by Mark Tufo
She loosened her grip and he wheezed, “The head. You just need the head.” He showed her the head of the small statue gripped tightly in his hand. She let him go and he dropped it into her palm.
Backing away, the boy doubled over, trying to catch his breath. “God, what is it with you guys and the choking!”
She took a step towards him and he scrambled several steps away from the look on her face.
“The runes you want are very small. Etched on the back of his head. Look!”
She narrowed her eyes and saw them right where he said. Running a finger over the ancient markings she felt a shadow of their power. In clenching her jaw, she let go of the breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. Thank heavens.
“Now if you don't mind, I have to find Kit.” Still rubbing his throat, Theo ran to the other side of the room, tossing the wreckage aside to reach some large crates way at the back that had escaped the full force of the windstorm.
Drake was wiping smears of blood off his face and breathing heavily.
Tamsin faced him. “Why did you come?”
He drew a deep breath and pointed at the coat, his coat, on the floor where it had fallen.
“Your coat? You were worried about your coat? Well, gee, sorry. I apologize for causing you coat-separation anxiety.”
He stood to his full height and stared down at her, “I was worried about what was inside the coat as well.”
She felt herself flush and nervously ran one hand through her now ragged mop of hair, pushing the tangles back from her face. “That wasn't necessary, Drake. I can take care of myself.”
“Never said you couldn't. But the question was, could you take care of my phone? You took it with you.”
Her hands flew to her mouth, “That's right! I forgot about it. I'm so sorry.”
Drake searched through the mess of broken objects, art and other assorted flotsam and jetsam pulling out first one, then the other ripped sleeve. He held them up in the air and made a face at her.
She found Drake's torn coat, slipping it on. He handed her the sleeves and she stuffed them into one pocket. Reaching into another, she pulled out first the crumbled almond croissants from the coffee house and then his cell phone. Sticky crumbs covered the screen. Tamsin cringed as she handed it over. “It was buzzing a lot on the way over to the bunker last night. Your phone, I mean.”
“I'm surprised you could hear it through the pastry.” He flicked off several bits of almond paste. “Who was calling?”
She gave a very unladylike snort, “Well, since I was carrying you at the time, I had my hands a little full. I was afraid it might fall out of your pant's pocket so I slipped it into your coat.”
“That's how it got there.”
“Sorry. Again.”
He flicked on the screen. The phone shone brightly for all of about 30 seconds before blinking off. Drake gave an exasperated sigh. “Battery's dead.”
“Hope you didn't have any pressing appointments.”
He gave her a look.
“Oh....my bad. How did you find me?”
“Well, I am a Hunter.” Holding the the phone up like a trophy, he struck a pose, chin high.
Tamsin laughed, “No, really.”
He frowned. “I'll have you know I am a very good Hunter and you should learn how to cover your tracks. You forgot to clear the history on my computer. Be careful about that. Figured out from your research you must be coming here to the museum. Out the door I went only to discover my car was not there.” He gave her a glare. “When I got back to the coffee shop, I learned it had been towed. Thank you very much, Miss West. If I may ask, why did you take the limo?”
“I didn't take the limo here.”
“No, last night. Why did you take the limo last night?”
“Oh. Car navigation system. You were a little out of it and possibly dying from a poison dagger wound so pardon me for thinking time might be an issue.”
He looked at her skeptically. “You wanted to drive the Hummer, didn't you?”
She adopted a rapper-style pose,“Busted. It's a pimping' car, bro'!”
He burst out laughing. “Okay, I'll concede that. After an expensive detour to the impound yard and some tedious paperwork, I finally got my ride back. Then I had to drive here, creep into the museum through the staff entrance, etc., etc.”
“Yes, but, how did you get through the tunnels and all that to here.”
On the other side of the doorway he picked up a black leather messenger bag. Throwing open the flap, the Fae pulled out an iPad. “I have a 'where's my phone' app. I followed you.”
“Did you really?” She laughed, “Damn you new fangled modern Fae!”
“The doors in the corridor weren't locked. My guess is they only lock from one side on the return trip.”
A high pitched yowl echoed out of the back of the room. Drake set down the bag and iPad and pulled out his knife again. Tamsin bared her claws, heart pounding, ready for battle. Theo rolled by yelling, locked in a deadly embrace with what could only be a leopard.
Drake was already moving towards them, blade outstretched, when Tamsin grabbed his arm. She understood at last.
Theo jumped to his feet and the leopard leaped into his arms.
“Look scary Prime lady! This is my one and only Kit Cat Kitty!” He said it triumphantly and gave Tamsin a massive and very joyous grin.
The adrenalin rush drained away and Tamsin slumped to her knees, her face in her hands. “All these years, all these bodies, because you've been trying to get back your cat?”
“Who's a good kitty,” he cooed. “Those stupid digging guys triggered one of the protection wards with their excavations while we were inside. Like I said, I got out. Kit became trapped. Sealed in the tomb and transformed into a painted stone statue from Puzuzu's stupid protection spell for his stupider avatar. She got packed away with everything else and brought here. The digging guys were not as blockish as they seemed. After I tried several times to get her back, they set up a very effective ward in the final vault thinking – mistakenly – I wanted their lethal little demon. Not likely! Now she's back; back with me. Kitty, kitty, kitty.”
The leopard pushed against the boy, licking his face again and again with its wide tongue.
Drake leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “Explanations would be nice right about now.”
“Drake, this is Theo. Theo, Drake the Hunter who tried to strangle you.”
Theo waved and gave the big Fae one of his bright smiles, “No hard feelings.”
Drake scowled.
With Theo interrupting, Tamsin explained her visit to Chicago was to find the Institute's ancient demon statue containing a set of magical runes and that's how she met Theo. The boy jumped in, saying he had been guiding supernatural “riff Raff” as he called them, down to the vaults again and again, each time hoping they would be the ones to break the seal.
“Now, Theo, that's not entirely true.” Tamsin wagged a finger at him.
“No, really. Okay, I mean 'really' in a fluid sort of interpretation. Soul Eaters are dicks. Getting rid of them was just a fun perk. Honestly though, it took several decades before I figured out that the key element to opening the casket was the lack of a human soul. A long time with a frustratingly high attrition rate. It wasn't all murderous intent from the beginning. In fact some of them actually managed to get through the traps in the vault and all the way here. Touched the seal on the casket and balm, hello dust bunny! All the doors and locks automatically reseal themselves, so I would have to start all over again. The keys are copies, I have dozens of them. Anyway, finally I understood my nefarious plotting needed a Prime to break the seal – and the curse – on that little jack-in-the-box of death.”
“Surely there are other vampires,” Drake pointed out. “Besides Primes.”
Making a face, he shook his head. “Don't tell me you don't know this either? Most turned vampires originated as human, not Fae. They think they have
no soul and that's just not true. Until their spirit has fled upon the true death, that soul is firmly in place. It's rather complex metaphysical chemistry that excludes turned vampires from my guest list. Primes, however, are Fae and thus kitted out with very different sort of flavor flab'!” He struck a pose.
Neither Tamsin nor Drake smiled.
“Yeah, well. Primes have their own games, as we all know, and never want to play mine.” He made a pouty face and the leopard licked him lovingly on the cheeks. “Then Miss West showed up. Not only is she a Prime, she has no soul at all. So, just in case I was wrong and Prime souls could go poof as well, she was truly an empty vessel. I figured I'd picked a winner at last! And it worked. I got Kit and she has her rune.”
In one hand, Tamsin held the head of the broken statuette. She gripped it tightly and finally allowed herself to feel a little thrill of triumph. She'd done it. Somehow, she held the first rune when so many others with far greater skills had failed. It was almost too easy. She remembered the airless vacuum and suffocating sand. Okay, maybe not easy but...
“Theo it seems sort of coincidental that I come to town looking for Puzuzu and bam there you are with all the answers.”
He gave her a narrow-eyed stare, “Ha! I say. Ha! Coincidence? Not to me! I've been hanging around this city for bloody decades waiting for the right combination of powers to walk through the museum doors and into that gallery. I was beginning to lose hope.”
She nodded, “Good point.”
Drake reached for her hand and without thinking, she took it. Together they walked towards the doorway into the steel vault.
Over her shoulder she asked one last question,“Oh, Theo, how did you know earth, by that I mean sand, and air, the lack of it, wouldn't be the elements that killed me?”
He hugged the leopard and kissed its furry head. “I didn't.”
◦ Chapter 11
They made their way out through the garbage collection area for the museum, slipstreaming so only a blur would show up on the security cameras positioned here and there. Drake insisted they also wind their mufflers around their faces, “just in case.” The wide doors opened outward, apparently only locking from the outside for safety's sake. With Drake in the lead, they sped away from the museum and into an alley about a block away.
There, the Fae took off his coat, turning it inside out to reveal a reversible dark plaid pattern. The knitted scarf could be turned as well from navy blue to deep burgundy. He pulled his hair back into a tight pony tail tied with an elastic loop from around his wrist and finished up with a pair of thick, black rimmed glasses stashed in a zippered pocket in the jacket. He looked in every way different from the large fellow who entered and exited the museum so feloniously.
“We were moving fast enough I doubt they could pick up a clear image. Chicago isn't my town and I don't plan on staying now that my business is done. Still, it pays to be cautious. Everyone is on camera these days,” he explained. “Come on, let's see if we can disguise you a little.”
His big suede coat had hidden secrets. A black knitted cap came out of one pocket and safety pins in another. They used them to pin the coat sleeves back in place. She tucked Angelique's mangled hair up inside the cap. He looked at her critically, “You're like a bad 80s video come to life. All we need are synthesizers playing in the background.” Reaching into a side pocket he pulled out another pair of specs. “Here, take these. Don't worry, they're just glass.”
She slipped them on.
He nodded, looking slightly more satisfied, “Better. Maybe. Sort of university student pretending to be grungy. There will be more cameras,” he explained. “Traffic cams, ATMs and what not. I checked their location once I realized exactly what getting my phone back was going to entail. In fact, it would be better if we didn't head for the car directly. Blurred or not, they are going to figure out someone was running around the museum after hours. The police may check in-and-outs from the pay lots in the area. What with your body switching, a police record may be something that doesn't concern you. I, however, try to stay off their radar. Are you okay for awhile or do you have some other magical assignation I am not aware of?”
His tone was light and bantering. His eyes, though, told a different, more thoughtful story. Almost without realizing what she was doing, she reached up to stroke his cheek, the stubble tickling the tips of her fingers. Her hand lingered on the strong line of his jaw. She had never expected him to hunt her down. Missing coat and cell phone or not. She, too, felt the connection between them. All day the longing to see Drake was tugging at her heart. Pulling her back to that fortified little bolt hole. She had fought it and been proud of herself. Now, here he was. Against all odds. And she had no idea what she should do next.
Forcing a smile, Tamsin tried for an oh-so-casual tone, “I'm starved. How about pizza? Deep dish. This being Chicago and all. Let me buy, to say thanks for your help.”
“How? You don't even have a wallet as far as I know. Or did you take mine?” He gave himself an exaggerated pat down. “Nope, what a surprise, still got it.”
Tamsin punched his arm, “Don't be a dick. I apologized about the phone and I am offering you food. Your ex-nemesis Angelique had some money secretly tucked away.”
He took her hand again as though it was the most natural thing in the world and they moved out of the alley, “Don't tell me where. I don't want to know. Wait.” He spun her around and gave her a slow, half smile, “Or maybe I do. Last night...I...you...that was...nice. Didn't you think we were nice? Together?”
She didn't know how to answer him. Their hot, passionate hours entwined in each other's arms had been light years beyond nice. More than anything she wanted to turn back the clock and make it last night all over again. His mouth on hers, his hard body pressing her down. Later, held tightly in his arms, feeling his strong heart beating, pushing away the dark edges of her isolation and loneliness.
“Tamsin, what is it? What's wrong?”
Her face. She had let too much of what she was thinking show. Turning away, she said only, “Nothing. I'm fine. Come on, food!”
Drake used the wifi on his iPad to find a place within walking distance. No frills and no fuss, just ice cold draft and deep-dish pizza piled high with vegetables and meat.
Conversation should have been so easy. Both of them had a vast reserve of supernatural misadventures to entertain the other with if they wanted to. Tamsin was talkative by nature and having someone to talk to a rare treat. Drake actually less reserved than he might appear. Yet there they sat, quiet.
Beer and food eased the tension a little, as food does, giving them something to do besides stare around the room or at the floor or anywhere besides into each other's eyes. Drake asked her about the runes on the statue and Tamsin gratefully launched into a more detailed explanation of her quest.
Drake only half listened to her talk of hidden runes, Prague, sorcerers and soothsayers. In his mind, he stood a little apart from himself and tried to analyze his feelings for this woman. Actually that only took a few seconds as he found he couldn't analyze them at all. None of this made any sense. The murder of Angelique and her body's possession by Tamsin. His ability to transcend her outer form and see what was truly beneath. It had happened again, there under the museum. Moments after seeing her in that vault, Angelique's form melted away with only the smallest effort on his part, revealing the Tamsin he made love to the night before. Her long, tousled, dark blond hair and little heart-shaped face. Here in the warmth of the restaurant, she smelled so good; sweet as warm honey. He could easily single out her soft, sensual scent. This pursuit was very unlike him. He had liaisons, of course. Just that, though. No “relationships” as they defined the word in this world. A Fae's heart was a slippery thing. No woman he had met in exile had been able to hold on to his.
And yet, he had taken off after Tamsin. The phone as an excuse he didn't even attempt to justify. He could easily afford another. All his contacts were backed up several times over. He tried t
o tune back in to here and now and realized he had lost the thread of Tamsin's conversation. “Wait. What did you say?”
“I said, 'and then the pirates kidnapped me and took me to Dragon Island where I married their pirate king'.”
“What pirates?”
She rolled her big eyes, “You weren't listening to me! Why did you ask if you didn't want to hear the story?”
Drakes face betrayed him and he acknowledged the truth of it. “Sorry. I was...thinking.” He sat back in the booth, crossed his legs, uncrossed them and then leaned forward again.
Tamsin waited. He was working himself up to say something. Probably “good bye and thanks for the romp and the pizza.”
Pushing aside the remains of their dinner, he leaned very close. “I was thinking about you. Us.”
Okay. That's not what she was expecting.
Tamsin put both hands on the table and met his eyes squarely, “There is no 'us', Drake.”
“Isn't there? I think there could be. Weird as it appears. I'm Fae. We do weird pretty well.”
“No. There is no 'us' because there isn't really a 'me'.” She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “Tamsin West is only a stream of consciousness eternally lost in a swirl of dust and spirit. This,” she indicated Angelique's body. “Will soon, somehow be gone. I can never keep them very long. A few months at best. Then I am alone in the shadow world again looking for the next almost corpse.”
“Tamsin.”
He reached for her hand but she pulled it back. “I should go. Thank you for helping me with the demon. I'm sorry about all the trouble with your phone. I...”
She couldn't finish her sentence because Drake leaned across the booth and, taking her face in his hands, kissed her. For a moment she resisted and then, she couldn't. All day she wanted to feel his lips on hers again, the touch of his hands. Wanted it so very much. Even if only one more brief time.
Drake inhaled deeply, her warm honey scent filling his nostrils and flooding him with desire. No trace of the Prime Vampire in her touch or her kiss. Stepping out of the booth, he slid onto her side and pulled Tamsin on his lap, kissing her deeply. They stayed entwined in each other's embrace for some time. When they finally broke off, people at the booths and tables around them clapped and hooted. Tamsin burst out laughing and Drake smiled.