“So do I. And it doesn’t include a sleazy dress,” I scowled.
“Sleazy? Did you even look at it?” he asked, smiling. I shook my head. “It covers more flesh than the dress you wore at the auction.” He waved a hand. “The dress wasn’t for tonight anyway. It was a contingency plan. I would have sent it to the church, or your home, but thought this would be less invasive. It matches a tie I have picked out, if it comes to that. A disguise if the opportunity arises. That’s the only reason I picked it up. I’ll tell you about it later. Unless plans change and another one pops up.” He shrugged absently.
I watched him curiously. At first, I had thought it to be some kind of bribe, or him bragging about his money, trying to impress me like some cheesy romance movie. But he didn’t look remotely confounded at my reaction. Sure, he looked amused, but I sensed nothing flirtatious about him. He seemed genuinely honest about the garment.
He flashed me a grin. “Although I would recommend hanging it up so it doesn’t get wrinkly. Just in case we do need it.”
“I suppose it’s a ten-thousand-dollar dress, complete with expensive jewelry?” I asked drily.
He frowned. “I think the dress was fifty bucks. Ashley picked it out on her way over. And you can get your own damned jewelry. I can critique jewelry, but I have no idea how to pick it out ahead of time,” he admitted, watching me curiously. “Did you think I was trying to bribe you or something?” He leaned back in his chair, frowning. “Well, I guess I can see that,” he nodded to himself, holding his hands out at the suite. “This is all a disguise, as are most things I do. It’s expected of me. And if I deliver what is expected, no one pays any further attention. Like I told you earlier. If someone like me showed up, went to McDonalds, and rented a room at the Holiday Inn, we would have reporters all over the place. More so than now, anyway,” he muttered with a grimace.
And he was right. There had been a horde of reporters and journalists outside the hotel when I had arrived. Luckily, they hadn’t thought I had anything to do with Nate or they would have molested me for a story. “Want to hear my plan?” I asked.
He leaned forward, grinning like a shark, listening as I shared it with him. He began to laugh, and then nodded. “I like it. And you have someone to cover for you?”
“Yep.”
He clapped his hands. “Good. The manager thinks I’m hosting a small party up here with Madame Upchurch, Gunnar, and Ashley. It’s one of the reasons I had them stick around until you got here, so that Richard would see them here still.” He glanced out the window, then turned back to me. “Looks like we better get started.”
I nodded, but wanted to add one thing. “No more assistance from your friends, although I appreciate it.”
Nate studied me, then finally nodded. “I never intended them to help. They did that on their own, out of curiosity with the mutant wolves. They’re good at sniffing things out. He did warn me that they aren’t just wolves. He didn’t know what else, but he wanted me to warn you. In case they come back.” I nodded, wondering if Roland would know anything about that. “If I have advice, I want you to really listen to me. My friends are not without their skills, and sometimes that could help us achieve a goal with a lot less risk. Promise me that you will at least consider it if I bring it up.”
I finally nodded, conceding. But I could always decline the help. After listening, of course. I wanted his help, but the more strangers helping us out, the more uneasy I grew. Because relying too much on Nate’s help wouldn’t help me in the long run. Because eventually, he would leave, and I would be the one to pay the consequences of anyone we pissed off together. I needed to do this my way. Not out of stubbornness, but to let the monsters of Kansas City fear me, and not just Nate Temple and friends. I wondered if he understood that.
Satisfied with my agreement, he guided me back into the penthouse and out of the kitchen.
I left the package with the dress on the floor, a subtle statement. He rolled his eyes.
Instead of taking the elevator down, he inserted a key, and pressed a button for the roof. I frowned at him, but didn’t speak. Trust. I needed to give him a little.
He smiled at my obvious impatience. “I know where the vampires are holed up. I can get us there quickly, and without the gaggle of reporters knowing I even left the hotel.” He winked at me. “Alibi, remember? Gunnar may or may not have let slip that I was thinking of opening a chapter for my school here. To the reporters. Loose-lipped werewolves,” he feigned annoyance. “You should confirm your alibi before we go,” he said, as the elevator whisked us toward the roof.
I nodded slowly, wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into. Why were we heading to the roof? But I pulled out my phone to text Claire, and tell her my plan was a go.
I finished my text, and followed Nate onto the roof as the elevator door opened.
A set of comfy-looking lawn furniture stood in the center of a flat section of the roof, a bottle of wine and two glasses resting on the table’s surface. I frowned as Nate walked up, deftly opened the bottle, and then poured a little into each glass. He held one out to me as he took another. He also had pink lipstick in one hand. “Put a little of this on first,” he said, reading the bottle of wine with a grunt of regret.
“What the hell is this?”
He sighed. “Distraction, remember? I had the manager bring all of this up here, because I hinted to him that at some point after my meeting with everyone tonight, I was hoping to dazzle Madame Upchurch with my charm.” He held out the glass. “Paint your lips, and then take a drink. For luck. And so any curious eyes can see that we did indeed spend a bit of time up here.”
I took the glass hesitantly, put on a bit of lipstick, just enough to leave an imprint on the rim when I took a sip, and then tossed the lipstick off the roof with a meaningful glare at him. He laughed, and then lifted his glass. I did the same. We clinked lightly, and each took a sip. I stared down at the glass in surprise. This was very nice wine. Judging by the look on his face, he looked disappointed that he couldn’t sample more, and his previous sigh of regret when reading the bottle made much more sense. But he took both our glasses and set them carefully on the table. I noticed that the base of the glasses actually slid into a holder of sorts built into the table, as did the bottle itself.
So that the glasses wouldn’t tip over in the wind.
I frowned at him suspiciously. “You must have done this a few times before. I’ve never seen any drink coasters like that before.”
He shrugged, holding out his hand. “Do you trust me?”
I shook my head, folding my arms as I studied the roof. There were no zip lines or anything. No parachutes tucked away, so what the hell were we doing up here?
He faced me, squaring his shoulders, as his eyes danced with mischief. “I want to show you something. I think you’re strong enough to do it yourself. Unless you and Roland already know it, but I doubt it. I only figured it out by accident. Ever heard of Shadow Walking?”
I frowned, then shook my head.
“I’ll show you how. It will allow you to go almost anywhere you want in a blink. Wizard thing. Academy secret.”
“I thought you hated the Academy…”
“I do. That doesn’t mean they don’t know some handy tricks. Tools, remember?”
He winked. And then with a sharp crack in the air, he was suddenly gone. I had felt a moment of him harnessing his magic, and even recognized the steps he had taken to do… whatever he had just done. Had he made himself invisible? I crouched warily, my energy sticks flashing into existence in my fists as I stared at the spot he had been standing. He cleared his throat.
Directly behind me. Without thought, I released my sticks and duplicated what he had done before disappearing.
There was a loud crack, the world flashed dark for a moment, and then I was suddenly back on the roof, only ten feet away from where I had been standing, ten feet further from the throat that had cleared behind me, and I was facing a very surprised Nat
e as he spun to face me.
I gasped, staring down at my chest in wonder.
Nate laughed excitedly. “Quick learner, indeed. You just Shadow Walked.” His eyes twinkled. Then he glanced down at a digital watch, not something I would have expected on him. “Right on time. Now, want to do it again? This time, I’ll drive.” His grin was much darker this time, hungry, and ready for violence. I nodded back, not realizing at first that I was also smiling back as I walked up to him, holding out my hand.
My fingers tingled as they touched his, but not just from magic.
A hint of danger. A splash of anticipation. And a pinch of controlled fear tinted my grin.
Then the world winked out, and we were gone, leaving an empty roof and a couple of wine glasses.
Chapter 29
We knelt in a patch of grass before a large wide hedge, crouching in a meticulously landscaped lawn. I was panting excitedly from the thrill of Shadow Walking, but my eyes assessed our surroundings out of habit. No one was near, so I squeezed Nate’s hand in gratitude for showing me such a beautiful piece of magic, before I let go.
Nate murmured to me in a soft voice, crouched down low. “Feel free to share with Roland, but keep quiet about it around others. The skill loses strength if everyone knows it.”
I nodded absently, something bothering me about the statement. “Thank you,”
Then it hit me. I remembered that this was the way Roland had transported Claire and I to my front lawn the first night we had met, when he had saved me from the vampires. But he hadn’t shown it to me since. Curious. But Nate — a stranger — had shown it to me, of his own free will.
Nate grunted at my thanks, peering over my shoulder to stare at a large mansion on the outskirts of town. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Much better than driving.” He was smiling as he said it. Still, I punched his arm for good measure, earning another light laugh for my efforts.
“Will they know we arrived?”
Nate shook his head. “No, unless they saw us appear here. But their guards should be on the opposite side of the house if my timetables are right.”
I blinked at him. “You’ve been here enough to scout their timetables?”
He grunted. “Of course. No need to go in blind. I needed to be sure they were here, see how many guards they had.” He shrugged. “I had nothing else going on today.”
“What if you were caught?” I hissed in a low tone, but I felt a slither of guilt. While I had been sipping coffee with my dad and going on a date, Nate, the supposed worthless, untrustworthy playboy, had been working.
“I wasn’t caught,” he grinned. “I’m practiced at this kind of thing.”
“And if they had caught you earlier, I never would have known,” I muttered, my guilt shifting to mild anger that he had gone ahead without me while I was out with my father. It made me feel incompetent. I hadn’t considered scouting the place first. Well, I had thought that was what we would do right before invading their fortress. Surprise attack.
But I couldn’t help feeling like I had made a rookie mistake, and that Roland would have been disappointed.
Nate grasped my shoulder. “Don’t worry. I didn’t have any doubt, I just wanted to check everything out first. To keep you safe.”
“I don’t need protection.”
He studied me thoughtfully, no doubt remembering Roland’s accusing eyes, and the silent warning that I be kept safe. But he nodded. “Okay. I won’t do it again.”
I grunted. “How many guards are there?”
“A dozen,” he whispered back, studying the house as he pulled out the small bag Gunnar had given him. I frowned down at it.
“How do we handle a dozen guards without waking up the vampires?” I could feel the plan falling apart in my head already. One pull of a trigger, or one shout, and everything could fall to pieces. He pressed his fingers into my hand, and I almost flinched. I looked down to see he had placed six marbles in my palm.
“Throw one within a few feet of a guard, and it will send them to the drunk tank at the jail.”
“How in the hell?” I said, eyes wide.
He grinned. “A prototype from my new company. It Shadow Walks them wherever I program it. In this case, I had Gunnar program it.” He shrugged.
I shook my head in wonder, but then I thought about it. “We’re going to send a dozen armed guards into a cell, and, what, hope the police are paying attention? What if they talk?”
Nate grinned like a wolf. “Oh, the police will have a lot of questions for them. Twelve men suddenly showing up in the drunk tank? But they wouldn’t dare talk. Their masters,” he pointed a thumb at the house, “would make the rest of their lives a living nightmare of pain. And who would believe them if they did talk? Hey, I was guarding a vampire’s house and suddenly I wasn’t there anymore. Can you let me out, please?” he grinned at me.
“And their guns?” I hissed.
“The marbles won’t take the guns. I tested them already. It will leave anything metallic behind, quite forcefully.” Then he chuckled. “Let’s hope none of them have fillings.” Then he was suddenly moving, darting to a tall hedge closer to the house.
I blinked in disbelief. But I hadn’t thought of fillings. I had thought of screws and pins inside an old broken arm or leg. But I didn’t have time to worry about that as he darted ahead again.
Scanning the gardens, I pursued him swiftly, eyes out for any of the guards, palms sweating on the marbles, hoping sweat didn’t set them off. I didn’t want to end up in jail, especially not with a dozen guards.
I quickly reached his side to find him frowning down at his watch. “Any second now,” he whispered. “Get ready.” He motioned towards my marbles. “Make sure it breaks on contact.”
I nodded nervously, watching the corner of the house, realizing we were right next to a path circling the building. The minutes stretched, and the sun crept closer to the horizon. I began to grow antsy, shooting a quick look at Nate.
“Where are they?” he murmured under his breath. “Even if my timing was off, we should have seen someone by now. Follow me.”
He darted across the path, and was suddenly leaning against the house itself. My stomach threatened to climb out of my throat. He was standing in plain sight!
But I followed him, not wanting to be left behind. He waited for me, then let out a breath. He jerked his head around the corner, no doubt searching for guards. But instead of pulling back, he let out a grunt, and boldly walked out into the open.
I tried to grasp his arm, but he shook me off and disappeared.
I crouched, leaning around the corner to find him kneeling over a body.
My eyes widened, but I saw two more bodies not further along, one tucked under a bush. They were all concealed from obvious view to anyone looking out from inside the house, but since we were right on top of them, they were perfectly visible to us. Nate looked troubled as he glanced back at me.
“We aren’t the only ones here,” I whispered, creeping closer.
He nodded, tight lipped. “Maybe you should hang back. Let me—”
“No,” I said stubbornly. “You’re the sidekick here.”
He stared at me, face incredulous. Then he let out a weak grin, and dipped his head. “Let’s go check out inside. If we see a vamp, don’t use the spheres.”
“Spheres? You mean your small balls?” I smirked at him.
A momentary look of murder flashed across his face, but he nodded. “Yes, those. My tiny, fragile, deadly balls.”
“Got it. I can handle a vampire.”
“How about a kiss?”
My heart suddenly double-timed, wondering if I had heard him right. Had he just casually asked me for a good-luck kiss? Really? I kept my tone neutral. “A kiss?”
He frowned at me. “Kiss. A group of vampires. They’re called a kiss. Like a gaggle of geese. Rampage of rhinos. A murder of—”
“I get it, nature boy,” I said, feeling my cheeks redden. “Just never heard it before.
Roland calls them a coven.”
“Covens are witches,” he snorted, eyeing me again, as if suddenly doubting my ability to help.
“Kiss, coven. Doesn’t matter. They all die the same.”
Those words seemed to reassure him. “That they do. Stake to the heart, holy water, fire, decapitation, or a religious gizmo if you’re into that sort of thing.”
I nodded. “Let’s do it.”
We stalked around the edge of the house, keeping our eyes out for any guards. Just because we had seen some down, that didn’t mean that the rest weren’t guarding the rest of the house, and suddenly wondering what had happened to their friends.
But we saw no one as we came upon the back door. Nate nodded once at me, then glanced up at the sky. We were getting close to sunset. We wanted to be well gone by then. If there was anything left to find here, since someone had obviously beaten us. A shiver of fear raced down my neck, imagining the Demon jumping out of the bushes to kill us. But I smelled no rotten eggs.
Nate darted through the door. I counted to five, quickly, and followed him in. Darkness enveloped us as we crept through a kitchen, staying close to the walls. Not a sound could be heard. No fighting, no footsteps, not even the smell of blood. What was going on? As we moved, I began to hear the faint sounds of classical music from deeper in the house, as if coming from the basement. Where the vampires would be found.
We crept on, following the music, slipping through the halls, and for the first time, I realized Nate was still barefoot. I blinked at that, and almost burst out laughing. Here we were, creeping through a vampire’s house, with guards already dead at the scene, trying to rob them, possibly kill them. And the dangerous billionaire wizard looked like a homeless hippie, and the non-religious church secretary was terrified out of her wits on her first real solo hunt for the Vatican.
Fucking ridiculous.
But I kept that to myself, following Nate. He glanced around a corner, leaned back, and frowned at me, motioning me closer. I did, reaching his side. “There are six dead bodies in the living room ahead. Not a bullet fired, although they’re still armed, and if I’m the luckiest man alive, the spear is sitting on the table right next to them.” He shook his head. “It’s a trap.”
Feathers and Fire Series Box Set 1 Page 15
