The smile that slid over Teague’s face was one of the more disturbing expressions I’d ever seen someone wear.
“Ah. The would-be chess master’s queen is not quite so well schooled in the finer points of strategy, it appears.”
“Answer the damned question!” I snapped.
Teague’s smile didn’t falter. “Far away, I would imagine,” he said, “and well out of your reach.”
My knuckles whitened around the table edge. At an abandoned booth nearby, ice crackled inside a glass left sitting there, as the desire for cold revenge flowed through me unchecked.
“Vonnie,” Leonides said quietly.
I met his eyes reluctantly, not wanting to know what the expression on my face looked like. It was ugly, I was sure. With difficulty, I spared enough focus to rein in my escaping magic.
My former boss turned back to the Fae. “So. For the last time. Why are you here? And what do I need to do to get you to leave?”
Teague ran his reptilian gaze over both of us. “I’m here for research,” he said, his lips caressing the word. “And you need do nothing at all, nightcrawler. I’ve already seen what I needed to see.”
“Great,” Leonides said. “Good chatting with you, in that case. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.”
Teague smiled that disturbing smile again, his eyes lingering on me for a long moment before he turned and headed for the entrance. I sagged with reaction once he was out of sight, my painfully cheerful facade of the last few days cracking like broken pottery.
“Sit down,” Leonides said.
“Can’t,” I told him. “I’m on shift, and you’re not my boss anymore.”
Maurice approached the table, a phone held in his hand. The bouncer nodded at me in acknowledgement before proffering the cell to Leonides. “Message just came in for you, boss. Sorry, I mean... Mr. Leonides.”
With a sigh, Leonides took the phone and dismissed Maurice with a tip of his head. I frowned at the device.
“Why was Maurice holding your phone?” I asked.
“Because the Fae tend to fuck up electronics unless they’re taking special care not to, and I don’t feel like having to buy a new one tonight,” he said, unlocking the screen and thumbing through his notifications.
My hand flew to my pocket, pulling out my own cell. I pressed the power button and the screen lit. It seemed fine, so I put it back, relieved.
Leonides frowned at whatever he was reading.
“What is it?” I asked, not sure I really wanted to know.
Without comment, he turned the screen toward me so I could see for myself. It was a text message, from a phone number with an area code I didn’t recognize.
Come to Atlantic City immediately. Bring the human adept. Do not inform Ransley or Ms. Bright, it read.
Now it was my turn to frown. That frown deepened when the message disappeared from the screen without warning, despite the fact that Leonides hadn’t so much as touched it.
“What?” I asked, bewildered.
“Fucking demons,” Leonides said, as though it was an explanation. “Better let Sally know you’re unavailable for a few days. Apparently you and I are going on a little trip.”
FIFTEEN
IT TOOK A bit more prompting to get Leonides to confirm that the text had, in fact, been from Nigellus. According to him, such a request was unusual enough that he wasn’t inclined to dismiss it out of hand—mostly because he’d already agreed to help Nigellus look into the missing children, in exchange for Edward’s help.
Evidently, when you entered into a bargain with a demon, you were in it for the long haul. To my surprise, Leonides even seemed willing to go along with Nigellus’ admonition not to involve Zorah or Rans.
“Trust me, it’ll be simpler than dealing with the drama,” was all he would say.
Sometime when my world wasn’t falling apart, I really needed to dig into that backstory. At the moment, all I knew was that Rans had done a deal with Nigellus at some point in the past, and it had gone sour. He and Zorah were clearly pissed at the demon, but beyond that, the details were a mystery. I supposed it meant they probably would kick up a fuss if they knew we were about to pay him a house call.
If you’d asked me where a demon on Earth might choose to live, Atlantic City... might have made the top-twenty list? But only just. I’d been to the city once, when I was a kid on vacation with my parents, before everything in my life had gone to hell. My memories of it were mostly that it was gaudy. I wondered why Nigellus had chosen it, rather than, say, Paris or Las Vegas or Monte Carlo.
I supposed I could always ask him while we were there.
Before we left—which was apparently going to happen as soon as Leonides could get us plane tickets—there was one thing I needed to do. My vampire ex-boss might be cool with disappearing and not telling a soul where we were headed... but personally, I wanted more insurance than that.
“Len,” I said, catching him outside the employee entrance after the end of our shift. “Got a minute?”
Concern flashed across his face. “Yeah, Red. What’s up?”
“It’s just... I might need you to pass on a message for me,” I said. “But only if things go wrong, okay?”
The concern in his expression deepened. “Right, because that’s not ominous or anything. Spill. What the hell’s going on?”
I fidgeted. “Yeah, um... so, it’s funny you should mention Hell, actually.”
“You’re not reassuring me here, Vonnie. Seriously. Talk.”
I took a deep breath. “That Fae asshole, Teague? He showed up tonight to... I dunno... gloat, I guess? And then immediately after he left, the demon—Nigellus—texted Leonides and told both of us to come to Atlantic City. But we’re not supposed to let Zorah or Rans know we’re going there. So, I was hoping you could—”
“No,” Len said.
I stared at him. “I haven’t even told you what I need yet!”
“You want me to keep it secret, and then let them know where you went if the shit hits the fan.”
“That’s not—” I began, only to cut myself off and sigh. “Okay, yeah. Basically.”
“At which point,” Len continued inexorably, “Bela Lugosi and the Bride of Dracula will rip my arteries out and drain me dry for letting you do something this stupid without telling them about it right away.”
I frowned. “Don’t be so dramatic. Zorah and Rans aren’t going to rip your arteries out.”
He gave me an incredulous look.
“They won’t!” I insisted. “Here’s the thing. Leonides made a deal with this guy. The demon, I mean. Nigellus wanted him to investigate a bunch of other human children who are apparently being taken by the Fae. So the visit will probably be related to that. And it’s not like I’ll be going there on my own. I’ll be with our boss. Ex-boss. Whatever.”
Len crossed his arms stubbornly. “Still no.”
I met his gaze, letting him see some of the ragged edges I’d been hiding. “Jace is with those other kids, Len.”
His jaw twitched. “I—” He broke off, his eyes sliding away from me. “Goddamn it, Red.”
Sensing my advantage, I pressed ahead. “I’ll check in within twenty-four hours, promise. If I don’t, just give Zorah a call and let her know where we went, okay? Simple. If you like, you can tell her I left you a note, and you only just found it.”
Len’s mouth turned down unhappily. “What I want to know is this. Since when does Gramps the Vamp do deals with demons? He fuckin’ hates demons.”
The words caught uncomfortably in my chest before I choked them out. “Since it became the best way to help me find Jace,” I replied hoarsely.
He drew breath like he might say something else, but in the end he just shook his head.
“I really appreciate this, Len,” I told him, knowing how lame that sounded.
He watched me for a long moment with solemn gray eyes. “Don’t get killed on this quest, Red. Okay? That’s not gonna help
your kid one little bit.”
My throat tightened, and I swallowed to clear it. “Definitely not getting killed,” I promised. “I’ve already survived a SWAT team and the Russian mafia, right? What’s a single demon on a boardwalk?”
Len shook his head at me. “Goddamn it, you really are as crazy as the rest of them, aren’t you?” He pointed a finger in my face. “You check in with me twice a day until you get back, hear me? No excuses.”
“No excuses,” I agreed.
* * *
I’d expected to be nervous while flying, after what had happened with Jace. Mostly, though, I was impatient to find out what Nigellus thought was so important that it justified jetting halfway across the country for an in-person super-secret meeting, rather than an email or a phone call.
We ended up flying into Philadelphia rather than direct to Atlantic City. I fired off a quick check-in text to Len while Leonides was busy renting a car. He drove us the sixty-odd miles to get to Nigellus’ stylish mansion near the beach in taciturn silence.
Once we arrived, I stared at the house with fascination. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected a demon’s residence to look like... but this wasn’t it.
Edward opened the front door with a smile—albeit one that seemed a bit strained around the edges. “Vonnie. Mr. Leonides,” he greeted. “Do come in.”
Nigellus’ butler looked... exactly like he had the last time I’d seen him. In other words, not at all like an octogenarian who’d been shot with a high-powered rifle less than a week ago.
Indelible, Nigellus had called him.
I put aside my exhaustion and worry to muster a smile for him in return. “Hi, Edward. Looks like you can’t get rid of me, huh?”
The strain in his expression deepened for a moment before he hid it. “You must be fatigued after the trip to get here. Let me take your luggage, and I’ll fix you a light lunch. Sir, there’s a fresh bag of O-positive in the refrigerator that I’d be happy to warm up for you.”
Leonides stared at Edward for a beat. “Depends. Do I even want to know where it came from?”
A wry note entered the old butler’s voice. “One hundred percent home grown, I assure you,” he said, tapping a finger to the vein in the side of his neck. “Free range, humanely harvested—so to speak.”
Leonides shook his head. “If you say so, Edward.”
“Very good, sir. Do make yourselves comfortable. I’ll just take these overnight bags to the third floor guest rooms.”
Edward made to take our luggage, but Leonides interrupted him.
“Where’s our host, anyway? I expected him to be waiting on us, given the tone of the summons he sent me.”
The tension nibbling at the edges of Edward’s expression returned. “I’m afraid he was called away for a brief consultation with the demon council, sir. He’d hoped to make it back from Hell before your arrival, but I expect him any time now.”
Hardly ominous at all, I thought, echoing Len’s words to me the previous day.
“Lovely,” Leonides said flatly. “You know, maybe I’ll take that drink after all.”
“Very good, sir,” Edward replied, ushering us into an airy sitting room before disappearing upstairs with our overnight bags.
It was, at least, clear to me now why Nigellus needed a butler. While not overwhelmingly huge, the place was still a large, three-story house filled with enough hardwood flooring and expensive furniture that I couldn’t imagine the labor necessary to keep on top of the dusting alone. Silence settled heavily over the sitting room as I examined the pleasant furnishings and bookshelves that practically groaned beneath the weight of their leather-bound contents.
“Huh. I expected more—I dunno—gargoyles, I guess?” I observed, taking in the view of the boardwalk beyond the bay window.
Leonides joined me, his gaze following mine. “I expected less proximity to saltwater.”
I frowned up at him. “What do you mean?”
A faint brush of displaced air tickled the back of my neck, and my pendant pulsed a warning against my throat. I turned to find Nigellus standing on the other side of the room, looking as suave and put-together as ever in an expensive, dove gray suit.
“Your vampire companion refers to the demonic vulnerability to salt,” he said, sounding unconcerned. “But personally, I find it’s generally best to do the opposite of what others expect one to do. Besides, the rhythm of the ocean waves against the shore can be quite soothing.”
“As long as no one dunks you in it?” Leonides added.
“Hardly a pressing concern,” Nigellus replied dismissively.
I supposed that for someone who could pop in and out of existence at will, it wouldn’t be.
Edward appeared at the base of the stairs. “Oh, good, you’re back. I was just about to arrange a light meal for our guests. Would you care for anything, sir?”
“Break out a bottle of the Courvoisier from the cellar if you please, Edward,” said the demon.
“Of course, sir,” Edward replied, and disappeared to work whatever culinary magic was necessary to satisfy the midday dietary needs of one human, one vampire, and one demon.
Leonides turned to face our demon host. “I don’t generally respond well to mysterious summons from demons, Nigellus.”
“And I don’t generally issue them,” Nigellus replied, unruffled. “Not in this realm, at any rate.”
“So what’s the special occasion?” I asked.
“I needed to personally ensure that neither of you had been tagged with Fae tracking spells again before discussing the matter at hand,” said the demon. “And I would prefer to avoid the complications caused by traveling to St. Louis, given Ransley and Ms. Bright’s presence there. This seemed simplest.”
“Why would you think either of us had been tagged again?” I echoed. “Edward removed the tracking spell on me, and I haven’t—” The memory of Teague aiming some unspecified magic at me in the club resurfaced, and I broke off. “Oh. Right.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve had additional contact with our wayward Fae commander, then.”
Leonides crossed his arms. “He made another appearance at the club, yes.”
“He tried to use magic on me, but I’m pretty sure I was able to block it,” I said. “Or, well... pull it into me somehow? Through my pendant.”
“Intriguing,” Nigellus murmured.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Funny. That’s what he said.”
“I will still need to check,” the demon insisted. “Or I suppose I could have Edward do it, if you’d rather.”
“Just get on with it,” Leonides told him.
“Ms. Morgan?” Nigellus asked, lifting a hand toward me.
I glanced at Leonides, trying not to let my nervousness show. He seemed more irritated than alarmed, though—so I returned my attention to the demon. “Yeah, um... sure. Just a second, though.”
I fumbled for the clasp of my necklace, intending to remove it.
“I assure you,” Nigellus said, “the pendant is not a hindrance to me.”
And... okay. That sent a frisson of disquiet up my spine. Assuming it was true, I was less than thrilled with the idea that the object I’d come to rely on for protection against the supernatural forces that surrounded me these days was useless in the face of Nigellus’ demonic power.
“Maybe so,” I told him, “but I’m still not in any hurry to get another cleavage burn. That’s... really not my idea of a good time, okay?”
I unhooked the necklace and held it out to Leonides, who took it from me wordlessly.
Nigellus lifted his hand again, and this time I nodded my permission. Warm fingertips settled on my forehead for the space of a couple of seconds before moving to the base of my throat, and then, for the briefest of instants, to the place between my breasts where the garnet usually hung.
He stepped back, looking at me with renewed interest. “It appears you have indeed thwarted a Fae’s attempt to spell you, and ingested his magic raw instead.
Impressive, for a human. Though, it was perhaps not the wisest course to make the commander aware that you have such an ability.”
I scowled at him. “You do realize, it’s not like I’m doing any of this stuff on purpose. Cut me a bit of slack, here—some of us have only had thirty years or so to figure things out. Not three billion.”
A noise like a badly stifled snort sounded next to me, and I snatched my necklace back from Leonides when he offered it. Nigellus eyed the vampire, unimpressed.
“If you will indulge me,” he said, reaching for Leonides next. “Fae magic reacts badly to vampire magic in the normal course of things, but a powerful enough practitioner might be able to overcome that problem. It pays to be thorough.”
Leonides gave him a sour look, but allowed the touch. The demon nodded when he was finished.
“This had better be in pursuit of something important, Nigellus,” was all Leonides said.
Nigellus’ voice turned hard. “I told you before that left unaddressed, the Fae’s actions would become everyone’s problem soon enough. That time is quickly approaching.”
Again, I felt a shiver of dread crawl through me.
“Oh, good,” Leonides said. “A demon bearing an ambiguous, vaguely threatening prophecy? Because that always ends well.”
Before I could snap at one or both of them to just get on with it already, Edward reappeared with a tray bearing two glasses. The liquid in one was an expensive shade of amber, while the other was... not the red wine it appeared to be at first glance. I was a bartender, and red wine did not coat the inside of a glass like that when it sloshed. I swallowed, suddenly unable to look Leonides in the eye.
Edward handed out the drinks and turned to me. “If you’d care to join me in the kitchen, Vonnie, I have a sandwich made up for you.”
Edward was way too sweet and polite for the words to sound like what they were—come with me and let’s leave the grown-ups alone to talk. His diplomatic tone didn’t stop me from whirling to glare at Nigellus, though.
“Oh, hell, no,” I said, the irony of my choice of words only hitting me after they’d already passed my lips. I shook my head sharply and plowed on. “This is my son. If you think I’m just going to slink off and wait in the kitchen while you two discuss him—”
Vampire Bound: Book Two Page 11