Beautiful Monster: The Hunt (Book 2)

by Jeanne Bannon

  ZoZo ignored him as she paged through the book of farm animals, stopping to name the ones she recognized. Jack opened the box of crayons and handed a brown one to her. “Go ahead, color it.” He pressed a finger down on a page with a cow, a barn and a farmer in the background.

  ZoZo looked puzzled and Jack threw Alina a look, his brows knit together in annoyance. “You’ve never given the child any toys? She doesn’t even know what crayons and a coloring book are. What the hell does she do all day while you sleep?”

  Alina huffed her displeasure. “Watches TV.”

  “Well, as you can see, I don’t have a TV and even if I did, I don’t have no damn electricity or cable. The poor kid would go out of her mind with boredom.” He turned back to ZoZo and showed her how the crayon worked. Her hand flew to her mouth and she drew in a breath of utter amazement.

  “Me, me!” she squealed and took the crayon from him. With concentrated effort, ZoZo held it in a fist and scribbled over the cow and then the entire page. Her frenzy ended when the crayon broke in half. She held it up, squinting in the dim light and began to bawl when she realized what she’d done.

  “Aw, that’s okay, ZoZo,” Jack said prying the crayon from her fist. He held the pieces up, one in each hand. “Now, you have two!”

  ZoZo’s eyes widened in delight and then she laughed and nodded. Jack handed ZoZo the entire package of crayons and she slid open the cardboard lid, dumped out the contents, then one by one, plucked each up and broke them in half.

  Jack slapped his forehead with a palm and burst out laughing.

  “Okay, that’s enough playing for now, Zo. Time for bed. You need to get in a few hours before day breaks.” Alina took the girl’s arm but ZoZo yanked away.

  “No. Want to stay with Jack.”

  Alina’s eye’s flashed with anger and she turned her fury on Jack. “You’re spoiling her. She’s not...not—”

  Jack stood. “She’s not what? A child? A little girl?” He stepped toward her. “What is she then, just your dinner? Is that how you see her?” His voice was a furious whisper.

  Alina forced a smile and looked down at ZoZo, who was busy going through the rest of the bags Jack had dumped on the floor. She’d set out the contents in front of her and was in the midst of ripping open a bag of bagels. Then she flicked off the top of a small plastic tub of cream cheese, dipped a finger into the center and proceeded to lick it clean. “Ummm,” she murmured her delight before bringing the tub to her face so she could run her tongue over it. ZoZo took a bite of bagel, then decided to dip it into the cheese before eating it. She came away with a small mountain of white cream on the end of it which she devoured.

  “ZoZo has become more than that to me over the years,” Alina said slowly and deliberately. “The feelings I have for her are the closest I’d ever had to love. Yes, I feed on her but I also take care of her and give her a home. She was an outcast. A throw-away. I rescued her.” She thrust her elegant chin in the air.

  Jack waved her off. “Tell yourself what you want to. Maybe you’re just too ancient to remember what it feels like to be a child but I’m not. I haven’t been immortal for...for...oh who the hell knows how old you are. I’ve only just been turned so I remember what it’s like to be human.” Tears stood in his eyes and he thumbed them away. “My heart may not beat in my chest any longer, but sometimes I forget that because sometimes I forget I’m living a nightmare.” He threw her one last dirty look then bent to ZoZo’s level and held out a hand. The girl took it readily. “Time for bed now. I’ll bring in all your stuff and put it right beside you if you promise to try to get some sleep, okay?”

  Zo nodded and smiled, a ring of dried cream cheese crusted her lips. She licked them clean, then wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Sleep time.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  After tucking ZoZo into bed, Jack was back in the living room.

  “Why do we need a boat?” Alina toed the box Jack had come home with which was now lying on the living room floor.

  He sneered. “That’s my new bed.” Jack opened the box, pulled out a well-folded rubber raft and then he pulled the tab on the side of it. The raft inflated taking up almost a third of the small room. “Good thing there’s no furniture.” Jack nodded toward what used to be his bedroom. “May I please have some earth?” His tone held a touch of acid.

  “For now. Then you’ll have to get your own to fill that...that thing.” She barked a laugh. “In all my years, I’ve never seen anything like it. You’re a clever one, Jack.”

  His sneer grew. “And you’re incredibly generous.” Jack moved his new bed into the corner and stepped in to test it out.

  “Never mind that now. Get out of that thing. We need to make plans while we still have time,” Alina said. “Is there a chair in here? Anywhere a lady can sit?”

  “Nope.” Jack slunk to the floor. “You can sit in my raft if you like or right here on the floor beside me.”

  “My clothes!” Alina protested.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, they’re a little worse for wear already. And you’re not exactly wearing designer duds at the moment.”

  Alina rolled her eyes and sat next to Jack on the old hardwood. “You’re a pretty boy. I guess you already know that, don’t you? And ZoZo seems to have a taken a liking to you. You’re good with kids. Let’s just hope you’re Boris’s type too.”

  Jack inched away. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

  “You like him. You told me yourself. You’ve been watching him, following him, waiting for him to notice you. Isn’t that right?”

  Jack held up his hands. “Well, not exactly. I mean, he is a gorgeous hunk. Gawd, I’ve never seen anyone better looking but, and this is a big but, we both know the guy’s all about killing; probably not looking for a relationship right now. I was just curious more than anything. That’s why I’d been watching him.”

  “He only goes after mortals. You’d be safe. Besides, you can’t deny you’re attracted to him.” Alina nodded as if trying to elicit the same response from Jack. “I need you to lure him to me so that I can dispatch him to Hell. I thought I made my plans abundantly clear. I told you about the rewards you’ll receive from Those on High if you help me. They sent me on a mission to find Boris only they think he’s Alexei. He knows I’m after him. He already caught ZoZo and me hanging around his house and he knows what I’m here to do. That’s where you come in.”

  “It sounds dangerous. I may no longer be alive but I don’t want to die.” Jack shook his head. “That sounds absurd but oblivion is not an option I’m ready for.”

  Alina put a hand on his, pinning it to the floor so he could move no farther. “I need your help. If I fail, I will be disposed of, if you know what I mean. And then what will happen to ZoZo? Think of that. I have never yet failed at a task given from Those on High. Never! They are not forgiving types. One strike and that’s it; lights out forever. Will you help ZoZo and me?”

  Alina could see that he knew why she’d thrown in the girl’s name. He was no dummy. There was true affection growing between the Jack and the girl.

  Silence stretched between them as Jack considered. Then he said, “If I do help, I want to know what you’re planning. You have to let me in on every detail.”

  Alina knew he wanted to say that if something happened to her, he’d take care of ZoZo. He was so newly turned that reading his mind was as easy as reading a billboard.

  “ZoZo dies with me,” she said solemnly.

  “What? Why would she have to die too?”

  “She’s my familiar. We are bound.”

  Alina got to her feet and retrieved the Book of Spells from her bag. She’d placed it on the windowsill when they’d first arrived. With book in hand, she sunk back to the dusty floor. “I think the answers can be found in here. It’s a book of spells. I found it in the attic of Boris’s house. I don’t think he even he knew it was there. But Boris knows I have it now. He’s seen me with it.” She began to page through
it. “There’s a lot of information, tons, and tons, it will take some time, but I think the right spell can be found here. But first we have to, well, we have to capture Boris and that will be no small challenge. He’s as ancient as they come and his strength is gargantuan.”

  “Can I have a look?” Jack asked.

  Reluctantly, Alina let him take the book. He smelled it before placing it on his own knee. “It’s not made of—”

  “Human skin?” Alina winked. “Yup. It sure is.”

  “Cool!” He passed a hand over the pink cover. “It’s so soft.” He flipped through the brittle pages. “It’ll take ages to read through all this crap. Isn’t there some kind of index or table of contents? Hey wait, this isn’t even English.”

  Alina sighed and laid her head against the wall.

  “Wow, look at this!” Jack said. He traced a finger under a picture of a dead body. A figure stood above it, hands raised as if magically lifting the corpse.

  Alina took a peek. “That’s a necromancy spell.”

  “A necro-who?”

  “A spell for raising the dead, you idiot.”

  Jack thought for a moment. “So if I want to see my Nana again, we can do this?”

  Alina snatched the book back. “You’re completely useless. I think I overestimated you. Go to bed. I’ll come up with a plan on my own.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I can’t do that!” Jack protested.

  “You can and you will,” Alina answered as they walked along Fifth Avenue. It was a much nicer part of the city than Harlem and ZoZo enjoyed looking in the store windows even though they were closed up for the night, stopping every so often to press her pug nose against the windows.

  “No way. Boris is a killer. I’ll be serving myself up to him on a platter.”

  “He also likes good looking men, like you. He won’t hurt you. He might want to sleep with you, though.” She laughed. “Somehow I don’t think you’ll mind.”

  Jack gave a sly smile. “I like women too, you know.”

  “Oh, I know. I felt just how much you liked me yesterday.”

  “Me too. Me too!” ZoZo called up to Jack. “Jack like ZoZo too?” She smiled a toothy grin and batted her eyes.

  Jack laughed and hoisted her up onto his shoulders. “Yes, Jack likes ZoZo too.”

  “So you’ll do it?” Alina asked trying to keep the cool bravado in her voice. It wouldn’t do for someone like her to seem too anxious. She was well above Jack in rank and power. Still, she needed him there was no doubt about that. He was the perfect bait, a good-looking young man, just the type to draw Boris out; a distraction from his rampage. Yes, it would be dangerous for Jack and he knew it but she sensed a wild, carefree side to the young man that just might make the idea appealing.

  “You want me to walk up to Boris’s house, knock on his door and introduce myself? Pardon me but that not only sounds stupid and dangerous, but it’s also fishy. He’ll know there’s something up right away.”

  Alina sighed. He was right. It would be stupid for Jack to just arrive on Boris’s doorstep and announce himself as a possible boy toy. Besides, Boris would read Jack thoughts as easily as if he’d spoken them aloud. Damn it but the boy was right and deep down inside she knew it was too simple to work.

  “Well, then what if we follow him and you can accidentally run into him. You’re his type.” Alina held up a slender finger in warning. “But, I’ll have to be there to intercede because he’ll read your mind. He’ll know what we’re up to. I won’t have much time but—”

  “Hey wait, how much of that book have you read?” Jack asked.

  “Book?” Alina replied a little confused.

  “You know, that pink book made out of human skin.” Jack grinned, his white teeth shining in the night.

  “Why?”

  “Is there a spell for masking? What if you find something to help me stop Boris from reading my thoughts?”

  Alina was astonished. He’d come up with a brilliant idea and she silently berated herself for not thinking of it herself. She’d have a look through the Book of Spells when they got back to that dump of an apartment.

  “You’d consider it then if you had a masking spell in place?”

  Jack shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe.” A forlorn look came over him and he stopped. “What if I do help you and you manage to somehow kill Boris? You already promised me that I’d be taken care of by whoever it is you work for but then what? You and ZoZo go your way and I go mine?”

  Now it was Alina’s turn to shrug. “I haven’t thought that far ahead, but yeah, I suppose so. It’s always been that way, I mean I’ve always been on my own, aside from having ZoZo by my side, that is.” It was true; she was a solitary creature, preferring to do things her way. One as ancient as she was set in her ways. It hadn’t occurred to her that Jack may be lonely. After all, his maker was dead and he had no one to guide or teach him about their ways.

  Jack reached up to take hold of ZoZo. He set the girl down and she immediately wrapped an arm around his long legs as if not wanting to lose contact with him. “But I don’t like this way of living. I don’t like being alone all the time. It’s not easy to find others like me. It’s not as if there are creatures of the night on every street corner. I...I like being with you and Zo.”

  Alina laughed. “There are more of us than you think, Jack. Don’t worry, they’ll find you. Give it time.”

  “What if I don’t want that? I never had a real family when I was mortal. Being with you and ZoZo makes me feel like I’m part of something special.”

  Alina had enough of his sentimentality, an emotion that had long since left her. “Oh grow up. Harden yourself or you’ll never make it in this world. You can’t stay with me. I work alone. I’m a professional and I must leave at once and do the bidding of Those on High whenever I’m called to duty. You’re not a part of my world, Jack. You are centuries from becoming what I am. Be thankful I’m letting you help. It’ll bring attention to you from those who count. This, Jack, is your lucky break. Best we get back to that seedy part of town you call home. I have some homework.”

  They turned and began to walk in the opposite direction. ZoZo put up a fight. She did not want to go back to the dirty apartment and her bathtub bed.

  “I’ll get you something special.” Jack bribed her. “Another coloring book? Or how about a hot chocolate and a sandwich? Or maybe all of those things?” ZoZo lit up and shook her head in vigorous agreement.

  Chapter Fifteen

  ZoZo was in bed now, sleepy and drained from Alina’s feeding, but she was surrounded by her new treasures courtesy of Jack. Jack had given new meaning to the phrase “Jack be nimble. Jack be quick.” Alina and ZoZo had waited outside an all-night convenience store while Jack whizzed past the shopkeeper faster than any human eye could see. Alina watched as he dashed up and down the aisles, helping himself to whatever he felt like. She laughed when he even managed to grab a few bags in which to deposit his pilfered items.

  Once he’d taken them home, Jack went out to feed and Alina took advantage of the quiet to read through the Book of Spells, picking up where she’d left off the night before. Her frustration grew at not being able to find exactly the spell she needed. It was not a spell in her personal arsenal that she sought. Everything she’d learned had been the old fashioned way, from others and through experience. Most of the spells in the book were foreign to her. Though she did turn down the pages on a few of the more interesting ones, including the necromancy spell Jack had stumbled upon.

  There were spells for binding, spells for making people forget whatever it was one needed them to forget, spells for conjuring familiars and low-level demons, love spells and even curses—these were already known to her and so she read through them quickly. She also knew they were meant for mortals and that most, if not all, would probably not work on creatures of the night, but Jack, being newly made, might be susceptible; at least, she hoped so.

  Then she came upon something interestin
g—it was a spell of discovery. Perhaps, Alina thought, she should try this one to find the masking spell, if it existed within the pages of the book on her knee.

  As soon as she read the words, a small eddy whipped up around her despite the fact the windows were not just closed, but sealed and wrapped in canvas. Surprised but not enough to lead her to distraction, Alina watched as the pages of the book turned of their own accord, fluttering quickly to the very end of the book, stopping at a picture of a man, his head covered with looked like a mask.

  Alina fought the urge to jump to her feet. “I found it,” she said to the air around her. “I found it!” Carefully, she turned down the corner and added a page from one of ZoZo’s coloring books as a bookmark. A smile found its way to her lips. She would sleep well this day and then she thought of something else, more than anything, she wanted to tell Jack about her discovery, to share her excitement with him. She drew in a few deep breaths. It was unlike her to be excited about anything and even more unlike her to want to share it with anyone. She mustn’t let Jack take hold of her. He had no place in her life. He was just a means to an end.

  But, when Jack arrived home moments later, Alina’s news spilled out of her like an excited child. She showed him the spell knowing he wouldn’t understand a word of it but she’d read it and it was perfect. It was exactly what she’d been searching for.

  “We’ll try it out at nightfall tomorrow,” she said to Jack, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’ll cast the spell and see if I can read your thoughts. If not, then—”

  “You can read my mind?” Jack asked, stunned. He brought his hands to his head as if trying to keep stray thoughts from escaping.

  “Of course, I can. Anyway, if it works, then we’ll have to find a spell to use on Boris. That spell will have to be extraordinary, or at least, last long enough so I can, well, you know.”