Dawn's Envoy

by T. A. White

  “You told me you had work,” she said without preamble.

  I lifted an eyebrow and gave a meaningful glance at the human she’d just ordered out of his seat. She ignored that to lift a hand at Dahlia, pointing at my drink to request her own.

  “I did have work,” I said when she gave me an expectant look.

  She glanced around the room. “Funny place to run a gas station from.”

  I shifted uncomfortably. “Liam called in one of his nights.”

  Her head spun back to me. The way her eyes widened would have been comical on someone else.

  “The Liam? The badass enforcer you’ve been moping over since he left?” She leaned back in her chair. “Now, this should be interesting.”

  “I haven’t been moping,” I said in an irritable voice.

  Caroline took the martini Dahlia handed her with a smile, taking a sip before making a moue of pleasure.

  “This is delicious,” she told Dahlia, before drinking some more.

  Dahlia’s lips quirked in amusement. She picked up a rag and started wiping the bar with it, listening in on our conversation without an ounce of shame. “I find this news fascinating as well.”

  I glared at the two who’d decided to gang up on me. I focused on Caroline first. “How did you find me and since when do you drink those?”

  Caroline set the martini down. “I don’t, but I’m going to start. I need a break from all the beer.” She gave a delicate shudder. “That’s all Brax and his people seem to drink. Beer, beer and more beer.”

  Somehow that didn't surprise me.

  She avoided my gaze, glancing around the bar as she ignored my first question.

  I narrowed my eyes at her, recognizing the stall tactic for what it was.

  “You followed my scent,” I accused.

  A slight trace of pink tinged her cheeks. I was right. I knew it.

  “How?” I asked.

  Even if she’d gone to my apartment, there was no way she could have followed my trail here. Nathan had picked me up and driven me halfway across the city. There should have been no scent for her to follow.

  She cleared her throat, looking a little uncomfortable. “I live in the area and was out for a run. Your scent is easy to recognize.”

  A run? I gave her a narrow-eyed once-over. It wasn’t that I couldn’t picture Caroline running. She played soccer in high school and had been an avid runner. She was the one who’d nagged until I agreed to go, pounding down the trails with her, complaining the whole time.

  Yes, I could see her out for a run, but not at eleven p.m. while dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a scalloped edged tank top the color of burgundy.

  It made me wonder if she’d been in a two-legged or four-legged form during this supposed run.

  I took a sip of my martini as I considered her, the sweet tartness setting my taste buds alive. “Uh huh.”

  She rolled her eyes at my response but didn’t push.

  Caroline was like me—so new to the supernatural ranks she was practically in diapers. Only unlike me, she had the full might of the pack behind her. She had the added advantage—or disadvantage depending on how you looked at it—of having a demon taint. It made her more powerful than she should be, a force in her own right. For both those reasons, she enjoyed a rather untouchable status.

  I decided to let Caroline be and turned my attention to Dahlia. “You seem busier than usual. Any reason?” I tilted my head at the rest of the bar. The place wasn’t just busy for the middle of the week, it was crazy.

  More interesting, spooks outnumbered humans. I counted only six humans in the place, and that was being generous, since I wasn’t sure if a group in the corner were human or something very adept at pretending to be human.

  “It’s karaoke night.” Dahlia wiped down a glass, twisting it in her hands.

  I looked around again, noting the karaoke machine I hadn’t paid attention to earlier, along with the small monitor for the lyrics. Several people had already lined up to look at the song selection and the person running it was busy getting everything ready.

  “We have it every Wednesday,” Dahlia said. “It’s one of our biggest draws.”

  “Oh, we haven’t been to one of those in years,” Caroline said.

  “No,” I told her. I wasn’t getting up there and singing with half the Columbus population of spooks looking on. They already saw me as a joke. There was no reason to add to that.

  “We’ll see,” she said with a devilish smile before taking another sip of her drink.

  I snorted, but didn’t comment. I went back to people-watching, letting my gaze skim over the crowd.

  Caroline paused in sipping her martini, her eyes narrowing. She looked over the crowd and then back at me. “Oh my God, you’re up to something.”

  I started, my attention swinging back to her. “What are you talking about?”

  Caroline set the martini down with a thump. Dahlia ignored a patron trying to flag down her attention, too interested in our conversation.

  Caroline pointed a finger at me. “I know that look.”

  “What look?” I asked defensively.

  “The one that says you’re trying to plan an angle of attack. The hot vampire you’re obsessed with isn’t here so I know you’re not trying to figure out how to pick someone up. Something either happened that you’re not telling me about or you caught wind of something that is making you curious,” she said, her voice challenging.

  I looked from Caroline to Dahlia whose eyes were alight with amusement. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Uh huh,” Caroline said, picking up her martini again. “I’ve heard that before.”

  I tapped my fingers against the bar, considering. It didn’t hurt to put out a few feelers.

  “You hear anything about a spook trying to fence a scroll?” I asked Dahlia.

  She paused in cleaning the glasses and fixed me with a look. “I have not.”

  I slumped back. I suppose it had been too much to hope the first person I asked would know something.

  Dahlia was a good source. Most spooks in the city, especially those on the weaker end of the spectrum, ended up in her bar at some point or another. Of everyone I knew, I figured she’d be the most likely to have heard anything worth hearing.

  Not the case, it seemed.

  “What type of scroll?” Caroline asked.

  Of course, she’d be interested. As a former historian and current bookshop manager, a mysterious scroll would have the same draw that a dead animal would have to her inner wolf. At least she couldn’t roll on the scroll.

  “No clue,” I told her.

  She sat back in disappointment, propping her chin on her hand.

  “What about Jerry? You hear anything about him?” I asked.

  Dahlia fixed me with a look. There was a weight behind it, as if she was considering how much to share.

  “It would be best to leave that matter alone,” she finally said.

  Caroline snorted. “Yeah, that means she definitely won’t.”

  Dahlia dipped her head. “I see your point.”

  I gave the two of them an insulted look. Caroline’s laugh as she took another sip nearly caused her to choke.

  “That’s not true,” I said, defending myself.

  Caroline set the drink down when she got control of her coughing. “It is, but it’s one of the reasons I love you. You go where other people fear to tread—especially when someone tells you not to.”

  I couldn’t keep my scowl and shrugged. She had a point.

  I turned to Dahlia and lifted my eyebrows. “Well?”

  She cleaned a glass and set it down before picking up another one. “There is to be a Wild Hunt.”

  Caroline and I watched her blankly.

  “And?”

  Dahlia’s lips curved just the faintest bit. “And the gallant knight has been pressed into service. Until its end, he must fulfill his role.”

  I frowned and sat back. Tha
t didn’t really answer much, and it got me no closer to knowing why he’d closed Hermes.

  As if in answer, Dahlia tilted her head in a significant look at the table behind me. I studied the occupants in the mirror, three women. All of them appeared entirely human.

  I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was that set my instincts to tingling, telling me these women were more than they seemed. They looked normal enough, dressed for a night out with their friends, dressy-casual but not plain. Their hair and makeup perfectly done. The overall effect said they cared about their appearance but weren’t really looking to attract a guy.

  They were all older, late thirties to mid-forties. They looked like moms or work friends who’d decided to meet up and leave their husbands and kids behind.

  The one nearest me looked uncomfortable, continually fiddling with her drink as the other two watched the room with cool gazes.

  That was it. That was what was bothering me. They might look like middle-aged women out for a night on the town, but studied the room with a soldier’s focus, noting the exits, the possible threats in the room. Civilians just didn’t do that.

  The blond looked up just then, catching my gaze in the mirror. I didn’t jerk or look away as I sipped on my martini before allowing my attention to wander away.

  I ignored the desire to look back, knowing her focus was still on me.

  Caroline helped with my deception, leaning over and saying, “Ha, I knew it.”

  I smiled at her and nodded. “Is she still looking at us?”

  Caroline flicked her hair over her shoulder, glancing in the mirror casually and then around the bar. “Yup.”

  “You’ve gotten good at that move,” I said in approval. “Time was you would have given up the game by staring straight at her.”

  She gave me a crooked smile. “I’ve been practicing.”

  I looked at her and arched my eyebrows. On the tip of my tongue was the question of why that was. I didn’t ask it.

  Dahlia placed another lemon drop in front of both of us. I blinked at it, surprised I’d already finished the first one.

  “What do you think?” Dahlia asked, the barest flick of her eyes toward the women telling me what she was really asking.

  “Interesting clientele you have today,” I said.

  Dahlia leaned on the counter and gave me a small smirk. “Rumor has it that the High Fae are looking to make alliances. They’ve made known their intention of establishing a presence in the city.”

  “And the witches can help with that?” I asked.

  They weren’t Fae. They were too good at pretending to be human for that, and they lacked that extra something that most of the humanoid Fae had— something that compelled you to get closer to them and worship at their feet.

  Dahlia lowered her chin in a small nod. “The witches don’t have as much raw power as the Fae, but because of their affinity for nature magic their powers are compatible. Together, they might be enough to establish a barrow here. It would be the first one of this modern age.”

  “And that would be bad?” I made the sentence a question.

  The corners of her eyes wrinkled. “The master of the city certainly seems to thinks so.”

  So that answered why the Fae would want the witches as allies, but what did the witches get out of it besides a chance to stick it to the vampires?

  Caroline’s eyes moved between the two of us. She leaned forward and stage whispered, “What’s a barrow?”

  I paused. That was a good question.

  We both looked expectantly at Dahlia who rolled her eyes. “The pocket realms the Fae establish are usually called barrows. If they were looking to settle a contingent here, they’d wish to create a place of magic that conformed to their whims. A barrow would give them that ability.”

  I glanced in the mirror again, making sure my gaze didn’t linger on any of them too long. They were huddled together in what looked to be an intense conversation.

  The one who’d seemed uncomfortable before, looked up and at me before ducking her head back down.

  So, they suspected my interest on some level. They definitely weren’t stupid.

  “I imagine they’d like to use the Fae for their own purposes.” She gave me a darkly significant look before moving down the bar.

  I discarded the notion that they could be after me, particularly. I didn’t recognize any of the women. That meant it probably had something to do with vampires as a whole.

  Thomas’s reign in the city was new. It could be some of its inhabitants would like to see him unseated. His policies had made him very unpopular and a lot of people were unhappy. The last vampire lord to control this territory had spent a good bit of his time in Chicago, leaving Columbus’ spooks the freedom to do what they want. Thomas had a much bigger presence here and the power to enforce his rules.

  Caroline studied me, her forehead wrinkled in thought. “All right, I’m in.”

  I gave her a sideways look, wondering what brought that on. “There’s nothing to be in for.”

  She snorted. “You say that now, but pretty soon, interesting, dangerous things are going to start happening. You’ll need someone to watch your back.” Her grin widened as she grabbed my cheek with one hand, ruthlessly pinching it. “You defenseless baby, you.”

  I batted her hand away, holding the offended cheek as I glared at her. “You’re just as much a baby as I am.”

  Her shrug was rueful as she lifted her drink. “Let’s have a little fun tonight, shall we?”

  There was a hint of vulnerability on her face, as if she expected me to throw her offer in her face. The thought had occurred to me.

  It went against the instincts I’d built up over the last few years. It was almost second nature to refuse at this point. I’d gotten so used to going it alone that the offer of help made me stop and blink.

  I sighed and gave in, picking up my glass and tapping it against hers. “Guess I can’t argue with that.”

  Caroline’s mouth widened and she took a hasty sip before setting the drink back on the bar. She clapped her hands together and shot out of her chair. “I know just how to celebrate.”

  “Oh no.” I made a grab for her, but she evaded, heading straight for the DJ. “Caroline, I’m not singing karaoke.”

  A tall, thin man a few seats down the bar gave me a look filled with disdain. “Think you’re too good for us?”

  I curled my lip, showing a fang. That seemed to shut him up. His mouth snapped closed and he looked away even as his friend shot me an unfriendly look.

  Caroline bounced back to me, her energy infectious and spilling everywhere.

  “I’m not singing,” I told her as soon as she reached me.

  “Don’t worry. There’s at least ten people in front of us. Plenty of time for you to get a few more of these in you for liquid courage.” She held up the drink in question.

  “You know I can’t get drunk on normal liquor, right?”

  She nearly choked on the liquid, wiping it away as she gave me wide eyes. “No.”

  “You probably can’t either.”

  Werewolves had a fast metabolism. Her body would burn through alcohol faster than the drinks would get her drunk. Plus side—she could pretty much eat anything now and not gain a pound.

  She stared down at her drink in what looked like sorrow. Her mouth firmed. “Tonight, we’re going to test that theory.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “It’s almost our turn,” Caroline said.

  I felt no more enthusiastic than when she first suggested it to me. Getting out of it, however, seemed more and more impossible.

  For the last hour, Caroline had chair danced to every song, mouthing the lyrics and basically rocking out. She might pull out the demon wolf if I tried to leave without performing one song with her.

  We were both on our third drink by then. Surprisingly, I was feeling loose and warm. I remembered this feeling from when I was human. It was that pleasantly buzzed feeling that came from bei
ng on that perfect edge between too much and not enough.

  From the bright look in Caroline’s eyes and the happy smile plastered on her face for the last hour, I was willing to bet she was in a similar state.

  I peered closer at my glass.

  This should have been impossible. I’d tried on more than one occasion to get drunk since my change. Not just once or twice, but many times. At one point I even paid an Army buddy to bring up some moonshine from Kentucky. Nothing had worked.

  Yet now I was experiencing that same lassitude invading my limbs even as my lips tingled, a precursor to going numb.

  “Curiouser and curiouser,” I told my glass.

  It disappeared and another sat in its place. My mouth dropped and I jerked back. Dahlia’s face was amused as she watched me.

  “You’re doing something to our drinks,” I accused.

  She arched an eyebrow as if to say ‘took you long enough’ and then moved down the bar to help another customer.

  I whacked Caroline on her arm. “We need to be careful. I think she put something in our drinks. Something that can get us drunk.”

  She giggled into her glass. “It’s too late for that.”

  I looked at her in dismay. “Oh no.”

  She nodded. “Oh yes.”

  I shook my head. No. Drunk Caroline and drunk Aileen were an awful combination.

  She didn’t wait for my protest or my recommendation that we should maybe head home. “We’re up next!”

  She bounced off her stool, dragging me behind her. Our path was going to pass the women Dahlia had pointed out and I got an idea. One that I probably would have ignored at any other time.

  I looked Caroline in the eye. “Sorry about this.”

  She gave me a startled glance, her mouth opening on a question. I checked her with my hip, timing it perfectly for when she was off-balance and sent her flying into the women’s table.

  The alcohol and surprise slowed her reaction time. She crashed into the table with a hard oomph. The women grabbed onto it reflexively, reaching for their glasses, but not in time. Two of their drinks tipped over.

  The thin brunette grimaced in distaste, brushing at her hand, which was now covered in her drink.