The candy apple red paint greeted us once again as we entered the inner hall ways. I realized this time it reminded me of red latex stretched tight over someone's skin. The door to the boiler room was plain and unmarked which made it even more odd that someone found it to use as an access point in kidnapping Reggie. “Are the floor plans for the club available at the records office downtown?” I asked Zin as we headed down a metal set of stairs. “Yes, I’m afraid, though I am unsure if the old tunnels would be included however. The club was originally a townhall, one of the firsts to be built amidst the mid 17th century. When I... acquired it, I was unaware the tunnels existed until our expansion in 1913 when we converted it into a Speakeasy before the ban of liquor and coming out of Others.” Zins words lost my attention as we descended, the boiler room’s massive size drew my attention. It smelled of damp and musk, reminding me of Lou’s dungeons below oblivion. The walls were rock
The vampire chuckled as I headed into the tunnel, using my phone. There was suddenly a click and then more light showing the way. I turned around to see Zin and his security guy both holding flash lights. “Might I suggest you stay between us, and save the battery of your mobile phone?” He said smoothly walking past me. I almost laughed out loud at his word selection, who said mobile phone anymore? I didn’t feel nervous being surrounded by a vampire, if they drank my blood, the Almighty would find out and they wouldn’t last a day, at least I hoped that’s how it worked. The faint drips along the walls of the tunnels echoed forward and the remaining silence was eerie. “So, you’ve never seen the end of the tunnels?” I asked either one. “No, we lost a lot of good people down here so we stopped sending them.” The vampire behind me responded. I nodded, wondering if they just got lost or if there was really something big bad and scary lurking around. Doing my best to not imagine
The vampire waved us against the small tunnel wall as we listened. “What the hell is that?” I said looking back at his security guard. “Sounds like someone dragging something.” He whispered back. I looked back towards Zin and his brows were furrowed. “I do not smell the blood of anything but us, nor can hear its heartbeat, so I am unsure of what it is. Best we wait for a moment.” He spoke barely above a whisper. So, we waited a moment and the dragging sound had stopped. A second later it was followed by slight hissing sound that echoed towards us. I suddenly had intense fear hit me with the thought of Reggie being dragged, so before I realized it, I went full on sprint down the narrow tunnel. “Ayda, wait!” I heard Zin yell behind me followed by their foots steps. I felt like I was flying, I couldn’t see anything but dark walls around me as I felt the air getting cooler the further I ran. Before I knew what happened, I fell, and kept falling, until an icy blast of col
The animal was watching us, it’s eyes occasionally shifting between Zin and I. I could barely see though the tears but I could tell it knew we were talking about it. “My mind knows you are right, by my heart says we can’t leave it and we can’t stop going forward to find Reggie.” I whispered. “Then we must go.” Zin turned from me and continued towards our way out. I could no longer see it when he shifted the flash light, but I swore silently I would come back and get it out of here. The hissing grew louder when we entered the small tunnel and then within minutes the sound stopped, no longer echoing around us. I could tell we were getting closer to the river from the moisture in the air and the sound of water racing in the background becoming louder. It was only about a half hour and we could see light touching the opening. I almost ran to it in short relief. The opening was located in the woods that butted up to the river, but it was obvious someone had been through there befo
Cash started to put on his seat belt but paused and looked at me. “No, he didn’t. Michael said he was too damn busy chasing the demon that was let loose. We stayed there about 20 minutes before going back upstairs.” He said in a somber tone which made me realize he was truly worried. We rode in silence back to the penthouse. I didn’t know what to say and didn’t want him to get any ideas that his worrying was special. Once we arrived, I had wiggled enough in the blanket I was able to get out. “When are you going to confront Kelly?” I asked Cash as we walked up to the door. “Soon, very soon. I will not wait on my brother to take action. He has lost that favor and I feel it’s about time he stops trying to protect his mother as well.” His words were full of anger and determination. I only nodded, believing he would hold true to his statement, and followed him in the front door. “You should get out of those cloths and take a hot shower. I need to take once myself, I have to h
“I have been helping you, little bird, what more can you want from me?” Michael was right, he had done what he could so far. “I want you to take me to Hell.” I said bluntly and the look on his face was amusing. “You’re serious? First why would you even dare risk your life like that? Second, what good is finding Reggie if you’re willing to just give up life here?” He asked me throwing his elegant hands in the air. “I won’t be risking my life, you know that, and I am not giving up anything. I know who can put this demon away for good and I will need Lou’s help to release him. It’s been 18 years and I am sure the person of interest I am referring to may have settled down by now and work with us, if only to get a break from his iron cage.” The look on Michael's face went from curious shock to absolute defiance. “No.” He shook his head and turned away facing the counter while Kelpson and Pharel just watched us. “Yes, Michael, it’s the only way. Nybbas visited me again, in my dreams, a
“What do you suggest I do? Hunt her down and kill her?” He said, aggravated. “No, yes, I don’t know, for now we need her to tell us where this witch is.” Cash narrowed his eyes at me, “Even if we did find this witch, you cannot possibly hold her responsible, I won’t allow it.” He was telling me what I couldn’t and couldn’t do again. “I don’t care what you allow, I don’t plan on taking her on. There is someone in Hell who can take on both of them.” I responded glancing at Michael. “Hell? So we are adding another one to the group? How many bodies do you plan on involving in this, Ayda?” Cash’s question hit me hard and I looked away. I was only trying to find a solution so that no one I cared about had to get involved. He wouldn’t understand my intentions. “There’s no guarantee the warlock you’re talking about will help you anyway Ayda, see the reason in this. I can handle the demon, I promise you that, but as for the witch, that isn’t something I can handle easily when spells and
“Excellent! Now, as blood sharing is a very private matter between two individuals, might I suggest your bedroom as a place to do this?” I just blinked at him, was he kidding? “You all look,” Zin glanced at Cash and Michael before looking back at me, “confused, angry? I assure you. Your person will not be touched by a single part of my body. I will be needing a cup for this, and I will have you all know I am actually shy, ironically, when it comes to these matters, hence the privacy.” I understood his request, a little, and got up to get him a cup from the cabnet. My stomach started to protest at the assumption of how much blood I might have to drink. The smell of food coming from the kitchen made my stomach roll even more. I had almost forgotten that Kelpson was cooking. Pheral had left out of the living room the first time Cash walked out but opted to stay with Kelpson and help I noticed. I was glad, I didn’t want to corrupt him too bad before we found Reggie. “Ahh, Ms.
I turned to Steve, his attitude had pushed me a little too far, and I exploded, “Look, I’m so close to saying screw it and putting you back in the metal box before both our asses become kindling for Angel’s fire. You seem to think proving you innocent is my purpose in life, but you’re wrong, STEVE. I am only doing this because I can’t live with a guilty conscience or the possibility of one!” I was huffing, trying to gather my breath. Rarely did I snap like that, but my cool mindset had flown over the railing and tumbled down several flights of stairs. “I don’t know where the guy is, but this was our only hope, Steve, so please, just be quiet and let me breathe.” He stared at me momentarily and cocked his head before looking at the door marked 2C. I looked, too, and the door was opened with an older man staring at us. “Mr. Arubergy?” He nodded and stuck his head out, looking around. “Come in, come in, hurry now,” he said, waving at us to be quick. “Please remove your shoes. I a
Steve's sudden question made me jump, and he grasped my hand harder, saying, “It’s worse than this. Unlike vampires who can sleep for eternity in solitude or fairies who can use their magic to fill nothingness with light and valuables, demons can only wait and listen, hoping to hear what’s happening outside the nothingness.” A slight shake in his voice made me feel horrible all of a sudden, but I couldn’t play into it no matter how bad I felt, “Well, do the crime, and you’ll eventually do time, Steve. I didn’t make those rules back then, but I still have to follow them today.” “Be lucky you didn’t end up with Groves. He had a basement full of tiny glass boxes that held his bounty captures. They could see out, and he would play reruns of commercials 24/7 on a black-and-white box t.v. for them to watch. Talk about torture. At least Reggie would talk to all of you,” Trixie piped in, obviously not feeling bad for Steve. “Sorry if I don’t seem grateful, but in all respect, I wasn’t supp
After my threat of turning his human body into a skunk, Steve complied, and we headed in my care to Corner of Bliss café. The silence was tolerable other than his constant shifting in the passenger seat, looking around. Finding a place to park was tricky, Corner of Bliss was a hopping little café with free Wi-Fi, and it’d been around long enough to have a mass number of Others that were loyal and frequented the place. Of course, humans always found their way there but were welcomed just the same. “Good morning, dears. What can I... get you?” Beth's pause was expected, she was something Ayda and I could never figure out, so I wasn’t sure if she would sense something about Steve. “Just two coffees, please. Is Trixie still here?” Still staring at Steve, she smiled and nodded toward the café window. Trixie was leaning across the booth’s table and chatting up the new waiter. I can't say I blame him. The guy was gorgeous. “Thanks,” I said while she was staring at Steve. “I don’t thin
I sat up feeling stiff, sore, and sleep deprived as the sound of my phone dinging by my bed woke me, followed by clanking sounds from the kitchen. I checked it and saw that it was Pheral who had messaged me. “Good morning, beautiful. I miss you. Everything is the same here, one meeting after another. I may never see the day when I am free of the pack. I’m sorry.” His message hit home, and I held back my tears. I missed him, too, and my heart ached for his hugs and sweet words when we were alone. Never leave the pack? I may end up threatening Cash to let Pheral go as he promised. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I caught the scent of smoke, and when I heard Steve yell, “Bloody Hell,” followed by the sounds of water, I shot out of bed and went straight into the kitchen. “What are you...” I was asking, but before I could finish, he stammered, “Can’t you see I’m making breakfast?” Seeing burnt eggs in the pan and black toast on a plate made me laugh uncontrollably. “Why a
“He’s in Heaven,” saying it in such an evident tone, Steve shrugged and then looked at Michael. We stared at him with our jaws open before I asked, “In Heaven, how do you know?” “Last I heard, he was dying, and an Angel promised him a one-way pass straight upstairs. But, of course, that was back before I got stuck with that killer driving us around and murdering people. So I assume that’s where he must be,” Steve answered, but it didn’t help us because it wasn’t like Heaven was next door, and we could just knock asking to borrow a dead necromancer. “If it was that simple, Michael could have someone up there locate one of the souls of the women that were murdered and ask her personally. But, unfortunately, there’s a lot more to it, paperwork and approvals. Heaven isn’t just chaos and paradise. They are structured, Steve, so a dead necromancer would be hard to locate without going through the proper channels. And keep in mind, Heaven gets word a demon, especially one that was sentenc
After busying myself around my house and battling dust bunnies, Trixie arrived. “Girl, you don’t even know the chaos that went on while you were kidnapped! That Angel was the only one to keep me informed until Zin finally came to the club two days ago, looking like someone had kicked his puppy. He said Ayda had been transported to Hell, but he wouldn’t elaborate. So what’s going on? How are you, and why didn’t you let me know you were safe?” I hugged him after he shut the door and sat on the couch. “I’m fine, as you can see. But sit next to me, and I will give you the full rundown,” I responded, patting the seat next to me. Trixie was a woman’s hottest wet dream, but he preferred the silent solid type equipped with three legs instead of one. He was carrying a bag and pulled out a beer before lying on the couch next to me. “Alright, spill it, don’t leave out a single detail!” From point A to point Z, I told him about the kidnapping, the wolves and shifters that saved me as
It took about a half hour before Michael popped back in. “Alright, you ready?” I just looked at him and asked, “Where’s the body, Michael?” “I couldn’t bring it with me. It’s at the hospital.” I jumped from the barstool, “At the hospital!? Why didn’t you just snag one from the morgue?” He shook his head, “I can’t do that. If the body is dead, the demon won’t last in it. It’s like a zombie who can’t eat brains.” “Good point, I didn’t think of that. Fine, let’s go to the hospital,” I replied while tucking Steve’s box under my arm. Michael looked at the box again nervously, “I can’t believe I am doing this. If Ayda found out, she’d skin both of us.” “Hush. That’s why she won’t find out. We don’t even know if what Steve said is true.” The Angel shook his head and placed his hand on my shoulder. I closed my eyes, knowing I was about to feel nauseous. I felt the pull of his power, and in the next instance, I could smell antiseptic while the sounds of a hospital filled my ears. I g
“He wasn’t a lower demon, you keep saying ‘Two lower class demons’ every time we talk, and I keep telling you he wasn’t. You’re a poor listener.” Suddenly the fairy piped in, “I’ve heard him say it. He’s right, sweetie. You really don’t listen.” “It’s true, it’s true, he has said it! But all she does is say, ‘If the shoe fits, wear it!’...I don’t even have shoes,” the vampire said, giving his two cents with a whine. All of a sudden, all three of them started talking, and my head was about to explode, “ENOUGH! Look, Steve, all you ever said was that he was stronger than you. Never once did you say he WASN’T a lower class. Fuck, if you knew he wasn’t, then you should have said he wasn’t! How the Hell am I supposed to know what you meant?” I stood there trying to decide. This was so out of the blue I suddenly wished Ayda was here. “You better not be fucking with me, or I’ll turn you into a pair of socks for a monkey!” I returned to the shelf where I kept my relaxing bedtime smoke a
It was dark, and damned streetlights were flickering in and out as I came up the side road by my house. It usually would annoy me, but I stayed feeling content anyway. Ayda was learning to open up. She needed to. Plus, I was safe from that crazy bitch that kidnapped me. Through it all, I’d found the sexy man, or wolf, of my dreams. I was never into dating, let alone sleeping with Others. I was quite against it. However, when I met Pheral for the first time, it was like love at first site. Or was that lust? Either way, his tall, dark, and quiet demeanor swept me out of my striped socks. Did I mention he was sexy? With those almond shaped exotic eyes, he could melt the polar caps. When I pulled up along the stone walls shielding the houses, my heart held a beat, hoping he was there, but I knew he wouldn’t be. Pheral’s boss, and pack leader, Cash, took on their pack as the new Alpha in charge. Pheral was helping with the transition. He isn’t an Alpha, or a Beta, just another wolf. “A