Immortal Unveiled

by Tina Folsom

  “Do we know anything about a Grayson?”

  The underling shook his head. “I’m afraid not, oh Great One.”

  “No matter,” Zoltan said to himself. Whomever Kim was bringing with her to collect the book was of no consequence, because Zoltan would be at the storage facility before them and gone before they even showed up.

  ~ ~ ~

  Manus let out a sigh of relief. The council meeting was finally over. They’d grilled him for far too long and discussed the action plan ad nauseum. But at least they’d agreed with him that this case was of the highest priority. And that Kim had to be protected while they were searching for the book. For once, the Council had praised him for his initiative and not reprimanded him.

  Manus pulled the door of the council chambers shut behind him and turned to the guard standing in the foyer. His fellow guardian was already handing him his cell phone, and Manus switched it on immediately while already heading down the corridor. He was halfway toward the stairs when a beeping sound alerted him to a voicemail. He pressed play and brought the phone to his ear.

  “Hey, Manus, it’s Kim. Grayson and I have found where Mom hid the book. It’s at the storage facility. She mailed it there, and the manager is holding it for me to pick it up. We’re going there right now. Meet us there if you get this message within the next hour.”

  There was a faint click, then another one.

  He pumped his fist in the air, excited that Kim had figured out her mother’s hiding place, though he was less thrilled about the fact that she and Grayson were going to the storage facility on their own. He tried to tell himself that Grayson was more than capable of protecting Kim, despite the fact that he couldn’t hide her from the demons.

  He hit the play button of the voicemail once more, wanting to reassure himself that he’d understood clearly what Kim was telling him. Kim’s message played in his ear again. When it ended, there was a click again, then a second one of the call ending. Odd. Two clicks. Why would there be two clicks? He looked at the number the call had originated from. He recognized it now: it was the landline at Nancy Britton’s house. For some reason, Kim hadn’t used her cell phone to call him.

  However, that wasn’t his immediate concern. There was something he’d heard in the landline, and he knew what it was. Recognized it from many decades ago. A crude device, for certain, but then not everybody went with the times, be it due to lack of skill or resources, Manus wasn’t sure. But if he wasn’t mistaken, somebody had listened in on Kim making the phone call from her mother’s house. And he could guess who: the demons.

  “Fuck!”

  The demons now knew where the book was and were most certainly on the way there. Just like Kim and Grayson. He had to warn them, or they’d run right into the arms of the demons.

  Without slowing his stride to make his way to the portal, he rang Grayson’s number. It didn’t even ring once but immediately went to voicemail.

  “Shit!”

  Rushing down the stairs to the level on which the council compound’s portal was located, he called Kim. At the first ring, he sighed with relief. Her cell phone was switched on. By the second ring, his heart began to pound louder. Was he already too late? When had Kim called him? Had she and Grayson already arrived at the storage facility and encountered the demons? Another ring, and he began to perspire.

  “Manus?”

  It was Logan, who answered Kim’s phone.

  Panic charged through his cells. “Where’s Kim? Why do you have her phone? Is she alright?”

  “No idea. I just answered it ‘cause it’s charging in the kitchen. Why?”

  “Fuck!” There was no way to warn her and Grayson about what they were running into. “Shit, shit, shit!”

  “Wha—?”

  “Kim and Grayson are in danger. Head to ABC Storage where Nancy Britton had her storage unit. The book’s there. It was always there. The manager has it. But the demons know. They know. And Kim and Grayson are on their way there.” The words were fairly pouring out of him. “They don’t know that the demons are on their way. And Grayson’s phone is off. I can’t warn them.”

  “Fuck!”

  “Get as many people there as you can. Now. As fast as possible. I’m on my way there.”

  “Even if I transport to the portal closest to the storage facility, it’ll still take me at least twenty minutes from there.”

  Manus cursed.

  “But Aiden and Hamish are out somewhere with Ryder. I’ll call them. Perhaps they’re closer. Go! I’ll take care of everything else.”

  Manus was already pressing his hand against the portal’s door and willing it to open.

  Please don’t let me be too late.

  36

  Zoltan marched into the office of the storage facility at the outskirts of Baltimore. The office shack was a functional one-story building with a glass door in the middle and windows to each side of it. On the door, the name of the business and the office hours were written in big white letters. The office itself was rather bare: a few visitor chairs, a clock on the wall, a door with the universal symbol for a unisex bathroom toward the left of it, and in the center of the office a high counter with another door behind it. The back office, Zoltan assumed, the one where the manager kept the book Nancy Britton had mailed.

  A clever move by the dead emissarius, he had to admit that. And the demon who’d followed her that day and later killed her had neglected to mention that Nancy had dashed into a post office while he’d been trailing her. Idiot! Had he bothered to tell the truth and give a report that didn’t omit anything, Zoltan would have been able to get his hands on the book months ago. Well, at least his underling had gotten his just desserts: a hot bath in the lava pit. Served him right.

  Luck was with Zoltan as he looked around the front office. It was empty. A little bell on the counter invited with the message Ring for service, but Zoltan didn’t accept the invitation. A glance at the clock confirmed that it was close to lunchtime. Was the manager out and had neglected to lock the office hut? Odd, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. This would be even easier than he’d expected.

  He walked around the counter and searched the shelves and surface on its reverse side, which were hidden from visitors. Since the manager was expecting Kim to pick up the book, maybe he’d already brought it out from the back office and placed it somewhere easily accessible. But Zoltan didn’t get the chance to rifle through the clutter that greeted him. The sound of a flushing toilet alerted him to the fact that he wasn’t alone after all.

  “Shit!” he cursed under his breath and rushed back to the other side of the counter, hitting the little bell just as a man stepped out of the restroom. The elderly man wiped his hands on his pants and looked at him.

  “Oh, hello, how may I help you?”

  Zoltan forced a smile. Change of plans. “Are you the manager?”

  “Yes, yes, that’s me, I’m Mr. Songhurst.” He walked behind the counter, all business now.

  “Ah, excellent. My friend Kim Britton sent me. She said she called you earlier to ask you about a package her mother mailed here… She asked me to pick it up for her,” Zoltan lied without blinking.

  Songhurst gave him a quizzical look. “She said she was coming herself, not that she was sending somebody.”

  “Yeah, well, plans change. She asked me to run this errand for her instead.” If Zoltan had to hold his fake smile any longer, his face would crack.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t give you the package. Not without a signed authorization by Ms. Britton. There are strict federal laws when it comes to mail, you know. If she can’t come herself, then have her email me a signed note or bring it with you next time you come.”

  Anger churned up in Zoltan. This little weasel was quoting laws to him? “A signed authorization, you said?” He reached into the inside of his coat. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place? I’ve got one right here.” He pulled out his dagger and pointed it at the insolent manage
r.

  Panic in his eyes, Songhurst spun around and lunged for the door behind him. He managed to open it and rush through it, but Zoltan was already vaulting over the counter. He reached the door just as Songhurst slammed it shut from the other side and flipped the deadbolt.

  It didn’t matter. A little lock had never stopped him before. With his shoulder, Zoltan pounded against the door, once, twice. On the third attempt, the wood frame around the lock splintered and the door gave way. Zoltan swung it open fully, and Songhurst screamed. As he should, because he’d just pissed off the most powerful demon this world had ever seen. Now he would pay for it. Dearly.

  ~ ~ ~

  Kim was glad that Grayson didn’t mind breaking a few traffic laws in order to get her to the storage facility as quickly as possible. Despite the speed limits he ignored, Grayson was a driver who made her feel safe. The knowledge that he had super-fast reflexes due to his vampire genes certainly had something to do with that.

  When they finally pulled up in front of the storage facility’s office, only one car was parked in a spot clearly marked Reserved for Management. Grayson stopped the car and switched off the engine.

  Kim reached for the handle and opened the door. “Wait here for me.” She hopped out of the car, but Grayson wasn’t listening and was already outside, coming around the hood by the time she’d slammed the car door shut.

  “I’m coming with you,” he insisted. “Protection, remember?”

  “You’d do better staying out here, watching my back,” Kim insisted, pointing to the road they’d come from and the paths leading to the rows of storage units. “Just in case a demon followed us.”

  Grayson gave it only a second’s thought, then nodded. “Fine. Make it quick. I’ll stay out here sniffing around.”

  She knew he meant it literally and nodded. “Back in a flash.”

  Kim headed for the entrance door and pulled it open. With a last look over her shoulder, she entered the building. The room was empty though she knew Mr. Songhurst couldn’t be far. He knew she was coming, and the door was unlocked despite the fact that it was lunchtime. Arrived at the counter, she noticed the bell on its surface and rang it.

  “Mr. Songhurst?”

  She glanced around when she heard a sound coming from the door behind the counter.

  “Mr. Songhurst?” she repeated. “It’s Kim Britton. I called earlier.”

  The manager didn’t reply, but she knew he was there. She could hear him rummaging through things in the back office. Impatient, she walked around the counter and gave a hesitant knock at the door. It creaked and opened enough for her to see a man bending over a cabinet, unwrapping something. She pushed the door open wider and made a step into the room.

  “Mr. Songhurst, the door was open…”

  The manager spun his head in her direction. “We’re closed for lunch,” he said in a brusque tone.

  Somewhat taken aback, Kim froze in her movements. “But I called earlier. About the package for my mother, Nancy Britton.” Her eyes were suddenly drawn to the item he’d been unwrapping, a book. It looked old. Was that the book her mother had sent to him for safekeeping? Why had he suddenly unwrapped it?

  “Uh, the package, yes,” he now said, “I’m afraid it’s not here after all.”

  “But you said on the phone that you found it—”

  “Honest mistake,” he said, his voice now even colder. “Looks like my employee returned it to the sender without my knowledge. I’m sure if you wait a few days, it’ll show up back at your mother’s house.”

  Kim stared at the book in his hand. She knew Songhurst was lying. But she also realized that he was far too big and far too strong for her to engage in a confrontation with him. He didn’t exactly look like the kind of man who would have a civil discussion about something, particularly if she accused him of lying to her. It was best to retreat and come back with Grayson. Surely, the vampire hybrid would be able to intimidate the man.

  “I’m sure,” she said as casually as she could and pivoted slowly. Her eyes fell on the doorframe. There, at eye level, the wood had splintered, and the remnants of a lock were still visible.

  Cold fear raced down her spine and paralyzed her body. The man in the back office wasn’t Mr. Songhurst. He had to be a demon, and this demon was now in possession of the book. If she left the office and alerted Grayson, the demon would have enough time to disappear through a vortex he could easily cast in the back office. She had to stall him until Grayson became impatient and followed her. Surely, the young hybrid wouldn’t wait outside the office forever.

  Slowly, Kim turned back toward the demon to engage him in a conversation. “Uh, Mr. Songhurst—”

  He stood only a couple of yards away from her now, his gaze sweeping back from the doorframe to her.

  Shit! He knew she’d noticed the broken lock, knew that she knew he wasn’t the manager. The evil glint in his eyes confirmed it. And though they weren’t green, she was certain he’d disguised them with colored lenses.

  Kim opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs, “Help! Grayson! H—”

  The demon’s hand around her neck cut off her cry for help. Would he kill her now the same way a demon had killed her mother? Was he perhaps the same creature?

  “You should’ve just left. But no, you had to turn around, didn’t you?” the demon hissed, his face now only inches from hers. “Now, come to Zoltan.”

  Her survival instinct kicked in. No, she couldn’t let this happen. Couldn’t let this evil monster suck the life out of her. She had to fight him, fight him until Grayson would come to her aid—if he’d heard her.

  With all her strength, she drew her knee up and rammed it in the demon’s crotch. The grip around her throat loosened, and she pulled free while the demon stumbled backward, groaning in pain, dropping the book in his hand to the floor so he could clutch his balls.

  “Grayson!” she screamed again and tossed a quick glance over her shoulder. Through the open door, she saw the hybrid. He was still outside, but he wouldn’t come to her aid—not until he’d defeated the two demons he was battling with. Zoltan hadn’t come alone.

  Fuck!

  Knowing she had to help herself, she lunged for the book on the floor, reaching it just as Zoltan seemed to recover from the kick in the balls.

  “You’ll pay for this,” he threatened.

  “Not if I can help it,” Kim vowed.

  37

  Manus turned into the entrance of ABC Storage barely slowing down the car. He’d teleported to the closest portal and stolen a car, then raced toward the storage facility without much regard for speed limits or traffic rules. He was glad for it now because the scene outside the storage facility’s office shack confirmed his worst fears.

  Grayson was battling two demons. Kim was nowhere to be seen.

  Fuck!

  Slowing down only marginally, Manus drove toward Grayson and the two demons. One of them turned his head, his green eyes gleaming in the sunlight. Manus veered toward him. He was only a couple of feet away from Grayson, but it would be sufficient. Manus kicked down the gas pedal and hit the demon with the front right bumper, catapulting him in the air.

  In his rearview mirror, Manus saw the demon slam back on the ground behind the car. Though he knew the evil creature wasn’t dead, he’d given Grayson a breather to more effectively battle the other demon. Manus stepped on the brakes. The car swerved and turned almost 180 degrees before it came to a halt. Manus jumped out of the car.

  “Where’s Kim?” he shouted in Grayson’s direction but was already racing toward the office.

  “Inside!” Grayson managed to call after him.

  Manus stormed into the office. The front office was empty, but the door to the back office stood open, and he could see and hear what was going on. Kim was fighting with a demon, barely holding him off by kicking and thrashing. She was fighting for her life.

  Manus charged around the counter and barreled into the back office. The demon snapp
ed his head in Manus’s direction and growled.

  “Get away from her!” Manus yelled and lunged for the demon.

  He now tossed Kim against the wall as if she’d been a mere toy he was done playing with. Kim moaned at the impact.

  Furious, Manus tackled the evil bastard and together they landed on the floor. The demon was massive, an inch or two taller than Manus and probably twenty to thirty pounds heavier. And not from fat either. He was all muscle. The demon kicked back and managed to toss Manus off him. Manus rolled away and immediately jumped back up, ready to trade blows and kicks with the asshole.

  The demon was ready, already delivering a punch that made Manus’s head whip sideways. But Manus was prepared. He kicked high with his foot and pushed the demon backward. To his surprise, his attacker stumbled over something. When the demon gripped the desk to prevent himself from falling, Manus glimpsed the obstacle to the demon’s feet: a pair of legs. Manus didn’t have to be a genius to guess who was lying unconscious, or possibly dead, behind the desk: the manager of ABC Storage. But there was no time to check if the guy needed medical attention, just like Manus couldn’t reassure himself that Kim’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, because the demon was already charging at him again. This time, he held a dagger in his hand.

  Manus ducked away and reached for his own dagger, ready to plunge it into the demon. But his opponent was too agile for his massive size. He sliced into Manus’s shoulder, making him wince at the pain and for an instant lose his concentration. But not long enough for the demon to do more damage. Manus made himself invisible to gain the upper hand and jumped past the demon. He stabbed his opponent, but the bastard had moved too fast, and Manus only grazed him on his left. Green blood spurted, staining Manus’s clothes and giving away his position.

  Shit!

  The demon’s injury was too superficial to slow him down. He kept coming, kept kicking with his feet and lunging with his dagger hand. And now with Manus’s skill of turning himself invisible rendered useless, he’d lost his advantage, and they were about equally matched.