by Dannika Dark
I pulled a round stool out from beneath the desk and sat next to Wyatt. “Don’t close the Internet windows or reset it. She has a Breed dating website open and was still logged in.”
Wyatt slowly turned and gave me a cold stare. “When the battery dies, it usually reboots. Why didn’t you keep it charged at the motel?”
Because I didn’t have time to grab the power cord while the house was burning? I crossed my legs. “Couldn’t find it.”
He shook his head. “That’s fine. Most people are dumb enough to either save their passwords in their browser or keep them on a list. If not, I can still hack it. I need to back up her data before I start, just in case something goes screwy.”
I swiveled in my seat. “Have there been any new developments in the case?”
“No more bodies, if that’s what you mean.” He reached in a small bag of greasy chips and ate a few while the laptop powered up. “Viktor called the detective to see if they disposed of the first body. She might have had a similar tattoo or something we missed.”
“Did you find one?”
“They already cremated her,” Gem said. “They don’t have a facility to keep bodies lying around, and no one claimed her. It’s pretty standard with Breed homicides. I hope someone claims me when it’s my time to go.”
“That’s a little scary,” I said. “If they thought the victims were human, they should have just left the bodies for the cops to collect.”
Wyatt crunched on another chip. “But it turns out she wasn’t. Even if she was, the killer was most definitely not, and haven’t we already gone over this? The FBI would love nothing more than a string of dead bodies with puncture holes in the neck. Anyhow, no one was a hundred percent on their status. Humans usually carry ID, car keys, or phones, and these girls had nothing. Since a Vampire’s behind it, they’re not going to leave that evidence for the cops to collect. They have all that forensic shit. The thing is, no one knows if there’s something different in our blood that humans would be able to identify in an autopsy or pathology report. Their technology is always improving. What if the Vampire left behind some of his blood? What if they cloned it and made a super race of Vampire assassins? I watch those spooky sci-fi shows.”
Gem grabbed his hat and pulled it over his face. “I should have never bought you that zombie DVD collection.”
“Has your friend been able to tell us anything?” I asked skeptically.
Wyatt faced me with the hat still covering his entire face. “No, but he cleared out all the other spooks from the house. I ain’t complaining.”
I anchored my hands on the stool between my legs. “I still don’t get why they don’t at least photograph the crime scenes. They can always burn the pictures later.”
He peeled the hat up over his eyes. “It depends on who’s working the case. Some do, some don’t. They don’t really like capturing Breed in photographs. It creates more evidence they have to track and destroy. Usually a few investigators on the scene is enough to piece together what happened. I guess Detective Glass likes to play it safe.”
“Speaking of which,” I said, getting up. “I have to get ready for my date.”
He turned his chair and straightened one leg to block my exit. “What do you mean by that?”
Gem skated toward me. “Someone has a hot date tonight with the good detective.”
His brows arched as his boot heel hit the floor. “Now that’s a twist I didn’t see coming. Does Viktor know?”
I scratched the back of my neck and quickly made my escape. Viktor might not like my fraternizing with our business partner, and it left me wondering what Glass was going to say to him when he arrived to pick me up. Hopefully I could just slip out the door and Viktor would be up in his office somewhere.
Gem hooked her arm in mine, and I stumbled trying to keep up with her fast pace. “Let me take you to my abode so we can talk about your date.”
Without giving me a choice in the matter, Gem led me to her room. It was also on the second floor but in a different area from Wyatt’s office.
My jaw dropped when she opened the door.
She skated in ahead of me and stopped in the center. Gem had transformed her medieval surroundings into a Bohemian dream. The stone walls were covered with alternating shades of delicate fabric that were somehow attached to the ceiling, giving the room dimension. Unlike my room or Christian’s, hers had a long row of windows on the left side that overlooked the courtyard. It brought in so much light. Sheer gold curtains covered them, casting an ethereal glow in the room. Large area rugs decorated the floor, and in front of the fireplace on the far wall was an oversized gold sofa with a curved back. She had it facing the door as if ignoring the fireplace.
I ran my fingers along her bejeweled armoire just to my right.
“I did that myself,” she said proudly. “It took a long time to find all the different rhinestones I wanted, but I think it’s beautiful.”
It sparkled with the outdoor light coming in, and I could only imagine what it looked like in candlelight.
“Viktor gave you electricity?” I asked, marveling at the tiny white lights on one of the walls.
“I forgot to turn those off,” she said. “They’re battery operated and wonderful! You should get some.” Gem sat down on the sofa and began unlacing her skates. “I never light the fireplace because of all the fabric, so I put the couch here instead. It seems weird facing it the other way with my back to the door.”
Gem had truly made her living space a reflection of her personality.
She tossed her skates in a corner and patted the seat cushion next to her. “Come hang out.”
I silently treaded across the floor, which was carpeted by red and gold area rugs overlapping one another. Her canopy bed was alongside the right wall, purple curtains tied to each post. In front of the window closest to the sofa was a small shelf with all kinds of rocks and raw gemstones. Because the shelf didn’t have a back, the light caught every facet and cut on the rocks. Each of the four shelves sparkled.
I took a seat next to her, noticing all kinds of painted and bejeweled mason jars beside the bed and around the room. One area near the windows had nothing but oversized pillows, and since the windows ran from ceiling to floor, she had an amazing view of the courtyard.
“Did you do all this by yourself?”
“I decorated, but I had help getting the curtains up. I’d love to put a chandelier in the center of the room, but not if that means using candles.” She played with the pendant around her neck. “Our bedroom is the one place in this house that’s truly ours, so don’t be afraid to decorate it the way you want. Seeing a person’s private quarters is like looking into their soul.”
I crossed my legs. “If that’s true, Christian has a dark and empty soul.”
“I was lucky to get this room,” she continued. “The first of us got to choose our rooms, but then Viktor was afraid it would show favoritism if the early birds got all the good ones, so he started choosing rooms that look similar. Except for Christian’s. Viktor took into consideration that light hurts his eyes, so he gave him a room without windows.”
Gem covered her legs with a thin blanket of crushed velvet, tassels dangling from all sides. If this was an extension of her soul, then she had a strong penchant for surrounding herself with color, which I found intriguing. Whether it was her clothes or makeup, something on her always sparkled and stood out. Today she had on gold lipstick, and though she usually wore makeup, she never covered the beauty mark below her left eye. It was a dark little imperfection amid so much loveliness.
“How old are you?” I asked.
“Not very. Just around fifty, but I don’t count anymore. When you’re immortal, there’s no point in remembering your age.”
I bent my knee and turned to face her. “Was it hard letting go of your old life?”
Gem reclined her head, and something penetrated her casual façade. “I didn’t have a human life like you did. I was born and sold on the black market.”<
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I gaped at her. “How is that possible? The black market doesn’t sell human babies.”
“I don’t talk about this with the others. Only Viktor knows.”
I knew how scary it was to confide in someone, especially when your life could become the subject of gossip. “You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, but I promise it won’t leave this room.”
She worried her lip and flashed her violet eyes up to mine. “I think some have their suspicions, but I’m not human. I never was. I was born a Relic.”
My brows rose in disbelief. I knew Relics were genetically similar to humans—except for their ability to pass down learned knowledge to their descendants—but I’d never heard of one becoming a Mage.
She played with one of the long tassels on the blanket. “That’s why I have this special gift with ancient languages. It must have been what my ancestors specialized in. Do you know much about Relics?”
I shrugged.
“Well,” she continued, “Relics are all different. Some focus on certain Breeds, some specialize in magic, others in medicine, and each generation adds more knowledge to the pool. I didn’t discover my gift until I was older. The more people I met, the more I realized I could understand foreign languages people were speaking without having to think about it. And it was more than just generic languages like Chinese or Arabic. The more I researched, the more I discovered just how deep the rabbit hole went. Breed languages. Extinct languages. But I had this insatiable desire to learn more, even though I wouldn’t have children of my own to pass the knowledge down to.”
“How did you become a Mage? I thought they only turned humans.”
She brushed her hair away from her eyes. “Well… I guess you know how genetically similar Relics are to humans. That means they can become immortal, but most won’t. The whole point of their existence is to acquire more knowledge with each generation. So kids are important to them, you know? Plus the Mageri has all those rules about who they bring in, and I doubt they’re eager to let in many Relics. It might open up Pandora’s box.”
“In what way?”
She shrugged. “Relics could easily go extinct if they all decided to become an immortal, and they play an important role in our society. I’m sure the Mageri makes exceptions, but they probably choose older people who don’t have any kids. They’d also need a good reason. It’s not like a restaurant where you can just make a reservation for immortality.”
Even though she was trying to make light of the situation, I couldn’t crack a smile. Not after what she’d revealed to me. “So you were sold as a baby on the black market to become a Mage?”
She shifted in her seat. “Lots of immortals out there like raising their own Breed. They see them as trainable. Some just want a servant to juice from or drink their blood. I was born a slave, so I don’t know what it’s like to leave family behind. I never had one.”
The sparkling stones in the window caught my attention. Gem’s room felt like a palace where a princess would sleep. Now it made a little more sense. I felt guilty for complaining about my upbringing after hearing her story, and I’m sure that wasn’t the whole of it.
She twisted her hair up into a messy knot and tied it with a band from her wrist. Her hair poked out in different directions like a little tornado sitting atop her head. “I didn’t turn for a long while, and my Creator showed me that a good life was possible. I had the choice to stay a Relic, but my Creator offered immortality as a chance to reclaim the years stolen from me. I knew what I was giving up,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Kids and all that. But I never wanted children. I wouldn’t know how to be a mother or raise a baby with love that no one ever gave me. That kind of thing has to be learned.”
I wanted to tell her that it didn’t, but how would I know? Maybe an unloved child never acquires the tools needed to care for another. Gem had made her choice, as had I, and we had to live with those decisions. Having kids was the furthest thing from my mind at twenty-five, so it hadn’t seemed like a big thing to give up at the time. I still had no regrets, especially considering all the things I’d done since becoming immortal.
She threw her head back and looked up. “I guess that’s why I come across as immature.”
“You’re not immature. You just have a lot of energy and don’t seem as jaded as the rest of us,” I said with a laugh.
Her smile brightened. “I never had a childhood, and there were so many things I never got to experience.” She quickly got up and strode across the carpet, and I admired her black leggings and sweaterdress. “People are so consumed by how you’re supposed to behave. I never want to be a person who can’t tell a joke or wear roller skates in the house. I want to climb trees until I’m a thousand, and I don’t believe in acting your age. I believe in being yourself. People strip all that joy away from you—piece by piece—and then you forget who you really are.” She lifted a pair of short boots with a tall heel from the armoire and took a seat in the center of the room. “No one understands what it’s like to be me. I grew up not knowing what I liked, who I was, what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to go. I grew up without an identity.”
I flashed a smile when she fell back, her right foot high in the air as she struggled to put on the boot. Childhood is a time of self-discovery when we learn about the world, and maybe that’s a more insightful experience to go through as an adult than it is as a child.
Gem finally got her boot on. “Are you going to wear a dress tonight?”
“I will if you promise to take Christian out.”
Her head bobbed up. “Excuse me?”
I stood up and offered her my hand. “If you can’t get him out of the house, can you at least set him up on a date with a slut?”
She stood up and wobbled before getting her balance. “What are you scheming? Is this another bet you two have going on?”
I shrugged guiltily.
Gem flashed a wicked smile. “I’m so on board with that plan.”
Chapter 16
When Detective Glass arrived, Christian stormed out the door, shouldering past him and making a dramatic exit. Gem looked dismayed since she had agreed to help me sabotage Christian’s plans for celibacy so I could win my bet. To my relief, no one else appeared to see us off. The mansion was ginormous, and we never had unexpected visitors. I decided to tell Viktor about it later. It all depended on how the date went.
Glass steered his black Mercedes in front of the restaurant. “Did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?” He admired my red dress for the umpteenth time.
“About a million times, but I’ll accept a million and one.”
I’d borrowed one of Gem’s shawls since I didn’t have a matching coat for a nice dress like the one I had on. I owned a leather jacket and a raggedy old coat with holes, but they made me look like either a biker or a derelict. It was nice to feel like a woman, and that was exactly the kind of magic the dress had for me. Granted, it was a little over-the-top for a first date, but you only live once. Or maybe twice if you’re lucky. The dress was long, elegant, and sexy. Burgundy, sleeveless, a modest V-neck, and a slit at the bottom that stopped at my knees. Gem helped me pick it out on a shopping trip, but I’d never thought I’d have an occasion to wear it.
Unfortunately, the delicate fabric made me feel naked, especially when a blast of cold air enveloped me as I got out of the car.
A valet took the keys from Glass, and we headed inside.
When we entered the Italian restaurant, I took notice of another couple leaving. A diamond necklace encircled the woman’s neck, and the fur coat she had on looked extravagant. Thank God I wore a dress. While Glass confirmed our reservation, my eyes wandered around, admiring the gold wallpaper and crystal sconces. They probably had gold-plated toilets in the bathroom. Something to check out later.
“Raven.”
I jumped like a timid animal when Glass gripped my arm. Two months ago, I would have stabbed a man for doing that.
; “Our table is ready. Are you all right?”
I straightened my back. “Yep. Lead the way.”
Suddenly I got a swarm of butterflies in my stomach. I’d never gone into any Breed establishment as part of a couple, and I’d seen firsthand how prejudiced some of the older ones could be. Usually it was Shifters, Chitahs, and the ones who could have children. Most were intolerant about someone turning their back on their own kind because it meant one less generation of that race. Public shaming wasn’t as frightening to me as what I might do to them.
Glass was a Chitah in every respect of the word. Tall, blond hair, golden eyes, and a confident air about him. They weren’t afraid to look anyone in the eye, and they could be territorial and aggressive.
When I spotted an empty booth in the back, I quickened my pace.
Glass stopped in the middle of the restaurant and captured my wrist. “Where do you think you’re going?”
I pointed to the seat in the back. “I like that one better.”
“We’re not eating next to the bathroom.” He pulled out a chair and stood there while I sat down.
Well, this is going to be an interesting evening, I thought to myself. Especially since I’m not armed, and if things get ugly…
“Would you like to start off with appetizers?” the waiter asked.
“No,” Glass replied. “Bring us a bottle of your best red. Neither one of us feels like teasing our appetites, so we’ll have the rack of lamb with potatoes.”
Lamb? My stomach churned at the idea of eating a baby animal. Suddenly I couldn’t get the song “Mary Had a Little Lamb” out of my head. “Do you have chicken salad? I think I’d rather have that.”
“The lamb is superior,” Glass assured me, arranging the silverware on the table. “Bring the lady a side salad to go with it.” When the waiter left, Glass laced his fingers together and leaned in. “I thought you liked to try new things?”
I knew where he was going with that comment. I sipped my ice water, leaving behind a stain on the rim from my burgundy lipstick. I wondered if I looked a little too Goth with my black nail polish and dark eye shadow, but Glass was just going to have to accept the real me.