by Karen Lynch
“As well as anyone here. I live in the building so I come to his parties when I have nothing more exciting planned.” His eyes glowed, and I fought the urge to shudder. “I’m Lucien, by the way. I can introduce you to Draegan, but I assure you he won’t do business tonight. The only money that exchanges hands at his parties is during Glaen.”
Jordan and I exchanged looks and my heart sank. We both knew my lack of tolerance for liquor meant I couldn’t play the game if I wanted to. And I wouldn’t ask her to endanger herself to save someone she barely knew. My throat tightened painfully.
“You said it’s poisonous to demons, but Mohiri have human bodies. Does it have the same effect on us?” Jordan asked Lucien.
“Glaen is toxic to all demons. I’ve seen a mature vampire pass out after four glasses. He lasted a bit longer than most demons do.”
“If it’s so strong, how can Draegan drink it?” I already suspected it was sheer strength that kept the huge demon from passing out. His body mass allowed him to consume more than everyone else.
Lucien laughed. “Look at him. Gulaks have a high tolerance for pain.”
“But what is Glaen and where does it come from?” Jordan asked him.
He shook his head. “Ah, the ignorance of youth. Glaen is a Fae drink.”
I gawked at him, my heart racing. “A Fae drink? At a demon party?”
“You can buy anything if you have enough money and know where to find it. Some demons like to amuse themselves by taking risks. Drinking Glaen is a status symbol to them. They like to tell others they played Glaen and to talk about how long they lasted in the game.”
Jordan wrinkled her nose. “That’s sick.”
The incubus raised his glass to her. “I agree. I prefer to get my thrills in other ways.”
This time I could not repress a shudder. “I’d prefer not to hear about how you get your thrills.”
Instead of being insulted, Lucien was amused. “I wondered how long you’d hold back.”
I gave him a questioning look, and he chuckled. “I can sense how females react to me, and your aversion is quite strong, even though you don’t know it. It’s actually refreshing to be around females who don’t want me.”
Jordan narrowed her eyes at him. “Poor fellow. I’m sure it must be a hardship for you.”
I didn’t hear his reply because my attention was fixed on the decanter sitting on Draegan’s table. What were the odds of finding a Fae drink at a demon party, especially this one? I’d never tried Glaen, but Aine had assured me that Fae food and drink would have no effect on me. Did that include this drink? I wasn’t eager to repeat my last experience with drinking, but I would take any kind of hangover for Greg.
“I’m going to play,” I announced.
“That would not be wise,” Lucien warned. “Look at you. There is no way you could last against Draegan.”
Jordan pulled me aside. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she whispered. “You don’t know if that stuff won’t hurt your Mori.”
“I had food and drink in Faerie and it didn’t hurt my Mori,” I whispered to her. “This is the best shot we have, and I just have to outlast him. He’s tough, but I have an advantage here.”
Her eyes swung between me and the big demon still sitting at the table. “I still don’t like it.”
“Just stand close to me and catch me if I look like I’m going to pass out.”
“That’s not funny.”
“If you have a better plan, I’m all ears.”
She gave me an unhappy look and shook her head.
I walked back to the incubus who was watching us with open curiosity. “Will you introduce us?”
He sighed. “If you wish, but I agree with your friend. This is a bad idea.”
Draegan bellowed a greeting when we approached his table. “Lucien, glad you could make it tonight!”
“How could I miss one of your parties?” He waved a hand at me. “My young Mohiri friend here wanted to meet you. She would like to play Glaen with you.”
Draegan’s cold reptilian eyes slid over me, and his mouth opened in surprise. Then he threw back his head and roared with laughter. The two demons standing behind him joined in.
“Play indeed,” he rumbled. “Go away, little Mohiri. Who let you out after dark?”
I pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. “But all the fun stuff happens after dark.”
Draegan waved a scaly hand at me. “You’re too puny, and I’ll not have your papa coming after me because you got sick at my place.”
“Or maybe you’re afraid I might win.”
The laughter around us died.
“No one beats Draegan,” said one of his companions.
“Then he shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”
Draegan’s thin lips pulled tight and he glared at me. “The ante is five hundred dollars per shot. You don’t look like someone who carries that kind of cash.”
I unzipped a pocket of my jacket and pulled out one of the diamonds I’d brought with me to pay off Greg’s debt. “Will this do?”
Draegan’s eyes widened when he saw the sparkling gem. He swallowed greedily. “That will do nicely, and it’ll look great in the new ring I’m going to have made.”
I laid the diamond on the table in front of me, amazed at how steady my hands were. “Let’s play then.”
He barked at one of the mox demons who ran to get clean glasses from the bar. One of the other gulak demons handed him a wad of cash, and he began counting out five hundred dollars.
I waved away his money. “I don’t want money. I want to play for something else.”
He looked up from his money. “Like what?”
I rolled the diamond around the table, watching how Draegan’s eyes followed it. “You’re holding a debt against a friend of mine. I want it.”
He chuckled, but his eyes were shrewd. “I hold a lot of debts. You’ll have to be more specific.”
“His name is Greg McCoy.”
“McCoy? Ah, the blood debt.” He shrugged as if my friend’s life meant nothing. “What does a Mohiri care for a human’s debt?”
“I just said he was my friend.”
“So you did.” He scratched his scaly chin with a clawed hand. “One little diamond hardly covers a blood debt. I already have a buyer lined up for him, and she’s willing to pay handsomely for a fit young human male.”
Over my dead body. My breathing increased and my control slipped a little in my anger. I struggled to compose myself before I lost it and leapt across the table at the gulak.
“That’s a five carat diamond.” I patted my pocket. “I have two more in here just like it, and I’m sure they will more than cover the debt.”
Draegan’s hungry eyes hovered on my pocket. “Show them, then.”
I shook my head. “I’ll show them if you win.”
The gulak was barely able to take his eyes off the glittering diamond I rolled between my fingers. David had done his homework well. He’d said the one thing Draegan loved more than money was precious stones.
“Crak, bring the box,” Draegan barked, and one of his henchmen disappeared down a hallway. He returned a minute later carrying a dark wooden box, which he laid in front of his boss. Draegan lifted the cover and shuffled some papers before he pulled out a folded one. He opened the paper to reveal a long one-page contract with Greg’s uncle’s name signed in blood at the bottom.
I nodded, and he laid the contract in the center of the table then handed the box to Crak.
“Your turn,” he said.
The room had grown quiet around us, and it was as if everyone held their breath when I laid the diamond on top of the contract. Demons moved in closer, forming a wide circle around us. Jordan stood at my left, and Lucien stood at my right as if he and I were suddenly friends. When this was over, I hoped I never laid eyes on him or anyone else in this room again.
Draegan could not hold back his satisfied smirk as he filled two shot glasses an
d pushed one toward me. “Ladies first.”
I picked up the glass and sniffed the pearly substance. It smelled sweet and made me think of flowers and honey. I put it to my lips and tilted my head back. Here goes everything.
Flavors burst across my tongue: cream, honey, lavender, and too many others to identify. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever tasted. I swallowed and delicious warmth spread through my body, making me want to laugh and run barefoot through a sunny meadow. I licked every last drop from my lips before I set the glass down and looked at Draegan, who wore a puzzled expression. Around us, demons were staring at me like I’d just sprouted angel wings.
“What?” I asked.
Jordan tapped my shoulder. “How do you feel?”
I gave her a grin. “Wonderful.”
Draegan made a noise, and I faced him again to find him watching me with narrowed eyes.
“Your turn.”
He snatched up his glass and downed the contents in one gulp. I watched him enviously. Next time I saw Aine, I was going to ask her why she’d never told me about this stuff.
Draegan grimaced slightly as he put his glass back on the table. It was the only sign he gave that the drink affected him at all, and not in a pleasant way. He picked up the decanter and filled our glasses again.
I reached for mine before he had a chance to push it across the table. My mouth was already watering in anticipation by the time I put the glass to my lips and drank. Mmmm. I sighed happily as I laid my empty glass on the table.
I smiled at Draegan as he took his turn. I couldn’t understand why he was scowling when he should be happy. This stuff was incredible. I could drink it all night.
Two shots later, Draegan started swaying in his chair, and whispers broke out around us.
After the fifth shot, I burped loudly and slapped a hand over my mouth. “Excuse me.”
By the sixth shot, his eyes were crossing, and he had to hold onto the table to stay upright.
I pressed my legs together tightly, suddenly feeling the effects of all the drinks. “Listen, how much longer do you think this will take?”
“Are you ready to give up?” he asked in a slurred voice. His eyes couldn’t focus on my face.
“No, I really need to pee.”
Someone snickered. One corner of Draegan’s jaw sagged and drool ran down his chin. Behind him, his two henchmen watched me with expressions of anger and disbelief.
Draegan tried to scowl, but his lips wouldn’t cooperate. “It’s over when I say it’s –”
His face hit the table so hard I was sure there would be cracks in the wood.
“That’s gonna hurt.” I looked up at Lucien, who was watching me with an indecipherable expression. “Did I win?” He nodded, and I couldn’t hold back my grin. “Awesome! Now could you point me to the bathroom? I really do have to go.”
He pointed down the hallway. “Second door on the left.”
Draegan’s bathroom was as white as the rest of his apartment. “What does this guy have against color?” I muttered as I washed my hands and dried them with a plush white towel.
I grinned at my reflection in the mirror. I did it! Greg and his cousin would never have to worry about Draegan or blood debts again. “Not bad for a night’s work.”
My power surged and I clamped down on it. “What the hell?”
A small tug on my coat caught my attention, and I looked down at the tiny pale creature clinging to my front pocket that held the diamonds.
“Hey, get out of there.” I grabbed the back of the imp’s loincloth and set him down on the vanity. He chattered angrily and snapped his sharp little teeth at my hand.
I flicked a spark at him, making him squeak and scurry backward. “Don’t bite off more than you can chew, buddy. Now go steal from someone else.”
When I came out of the bathroom, Jordan was standing in the hallway waiting for me. In her hands were the diamond and the contract. She handed them to me and watched as I stuffed them in my pockets. “Do you feel okay?”
“Never felt better.”
She peered into my eyes. “You’re acting weird. I’d say you were drunk, but Lucian said Glaen isn’t alcohol.”
“I’m great!” I gave her a quick hug.
She stepped back. “What was that for?”
“I’m just glad we’re friends.”
“Whoa, too much of the happy juice.” She took my arm and led me back to the main room. “I hope this faerie shit wears off soon because it’s kind of freaking me out.”
We were met by Draegan’s two henchmen as soon as we entered the living room. They moved to block our path to the door. The rest of the demons moved back, giving the four of us a wide berth.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” Crak said. “You cheated and Draegan will deal with you when he wakes up.”
Jordan stepped in front of me. “She drank the same stuff he drank. Everyone here saw it, including you. How is that cheating?”
“She is not a demon. No demon can drink that much Glaen,” argued the other gulak demon.
“Lorne, she is Mohiri, you idiot,” Lucien said.
“Wilhem!” Lorne bellowed. The demon who had admitted us came into the room. “You let a human in here.”
Wilhem walked up to me and sniffed. “These two have Mori demons.” He touched his nose when Lorne started to shake his head. “This never fails.”
Crak crossed his arms. “I don’t care. Draegan will be pissed if he wakes up and finds out we let them leave, and I don’t want him mad at me.”
Jordan reached behind her and pulled her short sword free from its sheath. The two gulak demons took a step back. She pulled me around them. “We’re leaving. Deal with it.”
I shook my head to clear it. “You better listen to her, boys. She’s scary with that thing.”
We got halfway across the room before Crak let out a small roar and lunged at us. Jordan shoved me aside and turned to meet his attack. The gulak demon was not agile, but he came at us like a charging bull. Jordan dodged his advance and swung her sword, but the blade hit his shoulder and bounced off.
He grinned, showing off sharp teeth as he lashed at her with one of his clawed hands. “It’s not that easy to kill a gulak, little Mohiri.”
I let out a small scream when someone grabbed the back of my jacket and swung me around. I came face-to-face with the other gulak. The magic I’d been holding back erupted, and my whole body tingled as electric currents raced through it. Instead of trying to pull away from the demon, I reached for him, my hands glowing when they slammed into his chest. His eyes flew wide, and he let out a strangled scream before he flew backward and crashed into a white marble podium holding a sculpture that resembled a deformed swan. The heavy piece of art toppled over and bonked him squarely on the forehead, and he fell back on the floor moaning.
I turned to Jordan who was fending off Crak and two of the ranc demons that had joined the fight.
“Hey, no fair!” I yelled, jumping the closest ranc demon. He twisted and tried to gore me with one of his horns, but only managed to scrape my palm before I grabbed him by both horns. Power burst from my hands and the demon’s horns shattered. “Oops,” I said as he stepped back and felt the stumps that used to be his horns. “Sorry.”
He made a keening sound and ran at me. I met him halfway and grabbed him around his thin neck with both glowing hands. His cry dissolved into a croak a few seconds before he sank to his knees. I gave him another blast of power for good measure then let him collapse to the floor.
Jordan had taken out the other ranc demon, and she and Crak were circling each other. “You got this?” I called, and she gave me a thumbs-up with her free hand.
Noise behind me alerted me to the fact that Lorne had gained his feet again. He shook his head to clear it and looked around until he found me. Instead of speaking, he roared and lumbered toward me. I sidestepped him easily because he was still disoriented, and before he could stop his headlong rush, I jumped on his back. My han
ds wrapped around his face, and I pushed power into him.
The gulak gasped and collapsed beneath me. I climbed off his unconscious – or maybe dead – body and looked around for Jordan. I smirked when I saw Crak facedown on the floor with Jordan straddling his back and wrenching his arms behind him. “I can do this all night, you overgrown lizard,” she ground out, twisting his arm until he moaned in pain.
Chuckling, I brushed off my clothes. It hit me then how quiet the room was, and I looked up to see the rest of Draegan’s guests watching me with expressions ranging from astonishment to fear. It wasn’t until I moved to brush down my hair and felt it crackling with static that I understood their reactions.
“Anyone else here have a problem with us leaving?” I asked the room, and almost every head moved from side to side.
Lucien was the only one who spoke. “What are you?”
“Didn’t you hear Wilhem? I’m a Mohiri.”
“No Mohiri can do what you did.”
I shrugged. “Apparently, at least one can.”
Lucien studied the demons at my feet. “Something tells me people underestimate you a lot, little Mohiri.”
I plucked a gulak scale from my hair. “They usually do. I’m working on that, though.”
I heard swearing and a crack behind me, and I looked back to see Crak sprawled out with his head at an odd angle, and Jordan getting to her feet. “Bastard tried to bite me. What kind of fighting is that?”
I picked up her sword and handed it to her. She glared at the other demons then glanced at me. “Let’s get out of here.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” I felt for the crumpled contract in my pocket. I couldn’t wait to get back to Greg and tell him his nightmare was over.
I took one last look at Draegan before I left, and behind him I saw the two mox demons huddled in a corner. “Hold up, Jordan,” I said as I veered toward the two females.
“Do you two want to come with us?” I asked them. They stared at me with wide, frightened eyes. “Once we leave here, you can go wherever you want. You’re free.”
One of them darted a look at Draegan who was snoring loudly now. “Don’t worry about him,” I told her. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”