by D. N. Hoxa
I looked at the amulet, the blue crystal shaped like a tear, coming out of a metal piece that hung on a long, leather cord.
This was it. The moment I held this amulet in my hand, it would all be over. I would be free.
After one hundred and fifty long years. Well—one hundred and fifty three years in total, if I counted the extensions the Guild had added to my contract every time I hadn’t behaved exactly like they’d wanted me to.
“What the hell are you smiling about?” Moira said as she came to look at the picture. “Fancy.”
“This is what we’re looking for. The very last job.”
The Guild had only sent me the picture now. Last night, they had only provided a description when they gave me the job to look for it.
Emanuel whistled from the kitchen counter of the penthouse. Almost forty years old, and he still sat on the counter and ate cereal for dinner. “What does it look like? Let me see.”
Moira took the picture from my hand while I turned to the floor-to-ceiling windows behind the desk. The City of Manhattan stretched like a blanket of blinking lights for miles on either side. From up here, at the top of the building, I could see almost everything if I looked hard enough. To the left was the New York Shade, stretching wide, darker than the rest of the City, bigger than most other Shades out there because it needed to be. Here, the Gateway that connected to the other worlds was weak, easily breakable, and the Shade knew it. That is why it expanded the way it did over the last century.
There are twenty-three Gateways in our world that lead to the other realms. The Shadergrits, known as Shades, were created as their guardians. But Shadergrits feed on magic, and eventually, they grew in power and became sanctuaries, offering a safe haven for supernaturals. They were magical creatures, alive and aware, just as much as I was, even though you couldn’t see them in their true form. They were the only creatures that could exist in two realms at the same time. Very fascinating, but except for its Library that had one of the best collections of books in the world, I’d never enjoyed the New York Shade much. Too big. Too noisy. Too unpredictable.
“I can’t believe it,” said Emanuel, shaking his head. “Have twenty years already gone?”
Yes, they had. He’d joined the Bane when he was twenty, just a year older than Moira was now. A kid. Now, even though he didn’t look much different than the first time I met him, he was older, wiser, faster, stronger.
“They have. Life is just about to begin, my friend.”
“So what can it do?” Moira said as they analyzed the picture.
I walked to them. “It’s an absorber. A very powerful artifact. The job hasn’t changed. We are to bring it, and the man wearing it, to the Guild within two weeks.”
“Yeah, but what exactly can it do?” Emanuel said, stuffing another spoonful of colorful cereal into his mouth. He was a werewolf, a very strong one, but right now, he looked nothing more than human. One of the reasons why he always won a fight was that his opponents never saw him coming.
“It can absorb magic. This is very powerful. You can’t touch it, not under any circumstances. If that crystal connects with your skin, it will absorb your power, your life, and leave you dead within a minute. Do you understand?”
They both nodded.
Finding the amulet was going to be the easy part. The other, more complicated part entailed emptying the magic it had absorbed in a safe and efficient way. The amulet could only be controlled by its wearer, and I didn’t think whoever had it was going to hand it over to us so easily.
“But we don’t have any leads, do we? Last night was a dead end. And where are the guys?” Emanuel asked.
“Gone to check the City, I assume,” Moira said and I nodded. I’d sent John and Zane out to do a search of the City as soon as night had fallen and they’d gotten their full strength back. All the myths and legends that described us as being unable to stand in the sun weren’t too far off. The sun didn’t burn us, but it took away our power, rendered our bodies almost human. When in direct contact, it left marks on our skin, marks that didn’t go away for weeks. The younger the vampire, the stronger the effect of the sun. Maybe, in a few hundred more years, I’d be able to maintain my full power even during the day. But John and Zane were still young. They’d need twice as much time to get there.
They, together with Moira and Emanuel were my team, one people had named the Bane over the years. Although only John and Zane remained of the original Bane, Moira and Emanuel were just as lethal as every person who’d ever worked with me. I’d saved all their lives at one point, and they’d all chosen to ride with me, even knowing my debt.
Now, it would be no more. When I found this amulet, my debt would be paid in full. Freedom was so close, I could taste it on my dead tongue.
But I still couldn’t taste the wine.
The memory of her blood heated my chest once more. I’d drunk from many creatures before. Very few of them had tempted me to lose control like that woman had last night. Sinea Montero. A mercenary. Her record—and she—claimed that she was a Sacri sorceress. She wasn’t.
But what was she?
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the elevator coming up. It was still halfway up the building, but I lost control of my senses sometimes. Now, I could even hear the downstairs neighbors fighting over who’d done laundry when. If I didn’t control my senses, I would lose my mind within days.
The elevator doors opened, and John and Zane, both vampires, walked in.
“Anything?” I asked.
“Nothing. They either don’t know, or they’re not talking,” Zane said.
I’d sent them to the contacts we had in the City to ask about the amulet, but I hadn’t expected anyone to know anything. Still, it was worth a check.
“Did you speak to the Guild?” John asked as he approached me. The sparkly unicorn printed on his shirt made me smile. He’d lost a bet to Moira last night, and now he had to wear that shirt for another two nights.
John looked to be the youngest of all the Bane—turned into a vampire when he was just seventeen. It was a miracle he’d even survived the change. Ninety percent didn’t. He was over fifty now, but he still looked like a teenager.
“I did,” I said and took another sip of my wine. Nothing. Turning to the windows, to the view of the City, I made myself focus. “One of the three who stole the amulet was found dead early this morning, his body dumped at the edges of the Shade. The other two are still out there.”
“Competition?” Emanuel asked, but I shook my head.
“I don’t think so. We’re the only ones who know about the amulet and the only ones tasked with finding it.”
“He probably knew too much,” John said. “He was a threat and whoever took the amulet eliminated him. It’s good information to have on whoever we’re looking for.”
“And the witches? Did they come up with something?” Emanuel asked.
“Hills,” I said, risking another sip of my wine. I flinched when the liquid hit my tongue, and I waited. Still nothing. “And some other things. They’ve emailed a detailed report.”
This wasn’t right. My wine was important to me. It was important I had one thing throughout the day to connect me to reality. To life.
And now it was gone. I took a bigger sip.
What the hell was she? It was almost like I’d tasted her before, but I hadn’t. She was too young—I’d have remembered. I only forgot about things when they happened over fifty years ago.
But I’d tasted someone like her. I just didn’t know who.
“Downloading it right now,” John said, looking down at his phone. “We should move tonight. If they kill the rest of the men who stole the amulet, we’ll have no leads.”
“Kids,” I said, my voice coming off angrier than I intended. But it wasn’t them I was angry at. “They were kids. All three of them Level Ones—and the body that was found this morning belonged to a twenty-year-old wizard.”
Emanuel whistled. A very bad habi
t, but it did distract me for a second. “I’m going to enjoy killing these fuckers.”
“We have enough information here,” John said, looking at the screen of his phone. “I need to do a little research. We should have a location in a few minutes.” With his head down, he went to sit on the sofa.
The others went with him, leaving me alone with my thoughts again.
When had been the last time I’d thought about one thing for this long? I’d been relentless since the night before. What was it about her blood?
Or was it her? I couldn’t be sure. She was beautiful, but I’d seen a lot of beautiful women before. Except she was the kind of beautiful that didn’t immediately catch your eye—like a flower you had to push through the weeds to find. Her hair was made of strands of gold, and her eyes were sprinkled with it, her soft skin demanding to be caressed, her lips so full, so juicy, so easily imagined against me, her full breasts begging to be explored, and her warm, delicious blood—
Enough.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath—a bad habit of my own from the days when I was alive. Air didn’t calm me, but the idea of breathing in did. Sometimes.
Now was not one of those times. How was it possible that I could lose control of my own thoughts? She was stealing my focus. She had even robbed me of my precious wine. I took another sip, but I didn’t expect any taste this time. I knew it wouldn’t come. I drank anyway.
“Got it! I got a possible location. It looks good and isn’t far,” John called from the living area.
But the wine in my mouth brought back reminders. Different reminders.
I thought I’d tasted blood like hers before. I was right.
My smile stretched wide, the glass of wine forgotten. It had taken me a whole day, but I remembered. The vision of a young man with a long beard from a time long gone flashed before me. His blood had had the same effect on me, and it had lasted for days. It had the same taste as well—of power, even if she was only a Level Two, and of raw magic—forbidden magic. I didn’t remember it being so distracting, but it was the same as hers.
I knew exactly what Sinea Montero was.
“Change of plans,” I said as I turned to my team. “Find me Sinea Montero, now.”
“The sister of the thief?” Moira asked, confused.
I smiled. Yes, exactly her. “Do not engage. Text me when you have her.”
“I’ll go. I know her scent,” Emanuel said, heading for the elevator.
“Wait up. I’m coming.” Zane went after him, his movement a blur. He was getting faster—almost as fast as me. He was older than John—over one hundred and twenty, and it was starting to show.
I turned to the windows again. A thought nagged at my brain, intending to ruin the little good mood I’d gathered. It wanted to know the source of my excitement. Was it because I had an excuse to see her again? Possibly an opportunity to taste her blood once more?
I ignored the thought because it wasn’t the truth. Sinea Montero had just become very valuable, not to me, but to my mission. With her, and with a push of good luck, it would all end tonight. And when the sun claimed the sky in the morning, it would find me a free man.
Chapter Seven
Sin Montero
By nine p.m., I was back in the Shade feeling angrier, more desperate. We’d searched a big part of the City, Kit and I. I’d gone to the houses of every one of Sonny’s human friends. I’d even gone to his school, and he wasn’t anywhere. I entertained the idea of putting up posters with his face on it everywhere. If I didn’t find him by tomorrow, that was exactly what I was going to do.
“Where are you, Sonny?” I asked the night, but the only answer I got was a squeak from Kit. He was getting restless, too. He didn’t like Sonny very much because Sonny stole his chocolates sometimes, but he did love him. And he could feel my anxiety going through the roof. As I walked through the streets of the Shade with no specific destination in mind, I reviewed my options.
I could continue to search the City by foot until I found him.
And…that was it. That was everything I had.
When Kit pulled at my earlobe, scratching my skin in the process, I almost slapped him off me. I was angry. He knew better than to mess with me when I was angry.
But something prickled the back of my neck—an energy that hadn’t been there a moment ago. I could feel it on my skin, the coldness, the power, and my instincts could feel it, too. That’s why they insisted I start running already.
I stood still, looking at the empty street ahead. “Hush,” I whispered to Kit, and he fell silent instantly.
The unmistakable sense that stretched over my shoulders, weighing me down, said that I was being watched. My skin crawled and my wrist tingled. I recognized the magic, and out here in the open, I could see exactly how far it stretched, as if it were a color, painting the walls of the buildings white, coating them like a layer of ice.
It was the vampire. I had no doubt in my mind. My senses never lied to me. My first thought was that he’d come to kill me. But if he wanted me dead, he’d have killed me—easily—the night before.
My second thought was that they’d found Sonny. They’d imprisoned him somewhere, and he was here to tell me about it.
Wrong. Last night, he’d sent his team to bring me in, and he’d only made an appearance when I’d refused to tell them where Sonny was.
So…
Something fell from the sky—literally. A figure crouched on the ground, ten feet away from me, and he slowly straightened up. The light from the few glamoured crystals fell on the side of his face, making his skin look green. Dead. But his eyes were more vibrant than the night before. I could see the colors in them as if they were moving, even though he was too far away.
He started to walk toward me, slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, his footsteps completely soundless. A ghost—that’s what he was. My heart beat loudly in my chest. I held my breath and made an attempt to control my thoughts. No panic. It didn’t matter that he already bit me once—it wasn’t going to happen again. No need to tempt him. He could hear my heartbeat just fine.
As he walked to me, I explored my possibilities. My weapons were two long-blade daggers in their sheaths on my hips. I had permission to carry them as a Guild mercenary, but they were made for killing hellbeasts. Steel—not silver.
That’s okay. Steel could do plenty of damage, and my spells would take care of the rest. I just needed to be ready.
But then he stopped in front of me and smiled.
Fucking hell. The sun shone in his eyes. He was blinding—I almost put my hand over my own. If that’s what he looked like every time he smiled, no wonder he was known as the Typhon. It would be easy to kill any kind of creature after taking away their defenses with the mask of perfection that was his face. Because that was the purpose of his beauty; it was just another weapon in his already rich arsenal.
“Sinea Montero,” he said.
His voice caressed my skin. My name on his lips was like a lullaby—one of those lullabies that made their way into your nightmares as soon as you fell asleep.
“What do you want?” I said as harshly as I could. I wasn’t going to let him manipulate me, his looks be damned.
He raised his thick brows but continued to smile, showing me perfectly square teeth. His fangs were tucked in for now. Let’s keep it that way, I said to myself.
“I want a great deal of things, but right now, something important is missing, and the Guild needs it found. I need it found.”
My lips were dry, my mouth drier, but at least my heartbeat had somewhat calmed down.
“Great. So you can be on your way and go find it,” I said, for a second actually hoping that he’d just walk away with a wave, and I could get the hell out of there. It had been a bad idea to come to the Shade. A very bad idea.
“That won’t be a problem at all,” the vampire said. “Your brother was with the people who took it. He might even be the one to have done the stealing, but eithe
r way, I will find it. I will find him. But that’s where my problem begins.”
Blood rushed to my ears. Had he just threatened to kill Sonny?
“You see, the item that was stolen is very powerful, and it can only be accessed by the wearer. The Guild will need access to that power. They will need to disable it, contain it, and it doesn’t happen often that a thief is willing to cooperate with the authorities.”
I swallowed hard. Sweat broke on my sweat. Even Kit couldn’t make a single sound.
“I asked you yesterday what you were.” Fuck. I was so screwed. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie.”
Kit squeaked weakly. The vampire’s eyes moved to him, and curiosity sparked in his once more.
“What is he?”
“He’s my familiar,” I said through gritted teeth. Please, please, please…
“No, he’s not.” He smiled again, but half the effect was lost on me, chased away by the fear that had gripped me by the throat. “I’ve tasted your blood, little thief. I know what you are.”
My mouth opened. I wanted to call him a liar. He didn’t know shit.
Then, I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t true. Whatever he was thinking, it wasn’t true!
But it was. And now he knew it; otherwise he wouldn’t have called me little thief. My worst nightmare had come to life.
“What the hell do you want from me?”
My voice shook. I already knew what he wanted from me. He was going to either turn me in or he was going to kill me. My hands were close to my daggers. All I’d need is a second to grab them and another to conjure my spell. I could take him. I’d taken bigger monsters before. I could kill this vampire.
“I want your Talent. I want you to do exactly as I say when we find that amulet. That’s all,” he said, his voice solemn, like he was really telling the truth.
