Past Lives: Hotel California Book One: An Urban Fantasy Series

by R. J. Wolf

  Groaning, Eric headed for the stairs and carefully navigated the pieces of charred wood that remained. When he reached the top, he stepped into the hallway and only then realized that he was covered from head to toe in the same black sludge that stained the cellar.

  He looked himself over in disgust and tried to wipe the resin from his face. A clunking noise sounded, and he froze and stared into the shadows. As his vision adjusted to the darkness, he found a familiar face staring at him in shock.

  The man held a blue suit jacket with one finger tossed over his shoulder and in the other hand a small, brown duffle bag. His black hair had fallen and now lay flat across his head with a few strands dangling over his forehead. And his red eyes were narrow and flush with anger.

  “Vlad,” Eric mumbled.

  Vlad hissed and charged Eric in a blur of fury. Eric jumped to the side then dove at the curtains that had been drawn shut across the massive window. Vlad latched onto Eric’s leg and drove his fangs into his calf. Eric screamed in pain just as his fingers closed around the curtain. As he hit the ground they ripped them from the harness.

  Light poured into the room, drowning the darkness in blinding rays. Vlad unleashed a horrific yawp and shrank away, but there was nowhere to run. With a soul crushing scream, Vlad fell to the ground. He writhed in pain then fell silent as his skin turned to flakes of dry ash.

  Eric stood up and stared down at the pile of dust. He was still in shock and weak from the blood loss, but happy to be alive.

  He looked out of the window at the sun beaming just above the horizon. He felt the warmth on his face and shivered. Behind him, the cold death of the castle was like a nightmare that he wouldn’t soon forget.

  His head pounded like someone was trying to get inside. His mind was a dense bog, clouded with uncertainty. Only fragments of memories existed from the last few hours and a fear grew inside of him, terrified of what evil lurked at his core.

  As Eric turned to head for the door he tripped on the leather bag that Vlad was carrying. Stooping, he picked it up and undid the golden clasps. The bag fell open and a radiant glow erupted from inside. Eric gasped and reached into the bag.

  He withdrew a flower pedal unlike any he’d ever seen. It was the color of blood, but vibrant and alive. It emitted a smell that sent his mind reeling and he strained to pull himself back to reality. As he held the flower up to the light it suddenly shuddered and unleashed a piercing shrill.

  Eric dropped it and covered his ears. The pedal wilted then burst into a red mist. Frowning, he stared at his crimson stained hands then grabbed the bag and shut it.

  “Where ya at Gary?” he mumbled. “Got the blood lotus you were looking for.”

  CHAPTER 17

  NOLL’S BARGAIN

  Noll shivered as he made his way toward the blank, gray building. He squeezed the case in his hand and hurried his stumpy legs across the lot and onto the sidewalk. He mumbled an incantation Zoey had taught him as he passed through the magical barrier into the regular city.

  He didn’t even know the man he was going to see. He’d never seen his face, never heard his voice. All he knew was that he would know him when he saw him. Or so he was told.

  As he scuttled down the pavement, he shoved against the crowd, hurrying about their day. The enchantment he’d cast made him appear to be a normal-sized man in a business suit, carrying a briefcase. He’d also weaved several spells to dull the thrum from the diamonds. He could feel their power vibrating the case, but most magic folk would’ve only barely registered its existence.

  “Watch it buddy,” a man snapped as Noll plowed him over.

  “You watch it,” Noll growled in an agitated voice.

  The man whirled around and clenched his fists. Noll let his enchantment fall briefly and flashed the man a quick view of his real face. He snarled and cursed in a strange language, sending the man stumbling away.

  Noll chuckled then straightened up as he realized what he’d done. He shivered, trying to shake off the effects of the diamonds, but he could feel their nefarious power soaking into his skin. Lowering his head, he quickened his pace and made a beeline for the building.

  He reached the main door and twisted the rusted knob. The dense, gray door swung open and he stepped inside.

  “How can I help you?” a tiny, old woman asked.

  She was sitting behind a long, ash colored counter in the middle of the barren room. Her long, silver hair was pulled back into a bun and her beady, green eyes hid behind a pair of cat eyeglasses. There was an aura about her, waves of almost imperceptible light danced just above her head, the subtle signs of the fae.

  She snapped her fingers in agitation and Noll jumped. He scanned the area in confusion then stepped toward her and lifted the brown case into the air as he thumbed at the lock.

  “I have, um these,” he said.

  She raised her hand to stop him. “Don’t open that in here!” she barked.

  Noll shook and quickly lowered the case. His hands trembled as sweat poured down his arms and started to puddle on the floor. He lowered his gaze like a scorned child and waited for the woman to address him again.

  “You haven’t taken any have you?” the woman asked.

  “No…no, never!”

  “You don’t look like the most trustworthy. Puzzles me why they’d pick you. You know your kind are notorious for treachery and unbridled disloyalty.”

  Noll smirked then took another step toward her. “And you think the fae are better? Abominations is what you are. Pathetic, servants of the light, craving the power of your masters, but never worthy enough to wield such might!” he boomed in a dark tone.

  The woman puffed in shock. A dark figure stirred from within her as her voice blared from every corner of the room. “You dare offend the fae?” the demonic shrill echoed. “We shall peel the flesh from your bones, cast your soul to the wind, you will know only pain for all eternity!”

  She rose from her seat, a menacing dark silhouette with eyes of fire. Noll shrank in fear, shuffling backwards as fast as his tiny legs would allow.

  “It…it, it wasn’t me,” he pleaded. “The diamonds…it’s the diamonds.”

  The woman’s face curled into an agonizing smile as she crept around the desk and closed in on Noll. Suddenly, a door in the back of the room swung open. Noll glanced to the side as a hefty man in a suit walked out.

  “Is there a problem here, Suzanne?” he asked in a deep, growling voice.

  Noll looked back to the desk, but the monster was gone. In its place was the same little old lady he’d first encountered.

  “No…no problem,” she replied and flashed Noll a devilish wink.

  “Good. You can follow me.”

  Noll swallowed then fell in line behind the man and followed him back through the door he’d just come from. They entered another room that looked like a regular office. There were desks and cubicles and a few sketchy looking workers hunched over tables, pouring over ancient-looking scrolls.

  “I trust there were no problems?” the man asked in a snappy voice.

  “No…none at all,” Noll replied.

  The man gave him a suspicious look. “Have a seat,” he said and pulled out a chair.

  He took his place behind a desk then dug through the drawers and withdrew a key. He set it down then took out small red coin from his pocket and set it to spin on the table top.

  “You were aware of the terms, correct?” the man asked.

  “Yes. I did as I was asked. I just want what I was promised.”

  The man rolled his head around his shoulders and for a moment exposed his grizzly nature. His massive hands folded atop one another and he leaned forward and fixed his eyes on Noll like he was deciding his fate.

  Noll leaned back and set the case on his lap. He rapped his fingers against the surface and he looked away, trying to avoid the man’s powerful gaze.

  “The gray,” the man said as he relaxed back in his seat.

  “Excuse me?”

/>   “Your love. Zoey the witch, I believe.”

  “Oh…yes. They promised me they could free her from the gray.”

  “And we can,” the man smiled as he grabbed the coin that had been spinning on his desk. “It’s as simple as the flip of a coin.”

  “Well if we could go ahead and flip that coin,” Noll laughed cautiously.

  “You’re funny. I’ve always found your kind…amusing. Anyway, my employer wants to make sure this was kept confidential.”

  “I can assure it was. Only the warlock we discussed. The cop that works for the commission.”

  “That is fine. No one else knows about this?”

  “Aside from the selling party, no.”

  “You understand what will happen if we find that you’ve lied to us?”

  Noll nodded eagerly. “I would never.”

  “Hand me the case,” the man ordered.

  Noll sat the case onto the desk and felt a cloud of darkness drift away. He took a deep breath then smiled greedily.

  Ignoring him, the man undid the clasps and flipped the lid open. A dark, amber glow spread from the inside and cast its light against his face. The shadow of a vile beast flashed then he slammed the case shut and smiled.

  Without another word, he stood up and started to walk out of the office. Noll sat there for a moment with a perplexed face then jumped to his feet.

  “Um, excuse me…but what about the coin?”

  The man paused and let out a long, deep breath. He slowly turned around and glared at Noll, as he spun the coin from finger to finger. He grinned then flipped the coin into the air and it landed in Noll’s palm.

  “Take that to the gray.”

  CHAPTER 18

  THE BLOOD IMP

  Eric left the massive castle behind as the sun reached its peak in the sky. He wasn’t sure where he was, so he retraced his steps back to Club Thirst, following the path down the alley toward the backdoor.

  The place seemed purely innocent in the daylight, an unassuming warehouse with blacked out windows. The door they’d exited through had been torn off the hinges and lay broken in the middle of the street. Yellow caution tape barred his way and he tore it off and slipped inside.

  Smoke still lingered in the air, but there wasn’t trace that a living being had been there. The blood was gone, the dead bodies, anything that would’ve given a clue as to what occurred the other night.

  “Gary,” Eric said in a whisper.

  With his head low, he made his way downstairs and looked around. There was no one, the club had been completely abandoned and any trace of where Gary had gone was swept away with the carcasses.

  Eric headed back through the door and down the hall that led to the human club. He pushed the door open and a skinny man in blue pants and a filthy white t-shirt spun around.

  “Where’d you come from?” he asked then made a disgusted face as he took in Eric’s appearance.

  “Where is everyone?” Eric asked.

  “It’s noon…club don’t open til tonight. You fall asleep back there?”

  Eric ignored him and continued walking through the club. He headed outside then stopped on the street and looked up to the sky. He took a deep breath and ran his fingers over his head as the gravity of his situation pressed down on him.

  He wasn’t even sure if he could make it back to Gary’s apartment and that was the only place he knew of in the entire city. And if he made it there then what? Gary was the only person he knew, the only person that knew him. He had no idea what he was going to do, or how he was going to find him, but he knew standing out front of a vampire club was probably a bad idea.

  With the bag of blood lotus clutched in his hand, Eric started down the sidewalk in the direction of Gary’s apartment. He walked for a long time, his mind racing away to distant places and matters he couldn’t control. At the forefront of all of it was the voice he’d heard inside of his head. He wanted to deny it, but there was a realization dawning on him that he and the evil that lurked in the shadows of his mind were two sides of the same coin.

  Even more alarming were the images of last night. He couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t, but he felt damaged, he felt wrong. He’d left the coven as quickly as he could and tried to wipe away the memory, but as he trudged down the sidewalk the darkness tried to work its way back to him.

  He passed by strange faces, some human, some not. They all regarded him the same, like he was plagued or some type of outcast to be avoided. As the sun began its long descent, Eric finally made his way back to the rickety stoop that led to Gary’s apartment.

  He headed into the building and up the narrow staircase. He stopped at Gary’s door and waved his hand past the peep hole like Gary instructed. Nothing happened.

  “Give me a break,” he groaned.

  He waved his hand again. Breathing deeply, he waited then held his breath and listened for any sound. When nothing happened, he charged forward and grabbed the door handle. An intense, blinding pain shot through his hand and stabbed into his brain. He tried to release the door knob, but his hand had become one with the metal.

  Images fluttered through his mind. Dark visions of death and destruction swarming over the world like locusts. Everything erupted in fire, as the ground crawled with decay and the dismembered bodies of humans and underworlders alike.

  Straining, Eric drew in all his strength to focus. He pushed the images out of his mind and could feel the magic within Gary’s apartment humming and calling out to him.

  “Open,” Eric whispered and finally released the door handle.

  With a click, the magical locks twisted and turned, and the door opened. Eric stepped inside and dropped the bag in the foyer. Huffing, he made his way to the library and fell into Gary’s armchair in exhaustion.

  His body ached, his legs burned, and his stomach roared like it had never known food before. He needed to rest, needed to allow the past nights events to wash away, but only more turmoil lay in front of him.

  Yawning, Eric closed his eyes for the briefest of moments. He only wanted to rest his eyelids. But when he opened them again, hours had passed, and the sun was long gone.

  “Damn it!” he griped and jumped to his feet. “Gary! Gary you back yet!” he called out.

  He stumbled around the apartment for a few minutes then gave up his search. As he made his way back to the library, he passed the photo of Anna and the broken picture frame. He stared into her eyes then recalled the conversation he’d had with Gary about her sister and the ferry in Central Park.

  “Zoey,” he mumbled to himself.

  It was a longshot. But she knew him, he was well aware of that. Whether or not she wanted to kill him like Gary asserted, well that was about to be tested.

  He started toward the door but stopped as he caught a glimpse of his appearance in the window. He turned around and rummaged through Gary’s closet for some slacks and a shirt then hopped into the shower. The clothes hardly fit, but anything was better than what he had been wearing. The scent of vampire blood still lingered on his skin, but now there was also a hint of lilac.

  Aching from head to toe, Eric left the apartment. He had no real plan and the slightest glimmer of hope, but that was enough for him. Energized by the night air, he stepped up to the curb and hailed a taxi.

  “Where to?” the burly man asked and cast a wary eye at his rumpled appearance.

  “Central Park,” Eric replied and glared back.

  The man snickered then pulled away from the curb and sped off. The ride seemed to take much longer than it should have, but eventually the cab came to a stop near a narrow road bordered by a green fence. Eric stepped out of the cab and handed the driver a few bucks that he’d stolen from Gary’s bedroom. The driver tipped his head and started to pull off.

  “Be careful out there,” he said as he drove away.

  “Hey!” Eric shouted after him.

  The driver slammed on the brakes and Eric ran to the window.

  “You know
anything about a bridge?” he asked.

  The man laughed. “Down here? There’s a lot of them.”

  “Um, well it’s old. And, and it’s near water.”

  “Think you can narrow it down a bit more?”

  “Running water?” Eric replied in an uncertain tone.

  “Look buddy, I got other fares to pick up. Maybe the Glen Span Bridge over on a hundred and second. Take this road all the way across the park.”

  “Thanks a lot.”

  The driver nodded then drove away. Eric watched his tail lights disappear into the night then turned and stared down the long, dark road. He took a deep breath as a light breeze blew through his baggy clothes and sent a chill down his arms. Something inside of him stirred, but he pushed it down and walked off.

  The park was quiet and only the sound of his footsteps pierced the still, night air. Gary’s oversized shoes flopped and slapped at the concrete, announcing Eric’s presence before he even came into view.

  He followed the path through a shadowy area, cascaded by trees. Up ahead he could see the archway of the bridge with thick, rope-like vines hanging down from the railing above. He took a short breath as a nervous excitement shot up his leg. He jogged the last few yards then slowed and passed under the overpass.

  A filthy stream of muddy water crawled beside him. The murky flow bubbled as it passed over the smooth stones and ran off into the trees. The air was filled with the smell of stale water and mold and as Eric stared into the sleeping river he could feel another presence buried somewhere deep below.

  “Noll!” he called in a loud voice. “Noll, I need your help.”

  From what Gary had told him, Noll was a cranky little thing who didn’t take kindly to any raucous near his bridge. He expected Noll to pop out as soon as he got there. He didn’t know what he looked like, but he had an idea of what a dwarf should be.

  “Noll!” he shouted again and cupped his hands to the side of his mouth.