Nemesis Underground (Entwined Realms Book 6)

by Danielle Monsch

  Romantic Geek Publishing

  NEMESIS UNDERGROUND (ENTWINED REALMS #6)

  Copyright © 2016 Danielle Monsch

  Ebook ISBN 978-1-938593-33-8

  Publication Date: March 2016

  Content Editor: Rhonda Stapleton

  Copy Editor: Eilis Flynn

  Cover Design: Kix by Design

  To know when the next Danielle Monsch book is released, please sign-up for her MAILING LIST.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Books by Danielle Monsch

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  About the Author

  New Releases Sign-Up List

  Find Danielle Monsch on Social Media

  Facebook

  Twitter

  Instagram

  Tumblr

  Pinterest

  Author’s Note

  Peoples!

  Quick note – this short story takes place concurrent with events in The Dream Crafter (the previous story in the Entwined Realms series.) As such, there are a few references to The Dream Crafter. Nothing too spoilery, but though I did my best to make Nemesis Underground stand on its own, if you didn’t read The Dream Crafter, you’ll find yourself scratching your head in regards to a reference or two.

  If you have read The Dream Crafter, then you might remember the first meeting between Merc and Nemesis, where Nemesis informs Merc that he’s dragged her away from an interesting situation. This is the story of that interesting situation.

  Enjoy learning a bit more about Nemesis and taking this detour into the world of the Entwined Realms.

  - Dani

  BOOKS BY DANIELLE MONSCH

  Entwined Realms

  Modern-Day Fantasy, where Sword & Sorcery and Romance Meet

  There Are No Dragons…Are There?

  Stone Guardian – From the Shadows He Watches Over Her

  Stone Embrace – In the New Realms, Love can be the Most Dangerous Battle of All...

  The Cage King – He Will Claim Victory

  The Rooftop – Only the Stars as Witness

  The Dream Crafter – Reality is Optional

  Nemesis Underground – Everything Eventually Happens Here

  Fairy Tales & Ever Afters

  Slightly Twisted and Very Sassy takes on Fairy Tales

  Loving a Fairy Godmother – Don’t Fairy Godmothers deserve a little lovin’ too?

  Loving an Ugly Beast – Can’t an Ugly Beast get a little lovin’ here?

  Loving a Prince Charming – When you are Prince Charming, everyone wants a little lovin’ from you.

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  Chapter One

  “Well if it isn’t a rainbow puff of candy-colored cuteness. What brings you here, Laire? And where is Her Black-Heartedness? Still upset over the earlier skirmish? How did she like that hole she was tossed in?”

  The magic-caster was indeed a pastel poof, the layers of her skirt making her bottom half roughly five times the circumference of her top. Still, it didn’t prevent the mini-mage from sidling over to the woman who had called out and who was leaning against the bar, elbows on the wood and eyes scanning the crowd of the Underground. The club’s occupants were the standard mix, in that they were anything but standard. Name a race, it was here. Name a color, it was represented. The music was loud enough to jar wisdom teeth, and the occasional whiff of burning tar could be detected. Alcohol flowed freely, and everyone was dressed in their preening best, ready to be seen.

  Laire snuggled into the woman who had spoken. The woman was clothed in a rich medium brown leather corset with slim straps and matching leather pants. The fact the leather was the same color as the woman’s skin should have been a fashion no-no, but the gleam of the leather instead highlighted her skin, making it shine under the dim glow of the club’s lights. “Fallon is up to Fallon things, and as Fallon things can be dull, I leave her to them and instead enjoy myself. And word of advice – never bring up the hole.” Laire gave a small shudder, broadcasting what she thought would be the result of that particular conversation topic. “What about yourself, Nemesis? Why don’t the Seven Houses have you all tied up about the Spellbook right now?”

  Nemesis’s fingers played over Laire’s shoulder, and after a quick glance down at the mage at her side, her eyes went back to look over the crowd. “The Seven Houses aren’t here to jump when the Guild gets all fretful,” she said, the slight Southern of her accent making the rebuke playful, “and unlike Fallon, I enjoy an occasional night that doesn’t involve a set amount of bloodshed.”

  “Yeah, Fallon wouldn’t get that. Yo, Jenya,” and here Laire turned to the woman behind the bar, the sheer amount of jewelry she had on display not usual for someone pouring drinks. “What’s the story? Why aren’t you running the world from the back office like usual?”

  Jenya glanced up from mixing whatever concoction required the five different bottles in front of her. She took a moment to finish the drink and put it in front of Laire, who reached for the tall glass which currently housed liquid a rusty orange color and was emitting smoke. “I need to observe some things in the front tonight. Rhaum has brought up a few issues, and I’m curious if they’re unique to him or a bit more ubiquitous.” The woman’s voice was as smoky as her eyes, as smoky as the drink she’d set in front of Laire, and sliced through the music of the club to land decadent and rich on the other two women’s ears.

  Laire’s eyes closed as the look on her face expressed she was drinking ambrosia straight from the source. “Damn, how do you do that? I need you to marry me and keep me supplied in drink.”

  Jenya leaned forward over the bar, pulling the brilliant blue material of her strapless top tight against her curvy figure. “As adorable as you are, I’m not sure it’s enough to make me an enemy of the Blackguard.”

  The scowl descending over Laire’s mouth with a quicksilver movement, her eyebrow’s lowering until they were a sharp line slashed against her brow. “Didn’t we have an agreement there would be no mention of that particular establishment?”

  “We did? Forgetful me.”

  The last was said with too much pleasure, and Laire huffed, her arms crossing in front of her and giving her the same appearance as a pouty tween.

  Though Nemesis’s mouth quirked at the exchange between the two, when she looked over her shoulder at Jenya, her eyes were direct. “Any news I need worry about?”

  Jenya leaned up, the jewels on her beringed fingers flashing a multitude of colors. “You’re a guest; you shouldn’t be worrying over anything. Besides, your bosses know all the details.”

  Nemesis nodded, accepting the words as the dismissal they were with no change to the neutral pleasantness that defined her expression.

  Handing Nemesis a drink, Jenya gave an elegant wave to a row of tall tables that circled the outside of the dance floor, where a group of women stood, giggling and drinking. “The woman in red standing on the far side? She’s had her eye on you the last half hour.”

  As if the words conjured the action, th
e brunette who was all in red from the scarlet of her lips to the candy apple of her toenails looked up, her gaze going unerringly to Nemesis, and, when she noticed Nemesis looking her way, averted her gaze, a pale red hue now imbuing the skin of her face and neck.

  “Yeah, I noticed,” said Nemesis, taking a sip of whiskey from her tumbler.

  At the less-than-thrilled tone of voice, Laire decided to quit pouting to ask, “Not interested?”

  “Didn’t feel any pull.”

  “Perhaps any pull will happen after some conversation take place.” Jenya placed one of those always moving hands on Nemesis’s shoulder, leaning in close to continue. “Nothing will happen unless you mingle.”

  Nemesis’s head fell forward, a cheerful sigh escaping her. “Now why do I feel like y’all are trying to get rid of me?”

  “A byproduct of a suspicious nature.” With a small push, Jenya said, “Now go.”

  With good humor, Nemesis left to head towards the tables. Once Nemesis was in conversation, Laire turned to face Jenya fully. “Why do I think we have a chat coming up?”

  “Because Fallon has trained you to be suspicious?”

  “Others trained me in that far better than Fallon ever could.” Pointing towards the bottles of liquor still on the bar, Laire swirled her finger in their direction, after which Jenya began making another drink. “Fallon is pursuing Nemesis to join the Guild.”

  One fine eyebrow arched over her heavily kohled eye, but Jenya didn’t take her attention away from the drink, the practiced movements almost soothing, almost mesmerizing.

  The drink was finished, and while reaching for it, Laire said, “You usually have an opinion of such things. Don’t know, or not sharing?”

  The brightest spot in the overall dimness of the club was centered over the bar, fading by increments further along towards the back of the building, so the dance floor was darker, the back tables darker still. Nemesis stood in the middle of the club – by the tables, but where the flashing lights of the dance floor could stroke over her, not giving her the anonymity the furthest tables would. She was smiling at the woman, nodding her head at the other woman’s animation, but her fingers were curled in a loose fist at her side while her toes tapped a rhythm that had nothing to do with the beat of the music.

  “I think Fallon believes Nemesis joining the Guild would mean a strong fighter who would not give her any pushback.” Jenya’s eyes swept over the club’s interior, as if somehow that would fool Laire into thinking she hadn’t been studying the woman they were talking about. “Fallon would not be happy when she discovers that isn’t what would come to pass.”

  Laire’s shrug had the effect of making the poofy sleeves of her dress hit her on the side of her head. “Not that it matters to me. I don’t worry about staffing decisions.”

  “As your loyalty lies with Fallon, no matter who else surrounds you.”

  The words had Laire pausing a split-second as she reached for her drink, her rainbow made-up face stiffening for a fraction of time before she brought the drink to her lips.

  Layer upon layer of meaning built as the silence between them stretched, words both not necessary and too revealing. Before there was a break under the pressure, Jenya leaned down under the bar, grabbing something and tossing it at Laire.

  It was a card for one of Jenya’s other businesses. Laire’s eyebrow now raised, looking towards Jenya for explanation, which Jenya provided. “You’ll want to be there tomorrow night.”

  “Thanks for worrying about my social life, but I’m taking a break from bindings for awhile.”

  Jenya ducked her head, but her small, unladylike snort was still audible. “Not for recreational activities. More like…people watching.”

  The card now in her hand, Laire twirled it over her fingers, the card appearing and disappearing in the mage’s small hand. “Any particular people?”

  “I have no idea.” Jenya ran her hand to smooth over her updo, though not a hair was out of place. “Even if I had names I would never say. What I do know is the crimson room is booked out a year in advance, and yet the man who had it reserved for tomorrow suddenly cancelled, though he was forfeiting a very large amount of money. Then not two minutes later, a request for the room on that night arrived. It was secured with an even larger sum of money, and the veiled warning that they would not take kindly to being denied. All of this done after a certain failure on a certain warrior’s part, and after she’s made it clear she will do whatever necessary to rectify that failure.”

  Laire’s face was uncharacteristically grave, her mouth a line of unhappiness colored in cotton-candy pink. “And why are you telling me this?”

  Now Jenya lifted a glass of wine and took a sip, the deep red liquid glistening on her lips for only a moment before her tongue swiped all moisture away. “It’s good to have all the facts, don’t you think? To see who allies with who?”

  “I think I hate that fucking book.”

  “I think you give too much credit to the book, and are not looking with sharp enough eyes at the warrior.”

  “And this kind of round the way mind screw is why I don’t do Sunday dinners with the family anymore.” With that, Laire tipped the glass back and finished the drink, slamming the glass down with a crystalline thud and pushing back from the bar. “Good stuff. Time for me to get laid, so I’ll hear from you later.”

  Before she could take a step away, though, an elf came into view, her long silvery-white hair and willowy figure drawing every eye around. Next to her was a man, though immediately forgettable when compared to his companion. The elf glanced around before she and the man edged deeper into the club, her walk an uncomfortable mixture of sexy sway and panicked scamper.

  Laire and Jenya tracked their movement, and when Laire said, “That looks like trouble,” Jenya could only nod in agreement.

  Chapter Two

  Well there goes trouble.

  Nemesis’s eye had been drawn to the elf who had walked in, like everyone else’s in this part of the club. For everyone else, odds were it was due to her stunning beauty, which exceeded even the usual elf standards of ridiculously gorgeous, and there was no denying Nemesis enjoyed that part as well.

  What really called to her, though, was the way the elf hurried through the crowd, trying to appear as if she was another partygoer but not succeeding in Nemesis’s eyes. Nemesis made a quick glance over the woman, the strobe lights making the perusal a slight bit more difficult than usual.

  The elf stopped at a table not six feet away, flicking her long hair over her shoulder. Opposite her the man she was with settled in, drab and forgettable. In the next seconds, the table was surrounded by men, all of them smiling, brandishing alcohol and money and promises.

  For one moment the extent of how overwhelmed the elf was appeared on her face, but in seconds it was buried under a blank smile, and the female began maneuvering the men like they were chess pieces. Her companion was uninterested in the newcomers, worry his only emotion.

  The elf was hiding it better, but she couldn’t quite contain the nervous half-glances she’d keep tossing towards the club door, or the way she’d take a step back before pausing, and step forward again, like she couldn’t decide whether to stay still or move somewhere else.

  A quick glance to the bar showed Laire and Jenya were both aware of the elf, but neither appeared wary, only curious, meaning neither of them knew who she was either.

  Cold tendrils pricked at Nemesis’s senses, and she didn’t need to look at the front of the club to know whatever the elf was running from had walked in.

  This situation needed a little investigating. Nemesis excused herself, hearing the angry mutter from the table she had left but not faltering in her journey to the elf. The men surrounding her were loud, jostling for position and generally making asses of themselves. Into the fray Nemesis plunged, pushing past the men to put her mouth near the elf’s ear. “Come dancin’ with me, darlin’.”

  Not giving the female a chance to protest
– the men did that loudly enough for her – Nemesis brought the elf to the dance floor, where the song was slow and sensual and perfect for Nemesis to curl behind her, bringing their bodies a hairsbreadth from one another.

  The male companion did nothing, only sat there with a stunned expression competing with the worry. The elf was past the shock and now beginning to pull away. Nemesis curled her hands over the pale skin of the elf’s shoulders, keeping her from running while still giving the appearance of a dance. “If you don’t want them to find you, you might want to stop drawing attention to yourself by fighting me.”

  The elf stopped still.

  Well, that couldn’t be allowed to continue, though it did answer the question. Nemesis crowded around the woman, bringing their heads close together, making it appear like a necking session was what stopped the dancing. “You gotta start moving again if you don’t want them looking close at you.”

  Her movements lacked finesse, but she began dancing again. Nemesis kept her head down and gave the appearance she was kissing the female’s neck as she did a quick sweep of the club.

  There were two of them, awkward and out of place even in their suits. Both males with the faintest traces of foul magic on them, though Nemesis couldn’t ascertain anything else at this moment.

  They weren’t good news. Didn’t mean the female was, but part of the fun was figuring that out.

  Turning her attention back to the female, Nemesis said, “Apologies if you don’t normally dance with women. It’s not my intent to make you uncomfortable.”

  “Then what is your intent?”

  Nice. The elf was wary and careful, but she still had a bit of spark. “Answers to a few questions I’m rather curious about. Now you don’t have to answer me. I’m not your jailor, and I’ll leave anytime you ask. Hell, you know nothing about me. I could be worse than those ones after you. But at least I’m holding out the possibility of being a good guy. You already know those others can’t claim that.”