“My father was an incubus,” Ash confessed.
“Which means he’s half-incubus,” Erin said, trying to defend him.
“True,” Ephraim said. “He doesn’t have all the powers of a true incubus. But he does secrete pheromones. I’m sure my dear sister has noticed an overpowering attraction to Agent Shinoch she can’t explain.”
I jumped up. Holy shit, this was why I was so turned on by him?
“You’ve been using your abilities on me?” I cried. “Get the fuck away from me!”
“Ms. Kincaide, calm down,” Scott said.
“Fuck you, man,” I said. “I am tired of this shit. You people have been manipulating me from the start. He’s been using his God-damned sex powers on me!”
“Sassy, listen,” Erin said. “Ash is not ‘using his powers on you.’ That implies intent.”
“They’re pheromones, Sassy,” Ash said. “Scents that attract hetero women and gay men to me. I can’t help but exude them. I haven’t been seducing you.”
“I’m sorry, Cecily,” Ephraim said. “I thought they would have told you what you were getting into.”
“My name is Sassy, asshole,” I said, turning on him. “And you stay out of this. I don’t have to know shit about the magical world to know that you hate me and do not have my best interest at heart.
“But you,” I said, turning back to Ash. “You were supposed to be protecting me. Yet it doesn’t occur to you to warn me that you’re fucking with my sex drive?”
“Sassy, I wasn’t trying to deceive you,” Ash said. “You were overwhelmed last night. You’d just survived an assassination attempt, and you were suspicious of us, dubious about joining The Order. I thought telling you what I was last night would be too much.”
“Too much for what?” I raged. “You were afraid I knew that if a sex-demon was working with me I’d refuse to help?”
“Everyone, settle down,” Scott said. “Ms. Kincaide, please. We had your safety firmly in mind. We didn’t even want you to leave the compound last night, but you insisted. As you’re not a prisoner, we couldn’t very well force you to stay. Ash is one of our best security agents. We’ve picked him for this job, and we had him oversee your guard detail last night. He isn’t trying to seduce you, nor are we as a whole. We just have to keep in mind how much information you can absorb at once. Last night, it appeared that you had learned all you could manage in one sitting. We let you go with the full intent of telling you more today.”
I let my gaze probe the room, fixing everyone with a glare that would have melted concrete. Scott looked irritated. Ephraim was smug. Erin was worried, and Ash looked ashamed.
He was different than the others. I could sense it. The other three members of The Order were confident, strong, arrogant. Ash was humble. Something weighed on him. Maybe it was because he was a half-incubus. Maybe it was something else. Whatever it was, it made me trust him more than the rest of them.
But how could I trust him? He was shooting pheromones at me, making me wet with desire when I needed to be focused. And he hadn’t told me. He hadn’t made sure I knew what was going on.
“You need to sit your ass on the other side of the room,” I told him.
“Sassy, I—” he started, but I cut him off.
“Uh-uh. I am not sitting next to you. You need to keep a respectful distance.”
“It won’t matter,” Ephraim said. “You’ve already got the scent of him in your brain. He could be a hundred yards away, and his pheromones would still go to work on you.”
I turned back to Ash. He couldn’t look at me.
“Is that true?” I asked. “Don’t be lying to me if you don’t want me to walk out of here right now.”
“It’s not wholly true,” he said. “Being separated from me causes the effect to dissipate over time. But it’s true enough for now.”
I folded my arms and hit him with a stare that would have made small children cry. He wilted under it. I turned my attention to Scott.
“You knew this and didn’t tell me,” I said. “You knew what effect he would have on me, didn’t tell me, and let him sit right next to me.”
“In our defense, Ms. Kincaide, our observations led us to believe your most recent romantic interest was a woman,” he said.
“I’m bi, asshole! I’m attracted to men and women.
“Now, listen, I’m not playing with you people anymore. Secrets out now. Is there anything else I need to know about? Cuz if there is and I don’t hear it now, I’m walking.”
“Captain Silverman, like you and your father, is Nephilim,” Scott said. “Agent Shinoch is an incubus half-breed. I am a fairy.”
“Wait, like a mischievous, little person with gossamer wings?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Like many magical creatures, I use glamour to appear human in the real world.”
I nodded. I actually thanked God I played D&D and read fantasy literature. Ben always considered it a big waste of my time, but it sure seemed helpful today. If I hadn’t read up on this stuff, I’d be losing my damned mind over this. And Ben was too serious anyway.
“What about you?” I said, turning to Brinson.
“Ordinary human,” she answered. “I’m ex-Army. I’d been out for about six months, when I accidentally stumbled onto a bunch of wizards. The Order recruited me shortly thereafter.”
“That’s allowed?” I said.
“The Arcane Council prefers humans never learn of the existence of the supernatural,” Scott said. “When it happens, we have to take measures. In rare cases such as Agent Brinson’s, we bring exceptional individuals into the cause.”
I nodded. Despite the fact that I was also not fully human, I felt a kinship with Erin. She’d started out life as just a person and gotten sucked into all this against her will. I felt like we were sisters after a fashion.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“There is an enormous amount of information we could impart to you, Ms. Kincaide, but it would take years,” Scott said. “We need to move forward, especially if you plan to be with us only for the duration of this mission. For the time being, we’ve told you as much as you need to proceed. Can you please trust us enough to believe we will reveal things to you as they become relevant?”
I didn’t like it. I felt like they were holding all the cards and only letting me see a few of them. I was off-kilter, out of the loop. It made it damned hard to defend myself.
But I wasn’t sure I had another choice. They weren’t going to play nice with me. And besides, if I went along for a bit, I might be able to learn more without them realizing it.
“Fine,” I said. I looked at Ash. “But your ass is still sitting on the other side of the room.”
He got up wordlessly and trudged as far away from me as he could get, dragging a chair with him and eventually sitting in it.
“May I continue, then?” Scott asked.
“Go ahead,” I said.
I sat down again and fixed him with a don’t-mess-with-me stare.
“As I was saying, we have an agent on the inside,” Scott said, resuming his briefing. “Stormy Williams is Dirk McCray’s girlfriend.”
A picture of the two of them appeared on the whiteboard. I’d seen it before. It was posted on the Internet on one of the gossip networks. Stormy Williams was tall, blonde, and built like an elite athlete. Her arms were well-muscled and flowed languidly out of a red, silk top. Her legs were long and wrapped in exquisite, white pants. She wore red stilettos that would have toppled the average woman, and a pair of Ray-Bans that made her look cool as all shit.
Her left arm was wrapped around McCray’s waist while he had her enfolded in his right arm. He had jet-black hair, an equally expensive pair of sunglasses on top of a chiseled face with a sexy-as-hell five o’clock shadow. He was wearing a green polo over khaki pants. They were both smiling like they were king and queen of the whole damned world and enjoying every second of it.
“As I mentioned, Ms. Williams is act
ually a succubus in our employ. Mr. McCray does not know this. Ms. Williams has used her power to seduce the dragon and make him effectively hers.
“On October Twenty-first, Mr. McCray is holding a charity ball at his home. Ostensibly, this event is to benefit the Cincinnati Children’s Fund – a not-for-profit business that provides funds for childhood cancer research and housing for families of hospitalized children. Our information indicates that only a small sum of the proceeds will actually benefit the organization, and we’re not certain it is in fact a true charity. It’s not affiliated with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital or any of their charity and research arms. It may, in fact, be merely a shell company designed to make McCray look good.
“Regardless of CCF’s legitimacy, McCray is hosting the ball at his home in Indian Hills. We will arrange for Captain Silverman and you, Ms. Kincaide, to infiltrate the ball. With Ms. Williams’ help you will secret yourself on the premises before the event ends.
“After everyone leaves, you’ll kill him.”
I blinked twice. They were gonna have me whack this guy at his own house right after a charity event? Were they insane?
“What the hell?” I asked. “You think I’m Jane Bond or something?”
“The ball is five days away,” Ash said. “We’ll get you the training you need.”
“What training is that? How to murder a man at a party and walk away? I’ll be on camera while I’m there. I’ll be a suspect!”
“As I told you, Ash is one of our foremost security experts,” Scott said. “He’ll be part of the team. It will be his job to hack the security system and make sure there is no record of either of you being there.”
“We’ll make it look like his girlfriend killed him,” Erin said. “Stormy will disappear right after.”
“She’s in the public eye too!” I cried.
“Only in her current look,” Ash said. “As a full succubus, she can shapeshift to be whatever the person she’s seducing desires. She’ll be able to change her appearance and vanish from society. It’ll be one of the great unsolved mysteries of human history.”
I shook my head. These people were crazy. There was no way in hell this worked.
“If this is how you intend to do it, why do you need me?”
“Because despite being in human form instead of dragon, D’Krisch Mk’Rai will still be a formidable foe. He has plenty of magic at his disposal. Your immunity to it will ensure the plan succeeds.”
I sat there, flabbergasted. What the hell was I supposed to say to all this? They fully expected me to go to this damned charity ball with a half-brother who hated me and kill a dragon in disguise. It was straight insanity.
“I don’t know, y’all,” I said. “I don’t know much about your magical world, but I’m pretty sure this plan has more holes in it than a chainlink fence.”
“If you don’t think you can handle it, you’re free to leave,” Ephraim said. “I didn’t want you on my team in the first place. In fact, it’s pretty stupid for us to even consider using you. You have zero experience, which makes you a liability, not an asset. We can’t afford to screw this up. If you want out, tell us now.”
I studied him for a few seconds without saying anything. He was older than me – maybe three years, maybe five. He was also used to getting his way. I pegged him for an only child – Daddy’s little, darling boy. And since he was a captain, he was accustomed to giving orders. He liked bossing people around.
So the whole little-sister thing was probably throwing him off his game. He had no experience with someone younger telling him where he could stick his attitude and his orders. It had to be driving him insane.
Good.
It reminded me of Ben. Growing up, he’d been bossy too. He’d expected he was going to lay out the plans, and I was going to follow them. Naturally, I did exactly the opposite – sometimes just because I wanted to make it clear he couldn’t have what he wanted. I was exactly the kind of little sister no one wants. And Ben would get soooo pissed about it. It was fun to watch.
But the thing is, Ben was kind too. I didn’t just call him Obi-Wan because I loved Star Wars and his name was Ben. He was kind like Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I looked up to him, even though I’d never tell him that.
If Ephraim had younger siblings, I pitied them. He was a straight shit.
He wanted this mission badly. I didn’t know why, and I didn’t know what was going on in the broader sense. But he thought this was supposed to be his baby, and he was pissed at Daddy for seeking me out to do it instead of letting him have it. He thought he deserved it. No, he thought he was owed it.
My natural inclination is to punch assholes like that in the pants and take the thing they covet. It might not always be the best idea, but it was who I was. Sometimes, you just have to roll with what you know.
“Let me explain some things to you,” I said. “I’m a third-degree black belt in one of the hardest, most-demanding martial arts systems there is. I got my black belt in six months’ less time than the most dedicated and talented students my sensei has. I’ve won every tournament I’ve ever competed in, and I’m also a deadly master with knives, sticks, staff, and sword. I am the original badass, and that was before I knew I had magical powers.
“So don’t talk to me like I’m incompetnent or incapable. I will kick your sorry ass up one side and down the other.
“I don’t know why our dad decided you weren’t good enough for this mission and I was, but that’s not my problem. You people recruited me, but you weren’t careful. Now this dragon knows about me and is trying to kill me. So I’ve got no choice but to take him out before he gets me.
“When this is over, you can go back to being the queen shit around here. Until then, I’ve got a job to do. Do we understand one another?”
Ephraim stared at me in utter shock. I’m not sure anyone had spoken to him that way in his entire life. More proof he was an only child. No sibling would have put up with his spoiled ass.
Erin hid a grin. Ash studiously made sure not to look at anyone. Scott tried hard to look serious, but I could see the hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth.
The shocked expression on Ephraim’s face morphed into cold fury. His pale face turned red.
“Your ‘accomplishments’ notwithstanding, you still need training, Kincaide,” he said. “If this mission is to succeed, you’ll need to know something about fighting dragons. I think it’s time we got you to the training room so you can learn what you need to know when the fighting starts.”
I smiled and leaned back in my chair. I knew where this was going. He was trying to reassert his dominance, and he wanted to do it with his fists. I was more than happy to oblige.
“Fine by me, Bro,” I said. “I’m ready any time.”
“Heh,” he said. “We’ll see. I’ll make the arrangements.”
He got up and went out. For the first time since all this shit began, I was excited. Big Brother Ephraim was in for a huge surprise.
Twelve
I was disappointed to learn that Erin would be my trainer. I’d thought I was going to beat up on Ephraim. But apparently, she was one of their best fighters, which didn’t really surprise me. She was ex-military, and she had the quiet confidence of a woman who knows what she’s doing. I suspected a lot of men got ambushed when they stepped into the ring with her. I liked that. It was the same thing I did to the macho assholes at Kai’s donjon.
Of course, Ephraim was supervising everything, so I wouldn’t be free of his shit. In fact, this was worse. He could sit back and be a judgmental prick without having to pay for it when I got inside his cover and lit him up like a Christmas tree. Ah, well. That time would come. I could feel it.
“We’ll start with teaching you how to use a proper sword,” Ephraim said.
He pulled this bulky-ass European broadsword out of a trunk. It was wide and heavy and had sharp edges on the guards.
“Now, this is a traditional dragonslayer,” he began.
I laughed.
“No,” I said.
“What?”
“I’m not using that.”
He threw me a stern, this-isn’t-how-it-works look. First point to me.
“You are,” he said. “This weapon was designed through centuries of practice to cut through dragon scales and is enchanted to protect its wielder.”
“No,” I said. “I’m not. That thing is way too big for me. On top of that, you said the dragon will be in human form, so I don’t have to cut through scales. And since I’m immune to magic, I don’t need its protective spells.
“I’ll be using my katana.”
“That is not—”
“Listen, Bro,” I said cutting him off. “We’ve got five days to get this together. I don’t have time to learn a new weapon. I need to use one I’m familiar with. That’ll be my katana, especially since it’s faster, sturdier, and sharper than any of your piss-ass Celtic blades.”
Ephraim opened his mouth to shout at me, but Erin put up a hand.
“Relax, Captain,” she said. “It’s fine. This exercise is largely to determine her aptitude anyway. She’s not going to be using any sword at the gala. Where the hell would she hide it?”
Ephraim turned red. That fair skin of his lit up like a crimson sun. I grinned. Erin turned to me.
“You can use your katana, Sassy,” she said. “Just keep in mind you won’t have it with you during the mission.”
“Fine,” Ephraim growled. “Let’s see what the braggadocios little minx can do.”
“Braggadocios?” I said. “Man, I must have really pissed you off if you’re using ten-dollar words.”
Erin smirked and took up a ready stance with the dragonslayer. I drew my katana and popped my neck.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Whenever you are,” Erin said.
Ephraim stepped back, crossed his arms, and nodded.
I lunged at Erin. Her eyes popped wide as I moved inside her critical-distance line faster than she’d believed possible. She got the broadsword up and managed to parry my thrust, but she was already off-balance, when I whirled around and brought my blade to bear on her back, tapping her shoulder with the flat of the sword.
Sleeping Dragons Page 9