“Trouble has a way of following you. Be careful.”
Waving him off, I turned to step through the portal. “I only have twenty-four hours to make this happen. Nothing will happen between now and then. I’ll meet you back at the agency.”
“So you say. I know you too well, Vane.”
“I’ll be fine. Bernard is almost as annoying as you. He’s an overprotective ass.”
“Yeah, but I’m a sexy, overprotective ass.”
“Whatever. See you soon. And remember the code to get back!”
Within moments, the smugness of Kaleb’s features disappeared as I stepped through the archway. I felt the usual rush of scenery pass by at rapid speed, and then the other side of the portal shimmered into view. The familiar white floor tiles and the shiny, sleek walls stared back at me, relishing in its replication of many airports located on Earthside.
The fake airport was a precaution for two reasons. It wasn’t only extra protection to anyone who was able to wander through the magical wards in the national park where it sat. But it was also built that way to help those crossing from Earthside to Portiside for the first time. Transition through familiarity helped more than people realized, and this place was the first step.
I remembered when I’d traveled through it for the first time at sixteen. It had been a scary experience knowing that something else so big existed on the other side of a portal. But after spending two years of my life in an abusive mental institution it had been a breeze in comparison.
This side of the portal wasn’t as busy as a real airport on Earthside, but there was still a bit of foot traffic around. There were a few citizens with dual citizenship in Portiside who were able to travel back and forth between the two worlds, mostly because of exporting and importing. But there were many members of the Fey who liked to return to the true nature of Earthside to recharge.
I headed over to Ardella, who was managing the imports and exports desk. She was perched in front of a white console wearing a pretty powder blue and white uniform complete with a round hat perched at an angle on top of her flaming red hair. She was wearing a magical glamor to support the pretense of the airport setting, but her eyes still looked a little wide and her ears still a little too pointed not to warrant a second look. She was a member of the fire fairies and her high cheekbones dusted with a light scattering of freckles was only further evidence of that.
“Hello Terra Vane,” she greeted me and I smiled in reply.
“Hi Della,” I addressed her, comfortable enough to use her preferred name. “How are things?”
“Very good and very fine. Thank you for asking on this wonderful day.”
She took my paperwork and scanned them before returning them to me, also handing me my pass for accessing the border control gate near the exit.
“Do you have anything to declare on your person?” she asked me and I raised my arms for a search.
“Only paperwork in the left inner pocket of my jacket and my watch comms on my wrist.”
Della did a quick check and then nodded her head agreeing with what I’d declared.
“Thank you for your patience, Terra Vane. You have twenty-four hours until your required return. I’m certain I don’t need to read through the protocol of Immigration Control in regards to your returning on time, do I?”
“Not at all,” I chuckled. “I’ve heard it enough times. Hopefully I’ll have Bernard Vostreux on my arm when I come back through. He should still have an open pass.”
“He does. But I’ll pop it on the system, just in case.”
“Thanks, Della. The paperwork also clears me for a hire car?”
“Yes.” She handed me a set of keys. “All fueled up and ready to go. You’ll find it in the hanger outside. Please return it to the same place. There is no need to refuel.”
I took the keys from her. “That’s great. Have a good day, Della.”
“I shall. You, too.”
She bowed her head in my direction, and I embarrassingly bowed back. There were a few Fey beings who acted this way so I responded in kind, having had ‘respect for all citizens’ drummed into me from day one. But it still felt awkward.
Heading off to the gate, I felt out of place in my jeans and leather jacket. Those traveling through the portal had selected a smarter Earthside wardrobe, but I reassured myself I would be over on Earthside in about two point four minutes. Wearing this attire would help me fit in over there. Not stand out.
Once I collected the car I headed out onto the private road that would lead me out of the national park. It was all hidden to avoid discovery, and it had been this way for thousands of years. Someone from Portiside owned the land so no one else could build on it. But to stop humans from becoming curious, most of it had been made public. That didn’t always stop curious adventurers from trying to veer off into a private part of the land though. Hence the need for the glamor to be raised a notch on the priorities.
Seattle looked no different to when I’d last visited as I hit the open road. Grays and metallics replaced the greenery of the national park, and I glanced upon it with a sense of detachment as I always did.
My upbringing hadn’t been the greatest. That wasn’t Seattle’s fault, but I hadn’t seen enough of the place to have formed a strong enough bond with it.
I’d lived in a small suburbia until the age of nine. My house had been grand and pretty. But it was unfortunate that the family I’d been born into had been the total opposite.
Growing up with a weak-willed mom and a pair of nasty, overbearing grandparents hadn’t been the best, loving environment a kid could ask for. Satan’s Daughter or the Child of the Devil had been just a few choice names I’d been called after my psychic gifts had kicked in. Two weeks shy of my tenth birthday, and after numerous attempted exorcisms at their local church, my mom finally bent to my grandparents’ will and had me admitted into a psychiatric hospital.
My grandparents were very religious, and not in a good way. They used their bible as a form of power to bully others into thinking they were doing good, but goodness was way out of their hypocritical reach.
The first psychiatric hospital where I’d been admitted to had been nice enough. I’d had a good education there, and the doctors and staff were supportive. They may not have believed my claims about my psychic gifts, but they treated me well, regardless. When I was fourteen that vacation ended. Too old to stay there anymore, they had transferred me to St Mary’s, a place that had become my living hell.
Dr. Warwick had been my main abuser. He’d wanted to discreetly experiment on me as he coveted by gift. And the groping hands of the orderly simply became the bad aftertaste.
It was a place where I’d craved a friend or a parent to understand, but instead I had nothing and no one in those entire two years of imprisonment to connect to or to care for me. Or I hadn’t until Dan Vasquez turned up.
Dan was a magically disguised elf who lived on Earthside. I considered myself lucky that he’d surprised me one day by arriving during visiting hours at the hospital.
Classed as a Finder, Dan had used his gift to seek out my own. He’d told me there and then who he truly was and that he knew about my gift. For the first time in my life I felt that I wasn’t beyond help. No matter how ludicrous his words had sounded, a part of me had believed him. And from the moment Dan had managed to convince my mom of the existence of Portiside, I hadn’t looked back.
My mom sure had though. During all her days in Portiside she had craved for her old and ignorant life on Earthside. In the end, I was more than happy when she left me in my stepdad’s care so she could flee back to her old home. She had a new, ready-made family now. One provided by her wonderful new husband. But they were part of her brand new life. Not mine.
The car phone rang as I wallowed in old memories, but I didn’t recognize the number. I answered it anyway.
“Hello?” I asked, grateful when Dan Vasquez’s voice came through the line.
“Della patched me thro
ugh, kid. I hear you’re in my neck of the woods?”
Even Dan’s voice was a tonic as it fed through the speakers to ease my aching soul. He was one of the very few people in life who didn’t annoy me. It was always good to hear from him. “You heard right. I’ve got twenty-four hours to try and hunt down Bernard to assist on a case.” I hesitated. “Has Cole filled you in?”
“High level, yes. He’s given me all he can for now. But it doesn’t sound good. I think getting Bernard on board to help with your vampire problem is a good call. I’ve done some digging for you.”
“On the prisoner problem or on Bernard?”
“The prisoner problem, in essence, isn’t my problem considering it’s the jurisdiction of Portiside. But I’m happy to help where needed. I thought I’d look into where Bernard could be hiding out to give you a fighting chance.”
“Then, for that, I’m grateful. It’s not like Bernard likes to flaunt a cell phone number. That would make things too easy.”
“Bernard won’t make things too difficult if he knows you’re on the look out for him.” Dan’s voice was knowing, and I cringed. Bernard and I had been discreet about our previous relationship—or so I’d thought. Obviously I was wrong. The whole damn world seemed to know about it.
“My contact informs me that he’s just finished up on a job. He’s staying in a hotel about an hour’s drive away from the portal. He’s known to drink a lot in the hotel bar. A place called The Millenia 101. Room seven, if you want me to be specific.”
“Wow. Your contact is very well informed.”
“I wouldn’t be doing my job well if I didn’t know everything,” he teased. “You should know that by now.”
“And which job is that? Your pretend one at the FBI or the one where you use your special Elven powers?”
“My job at the FBI is not a pretend one,” he said with admonishment. “And my Elven powers aren’t exactly powers. Just a heightened form of intuition.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself. Those powers saved me.” I pushed back the emotion that always seemed to rise at the memory of him entering my life. Those kind eyes, that understanding face, and let’s not forget those pointy ears that had believed every word I’d said about my gift and the abuse I’d suffered. Not that he had pointy ears now. As a Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Division of the FBI office in Seattle, he had no choice but to magically refine his features to pass for human. But I’d seen them. And irrelative of their pointiness, he’d listened. He was my hero. “In fact,” I added as I forced myself onto safer ground, “I think it’s your super power and we should get you a cape. And some tights. And a superhero name … I know! How about The Mystic Elf?”
“Terra …” he warned, but I heard the humor in his voice.
“Nah, actually, The Mystic Elf sounds more like something Mayra would sell in her shop. How about Forest Boy? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No … it’s Forest Boy!”
“I wish you could hear yourself sometimes,” he smiled with affection. “Then you’d worry.”
“You love me really. And thanks for the heads up on Bernard. That will save some time now I know he’s not at one of his usual haunts.”
“It’s a pity you’re not staying longer. Joanne would love to see you.”
Pleasure filled me at the thought of seeing Dan’s lovely wife again. She was the very reason he chose to live over on Earthside as he fulfilled his duties for both worlds. “Maybe next time. Send her my love.” Then I realized I didn’t know where the hell this Millenia 101 was. “Fancy giving me some directions now?”
He laughed as if in exasperation, then told me of the exact location where I could go and hunt me down a vampire.
CHAPTER FOUR
AS SOON AS I pulled into the parking lot of the The Millenia 101, I was unable to hold back a smile. The place was set back off the road out in the middle of nowhere and it had certainly taken advantage of its creepy location in the woods.
I’d assumed from the name that I was going to come across your standard hotel chain. But I’d been so very wrong. Bernard had a sense of humor, I had to give him that.
The dark building looked almost as black as dusk settled on the sky. The creepy turrets alone would have been enough to put off your average passer-by, but the bright, flashing neon red and blue lights ensured it. It had a From Dusk Till Dawn vibe going on, which was ironic considering there might be an actual vampire inside.
I knew that Bernard liked to remain subtle when he was doing his job so he always attempted to remain in the shadows in order to complete his work effectively. Problem was, over on Earthside, the shadows tended to be places like this. Cheap, frightening and with a bad enough reputation to keep away most humans.
Welcome to Millennia 101.
Muffled music drifted out to greet me as I approached the entrance. The cerise posters taped to the arched windows told me that the Screaming Skeletons were playing tonight. Their music sounded like alternative rock trying to meet heavy metal, but not quite making it. When I pulled open the heavy, black door with its long, brass handle, I was hoping it would improve. Unfortunately, it didn’t.
The reception check-in desk was empty, so I followed the noise into the hotel bar. The room I walked into hosted a few tables and chairs scattered around a small dance floor. They were occupied with a few bored-looking patrons who were seated to watch the band on stage. The black and red walls that had framed posters of old horror movies hanging from them were in need of a lick of paint. Gaudy looking bats and cobwebs hung from the ceiling. And no. It wasn’t Halloween.
The lead singer of the Screaming Skeletons roared out his lyrics as the backing singer on bass came in at the wrong time. The drummer looked like he was half asleep, and the two on guitar were too busy watching their finger movements to engage with the crowd. I cringed as they all tried to make it to the rift in sync; the noise forcing my eardrums to pray for solace.
Assessing the room was my next move, eager to make my exit. But then I saw him. Sat huddled in the corner in an attempt to blend in with the furniture was my dear friend, Bernard Vostreux.
Weaving my way through the tables and chairs to him, I watched as my ex-boyfriend took little interest in his surroundings. He was more interested in the liquid that he was presently swirling around in his glass than anything going on in the room.
“Of all the places, in all the worlds, you end up in a place like this,” I couldn’t resist saying as I took the stool next to him. Any other time, he would have heard my approach, but among this racket you wouldn’t have heard a cannon fire.
Bernard looked up from his glass and did a double take in my direction. As soon as those green eyes of his registered who had sat next to him, his face lit up.
“Terra!” he exclaimed as he pulled me into an embrace. He gave me a full kiss on the lips then urged me back to drink me in. “I can’t believe you’re here!” He hugged me again and laughed in disbelief. “But you’re right. In all the places, in all the worlds, only you would come and find me in a place like this.”
I grinned as he threw my own words back at me. Taking a moment to adjust to the aesthetically pleasing man—sorry, scrap that—vampire in front of me, I internally berated myself. He was my friend now. Nothing more. We’d both agreed on that a long time ago. There was no need to go ahead and pick at that scab, especially with everything happening at the moment with Cole. But a girl could look, right? And there were worst things in the world than taking in the view of this particular vampire.
With both good looks and a charming personality in his arsenal, Bernard had been a hard man not to fall in love with. However, I’d been quick enough to escape that net. He loved Earthside. I loved Portiside. He loved the night. I loved the day. Neither of us could have been anymore different. Until we hit the sheets. Then we connected. Oh boy, did we …
“You look good,” I told him loudly over the music, pushing the old memories aside. His black, silky locks had grown down to his shoulders, now long
enough to run my—your fingers through it. His chiseled face could have been carved out of marble with deep, red lips that would have given Snow White a run for her money.
“I look good?” he asked as he stroked my cheek. “If that’s the case, then you look divine.” He dropped his hand. “It’s been a while.”
“That it has,” I let out sigh. “Kind of sucks I’m here on business.”
“Business?” His eyebrow quirked up. “Now that is interesting.” He waved the bartender over. “What are you drinking?”
“Nothing, thanks. I’m driving.”
“And you have to go back tonight?”
“I’ve only been sanctioned for a twenty-four hour visit. And I’ve just driven an hour to get to you.”
“Then you have time to stay overnight. Two bourbon chasers please,” he said to the waiting barman. I waited until I had his full attention again before putting him on the right track.
“I can’t get drunk with you, Bernard. And I haven’t come to stay the night with you either.”
He studied me as he saw the truth of my words in my eyes, and I saw the disappointment flicker across his own features. “Well, that is a shame.” He put his hand on my knee and the usual fire between us dared to flare. “A damn shame.”
“We said last time would be the last time,” I told him. “It was getting too hard.”
He looked down at his crotch and smirked before saying, “It’s getting that way now, too.”
Laughter left my lips, honest and raw. He always had a way to get to the core of the matter. He was very refreshing to be around for that reason alone. You didn’t need to rely on energies or body language with Bernard. He always said exactly what was going on in his head. No holds barred. It was what you got for mixing with an old vampire, I guess.
“You haven’t changed.”
“Sure I have.” He slid his hand away from beneath mine and gave me the respite I needed from his touch. I was grateful for it. “Many hundreds of years ago I would have charmed you into my bedroom and sated you without you even knowing it. I’ve changed a lot.”
Death be Charmed Page 3