by Leah Silver
“Anyway, I asked her what she was doing when she set her hands ablaze, and do you know what she said?” I shook my head, enjoying this brief glimpse into his past. “She said Momma had asked her to make dinner, so she thought she’d roast a chicken.”
I snorted. “That seems like the hard way.”
Ed laughed. “That’s exactly what I said.”
A beat or two of silence passed before I asked, “Ed? Is all your family gone now?”
“Oh, no. My father is still alive. Working over in Scotland for now. But the women in our family were a bit volatile. Most met their end at their own hands.” He frowned and shook his head, before seeming to force a smile back to his face. “You remind me of her a little.”
“Who?” I cringed, not knowing if I wanted to resemble the crazy women who’d killed themselves with their own carelessness.
“My sister. She loved us all fiercely. Would’ve given her life for us. In the end, she did.”
I knew there was more to that story, but Ed wasn’t ready to tell it just then, so Levi stepped in and diverted the focus beautifully.
“You seem to be attracted to volatility,” Levi said, teasing me a bit. I shot him a look, and he held up his hands in surrender.
“Well, you would know,” Ed answered. “I seem to find myself hanging around you an awful lot.”
“Hey now.” Levi acted wounded, but his eyes danced with laughter.
“I’m afraid this did nothing to calm your emotions,” Levi said, and the grin on his handsome face told me he was needling me. We were fine. Everything would be fine.
“Does that mean you’re in this with me?” I asked.
Ed stopped working and looked at me. “What do you mean?”
“Will you help me go to the hive? Play his game?”
Ike, who’d been quiet this whole time, stepped forward. “We are with you. Now and forever.”
“Forever’s a very long time, Ike. The rules of engagement have changed. This isn’t about the plague anymore. It’s about Devlin, and some unfinished business he has. You’re under no obligation to go on this little sidestep with me.”
“But it is about the plague, Devlin, you, us, and everything. He made it clear he knows more than he’s telling the council, just as you suspected. He may even be involved in the plague somehow. We need to go down this rabbit hole. Together.” Ike was insistent. And as I looked at each of their faces, it seemed they were in agreement. Each of them watched me with such conviction in their expressions that I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Fine. When do we start?”
Sparklers shouldn’t play with knives
“According to the paperwork the council gave us, the hive isn’t too far from here. If it’s still active. This information is a few days old,” Ike said as he paged through a packet I hadn’t bothered to glance at. Why would I? I never intended to go to the hive. Looking at it now only represented a failure on my part.
Thinking about what Devlin did made me want to burn that paperwork, the hive, and Devlin to the ground. Instead, I turned around and looked out the front window, watching the fall leaves blow across my yard.
“Merry, what can you tell us about the demon? There appears to be an archdemon leading them,” Ike filled in.
“There always is,” I said as I continued to watch the leaves dance. They moved as if they had minds of their own. I stepped closer to the window as chills climbed up my back.
“How can we best go into this is what Ike is trying to ask you, Merry,” Levi filled in.
But I wasn’t paying attention. The leaves swirled into a funnel, dipping this way and that, scooping up more fallen leaves in the grass. I walked out of the study and to the front door, and they were still dancing.
Heading to the center of the whirlwind, I let them dance around me, holding my arms out as my blond hair was swept up with the leaves.
I warned you. Tempest’s voice filled my mind as the leaves spun.
“Tempest?” I called.
Sara is safe. Let that bring you peace. But please. For the love of the Mother, be careful.
“What am I walking into here, Tempest? I know Devlin is dirty. Look what he’s done to my family. To you. Can you protect us?”
No. I cannot. I must stay with Sara for now. I don’t trust Devlin.
“How are you with her? I thought you were dead.”
Her laugh was sad as it filled my mind. My spirit has not gone beyond the void. I have work to do on this side. Work I will be rewarded for, in the end.
So, she was on my side, and she was still helping me. I didn’t know whether to cheer or mourn. But she was with Sara. She would keep her safe. I felt like a weight had been lifted off me.
“How do we proceed then, Tempest?” I asked, wondering the best way to save both of them.
Know this, the hive is not the trap. It’s the spring.
The wind died down, and the leaves drifted to the ground. Lonely silence once again filled my mind.
“Son of a motherless gravedigger,” I mumbled as I kicked the motionless leaves at my feet. “What does that mean?”
“What does what mean?” Levi asked. He stood in my doorway. The others had taken seats on the front steps.
“Didn’t you hear her?”
“Who?” Ed asked.
“Tempest.”
“I saw her the same as you did, Merry. Tempest is dead,” Oscar said with more than a little sadness weighing down his voice.
I nodded. “Her spirit lingers. She still has work to do, apparently.”
Ed frowned. “What does that mean?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“What else did she say?” Levi asked.
“She said the hive wasn’t the trap. It’s the spring.”
All four of the men frowned in unison.
“I don’t understand.” Ike finally voiced what the rest of us were thinking.
“Me neither,” I offered.
“What can we do?” Levi asked, always searching for a solution.
“Not much. Plan it out like a normal hunt, go in for the kill, and hope we don’t step on the spring.”
“She didn’t tell you anything else?” Levi pushed.
“No. She disappeared with the wind.”
“Well, I suppose we’d better get planning then,” Levi said. “It’s colder than a witch’s tit out here. Let’s go back inside.” I looked over at him, shocked by his crassness. He shrugged. “Hang around a person long enough, and they start to rub off on you.” He nudged me with his shoulder as I walked by, making me smile.
We decided a nighttime approach would be best. Well, I decided. The men weren’t really in tune with the whole demon-hunting thing. Ike was the closest thing I had to a hunter. He agreed the cover of night was a definite plus.
I wasn’t used to hunting with such a large party, either. I usually went hunting one on one. It gave the vampire a better experience, plus it was easier to make sure they were still alive when all was said and done. But four extra bodies … I wasn’t sure I could handle it, but they weren’t exactly sniveling Momma’s boys out for a thrill. They were trained warriors. They should be fine.
I took them down to the basement in the afternoon, after we’d had an opportunity to get some rest. Those in the group who did sleep needed to get caught up after our exciting night. I was afraid we’d have an even rougher one ahead of us.
“All I have down here are daggers. Short blades. If you are more comfortable with something else, I have a few contacts who might be able to help you, but you’ll have to be able to pay,” I began.
They shifted their weight uncomfortably. Ike was the first to speak. “Werewolves don’t use weapons.”
“Nor do gargoyles. I believe you saw some of what I can do. That was just a taste,” Oscar said.
“Well, I know I’d like a taste—” I cut myself short and shook my head as Oscar’s rocky grey eyes bore into me, making my pulse soar. “You know what? Let’s try to sta
y on track here. Levi? Ed? Weapons?”
“I have my magic. A weapon would only make it difficult to use my hands,” Ed said.
“Fine. Levi?”
“Yeah. I might take a few knives from you.”
“I think the word you’re searching for is borrow. You’ll borrow a few knives from me.”
He nodded and smiled widely. “Of course. I will return them just as pristine as they were when I got them.”
“You’re damned right you will. And you better be teasing me, because anything less than pristine and I’ll be seeing how well a damaged blade works on your hide.”
“Once again, I believe you.” Levi’s eyes sparkled with mischief, but I could tell he’d taken my words to heart. He knew my threat was serious, but he was still amused by it. Charmers were such a puzzle to me. And the one in front of me was too attractive for my own good.
“Good. I will choose first, then you may have the pick of what’s left.”
He nodded, so I set to work choosing my blades. Knowing what I was getting into this time, I found the selection process a bit easier. Many of my blades were eager to kill an archdemon. So, I chose the loudest five, and my emerald beauty.
“Your turn,” I said as I strapped my last blade into its holster.
“Um, can you give me some direction here? You seemed very meticulous about choosing which ones to bring,” Levi said. He caught Ed smirking. “What’s so funny, magician?”
Ed balked at the slam. “A laymen like you won’t need to use the careful process Merry does. You can’t hear the songs of the daggers.”
“The songs of the daggers?” Levi asked slowly, clearly skeptical. For a vampire, he sure was doubtful of the magic in our world. He hadn’t believed me when I said Tempest was still among us, either. At least, not at first. I hadn’t bothered to stop and question him later to find out if he’d changed his tune. It didn’t matter. We had bigger fish to fry. But here his doubt was again.
“They really won’t warm to a doubter. You may want to get that in check,” I said. “They’re sharp. I wouldn’t put it past them to slice someone they don’t trust to ribbons.”
“So, maybe nothing silver,” he suggested, rather tongue in cheek.
“Maybe,” I said as I headed to a cabinet with a few of the more eager blades that I’d left behind. “There are three in here that seem happy to help.” I pulled them out one at a time, handing them to him. He weighed each one in his hand, trying to act like he knew what he was doing. “You’ve never needed a knife, have you? Your charms always get you out of tight spots.” It was a statement, not a question. Something I knew to be true as much as he was standing in front of me.
“No. I’ve never needed a weapon.”
I took the knife from him and debated. A knife in the wrong hands could be more dangerous than nothing. “Maybe it would be best to just let you use your powers like everyone else, then?”
I looked at the others, and they seemed as unsure as I was. “Good. Let’s walk into Pandora’s box with Chaos himself,” I said, putting the knife back in the cabinet.
“I can wield a blade, Merry.” For the first time, a bit of impatience eked through his tone.
I turned around, raising an eyebrow as I went. “Show me.”
I tossed the blade I’d just replaced at him, and he caught it, which surprised me, but he grabbed it by the blade. Lucky for him, vampire skin wasn’t so easily pierced by anything but silver.
“Might want to catch it by the handle next time,” I suggested.
“Thanks for the tip.”
I pulled my own knife out of my arm holster, one of the smallest I’d chosen, but also one of the sharpest. It wasn’t silver, so it wouldn’t hurt him, but it would get my point across. I had no intention of cutting him. I just wanted to show him how hard it was to fight someone off with a short blade. You had to let them get dangerously close to do any real damage. That, or have good aim when throwing.
The other three men backed off, creating a bit of a makeshift sparring ring for us.
“Are we really doing this right now?” Levi asked.
“My knife. My rules. I want to see that you’re comfortable with it.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said. Another truth, for him at least.
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. “I’m not scared, Levi. Let’s see what you’ve got. And don’t hold back, because the demons won’t spare you anything. The hive is loaded, or so Devlin says. You need to be prepared. And I only have an hour to make sure you could save my back if I needed you.”
“Is that what this is about?” he asked as he matched my steps, facing me as we circled the room, daggers at our sides, ready to attack. “You think I can’t protect you?”
“It’s not an insult, Levi. It’s a safety measure. I need to know exactly what I’m going into here. Since I have a pretty vague idea of the hive, I need to assess the crew. Everyone else is quite capable with their powers, but yours aren’t well suited for battle.”
“Is that so?” He turned a look on me that made my heart race. I felt heat building between my legs and stepped forward, trying to ease the tension.
“Stop that immediately. That shit won’t work on a demon.”
“How do you know?”
“Levi, do you care for me at all?”
He lowered his knife, and the other men in the room froze.
“What kind of question is that?”
“A real one. How will I ever know what you feel toward me if you’re always trying to charm your way to what you want?”
“Point taken. No more charms.” He held his knife up again, bent his knees, and looked at me, ready to spar.
The tension in my body eased. I took a deep breath, ready to fight. “Okay. Let’s go.” I decided to let him come to me, even though it wasn’t the kindest move. I wasn’t feeling overly generous at the moment. The warmth from his charm still lingered.
He was strong, but so were the demons. Actually, demons were stronger than vampires every single time. But it wasn’t strength that made them dangerous. Some had venom they could spit. Others had elements like fire or water they could wield. The unexpected was what made them dangerous. And this charmer didn’t have an ounce of surprise in him.
He glanced down at my left leg, and I knew he was going to try to sweep me. Easily, I stepped right, letting his own momentum take him to the ground.
Ed snorted, but I glared at him. “Not helpful, Ed.”
“Yeah, not helpful,” Levi said. He rubbed the back of his head as he stood.
“The demons have a lot of tricks up their sleeves. We’re unlikely to face a succubus tonight. If we did, your charms would be amazing. Until then, try not to let them know what you’re going to do by looking where you’re going first.”
“But how will I know I can hit my target without looking at it?”
“Use your instincts. And watch your target’s eyes. Theirs might tell on them just like yours did.”
He nodded and came at me again. It felt good, working out. My blood hummed in my ears, and I started to feel the thirst of the hunt. He lunged at me again. I slid out of the way, focusing on the target, the future.
He fell flat on his face several more times while we sparred In fact, not once did he get a good hit on me. Not even close.
I looked at the others. “What do you think?”
They frowned, but no one offered any words. “Perhaps a different weapon,” Ed suggested.
“Or maybe a protection spell?” Ike offered.
“All right, I’m not completely defenseless here, guys. I am a very old vampire. I haven’t survived this long on my smile.”
“You could’ve fooled me,” I said none too kindly.
“I’ll be fine. There are five of us for heaven’s sake. You’re used to doing these hunts alone, aren’t you? What’s the big deal if I’m not an expert at it? You’re certainly no charmer, sweetheart.”
I didn’t appreciate his snotty tone
, but I understood his defensiveness. After all, I’d challenged his manhood and won. “There’s no need to be so defensive. The council asked you to be on this team for your expertise. Not your ability to fight. Maybe you should stay behind. See what you can discover about Devlin. Research. Get us information for the next step. After all, if we all get caught springing some kind of trap, like Tempest implied, we’ll need someone to save us.”
The other men nodded, seeming to think it was a good idea, but Levi frowned. “I’m not going to stay behind like some kind of damsel in distress.”
“Levi, I just told you what I need from you on this. You’re not some princess I’m protecting.”
“Then stop. You just spent two days trying to get dirt on Devlin. There’s nothing else. I’ll be fine. If I’m not, leave me.” He turned and stormed out, leaving the dagger on the table by the door before pounding up the stairs.
“Demon’s breath,” Ed mumbled.
I sighed. “I should probably go talk to him.” I looked up the stairs, wondering what to say. I was never good at relationships. I preferred being alone. Well, not alone, since I had Sara. But men complicated things, every single time. And here was one complicating what should’ve been a very simple mission.
“Leprechaun’s luck to you,” Oscar said, his face serious.
“Thanks. I’ll need it.” I put my dagger back in its holster and climbed the steps a lot more quietly than Levi had.
I finally found Levi out back. My yard wasn’t huge, but it was nice. My little slice of the country. I’d planted big trees for shade, ones that loved to drop their leaves this time of year. They made my trek across the lawn rather obvious as I crunched to the back, where he was leaning against a trunk, looking at me with a sulky expression.
“So, have you all decided what to do with your weakest link?”
“When did you become such a drama queen?” I asked as I approached. He answered me with a fresh glower. “No. We didn’t talk about you. We didn’t really have time.” I saw a flash of amusement on his face, and felt encouraged.
“I see. So I’m definitely a priority for you.”