by D. R. Perry
It was a good thing I did. More than boilers and hot pipes made the library basement nerve-wracking. A crack under the stairwell door meant a scimitar of sunlight slid across the area next to the exit until twilight. I stayed way back near the tunnel entrance, which smelled almost unbearably musty. Everything down there had either that dank aroma or rust and steam.
The sword-like sunbeam had just started sheathing itself under the door when my phone beeped. It was Maddie, so I read it right away. I’d read all the texts she’d sent me about tarot cards and Blaine’s crazy theories, too. I just didn’t respond because it was better to avoid Maddie and keep her out of harm’s way. The whole mess made me want to hibernate like a bear shifter until the problem resolved itself.
Need to talk. You up? I closed my eyes, intending to just ignore the message again. When I did, I remembered the soft heat of her lips against my own cold ones. That was strange. I hadn’t made an impression of that kiss though I definitely should have. I pulled on my touch-screen glove and tapped out a reply.
Down, actually. Library boiler room.
There in 5.
I waited until I heard her footsteps on the stairs to go back in the tunnel even though I could smell whatever she wore that made her smell like jasmine and myrrh as soon as she walked into the library. That was a scent for sore olfactory nerves. Thinking of nerves had me fidgeting. I realized I’d been doing it since getting her message. What could she want now? She’d stopped texting about the cards and the theories on Wednesday.
“Henry?” I stood in the shadows, not daring to look up until I heard the door close behind her. The last thing I wanted was to be sun-blind the entire time and unable to see her.
“Maddie . What can I do for you?”
“I might be in a bit of trouble.” The corners of her mouth turned down. I realized I missed the smile she’d worn most of the night we met.
“Meeting a vampire in a dark basement kind of trouble?” I stepped out of the shadows with my hands outstretched in my best Bela Lugosi imitation. Then, I waggled my eyebrows like John Belushi.
Her laughter echoed off the pipes. It was a little strained and frayed around the edges, but good to hear. I couldn’t help but join in. The idea of a twenty-something woman getting my dated pop culture references was giggle material for sure.
“Olivia would say ‘hoo, boy,’ but I’m no owl shifter.” She let out a satisfied sigh. “Thanks. I needed that.”
“Thought you came here to talk, not laugh.” I leaned in the tunnel doorway, knocked back by a wave of guilt. I should have at least answered her once. She’d been stressed all week over what was probably just a random tarot card. I’d have done anything to make up for it.
“I did.” Her eyes roamed over everything in the room except my eyes. “Heard you’re meeting Josh Dennison later. The wolf shifter.”
“That’s not what you’re here about.” I knew a subject change when I heard one.
“No, it isn’t.” She sighed, the smile vanishing from her face. “It’s been a rough week.”
“Is it your amulet?”
“Not really.” Six of Maddie’s steps took her across the small space. I knew the start of pacing when I saw it. “I mean, I think it might need a recharge before week three because I use it in the dining hall. Can you recharge it? Is that even a thing that’s possible? How much does that cost, anyway? Do I have to call Mom or Dad for more money?”
“Maddie.” I stepped closer to her, not just because I wanted to but because she looked like I felt, at the shoreline of a panic attack. “Don’t talk about it yet if it’s doing this to your nerves. You need to calm down first. Here.”
I pushed the wooden crate I’d used as a chair closer to her. She sat down and gratefully looked up at me. After that, I heard her inhale, then count to five under her breath and let it out slowly. That was the same breathing exercise I did though I couldn’t remember where I learned it.
“Maddie, you said your dad’s Psychic?” Maybe talking about her family would help.
“Yeah. He’s clairvoyant.” She looked up again, her face calmer than before. “Jade scrying bowl is his weapon of choice.”
“Wait. You’re Shi May’s daughter? I should have figured that out when you said your mom was a Precog.” I felt like such an idiot. There was only one Psychic turned during the Great Reveal who used a jade bowl, and he had a Precognitive wife who figured out where he should use it to look. “Your family probably saved half the Extrahumans in the Northeast back in the 90s.”
“Yup.” She grimaced. “But now, you’re the one changing the subject. I think Blaine’s theory is right and your amulet helped Bobby save Lynn. You’re the target, Henry.”
“You believe Blaine?” I raised an eyebrow. The only thing most people believed about Blaine Harcourt was that he was loaded and a huge flirt. “But Blaine did tons to help Bobby. More than me.”
“Right, but you got attacked.” Maddie sat up straighter and folded her hands together so tightly her knuckles went nearly white. “Henry, it’s been five days. The Grim can come back anytime. Maybe even right now.”
“Oh. Well, that sucks. Maybe I should go home, tell Tony I’ll meet him and Josh somewhere else.”
“Look, I’m not sure the Grim’s after you.”
“Wait, what?” I blinked. “You think it’s after Tony?”
“No. I think the Extramagus wants to mess with me, too. Hurting you would do that because...” Maddie blanched, shivering a little. She pulled the amulet out of her shirt like it was a last-ditch effort. “Well, never mind that. All week, weird things happened to me in class.”
“Really? I’ve heard Brodsky’s lab experiments are pretty tame.”
“Except Brodsky’s not teaching the class. It’s the Headmistress.”
“Okay, so what happened?”
“Professor Thurston uses Tarot as one of her coincidence demonstrations. I keep getting The Tower reversed and the Nine of Swords, and so does she. It’s little things, but lots of them keep happening to both of us. I kept a tally.” She pulled a sheet of paper out of her bag.
“Wait, are you sure it’s nine? That’s your tally?” I shook my head, handing the paper back to her. I wasn’t sure how to tell her that I knew the Headmistress’s unlucky number was nine. She’d lost her sister, and her aunt had gone missing on September 9, 1989.
She tucked the paper away, but before she could say anything else, the light under the door vanished utterly. I froze. Maddie turned, following my gaze. She gasped, then stepped in front of me. I was thinking she had a death wish or something.
“It’s here.”
I didn’t need to ask what she meant. I grabbed her arm and ran down the tunnel at a fast but still human speed. But I couldn’t do any of the vampiric stuff until the sun went down. Maddie followed. She had no choice with the panicked grip I had on her arm.
I heard the groaning of bending metal and splintering wood as the door caved in behind us. I didn’t have to look back to know the Grim had come crashing through the door. My ears picked up claws screeching on metal and the hiss of escaping steam. I pushed Maddie ahead of me just in time. Wet heat blasted my back, hotter than a mortal could endure.
I bared my fangs, turned around, and planted my feet. After that, I screamed as daylight pierced my eyes. This time, Maddie dragged me away. Sun splotches danced in my line of vision.
“How did you get it to stop last time?”
“Hid.” I almost said how but remembered my promise. I couldn’t blow Tony’s cover, even if I had no idea what it was actually for.
“Okay. Hush now.” Maddie took a deep breath, then turned right. The floor sloped down, and the air got staler. She murmured the Latin to turn her amulet, off and the surrounding darkness got almost tangibly inkier. She clutched my hand in hers. I gripped back tightly.
She took two lefts. I couldn’t tell her this new passage curved to the right without risking the Grim. She figured it out eventually. If we kept going this
way, we’d end up in Water Place Park. At least it was January. Even so, the park would still be relatively crowded with downtown workers heading out for drinks on Thirsty Thursday.
I tugged her hand, slowing our pace. Maddie responded by stopping. I bumped into her this time. She might have thought I was waiting for the sun. It was down, but I needed to heal the steam burns. I could get arrested for having a fatal-looking wound in public. Yeah, there are laws against that. Since vampires are the only Extrahumans that happened to, it’s a pretty bogus law. Still had to follow it.
I closed my eyes and focused on the welts on the back of my head and neck. The plus side to being scalded instead of burnt is your clothes survive. I stifled a groan at the idea of repainting the Bauhaus logo on my jacket. I was starting to hate Grims with the fiery passion of a million burning suns.
My injuries were worse than I’d thought. I also had to heal the sun-blindness. Those two things made me hungrier than I should be around the living. When Maddie turned around and looked up at me, I could see her clearly. Her mouth dropped open, making a little ‘o’ of concern.
I realized I had the impulse just after starting to act on it. I managed to stop leaning toward her with less than an inch to spare. She threw her arms around my neck and closed the distance herself. I put my arms around her, hands pressing against her back as firmly as I dared. She might be a powerful Magus, but she lived in a fragile mortal body. As our lips parted, I ran my hands up her back until one went on her shoulder and the other to the nape of her neck. Her hair was just as lush and soft as I’d imagined.
Last time I was this close to a living person while hungry, I’d intended to feed. Back then, that’s what vampires did. After the Big Reveal, publicly feeding on anything living would get you jail time. They had a three-strikes system with a ban on concurrent sentencing. If I got caught kissing her, we’d be taken to the nearest hospital to determine blood-loss. If any was missing, they’d read me my rights.
I pulled away before anything illegal happened, but it was still too late. The scent of her enveloped me more completely than the shadows she’d drawn around us. I hadn’t even focused and yet I’d somehow made the memory of her lips on mine as indelible as the first time I’d seen her smile. That loss of control was bad news.
She leaned her head against my chest. I wondered what she thought about the fact that no breath or heartbeat stirred within. Then, I remembered she said her dad got turned when she was barely more than a baby. I put my hand on her shoulder again. Maddie responded with a little sigh. I wasn’t sure whether it was contentment or relief. One thing I did know was that the Grim had given up its chase by now.
“It’s crowded out there, and I’m too hungry to be around people unless there’s something legal to drink.” I looked down to find her peering at me through her eyelashes.
“Luxe Burger has bags.” She pulled back and took my hand again. “I know a shortcut.”
She really must have a death wish if she’d spent last semester in these tunnels. I let Maddie lead me out of the passageway and through a narrow underpass. We came out just across from the restaurant. I still had to walk by people heading around Water Place Park and toward their pubs of choice, but knowing I’d get a drink soon helped me endure it.
The hostess took one look at me and seated us immediately. I figured she’d seen hungry vampires before. She leaned over and passed us our menus.
“I’ll bring you a drink right away, Mr. Baxter.” The low tone of empathy was the last thing I’d expected from a stranger.
“Um, thanks?” I blinked at the woman, watching her set a menu in front of Maddie.
“You don’t recognize me because I was only eleven last time you saw me. Your amulet helped my Nana remember us all during her last five years.” She clicked away, making a beeline for the bartender.
I rubbed my chin, remembering a pudgy blonde girl with pigtails clinging to the skirt of an old woman with kind but vacant eyes. Those eyes had sparked with recognition when I slipped the coin on its string over her head and activated it. She’d hugged the girl as they murmured pet names to each other. Maddie reached across, covering my hands with hers. The hostess set a filled hurricane glass complete with garnish on the table instead of the plastic cup and straw I expected at most restaurants.
“On the house,” she said as I reached for my wallet.
She was gone before I took a sip. Another surprise; this wasn’t animal blood. I looked over my shoulder to see the hostess toss a Rhode Island Blood Bank bag in the trash, human. The corners of my eyes stung. Having this kind of drink in a restaurant cost over fifty bucks.
“You went away for a moment.” Maddie rubbed my thumb with hers. “You okay?”
“Better than I’ve been in ages.” I smiled, not caring whether anyone could see my fangs. “Text Blaine and tell that skittish dragon to get down to campus. We’re going to sit down with everyone, including Tony’s friend, and figure this out. That Extramagus isn’t getting either of us.”
Even after the side-trip, we had a little time to kill. The walk back to campus was longer over land, but I didn’t mind. She hadn’t said a word about that kiss in the tunnel, but when I slipped my hand in hers as we left the restaurant, she gripped back. She hadn’t looked at me like I was crazy, either. Maddie’s hand was warm, of course, because mine was cold. I wondered whether she found that creepy or refreshing. Maybe she thought nothing of it in the cold winter air.
We went to the dining hall, looking for Lynn. That was where she’d said she’d be meeting Blaine. She wasn’t there, but we saw Bobby in the food line. Maddie led me over to the table where he’d left his backpack and we sat. Apparently, she was hungry even though she hadn’t ordered a burger earlier. Running from a Grim and an exploding boiler could do that. I wouldn’t flatter myself by thinking it had anything to do with me. Then again, she was still holding my hand under the table.
“Well, crap.” Maddie rested her head on her free hand as she looked out the window over my shoulder.
“Where?” I grimaced and lifted my foot, looking at the sole of my shoe. Yes, it was a bad joke. That kiss had me feeling awkward.
“Very funny. But not literal crap. Look at the library.”
I turned my head, then sighed and covered my face with one hand. Another PPC building trashed because I was in it. Yellow and black saw-horses already barred the entrance. I saw Campus Police let Bianca the Psychic Medium in. Helper ghosts lived in the library, too. That girl was dedicated. I wondered what her story was. All mediums got their ability to commune with the other side via some near-fatal trauma.
“Well, there goes that idea for a meeting place.” Bobby plunked a fully laden tray on the table between Maddie and me. The aroma of stuffed scrod and baked potatoes wafted up from the bear shifter’s meal. I wished it was coffee. Fish hadn’t even been something I liked smelling while human.
“So, now what?” I crossed my arms on the table.
“Blaine and Lynn will figure it out.” Bobby speared a forkful of fish and chewed thoughtfully. “Hey, Henry? I just thought of something. With the library and the Lounge closed, doesn’t that limit your daytime access to campus?”
“Yup.” I sighed, feeling my eyebrows draw closer together. “Good thing I’m not taking inter-session classes.”
“Still, it cuts you off from everyone.” Bobby took another bite.
“I know.” I stroked my chin. “Hmm. I wonder if that’s been the whole point of the attacks all along?”
“Attacks? Don’t you dare tell me it’s plural now.” All three of us watched Tony approach with a tall blond man with slicked-back hair. His posture was straight and bold, implying confidence that would outshine Blaine’s bravado. He dressed in light colors like some kind of anti-Goth. Even his leather jacket was light gray.
“The ones on the Nocturnal Lounge and the Library, of course.” Maddie looked him right in the face, staring daggers at him.
“Was afraid you’d say that.” Tony s
hook his head.
“I’m calling them accidents until there’s proof otherwise.” The blond man crossed his arms over his chest.
“You’ll get that soon enough, Josh.” Tony leaned on the table. “So, where are we meeting now that the Library’s off-limits?”
“Let me text Lynn.” Bobby pulled out his phone and started tapping.
“Hey, I wanted to ask who’s been fixing the Lounge? Same guys who are out there?”
“Yeah. That’s why they’re here already.” Tony glanced out the window. “Redford Renovations. I worked forty hours already, and they don’t want to pay overtime. Otherwise, I’d have to be there.”
“Now, why does Redford sound familiar?” Bobby put his phone down on the table to wait for Lynn’s reply.
“Fred. It’s his dad’s company.” Tony waved. Maddie looked out the window. A guy in a red baseball cap waved back. I should have known the Redcap would want as much work as possible. He was only a few more jobs away from being able to cover all four years of tuition at PPC.
“Oh.” Bobby picked up his buzzing phone. “Lynn says to come to the dorm. Blaine can meet us there.”
Bobby shoveled the last of his dinner into his mouth, then picked up his bag and the empty tray. He dropped that at the dish-washing window on the way out, the rest of us trailing along. This time, I kept my hands to myself.
Chapter Eight
Maddie
“So who are you, anyway?” I hadn’t seen Josh shoulder into the space Henry had left between us.
“Maddie May.”
“I’ve never seen you before,” he said, shaking his head.
“Oh, yes, you have.” I smiled like a packet of Sweet & Low.
“No way. I’d remember if I’d met you.” His grin could have gone in the dictionary next to the word wolfish.
“Not a chance.” I glanced past Josh to drop Henry a wink. “I’m Umbral.”
