by LJ Swallow
“At least I’m one who’s still alive.”
Xander turns away and I hear him mutter, “For now.”
“Guys, listen.” Ripley holds his hands out with a placating smile. “Let’s be civil.”
I suck my lips together and don’t speak. The amount of demon energy around this room screws with my brain and ability to stay calm. Will Xander stay calm? I walk across to him and pour a drink, back to the others.
“Xander,” I whisper. “Let’s walk out of here and end this, the way the angels told us to.”
“My exact plan.” He drains his glass and sets it on the bar before turning. “Guys, let’s go.”
Someone raps on the door and the security guy opens it. Ripley stands. We all twist our heads around and two girls dressed in not very much support each other and wave a bottle of champagne in his direction.
I groan inwardly at the tackiness, which switches to unease as they step into the room and stare at me.
“We didn’t realise this was a big party,” pouts the girl with her blonde hair loose across her shoulders. She wrinkles her nose at me and flicks a look up and down. “Some of us aren’t dressed for a night like the one planned.”
My cheeks heat. Why doesn’t this stupid human reaction stop? I’m not the shy, unsure Verity anymore. I’m about to save their bloody world.
Ripley walks over and curls an arm around each of them, leading them toward the sofa. “These guys? No, they’re not interested in having fun.”
The disappointment in the second girl’s face is as unhidden as her large breasts.
Ripley sinks backwards and pulls the giggling pair onto him. “I’m different to the Horsemen. I don’t like to share.”
I’m positive I’m not the only person in the room relieved we’re cutting ties. Ripley proved himself a useless, pain in the arse, but the short alliance helps the guys. They've seen behind Ripley’s iron curtain, and now know he’s not as strong and untouchable as he pretends.
25
VEE
“Hotel bar?” suggest Heath as we enter the lobby after our meeting with Ripley. “I think Xander needs to calm his nerves. Right, Xan?”
He pushes Xander in the shoulder, who breaks out of his distracted thinking and pushes Heath back.
I squint under the lights. “Jeez, you guys are so obvious.”
He holds out a hand. “Syv could be waiting for us there. Isn’t she supposed to meet us at this hotel?”
“Yeah, bars are her usual meeting place,” says Joss with a chuckle.
“I don’t think she’s here yet. She hasn’t messaged anyone. One drink while we wait?” Heath heads away without waiting for agreement.
Like horses drawn to water, the guys head through the black door into the subtly lit bar at the back of the hotel. I trail behind with Ewan. As we walk through the lobby, a loud argument echoes through the high-ceilinged space. A man’s voice in low tones tries to reason with a raised female voice.
I recognise the voice before I recognise the hair.
Syv stands, back to me, gesticulating around her as a concierge attempts to prevent her leaving. Definitely the red-haired mercenary I last saw covered in trouble after her trip to Paris. I grab Ewan’s arm but he’s already spotted her.
“Syv?”
“What’s happening?” asks Ewan.
Syv spins around. She crosses her arms and backs away from the grey-haired, middle-aged man.
“This young lady is intoxicated and disturbing other guests.”
“I am not intoxicated!” she retorts. She sways to one side, contradicting her words. “I’m just tired. Jet lag.”
Syv stalks to a nearby lobby sofa, and the alarmed concierge follows. Syv’s a mess. Her red hair is scraped into a ponytail away from her face, revealing dark smudges beneath her eyes set in a pale face. That and her dishevelled clothes makes her look like she belongs in a divey hotel. Not here. Her aggression toward the concierge doesn’t help.
But what the hell is happening with Syv?
“Do you know this woman?” asks the concierge.
“Yes. She’s a friend.” The man flicks Heath a disdainful look at his words. “If she’s caused any issues, we can sort it out.”
The man pulls something from his pocket and rests it in the palm of his hand. A large pendant, jeweled with diamonds and an onyx centre on a thick silver chain.
An expensive one.
“She was caught acquiring this from our jewellery store.”
“That was careless, Syv,” puts in Joss, shaking his head. “You’re slipping.”
“He planted it on me,” she protests. “I came here looking for you.”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would we do that?” snorts the guy.
“You tell me!” She nods at the necklace. “Not my preferred style, either. Big and tacky.”
The man looks at her in disbelief. “You know damn well this is worth thousands.”
She shrugs. “Again, not interested. I can make more money than that bauble is worth from things easier to…” She smirks. “Find.”
The guy turns to me. “We’ve seen her sneaking around the hotel and loitering around the stores on the ground floor. We have security footage.” Syv mutters something under her breath. “I was about to escort her quietly to an office while I called and waited for the authorities. Instead of coming quietly, she starts behaving like a psycho.”
“You grabbed me!” she snaps back. “Listen, dude. I had no way to access your pretty jewellery behind the glass cabinets, even if I’d wanted to. Somebody planted this on me.”
“And that’s a ridiculous excuse.” The man sneers at her. “Why else would someone like you come in here?”
“To meet my friends.” She points at us. “I don’t see you hassling them. Are you judging me?”
The concierge blinks at her. “In my experience, people who look like you don’t come here to purchase a room.”
“I could be a millionaire, for all you know.”
“Uh huh.” The man shakes his head. “Just come with me and we can deal with the situation privately.”
She tips her head and raises a brow at Ewan. “Maybe this lovely man could show you the security footage? Prove I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“I don’t feel like getting involved,” he replies. I nudge Ewan in the ribs. Does he forget what Syv did for us all? I’ve no clue what’s happening here, but we need to intervene. We all know Ewan can make ‘adjustments’ to the tape if there is anything on there. He sighs. “Fine.”
“Why would I let you see the footage?” The man frowns down as Ewan takes his elbow and leads him to one side. I can’t see clearly what they do next but money appears to change hands.
“What’s happening?” I whisper to Syv.
“Long story. But I didn’t steal that shitty necklace.”
A woman dressed in a designer dress snaps her head around at Syv’s loud exclamation. Syv pulls a falsely sweet smile and utters an equally false apology for her language.
“Wait here.” Ewan crosses back to us and points after the man. “I’ll sort this. And you’d better have a bloody good reason for drawing attention to us.”
Syv pouts. “You were the ones who said you knew me. I told you I was meeting you here.”
“Yeah, to keep a low profile in the bar and not get involved in dumb shit.”
“I was in the bar! He dragged me out.”
I sit on the sofa with Syv while a hotel demon stands at a discrete, but warning, distance.
“You believe me?” Syv asks. “Honestly, the last thing I want to do now is draw attention to myself. I still have people following me.”
“Who?”
She shrugs. “Different people. They don’t get close. Plus—” She rubs her nose.
“Plus what?”
“I’ve seen Spot around.”
“Around where? Bloody hell, in public?” Ewan has watched out for attacks by, or reports of, Spot, but there’s been none.
&
nbsp; “No. Maybe I imagined it, but a Spot-sized dog is hard to mistake.”
“Did you see him after a few drinks?” I ask and she scowls at me. “Just saying, Syv.”
She shuffles down in her seat and stretches her legs out. “Fine. Tell me more about what shit you’ve been involved in.”
I give Syv a brief rundown on recent events, repeatedly glancing at our unofficial bodyguard close by, but he doesn’t show any interest. As with the last time I gave her a rundown, her expression remains neutral.
“Since Paris, I’m being followed more. I’m worried what will happen next. Paris hurt, and I don’t have Col with me at all times.” She sighs. “He’s distracted by the Portia issue. No idea what’s happening there. Where are Heath and Xander?”
“Hotel bar.”
Syv perks up. “Good plan.”
The security guard straightens and looks behind us. I twist my head around too and Ewan approaches with the pissed-off concierge. Ewan isn’t far from Syv’s look—recent stress has taken its toll on him. Unkempt hair, leather jacket and a build and stance that would scare people. Especially with that sour look on his face.
He stops short of us and regards Syv with a tightlipped expression. “We can go.”
“We?” I ask.
“Yes. I’d appreciate if you all moved on. Then we can avoid any more ah… unpleasantness.” The guy’s attitude remains stiff and unimpressed, but at least he’s not threatening Syv with police involvement now.
“Is everything straightened out?” I ask Ewan.
He nods curtly. “The footage appears to have been wiped.”
A guilty silence hangs between him and the concierge, who no doubt has a pocket full of cash now.
“But I’d appreciate it if you’d accompany your friend and leave my hotel.”
I widen my eyes. “What? Why?”
“I feel it’s best for all concerned.” I look in confusion at Ewan, who pulls a face. “I don’t think this establishment suits you all.”
I wait for Ewan to argue and for Syv to step up too, but Ewan shrugs. “Probably best we move on. Things to do.” He’s gruff and still half-scowling at Syv. “I need to find an ATM. I’m suddenly short of cash.”
26
VEE
Syv continues her denial on the journey back to the house. The protest ends with Ewan telling her to shut up and Syv glaring out the window rather than retort to the guy who saved her skin.
Inside the house, she immediately circles the lounge and dining rooms, studying pictures on the wall and trinkets on the shelves with interest.
“Fae?” she asks.
“Yes.” Xander straightens. “But no stealing shit to give to the Collector.”
She huffs. “As if I would. Give me the tour. This place is fucking awesome. Y’know, when you pay me for all my help, I might buy somewhere like this.”
“Wait, don’t go in—” Xander’s too late as Syv pushes open the door to the trashed room. The attempt to tidy up hasn’t made much difference.
Syv surveys the remains of his destruction impassively and closes the door again. She chews on her lip, fighting a smile as she nods at him. “Did you have a bad day, Xander?”
“Right now, every day is a bad fucking day,” he mutters and turns away.
Syv mouths at me ‘what happened?’ and I place a finger on my lips to hush her.
“Did you steal something from the hotel?” asks Joss as we follow Xander into the kitchen.
“How many bloody times do I need to say this? I’m not interested in human trinkets. I don’t have clients who want jewels, do I? Someone framed me.”
“Why would they do that?” I ask and close the kitchen door.
“I told you, people are following me. Maybe they don’t want me with you, I don’t know.” A shudder runs through her. “I bet it wasn’t the authorities who were about to take me.”
“She could be right. The concierge was human, but a lot of Ripley’s men were there,” says Joss.
Xander shrugs. “Ripley said she was insignificant.”
“Huh. Rude bastard.” Syv peels off her jacket and drops it onto the table. “You know I’ve never worked directly for Ripley, and I don’t have any further information to help the situation. What’s the point in him taking me? Probably some other dodgy shit I was involved in come back to haunt me.”
Syv’s reassurance is to herself and doesn’t take away my doubt. Someone wanted her taken out of the picture. Like Breanna was.
“Maybe they don’t want Syv to identify the weapon?” suggests Xander. “Ewan. Show the blade to Syv.”
Ewan pulls open a kitchen drawer and unwraps the silver weapon from the towel it’s hidden in. He places the item on the table. “We couldn’t find any images or info online. Have you seen anything like this before?”
She leans across the table and looks at the weapon. “Weird. Is it a sword? Too big to be a dagger.”
“Can you detect anything?” asks Joss.
She rubs her nose. “This might be human made, because I can’t pick any magic vibe from it.”
“Shit.” Ewan sinks onto a chair and drags his hair from his face. “The people we saw using this against Breanna definitely weren’t human.”
“Either that or something powerful is disguising the magic.” Syv reaches out with both hands and picks up the blade. “Fuck!” Syv yelps and the weapon falls back on the table. Her chair falls to the floor as she stands and stares at her hands. The welts created across her palms aren’t red—they match the glowing white on Breanna’s neck the night she disappeared.
“What the hell?” Xander takes one of her hands and stares down.
Pain contorts Syv’s face as she attempts to hide the agony radiating from her. She mutters “Fuck” repeatedly under her breath and closes her eyes.
“Syv?” asks Joss. “Are you okay?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, that bloody thing just ripped into my flesh.” She lifts her palms up, which still glow faintly. “I barely touched the handle.”
“Did you feel anything?” asks Ewan.
Syv stares at him. “Uh. Yeah. This. It fucking hurts.”
“I think Ewan means do you feel any magic,” I say gently and take her hand.
“No.” Her eyes widen. “Okay, I’m going to puke. Where’s your bathroom? This way?”
Syv stumbles off and I call out to her where she can find one.
“Wow.” Heath rubs his forehead. “What happened?”
“The weapon doesn’t like demons,” replies Joss. “I saw the same marks on Breanna’s neck.”
“Then it is magic. How come Syv can’t tell what kind?”
“Seth probably,” mutters Xander. “Fucker.”
Ewan’s face darkens. “So, he took Breanna. I knew it.”
“We don’t need either of them now anyway. The angels told us what we need to know.”
“Xander, seriously? I know Breanna is a demon, but she was helping us.”
“He’s right,” says Joss. “I prefer not relying on demons.”
“But angels are okay?” I ask. “We’re supposed to trust what they say.”
“They helped against Seth and said they’d help us. Sure, they should’ve told us they existed before, but they’re here now it’s important.”
I’m conflicted. But we’ve been through this before with Seth. Lack of unity screws everything up. The consensus is to trust the angels, so we hold onto this and stay alert.
A paler than ever Syv walks back into the kitchen. I pour her a glass of water. Syv stares at the weapon as if it might launch across the kitchen and attack her.
“Did you come across anything like this in Paris?” asks Heath.
“No. Nothing. I’ve found items that repel me before, but not one that would hurt with one touch.” Syv drains the glass and sets it on the table. She tucks her injured hands beneath her arms.
“We think this could be something of Seth’s,” I say.
She continues to sta
re at the blade. “Maybe. I could never detect any magic around him.”
Ewan picks up the blade to wrap again. “Great.”
“We should ask the angels about this.” Heath gestures at the drawer as Ewan carefully places the bundle inside.
“What?” asks Syv. “Did you just say angels?”
“Yep.”
Syv looks to me. “There are angels? Where? You never mentioned that to me earlier.”
“I didn’t want to without the guys. It’s pretty big news.”
“Huh.” She fills her glass again. “I never expected to hear they existed. But then I guess if there are vamps, shifters, and a ton of demons, then angels aren’t impossible.”
Heath perches on the table edge. “You’ve had demon clients, Syv. Are any of them connected to the human god? To Hell?”
“I wouldn’t know. We don’t have cosy chats. Wow. Did you tell Ripley?”
Xander snorts. “No.”
“And they’re definitely angels?”
“Seth recognised them as angels. The story they told us makes sense. We’ll be cautious, but they have the same aim as us: kill Chaos.”
Syv takes a sharp breath as she pokes the wound in her hand. “Whatever that magic was, I feel really bloody sick.”
“Let me guess. You want to find somewhere to sleep,” says Heath.
“You promised to watch out for me,” Syv says quietly. “Sorry I couldn’t help with the weapon but look on the bright side.”
“What bright side?”
“You have a weapon that really fucks up demons. Look what it did to me and I’m only half demon.” She arches a brow. “This is a good item to have in your arsenal should any demons piss you off. Like leaders of an Order who may or may not want to be your friend once this is all over.”
27
VEE
A day since we saw Leoc and Erzla, two days since we saw Seth. Hours that seem like an eternity as the axe hangs over our heads, swinging from side to side while we wait to see where it will fall.
The morning starts quietly with breakfast and checking whether a chaos god has wrecked anything while we slept. Syv sleeps late. I looked in on her last night where she lay snoring under a duvet on the spare bed and a hand beneath her pillow.