Darkling

Page 10

 

  Shit. Teleportation?

  "So this guy takes a seat. I go over there to take his order and get a feel for what's going down. Damn, Menolly, I got the creeps so bad that I made Chrysandra take his order over. She came back smiling like she'd had a shot of joy-juice. Guy gave her a twenty-dollar tip. "

  Luke had a high fear threshold, so the fact that he'd been spooked by the stranger was as good as a warning.

  "A twenty-dollar tip? What did he order?"

  "Nothing odd. A glass of cognac, that's all. " Luke paused, looking confused.

  "What? What aren't you telling me?"

  "It sounds a little nuts, though considering the crowd we get in here, I guess it shouldn't. " He blinked and stared at me, unafraid. I liked that he didn't fear me. But then again, he'd never seen me with fangs out.

  "Oh for cripes' sake… just tell me what happened. You know who you're talking to. I won't think you're nuts. " I folded my arms and waited.

  "Okay, here's the deal. When I took his order, I… Menolly, you know I'm straight. You know I'm real straight, but damn, I wanted to crawl into the booth and make out with the guy. And then he looked right at me and said, 'Tell the pretty lady who owns the bar I need to talk to her. '"

  I frowned. No wonder Luke had been spooked. When he said he was straight as an arrow, he wasn't kidding. The guy was almost homophobic, which led me to wonder if he wasn't latent.

  "So the strange Fae wants to talk to me?" That alone set off my warning bells. "Was there anything else you noticed? Anything at all?"

  Luke frowned. "Let's see… yeah… I never saw him come in. "

  "Well, that's not so strange. You're busy, the room's full. "

  "Yeah, but here's the thing—I was keeping an eye on the door because Tavah was due to come in and I needed her help to get something off the top shelves in the storeroom. I didn't want to miss her. " He paused, wiping the counter with his rag. "Next thing I know, the dude's having it out with the other guy. Neither one was in the room before that. I guarantee it. "

  I trusted Luke and his powers of observation. And the more I stared at the man in the booth, the more I realized he was no more Fae than Luke was.

  "I'll be damned," I said, as a faint flicker of recognition tickled the back of my mind.

  "Something wrong?"

  "With my luck? Probably. Let me go talk to the guy. " I handed Luke the drink order I'd just started to prepare and wove my way through the room, heading for the booth. Most of the customers recognized me and quickly moved out of the way. My reputation was set in granite and it was common knowledge that I was a vampire. Nobody gave me grief and when I was on shift, we didn't need a bouncer because everybody was too afraid of me to rock the boat.

  As I approached the booth, I glanced at the man. He wasn't Fae, not entirely, and definitely not one of the Sidhe, but he had a wild look to him and probably came from a feral branch of the family tree. His eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down, but he merely inclined his head and said nothing.

  "I hear you're looking for me," I said, pulling up a chair. I turned it around and straddled it at the end of the booth. "Hear you had some trouble earlier. Luke was about ready to get out the shotgun. I don't like it when Luke has to get out the gun so maybe you'd better tell me what went down. " I flashed him a hint of a smile and let my fangs down, just enough for the tips to show. "And introduce yourself. "

  The man blinked twice and then straightened his shoulders. Wearing a long black leather duster, a pair of indigo jeans, and a gray turtleneck, his brunette hair fell to his shoulders, and his eyes were green and glimmering with magic. "The name's Roz. "

  It was my turn to stare. "You're from Otherworld, I assume? What alliance do you claim?"

  He gave me a faint grin. "None. I'm a mercenary. I work for the highest bidder, and currently I'm employed. "

  I leaned in, wary of the smug look that flickered in his eyes. "Maybe you'd better tell me who hired you before I decide to kick you out of the bar. There are certain groups from OW that aren't welcome in the Wayfarer. "

  Roz let out a snort. "Don't try your tricks on me. I know who you are, I know what you are, and none of that matters. I'm not in the Opium-Eater's hire. She's the least of our worries… but then, you know that. "

  He swung out of his seat and swaggered over to the jukebox, where he plugged a quarter into the slot and chose a song. Turning back to me, he held out his hand as he nodded to the dance floor.

  Feeling like I was walking in a fog, I joined him as the industrial wailings of Yoko Kanno's "Lithium Flower" started. Roz took my hand and led me to the floor, pulling me close as the beat enveloped us in a frenzy of electronic thunder. He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned his head down to burrow close to my neck. The smell of his cognac-soaked breath, the feel of his pulse as it raced through his fingers, intoxicated me as he swayed to the music, pulling me along with him, grinding his hips against mine.

  "Why are you here?" I whispered, knowing he could pick up my words even though they were buried by the music.

  "Queen Asteria hired me to come here and help you. I'm a bounty hunter. I specialize in vampires and greater demons. "

  There was something off about him, though, and I tuned in, trying to pick up on his energy. And then, I knew. "Not Fae. You're a minor demon. "

  He cocked his head. "Do tell?"

  Studying his face, I could sense the charm oozing through every pore in his aura. Very few demons could pull off a glamour like this dude. As I ran through the categories in my mind, it hit me. "You've got to be kidding. Queen Asteria hired an incubus to help us?"

  He snorted. "You have a problem with that?"

  I pushed him to arm's length. You don't tempt the devil when you're trying to retain some control. As a vampire, I was immune to a lot of charm, but an incubus—and this one in particular—well, I didn't want to count on my self-control. I hated to think what he could do with Camille, and I was determined to squash that possibility in the bud before it had a chance to flower.

  "Other than the fact that you're a demon—"

  "So are you. " He was quick on the ball, all right.

  I raised my hand to stop him before he could continue. "Other than the fact that you're a demon? Well, you've already instigated a disturbance in my bar and you haven't been here twenty-four hours, yet. Have you?"

  He shook his head. "Nope. How'd you know?"

  "You still smell like Otherworld. " And he did. I could smell the scent of starberry flowers and usha trees on him. He must have come in from a portal near the southern regions. "Well, this is just dandy. So is Roz really your name, or is it a ruse?" I motioned him to follow me back to the bar.

  He obeyed but I caught the edge of his lips curling in smug satisfaction. Incubi weren't always evil; therefore, if Queen Asteria thought he had some redeeming qualities, he probably did. But they always managed to encourage havoc wherever they went. They could charm the pants off just about anybody, straight or gay. Including a number of husbands who let them get away with murder, or at least with screwing their wives. Incubi were hardwired for giving and taking pleasure.

  The incubus stared at me for a moment, then shrugged. "My name's Roz, short for Rozurial. "

  "Why do you hunt your own kind?" I was suspicious of a demon who hunted other demons, although I suppose I could technically be accused of the same thing.

  "I'm out to protect myself, and I like money," he said. "Besides, I don't hunt down my own kind. I only tend to track greater demons and vampires. I've been in the business seven hundred years, crossing between Otherworld and Earthside in search of one vampire in particular. I finally located him back in OW, but when I broke into his nest, he was gone. His trail led me to the Elfin Queen. She listened to me—under a truthseer's scrutiny, I might add—and then sent me to you. " His somber expression made me feel like I was balancing precariously over the abyss.


  I knew the answer to my next question before I even asked it. It was one of those moments where, against all better judgment, I had to find out for sure. "What vampire are you talking about?"

  Roz leaned across the bar and in a voice as cold as my skin, said, "Do I have to spell it out for you? D-R-E-D-G-E… the scourge of the land. "

  I leaned against the bar, and for the first time in a long, long while, I felt faint. Queen Asteria had warned us that the Elwing Clan might be headed our way. Now it looked like she was right. Why else would she send this bounty hunter to us?

  "Are you sure he's crossed over?"

  "He and a few of his mangy crew, led by that nature freak you dumped on the Queen's doorstep. " At my look of surprise, he held up his hand. "I know all about the situation. And I also know that Dredge captured you. I know what he does to his victims, Menolly. Except you, he turned. My sister, my mother, and my brother, he tossed aside when he was done with his fun. Seven hundred years ago, he sucked them dry, tore them from limb to limb, and then fed what was left to a pack of hellhounds. I was hiding in the attic, watching through the floorboards. I was seven years old. I saw everything. "

  He was telling the truth. I could see it in his face, I could hear it in his voice. Dredge had destroyed his family.

  "You weren't an incubus then, were you?"

  Roz shook his head. "No, but that's another story, for another time. "

  "Then we have something in common. " I straightened my shoulders and glanced out the front windows into the dark, snow-filled night. "Do you know where he is?"

  "Not yet," Roz said. "But I intend on finding out. "

  "Don't you dare kill him," I said. "Don't you dare dust him without letting me be the one to plunge that stake through his heart. Your family died, and I understand your pain. But they're with your ancestors now. I'm still here, and I know exactly what Dredge does to his playthings. I can never forget it. " I thought for a moment. "Who was the dude you were mixing it up with earlier? Luke said he just vanished. "

  Roz grinned sheepishly. "Local vampire. His daughter's still alive and I slept with her, thinking I might be able to get a lead on where the sub-cult clubs are but all I got was a bad bruise when her father showed up in her bedroom. She doesn't know he's a vampire, turns out, and he was keeping watch over her. Kicked my butt and then followed me to kick it some more and warn me that if I ever touch his daughter again, he'll summon a Protector so fast that I'll be sucked into the Subterranean Realms and never be able to get free. "

  I blinked. Well, well, well… a vampire who could summon a Protector? The spiritual guard dogs were usually only accessible to high level mages or witches, and they were often used to catch and deport unwanted netherworld creatures. Did we have a vamp running around who had access to magic? It was something to talk over with Wade, that was for sure.

  "So, do we have a deal? We work together to find Dredge. When we do, I'll let you have the honor of dispatching him, as long as I get to watch?" Roz's smile told me he was certain I'd say yes. I found myself smiling back. I didn't trust him, but the old saying wasn't a bad one. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

  "I'll think about it," I said. "But there's one condition. I want your oath, or you can just walk out that door and go back to hunting through bedrooms for clues to Dredge's whereabouts. "

  "What's that?" Roz leaned against the counter, folding his arms. He winked at me, but I ignored the come-on. It was second nature to an incubus to try and seduce any woman within arm's reach. I had no plans on giving him the opportunity of adding me to what was no doubt an incredibly long list of conquests.

  "My sisters—they're beautiful. You leave them alone. I find you trying to seduce one of them and I will make sure you're off Earthside and headed forcibly to the Sub Realms. They have enough troubles without adding an incubus's wandering hands to the list. "

  He snorted. "But if they make the first move—"

  "Then you very politely thank them, tell them you're flattered, but refuse. Get it?" Hands on my hips, I leaned toward him, and gently smiled to show him the tips of my fangs.

  With a cough, he straightened his shoulders. "Got it. No problem. Now, when do I get to meet these delightful treats?"

  "Just as soon as I'm off work," I muttered. "Go back to your drink. " As he moved to return to the booth, I stopped him. "By the way, how did you get through the portal without us knowing?"

  Roz laughed then, a full, rich, deep-throated chuckle. "I didn't use the Wayfarer's portal. Let's just say that we incubi have our own methods of transportation. " With that, he saluted me and returned to the booth.

  First chance I had, I called home to tell them about Roz and ask whether they wanted to meet me in town, or whether I should bring him out to the house. Both Camille and Delilah felt it safer to drive in to talk to him after hours rather than let him know where we lived, at least until we had a better idea of what he was up to. They showed up near two A. M. , closing time for the Wayfarer, and settled into a booth to wait.

  I could see Roz looking them over but when I glared at him, he went back to nursing his second snifter of cognac. As Chrysandra and I put away the last of the glasses and finished cleaning the counters and tabletops, there was a noise at the door. I hadn't bothered to lock it before cleaning up, just flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED. The door slammed open and as I turned to tell whoever it was that we were closed, I saw Chase and Sharah standing there.