by D. N. Hoxa
“I’ve been wondering, how much blood do you normally need to keep going?” I asked. “And does the Guild provide you with blood?”
“Are you insinuating that I’m incapable of hunting for my own food, little thief?”
Figures he’d take it that way. I grinned. “Not at all—just curious.”
“Then, no. When I need blood, I hunt for it, but I almost never have to. My missions provide me with more than enough.”
His missions, where he probably interrogated people the way he had me, and when they refused to share, he bit them. Which reminded me.
“Your Talent was…interesting. Can all vampires do it? How does it work?”
“Aren’t you a curious little thief,” he said in a whisper, but he was focused on the conversation now. Not only on my face.
“Just that we know so little about you, that’s all.” There weren’t many vampires around. In fact, there were only two of them in the New York Shade that I knew of. One of them was Doctor Stephen Lane, the best hematologist in the City—possibly in the entire States. He worked with humans most of the time, but he cared for supernaturals, too. The second was Madame Giselle, a painter, who owned a shop here in the Shade, and you had to pay her in blood. The amount depended on your level: Level One supernaturals would have to give her their entire blood for a painting, while Primes would be able to pay her with just a pint. Vampires could live off human blood, but Supernatural blood made them stronger, kept them full for longer. But if they went without for long enough, they turned into monsters that wouldn’t stop until they sunk their teeth in someone’s flesh and drank them dry—hence the reason why most of them had been killed by the Guild a long time ago.
“Not all vampires have Talents, but some of us do. Each is specific, but they’re not nearly as powerful as those of other species. Mine is pretty simple. I take someone’s blood, and if I want to, I can look into the memories of that person but only for a short amount of time—providing they’re not blocking me.”
“They can block you?” That was certainly handy information to have.
“Yes. There are spells that can do it,” Damian said. “Satisfied?”
“Not even close,” I said honestly. “I’ve heard a lot of things about you.” And most of them were about how many people he’d killed. I guess I wanted to know if the stories were true. Just out of curiosity, that’s all.
“What you heard about me is probably a lie,” he said, and I almost rolled my eyes, but he continued. “I am far worse than people know.”
Oh. If that were true, why the hell wasn’t he in Judicum? The Prison was in the Shade somewhere, but it was so well protected, nobody knew where it was, other than the people who worked there. The Guild protected it better than anything else.
Whatever the reason, it was time for me to get the hell out of there. I stood up.
“Thank you for the food. It was delicious.” I was full, Kit was full, and we needed to move. And give Malin and Jamie a call. They were probably freaking out. We normally texted each other at least once a day.
“Where are you going?” he asked me as I put on the jacket. It felt so soft against my skin, and the smell of the leather was intoxicating. I grabbed my daggers, my phone and my money from the island, too.
“In the Shade. I’m still looking for my brother, remember? And now that the wizard is dead, there’s only one more guy left who can potentially give me answers.” That was Travis Bennet, Sonny’s best friend. I’d tried to get in touch with him all day yesterday, even went to his apartment, but he hadn’t been there.
And he’d been looking for Sonny before that explosion at Cavalieros. It was the only thing I had left to do.
“Who?” Damian asked.
“My brother’s friend. I think he might know something, but I don’t know.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
I turned to look at him. “You are?”
He nodded. “I still don’t have the amulet, and we won’t have any other leads from the Guild until morning. I have a feeling that your brother might be able to tell us who those people that attacked us were. If we find them, we find the amulet.”
I didn’t like it. Damian Reed made me very uncomfortable for various reasons, but he was a vampire. He could see, hear, smell better than me, and it would be stupid not to take him up on his offer to help me find Sonny. I sighed. “In that case, let’s go.”
Chapter Thirteen
I called Malin to tell her that I was okay. I was right—she was freaking out. She’d texted me a hundred times and had tried to call me about thirty. I kept it short because I didn’t have much battery left, and I needed to call Jamie, too.
When I did, she called me about every name in the book before she even let me say hi. She was ecstatic that I’d called, and better yet, she informed me that Travis was at Cavalieros. I’d thought we were going to have to go search his place, but now that I knew, we headed straight for the club. The apartment building where Damian lived was just two streets away from the Shade so we didn’t even need the car. We just walked to it, side by side. Not strange at all, walking with a vampire.
“Does your brother have the same Talent?” Damian suddenly asked.
I shook my head. “No, he’s all Sacri. Telekinetic.” Though not very strong for now.
“How is that possible?” Damian asked. He was right to be surprised. Most siblings had the same set of powers, inherited from their parents.
“We have different fathers," I said before I could control my tongue. Damn it. I needed to remember whom I was speaking to. He might have been…okay to work with—for the most part—but he was still Damian Reed, and he still worked for the Guild. “Look, Sonny is a good kid. He wouldn’t harm a fly. Whatever he got caught in, it was a mistake. Just a stupid mistake.” But it wouldn’t matter, as long as he was alive. “He wanted to go to school. I almost had the money to take him to Nova Terra because he wanted to make something of himself. He wouldn’t kill a person. He just wouldn’t.” I knew my brother.
And now he wouldn’t get to go to the Academy. The Guild was looking for him, and they’d never allow him to attend school. But we could disappear, go someplace else, start anew. We could find a way to get new identities or something. We’d figure it out.
“I believe you, little thief. Once we find him, you can take him wherever you want to. Nobody’s going to stop you,” Damian said.
That was all I wanted to hear. “Let’s hope Travis knows where he is. I couldn’t find him anywhere yesterday, which is strange. It would make sense that they were together.” It occurred to me that I hadn’t gone to check my apartment. Maybe Sonny had returned?
But if he had, he’d have seen the huge note I left on the refrigerator door, telling him to call me. He hadn’t. We entered the Shade, but this time, the magic hanging in the air didn’t make me feel safer or protected. This time, it brought back memories of the night before. Casually, I walked a bit closer to Damian.
“The maneaters that attacked us last night were…different. And there were a lot of them. How is that possible?”
“Possession,” Damian said without missing a beat, then put his hand on my arm to lead me across the street. I took my arm away. I could walk just fine on my own. “The Guild confirmed it,” he continued in a whisper. There were a lot of people passing us by now, and we were almost at Dugan Street. “Heavy possession magic was used last night.”
“So I’m not the only one of my kind that wasn’t Nulled by the Guild?” Because possession was a Talent of the darkling, one that got you Nulled for sure, but not killed, at least.
“Apparently,” Damian said. “Which reminds me, you were tested, were you not?” I nodded. “Then how did you manage to fool the Guild at ten years old?”
Wouldn’t he like to know.
“We’re here,” I said, nodding at Cavalieros across the street. It was Sunday—the busiest night of the week.
“At least tell me what Kit is,” Damian said, and
I could hear the smile in his voice.
I stopped and turned to him. “I think you should let me do this on my own. Travis knows me, but if he sees you, he might keep his mouth shut.”
“Absolutely not. Have you forgotten what happened last night?” His eyes suddenly darkened. It suited him.
“I haven’t, which is why I’m trying to make the best use of our time here. Just stay here and—”
“No,” he said with such finality that I was tempted to obey.
Like hell. I put my hands on my hips and gave him my meanest look. “You’re not the boss of me, Damian,” I reminded him again. “You can’t tell me what to do. It’s my brother we’re talking about, and it’s his friend. You’re going to stay close by until I talk to him, and then I’m going to come find you right away. But I need to go in there by myself.”
The look of complete surprise in his face gave me a precious second to turn around and practically run the few feet it took to get into Cavalieros before Damian could stop me. But he didn’t because he knew I was right. Everybody knew who he was, and people didn’t like talking to vampires. People didn’t even talk about vampires often. I was one of those people until two days ago.
The club was crowded, just as I expected, and it took some elbowing to get through to the bar. When Jamie saw me, she had a murderous look in her green eyes.
“You bitch!” she hissed as she put a drink on the bar in front of a customer, who’d probably expected a smile.
I gave her one of my own. “I’m so sorry! I should have called.”
“Damn right, you should have. I thought about putting posters out for you!” she cried.
“I know, I know, it’s just…things got a little complicated.” A little was the understatement of the century. Ellis was on the other side of the bar, and when he saw me, he smiled and nodded, but it was forced. He hadn’t forgotten about my interrogation the night before.
How would I tell Jamie that in the span of two days, I’d cut a deal with a notorious vampire, went with him through a tub, half naked, to find a wizard and an amulet, then got back and almost died at the hands of maneaters, then almost died by a pretty necklace, then woke up in said vampire’s penthouse, and he bought me clothes, and…yeah.
“You owe me big time,” Jamie said, pointing her index finger at me.
“Deal,” I said with a smile. “And I’ll tell you all about it, just as soon as I find Sonny, okay?”
She looked around the bar suddenly, and her face fell, like it did when she was about to tell me something secret. I sat on the barstool to the side of the bar and leaned in closer.
“There’s been talk about a group of darkling causing trouble in the Shade,” she whispered. I barely heard her over the music, but I focused on her lips, too. "They're very dangerous, Sin. Some guy said they were recruiting people, mostly kids, for something huge.”
My heart fell. “Did anybody mention Sonny?”
She shook her head. “Travis is by the Siren box with some friends. Go catch him before he disappears.”
I slipped off the stool. “Thank you, Jamie,” I said and started for the crowd.
"You owe me!”
I stepped into the crowd, which was nothing compared to the human club from last night. There was still space to breathe here, and I made it to the other side of the club in no time. The Siren box filled the left corner of the room, and it looked a lot more crowded than usual. The Foxis’ stood in the center of the small stage, wearing identical white gowns that sparkled in a thousand different colors, and the way they gripped at their microphones with a lost look on their faces made you want to break the door down just to hear what they were singing.
I stirred clear of the box and searched the many faces sitting on the small love seats against the wall.
I found Travis in no time. He was standing with two guys by his side, drink in hand, looking down at the two women who sat in front of them, completely in awe. His familiar, an orange cat named Dale, sat by his feet, looking at the crowd. I walked to him as fast as I could without bumping into anyone. He wore a nice blue button up shirt with short sleeves, and I grabbed him by the back of it.
“What the hell?!” he shouted, alarmed, until he saw my face. “Oh, hey, Sin.”
Travis was a tall guy, about six feet, and he towered over me.
“Let’s talk, shall we?” I said and took him by the wrist. I moved back closer to the Siren box, where it was less crowded.
“Hey, watch it!” Travis said, trying to keep his drink from spilling, while his familiar kept meowing. It sounded more like a baby wailing. “Tell me where he is, Travis. I know you know,” I said, holding him by the shirt again, in case he wanted to walk away from me.
“I don’t know where he is, Sin,” he said and tried to get my hand off him. I held on tighter.
“Yes, you do. And you’re going to tell me, right now. He’s in trouble, Travis. With the Guild,” I reminded him. “Don’t make me beat you, because I will.” I definitely would. Screw it if he was Sonny’s best friend.
“Okay, fine!” he said with a sigh, holding his free hand up. “I can’t tell you where he is, but I know people who can.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Don’t play games with me, Travis. Where is Sonny?!”
“Okay, okay, okay, okay. All I know is that he’s not here at the moment, but he’s fine, okay? He’s okay.”
“Have you seen him?”
He nodded. “This morning. He’s fine, but I honestly have no clue where they keep them.”
Goddamn it. “Who knows?”
Travis looked back at the crowd, and I pulled him toward me again.
“You’ve spilled all of my drink, Sin!” he complained, and when I shook him again, he finally decided his drink wasn’t all that important. “Follow me. I’ll take you to them.”
This time, when he turned around, I let him go.
I followed Travis out of the club together with his familiar. So far, Dale hadn’t attacked me like I’d expected. He was a very unusual familiar. Always had been. I searched for Damian with my eyes, but I didn’t find him anywhere. He was probably hiding, but he’d see me. My smell would give me away or something. He’d know where I was.
Travis took me east, sipping his drink every few seconds, and turning to look at me as if to make sure I was there. I did the same—looked behind me in case somebody wanted to ambush me. I hadn’t forgotten the night before—far from it.
When we left Dugan Street, he turned into an alleyway, completely dark save for the light coming from the other side of it. It led us to the other side of the three-story buildings. Across the street, there was a liquor store with a lime-colored sign burning atop the windows—Goi’s Gin. In front of the open door of the store sat three men, talking with each other, drinks in hand. Travis stopped walking.
“Ask them about Sonny. They know where he is and how to get there," he said and stepped back.
“If you’re lying to me, Travis, I—”
“I’m not lying, I swear! Just talk to them! Go!” he said and slipped back into the darkness of the alleyway with Dale, leaving me alone. I wanted to chase after him because my anger insisted he was lying to me, but I resisted. If he was, I could always find him later.
Clearing my throat, I made my way across the street. My daggers were with me and I’d use them if needed. When the men saw me approaching, they all stood up.
I put on my best smile. “Hey there, fellas. I’m looking for my brother, and I was told you’ll know how to get me to him.”
The men looked at each other, their brows raised. The one in the middle was the shortest of them, about five foot six, with a black cap put on backwards, and light brown eyes. His friends could have easily passed for brothers. They were both tall, with dark hair and dark eyes, and very pronounced jaw lines that made their faces look perfectly square.
“I’m afraid we don’t know your brother at all,” the man in the middle said, his eyes falling on my daggers. Let him look
. I wasn’t trying to hide them.
“My brother’s name is Sonny. About yay high, dark hair, young,” I said, and his eyes widened.
“Oh, yeah! Yeah, I know Sonny. He never told me his sister was so beautiful,” he said, giving me a sleek smile. I let my magic free and took a peek at his essence. It wasn’t so much as seeing it. It was more like feeling it, and his burned bright enough to put him at a Level Three. Possibly a sorcerer. Not to be taken lightly. I was probably a Level Three myself, so I was confident I could beat him in a fight.
“Aren’t you charming,” I said with my sweetest smile. “I’ve been looking for him for two days now. If you could tell me where he is, I’d really appreciate it.” I even batted my eyelashes for good measure.
“Allow me to look at you.” He suddenly took a step forward. I leaned back when he offered me his hand. “Don’t be scared, sugar. Just a touch.”
Huh. I looked at the tall guys. Their expression was unreadable, and Cap guy only smiled.
“Why?” I asked, looking at his outstretched hand.
“I just want to take a look at you, that’s all.”
Fuck it. If he attacked me, I’d kill him before he could blink. I was already getting impatient, so I put my hand on his. Electricity shot through my hand as soon as our skins touched. I took my hand back right away.
And the man laughed. “Ho-hoo! Would you look at that—a sister,” he said, smiling brightly at me. “A fellow darkling, fellas. And she’s not Nulled, either!”
What the fuck? How did he know that? The only Talent that would enable someone to see through to someone’s magic, except for mine, was r-vision. People who had it were called Observers, and they could see radioactivity in colors. The last time I checked, it was a darkling Talent. Which meant this man hadn’t been Nulled, either. Man, this was beginning to stink worse than a hellbeast head.
I tried to keep the surprise out of my voice. It didn’t matter what he was as long as he told me what I wanted to know.
“Great, then. Now can you tell me where my brother is?”
