All right, I may have said that after he insulted my emergency elastic habit.
“So where does this guy live?” I ask, gazing at the insect infestation below.
Every few seconds, a car honks, but from up here, it’s almost inaudible.
“On Fourth Avenue,” Drax says, pointing down in its general direction.
“Apartment building?” I ask.
He nods. “If I can get a second to talk to him—”
“Yeah,” I say dismissively. “We need to get down to the bank, first.”
“Thought you didn’t want to be seen,” Drax says.
I don’t, but the longer I let my money sit in there, the closer I get to losing all of it. There’s a good chance Jamieson already got involved after I told him to go fuck himself. He wanted Veerka’s sapphire necklace for reasons I have yet to understand, and I didn’t deliver it.”
“If only Rachel were here right about now,” I say. “I’d have her morph me into someone else.”
“You think anyone will recognize you?” Ace asks.
“It’s possible,” I say.
Deep down, I know it’s more than possible. After the stunt I pulled on Jamieson, no way is he letting me off the hook. Whether he wants his money back or my head on a silver platter, I’ll have to be careful. The thought of taking him out myself has crossed my mind, but the issue with that is that Jamieson has a following like no other. If I kill him, there’s no telling how many crazed feebles—or vampires, now that I know he’s working with them—will come after me.
“And how exactly do you expect to pull twenty thousand dollars out of the bank without alerting anyone?” Ace asks.
Gazing down at the speeding taxi, I cross my arms. “Quickly.”
Admittedly, this idea is a bit rash. Although walking into a bank and demanding to extract money might sound simple enough, it isn’t. Not when it comes to large sums like that. What I need is to get in touch with Ouru and find a way to transfer my funds to offshore accounts without anyone noticing. He knows a tech genius who has the means to do this. All I need is the time, which I know is limited.
“Maybe you should try using the machine first,” Drax says.
I don’t bother asking him why he’d suggest such a weird approach. I know how Drax thinks, and the suggestion makes sense. Why waste my time and risk my life walking up to a teller when there’s a possibility that Jamieson has already emptied my account? If I go to the bank machine, I’ll know right away. I’d much rather check my balance online, but it turns out that isn’t a possibility.
What I’d like to know is why my cell service and internet aren’t working. If Ace’s phone isn’t working, it either means the problem isn’t personal or it’s related to the magical war. Did someone shut down the internet and cellular towers to prevent feeble communication?
I rub my chin, pondering this over.
It would make perfect sense.
If anything, it’s brilliant. What better way to divide feebles than to cut off their primary source of communication?
“Ace, care to take me down?” I ask.
I’d fly down, but it’s broad daylight and someone would spot me. Besides, if things get out of hand, having Ace by my side is a huge bonus. At the speed of light, he can transport us anywhere.
It’s a lot easier to convince feebles that they hallucinated someone disappearing than it is to convince them that the horned demon with wings they saw wasn’t real.
“Hey,” Drax cuts in. “What about me?”
“Were you not paying attention to anything I told you earlier? Feebles can see demons in their true forms right now.”
He grimaces and throws his chin toward the city. “Um, you sure about that?”
With my toes sticking off the ledge, I peek down below. Among countless feebles are demons of all colors, shapes and sizes, and no one is freaking out.
“The Elders must have countered the spell,” Ace says.
“Fine, you can come,” I say.
Ace steps forward, locks his arms around ours, and everything disappears.
When I open my eyes again, I’m standing in the bank’s bathroom with Drax and Ace next to me.
“Well this is going to look awkward,” I say.
Ace smirks, no doubt understanding that I’m referring to the three of us walking out of a bathroom together.
“Wait here,” he says, and disappears instantly.
When he returns, a soft swooshing sound bounces off the bathroom tiles and he places a black ball cap on my head. “This might help.”
“Thanks.” I push it down as far as I can and reach for the bathroom’s door handle.
Fortunately, the bank’s corridor is empty when we step out, but I make it a point to keep my head lowered to avoid the cameras. If Jamieson is still looking for me, he no doubt has someone accessing surveillance cameras throughout all of San Halos.
Did I go too far by crossing Jamieson? Now that I know he’s working with the vampires, I question whether I’ve pushed my luck. All my life, I’ve done everything in my power to avoid pissing off the vamps, yet here I am… having done it again.
If only I could talk to Veerka.
I need to know what’s happening on her end.
What if the vampires aren’t even responsible for this? What if it’s someone else?
I march down the bank’s hall with Ace and Drax following behind and make my way to the bank machine farthest from the tellers’ counter. Angry clients protest with clenched fists as the teller tries to explain something to them.
Is the internet outage also affecting accounts?
Shit.
I hope not.
Quickening my steps, I hurry to the machine and insert my debit card, lowering my head so my ball cap shadows my face. I sense someone walking behind us, so I glance sideways to check it out.
A man with a gold chain and a big tattoo on his neck eyeballs me but keeps walking. I’m about to face the machine again when I realize I know this guy.
“You,” I breathe, and Clock Dragon does that same thing I did—a double take.
I was so caught up in my head that my brain didn’t register who he was when I first saw him. His eyes pop out a bit and he takes a step back. The guy fears me, which says a lot considering he works for the vampires.
It looks like he’s about to run, so I snatch him by the collar and slam him against the bank machine.
So much for keeping a low profile.
Several eyes turn our way, so I keep my face close to his and both Drax and Ace move in, shielding us from view.
“Where the fuck is it?” I hiss.
He scrunches his nose as if I just ate a can of tuna, which I most certainly did not.
“Lady, I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” He reaches for my wrist, and although mine is half the size of his, it’s a hundred times stronger.
Pathetic feeble.
“You get one warning,” I say, my fangs slowly coming out.
Control yourself, Alexis. There are feebles around.
“The fuck do you want from me?” he says, still squirming. “You said you’d leave me alone after I did you a solid. I did what you asked. You’re gonna get me killed, you know that?”
Footsteps echo behind us, and Drax clears his throat. “Um, Alexis. Security coming at three o’clock.”
“Six o’clock,” Ace corrects, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “Technically—”
“Would you two shut up?” I hiss.
The footsteps grow louder, and although I refuse to turn around and look at the guards, I can tell there are three coming my way.
“Where the fuck is the amulet and the book?” I say. “I swear to Athena herself, if you don’t answer me, I’ll fly you straight up through this goddamn ceiling and crush your skull. I don’t give a shit if anyone sees—”
“The book?” he says, looking confused. “As in the Book of Origin?”
My grip tightens around his throat, and I bare my
teeth at him. “Yeah, that book. I know those slimebag vampires have at least half of it, so you’re going to tell me exactly—”
“Lady, you got it all wrong,” he says, almost laughing now. “You’re tellin’ me you ain’t the one who got the book?”
I’m too shocked and confused by his reaction to keep squeezing his throat, so I let go.
My confusion must be written all over my face. He gives me his cocky smirk like I don’t know shit and sucks on his front teeth. “Man, I had a feeling it wasn’t you.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“Hey!” comes an authoritative male voice. “What’s going on over here?”
Although I still refuse to turn away from Clock Dragon, or Adrian if I recall correctly, I can picture the guards perfectly—puffed chests, hands on their useless batons, and frowns so pronounced their brows protrude from their faces.
Clock Dragon glances toward them and shakes his head. Then, in a whisper, he says, “The vampires are blaming the fae for this, and apparently, you guys are blamin’ them. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone set you up.” With pouted lips, he throws his chin out at me as if to emphasize my stupidity. “And if you guys don’t smarten the fuck up soon, you’re gonna get us humans killed.”
A hint of anger flashes across his face.
I blink once, then twice.
I’ve been around enough feebles to know when they’re lying, and Clock Dragon isn’t lying.
“Step away from the man and put your hands in the air,” comes that same voice.
Dumb wannabe cop.
If I turn around—and if Jamieson is after me—they might call for backup or things might get heated. So instead, I stick my hands up and take a step back from Clock Dragon.
“All good here, boys. Just friends sorting out their differences. You know how it is.”
“Turn around and put your hands in the air,” that same voice repeats.
He sounds more menacing this time, like he’s about to whip out his gun even though it’s against protocol unless there’s an immediate threat, and it’s not like I have a knife against Clock Dragon’s throat. Or maybe they do know who I am, and they’ve been instructed to take me in dead or alive.
Drax leans into me. “Might wanna act fast. Guy on the left is reaching for his gun.”
“Guy on the right,” Ace says and Drax shoots him a death glare.
Well, it looks like busting upward and through the ceiling of this bank might be my one option. It’ll be much easier telling the Council of Elders that my actions directly resulted from wanting to deliver pertinent information relevant to this war than to tell them I needed to crush a few skulls in front of witnesses.
Sighing, I roll my head until my neck cracks, and Clock Dragon grimaces at the sound. “See you later,” I say, prepared to grab Drax and Ace around their torsos and shoot us all upward.
Although the plan sounds dangerous—I mean, it’s pretty reckless to smash through layers upon layers of concrete and brick—I have it all figured out. I’m agile, so midair, I’ll wrap my legs around Drax and Ace and use my fists to break apart an opening for us.
The last thing I want is for Drax’s head to get in the way. He may be fae, but his skull isn’t made of iron and he isn’t immortal. He wouldn’t come out of it alive.
Or, I could stop trying to be so badass and ask Ace to get us the fuck out of here.
Boring.
But it’s the smarter plan.
The second I lean into him, I hear a gun being cocked. “Get on the floor, now!”
I bite down hard, doing everything in my power to keep my wings and horns from coming out.
If this son of a bitch wants to threaten me at gunpoint, so help me God—
But then, something unexpected happens.
Everything goes quiet… so quiet that I think I’ve gone deaf. In front of me, Clock Dragon stares straight forward like he’s about to seize, or like he’s made eye contact with Medusa.
He looks… frozen.
I frown at him, waiting for his expression to change, but it doesn’t.
“Um, Alexis,” Ace says.
Slowly, I turn around to find people frozen in place throughout the bank.
“What the fuck…” Drax breathes.
I turn back to face Clock Dragon, my index finger hovering inches away from his face. Maybe if I poke him, he’ll move. But before I can do that, his skin turns blue and breaks apart into what appear to be illuminated shards of glass.
An overpowering swooshing sound spreads throughout the bank. Around us, people break apart into bright bits.
“What the hell is going on?” I say.
The speckles of light swirl upward, and as they slip through the overhead ceiling, bodies disappear entirely, leaving a few people to wander about as confused as I am.
And by people, I mean shadow dwellers.
“No fucking way,” I say.
Ace steps forward, his gaze scanning the almost empty bank. “I can’t believe it. They pulled off the Interruptus spell.”
Drax looks both terrified and excited. “What does that mean? No more humans? Freedom for us? Or, wait a minute. My dealer’s human. Shit.” He paces, his heavy footsteps resonating off the bank’s marble walls. “And what about the internet? I mean, I know a few Gorton demons that work in the industry, but everyone knows that feebles manage all of that. This isn’t good. This is definitely not good.” His pacing quickens, and the moment he’s arm’s length away from me, I slap him across the face.
His face goes blank.
“Would you snap out of it and calm?” I say. “Freaking out won’t fix any of this.”
“Then tell me, genius, what are we supposed to do?”
Ace cuts in. “From what I’m told, an Interruptus spell can’t last more than twenty-four hours. And for the council to cast a spell of that magnitude means they’re preparing for war.”
Drax’s big reptilian eyes dart from me to Ace.
“We need to find Rachel,” I say. “Hopefully she’ll have found Zerachu by now.”
A young woman with green skin and pink wings races across the bank, her lanky legs scissoring as her backpack bounces up and down, dropping spell books, a wand, and a pouch of dust.
Ignoring her, I add, “The council is prepared to go to war with the vampires, but if the vampires didn’t do this, it means we’re fighting the wrong bad guy. Whoever did this wants both sides to suffer. If we don’t do something about it, shadow dwellers will start killing each other for nothing, and millions of people will die.”
Ace, looking as calm as always, crosses his arms, his leather jacket squeaking. “What do you suggest?”
Although my heart and mind are at war with each other over my racing thoughts, I know what I need to do even though it’s the last thing I want to do. “First, we deliver my bike to the Krim demon and save Drax’s ass. Then, we need to get the vampires and the fae to join forces.”
There’s a long pause, almost as if we’re waiting for some intense theme music to kick in… the kind of music you’d hear at the end of a television series’ season finale.
But nothing happens.
Instead, Drax gives me a look that makes me question my sanity.
“What?” I say.
“You make it sound like getting enemies to team up is as easy as cracking a nut.”
Ace’s eyebrow pulls up. “Cracking a nut isn’t—”
Drax waves a scaly hand to shut him up.
I get where Drax is going with this. It won’t be easy. I’m not an idiot. Vampires and fae have been at war for ages. But if Clock Dragon was telling the truth, then whoever caused all of this is trying to worsen the conflict, which means shadow dwellers are going to kill each other for nothing.
I have no clue how I’m going to go about uniting the different clans—all I know is that we need to try. It’ll get messy, but if we don’t do this, things will get even messier.
I stare at my friends
, telepathically asking them if they’re ready to fight for this cause.
They seem to understand—Drax crosses his thick green arms and nods. Ace stiffens his stance.
We can do this.
I’m shocked by my thoughts. We has never been part of my vocabulary. I’ve always been a lone wolf type of girl. But I know it’s time I put that behind me. If we hope to save the world—wow, I’m on a roll with this heroic stuff—we need to work together.
The mission itself might sound suicidal, but I like to think we have good odds thanks to our kick-ass team. I have two trustworthy friends willing to fight by my side, a witch with the potential to be as powerful as Zerachu, and, well… me—a demigod.
There’s no stopping us.
For the first time in years, I have no desire to chug back a few beers to calm my nerves. Am I worried? A bit. But something inside me says that if we work together, we can do this.
I elevate my chin, offer my boys a sly smile, and plant my hands on my hips like Supergirl.
“Come on,” I say, jerking my head sideways. “Let’s stir some shit up.”
Fatal Blow - Sample
(Book 3 of the Succubus Hitwoman series)
Prologue
──────────
He stares into me, his blazing blue eyes resembling shards of glass. When I don’t look away, he pushes the tip of his medieval sword into my throat. His grip tightens and his forearm muscles harden. “You have some nerve showing up here, Alexis.”
Rapid footsteps echo behind me, but they stop the moment my attacker’s eyes roll up.
Lowering his head, he glares at Ace and Drax and a villainous smile stretches his face. “One more step and your little friend here loses her head.”
This can’t be happening.
It isn’t possible.
“What’s the matter, Alexis? Were you expecting someone else?”
“Yeah, actually.”
He pushes his sword forward again and I wince. In any other scenario, no way would I be so complacent with a man threatening my life, but right now, I’m too taken aback to think clearly. If he’s still standing after what happened, what else is he capable of?
Lethal Blow: (Succubus Hitwoman Book 2) Page 17