"I see," Elizabeth said. "I've heard her ads on the radio. She sounds like such a nice woman. I wouldn't have expected her to be a demon."
"She's not," Peter clarified. "She's strictly human, but she has a lot of demons working under her."
"That's creepy," Elizabeth said.
"You're telling me," Sarah said. "She's a real piece of work. Don't worry though, we're going to make sure she and her lackeys don't bother you again. If I have to kill her to make that clear--"
"--We don't actually kill humans," Peter said to Elizabeth, whose eyes had grown round. "It's metaphorical. Sarah wouldn't really kill her."
"No, I wouldn't," Sarah agreed. "But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't do anything else to stop her."
Elizabeth nodded.
"Do you want us to spend the night here?" Sarah asked. "In case anyone else decides to drop by?"
"That would be great," Elizabeth said. "The nanny gets here at nine tomorrow because I have school, but I'm worried about leaving the baby with her."
"Don't be," Sarah said with a smile. "I hired her, remember?"
"So?"
"So, she knows how to defend against the supernatural," Sarah said. "It was a job requirement."
Elizabeth and Peter both blinked and then laughed.
"Alright, well, it's late," Sarah said. "Go to bed, Beth. You've got an early morning. We'll be in here, and we won't let anyone through that door."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Elizabeth asked. "I know it's an inconvenience."
"Don't worry," Peter said. "We've got nothing better to do."
Sarah morphed into her fox form and curled up near the door. After a split-second of hesitation, Peter did the same. He curled up next to her.
Elizabeth stared at the two of them, then smiled, and went up to bed.
TEN
Conner looked over at Alec. "Are you sure you want to come with me? I know how you feel about the underground."
"I'll be fine," Alec said.
Conner shrugged. He wasn't about to argue with Alec. The truth was, he hated going alone. He always expected some demon to recognize him from Afterlife and start a fight with him. If he had Alec there, they could battle their way out a lot easier should that happen.
"So how are things with Janice?" Alec asked, as they walked toward an old, dilapidated building. It had a sign up that said it was set for demolition, but that sign had been there for over a decade. It wasn't going to be demolished any time soon.
Conner glanced over at Alec, surprised. Sometimes it still caught him off guard how much more interested Alec had become in their personal lives since Harper and Brittney had joined the team.
"You know, she's a little upset with me," he said. "I told her I couldn't come celebrate James' soccer win tonight."
"It must be difficult to date a woman outside of Afterlife," Alec mused. "Someone that's not involved wouldn't understand the time and dedication it takes to pull off these jobs."
"Yeah, it can be hard," Conner admitted. He glanced around, as though expecting to see Janice lurking around a corner. "I'm not saying that I regret being with her, or being with James, but it can be hard sometimes to try and prioritize things."
"You'll figure it out," Alec said.
"I suppose so," Conner said. "Part of me misses just being single, though, without having to worry about whether my girlfriend is going to be waiting up for me."
Alec clapped him on the shoulder. "These things take time to adjust to. You've been together less than six months. You'll learn all the nuances."
Conner shrugged. They reached the building and headed inside, ignoring the signs that warned against doing that exact thing.
The downstairs of the building led a tunnel that connected other buildings in the same shape spread throughout the city. Conner and Alec went down one, took a left turn, and ended up in a house that was filled with demonic creatures. They stood off the side, not mingling just yet.
"Hello," said a succubus, approaching Conner. "You're a very pretty man."
"Thank you," Conner said.
He transformed into his incubus form. The succubus looked at him, gave him a sly smile, and then touched his arm. He felt a tingle. Her powers of seduction wouldn't work on him, but he could admit that she was very beautiful, even in her demonic form.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Conner. And this is Alec."
The succubus looked between them. "I'm Maria. I haven't seen either of you down here before. What brings you to the underground?"
Conner frowned. There had been a time when he'd been well-known in the underground circles. He was always the one sent for information. Of course, he hadn't been since he'd resumed his relationship with Janice. Now he had to decide what information was most important to him.
Alec took the lead. "We're looking for information about Councilwoman Rebecca Stanley."
Maria immediately stiffened. "What do you want to know about her?"
"We want to know why her demons are rebelling," Conner said. "It's known everywhere. We're just trying to find out why."
"Why do you care?" Maria asked suspiciously.
"Are you one of her men?" Conner asked. "If you are, then you'll know. Look, it's no secret around these parts that her men are turning against her. We just want to know why someone would risk abandoning one of the most powerful women in the city."
Maria scoffed. "I'm not one of her men. Not anymore, anyway. I decided I wouldn't work for a filthy human like Stanley. She treats demons like grunts and only allows them out at certain times to kill people she wants dead."
"I see," Alec said. "And is that why you're rebelling?"
"That's part of it," Maria said. "Some of us simply don't care for her politics."
Conner laughed. "Demons care about politics? Since when?"
"We live in this city too," Maria said.
"We feed in this city, you mean," Conner said.
Maria flicked her hair impatiently. "Perhaps you do, but not every demon out there enjoys killing, Conner. Some of us are above such things."
Conner was surprised by this. He hadn't met many demons who were above killing humans to feed off of. He knew they existed, but he hadn't expected to run into any.
"So you don't feed," Alec said.
"No," Maria said indignantly. "But the councilwoman doesn't want to hear that. Sometimes she sends us out like assassins. Some of us became disenfranchised with that lifestyle and so we walked away. That's the thing about Stanley though. You don't just walk away from her."
"If you don't feed, why are you down here?" Conner asked. He couldn't help but feel a tad suspicious. "I know the kind of demons that frequent this place and they're not ones who choose not to kill."
Maria shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "It's safe down here."
"What do you mean?" Alec asked.
"She's turning people against us," Maria said. "You, for starters."
Conner and Alec both raised their eyebrows. "Excuse me?" Conner asked.
"You're Afterlife," Maria said. "Oh, don't act so shocked. The moment you said your names, I knew. If you really want to blend in to the underground, you should consider using names that not every demon is familiar with. Conner Kingsley, the incubus, and Alec Morodan, the vampiric owner of the club. Please, spare me the denials."
"I'm not denying who I am," Conner said. "Neither is Alec. But we're not down here to kill you, Maria."
"Oh, really? So Stanley was lying when she said you were going to wipe us out -- as a favor to her? I thought Afterlife as above such things. You're known all over Vegas for keeping the scum off the streets, and yet you support someone like her? It makes me sick."
She spat on the ground.
Conner glanced over at the other demons and then back to Maria, looking for her green tattoo. He lowered his voice. "It's true that we were sent to kill her men, but that's not what we're doing. Well, not exactly. We owe her a favor, it's true, but we're not an assassin team eithe
r. We just came down here to try and figure out why her demons are rebelling. We don't want to kill people -- even if they're supernatural -- just because they disagree with that woman."
Alec nodded his agreement. "So anything you can tell us about her would be helpful."
Maria considered for a moment. Then she nodded. "I can tell you that she's very well protected. If you're planning on killing her--"
"--We don't kill humans," Alec said.
"Well, if you're planning on stopping her, it's going to take more than your team," Maria said.
"We're not planning anything other than figuring out how to get out of this mess," Conner said. "We don't want to kill those against her, but we also don't want her turning against our families. She already shot two of our men, and I'm sure nothing would stop her from going all out against the rest of us if the desire so struck her."
Maria nodded.
"I have an idea," Alec said. "You might not like it, but it would keep you and the others safe."
"What is it?" Maria and Conner asked together.
"Come here," Alec said, drawing the two of them even further away from the other demons that littered the building. He lowered his voice. "I have a plan. It's going to take a lot to pull off, but I think we can do it."
ELEVEN
Chloe met up with Brittney the next afternoon at a small cafe. She immediately smiled when she saw the other woman walk in. There was no doubt that Brittney was beautiful; she had light colored skin, pitch-black hair, and the greenest eyes that Chloe had ever seen. She was dressed perfectly, as usual, with earrings that matched her pearl necklace, and a low cut dress that drew attention to her long legs.
Though she was smiling, Chloe felt a moment of regret at not dressing up herself. She was in a pair of old jeans and a tank-top that she'd simply thrown on that morning. She was in her running shoes, and hadn't bothered to do more than braid her brown hair.
Still, she knew that Brittney didn't love her for her ability to dress well. She stood as Brittney approached the table and the two of them embraced.
"How was work today?" Chloe asked.
"I spoke with some of the detectives, including Ryan," Brittney said, taking a seat. Chloe sat down opposite her. "He's going to be rounding up officers that can help with our plan."
"Good," Chloe said. "You know, sometimes I wish that I was the one with the contact with Eklund. Then we could work together more. I've spent all day doing basically nothing."
"Nothing at all?"
"Well, maybe something," Chloe said, her eyes lighting up. "Sarah and I spent the afternoon looking at wedding dresses. Peter was there for a while, but he got bored about halfway through and went to Afterlife."
Brittney smiled. "So have you picked a dress then?"
Chloe shook her head. "I can't tell you that. I can't show it to you either, even if I had picked it. Don't you know it's bad luck for us to see each other's dresses before the wedding? Besides, don't you want to be surprised?"
"I suppose I do," Brittney said. "I bet any dress you pick is going to be beautiful, Chloe. You're already gorgeous."
Chloe rolled her eyes. The waitress came over to take their orders and they both picked out a salad and a drink.
"So are you ready for tonight?" Chloe asked.
Brittney shifted. "Are you sure now is the right time to visit the fey? I mean, I know they're the only family you have, but with everything going on, is it really the right time?"
"We're always going to be on a case," Chloe said. "We can take an evening off and let them know we're going to be married. I think they're going to be really excited. I mean, they honor you as a member of the fey, so there's nothing that's going to make them prejudiced against us."
"Alright," Brittney said. "We'll go after we finish eating then. How do you want to get there? You want to do that teleporting thing again?"
"I'm not sure I can do that again," Chloe said. "I'm still not sure how I even did that. I think it was because I was scared and that amplified my powers somehow. No, we'll just drive there."
Brittney nodded. "Sounds good to me. Now tell me more about your day. You couldn't have just looked at wedding dresses the entire time."
"Well, Sarah spent a long time talking about Peter, trying to figure out if that's who she wants to be with," Chloe said. "So there was that whole thing."
"They're an odd couple," Brittney said. "I'm still not sure how I feel about Sarah dating Peter. I mean, what if she hurts him?"
Chloe frowned. "You think that Sarah is going to hurt Peter?"
"Why not?" Brittney asked.
"I think it's more probable that Sarah's going to end up getting hurt," Chloe said. "She's not used to serious relationships and that's what Peter wants. He's trying to move way too fast, and it's freaking her out."
Brittney shrugged. "We've only been together a year and we're getting married. Look, Peter is a good kid. He's not going to force Sarah into anything she doesn't want. But I'm afraid he's going to get his heart broken because Sarah can't commit."
"You know why she can't commit," Chloe said defensively. "She's had a lot of heartbreak in her life."
"I'm not saying it's her fault," Brittney said. "But Peter is fragile."
"Well, maybe it's time for him to grow up a little," Chloe said.
Brittney looked angry for a moment and then the expression faded. "I don't want to argue about who's going to hurt who, Chloe. Besides, Peter is growing up. I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but the reason he loves Sarah so much is because he really understands her. I mean, he really, really does."
Chloe lifted her eyebrows. "He understands her so well, because..."
"Because he can shape-shift," Brittney blurted out.
Chloe stared at her. "What?"
"He showed me," Brittney said. "He can turn into a dog and into a fox. He learned how before the fight with Bartholomew. Because he gets Sarah, and somehow she made him understand how to do it."
"And you didn't tell me?" Chloe demanded.
"He didn't want anyone else to know," Brittney said.
"Yeah, but it's me," Chloe said indignantly. "We're not supposed to keep secrets from each other, Brittney."
"He asked me not to tell!" Brittney protested. "Come on, Chloe, let's not argue about this either. Our salads are here."
Chloe gave another indignant huff and then settled on eating her salad. She was a little upset that Brittney hadn't trusted her with the information, but as she ate, she pondered it. If it had been her trusted with such a secret, she probably wouldn't have told either.
"I'm sorry," Chloe finally said as they finished up their meal and paid. "Of course you couldn't tell me Peter's secret. I'm sorry, Brittney."
"It's alright," Brittney said. "I would have told you if it was anyone else, but Peter is my brother. Now let's get going to the forest."
Chloe nodded and the two of them went out of the restaurant to their cars. Since they'd both driven there, they had to take their own cars to drive to the edge of the forest. Chloe imagined the fey's reaction when she would tell them they were getting married. Would they be happy for her, like she hoped, or would they be against the union? She wished for the former.
Soon, they parked their cars and walked the rest of the way. Chloe held Brittney's hand and within minutes they saw the forest. It was hidden from human eyes, but both her and Brittney could see it clearly. It was beautiful, just like anything created by her people.
"Are you ready for this?" Brittney asked Chloe.
Chloe nodded. They walked into the forest together and there was a light shimmer as they entered that soon passed. There were people out walking the streets, which were made of dirt and pine needles. Several of them greeted Brittney and Chloe by name.
"Where are we going exactly?" Brittney asked as they walked.
"To my old home," Chloe said. They'd been there before, when they had previously stayed with the fey, so she knew the old home -- made of trees -- wouldn't surprise Brittney. W
hen they reached it, though, they both stopped and stared.
Someone had taken time to clean up the house. It was no longer falling apart, but majestic looking, just as Chloe remembered from her childhood. Whoever had taken care of the outside, pruning, weeding, and gardening, had worked on the inside as well.
The furniture had all been replaced and there were brightly colored woven rugs. The pictures that had once sat dusty in their frames had been cleaned and polished. It felt like a real home now. She felt tears sting her eyes.
"Who would do this?"
"I did it," Joseph said. They both whipped around and saw the husband of the leader of the fey standing there. "I thought that next time you came to visit, you'd like a nice home to stay in, Chloe. Hello, dear. And hello, Brittney. It's so nice to see the two of you. And you don't look like you're in danger this time."
"No, not this time," Chloe said with a laugh. "Quite the contrary, Joseph. We're getting married! We wanted to come and let everyone know!"
Joseph looked between them and then his smile became full-fledged. "I'm so happy for you, Chloe and Brittney. We must celebrate. I'll tell Marissa that you're here, and we'll set up a feast."
"That's not necessary," Brittney said.
"Nonsense," Joseph said. "You two are fey and when two fey become betrothed, it is custom that we celebrate with a feast. I'll have it set up right away. Please, feel free to look over your home. If there are any changes you'd liked made, please just let me know. I'll be happy to accommodate."
"Thank you," Chloe said sincerely.
Joseph nodded and left the two of them alone.
"This is nice," Brittney said. "Unless... you're not offended that he cleaned it up, are you?"
"No, I think it's magnificent," Chloe said. "I have an idea. While we're waiting for the people to gather... what do you say we check out the bedroom?"
Brittney's eyes glimmered. "I'll race you there."
TWELVE
Alec looked at the members of Afterlife that had gathered together. Sarah and Peter were both there, as was Harper. Conner had backed out of the impromptu meeting; he needed to spend time with Janice and James. Brittney and Chloe were spending the day in the forest of the fey.
The Zig Zag Scam (Afterlife Book 12) Page 6