by R. R. Virdi
I didn’t return it. “Hello, Lyshae.”
Chapter Fourteen
Of all the people I could have been summoned by, it had to be her. And I used the term people lightly. Lyshae looked close enough to one. She had hair the color of spun gold, worn loose and falling past her shoulders. The ends of each strand were as white as snow. Her eyes were hypnotic gems of citrine blended with garnet. They reminded me of a fox’s. There was a mischievous look in them, one that deepened when she caught me staring. Her lips spread, revealing her teeth. Her canines seemed a bit sharper than they should’ve been. “You know, it’s rude to gawk at a lady.”
That jarred me back into my usual self. “Except, you’re no lady.” I gave her a thin smile.
She lifted a hand, putting it to her mouth as she let out a mock gasp. A pair of triangles twitched atop her head. They protruded from her hair and were trimmed with white fur. Ears that looked like they belonged to an animal. “No, I am not.” Her smile widened, and her eyes burned with an inner light.
Lyshae was a Kitsune, a Japanese fox spirit of mischief, information, and illusion. She was also a major pain in my ass.
“What do you want?” It was an effort to keep my breathing steady and my jaw from hardening. Lyshae had helped me before on cases, but the last time we dealt, it came at a cost. Most things do.
Lyshae ignored me, reaching for the slender champagne flute by her side. A liquid of rose-gold sparkled within. She took her time raising it to her lips.
I sighed, waiting for her to finish the sip and lower the champagne. I had the feeling she was watching me over the rim of the glass. A grunt from behind us prompted me to turn.
Ortiz and Lyshae’s henchman stood a few feet from each other, locked in another stare down.
I turned back. “Lyshae, think you could get your goon to stand down?”
She arched a delicate brow. Her eyelids fluttered several times. They reminded me of dark soot over snow. “Why?”
I hooked a thumb to Ortiz. “Because I can’t promise she won’t break him, and what would you do without your muscle?” I smiled.
Lyshae matched it. An amused light shone in her eyes. She didn’t need him for anything. It was likely she kept him around to deter mortals, and nothing more. It was easier than making the effort herself. “That’s enough, Luther. You’re dismissed.”
He turned and eyed her before looking back to Ortiz.
“I’ll be fine. They won’t harm me.” Lyshae looked at me, her smile widening until it was discomforting to look at. “Will you, Vincent?”
I looked away.
Luther blew out a breath of exasperation and headed towards the door. I couldn’t help but notice that he gave Ortiz as wide a berth as was possible in the tiny bar.
I grinned.
Lyshae looked past me to Ortiz and Kelly. A hungry smile spread across her face. “Why don’t you invite your friends to join us? I’m certain they would like to hear the conversation.” Her voice carried through the bar. She wasn’t trying to be subtle.
I suppressed an inner groan, knowing that Ortiz had heard the invitation. Now I was caught between pissing off Lyshae or Ortiz. Not great circumstances. I leaned forwards, dropping my voice to a whisper. “Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Lyshae didn’t miss a beat. “Nonsense. I insist.”
Of course you do.
She beckoned them with her index and middle fingers.
I looked over my shoulder as Ortiz and Kelly exchanged a quick look. It was an effort to keep my face neutral as they approached. Lyshae wasn’t stupid or nice. If she was inviting them to sit with us, it was for a reason. And it wouldn’t be a good one. I turned and glared at Lyshae. “What’s this about?”
She ignored me, keeping her gaze fixed on the approaching women. Her smile made my spine feel brittle. Lyshae didn’t rise to meet Ortiz and Kelly as they stopped by the side of the table. She gestured with a wave of a hand.
The women eyed me then Lyshae. Ortiz’s eyes narrowed and hardened. “You.” Her jaw tightened. She wasn’t a fan of Lyshae.
The Kitsune returned a smile.
I sighed and scooted over. “Sit by me—both of you.”
Ortiz and Kelly didn’t argue.
Lyshae shot me a look, the edge of her mouth turned up. She thought it was funny.
I thought it was cautious. The last thing we needed was a trickster spirit getting her hands around one of my friends—literally.
Kelly gawked at Lyshae, her hands reaching into her pocket and fishing for something. She pulled out her phone and fumbled with it. “You’ve got cat ears coming out of the top of your head!” She thumbed the center of her phone several times. An audible snap echoed from it each time.
Lyshae sat and endured the click-fest rather maturely. She took another sip of her drink until Kelly finished.
Kelly’s face spread into a smile that morphed into a frown the next second. She squinted at her phone, swiping her index finger along the screen. “That’s odd. The pictures are gone.” She held up the phone for us to see. The seat and table were in view. Lyshae wasn’t.
The fox spirit smiled. I had no doubt she had woven some kind of glamour to protect herself from recording devices. Life’s hard for an information spirit if people take your picture every now and again. Kelly seemed nonplussed about it.
I grunted as Ortiz and Kelly scooted along the table, forcing me to grind against the bar wall. A huff of air left through my nose as I shimmied into a more comfortable position. “Alright, we’re all here. Wanna tell us what this is about? I’m busy.” I raised a hand, flashing my tattoo in her face.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re always busy, but that’s no concern of mine.”
I raised a brow. “Oh? Wow. This conversation’s already off to a great start. You don’t value my time, my job—hurts a guy’s feelings, ya know.”
Lyshae gave Ortiz and Kelly a look of exasperation.
They shrugged and returned it.
I sniffed. That was mildly insulting for a silent exchange. Ignoring the denigration, I stared at Lyshae, hardening my jaw.
She exhaled a light puff of air. “Please, you don’t have to act tough. I plan to tell you why you are here.”
Ortiz wasn’t keen on waiting. “Or you could tell us now.” She reached into her coat, removing a badge. “I could arrest you.”
Lyshae leaned back, steepling her hands on the table. “Oh?”
“You were at the asylum last year. Involved in the deaths of innocent people.” Ortiz’s voice could’ve peeled chunks of wood off the table.
The trickster spirit wasn’t the least bit intimidated. She waved a hand airily. “Fah, and you can prove this?” She raised a finger. “Better, let me guess: you’re going to arrest me on the grounds that I was there at the time of the murders, which as far as public records are concerned, have been solved. You and I both know you are bluffing, Camilla Ortiz.”
Ortiz shivered and went wide-eyed. She pulled herself together fast, but I knew Lyshae had caught the reaction. I couldn’t blame Ortiz though. Names have power attached to them. Having a paranormal creature, one like Lyshae, say yours could unnerve you. It’s like a feather of pure ice trailing its way down your spine.
“As far as your mortal world goes, I don’t exist. And when I do, I am generally in control of the situation, which brings us to why you are here.” Lyshae turned her gaze to me. “I own you, Vincent Graves.”
Oh crap. I knew where this was going.
She held up three fingers. “You owe me a series of debts.”
Crap-crap-crap. Lyshae, you bitch.
“I’m giving you a chance to erase one of them. I’m calling your favor, Graves. You’re mine.”
Dammit. My knuckles ached and my teeth ground. “Lyshae, don’t do this. Not now.”
She ignored me, taking another sip of her champagne.
Ortiz bristled. She knew what was at stake and wasn’t fond of this either.
“Pleas
e, I’m on a case—people are dying.”
“They’re always dying. It’s the nature of things. You knew I would come for you. You knew it would be during a case—when else? I am here, as are you. You will do what I say.”
I took a series of deep breaths, shutting my eyes as I worked to still myself.
“If it’s any consolation, I do apologize for the measures I had to take to ensure you were the right choice.” She sipped her booze, eyeing me over the glass in pleasure.
I blinked, and rusted gears turned in my noggin. Everything fell into place. “Oh, you conniving, backstabbing, murderous bitch!”
Ortiz and Kelly scooched away from me until the latter was close to falling off the seat.
“I did apologize, did I not? Besides, Vincent, you’ve always known who and what I am.” She placed her fingers to her collarbone. “When have I ever hidden that from you?” She gave me a smile that made my intestines wind.
“What’s going on?” Ortiz looked between us.
I growled and resisted the urge to reach over the table and grab Lyshae. “She”—I jabbed a finger at the Kitsune—“is the reason I’ve been attacked throughout this case!”
Ortiz crossed her arms as she leaned and arched a brow. “Really?” Her mouth spread into a smile. “And you don’t deny that?” She stared at Lyshae.
The fox spirit took another sip. “I do not.” She didn’t sound worried about confessing. Then again, it’d be a pain in the ass to prove. But if Lyshae was anything, it was most definitely that. “And as you can see, he was the proper choice.” She raised the glass in my direction. “Congratulations, Vincent, you passed tryouts.”
I grunted. “You had a Night Runner and a troll jump me.”
Kelly sputtered and leaned over the table, looking at me, then Lyshae. “Are you serious?”
Neither of us answered her.
“Trolls? And what did you say the first thing was?” Kelly turned her phone sideways in her hands. Her fingers blurred over it like she was taking notes. “So, what are they really? This is so going on my blog.”
I sighed and rubbed my palms against my face. “Careful, kid, falling down the rabbit hole here isn’t going to lead to fun and whimsical adventures. It’ll get you killed.”
Kelly stopped typing and licked her lips.
Lyshae let out a rueful chuckle. “Hardly.”
Kelly relaxed.
“A girl such as you—young, intelligent. No, you’d be of great use to many creatures. You’d be sold or worse.” Lyshae’s voice filled with something near need. “You’d be treated well if you cooperated, or... Well, you can imagine what monsters would do to you, can’t you, young one?”
Kelly jumped from her seat like she were sitting on burning coals. She took a series of steps back. Her chest rose rapidly, and her frantic breathing was the only sound in the bar.
Ortiz moved to get up from her seat.
I put a hand on her shoulder, shaking my head. She flashed me a quick look that I answered with a firm stare. Kelly didn’t need to be here. In fact, she shouldn’t have come at all. I couldn’t turn her away before, but maybe now I could. I wanted to keep something worse from happening to her. I looked to Ortiz for a split second, and my insides roiled. Kelly didn’t need to get involved in this. “You should leave.” My voice was cold steel and gravel.
Kelly took another step back, and her breathing slowed a shade. “I could, couldn’t I?”
I nodded.
She licked her lips and her thumb brushed against her phone absentmindedly.
Lyshae watched the scene play out with a disturbing level of calm. It almost looked like she was waiting for an answer she knew she was going to get.
I nudged Ortiz with an elbow. She shot me a death glare but turned in her seat.
“Kelly, maybe you should listen. I know I asked you to help me, and you have—a lot. Thank you for that. But no one said you had to come any further with us. This...world isn’t nice. It’s”—she inhaled and gripped herself tight—“hard. And it’s going to force you to make harder decisions. You don’t want that.”
I stared at Ortiz and grimaced. Part of me wished I could push her out of this world too. The other part of me didn’t want my face pummeled. I kept quiet.
Kelly rubbed a hand against her mouth. “If I leave, I miss out on something. That’s the way it typically goes.”
No.
She took a breath and steeled herself, taking a step closer.
“Kelly, turn around and go home.” I kept my voice from becoming a plea. I didn’t want Lyshae to hear that or get the satisfaction.
“But if she does that, her curiosity will remain unfulfilled,” said Lyshae.
I shot her a stare that could’ve burned a hole through lead. “You know the old saying about curiosity and the cat.”
“I do.” Kelly came to Ortiz’s side, motioning to sit. Ortiz obliged her and moved over. The computer whiz eased herself down. “I’m in.”
I looked to the ceiling before turning my attention back to Lyshae. “Alright, in case it wasn’t clear before, I really hate you.” My comment didn’t faze her. “So, what was with the whole audition gig?”
“Why, I need some help of the brutish variety, and you seemed a fair candidate.”
I blinked, and it fell into place. “You were the one watching me out on the streets—the one I couldn’t peg.”
She looked at me like I was dimwitted. “Obviously.”
“You were sizing me up against different nasties. You need muscle, so...I’m your thug?”
Ortiz and Kelly snickered.
I glared at them. “Lyshae, you put me through a series of fights just to snag a role as your cheap muscle? You didn’t think I could cut it? No—wait, even if you did, that means you think I’m good for just punching things.”
Lyshae’s lips went tight, and her eyes twinkled.
“I’m insulted.” I turned to Ortiz. “I should be insulted, right?”
“Yes, you’re insulted.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes.
I turned back to Lyshae. “I’m insulted.”
She rolled her hand through the air in a dismissive gesture. “Please, don’t see it as being cheap muscle. It’s far more dignified than that.”
I tilted my head. “Oh?”
Her mouth spread into a wide smile of self-satisfaction. “Yes. How well do you wear a suit?”
“A sa-what?”
Lyshae looked at Ortiz and Kelly. “And you two will wear dresses.”
Ortiz’s eyes widened.
Kelly’s face furrowed like she didn’t understand the statement.
I waved my hand in Lyshae’s face to get her attention. “Uh, what exactly are we doing? Where are you taking us?”
Her smile grew. “Why, a ball, of course.”
Everyone but Lyshae exchanged glances.
“A ball—like with dancing?”
Lyshae pressed her lips together, giving me a look of sympathy. “Yes, Vincent. Dancing. Mingling. A rather sophisticated affair.” She tilted her head and gave me a paper-thin smile. “Please do try and be on your best behavior. Your job isn’t to start fights; it’s to protect me.” She placed a hand on her chest in a dainty gesture.
I grunted. Lyshae didn’t need my protection. She was more than capable of handling herself. I’d seen her take down a pack of truck-sized spiders with nothing more than an illusion and her attitude. Lying to people and manipulating them was what she did best. It didn’t hurt that she enjoyed it. “And where exactly is this ball?”
She gave me a knowing look.
Oh crap. “Um, I’ve recently developed a severe allergy to the Neravene.”
Ortiz shuddered at the word. I couldn’t blame her.
Kelly perked up in her seat. “What’s that?”
Lyshae turned to her. “A place of magic and wonder. Where reality warps, and dreams become real.”
“Not to mention nightmares.” My voice was like charred stone. “Don’t try to s
ell her on a lie. This place and all the places within...are dangerous.” I gave Kelly a slow, long stare.
Kelly folded her lower lip back and pressed her mouth shut.
At least she was taking it seriously. I turned back to Lyshae. “Alright, we both know I can’t exactly say no.” My fists had balled before I released them in concert with a heavy exhale. “Let’s do this.”
She smiled and rose in a fluid manner. “Excellent. Follow me.” Lyshae moved towards the bathrooms, except moved was the wrong word. It looked like she was gliding across the floor. The ends of her dress trailed over the floor as she made her way to the men’s room door.
I arched a brow and gave her a look. “Uh, pretty sure you shouldn’t be walking in there. You might make some guy too nervous to pee.”
The women turned their eyes to me, then shook their heads in varying degrees of disregard and disappointment.
Lyshae pushed the door open and stepped inside. We followed behind her. The fox spirit paused, turning her nose up. She sniffed several times and blinked. Her face twisted in revulsion.
Ortiz’s nose wriggled, but she controlled herself.
Kelly mirrored Lyshae’s reaction, going so far as to cover her nose and mouth. “Jeez, do you guys just eat garbage?”
“I’ve often wondered how men seem to tolerate the odor.” Lyshae looked at me.
I shrugged. “It’s an acquired taste of olfactory preference...one we ignore.” The explanation didn’t stop me from raising the collar of Daniel’s shirt over my nose. It smelled like you’d imagine, a men’s room but during halftime after a diet of ballpark food. It wasn’t pleasant.
Ortiz shook her head and motioned around the vacant bathroom. “Why are we here, and why’s this place suspiciously empty? If I were going to ambush someone, this is where I’d do it. Close quarters. One way in, and out.” Ortiz’s body quivered like she was waiting for a threat.
She had a good point. I stared holes into the back of Lyshae’s head.
The Kitsune brushed off the question with a light laugh. “I own this establishment, one among many. As to the reason we are here—” She waved a hand before the bathroom wall. The air around her hand bent and bowed. Carmine light followed the wave. It lingered over the wall like a translucent blanket. The light bled, sinking over the tiles until it reached the floor.