“Care to let us in on the secret?” I caught his eye. He looked ready to spit nails and I could sense his inner predator rising.
“Julian’s an old enemy.” Alex’s gaze never left mine. “He’s a vampire, and he’s a sorcerer. Two hundred years ago, he swore he’d track me down and make me pay. It looks like he’s decided to collect.”
Chapter 4
Camille sank to one of the seats. Delilah joined her. I stared at Alex and Bette. Bette lit up another cigarette and both Delilah and Camille coughed.
I turned to Alex. “We happen to be on the trail of a group of rogue vampires. They’re turning people right and left. We have reason to believe that they may be connected with a vampire named Julian. He’s supposedly set up an underground nightclub. We just found out about this today.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. That would be just like him.” Alex shook his head, grimacing.
I leaned against the counter. “So. We seem to have a problem.”
This put a whole new spin on matters. If Shimmer had gotten herself involved with a rogue vamp, it could only mean trouble. Vampire glamour worked on just about any species. If Shimmer was already stressed out and weakened, then she’d be more vulnerable.
“Understatement of the year, love.”
“So tell us, why does Julian have it in for you? What did you do?” I knew better than to accept a brush-off and a plea of innocence. Alex was a likable sort, but I doubted he’d ever seen an innocent a day in his life.
He flashed us a boyish grin. “Two hundred years ago, I had an affair with Julian’s wife and turned her when she asked me to. Then, she kicked me to the curb and killed and turned him. Not surprisingly, their marriage did not survive.”
“Good going. Ever think it might be a no-brainer not to screw over someone with magical powers? Because you had to know he’d keep them after he was turned.” I facepalmed. “Dude, what were you thinking?”
Alex gave me a schoolboy grin. “Obviously, I wasn’t. Glory was . . . she was glorious. She was busty and smelled like vanilla. I wanted her, more than you can imagine. I had no clue that she might turn her husband to get back at him.”
“But Julian was a sorcerer. Danger, danger, Will Robinson. Didn’t it register as a bad idea?”
He grinned, shrugging. “What can I say? I was younger, and stupid. I wanted Glory. That was her name—Gloriana. Julian was always too busy for her, and she was alone a lot. It didn’t take much to reel her in. Hell, I didn’t even have to use any glamour. She was a sex fiend and he wasn’t up to the task, if you get my meaning. As I said, she’s the one who asked me to turn her. I was pretty free and easy then, so I didn’t think twice.”
There wasn’t much we could say to that. The whole mess had been over two hundred years ago. Trouble was, fallout had a long half-life, especially among the undead.
“Tell us everything you know about Julian.” I settled in beside Camille.
“He’s a sorcerer, and a vampire. I told Bette about Glory, and about Julian, but long after the fact. In fact, I think I finally came clean about them right before we were ready to head for the United States.” He flashed Bette a smile and she nodded.
“That sounds right.”
I glanced over at the Melusine, who grinned. “You were Australian, too?”
“No, honey. I’m from Greece, originally. I was traveling the world when I met lover-boy, here. I was visiting Sydney when we got involved. The Great Depression hit, and the whole area crashed, so we decided to strike out. We took a steamer to Ellis Island in 1933. Alex rode in a coffin and I pretended he was my dead nephew and that we were headed to meet family in America.” She cackled.
“So when did you last see Julian? And what makes you think he followed you here?” Delilah had her notebook out again.
“Let’s see . . . I last saw him in, I believe, 1825? 1830? He was hunting me down at that point. That’s when I decided to make myself scarce. I went on a world tour, the best I could, and ended up in Africa. I returned to Sydney in the early 1900s and that’s when I met Bette. We were together for . . . how long was it?” He turned to her, a fond smile creasing his face.
She snickered. “We met on January seventh, 1914. We were together till 1939.”
“So, when did you figure out Julian was over here?”
Alex shrugged. “Rumor mill has it that he’d touched down on American soil last year, in December. I’ve been lying low, trying to figure out if he really is here, but I guess we can lay that theory to rest as accurate. Bette, you should have said something to me the minute she told you about him.”
“I’m sorry—I didn’t even think of that Julian.” The Melusine looked chagrined, her cockiness drained out of her.
“Never mind. It’s not your fault.” Alex frowned, dropped into the chair next to me, and rested his elbows on his knees. “Julian is preying on Shimmer to get back at me. That would account for her shift in moods. Not only is he a vampire, but a sorcerer, and he can pack a powerful punch with that glamour. He’s probably charmed her.”
“Charming a dragon isn’t easy, but in her mood, with her reduced abilities, it’s possible. And a blue dragon would be far more susceptible to emotional magical attacks than others. If he’s started up an underground club here, and if, indeed, he is the one behind the recent spate of killings, then we really are in trouble. A rogue vampire is bad enough, but one with the powers of a sorcerer? Deadly. And one out for revenge? Even worse.”
“Agreed.” Alex rubbed his temples. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Well, first we need to find out where he’s located. Alex, I have to tell Roman exactly what’s going on. Not only has Julian put Shimmer in danger, but it appears he’s encouraging his followers to turn innocent people.”
He caught my gaze, then slowly nodded. “I understand. If Julian has captured Shimmer, I’m responsible. She’s my charge, and I won’t let her get hurt because some freak has it out for me. You have my full cooperation.”
There was something in the way he spoke that made me cock my head and stare at him. Bette caught my eye and winked, but it wasn’t a lascivious wink. More of you just unleashed a terror. If Alex managed to catch Julian, all bets would be on the former to come out victorious.
“I’m grateful for that. But Alex, don’t run off and go chasing him on your own. You’ll only make things harder for us. So, give us her address, and . . . did you want to meet us at her house?”
“Yeah, Ralph and I will meet you there. Ralph has a key—she gave him one so he could water her plants if need be.” Alex stood and arched his back. Bones cracked, and he looked pleased.
“We’ll stop by our house to make certain everything’s okay first.” We exchanged phone numbers and he texted us Shimmer’s address. I glanced at the clock. “It’s eleven now, meet you there at half-past midnight?”
Alex nodded. “Sure. And . . . Thanks. If Shimmer’s in trouble because of me . . .” His words drifted off, but the sentiment was apparent.
Before we headed out, I had a thought. “I forgot something, go ahead and I’ll meet you outside.” As Camille and Delilah left, I turned back to Alex’s office.
He was sitting there, head down, playing with a pen. He jerked his head up when I reentered the room.
“Alex, can I have a word with you?” I wanted to make sure of him. Just feel him out a little bit more.
“I buzzed Ralph. He’s getting ready. What’s up?” His tone was light, but the look in his eyes said his mood was anything but.
“Tell me more about Julian. Do you think he’d hurt Shimmer?”
Alex pressed his lips together. Then, he nodded. “Julian was a callous man. Okay, here’s the deal. To be honest, I was friends with both of them before Glory and I got together. He neglected her. He threw away her love, brushed her off like she was dirt. Now and then, I think he backhanded her a good
one. She’d often be sporting bruises she couldn’t explain. When I asked how she got them, she’d say she fell, or that she’d hit against a cupboard or door. All the standard excuses abused women have been using since the beginning of time to cover for their attackers. I know why she did it, but it just made me more and more angry.”
The pain in his voice struck me. Then, I understood. “You weren’t just out to fuck her. You were in love with her.”
“So what if I was?” He shrugged.
“And you thought she loved you back.” Everything made sense. Alex had turned her because she told him she loved him. “You thought you’d be together forever.”
“Something like that.” With a shake of the head, he smiled ruefully at me. “I made a lot of grand gestures back then. I was a romantic, I think.”
“I think you still are. And I think you’re terrified Julian’s going to harm Shimmer. So, you need to be up front with us. Tell us everything you can, because it will make our job that much easier. We can’t help you if you aren’t honest. We can’t help Shimmer.” I leaned on the desk, then made a decision.
Yanking off my jacket, I rolled up my sleeves. The scars that covered my body were intricate, carvings that had been painstakingly etched over almost every inch of me with an excruciatingly dull blade. “Trust me, I know what it’s like to fear showing your vulnerable side. I didn’t get these from a friend.”
Alex stared at them for a moment. “Is he dead? The man who did this to you?” His eyes were stone cold, and so was his voice.
“He was my sire, and yes, he’s dust. I staked him.”
“Good job.” He looked up at me. “You have a deal. I’ve told you everything I can remember, but if anything else comes to mind, you’ll be the first to know. And . . . just between us . . . Shimmer means a lot to me. More than I want to admit. More than it’s safe to admit, given my girlfriend’s nature.”
“I thought so.” I flashed him a smile and put my jacket back on. “But Alex . . . your girlfriend. Break it off before it gets messy. Because I predict it might very well be headed that way.”
He let out a hoarse laugh. “I wish it was that easy. But right now Shimmer hates my guts. And I don’t think she’s all that fond of me under normal circumstances. So, there’s really nothing to worry about, is there?”
I said nothing, but inside, I was laughing. Yeah, Alex, you think there’s nothing going on, but I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice. You’ve got a thing for Shimmer, and you’ve got it bad.
I hurried out to the car. As we pulled away from the curb, it occurred to me that all too often, one mess led right into another, and yet another after that. Praying this would be a simple fix, that Shimmer was just having a bad case of PMS or something, we headed for home to prepare. The storm broke, and rain lashed down sideways, stinging as it pelted against us. Yeah, back into the storm it was, and by the look of the clouds, this wasn’t going to be an easy one.
***
As we trooped into the kitchen, I saw a sticky note slapped on the refrigerator with my name on it. The writing looked like chicken scratch but I recognized it immediately. My wife might be a knockout, but her penmanship was atrocious. It was a good thing she’d had to learn how to type for both her current job and her prior one.
“What’s that?” Camille leaned over my shoulder. “Anything important?”
I snorted. “Nerissa had to go out with Chase tonight—they have an official function. Some bigwig party with a city official. Black tie and all that. Hmm . . . she says she texted me.” I pulled out my phone to check. Sure enough, a picture had come through of the pair before they left. Hanna, our housekeeper, must have taken it for them.
The photo was hot. Nerissa was tall, an Amazon in disguise, with boobs to die for and a sturdy but curvy build. She was also a werepuma and could rip your throat out if she was pissed off. She was standing beside our friend Chase—the detective in charge of the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigations Unit—and they made a striking couple.
Nerissa’s long pale pink gown set off her tawny shoulder-length hair, which fell in waves. Chase was wearing a black tux and tie—expensive by the look of it. His dark hair was slicked back in a retro fifties look. His eyes glimmered, giving away the hint of emerging psychic powers that were bubbling to the surface. Mostly human, he had a smidgeon of elf in his lineage that we’d recently discovered. In the picture, he didn’t look a thing like the new, harried—and practically single—father he’d recently become.
“Nice.” I grinned at Delilah. “My wife and your ex. They make a gorgeous pair. Think they’ll hook up?” I was joking, of course. Nerissa might be bi like me, but Chase wasn’t her type. And Chase was in love with Sharah, the mother of his child, and not likely to cheat.
Delilah snorted. “Yeah, that’s a likely scenario. Nerissa loves you, Menolly. More than you probably deserve.” But her voice was light, and I took the jibe with a wink. “So, what do we need to do before we head over to Shimmer’s?”
I pulled up a chair, leaning back as I propped my feet on the table. “Weapons, whatever we might need.”
“Hanna’s going to smack you if she catches you doing that.” Delilah pointed to my boots. “Down, girl.”
“Good point.” I hastily returned my feet to the floor. The last thing I wanted was our housekeeper mad at me. She wasn’t above strong-arming the lot of us when we fucked up. Camille and Delilah joined me at the table. “So, what do you think about Alex? Friend or foe?”
“He’s okay. I think I like him.” Delilah grabbed a handful of cookies off one of the plates. She was a sugar freak, and though we’d all done our best to stop her junk food mania, none of our interventions had taken. Oh, she ate apples now, but Cheetos and cookies were still her mainstay and probably always would be.
“How much do you think we can trust him?” Camille automatically grabbed two of Delilah’s cookies and put them back on the plate.
“Good question.” I hesitated. My gut reaction told me to say that he was fine, but truth was, Camille was smart to ask. I’d hammered it into their heads over the past thirteen, fourteen years—the truth of the matter was this: Don’t ever fully trust any vampire. Not even me, though I did my best to keep myself in check. But when push came to shove, I had warned all my family and friends to always keep some semblance of caution around me, just in case my inner predator decided to barge its way to the surface and take control.
“I think he’s on the up and up, to be honest. But we can’t be sure. I’ll call Roman again, see if he has any information on him.” But I stared at the phone, not wanting to rat out Alex just yet.
“Why not ask Carter about him? They know each other.” Delilah shrugged. “It might be enough to go on for now.”
“Good idea.” I put in a call to Carter and, when he came on the line, asked him about Alex. He confirmed what I’d sensed.
“Alex is reckless, but overall, he’s one of the good ones. He’s unconventional, even by Supe standards, and doesn’t knuckle under to authority. But he’s honest, and has an oddly heroic streak to him.” Then, with a chuckle, Carter added, “Alex has been known to rescue kittens and small children from dangerous situations. But don’t you tell him I told you so.”
“I won’t.” I laughed as I hung up. Somehow, I could see that happening, even though Alex would probably deny it. “So, Carter thinks we can trust him, as much as we can trust any vamp. Hey, you think Wilbur might know who Julian is? That freakshow really gets around.”
Camille snorted.
Wilbur was our neighbor. He was also a powerful FBH necromancer and a nutcase who usually managed to be on our side. He had raised his brother—as in, raised him from the dead. After Martin died from cancer, Wilbur animated him and Martin became Martin the Ghoul, and now lived with Wilbur like a sad, decrepit, stupid dog.
We figured that Wilbur had just been trying to cop
e with the loss of his brother, but seeing the pair of them—Wilbur in his ZZ Top getup, with his amputated leg, hanging around Martin, who wore a three-piece suit and who was conveniently controlled by the leash around his neck—was enough to shake the sanity of any normal person.
“We’ll drop in and ask before we head over to Shimmer’s place. Grab your gear and let’s head out. We’ll take my car.” I pushed my chair back and stood. It was time to get moving. With a little luck and a whole lot of prayers, we’d find Shimmer at home, nursing a mood swing, and we could go back to focusing on the bigger battles we were fighting.
***
Wilbur answered the door and his eyes lit up as he saw us. The mountain-man had been a member of the Special Ops years ago. He lived with Martin in a house down the street from ours, and thanks to a nasty battle we’d landed in, he now was missing a leg. But he’d gotten fitted for an artificial limb, and it was hard to tell that he was an amputee, other than a mild limp.
Crude, lewd, and usually rude, Wilbur had nonetheless helped us on numerous occasions, and we had a bit of a love-hate relationship with him. Well, a tolerate-hate relationship.
“What can I do for you, girls?” He nodded for us to come in. He was watching the Game Show Channel, and Jeopardy was on. He and Martin watched the show together on a daily basis. I somehow doubted Martin’s proficiency at answering questions—ghouls didn’t talk and were barely sentient—but Wilbur seemed to enjoy it.
Martin was sitting on the sofa, staring straight ahead at the television. His eyes flickered when he saw me. I’d broken his neck before I realized that he wasn’t a random ghoul invading our land, and Wilbur had been forced to affix a neck brace to him. Now, every time Martin saw me, he either cringed or kept well away from my reach, like an abused dog afraid of the person who hurt him.
“Wilbur, we’re in a hurry but we have a question. We know you’re friends with Alex, the owner of the Fly By Night Magical Investigations Agency. He told us. But we also need to know if you’ve heard anything in the grapevine about a vampire-sorcerer named Julian who may have landed here in Seattle between a year ago and now?”