Psychic Undercover [With The Undead]

by Amie Gibbons

  What the?

  “Ariana, are you okay?” Quil dove behind the bar with us and I nodded, brain movin’ through mush as I looked up.

  Milo met my eyes, mouth working as he shook on his knees.

  The wound in his chest grew, the skin crumblin’ into it like it was a sinkhole.

  “Milo!” I pressed my hands to the wound, tears blurring my vision. “No, no, no. Please no.”

  “It’s silver, sweets,” Quil said, voice distant and weak.

  “I didn’t see that coming,” Milo whispered as my hand fell through his chest into the goop. “Dying saving a lady. Good way to go. My brother… look after him.”

  “No! I can get it out. I’ve done this twice with Quil! You’ll be fine!” I dug my hands in, pullin’ out goop and pieces.

  If I could just get the silver out.

  “Ariana,” Quil said, sounding very far away.

  “No! He’s really old so that means he has more powers. I read vampire books. The older ones can do things. They’re stronger. One little silver bullet won’t take him out.”

  “Sweets, it’s silver,” Quil said. “It went through his heart… No vampire can live through that. No matter how powerful. He’s already dead.”

  “No!” I scooped out another handful of goo and tossed it aside.

  Milo’s chest collapsed in and the decay spread down his legs.

  I met his eyes again as his skull crumbled in and they finally closed.

  The goop on my hands turned to dust and I stared at them as the clothes caved in, leaving nothing but dust and a mound of cloth in a wet spot on the ground.

  Chapter TWENTY-ONE

  I pulled out my gun and silver knife.

  Someone was going to die for this.

  Chaos reigned through the club, vamps runnin’ everywhere, trying to get out as the ones at the edges tried to keep them in.

  Jade tossed one out of her way and opened the door. She turned in the doorway, tossin’ me a wink.

  I brought my gun up and aimed at her and she disappeared.

  Screams and pounding echoed through the room and I pulled on Milo’s power, taking a deep breath as I searched the club, imagining my magic zooming in on the culprit.

  There!

  At the back door were two piles of clothes saying someone went down.

  “Quil!” I said, jerking my head at the door.

  Quil took off, zoomin’ so fast even if the guy knew he was coming, it wouldn’t do any good.

  Quil zoomed back, arms locked around the man.

  “I believe this is yours,” he said, shovin’ Crowley down to his knees in front of me and Grant.

  When did Grant come up to me?

  Not important.

  I couldn’t believe it. I’d been right? It was just a hunch. And Grant’s always telling me not to assume. Apparently when you assume, sometimes you are right.

  But why? He was leader of the second team. He’d been with the SDF since its inception. Also, the demon said the summoner was a vamp, not just the person who hired the summoner.

  But demons lie. But why would he lie on this?

  “I thought he was.” Grant leaned over Crowley. “Why?”

  “She paid me,” Crowley said.

  Even though Crowley was stupid enough to betray the Bureau, he wasn’t stupid enough to try lying to Grant.

  Quil held the gun he took from Crowley up and looked around the club.

  “Quil, don’t point it around unless you want to kill them,” I said, voice harsh and I didn’t care.

  He looked at me.

  “Basic rule, don’t point it at anyone you’re not ready to kill,” I said, aiming at Crowley.

  “Ryder,” Grant said.

  “I’m not killin’ him yet, sir. I know we have to find the demon first, but then, I get to kill him.”

  “You’re not killing anyone without my say so,” Grant said.

  “No, sir.” I kept my eyes on Crowley. “He was tryin’ to kill me and killed my friend instead. He betrayed us.”

  Grant was probably givin’ me the glare. I didn’t even glance up.

  “Three innocent girls are dead, even more innocent vampires, and you almost killed my agent,” Grant said. Took me a second to realize he was talking to Crowley. “And you did that for money?”

  “Look at what we put up with!” Crowley said. “We get paid ridiculous government salaries when we put our lives on the line every day, while these creatures are living it up.”

  “Charles Crowley, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, murder, conspiracy to commit rape, and treason.” Grant got behind Crowley and snapped his wrists in handcuffs, haulin’ him to his feet by his shoulder.

  “I’m not a fool, Grant,” Crowley said way too carefully. “I wouldn’t attack if I didn’t think I could get away.”

  Meaning the demon was here and ready to pounce?

  “I know that,” Grant said just as calmly. “We’ll catch your demon.”

  “Yes, but will you catch her before she kills her?” Crowley looked pointedly at me. “The only way to save your little psychic is to either kill me, which will set the demon free, or to find her very quickly.”

  “Len, will you take responsibility for him until we find the demon?” Grant asked.

  I looked around and Len had come up behind us at some point. He nodded.

  “Ariana, hurry check him,” Grant said.

  I stepped forward and rubbed Len’s face. His stubble was around Jason Statham and scratched my hand.

  Nothing.

  I nodded as I backed up.

  Grant nodded. “Take him into the corner and watch him like a hawk. Actually.” Grant drew one meaty fist back and slammed Crowley straight across the jaw.

  The man’s head snapped back with an explosion of crimson, then slumped forward as he collapsed in Len’s arms, nose gushin’ like Old Faithful.

  “Well that makes babysitting easier,” Len said, hoisting Crowley’s unconscious body over his shoulder. “But that’s not nearly as interesting as demon hunting.”

  “I’d trade ya if I could,” I said, lookin’ over at the mass of vamps.

  They looked so scared. Most of them were innocent, being kept in here against their will, because one of them could be the demon.

  If she hadn’t slipped out yet.

  Something told me she hadn’t. She had a job to do.

  My eyes jumped down to Milo’s ashes. It seemed so wrong that he should be dead.

  That someone so alive and bouncy and ridiculous could be ripped from the world so quickly wasn’t only wrong, it wasn’t possible, and yet he was gone. Thousands of years of life over and reduced to a pile of ash.

  Because he saved me.

  What were we going to tell his brother? They were so close, even after so long, how was one supposed to go on without the other?

  “You okay?” Quil asked me.

  I shook my head. “He was just there. He died saving me. Didn’t even think, just grabbed me and got in the way of the bullet as he shoved me down. I can’t even remember exactly what happened. But he took the bullet meant for me.”

  “Meaning it’s your fault he died?” Quil asked.

  “No,” I said. “It’s Crowley’s, and the bitch who hired him.” I met Quil’s eyes. “I will kill her too after this.”

  “We don’t know it was Jade.”

  “I do.”

  Milo’s blood boiled in me, the power the only thing left of him. “And I don’t care if I have to wait years for my chance, I will kill her.”

  Quil kissed my hair. “I’m beginning to think Milo was right about you. You are downright scary right now.”

  I nodded. “Right now, I’m thinkin’ he was payin’ me a compliment.”

  I knew it was Jade because I knew exactly what she was feeling.

  Betrayed.

  Quil had become her enemy politically, and had been working against her. Centuries of him having her back made the sting of
him working against her so much worse.

  And that made it so much easier to set an evil plan in motion, even if there were casualties in her own nest.

  I knew it as surely as I knew I’d be the one to kill her.

  “Bring on the visions,” I said. “I’m ready.”

  Quil, Grant, and Jet flanked me.

  Jet handed me my wooden bowl with sandalwood incense burning.

  Quil had the suppressed twenty-two loaded with silver and Grant had his nine mil.

  Why the guns?

  The silver wouldn’t hurt the demon even if she was in vamp form.

  I stepped to the first vamp in line, one of the ones who came from Kentucky as far as I could remember.

  We didn’t see doubles of anyone, so I figured whoever the demon was impersonating was somehow killed before, but we couldn’t be sure, after all, it could just look like a vamp or human that wasn’t in the club and everyone would figure she was with someone else.

  I hit vamp after vamp, human after human, focusin’ on their secrets.

  I had way too many flashes of people getting bit or having sex.

  It just made me think of Milo.

  I’d only known him maybe an hour and in that time he’d hit on me so many times my head spun, but it was weird how I’d miss his stupid little remarks after only having heard them for such a short time.

  Maybe it was cuz I knew he’d been makin’ them for two thousand years and never would again.

  Because he saved me.

  I went down the line with betrayal and destruction on my mind, visions of the vamps’ guilty acts coming out like a river. Milo hadn’t been lying when he said his blood would help.

  Every single person I touched could be my last. The second I got close enough, the demon could grab me before my bodyguards could do anything and take me down.

  The thought didn’t bother me.

  If the demon struck, I was ready.

  Flash.

  A blond vampire getting it on with a human in the back of a van and biting her.

  I drew back and shook my head. Maybe the next one was the demon, or the next.

  Flash.

  Her killing a female vamp, probably her maker. She wanted the territory.

  The next was a human and I paused, blood hummin’ with anticipation, viscera playin’ a perverted game of Twister in my stomach.

  I was halfway through and nothing so far. Where was it? Why didn’t it just attack already? Why drag it out?

  I touched the human.

  Flash.

  Him watching a surgery on TV and knowing that he wanted to be a doctor, then another of him getting the acceptance letter to Georgetown, already planning to leave even though his parents needed him at home.

  I hit a few more.

  “Do you think this is the demon’s plan?” I asked. “To give me a heart attack waiting for it to get me?”

  “Probably, considering the rate you’re going,” Quil said, leanin’ in to talk softly in my ear. “Are you sure you’ve been checked and doctors said you were okay?”

  “Yes, but I wasn’t waiting for a demon attack then, so maybe we should have Kat do the blood pressure test after this.”

  We went over to the wall near the back to get Quil’s vamps watching the exits. They could be copied just as easily as anyone else, which was why they were in groups of three.

  Hit, hit, hit...flash after flash, and I had nothing.

  We finally got over to our group of agents and lab techs. I gave Irish a small, weak smile.

  “You look like you need some more alcohol, lass,” he said softly, eyeing the vamps.

  I nodded. “You look like you could use a drink too. You’re pastier than usual.”

  “Yes, well, it’s been a long night, and any moment now someone’s going to jump out and attack again, I’m a little nervous.”

  “How do you think I feel?”

  He licked his lips. “That bullet almost hit you.”

  “I know.”

  “How could Crowley do it?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know, I mean he’s one of us, but...” I shrugged.

  “And he was the summoner?”

  “Yup.”

  A small spasm shot across Irish’s face. I knew exactly how he felt. He’d known Crowley for years, even before the SDF was formed. He’d been the forensics guy in the terrorist task force, and Crowley worked in that before they both came over when our division was formed. I mean, they weren’t best buds, but they were the casual ‘go grab a drink at a pub’ type.

  “You’re stalling,” Quil growled, takin’ a deep whiff, and Irish stiffened. “And you smell weird. Why?”

  “I di...didn’t know you c...could smell that through the cologne,” Irish stuttered. “I’m part leprechaun.”

  “That wasn’t a joke?” I didn’t know why I was surprised. Honestly, after everything I’d seen, especially in the past week, you’d think nothing would shock me.

  “No, but I’m only a fourth.” A nervous smile to rival mine went up on his face. “My grandma was full leprechaun.”

  “Yes, and you shouldn’t have worn that horrible stuff tonight,” Quil hissed. “Although, even those that are part fae still smell horrible without it, so it’s not much difference.”

  None of the guys jumped in to tell Quil to chill, not even Grant.

  “Sorry, Irish, I’ve got to get everyone,” I said as I reached forward. I held onto his hand and rubbed his head a few times. “Nothing, you’re you.”

  “Good to know, I was actually getting worried that I wasn’t,” Irish said, forcin’ a smile. “I know we’re stuck here, but I really need to go to the bathroom.” He gave Grant a pleading look.

  “Hold it.” Grant shrugged, and our small tightly packed group moved over to Mender.

  I got a vision of her and Crowley having sex.

  When had that happened?

  Then a flash of when he was dragged over by Quil. I could feel the intense betrayal she felt when he said he was the summoner.

  She wouldn’t look me in the eyes as I pulled out.

  “Um, sorry?” I said.

  She shook her head. “Just doing your job.”

  “Yeah.”

  They’d been in the office at night and must’ve gotten carried away. It was recent, like last few months, but I couldn’t tell time besides that.

  Something told me they’d been seeing each other since.

  We finished with our people and went back to checking Quil’s vamps around the wall.

  Quil bounced on his heels behind me and I could practically feel him spoilin’ for a fight, a walkin’ puddle of rotten eggs.

  I squeezed his hand and he kissed my knuckles.

  “Hey, Carla.”

  She nodded back.

  I stroked her arms and neck and got a few flashes of her over the years, nothin’ bad. Apparently she didn’t have a lot in her past to feel bad about.

  “Hey, General,” I said. “I think I need another drink. My visions are getting weaker.” I picked up my sandalwood from the bowl and took a deep sniff. “And I need to go to the bathroom, can’t concentrate with a full bladder.”

  I blamed Irish for saying he needed to go to the bathroom. Whenever anyone says that it makes me want to go.

  Grant pressed his lips together. “This wasn’t supposed to take so long, and it’d be the perfect time for the demon to get you.”

  I shrugged.

  Maybe I wanted the demon to come after me.

  This was takin’ way too long.

  “Fine,” Grant said, make it fast.

  “Hey, as long as you’re going?” Dan jogged over from the bar. “It’s totally girly to be taking a leak together, but I’ve needed to for like half an hour now.”

  We walked to the back and Irish flagged us down.

  Grant clenched his jaw. “Come on.”

  Quil left Len, Carla, and a few of his other trusted, and already checked, vamps, in charge for a minute.

/>   “Make this quick,” Grant said, leadin’ us into the Men’s bathroom.

  There were little dots clearly visible on one of the urinals and I wrinkled my nose.

  “Yes, General,” I said, headin’ for a stall.

  “And while you’re in here, you can wash that stuff off,” Quil said to Irish.

  I sat down, not even embarrassed they’d hear me pee. Dan and Irish were going out there in the urinals.

  How in the world do guys do that?

  “Is that necessary?” Irish asked.

  “Yes,” Quil said as I quickly peed. “I’ve heard rumors that leprechauns can wield their luck if they focus, like to block a psychic. That, plus that horrible smell, could be blocking Ariana. Besides, I don’t trust anyone who insists on wearing cologne, and I especially don’t trust anyone who is part fae.”

  “Grant, my boy, could you help me out?” Irish asked. “Vampires like supernatural things a little too much, which is why they’re so fond of our Ariana.” He gestured to me as I went over to wash my hands.

  Gee, thanks Irish.

  “And they really hate us, so I’d really rather keep my cologne on just so the rest of them don’t know.”

  “We do hate fae,” Quil said. “But I don’t know who told you we like their taste. We can’t stand it. If anyone’s much more than about a fourth, we don’t even want to eat them. It’s not poison, but it’s like drinking mud in your wine.”

  “Ariana?” Irish asked me. “Your Quil is making me nervous. Any kind of fae and vampires don’t get along.”

  “Irish,” I said, “Quil won’t hurt you. If you don’t trust him, at least trust me.”

  I turned off the water and walked over to them. Dan was just zipping up and went over to wash his hands, but Irish hadn’t gone yet.

  If he needed to go that badly, he might lose it before he could cuz he was looking pretty scared. But I didn’t want to see him going. Apparently guys can handle that, but I can’t, it’s just weird.

  Irish’s eyes met mine and I couldn’t decipher his look.

  “Leave him alone,” Grant said slowly, as though he’d just made up his mind about something. “I’ve known he was part leprechaun for a long time now, and I don’t want any of your people becoming distracted.”