“Relax, Romi.” Tweety grabbed the first sample from Ethan and handed it to me. “Here, this’ll help.”
Faced with the decision to throttle Tweety or drink, I took the sample and tossed it back. Judging by the look of horror on Ethan’s face, I was probably supposed to savor it or something. Oops. Demarco and Tweety both accepted their samples and then we were off again.
We must have halted close to a dozen times to sample wine, and by the time the truck rolled to its final stop, I, too, thought the word titillate was hilarious. In fact, I was so plastered I didn’t even balk at forking over more than five hundred euros for three tours (which I hadn’t wanted and felt a little like I’d been temporarily kidnapped and extorted) and two bottles of Sémillon wine. I even bought a bottle of the spicy palate-titillating stuff for myself.
With Demarco and Tweety trailing me, I stumbled out of the building, down the steps, and right into a balding man who grabbed my arms to steady me. The minute his skin touched mine, godblood pulsed up my arm, making my instincts scream at me to flee as the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Dark, soulless eyes I’d recognize anywhere stared at me as a smile stretched across his face.
“Hello, Romi.”
SHADE. MY SIRE had finally caught up to me, and I was half-blitzed and unprepared. Panicking, I reached out to the guys. Their presence kept me from feeling like the lonely, helpless child Shade always managed to bring out in me.
“Is there a problem here?” Demarco asked, reaching for his hammer. His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared at the sight of Shade’s hands on my arms. “Who is this man and why is he touching you, Romi?”
“None of your concern, Blacksmith,” Shade ground out. “Best for you and the bird to leave right now so my wayward daughter and I can have a private conversation.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna happen,” Tweety said, planting his feet.
“You must be Shade,” Demarco said, swinging his hammer to warm up his wrist. “I’d say it’s a pleasure, but I try not to lie. I wouldn’t mind having my own private conversation with you, though.”
My guys were ready to defend me, and I loved them for it, but there was no way I’d allow them to face Shade. My sire fought dirty and without mercy, and if I lost either of the guys I didn’t know how I’d cope.
“Release me,” I growled, refusing to show him an ounce of the fear I felt.
“We need to talk. Come with me?”
I had to be hearing things. Shade never asked for anything. He demanded and he took, but he never asked. Yet there had been a distinct question in his voice. Question or not, I still wanted nothing to do with him.
“Are you crazy?” I asked. “What makes you think I’d ever go anywhere with you again?”
“She asked you to release her,” Demarco said, sidling up to me. Rage rolled off him in currents and I hoped it wouldn’t drown us all.
“It’s okay, Demarco,” I lied in an attempt to keep the peace between them. “Talk, Shade. What do you want?”
“To get my grandson back. Unlike these fools, I can help you steal the essences and retrieve your child. You know I’m quite capable.”
It was the first time he’d ever referred to Doreán as family, and as much as I hated to admit it, it had a strange effect on my heart. With Shade’s help, I knew we’d get the essences back. The gods would never even know what hit them.
“We’ll rescue the child, you’ll work for me again, and everything will return to normal.”
Of course he’d want me to bind myself to him again. And for Doreán, I would sacrifice myself in a heartbeat… if I believed it would ensure his safety or wellbeing. Which it wouldn’t since he’d miss out on important things like freedom and getting to know his father. But what if Shade was desperate enough to negotiate?
“Doreán and I would have to be able to choose where we lived. We’d want unrestricted access to Demarco. I’d need free time to spend with my family.”
“No,” Demarco growled. “Romi, he makes it sound like you were an employee. You were his slave. He abused you and forced you to steal.”
Shade had done all of that and more. And deep down I knew he wouldn’t rest until he got me back. How long could we keep running from my sire?
“Please tell me you’re not actually considering this,” Demarco continued. “We already have help and we don’t need this asshole. Think of how he hurt you. You can’t ask me to watch him do that again.”
No, I couldn’t. Demarco’s overprotective tendencies would kick in and he’d go after Shade. And Shade, the bastard, would probably force me to kill my blacksmith. Doreán, Tweety, and I would never fully recover from that type of a blow.
“This doesn’t concern you!” Shade snapped. Then to me, he said, “If you came back, I’d be willing to grant you free time to do with whatever you want.”
“She can’t go with you,” Tweety said.
“Who are you to say what my daughter can and can’t do?” Shade asked, glaring the griffin down.
Tweety had lived next door to my sire for almost four years, but the two of them had never even seen each other. That was my doing. I didn’t want Shade to get his shadowy paws into my manny. I didn’t want him to know how much Tweety had grown on me. I loved the silly griffin, and Shade would use that against me and him.
“I’m the griffin who just witnessed a deal between these two.” Tweety’s voice was strong and he didn’t sound the least bit intimidated. “The deal took away Romi’s ability to steal. So you see, even if she wanted to, she can no longer be your puppet. Sorry not sorry.” He grinned.
“Oh yeah.” In my alcohol-altered state, I’d completely forgotten about the little agreement Demarco and I had made before we went wine tasting. I couldn’t steal for Shade anymore. I couldn’t steal for anyone. Demarco and I were bound to walk the straight and narrow from here on out. Even if I didn’t fear for Demarco’s life, I couldn’t reenlist with my sire. The first time he forced me to steal the verbal contract I’d made with Demarco would conflict with Shade’s and probably make my entire body pop like a balloon.
Shade’s face twisted as rage flooded his dark eyes. “This is true?” he asked, glaring at me.
I don’t know if it was the wine, the ridiculous angry look on Shade’s face, or the realization I could never be my sire’s slave again, but I lost it. Laughter bubbled up from my toes, and the first giggle escaped, opening a floodgate. I doubled over and just let it flow. And even though I could feel everyone watching me, I couldn’t stop.
Shade released his grip on my arm. “This isn’t over,” he growled.
“It has to be,” Tweety replied, sounding downright gleeful. “She’s not a thief anymore. They made a deal and not even you can break it.”
“There are lots of ways to break a deal,” Shade insisted. “I’ll fix this.”
“Don’t bother,” Demarco said. “She’s not coming back with you. Not ever.”
Shade ignored him and continued to glare at me. “You’re too dangerous to be free. You can’t even control your shadow form. You need me.”
I was sick of people telling me who and what I needed. Every ounce of humor suddenly dried up, leaving me angry and frustrated. “No I don’t,” I replied.
He held my gaze. “Big mistake, Romi. You’ll see.”
“I’ve made lots of mistakes in my life, Dad. But letting you back into my life would be the worst one. Demarco’s right. I’m never coming back to you. Stay away from me and my family or I will kill you.”
Shade sneered. “We’ll see about that,” he said. Then shadows wrapped around him and he disappeared.
His threat left me with an ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Refusing to let him get to me, I straightened my shoulders and said, “Now that was titillating.”
Tweety snickered, but Demarco didn’t look the least bit amused. “How’s your arm?” he asked, studying the area Shade had squeezed.
“This is nothing,” I assured him.
“It’s not nothing.”
“Yes it is. I’ve gotten way worse injuries training.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“Seriously. We’re talking broken bones, concussions, one time I got stabbed in the side. I’d show you the scar but when the shadows healed me, I—”
“I don’t think this is helping him, Romi,” Tweety said.
And he was right. Demarco’s steel blue eyes had iced over. “Will you chill out?” I asked.
“You were thinking about going back to him.”
“No, I was thinking about making a new agreement in which I’d make sure Doreán and I could spend quality time with you.”
He tugged me to his chest and released a breath. “And that asshole would still be able to hurt you. I can’t believe you’d go back to him.”
“Shade plays dirty. He always gets his way, and I know eventually I won’t have a choice. I’ve never seen him lose, Demarco.”
“I think you overestimate his abilities,” Tweety said, patting me on the back. “If he’s all that great, then why does he need you? Doesn’t add up.”
Tweety didn’t know about the luck in my family tree. I felt a stab of guilt, but kept my mouth closed. Demarco, on the other hand, did know about my other abilities. He brushed my hair back from my face and drew my gaze. Nodding toward Tweety, Demarco silently asking me to tell the griffin.
I couldn’t. The fewer people who knew my secret, the safer we’d all be. I shook my head and pulled away from Demarco to adjust my pack. “We’ve got the wine and we’re burning daylight. Let’s go see Bob and get our IDs.”
Even though Demarco wanted me to tell Tweety, he trusted me enough to let me make the decision and didn’t press the issue.
The guys took my hands and we stepped into the shadows, my stomach doing a little flip. I dumped us out on a dark sidewalk that smelled of garbage, sewage, and exhaust. The few remaining undamaged streetlights flickered overhead, casting shadows against the windowless buildings, each covered in graffiti and equipped with reinforced steel doors. Music thumped from somewhere down the block, but this part of the city was eerily quiet.
“Where are we?” Tweety asked, clinging to my hand.
A shiver went up my spine and goosebumps sprouted across the flesh of my arms. “Welcome to the hood, guys.”
I COULD ALMOST smell the griffin’s fear. As much as I wanted to smack it out of him, I couldn’t blame Tweety for the way he cowered behind me. The menacing darkness hanging over the city made the realm of Erebus feel like Disneyland. “Camden, New Jersey,” I whispered, hesitant to break the creepy silence. “Don’t touch anything, don’t look anybody in the eye, and for the love of all that is holy don’t wander off. The streets are full of thugs, and I’m pretty sure they answer to some depraved deity.”
“You don’t know who?” Tweety asked, releasing my hand. He sounded far too interested for his own good.
“I don’t know. Never met him and I have no desire to now. Rumor is if you see him, you’re either in his employ or about to get dead. Whoever he is, he’s bad, Tweety. I need you to show the appropriate level of fear here. The cops don’t even venture into this ghetto.”
“But you do,” he stated.
“Yep, and the jury’s still out as to whether I’m stupid or just desperate. Also, I can get us out of here quick, so stay close and keep quiet. Bob’s shop is across the street.” I released the shadows hiding us, and we stepped off the sidewalk.
We were jumped as we were crossing the street. Tweety should have heard the guys, but he must have been too distracted trying to figure out which god was running Camden, because two armed thugs came from behind and were on us before I could even flinch. Pistols flashed in the streetlight as we were ordered to hold still.
Demarco was within grabbing distance, but Tweety had somehow put more than three feet between us. I’d have to grab the blacksmith and then lunge for the griffin, hoping none of us got shot as I gathered shadows to travel. Too risky. I swore under my breath and gave Tweety what I hoped was a murderous glare.
He shrugged, but didn’t look adequately cowed or apologetic. Damn him and his curious nature.
“What set you reppin’?” the shorter of the two thugs asked Demarco.
Demarco’s brow furrowed. “Reppin’?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. You ain’t from around here—I’d know if you were—so who you with?”
“Just these two,” Demarco replied, gesturing at me and Tweety.
“I told you not to move. You’re on Bris’s turf and you don’t belong. I should shoot your ass just for havin’ the nerve to show your face around here.”
“We have business,” Demarco replied, impressively calm despite the pistol waving in his face. “Just need to see a friend, then we’ll leave.”
“You got business on our turf?” the taller thug asked with a chuckle. “I don’t think so. All business goes through Bris. What kind of operation you think we’re runnin’ ’round here?”
This Bris person had to be the god controlling Camden, but the name didn’t ring a bell.
“Bris?” Tweety asked.
“Shut your mouth,” the taller thug said.
“I already went through Bris,” Demarco lied. “We came to an agreement and we’re cool. I have the okay to conduct my business, and then get off Bris’s turf.”
Magic tingled across my skin as Demarco released some sort of influence. It didn’t feel like a compulsion… more like a strong suggestion.
The shorter thug hesitated, but stayed firm on his position. “I don’t know nuthin’ about no agreement,” he said, turning to his companion. “You know about this agreement?”
“No, man. I ain’t heard shit,” the second guy replied. “We better take this fool in to Bris and get it cleared up.”
“Nope,” Demarco said, planting his feet. More magic tickled my skin, making the hair on my arms stand on end. “If you take me in, Bris will get pissed. I already told you, Bris and I have an agreement. Now you need to leave before I call Bris and complain that you’re harassing us and keeping us from our business. You know Bris’ll wanna get paid.”
The thugs looked confused.
“Lower your weapons,” Demarco said.
They did as he said.
“Good. We weren’t here,” Demarco insisted. His magic was so thick I could see a metallic sheen over his skin every time I blinked. “You heard a noise, you investigated, but it was just a stray cat. You hear talking on the next block. Go check it out and don’t come back to this street tonight.”
The thugs took off. As soon as they rounded the corner, Tweety and I descended on Demarco.
“What the hell?” I asked, feeling both appreciative and afraid of his skill. I’d been manipulated enough in my life without having to worry about Demarco being able to order me around. “Why didn’t you tell me you could mind-control people?”
Eyes locked on the corner the thugs had disappeared around, he replied, “I wasn’t sure I could still do it.” He met my gaze and a frown tugged at his lips. “And I didn’t want you to look at me like that.”
“Like what?” I tried to tamp down my unease.
Demarco sighed. “Can we talk about this later? I don’t know how long it will last, and those two could come back any second.”
Wondering what other skills he was hiding from me, I kept one eye on Demarco as we crossed the rest of the street.
Bob’s shop was located in a run-down mixed use building on Broadway. The upstairs held apartments with tiny barred windows. Downstairs was a windowless liquor store with a roll-up metal security door in the front, and a door to the apartments in the back. We snaked around the building and headed for the back, only to be interrupted by the sounds of pounding and grunting.
Tweety pointed up to the open window above our heads. Someone was either getting their freak on or getting murdered, and I didn’t want to know which. Shaking my head, I headed in the building.
Th
e hall smelled like three-week unwashed ass, and was pitch black. I held the outside door open long enough to find the light switch by the door and flick it on. Nothing happened.
“Classy place,” Demarco whispered.
A little tension drained from my shoulders. The man had just performed some sort of Jedi mind trick on two armed thugs, but thankfully he hadn’t lost his sense of humor. He might be able to force his suggestions onto others, but he was still Demarco.
“Charming, really. I’m thinking about getting a summer home here.” I tugged my pack from my shoulders and dug around in it until I found my flashlight.
“Anything we should know about this Bob guy before we go in?” Demarco asked.
I clicked on the light. The beam illuminated a section of filthy carpet which led to stairs at the back of the hall, but we weren’t going that far.
“Bob’s harmless, but he drives a hard deal. Let me do the haggling. Oh, and don’t upset the bird.”
“Wait, what bird?” Tweety asked.
“Don’t talk to me. I’m still ticked that you didn’t stay close like you were told.” I followed the wall to the right, staying close enough to search for a small indentation without touching the wall. Something I hoped was bubble gum came a little too close to my hair and I stepped away from the wall and shook my head.
“What do you mean?” Tweety asked, sounding indignant. “I was right beside you.”
“You weren’t within arm’s length. How was I supposed to grab you and get us out of there?”
The griffin sucked in a breath and prepared to plead his case, but before he could get a word in edgewise, I found what I was looking for. The divot blended perfectly with the wall and would be impossible to see if I didn’t know what I was looking for. I slid Mario from its sheath and poked the tip of my finger.
“What are you doing?” Demarco asked.
“Getting us into Bob’s.”
A single drop of blood welled up on the blade. I popped my finger in my mouth to staunch the bleeding and flicked my blade toward the almost imperceptible divot in the wall. Red splattered the paint.
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