“Suddenly, you’re a gentleman?”
“Old habits die hard.”
“I guess so.” Sylvia stepped into the night. There was a cab moving slowly down the street and she raised her hand. “All right. I’ll play. I’d call you a pompous, critical, and annoying man, except that you’re a vampire.”
“I knew you liked me,” he said on impulse and swept open the door of the cab.
She laughed.
He smiled. Their gazes met for an electric moment that made him almost reconsider his assumptions about humans. Then she shook her head and got into the cab.
It smelled so strongly of humans that Sebastian had to hold his breath.
“You’re glittering,” Sylvia whispered.
He gave her an intent look, not wanting to risk making a reply, and she laughed in the most enchanting way.
Fortunately, the cab driver wasn’t chatty and the park wasn’t far. Sylvia paid, making Sebastian aware of his lack of modern currency. He apologized and held the door for her again. “I don’t have any cash,” he said.
“I’ll guess you don’t have credit or debit cards either.”
“No.”
The circus had taken over one corner of the park. There was a large red and white striped tent, strung with flickering lights. A pair of clowns were checking tickets at the opening, and a woman in tights with a ringleader’s top hat was selling tickets at a small counter. There were other booths in a circle outside the tent: Sebastian saw a fortune-teller and a magician, as well as several games of skill—which were undoubtedly rigged—between the small crowd of humans who found such pathetic spectacles entertaining. The werewolf was pacing the perimeter with a few of his fellows but hadn’t seen Sebastian and Sylvia yet. It was dark enough that his skin didn’t itch, but that wouldn’t last.
“You said he was a werewolf,” Sylvia said softly.
“Because he is.”
“How do you know?”
Sebastian touched the tip of his nose.
She nodded, apparently disappointed. “Oh, I thought maybe you saw the auras, too.” She continued toward the werewolf, as if she could just ask him to return her stolen book.
Sebastian seized her arm and tugged her to a halt. “What auras?” he hissed.
She held his gaze. “You don’t see them at all?”
“What auras?”
She frowned. “I saw them for the first time at the bar.”
“Bones.”
“Yes. It was like a ghost behind and above some of the people there. The hostess had a raven. The bartender had a green dragon with a long tail. You have a red glow, like pulsing neon. And Caleb has a white wolf.”
Sebastian inhaled sharply. “You can see their true nature,” he whispered. “And that only started when you got to Bones?”
Sylvia nodded. “Is that important?”
“I don’t know. I don’t like it.” He noticed her expression. “I’ll add it to my list.” She smiled and would have continued, but he kept a hand on her elbow. “Look now,” he invited. “Look at all these people and tell me if any of them have these auras.”
Sylvia looked. “Caleb, of course. Actually, all of the security guys have wolves, but they’re not all white. That little girl over there has pulsing red like you.”
Bella. What was she doing here? When Sebastian glanced her way, she ducked into the big tent, as if she hadn’t seen him.
“The woman in the top hat has little demon’s horns. That guy, the one buying a ticket from her now, he has a gold dragon.”
Sebastian straightened and inhaled. Demon. Weredragon. He wanted to growl in exasperation. Anything but one of the Pyr. He hated weredragons more than he hated werewolves.
“And that guy,” Sylvia said, pointing to a tall blond guy. “His is flashing silver.”
The guy in question turned to look at them, as if he’d heard her words, even though he was too far away for that. He smiled, his eyes sparkling, and Sebastian smelled Fae.
He pushed Sylvia toward Caleb. “We have to get the book and get out of here,” he hissed. “This is going to go very bad very soon.”
No sooner had he warned her than it did.
The circus was odd.
Theo walked around the circle of stalls, fighting his sense that something was very wrong. Everything looked normal, if a bit tawdry. His senses were a bit overwhelmed by the scent of manure. The signs said they had elephants and there were trailers behind the big tent, like the ones hauled by trucks. Theo had looked around there, initially to see if Niall’s suspicions were correct, then had been intrigued by his strong sense of community. The circus people obviously lived in the collection of camper vans that were parked back there, most of which had been adorned or embellished or creatively repaired. The cargo trailers had been converted for livestock, with barred windows, and banners for the circus painted on their sides. They probably made a colorful convoy on the interstate.
Then a pair of security guards had told him that it was a restricted area and escorted him back to the circle of stalls at the front. He thought it curious that they smelled so much like dogs, and wondered if they used dogs to protect the area after the circus closed down at night.
Was this circus the source of his sense that the city had changed? It seemed too small to have that much influence, but his feeling that the shadows were crowded was stronger here.
There was music and blinking lights, a lot of colorful costumes, and kids everywhere. They seemed to be having a good time and he was debating the necessity of staying for the show when he smelled something very wrong.
Blood.
Sorcery.
He turned and saw a woman approaching with an intense guy behind him. The guy was surveying the crowd with obvious suspicion, practically glaring at a blond guy in front of the fortune-teller.
“Caleb!” the woman called and an older security guard glanced toward her. He smiled in recognition, but Theo thought he was wary.
“The book,” muttered her intense companion and moved very quickly. He’d crossed the space and seized the guard’s sleeve in the blink of an eye. Theo felt his own eyes narrow.
“I don’t have it,” said the guard.
“One of you does,” the quick guy said, his gaze flicking between the security guards. “It’s stolen property. Hand it over.”
The hackles of the security guards seemed to rise.
“It’s safe,” said the first one.
“No, it’s not,” the intense guy said. “Not even close.” He urged the woman forward and she put out her hand.
“Please,” she said, and Theo realized the security guards had all moved closer to the group.
The ringleader left her ticket counter and eased closer.
A blond teenager slipped behind the tent, heading for the restricted area where Theo had just been.
The blond guy left the fortune-teller and looked up, over the heads of the little cluster of people arguing and Theo spotted an archer in the trees high overhead.
An archer?
The archer lifted his bow, taking careful aim, and Theo shifted shape with a roar to defend the woman. He took flight over the circus and breathed fire at the tree, setting it—and with any luck, the archer—aflame. An arrow shot out of the foliage, and the hand of the woman’s companion snapped into the air with that remarkable speed. He winced, and Theo saw that he’d snatched the arrow out of the air. He snapped off the shaft and stuck the arrow head in his pocket.
The security guards had disappeared and there were wolves circling and barking. Something glinted on the ground and Theo saw the woman bend to pick up a book. Her companion swore, then pivoted to run, picking her up as he disappeared like a flash of lightning. The big blond guy followed him, just about as fast.
Chaos reigned in the park, as people screamed and ran. One wolf raised its snout to howl and the eerie sound echoed over the city park. It sounded mournful, especially when the other wolves joined the cry.
Theo shivered as
the ringleader cracked her whip, trying to establish order. She shouted for everyone to calm down, but Theo flew after the archer, who was running through the tops of the trees with incredible agility. The park ended though and Theo flew low, intending to fry the archer when he reached the end of the trees.
In the last tree, though, the archer stopped and looked back at Theo. He smiled, and the confidence of his expression startled Theo into holding his fire.
Then he shimmered silver and disappeared in a flash of starlight.
Sylvia had the book.
She held it tightly with both hands, not really caring where Sebastian took her as long as it was safe. He ran faster than she ever could, zipping through the city like quicksilver, and she hoped he had a secure destination. The blond guy followed, almost but not quite as fast as Sebastian.
Then he disappeared.
He appeared again right beneath them two blocks later.
“Fucking magick,” Sebastian muttered and kicked at the blond guy. His boot landed in the guy’s eye, the force of the blow making him stagger backward. The silver of his aura dimmed a bit, but he recovered more quickly than Sylvia would have liked.
Sebastian was running as if the hounds of hell were after him.
“He’s coming again.”
“Thank you very much for that update,” Sebastian said through his teeth.
“Can you run any faster?”
“I can run more erratically,” he said, to her confusion.
“What does that mean?”
“Tell me when he disappears.”
“Now,” Sylvia said as the guy shimmered and faded to nothing. Sebastian took a hard right, raced down the entry to a subway station, and leaped over the fare turnstiles. He lunged into the tunnel, to the astonishment of the people on the platform, and sped after a departing train. He caught the back end of it and swung them onto it, watching behind them.
“We should be able to catch the 9:16,” he murmured. In the next station, he jumped to another train, headed in another direction, holding Sylvia tightly against his side. “Time?” he asked.
“9:16,” she confirmed and he made a little grunt of satisfaction. “Let me guess. You like when subways run on time.”
“When they help me lose Fae warriors, yes, I do.”
“Fae warriors?”
“That’s what the silver light means. It’s the light of their realm, following them into this one.”
Sylvia blinked. “Where is he?”
“Wherever he thought we were going to be. Fortunately, with pursuit magick, the spellcaster has to decide upon the exact coordinates of his or her destination before disappearing.”
“How did he disappear?”
“Technically, he didn’t. He slipped into Fae, that parallel realm, but to slip back with any accuracy means choosing in this world before entering that one.”
“Do you know a lot about magick?”
“I know enough to get myself into trouble, and to respect it.”
“You seem to know enough to get us out of trouble.”
“Don’t count on that just yet.”
In the next station, Sebastian swung onto the platform with enviable grace. There was only one person there, a shabby older man who was suitably startled by their sudden appearance. Sylvia saw him looking into the brown paper bag he carried with new respect and smothered a smile. They were up the stairs and on an abandoned street in no time. Sylvia guessed they were on the west side again, near the piers. She was sure of it when she recognized the street.
“Isn’t that the Intrepid Museum ahead?” she asked, not sure why Sebastian would have brought her to a closed military museum on a decommissioned aircraft carrier.
“Yes, but more importantly, the Growler is docked beside it.”
“The what?”
“A guided missile submarine,” he said, pausing then flitting across the last distance. He raced down the dock and Sylvia saw a flicker of silver far behind them.
“We have company,” she warned.
“Too late,” he said, leaping onto the vessel. He clung to the shadows as the security guard came by, silently picking the lock on the hatch. She didn’t think it would be possible but a second later, he opened the hatch silently. He ushered her inside, glancing back and smiling as he gave someone the finger.
Then he jumped in behind her and sealed the hatch behind them.
Something landed on the submarine, then footsteps ran across the top. Sylvia saw a glimmer of silver light around the hatch and feared the blond guy would tear it open.
Then the light faded to nothing.
Sebastian exhaled and leaned against the wall. “Tell me you still have the book.”
Sylvia nodded then looked around, knowing her curiosity showed. “A submarine?” she asked. There wasn’t a lot of light inside, just security lights, and she was glad. It was harder to tell just how small it was, but even so, her claustrophobia was making her breathe more quickly.
Sebastian nodded. “But more importantly, a perfectly sealed enclosure of steel.”
Sylvia could have done without that reminder. She fought against her sense of being trapped, then understood his reference. “The Fae aren’t supposed to like iron.”
“No ‘supposed to’ about it. They hate it. It burns them.”
“You’re supposed to be burned by sunlight.”
He strolled down the narrow passageway, peering left and right, as if he hadn’t heard her. Of course, he had, but she already guessed that Sebastian wasn’t one who would itemize his weaknesses.
Assuming he had any.
He gestured to a room on the right. “Hungry?”
“It’s part of a museum. I doubt there’s any food.”
He leaned in the doorway and smiled. “None that you’d enjoy anyway.”
Sylvia realized he was looking at her neck. “When do you need to feast again?”
His eyes seemed to glow. “After all that exercise, I am feeling a little peckish.” Sylvia’s heart skipped, and she wondered if he was teasing her or serious. He had that little smile as if he might be making a joke, but she wasn’t sure. When she didn’t reply, he extended his hand. “Better to distract myself with some reading, don’t you think?”
Sylvia didn’t want to surrender the book. She didn’t want Sebastian looking at her like she was dessert either. No doubt he could rip open any door in this place so the only option was to remain awake.
And keep him talking.
She held tightly to the book and stepped past Sebastian, finding a room filled with tables and benches. It was a mess hall, and one big enough that she didn’t feel quite as claustrophobic. There was a galley at the end. The space was shadowed and seemed cozy in a strange way. She told herself that it was much bigger than it looked, which was a lie, and that the ceiling was too high to see. Another lie, but if she could believe it a little bit, she could keep from panicking. She didn’t want to think about being locked in a steel tube that was partially submerged. She didn’t want to think about how many hours it would be until daylight, either.
And what happened then?
She eased onto a bench, the book before herself like a shield. There was a red and black checkerboard on the table in front of her. Sebastian leaned in the doorway, looking lethal and very sexy.
Predatory.
Maybe she should take her chances with the Fae. No, Sebastian had protected her already, and he’d done it more than once. Sylvia chose to trust him. “What happens tomorrow?”
“I’m not psychic.”
“But if you can’t go out in the sunlight, what happens to me? Can the Fae tolerate sunlight?”
“Of course.” He slid onto the bench opposite her, his gaze so intent that she swallowed.
He watched her throat move with an unsettling intensity, then caught his breath and averted his gaze. He drummed his fingers on the table with impatience.
Was he paler than he had been?
“The museum doesn’t open until
ten,” he said. “There’s time to make a plan.” His gaze collided with hers and she was struck again by how blue his eyes were. They could have been faceted sapphires. “I believe we should leave before dawn.”
So he could safely get to wherever he spent his days.
“What about me?”
His smile was slow and sensual, hot enough to make her sizzle all over again. “You could come with me, of course.”
She wasn’t sure she was up for that. Sylvia averted her gaze, his attention making her aware of both her femininity and her mortality. She still felt his gaze as keenly as a touch.
If she kept him talking, that might distract both of them. “I’ll let you look, if you tell me everything you know about this,” she offered.
“If I told you everything, I’d want more than a look in the book in exchange.”
Sylvia held up a finger. “Stay out of my dreams.”
His smile turned wicked. “But you have interesting dreams,” he murmured and Sylvia felt warm all over.
“Three questions,” she suggested. “Then you get five minutes to look at the book.”
“Fifteen.”
“Fifteen,” she agreed, wondering if he’d be able to speed-read it all in that much time. “Then another round if we’re both agreeable.”
“Are you always so studious?”
“Only when my life relies upon it,” Sylvia said, which wasn’t quite true.
Sebastian’s smile faded. “Fair enough,” he said and raised a finger. “Question number one.”
After the woman fled with one man and the second in hot pursuit, everything quickly returned to normal at the circus.
Or as normal as things could be at a circus like this one.
Theo was thinking about those two men and their scents. Was one a vampire? And the other’s scent was odd but unidentifiable to him. Almost like Slayer, but not quite. And the Slayers were all gone.
The ringleader cracked her whip as if calling everyone to order. The security guards, who were apparently wolf shifters, shimmered and returned to their human form. The fortune-teller and the clowns began to circulate among the remaining humans, asking how they’d liked the trick. Theo shifted shape and landed high in one of the trees, then jumped down as if he’d been there in his human form all along.
Maeve’s Book of Beasts Page 10
