by R. J. Wolf
“Hey…hey you two,” a tiny man called to them.
He appeared out of nowhere and was walking toward them from the other side of the street. He was wearing tattered jeans and a ripped t-shirt. His yellow skin looked rough and leathery and his bare feet were scabbed and bleeding from months spent stumbling on the outskirts of the city. He stood barely four feet tall and his scrawny frame was emaciated, but he didn’t look like he was craving food.
“Yeah,” Eric said, spinning around to face the disheveled looking stranger.
“You checking in?” he asked in an excited tone.
Eric glanced at Gary and shrugged.
“Maybe,” Gary replied. “What’s it to you?”
The man grinned then licked his hands and rubbed them across his face. “Yeah…yeah you’re going inside. You guys new here? Need a guide?”
“Who are you?”
“Me…I’m Sebastian, Bass for short. I um, I can get you anything, tell you about anywhere around here.”
“And what do you want from us?” Eric asked.
“Maybe just a little bit of that magic. Not much, just enough to get me by.”
“What?”
“Just a drop…a little taste. Come on, you don’t need it all.”
Bass was shaking and licking around his blistered lips with a greedy look in his eyes. He started to walk in place and snap his head around like someone was tapping him on the shoulder.
“Come on. Just give me a little.”
“Hey!” a loud, harsh voice barked.
A burly woman wearing all black rushed across the street waving her hands like she was on fire. Her long, red hair cascaded down her back and a sawed-off shotgun hung from her hip.
“Bass, you little rat!” she screamed.
Eric took a step back as Gary turned toward her call with his hands clenched for battle. Bass turned just in time to catch her raise the shotgun and let a slug rip from the barrel. He ducked, and the shell soared over his head and slammed into Gary’s car.
“Are you nuts lady?” Gary barked.
Bass let out a squeal then took off running. The lady followed, shoving Gary out of the way as she charged past them.
“Help me!” Bass yelped.
His tiny feet spun like mini cyclones as he sped across the asphalt and hurried into the night. The woman was faster, and she quickly gained on Bass and leapt onto his back, taking him down to the ground in a messy heap.
“Get off me!” Bass hollered. “I ain’t did nothing wrong.”
“Shut up you little snake. I’ve warned you about working the lot.”
The lady twisted Bass’s arm behind his back and latched shackles around his wrist. He groaned and complained, but she yanked him up and shoved him back toward Gary and Eric.
“You give him any? You give him any magic?”
“What? Lady, who are you?” Gary snapped back.
“Doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is if you gave this little leach some of your magic or not!”
Gary snarled and took a step toward the lady. “Look, we just got here and I’m already homesick. Why don’t you explain to us what the hell is going on?”
The woman huffed then put her shotgun back into the holster on her waist. “I’m deputy Laurel Mason and this little dwarf mutt has been trespassed from this property for the last six years. He’s addicted to magic…doesn’t use it just gobbles it up and turns it in on himself. Little freak.”
“I ain’t hurting anybody,” Bass retorted.
“Shut up! Anyway, the owners don’t care much for him being out here leaching on their guests. And if he took any magic, any magic at all it’s gonna earn him another six months in the gray.”
“Well, he didn’t get anything from us. Is that kind of stuff normal out here?”
Laurel laughed. “Where are you two from?”
“New York,” Eric replied.
“Oh. Be careful, Bass is about as innocent as it gets. We’ve had an uptick in abductions and some feral lycan packs mixing it up with the vampires. If you don’t watch yourself, they’ll scoop you up and drain ya dry. Magic goes at a premium in these parts, so don’t stay out too late and never go out alone. Shade starts thinning and the world goes crazy.”
“You know about the shade?” Eric asked in shock.
“Of course, I know about the shade, everybody knows about the shade. I assumed that’s why you were here. We get all types, checking in around this time. City blows up every five years with occult folk claiming to spark the rise of the darkkin. Crazy if you ask me, but it is what it is.”
Gary and Eric shared a sideways glance. It seemed like the California underworld didn’t live in the shadows like they did in New York, at least not near the hotel.
“Well, we’ll be sure to keep our guard up,” Gary told her then turned and started heading back to his car with Eric trailing him.
“One other thing,” Laurel called out.
Gary paused and turned around.
“You may wanna keep your eyes on that one too,” she said and pointed at Eric.
Eric wrinkled his face and gave her a stern look. She shrugged then turned back to Bass and shoved him forward.
“What was that?” Eric asked.
“Don’t worry about her. You know what they say, everything looks like a nail to a hammer.”
Eric looked back to the woman then lowered his head as they made their way back to the car to grab their things. Weighted down with gear, they started toward the entrance to the hotel. An electric sensation worked its way through Eric, growing stronger and stronger the closer he got.
He paused and stared up at the towering façade. He closed his ears to the whispers of evil and shrugged off the feeling that only darkness awaited him. He knew that behind those walls was his path to Anna. And it didn’t matter if he had to walk through every inch of hell, he was going to bring her back.
The doors opened by themselves as they got closer. Eric smiled to Gary then stepped into the foyer and stopped. The interior didn’t make sense, none of it matched with what was outside, but that had become the norm in most magic places.
A sparkling fountain splashed water into a luminous pool in the middle of the lobby. White, stone columns ascended toward the ceiling that soared fifty feet in the air. Ancient scenes were painted on the wall, depicting underworld wars and human skulls crushed beneath the feet of darkkin.
A nearly translucent woman in a dazzling, blue sequin gown sat at an ivory piano, softly playing a song that spurred a great sadness in Eric. He was beset with the feeling of loss and memories of Anna played in his head.
Lights dazzled above them, bouncing from crystalized chandeliers that housed tiny, flying creatures. The place had all the grandeur of a Vegas hotel with the majestic mystery of the underworld.
“They sure know how to make an impression,” Gary said as he scanned the place in awe.
“This is incredible,” Eric replied.
The sound of footsteps pulled them back into the moment as a slender man with skin like coal and eyes of fire appeared in the middle of the atrium. He dressed in an all-black suit, with a white shirt and a black tie. His movement was almost poetic, but didn’t disguise his lethality, the man knew how to handle himself.
Eric cleared his throat and straightened to his full height as the man got closer. Gary tensed up and bit the inside of his jaw, swallowing the fear that had risen in the back of his throat.
The man stopped a few feet away and flashed a disarming smile, exposing his dagger-like canines. With a deep breath, that was more show than necessity, he swept his arm backward like a matador and the lobby blossomed to life with darkkin of every kind and fiery lanterns, igniting small humanoid creatures as kindle. The living torches stretched down the walls like a row of Christmas lights.
Creatures moved about the lobby in light and shadow. Dark voices echoed into the deep, the hum of ogres and giants vibrated the air, and the magical walls sucked in the power. Elf and fae twirle
d and danced across the floor, intertwining with underworlders Gary couldn’t even name. Whispers tempted them with lustful desires and promises of power.
The woman at the piano screeched as she was consumed by living flame that writhed and twisted like fingers. The piano faded to a deep, black color and she began to bang a desperate tune on the keys. Her screams turned to a devilish chant and the massive hall filled with laughter.
The man turned his head to the side at an awkward angle and glared at Eric and Gary. “Welcome to Hotel California.”
~THE END~
~Continue the series with book two~
“The Fallen: Hotel California Book Two”
Coming Soon.
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Sneak Peak of Book Two Ahead
CHAPTER 1
DINER OF DREAMS
Eric pulled open the glass door and stepped to the side to let Gary pass him. “Age before beauty,” he said with a grin.
“That’s cute.”
Gary walked into the quaint diner on sunset boulevard and picked out a table all the way at the back. He waved at the waitress as he passed her, a tiny blonde elf named Daisy, then slid into the booth and pretended to scan the menu.
The few patrons inside had chosen equally inconspicuous seats and cast wary glances any time the door swung open. The city was on edge and Little Bruce Sandwich Shop had never been known for its friendliness.
The sound of grease popping echoed from the back. The smell wafted through the air and mixed with cigarette smoke from an aging woman in the corner. Daisy gave her an evil look then grabbed a stack of menus.
“You should just go talk to her,” Eric suggested. “She looks sixteen, but she was probably born in the sixteenth century. This little sparring you guys do every Saturday is getting old.”
Gary ruffled his thinning hair and slicked back his wild eyebrows. He attempted to straighten his suit jacket, but the thing was likely cursed with some kind of eternal dingy spell. If appearances were everything, Gary had nothing.
“It’s not my style,” Gary replied and dipped his head as the elf started their way.
“You don’t have a style.”
“Hey Gary! Hello Eric,” Daisy said with a wide smile and set the menus onto the table. “Two black coffees?”
“You got it,” Eric replied. “You know, it’s Gary’s birthday today?”
Gary shot a leg out and jabbed it into Eric’s knee from beneath the table. Eric cringed and hunched forward as he bellowed a throttled groan.
“Oh really?” Daisy said in excitement, completely ignoring Eric’s pain. “I’ll have to bring you something special then.”
“It’s not really my birthday Daisy. Eric’s just a child.”
Daisy smiled and brushed her hand across Gary’s shoulder. “I’ll still bring you something special.”
She turned and walked off with Gary’s eyes stuck to her. Her waist swayed from side to side, her heels clicking across the linoleum like a hypnotizing metronome. Fairy’s had an intoxicating presence and could woo a man with the best of them, but Daisy didn’t need to use a charm to have Gary smitten.
Eric laughed then nudged Gary on the arm. “Yeah, you should definitely go talk to her. Otherwise she’s gonna take out a restraining order, you stalker.”
“Okay, okay. Stop messing around, we’ve got business to take care of,” Gary said and straightened his face.
“Who is this guy we’re meeting anyway and who carries demon tears around?”
“A demon.”
Eric gawked and raised his hands. “What in the hell?”
“Exactly,” Gary laughed.
Eric’s face turned to stone and he narrowed his eyes. “I’m serious, Gary. You’re bringing a demon here?”
“Well, he’s not YOUR demon, and the shade’s not open yet. Besides, it’s California, this place is full of demons. You know the cashier at Ralph’s? Demon. The girl over at Kroger that’s always super friendly…demon. This place is overflowing with bad actors and darkkin, so don’t be too surprised. If he can get us what we need, that’s all that matters, right?”
Eric took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. Thoughts of fire and whispers in the shadows came to life in his head. He could feel his dark side trembling with elation, eager to meet Gary’s demon contact.
It’d been that way since they got to California. He was sharing space with a monster, begging to get out and explore. The shade wasn’t just thinning, it was calling out to Eric.
“I just didn’t know that when the Oracle said we needed demon tears, she meant that literally,” he said.
“It’s not actual demon tears. It’s some, some kind of liquid only demons can make, and they make it in hell.”
“This just keeps getting better.”
“We do what we have to I guess,” Gary shrugged then turned and stared out of the window at the rows of palm trees across the street.
Blinding rays flickered through the leaves as the sun started to fall into the horizon. The air swayed as heat vapors rose from the ground, distorting his vision. Somewhere in the distance there was an evil force at work, stretching its arms, reaching out to pull the curtains and expose everything. It was that threat he feared the most.
Soon night would come, and the streets would spring to life. Once the sun no longer cast its powerful beams, the true face of the city crawled from beneath the rocks. Los Angeles was a special place, underworlders owned the night and it was the zeroes who hid or tried to stay out of the way.
Daisy set a cup of coffee on the table and Gary jumped, nearly knocking the steaming liquid into his lap. Blushing, he half stood then sat back down as he tried to play it off. There were some things that even his magic couldn’t overcome.
“Sorry Gary. Didn’t mean to startle you,” she said.
“No problem. I was just daydreaming.”
“Well don’t do too much of that. My granny says it steals your soul.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“So just the coffee, or you guys gonna actually eat something this time?”
“This is good for now.”
Daisy flashed a quick smile then reached for the menus, making sure to brush against Gary when she did. He looked up at her and she flickered her deep, purple eyes then walked off.
“Yeah…nothing going on there at all,” Eric said as she headed back into the kitchen.
“Worry about your love life,” Gary snapped then took a sip of coffee. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”
With an ominous jingle, the door swung open and Gary looked up. A short man with wild, spiky hair and a nose ring walked inside and turned to face him. They locked eyes and the man nodded and scuttled toward them.
“Gary,” the man said in a groggy voice.
“Neiman,” Gary replied and slid over.
Neiman looked around the diner with jittery eyes then held up a small bag and squeezed into the booth beside Gary. With the bag in his lap, he interlaced his crooked fingers and clenched them tightly, trying to disguise his nervous trembling.
“Coffee for your friend?” Daisy asked, appearing at his side.
“No!” Neiman growled.
“He won’t be here long,” Gary explained.
Daisy shot him a concerned look then turned and walked away. Neiman smiled then dropped his guard as Eric bore into him.
“So, you’re a demon?” Eric asked.
Neiman swallowed and squirmed in his seat. “Can we hurry this up?”
Gary stared at him for a few minutes in silence. “Did you bring what we asked for?”
“Did you bring what I asked for?”
Gary reached into his pocket and pulled out a manila envelope. He placed it on the table and slid it toward Neiman.
“This is all of it?” Neiman asked as he reached out and grabbed the envelope.
“It’s all that you’re gonna get.”
Neiman opened the package
and thumbed through a few tattered pieces of paper. His eyes shuddered with excitement then he frowned and looked up to Gary.
“I asked for more.”
Gary laughed. “Greed…one of the seven deadly sins, Neiman. But trying to extort a commission agent, well that’s worse.”
“Extortion!” Neiman barked. He lowered his head as people stared toward their booth. “You know what I had to do to get these? I just barely made it out,” he finished in an angry whisper.
“You belong there, so don’t tell me your sob story. Take your names, claim your souls and be happy I don’t shackle you with iron.”
Neiman looked over the list again and licked his lips. Five tainted souls that he could feed on was better than none. But it was a far cry from the twenty he’d named as his price.
“Commission agent,” Neiman repeated. “You may want to reconsider that.”
“What’s that?” Eric asked.
Growling, Neiman grabbed his bag and stood up. He turned to leave, but Gary gripped his arm tightly and pulled back.
“I think you forgot something,” Gary jabbed.
Neiman looked out of the corner of his eye then reached into his bag. He pulled out a small brown jar and sat it onto the table.
“Forget my number warlock,” he seethed then turned and left.
“Well, that went as expected,” Eric said then grabbed the bottle and held it up. “Can we even trust this demon?”
He shook the jar from side to side then watched as it settled. The liquid inside was clear and could’ve been water if not for the evil radiating from the bottle. Huffing, he grabbed the stopper and started to pull it off, but Gary grabbed his hand.
“Are you crazy!”
“What?”
“It’s demon tears! You let this out in here and you might as well set off a bomb.”
Eric shrugged and sat the bottle back onto the table. “How else will we know if it works?”
“We’ll find out…but not in here.”
Daisy sat a plate of cake between them and grinned. “Weird friend you got, Gary,” she said and refilled their coffee. “Kinda creepy.”
“He’s not a friend. What’s the cake for?”