. We have a few questions we’d like to ask.”

  “One moment,” I said in my best groggy voice. I answered the door, rubbing one eye. “Yes?”

  The same woman from the bar, human and all, stood outside. She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Sorry to disturb you ma’am, but we had a disturbance here tonight. Did you see or hear anything?”

  Her obsidian hair cupped around her face, and her skin was dark as chocolate. She held herself with tautness, as if she was prepared to handle any threat that opened the door. Her uniform remained neat despite the night’s events.

  I pursed my lips, running a hand through my hair. “Well, I heard a lot, actually. Woke me up, with all the yelling. Was that a gun?”

  “Yes, ma’am, there were reports of a gunshot.”

  “I thought this motel was safe.”

  She narrowed her umber eyes, studying me for several moments. I coughed and blinked at her as I mentally went over what I looked like: my messy hair, my sleepy blue eyes. I knew I looked tired because I felt it. Had I missed something? I had wounded one of the bikers. Was there a spot of blood I didn’t wash off? She moved her head to peer into the room. I opened the door wider for a better view.

  “Looking for anything in particular?” I said with a slight edge to my voice.

  She smiled at me again and shook her head. “No, ma’am. So, you didn’t see anything?”

  I shook my head. “Never left the room.”

  “May I have your name?”

  “Gabriella Lucco.”

  “And what brings you to our town, Ms. Lucco?”

  “Family business.”

  She handed me a business card. “Okay, ma’am, if you remember anything else please contact us. Will you be in town for a few more days? We may have more questions.”

  I raised a brow, cupping the card in my hand. “What more would you need to ask?”

  “You never know what might come up.”

  “I’m not sure.” I rubbed my arms. “If there was an incident, then probably not long in this hotel. What others are there?”

  “Well, there’s the Hampton Inn downtown. But I wouldn’t be too worried, ma’am. We don’t get a lot of trouble here. It’s been a weird night.” She studied me for another moment before giving another wave and moving to the next door.

  I shut the door and let out a breath. Marguerite stood in the doorway. I held my finger to my lips. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot as we waited. The officer’s voice faded into the distance.

  “So Ose’s some demon in town?” she asked.

  “Devil, actually.”

  I pulled my sword from its hiding place and grabbed my bag. I had spoken true when I said I wasn’t staying here. This motel was compromised, but moving to the Hampton would allow the police to find me easier. I needed to assess my options.

  Marguerite whistled. “Big game, then.”

  She rocked back on her heels. I knew the look on her face. The hunger for new prey burned inside me often. She still had her own problems.

  “Why are these D-boyz here?” I asked.

  “I don’t really care why. Not what I’m after.”

  “You’re looking to get revenge on a bad deal?”

  She glared at me. “What?”

  “You’re tainted. So now you’re looking to back out on your contract.”

  She threw her hands up and stomped to the door. “Fuck the police. I have better things to do than deal with this shit.”

  “Right, because getting detained by the police will help your case. You might as well sit down and wait.”

  She glared at me and slammed her body down in one of the chairs, crossing her arms and legs. Her fingers tapped against her arm as she stared at the television. I continued to pack. In a few hours, she would be safe to leave, and I doubted tonight would be the last time I saw her. The D-boyz and the reason they were here concerned me more. First, I needed to get out of here and meet Esais and John for breakfast.

  CHAPTER SIX

  I swirled the last dregs of coffee in the bottom of my cup as I debated ordering a refill. It would be my third. It tasted like burnt ashes, but I needed the caffeine to stay alert. I rested my head on the back of the booth seat, longing for a cappuccino from home. Italy had never been my home, though. Not when they officially became one country. I’d grown up in the kingdom of Naples. I closed my eyes, replacing the smell of eggs and grease with the scent of the sea. The roar of the waves supplanted the sizzle of the grill. I would take my son, Marco, to the beach and sing to him as I watched the sun rise on the horizon.

  The bell above the door jingled, and I jumped, opening my eyes. A woman holding a baby carrier entered. She set the carrier down on a table close to mine. The child, no older than a few months, waved his hands about and stared off at something no one else could see. I bit my lip and waved to the waitress as I blinked back the tears. No, Naples hadn’t been my home for a long time. Still, I missed the coffee.

  The bell rang again, and Esais stepped inside. I slid out of the booth and held my hand out to him. He smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but return one. It reminded me of you
th and sunshine.

  “Mr. Van Helsing,” I said.

  His fingers wrapped around mine with a gentle squeeze. “Ms. Di Luca. Please, call me Esais.”

  “Gabby, then.”

  We slid back into the booth. He picked up the menu and adjusted his glasses as he scanned it. His broad shoulders filled out the white buttoned shirt but not in a muscular way. He wasn’t the in the "thick of melee" type of hunter. Instead, he had a bookworm type of charm. He glanced up and caught my stare. I ducked my head, clearing my throat, and opened my own menu.

  “Have you been here long?” he asked, slipping into Romanian.

  “A few hours,” I said.

  “Why so early.”

  “Too much excitement to sleep, I suppose.”

  “Grandfather Dimitri said you had trouble sleeping.” He laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “I feel like I know you thanks to his journals.”

  My heart fluttered and a shiver traveled through my body. “He wrote about me?”

  “Often. I don’t think he ever got over you.”

  My eyes stung. I had remained in his heart despite the fact he found a wife. If only. No, I had traveled down that road too often. Life for him turned out better this way. Allegra had almost killed Dimitri when we found her. My past had nearly ended a legacy before it could flourish. So I’d left, freeing Dimtri to continue the duty his father had sworn to after Dracula’s defeat. Neither of us had known of the curse Dracula had laid on his family. After the birth of Dimitri’s son, the vampire had risen again. Dimitri had died in battle, and I wasn’t able to fight at his side. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  “I have so many questions,” he continued. “I’m not sure where to start.”

  I pushed my regrets away and smiled at him. “You want to pick my brain?”

  He nodded.

  “Well, what do you want to know most about?”

  “You mentioned this last night and the journals talked about your ability to see things for what they truly are.”

  “That’s one way of putting it.” Mad visions would be another. Or witchcraft, but I had not been accused of that in centuries.

  “Where did it come from?”

  “I’ve always had it for as long as I can remember.”

  His brows furrowed together. “But do you know where it came from?”

  “Such gifts come from the spirits of the Eclipse and from what I have found, there is a name for us. Your brothers do not know about yours, do they?”

  His gaze met mine, and he held it for several minutes. His mouth worked as he tried to figure out what to say. “Tres does, but Adrian is a different matter.”

  The waitress came with pad in hand. “Have ya’ll decided?”

  “I’ll have the Tuesday Special,” I said

  “Same and a coffee,” Esais said.

  The girl walked off after gathering our menus. I stirred cream and a mountain of sugar into my cup, giving him time to gather himself. Murmurs from the other patrons and the sizzle of the grill in the kitchen filled our silence.

  “My home doesn’t accept things that are different,” he said. “I don’t think I could handle my family judging me as well.”

  He glanced at a young man passing our table on his way out. His eyes filled with desire. Telepathy wasn’t the only thing he hid from the world. One secret at a time. I patted his hand, and he jumped, looking back at me.

  “The world never seems to understand. But you have a gift, and in our work, you use what you’re given. And this sort of thing doesn’t stay secret forever.”

  He smiled but pulled his hand away. “I just don’t know the right time to tell them.”

  “You’ll figure it out. And if you want help, let me know.”

  “So what is this name we are called?”

  “Emissaries.”

  “And this Eclipse you mentioned? Like the solar and lunar eclipse?”

  “No, the Eclipse is the home of the spirits.”

  “Can you see it?”

  “I can see where it overlaps with this world.”

  “Exactly how old are you?” he asked

  “Don’t you know that’s not something you should ask a woman?”

  He laughed.

  I scanned the patrons and staff for the fifth time. Rainbow waves radiated around me. Blues, reds, and yellows. Joy, sadness, ambition, but no demon taint. The bell jingled as the officer from last night stepped inside and nodded hello to the waitress. I stiffened. She sat at the counter and smiled as the waitress came to fill her coffee cup.

  “Long night, Nancy?” the waitress asked.

  “You have no idea.”

  The waitress patted her on the hand. “Well, we all appreciate your hard work.”

  Nancy sighed. “I just wish the sheriff did.”

  She brought the cup to her lips and turned to scan the rest of the diner. She nodded to a couple in a booth with a smile, and they gave her little, half-handed waves. An old man walked by her and paused to pat her on the shoulder. Her eyes landed on me and filled with recognition. Well, this was awkward.

  “Is something the matter?” Esais glanced behind him.

  She walked to our table and smiled at us. “Hello again, Ms. Lucco.”

  I returned her smile. “Hello, Officer. Are you just getting off duty?”

  She nodded and glanced at Esais. He stood and held out his hand to her, his boyish smile back in place.

  “Esais Arcos,” he said. “A pleasure, Officer?”

  “Parkins, Nancy Parkins.” She took his hand. “So what brings you to Hampton?”

  “My brothers and I have just moved here. My cousin Gabby,” he waved his hand to me, “came to help.”

  “That’s an interesting accent.”

  “From Romania.”

  “And you moved all the way to this tiny town?” She chuckled and looked at me. “Have you remembered anything else?”

  I shook my head. “Like I said, the sound woke me, but I didn’t go outside,”

  “We also had a fight down at the Grindstone. Someone mentioned a girl looking like you.”

  I blinked at her slowly, hoping she would take it for confusion. “Grindstone?”

  “It’s the bar near the motel.”

  “Oh, well, I did stop by, but I left when it looked like things were going to get rough.”

  “But you saw the beginning of the fight?”

  “I saw a man go flying into a table. I left after that.”

  “Mmm hmm.” She stared at me for several more minutes with her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. “Well, Ms. Lucco, you seem to be at the only two places where we had action last night.”

  “I’m lucky, I guess.”

  “I hope your luck doesn’t hold up.”

  “Did I show up at the wrong time?” a man asked from behind her.

  I grinned at the sound of his voice. Both Officer Parkins and Esais turned to look at the intruder. His hair had grown since the last time I saw him. It hung over his ears with the ends bleached and the roots dark. He rested his hands in the pockets of his sports coat. His cobalt blue eyes sparkled as his easy smile spread across his tanned face.

  “John.” I slid out of the booth and moved to greet him, kissing him on both cheeks. He pulled me into a hug.

  “More family?” Nancy turned her head at Esais. “How many people do you need to help you move?”

  “Actually, I’m doing an article about festivals in small towns in Texas. Gabby mentioned she’d be here, so I decided to stop by.” He held his hand out to her. “John Roda.”

  She shook his hand. “You’re a journalist?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I was hoping to look in on the Autumn Festival.”

  “We’ve decided to do it a little different this year. We have the carnival running throughout the month of October.”

  “Interesting. I’ll have to check it out.”

  She nodded to the three of us. “Welcome to Hampton. Let’s hope you’re the most exciting
thing that happens.”

  “Most likely we won’t be,” I said after she walked off.

  Esais stood up. “Esais Van Helsing. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Roda.”

  John’s arm around me tightened as he took Esais’s hand. I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, but he focused on Esais. His smile grew to match the other man’s.

  “A pleasure,” John said.

  The waitress cleared her throat. She held our plates and raised one to indicate we were in her way. We settled back in the booth. My fork scraped against the plate as I scooped up a pile of scrambled eggs. I wrinkled my nose as the taste burned and grabbed my glass of water. The cook had tried to compensate for the blandness with too much salt.

  “You want anything, hun?” the waitress asked.

  “Pancakes and coffee,” he said.

  He ran his fingers across the back of my hand, leaving a trail of warmth behind. I leaned closer, letting our shoulders brush. His warmth relieved the tension in my back and made the ache in my chest fade. Esais watched me from over the rim of his coffee cup with a raised eyebrow. I coughed and crunched into a piece of bacon.

  “So how did you meet Gabby?” Esais asked.

  “She saved my life, actually,” John said. “I’ve been trying to pay her back ever since.”

  I could still remember the look of pain and loss on his face as I stood over the body of the fallen demon that had been his wife. Here would be another person to hate me. Instead, he had been grateful, offering whatever help he could. Still, I had caused him to lose something precious. I do not know how he ever forgave me. His friendship was a rare gem to me with so few people I could depend on.

  “John has a lot of contacts that keep track of the movements of demons.” I toyed with my eggs. “What do you have for us?”

  “There’s a reason the festival here is running so long. The devil’s daughter is running the main event, the carnival,” John said.

  Malantha. It figured she would be running such an event. After ten years of chasing her down, I had her within my grasp. The game would end here for both her and her father.

  “He’s not the same as when you fought him.”