Oh, yes they do!
Today my first urban fantasy Kissed by Darkness is LIVE on Amazon and Smashwords.
You can buy it here:
Melissa over at Were Vamps Romance is interviewing me today. She has given Kissed by Darkness a 5/5 review. SQUEE! Stop by her blog because she’s running a contest today. You can win your very own copy of KbD FREE!!! Even more SQUEE!!!
I haven't done Friday Book Club in awhile. Bad me! To be honest, I keep forgetting. (Rolls eyes at self.)
Majicks and Potions was on the northeast side of town, sandwiched in between a used car lot and a burger joint. It was a ramshackle building with a huge Third Eye painted dead in the middle of the wall above the entrance and arcane symbols in day-glo colors scattered around the rest of it. It looked like it had barely survived an attack by spray paint.
The bell above the door jangled merrily as I entered the shop. That, at least, was normal. Nothing else was. Row upon row of shelves lined the room, jammed with crystals, colored glass bottles, bowls of candles, and gods knew what else.
The place reeked of incense and the stereo system was playing something I was pretty sure was a pan flute and wind chimes. Maybe even a gong in there somewhere. Chinese/Andes fusion gone horribly wrong. I like fusion music, but I wasn’t sure you could call this music. I winced as a dulcimer was added to the mix.
The shop was otherwise empty. No customers and no Eddie. Not even a bell to ring for service, so I decided to wander. There was a second room toward the back. It, at least, looked somewhat normal. Books, mostly, and a few packs of tarot cards, some CDs, DVDs and other knick knacks. The books were all on various spiritual and magical topics. I picked one up. Sex Majick: Majickal Spells and Potions for a Fulfilling Sex Life.
Hmm. Now there was something that might come in handy, if I actually had someone to have a sex life with. I slid the book back onto the shelf.
Maybe there was something in here about Sunwalkers. Doubtful, but one never knew. I quickly scanned the shelves. There was an entire section on mythical creatures. Lots of stuff on vampires. Most of it utter rot. Nothing at all on Sunwalkers. Too bad.
There were two doors along the wall to my right. I turned the knob on the first and pushed the door open carefully. Toilet. Always good to know where the nearest toilets are.
The second door led to a store room. Instead of the antique wood shelves out front, back here they were cheap metal and filled with boxes of unpacked goods. There was a proper work desk stacked high with books and papers, nearly drowning a PC that looked at least 10 years out of date.
Still no Eddie. I was starting to get a little concerned. People don’t just open up their shops and then leave. So, either Eddie was bloody stupid, or something was wrong. Maybe he knew I was there and was hiding or something. Yeah, right. I’m so scary. I gave myself a mental head slap.
I cleared my throat, “Ah, Mr. Mulligan? Eddie Mulligan? Cordelia Nightwing sent me. Eddie, are you here?”
A head popped down from the ceiling. I nearly let out a yelp. Fortunately for my sense of self-respect as a bad-ass-vampire-hunter, I held it back.
“Oh, hey,” said the head, “Didn’t hear anyone come in. Cordy sent you, huh? Haven’t seen her in awhile. Crystal ball must be working a treat. Be right down.” The head disappeared before being replaced by a pair of feet, followed by legs, and then the rest of what I presumed was Eddie Mulligan.
He dropped to the floor and turned to face me, dusting his hands off on his trouser legs. He was short. A good five inches shorter than me, and I’m not exactly tall. A fringe of curly gray hair surrounded a cherubic face, set off with a burgundy bow tie at his throat, which unfortunately clashed with his mustard yellow vest and olive green pants. He was either color blind, or he liked to make an impression.
“Mr. Eddie Mulligan?”
“Yep, that’s me,” he said, holding out his hand.
I took it. His grip was firm, but not hard. The grip of a man secure in himself and at one with the world. Cordelia was right. I could sense the gift in him as surely as I’d sensed it in her.
Eddie Mulligan was no ordinary human. “So, how can I help you? If Cordy sent you, it must be important,” he said, leading me out to the front of the shop.
“It is,” I assured him. “I’m looking for… well, a Sunwalker.” I was embarrassed to even say it out loud.
He went utterly still for a moment, then let out a little laugh. “Good one. Sunwalkers are extinct.”
“So, they did exist then?” I was on the right track, from the sound of things.
“Oh, yes indeed. Once upon a time.” He waved me to the front counter before ducking behind it.
“Can you tell me about them?”
His gaze was sharp on me, measuring me, judging me. Then with a little nod, he led me to the counter. From behind the counter he lifted out a package, wrapped in silk. He carefully unwrapped it to reveal an ancient book complete with leather cover and brass fittings. It was kind of what I always imagined the Doomsday book would have looked like.
“All right,” he said with a gentle smile, opening the cover, “Let’s see what this little baby has to say about your Sunwalkers.”
He flipped through the pages, sending dust flying everywhere. I sneezed. “Oh, sorry,” he gave me an apologetic smile. “I don’t consult the book too often. Most people are more worried about your average, run of the mill vampires, werewolves, that sort of thing. Not much call for Sunwalker info.” I wondered just exactly what sort of clientele Eddie Mulligan catered to. It was very rare that I ran across a civilian who knew such creatures were real. One who wasn’t bat shit crazy, anyway.
“Okay,” he stopped at a page with a sketch of a handsome, muscular man. He looked human, but it was obvious he wasn’t. The fangs sort of gave it away.
“That’s a Sunwalker?” He looked suspiciously like the guy I’d dreamed about last night, the knight with the ocean eyes.
“Yes, indeed,” he grinned up at me. I noticed his eyes were a slight almond shape. Might explain the huge section of books on Chinese folklore and dragons. I really hoped I wouldn’t need his help with any dragons.
“What does it say?”
His fingers ran down the page. “All right, according to legend, the Sunwalker is essentially a vampire that is able to withstand daylight.”
Great. I knew that much.
He continued, “It also says they are descendants of an ancient race that was destroyed long ago.”
“Does it say who they were? The ancient race, I mean.”
He shook his head. “No, it says nothing about this ancient race. Very interesting. I wonder…in any case, it says the last of the Sunwalkers was killed during the 1300s when the King of France slaughtered the Knights Templar.”
I blinked. That was not something I’d expected. “Excuse me? Did you say Knights Templar?” I swallowed hard. Surely my dream about the knight was just a coincidence.
“Yes, apparently the Knights were in league with the Sunwalkers. Protected them, something like that. The gods only know. In any case, when the Templars were killed off, so were the Sunwalkers. Not a single one has been seen in over 700 years.” He shut the book with a thump, sending up another dust cloud.
I sneezed again. “But I thought some of the Knights survived the Purge?” They certainly never mentioned Sunwalkers when they were talking about the Knights Templar in history class.
He shrugged and wrapped the book back up in its silk covering. “That’s the rumor, but no one really knows. It was such a long time ago. Records have been lost, truths have been covered up.” He frowned as he stuffed the book back under the counter. “I would have thought, though, that this book would tell the truth. It usually does.” His face brightened, “Then again, it has a mind of its own, most days.”
Riiiiight. “Sure. But theoretically, if some of the Knights Templar survived, a Sunwalker could have survived, too, right?”
He gave me a rather shrewd look, “Theoretically, yes. If any Knights truly survived, it’s entirely possible a Sunwalker could have survived as well, though one would have thought that there would be rumors of such a thing.”
“You don’t think he would have gone underground for 700 years?”
He laughed. “I wouldn’t have thought so.” He grew thoughtful. “Then again, the bloodlust could have been disguised as a vampire attack, if Sunwalkers have such a thing as bloodlust. And if he’d been careful not to turn anyone, then it would be less noticeable. No one’s exactly sure how the Sunwalker ability was passed, or if it could be passed. Some think they were an entirely different species from vampire, though the book says otherwise.”
I sighed, “Right, so how do I find this guy, if he exists? Look up Sunwalkers in the yellow pages? Take out an ad in the Oregonian, better yet, the Willamette Week?” I named the two biggest newspapers in
He threw his head back and laughter spilled in waves. There was almost a magic to it. Certainly nicer on the ears that whatever he was playing on the stereo. “Now that would be interesting, but no, I don’t think it works that way.”
“What then?”
He stroked his lower lip, “Well, you obviously won’t be able to count on the usual vampire haunts, seeing as how, if he exists, he can walk around in daylight.” This guy really knew how to state the obvious. “Your idea might not be that bad after all.”
“What, taking an ad?”
He chuckled, “Maybe not that exactly, but something similar. Imagine you are an ancient, mythical creature that’s been able to hide out for centuries without detection. Then some nosy person comes along and starts blabbing all over about looking for you. You might get a little nervous that her investigation would be heard about in certain circles, putting your very existence in jeopardy. What would you do about it?”
“Shut her up.”
He grinned, “Exactly. “
Great. I was about to go out and seriously piss off a centuries old Sunwalker. Yay, me.
I was up to my armpits in dirt. Digging was hot, dirty work, plastering strands of long, dark hair to stubbled cheeks. I swiped a forearm across a sweaty brow. Two of my fellow knights worked beside me, their dark eyes gleaming with excitement in the torchlight.
We were all convinced there was something under the
My shovel went through the floor, chunks of dirt falling through to another level below. There was a cavern under there. I gave a shout to my brother knights and we all began digging furiously. “Bring a light!” Torches were brought and the three of us clambered down into the cavern below.
It was a small, naturally formed cave. The walls were painted with brightly colored murals depicting, at a brief glance, a terrible battle. The cavern was otherwise completely empty except for two corpses in the middle of the room.
I cautiously approached the bodies, followed by my fellows. The two bodies lay sprawled across the floor, one cradling the other like a child. One was nothing but bones, ancient beyond belief, and dressed in some sort of armor. The other…
The other looked as though he’d died just hours ago. His body was perfect, though his clothes were rotted nearly to dust, and he cradled the bones of the dead warrior like a child. In his hands he clutched an amulet. It appeared to be made of gold, but dulled by age and dust. One of the others leaned down to pick it up. Some part of my brain screamed at me.
“No, stop!”
It was too late. The corpse became horribly and suddenly alive, fangs I hadn’t noticed before sinking deep into my brother knight’s neck. The living corpse dropped the nearly dead knight and grabbed the next, rearing back to strike again. The screams were hideous and chilled me to the marrow.
I ran for the ladder leading up to the entrance to the cavern and my sword, left behind during the digging, but it was too late. I felt the fangs enter my neck like needles of red fire, the blood draining from my body as surely as my life drained away. Strangely, at the same time my life left my veins, I felt something enter and begin growing inside me, a living thing.
As panic surged through me, I tried again for the cavern entrance, but my body had no strength. I slumped to the floor and the world went black.
***
I sat bolt upright in bed, fighting with the duvet which had managed to wrap itself around my legs. Shit, shit, shit. I glared blearily at the clock. 4 am. Way too early.
I flopped back down on my pillow and touched my neck with the tips of my fingers. Smooth skin. No blood. Gods, it had felt so real.
It was like reliving my own attack. Except that’s not how it happened. I hadn’t been digging in an underground tunnel by torchlight. There hadn’t been two corpses, only the one vampire. And I’d never held a sword in my life. I certainly wasn’t male. Or a knight.
I rubbed my nose. This was way too weird. Just a dream, that’s all. A really weird dream. I shut my eyes and willed myself back to sleep. It was a long time coming.
Inigo joined me outside the club. He had lipstick smeared on his collar and his lips looked a bit swollen. “Lucky bitch,” I said, giving him the once over. He threw his head back and laughed.
“Gee, thanks Morgan. You’d probably get some, too, if you bothered to stop and smell the roses once in awhile.”
“Whatever.” I didn’t like to think about my lack of success in relationships with men. It was pathetically Freudian and I knew it. Didn’t need to go into a whole song and dance about it. “Sense anything, lover boy?”
He shrugged, “Not much. She gave me tinglies.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?” My mind was suddenly going places it really shouldn’t go. At least not with Inigo.
“Good ones. Cordelia gave me a good vibe. I think she’s somebody we should keep around.”
I shook my head, “We’ve already got a friendly neighborhood clairvoyant. We don’t need two of them.”
He chuckled, “She’s not clairvoyant. Well, not exactly. She’s a lot more than that. She’s sort of a… a mystic, I think.”
“Right, ok. Fine. Whatever.” I pulled one of the business cards out of my pocket and handed it to him. “She said this Eddie guy can probably help us find the Sunwalker. It looks like he runs some kind of mystic mumbo jumbo shop.”
“You’re a fine one to talk about mystic mumbo jumbo,” Inigo raised a brow at me. “You’re not exactly an average, ordinary human type yourself.”
“True. But I’m not about to start burning incense and dancing naked in the moonlight.”
He gave me one of those head to toe gazes that men give women they find particularly tasty. “Too bad.”
“Pervert,” I laughed. There was no way I was admitting that the thought of Inigo watching me dance naked in the moonlight was practically giving me a hot flash.
“Tease.”
“Ok, can we be serious for a minute? We need to talk to this guy, find out what he knows, even if he is a loon,” I insisted.
“Ok, but you’ll have to go alone. I know this place. It’s a strictly day time operation. And you know how I feel about getting out of bed before 6pm.”
“Right. I’ll hit the shop tomorrow then while you’re getting your beauty rest.”
He reached out and caressed my cheek. Sent a shiver all the way down my spine. Now I was the one with the tinglies. “You should think about getting some yourself. You’re looking a bit tired.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said dryly. “Just what every girl wants to hear. Some young stud muffin telling her she looks tired.”
He smirked, “So, you think I’m a stud muffin, huh?”
“Oh, shut up. Kabita would kill me if she heard us having this conversation.”
“What Kabita doesn’t know won’t piss her off,” he grinned. “C’mon. I got plenty of room for two.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Inigo, you are way too young for me.”
He just smirked some more, “Twenty-four is not that young. I’m certainly old enough for what counts.” His grin turned unbelievably lascivious and my mind went straight to some very naughty places.
Great, just what I needed. Out of control hormones in the middle of a hunt. And it wasn’t Inigo’s out of control hormones I was worried about. “Oh, yes, I’m sure you’re very, ah, good in that department. But I’m very busy and important and don’t have time for your nonsense,” I said loftily and I stomped off down the street. When in doubt, a grand exit is always appropriate. Especially when one is trying desperately not to jump one’s best friend’s cousin’s bones.
Dear gods, I was in some serious trouble.
***
It was just gone 2:30 am when I got home. I stripped down to my underwear, yanked on a tee shirt, and crawled into bed. I was starting to think I was getting way too old for this shit.
Granted, twenty-nine isn’t that old. It’s like the new nineteen, right? But I’d been hunting vampires for three years now and it never got any easier. In fact, it seemed like the more of these things I killed, the more new ones popped up.
And now this whole Sunwalker thing. As if my life wasn’t weird enough, I was suddenly on the hunt for a mythical creature that supposedly hadn’t existed, if it ever existed at all, for hundreds of years. Great. Just great.
To top that off, I had some mystic palm reader telling me that the guy I was supposed to execute might not be a bad guy, after all. Wasn’t quite sure I bought that. I mean, a vamp is a vamp, even if he can walk around in daylight. I know about all of the fairy tales
I jerked the fluffy duvet up to my chin and stared at the ceiling. If Sunwalkers did exist, then how on earth did one kill them? And why would a centuries old vampire that could walk around in daylight steal a worthless necklace from some rich guy? I was starting to think there was a lot about this case that wasn’t going to make any sense.
So many questions and not a lot of answers. In fact, the further into this thing I got, the more questions I seemed to have.
I let out a sigh. Sometimes I wished I was back living my old life, before the vampire attack that changed everything. Just doing the day to day thing at a regular nine to five job. Going about life doing all the normal ordinary things that normal ordinary people do.
Then again… naw! I wouldn’t miss this for the world.
I fell asleep with a smile on my face and dreamed of a man with golden skin, eyes like the ocean and a mouth made for sin.
Chapter Two
Terrance was one hell of a nasty bump in the night. With a name like Terrance you’d expect leather patches on elbows and smoke billowing from a pipe. You don’t expect one of the meanest, nastiest vampires in the city. It wasn’t that he was particularly powerful, just psychotic. I mean, the guy was a serious piece of work. His latest foray into the “real” world was prowling for an after dinner snack in a Sorority house.
Most vamps don’t give a shit what’s for dinner, as long as it’s human and breathing. Terrance had a particular taste for college girls, preferably ones with big boobs and long blond hair. I’d had to kill more than one of his snacks after they’d ended up turning vampire. Fortunately, he also went for ones that were less than smart, so killing them once they’d turned was fairly easy. Intelligence or lack thereof, seems to carry over in to undeath.
Anyway, the night before Terrance had pretty much gone through half the girls in the sorority and the dean of the university wasn’t real happy about it. It doesn’t look so good when your entire cheer leading squad gets eaten by the undead. He’d hired us to get rid of his problem, which meant he really hired me to get rid of his problem, me being the only one of the three of us who actually killed vampires for fun and profit.
Terrance lived in the basement of an old apartment building in south east
The building had a security entrance, but that wasn’t exactly a problem. I used to live in one of these old places. I didn’t bother pushing any of the buzzers, I just waited until someone came out, then I grabbed the door and walked in like I belonged there. It’s amazing how many supposedly secure places you can brazenly walk right into as long as you act like you have every gods-given right to be there.
The door to the basement stairs was on the right, so I swung it open and tried to take the stairs two at a time. I say tried because at barely 5’5”, taking stairs two at a time is a near impossibility. I gave up and just took them fast, using the handrail to propel me downward.
The basement was cold and dank. Under the odor of mildew and laundry soap was another darker smell; the stench of the undead.
I can’t really explain that smell because it isn’t actually real. Vampires don’t generally smell any different than living humans. If you were to dance with one in a nightclub, you wouldn’t know the difference, except that a vamp would possibly be a lot paler and maybe try and chomp on your neck. But I can smell the difference. It’s something to do with my abilities and it’s more a metaphysical smell than a physical one. It’s one of my least favorite side-effects of the virus that changed me but a very handy talent to have when hunting down vampires.
Terrance's room was the old maintenance man’s room from back when they used to hire guys full time to live in the basements of apartment buildings to keep the boilers going. Nowadays they either turned them into storage or rented them cheap to people who liked living in caves. Vamps loved them.
A thick metal door marked “B” stood between me and Terrance. Definitely a deadbolt or twelve. I knew he couldn’t sense me, being in that state of sleep the undead have which is closer to death than sleep.
The basement was deserted, so after I peeled the plywood off the narrow windows high on the opposite wall I got out my tools and went to work on the deadbolts. I’d rather just get out a gun and blast the door open, but despite what they show in the movies, that’s actually a really stupid idea. Bullets have a tendency to bounce off things like metal doors and cement walls and wind up places you didn’t exactly intend for them to go. Like your own leg. Or head. Not exactly the best way to get into a locked room. Plus it upsets the neighbors.
So I took the slow and boring route, opening the door like any normal person would. With a locksmith’s tools. Kabita had insisted that both Inigo and I learn to pick locks properly. Well, Inigo didn’t actually need to learn. That boy has skills. Not sure I want to know where he picked them up.
I popped the last lock, packed away my tools, then with UV gun in hand I slowly swung the door open. It was black as pitch inside the room, the only light coming from the tiny windows outside in the hall. Couldn’t see a damn thing, but I could feel Terrance across the room, still deep asleep. A vamp won’t usually wake during the day. Not at noon, certainly, unless he’s incredibly old or incredibly strong. Terrance was neither, so I figured I was pretty safe.
I was wrong.
I approached the camp bed, gun drawn, when a hand shot up and wrapped around my throat. Shit. I struggled to breath, but the hand was too tight and squeezing tighter. I didn’t have time to think about how on earth a two-bit vamp like Terrance had the power to wake in the middle of the day, I was too busy fighting for my life as his other hand gripped the wrist of my gun arm so I couldn't shoot him. Double shit.
The gun dropped to the floor with a dull thud as my hand went numb. Spots were dancing in front of my eyes. I knew I was going to pass out and be vampire lunch if I didn’t do something. So I did the one thing I could think of. I went limp. Dropped like the proverbial stone.
Unfortunately, Terrance dropped with me. Dead on top me, in fact. Fortunately, he let go of my wrist and loosened the hold on my throat. I felt him go for my neck, felt the teeth sink in. Hurt like hell, but it distracted him just enough. I planted my knee in his groin. Hard. Even undead, guys still get unhappy when you plant a knee in their family jewels. Death, or rather undeath, didn’t change that particular physiological fact.
He reared back, teeth ripping out of my neck and grabbed his crotch. He fell to the ground screaming. “You stupid bitch!” he howled. “That fuckin’ hurt!”
“Yeah, well, this is gonna hurt even worse, Terry.” My fingers had closed around the UV gun, and with precision born of years of hunting vamps in the dark, I pointed the gun at Terrance and pulled the trigger.
Terrance let out a horrific scream as the UV ray sliced through his stomach to his upper chest and found his heart. Within seconds he’d caught fire, then flashed to dust.
Nobody knows why vamps dust instead of leaving a body like humans. Some Hunters claim it’s magic, others that the earth is claiming back the blood they stole. Not terribly scientific, but there aren’t a lot of scientists out there studying vampires. Probably because the government doesn’t exactly like the scientific community knowing about a creature that has achieved something akin to eternal life. Could you imagine some mad scientist getting his hands on that tid bit of information? Yeah, not good.
I pulled myself up off the floor and staggered to the door. I could feel the blood dripping down my neck and sliding under the collar of my jacket, soaking my tee shirt and trickling into my bra. Ew. Fortunately, the very virus that had once nearly killed me not only made me immune to a vampire bite, but it would also heal the wound quickly enough that I wouldn’t bleed out. Probably wouldn’t even have much of a scar. Which was good. I’d have hated to try and explain that one to my mother.
What I needed was something to eat and then a hot shower and a long nap, but staggering around town with blood dripping down my front was going to get me a lot of attention I didn’t want. Terrance’s master knew Terrance was dead the minute he dusted. What he didn’t know was who had killed him and I wanted to keep it that way for now.
I staggered up the steps and gently pushed open the door to the hall. A quick glance told me no one was around, so I hurried out through the front door to my car. I fumbled in the glove box for an old pashmina I kept there and then carefully wrapped it around my neck so it draped across my front. It looked like I’d watched one too many DIY make-over shows. Not that I cared. Never much been one for fashion. I’m all about comfort and utility. I just needed to get home without half the city finding out I’d been in a ruckus with a vampire.
I started the car and drove gingerly down the street and onto the main road. I probably shouldn’t have been driving. I was weak and shaky with blood loss. I needed something to eat. Fast. Preferably something with high sugar content.
I swung through the next drive through and ordered a large orange juice and three boxes of cookies. The girl didn’t even blink. In fact, I’m not entirely sure she was awake. Can zombies work a drive-thru?
I’d eaten all three boxes of cookies and downed the entire cup of OJ before I reached home. I was feeling much better.
I spent thirty minutes in the shower before tumbling into bed. I didn’t bother with pajamas. Too tired. I just dragged the duvet over my head and was asleep before I could think to set my alarm clock.
***
Something woke me. I felt disoriented and slightly feverish, the result of my body healing itself, no doubt. But what had woken me? I lay still, letting that bizarre sensory ability of mine play over the room and through the house. No vamps, nothing threatening at all. And yet….
“Inigo, what the hell are you doing in my bedroom?”
The streetlight pouring into my window caught and flashed in his toothy grin. “I was hoping to catch you naked.”
“Bloody idiot,” I grumbled, shoving hair out of my eyes.
“Plus you’re late.”
I squinted at the clock. 12:05 am. Dammit. I shoved my hair out of my face and sat up, clutching the duvet to my chest. My very naked chest. “Sorry. Forgot to set the alarm.”
“Yeah, I know.” He stood up and handed me my robe. Not the nice, thick terry one I generally like to hang around in, but the silky one I keep for when I have someone over. Not that I’ve had anyone over in longer than I care to recall. But one must be prepared for these things. You know, just in case.
I threw him a glare, grabbed the robe and hauled it around my shoulders before staggering to the bathroom and slamming the door. I looked a fright. My hair was sticking up in about a hundred different directions, giving the appearance of a red nimbus around my head. My skin was pasty white from blood loss with dark circles under my eyes and my green eyes were fever bright. Great. Just great.
I splashed cold water on my face, brushed my teeth and ran a comb through my hair. Didn’t work. I grabbed some hair gunk and used it to muss up my hair some more so it looked like I intended the whole light-socket look. I patted some cover-up under my eyes, swiped on some mascara and lip gloss, and added just a bit of blusher to my cheeks so I didn’t look like a member of Vampires-R-Us.
I gave myself a critical look. The right outfit and I’d probably blend into the crowd at Fringe ok. Well, probably not enough makeup, but there wasn’t time for full war paint.
By the time I went back to my room, Inigo had vacated it. Thank the gods. I didn’t have time to deal with both his hormones and mine.
I grabbed a pair of jeans and a black tank out of the closet and yanked them on over a black bra and panties. I don’t do thongs. Trust me, when you’re kicking vampire ass, the last thing you want is a scrap of cloth climbing up into your nether regions.
The tear from Terrance’s fangs was nearly healed now, leaving a bright pink mark on my neck. I grabbed a black and white choker which covered the mark pretty well and then threw on a sheer black top which I kept around for just such occasions. Not that I spent a lot of time in clubs, but my job takes me strange places.
I finished off the outfit with my black combat boots and my weapons holster. I’ve got a special federal license to carry anything capable of killing vampires, plus no one in a club like Fringe would notice or care that I was packing. Probably.
A quick look in the mirror told me I’d look more at home in a vampire fetish club, but it was the best I could do. I’d have to leave it up to Inigo to get us past the bouncer.
Inigo gave me the once-over as I strode into the living room. If the look on his face was anything to go by, I looked just fine. I was really glad I wasn’t a clairvoyant because I was pretty sure whatever he was thinking would make me blush big time.
“Come on, pretty boy, let’s go hit the town.”
He laughed, amusement coloring his voice. “Your wish is my command, oh Vixen of the Dark.”
I snorted, “Idiot.” Why, oh why, did he have to be Kabita’s damn cousin?
***
The club was pulsing with hard, eerie music. It was almost alive and incredibly sexual. Heated. Full of desire and passion and very naughty things. The heavy bass settled into my chest like a heartbeat. I fought the urge to clench my legs together. Music does things to me.
We pushed through the front bar area which was heavily populated with vampires. Not real ones, of course. These were Sanguine Vampires, people who lived vampirism as a lifestyle and a religion but weren’t actually vampires in the physical sense. I’d never seen so many tattoos and piercings in one place in my life.
There were a couple of beings working the crowd who sent my Spidey senses zinging, but not because they were vamps. Although they looked perfectly normal, to my mind’s eye they glittered and glowed, their features constantly shifting in the dim light. I had no doubt these were members of the Glittering Throng.
One of them caught my gaze and his/her purple eyes sparkled with unholy glee. My mind shied away from seeing him/her, but I yanked it back. I am the mistress of my own mind and no sidhe glamor was going to change that.
I started right back at him/her, watching as his/her face shifted and molded through several incarnations. With a smirk, the sidhe tipped an imaginary hat in my direction and disappeared into the crowd. I held back a shiver. Messing with a member of the sidhe is not a good idea. In fact, it’s best to stay below their radar all together.
The sidhe tend to get their kicks from the suffering of other beings both mortal and supernatural. Usually suffering they’ve created. Fortunately this one had a sense of humor.
Inigo led us to the main dance floor and bar where there was a giant fish tank along one wall with an honest-to-gods mermaid inside. Not some chick in a fish suit, but the real deal right down to the rainbow hued fish scales and hair the color of dark green seaweed. I was starting to feel like I’d fallen down the rabbit hole.
The minute he walked in, all eyes were on Inigo, even fish tank girl. Not that I blame them. He was seriously hot in a dark suit and silver shirt. His shoulder length hair gleamed gold and honey in the dim light of the club and his eyes were such a luminous blue they practically glowed. I was pretty sure that wasn’t just an effect of the lighting. I had my suspicion that somewhere in Inigo’s genetic background was a little bit of fey blood or something. It would account for a lot of things.
Like the way every woman in the bar had stopped dancing and was frozen in place with her tongue hanging out. Most of the men, too if truth be told, which was a good thing for me. No one would even remember I was there, even if I did have hair practically the color of a fire truck.
I slid up to the bar and caught the bartender’s attention after about the third try. He was good looking, if a bit on the slender side, but no match for Inigo. He swallowed hard dragging his eyes away from Inigo. “How can I help you, my lady?”
My lady. How quaint.
“I’m looking for someone. Cordelia Nightwing. You know her?”
He pointed toward an alcove on the other side of the dance floor. The silky blue curtains had been drawn to insure privacy. “She’s doing a reading, but she should be done soon.”
I threw him my best smile and a ten dollar bill. “Thanks.” He didn’t respond. His eyes had already returned to Inigo who had strutted to the middle of the now still dance floor and started grinding his hips. I rolled my eyes. Inigo could be a real peacock sometimes.
I strolled casually along the edge of the dance floor toward the curtained alcove, scanning the crowd. No one paid me any attention, which was fine by me, at least for tonight. When I’m on my own, I sort of draw attention. Blood red hair, porcelain skin, and moss green eyes sort of leave an impression. The skin and eyes I can’t lay claim to. Genetics, you know. But the hair is completely deliberate. Besides, it doesn’t matter if anyone notices me out slaying. It sometimes even helps.
Tonight was different. All eyes were on Inigo. I’ve always thought it might have something to do with his clairvoyant gifts, maybe some kind of special aura mojo or something. In any case, when he wants to he can sure draw a crowd.
I waited by the shimmering curtain for Cordelia’s client to come out. The club had returned to what appeared to be its usual manic writhing. I was pretty sure the couple in the corner was having sex with their clothes on. Either that or he was a doctor inspecting her tonsils. I was sort of guessing it was the former.
A dark haired man hurried from behind the curtain and disappeared into the crowd. I figured it was the client so I slipped into the alcove. Cordelia Nightwing wasn’t exactly what I expected. Or maybe she was. She sat at a small round table draped with midnight blue velvet, a crystal ball sitting in front of her. It was so cliché, I nearly burst out laughing.
A pair of bright blue eyes laughed up at me from behind a fringe of dark brown hair. She was easily in her late forties, but the sparkle of energy surrounding her and the smile pulling at her lips belied her age. She was beautiful, no doubt about it. But it was the kind of true beauty that only comes with age, wisdom, and honestly knowing oneself. I warmed to her instantly.
Her smile widened, “It’s for the clients.” Her hand waved over the crystal ball, “Makes them feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. I tried it without the ball and I swear I had a guy nearly in tears over it.” Her laugh spilled out, light and bright. It reminded me of Christmas, for some odd reason.
“I take it you don’t need the ball to do… whatever it is you do?”
She shook her head, dark hair spilling about her shoulders. She was wearing a silk kimono, for gods’ sakes. “Goodness, no. You ought to know our gifts don’t need gimmicks.”
I’d no idea how she knew I had “gifts”. I shook my head, “No we don’t. How did you…”
“Know?” She shrugged, “I guess the same way you know I’m not a charlatan and that your friend out there isn’t faking it. We just… know.”
She was right. I did always know whether what she called “gifts” were real or faked. It’s not like I could feel anything, like I did when I sensed vampires, but I just knew it was real, if a person were genuinely gifted or not. It wasn’t something I tried to explain because it just was.
“So, how can I help you?” One dark eyebrow cocked up. She so reminded me of Kabita. These two would probably get on like a house afire.
“Someone gave me your name. Said you might be able to help. Brent Darroch.”
Her face hardened. “What do you know of Brent Darroch?”
“Nothing really,” I told her. What was with the attitude suddenly? “He just hired my firm to find someone.”
“Who?”
I cleared my throat, wondering how she was going to react to what I had to say. “A Sunwalker.”
She looked at me for a long moment, her gaze inscrutable. “And what will you do with this Sunwalker once you find him?”
“I’ll retrieve the necklace he stole from Mr. Darroch and then I’ll kill him.”
She didn’t bat an eye. She only held out her hand. Without thinking I placed mine in hers. “Remember, Huntress, things are not always as they seem and there are always two sides to every tale. Before you slice off the Sunwalker’s head, you might want to hear what he has to say.”
Riiiight.
She let go of my hand and reached into a voluminous bag beside her chair. She placed two business cards in my hand. One was Cordelia’s own card. The other read: Eddie Mulligan, Majicks and Potions. Weirder and weirder.
“I don’t know this Sunwalker,” Cordelia told me, “But I have heard the legends. If anyone can help you find what you’re looking for, it’s Eddie. Tell him I sent you. Tell him I said it was ok to help you.”
“Right. Ok. Thanks.”
She smiled enigmatically, “Not a problem. You know where to find me if you need me.”
I turned to go. “Remember,” her voice stopped me, “look beyond the obvious. Not all of those who walk the dark path are evil.”
I glanced back at her. “They are in my world.” I strode out through the curtain and into the writhing mass of bodies in the main club. How much weirder could this case get?
