“Don’t touch me again, Miss Penrose. You won’t like it.”
The doughier one leaned closer, murmuring in a very low, jovial tone. “But I might,” he said with a dark wink. “I like playing with shiny things.”
“Be careful, Igor. Shiny things can be sharp.”
He chuckled, nodding. “I hope so. But I have cushion, if you haven’t noticed,” he said, patting his belly.
I couldn’t help it. I smiled back, nodding. “This isn’t over. I expect a meeting. I don’t have a problem with Haven. I didn’t even know his name. But I’m thinking we should all be a little more aware of each other. To avoid further misunderstandings.”
The first man nodded. “I’ll let Haven know your desire.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please don’t phrase it like that. Just because you work for a creep, doesn’t mean you need to pick up the corny lines. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to speak in Latin to really drive home the stereotypes,” I added dryly.
He burst out laughing. “I think Haven will like you, Miss Penrose.” He held up a finger. “But not tonight,” he reminded me. “Go have fun. This has been a pleasant introduction. We should savor it like a fine appetizer to the future meal.”
“Jesus. You really can’t help yourself, can you?” I asked incredulously. I knew neither of the guards were bloodsuckers, which meant the macabre jokes were transmitted via osmosis.
He shrugged, eyes twinkling with silent laughter. “Comes with the job, I guess.”
“Fine. I don’t think they’re serving protein shakes here, but I did see a trio of pretty girls looking for important men over there,” I said, pointing discreetly. “Maybe you should say hello.”
The bigger one looked suddenly interested, but the muscle-head smacked his arm. “We’re working,” he scolded. Doughboy sighed regretfully, and then they both left.
I watched them, sipping my champagne absently. I had no hope of getting past them, because in their eyes I had seen competence. These weren’t blood-bags for their Master’s traveling food truck. These were hired muscle, and they had experience. They weren’t infected by a vampire’s kiss – that addictive venom that turned their living victims into junkies. These were clean, strong, able men. And there were at least three more still circling Haven.
And they had known me.
Maybe I was the only one who didn’t know all the players.
Frustrated, I headed over to the bar, where I could see more of the younger crowd hanging out, talking to each other politely. Like the kiddie table at a big family dinner – secretly wanting to join the adults’ table, but pretending not to care.
I had drifted through the crowd three times, but hadn’t seen Yuri or a Hispanic man that smelled like a werewolf. I definitely hadn’t seen anyone suspiciously exchanging envelopes in private corners. I guessed Haven could be involved with whatever was going on. He was new in town, so maybe he had hired Yuri to solidify his rule. Local help was always smart when entering a new city. They knew the players and underbelly already.
And a local bear as a bodyguard to a new vampire was a conversation starter, giving the other factions pause as they debated the significance behind it. Two Master vampires had died in town in a span of months, so it made sense that Haven was less than interested in meeting the resident vampire killer.
I sat at an empty stool, staring down at my champagne. It wasn’t a favorite of mine. Quite the opposite, in fact. Remembering Dear and Darling drinking martinis, I ordered one.
Because the night was young.
Chapter 18
I felt eyes watching me and turned to see a handsome college student down the bar eyeing me. He didn’t look pleased to be here, but I didn’t recognize him. I smiled back, and he returned the gesture with a very hollow smile before turning back to the pretty girl next to him. Maybe he felt guilty about staring at another woman when he was obviously here with someone else.
I didn’t get any dangerous vibes off him, so dismissed him.
“You may call me Prince Charming,” a voice to my right said. I turned to find a thirty-something man staring directly at me, facing me fully as he swiveled on his chair. He wore a black pinstripe suit over a white silk shirt, and the buttons were undone to almost the top of his abs, displaying an expanse of golden jewelry that would make any mobster jealous.
He was leaning back with his legs wide open as if his jewelry was a neon sign pointing down to his love stick – like a Vegas slot machine whispering for me to try my luck. His pants were tight, emphasizing the jackpot potential.
I took a sip of the martini the bartender must have dropped off, glancing at his face. He had flowing, light brown hair that brushed his shoulders, professionally styled for maximum volume. His eyes were steel gray, and he had a very European look to his facial structure. Chiseled, but angular. He wore a tight lip ring in the center of his lower lip like a painted silver line, and his teeth were perfectly white.
All-in-all, he was stunningly… pretty. Handsome and manly, for sure, but also pretty. Flawless. Like those photo-shopped underwear models. Too pretty, really. Too much maintenance. I tried sensing him with my magic to get a read on him, but all I felt was a low humming sensation, like I was standing beside a purring generator. Nothing dangerous that I knew of, but definitely not a Regular.
I gathered my wits, and realized I hadn’t actually answered him yet. “Call me Snow White.”
“Truly?” he asked, eyes dancing merrily.
I blushed at that smile. Good freaking god. He wasn’t a vampire, I could tell that much, but I definitely felt weak in the knees at that look. “No, I’m not Snow White,” I said, rolling my eyes.
He blinked, then waved a hand. “Oh, I knew that. I meant about calling you. Does that offer stand?” He placed his forearms on his knees, leaning closer, allowing me a glimpse down his shirt to feast on the slabs of muscle perfectly situated on his chest. I just wanted to reach out and let my fingertips trail over them to see if it was real.
I took a hasty drink, and then placed my elbows on the back of my chair, emphasizing my chest openly as I studied him. Trying to get a read on him by seeing his response. His gaze never left my eyes, and I realized that this entire time, they had never left the area below my nose.
Not once.
“Alright, not Prince Charming. You really need to work on your pickup lines. Why would you want to call me?”
He leaned back, mimicking my posture with a grin. “For fun, of course. And I guess you can call me Vane. James Vane. But that wasn’t a pickup line. I tell everyone to call me Prince Charming.” He leaned closer, whispering conspiratorially. “Even the boys…” He pointedly glanced over my shoulder at the young college student I had seen eyeing me earlier. I turned to see the kid blushing back. Until he saw me. Then his face grew cloudy again. I sighed, turning back to the entertaining Mr. Vane. The name was too easy to tease, so I let it slide.
I found myself smiling. “You go from a children’s story to James Bond?” I glanced down, noticing his martini. “Shaken or stirred?” I asked in a fake British accent, rolling my eyes.
He whirled his glass in lazy circles, smiling. Then he slid it my way. “Neither,” he said, motioning for me to take a sip.
Not being an idiot, I did no such thing, but I did sniff it. I blinked up at him, surprised. “Rumple Minze?” I asked. The peppermint schnapps smelled like a nuclear breath mint.
He nodded. “I like the stronger stuff. More fun.” He finally studied me in full form. Not in a creepy way, but in an assessing way, as I would expect a girlfriend like Claire to do when I was trying on a dress. Then he met my eyes again. “I doubt you’ll find what you’re looking for, here,” he said softly. “No sulfur. In fact, it seems everyone is disgustingly shy and polite. Blech,” he said, sticking out his tongue.
I blinked, suddenly very interested. “What am I looking for?”
He squinted. “You don’t know? Well, that is my specialty.”
I leaned closer, trying t
o keep our conversation quiet and private. “You mentioned sulfur. Where would I find someone with that particular perfume?” I asked carefully, not even caring that he seemed to know quite a bit about me. Maybe he knew where I could find Amira.
“Not here, like I said.”
“Well, what about a bear?”
He shrugged offhandedly. “I think one was here earlier, but he wasn’t very good looking, so I didn’t pay much attention,” he replied honestly, as if speaking of the weather.
I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake the answers out of him. He was maddeningly playful, but now that I knew he had useful information, it was no longer cute. “Tell me something!” I whispered urgently.
He studied me thoughtfully, toying with his lip ring. “The Freaks are going crazy in this town. Two Master vampires killed, a demon killed, wolves killed, a Shepherd, and his woman in white,” he said, winking at me. “Then you have a church denouncing us, and a retaliation murder on her steps. It’s all shaping up to be quite fun, really.”
I really couldn’t tell if he was flirting with me or the boy down the bar, so wasn’t sure how to best manipulate him. He seemed to like fun. Chaos. Drama. “I do know how to have a good time,” I said softly, staring straight into his eyes as I took a sip of my martini.
He smiled back, not necessarily falling head over heels or anything, but very aware of me all of a sudden. “You and that Temple fellow,” he said, eyes growing distant. “So intriguing…” he snapped out of his reverie, looking disappointed. “But I hear engaged life suits him. Pity. I hear he almost has no fun anymore.”
I coughed into my drink. “I think you’d be surprised. And from what I hear, I don’t think the engagement is going as planned,” I admitted, wondering if I could use Nate to get him to open up. It was pretty obvious that James Vane was open to dudes. Maybe even both women and men. It sounded like it fit him.
He surprised me by clapping his hands. “Delightful! Perhaps you can introduce us…” He turned a quizzical eye my way at a sudden realization. “Which means I must enamor you, first. A lavish evening. Or two. I fear I must dazzle you, Callie. It really is the only way.” He sighed dramatically, as if exhausted at the prospect, and I couldn’t help but smile. James seemed very knowledgeable, and might be just the one I needed to learn from. It was becoming obvious that my name was known around town and that I was the only ignorant one in the city. I needed to mingle with the monsters. “The things I do to get my foot in the door.” He sounded pained, but didn’t bother to hide his mischievous smile at the prospect of seducing me to get to Nate.
“You want to seduce me to get an introduction with Nate Temple?” I asked, making sure I wasn’t mishearing him entirely.
“Oh, don’t worry about your honor. You’re exceptionally stunning, but you stink,” he said.
“I beg your pardon?” I spluttered.
“Of morality,” he said, waving a dismissive hand. “Not my thing.”
“I’ll have you know I don’t stink of any such thing,” I argued, feeling my face growing hot.
“Please. You work for the church. I can smell the feathers from here. You hunt monsters who are just trying to have a little fun. You even wrecked what could have been a very enjoyable auction a few weeks ago,” he added as an afterthought.
I almost dropped my glass. “You were there?” I asked incredulously.
“Damn and bother, no,” he growled. “I was otherwise… engaged.” He laughed at that, slapping his knees. “But I will take you out for a night you won’t forget.”
I sighed. “No thanks. I came here for answers.”
He frowned. “Most of the people you’re really looking for will be at my soiree tomorrow night. Bring a friend. No one will dare harm you in my care. Have a good enough time, prove to me you’re not a Puritan, and I may even have some answers for you.”
I nodded, hiding my excitement. “Answers to what? You don’t even know my questions.”
“Oh, honey. It’s all over your face. I know the answers you seek, trust me. Even if you don’t know the real questions yet.” A tall, lithe man leaned in close to whisper into Vane’s ear. He sighed regretfully. “I must go.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a card. He handed it to me and I glanced down at it, frowning. All it had was an address on the front, and a phone number on the back.
“More details would be great… Like a time.” I said.
“Eight.” Then he leaned in and pressed his lips against my cheek – his silver ring like an ice cube between his hot lips. I almost gasped, but before I could pull away, he was already gone, walking away without a glance.
I scanned the room, noticing that quite a few people had already left. I spotted Haven, still surrounded by his wall of man meat, but I knew I’d have better luck propositioning my stool for a quickie than I would at getting the chance to talk to him.
I turned back to the bar, tapping the card against the counter as I stared ahead, thinking about James Vane. I felt a presence sit next to me, and glanced over. The college kid met my eyes, and then began tapping a similar card against the counter, mimicking me. He looked pissed off.
I rolled my eyes with an impatient sigh. “I’m bringing a date. He’s all yours.”
He grunted. “Everyone brings a date, obviously. Three is more fun than two.” Then he stormed away, leaving me baffled.
I was beginning to realize Kansas City was one fucked-up place.
With no sign of my suspects, I decided I had better things to do with my time.
Chapter 19
The night enveloped my city like a warm blanket. I wore black spandex workout pants, black cross-trainers with the familiar white stripes, and a black jacket over my sports-bra – which had won by lack of competition since all my workout shirts were dirty. It was warm outside, but I wanted to cover up as much flesh as possible. I had brushed out my hair and tied it back into a ponytail again before hitting the streets to visit the church. I wanted to return to the crime scene in hopes that the cops had left, and that I might be able to find evidence they had missed.
Something Freaky.
My walk had turned into a jog halfway there, impatient to see if this was another waste of time. Because all I had to show for tonight’s fundraiser was an invitation to a party tomorrow with a sexually fluid, stunningly pretty man. If I wanted answers, I needed to prove that I wasn’t a saint. Or use Nate as a bargaining chip, since Vane seemed so interested in him.
I hadn’t found Yuri, the third wolf, or Amira. I decided to revisit the mansion in the morning – where I had killed Johnathan. I felt a slight rise of bile in my throat, remembering how he had tricked me into thinking we were dating potential. Before I discovered he was a demon.
You could understand why I was a little slow in the dating department. I either swooned for a troublesome billionaire who was already engaged, a demon, or a man who played both sides.
Roland and I had visited the house a few times already, but perhaps searching by myself would be more productive. Rather than following Roland around like an obedient puppy, maybe being there would trigger something in my memory. At least it couldn’t hurt. Because I was sick and tired of Amira haunting my thoughts. I wanted answers, and the Spear back. Because I secretly felt like a big failure. I had relinquished a holy item to demons.
I had been jogging more often, trying to use myself as bait to lure Amira out into the open. Basically, tempting fate by placing myself in perfect ambush spots with no one around to hear me scream. But she hadn’t revealed herself. Maybe she really had fled, deciding to use the stolen Spear in a different city. Maybe I wasn’t as important as Johnathan led me to believe.
I let out an angry sigh, putting thoughts of Amira and demons off until tomorrow.
As I scanned the quiet streets around me, I remembered the strange man who had been stalking me earlier. Was he the murderer? He was in the right place at the right time. Perhaps he had purposely led me away from the crime scene so I wouldn�
�t interfere. Carefully guiding me into the hands of Dear and Darling – the strangest couple I had ever met. Were they in on it? Were they friends with Yuri? Had I stumbled onto something and just didn’t know it yet?
The problem was that everyone seemed to know about me, where I was ignorant to the other players in the game. I guess being notorious might prevent one of them killing me in my sleep.
I pounded the pavement harder, stretching out my legs as I heard loud voices nearby.
As I rounded the last corner, I stumbled to a jerky stop, staring. A small crowd – maybe a dozen people – filled the sidewalk in front of the church. They held candles or signs that read varying renditions of what the church’s marketing flyer had said. A whole lot of scripture about idols, monsters, demons, and suffer not a witch to live type stuff. I even saw one that said Kansas City Witch Trials with a crude, stick-figure drawing of a woman burning on a cross.
Several of them were shouting their message, which was what I had initially heard.
Good lord. This was getting way out of hand. There was no way I was getting anywhere near the scene. I very consciously thought about my hair. Although it wasn’t red, it was startlingly different from most people, and I suddenly thought about an angry mob seeing something that stood out, and deciding we don’t need that kind of thing in this god-fearing town.
Fear. Hate. A ticking bomb.
Whoever had killed the woman was laughing their ass off right now.
Two policemen stood beside the crime scene tape, looking very uncomfortable at the growing crowd, who were beginning to chant things that made my skin pebble after only a few words.
I was still out of immediate eyesight, and had a sudden idea. Mob mentality was easy to manipulate if you knew the hot buttons. I turned my back and rounded the corner, out of sight entirely. I tried something new to me, not seeing any reason why it wouldn’t be possible.
Feathers and Fire Series Box Set 1 Page 36
