“So, how do you know Sterling?” the guy asked as we walked.
“Oh, you know, word gets around,” I said.
He craned his neck over his shoulder. “Word about what?”
“Word about the services Sterling was offering,” Dante said, “To those who could pay for it, of course.”
“And can you pay for it?”
“I have deep pockets.”
“Good, you’ll need them. I’m Julian, by the way,” he said, extending his hand. Dante took it, shook, and then he offered his hand to me. I also shook it, doing my best not to react to the chill of his skin.
When we reached the bar Julian circled around it, produced a briefcase from behind the counter and laid it flat before unclipping it. “Are you ready?” he asked.
Dante looked at me, then we both looked at Julian, and nodded.
Julian’s eyes narrowed, then he opened the briefcase. Inside there were a number of little tubes, ten or so, though I could tell by the empty spaces between the tubes that there had been more; maybe ten more. Inside each of the tubes was a tiny galaxy of light, motes of shimmering white dancing inside little clouds. Each tube was bright enough that looking at it directly became uncomfortable quickly enough, all of them together, however, created an almost overwhelming light. Julian plucked one from the briefcase and shut it, allowing the room to return to its natural dimness, all save for the light coming from one tube.
“What… is it?” I asked.
“This is the most intense feeling you’ll ever have, stuffed into a tiny little bottle. A universe of sensation, of possibility, waiting to be yours.” He handed it over, and I went to reach for it, but he kept it out of reach. “You can touch it if you can pay for it. That’s the only rule I have.”
Dante reached into his jacket again and pulled out the money clip of fifty-pound bills. “How much?” he asked.
“More than that,” Julian said, eyeing up the bills Dante was counting up.
Dante pocketed the money clip, then produced a notebook and pen. He slid it across the counter. “Name your price,” he said, “And I’ll bring you the money.”
Julian put the bottle into his pocket and began scribbling on the page.
“What is it, exactly?” I asked, “What’s in the bottle?”
“That, my friend, is a trade secret of ours; let’s just say, the source is entirely pure.”
“What’s the source?”
He slid the paper back over to Dante. “I’m not at liberty to say, but it was harvested today, so it’s as fresh as it can be.”
“Today…”
My heart wedged itself into my throat. If this truly was supernatural energy, the same kind of energy Dante had described when he told me the story of the angelic he killed, then it really did come from a supernatural being. And if that was the case, then it meant Julian—or whoever Julian worked for—had killed a supernatural being tonight to collect it.
Fuck…
“I think you’ll find the price fair,” Julian said.
Heart thundering now, vision trembling, I lost track of the exchange between Julian and Dante. They were talking, but I wasn’t listening. I was too busy discretely putting my hands on the briefcase, and trying to pull it toward me, but Julian’s eyes were way too sharp, and he turned them first on my hands, and then on me.
“What are you doing?” he asked, my senses focusing on him enough to hear what he had said.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to snatch the briefcase, so instead I pushed it toward him with all of my might. The briefcase slid across the counter and slammed into Julian, who had to scramble to stop it from falling. I then reached out, my hand lightning quick, and grabbed hold of the phial in his hand. Julian hissed, fangs descending from his upper jaw.
The vampire threw himself over the counter, grabbed hold of my shoulders, and sent me crashing to the ground with him, rolling along the floor. He rolled along the carpet, with his briefcase in his hand, and made a break for a fire door in the back, but I had the phial in my hand, and with it I knew, I just knew, Raphael would be able to trace the source of the energy to the person it came from, dead or alive. But I wasn’t happy with just this one phial; I needed them all; there was no way I was going to let Julian keep selling them.
I fought to get to my feet, and gave chase to the vampire.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I pushed through the fire door, scanned up and down, and heard Julian clambering up the steps toward the roof, so I followed. Dante came through after me, running at full speed and just about keeping in step with me. Above us, I heard the roof access door squeak open, then slam shut. When I reached it, I barged through into the cold, crisp night and again, quickly looked left and then right, catching sight of Julian just as he made his way toward the edge of the building, moving so fast he was almost a blur.
I ran after him, but I was wearing heels, and was much slower than I needed to be. When I saw what he was about to do, I knew, there was no way I would catch him in these—not a chance in hell. Julian approached the gap between the nightclub and the next building on the other side of a two-lane road, then he launched himself into the air, clearing the gap and landing on the rooftop he had intended to land on.
He turned his head over his shoulder and looked back just as I approached the ledge, grinning smugly, but when I too leapt from the ledge and threw myself into the air, his eyes widened, and he continued to run. My heart was beating hard and fast, my body fueled by adrenaline and buzzing with supernatural energy. There was nothing but air beneath my feet, my body being carried on the wind. My leathery bat-like wings extended from my back, and when they were ready, I willed them to beat and lift me up high above the rooftops. I pushed them again, and again, feeling the wind beneath them as they beat, hearing the air around me bend to their will, and watching as I closed the gap between buildings.
I could see Julian running along the rooftop beneath me, little more than a patch of shadow and light moving at a near impossible speed. I turned my nose down and dove, using the wind to my advantage and letting my wings do the work. Behind me I heard a sound, a loud whumph, followed by another, and then another. The sound approached, and I saw Dante flying up beside me, with two huge black wings sticking out of the back of his torn shirt and beating hard to keep up with me.
He looked at me, and I noticed his eyes were burning with cold, green light. Dante nodded, then turned his head down and continued to fly alongside me, the wind rustling his well-kept hair.
We descended on Julian like large bats coming down on a rodent. He was fast, and nimble, and on foot he may have been able to out-run us, but we had wings, and no matter how fast he could run and jump, we closed the distance with ease. I swooped down on him, hands outstretched, fingernails sharpened and gleaming, and I grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and lifted him off the ground, then released him as we came to the next building, causing him to topple, roll, and hit a steam vent hard.
Dante landed on him, and I came around, pushing my wings, feeling the air move through me and around me, experiencing the rush, the thrill of the hunt. By the time I landed delicately on my stiletto heels, Dante had Julian in his hands, the light of his green eyes reflected on Julian’s face.
I approached, folding my wings behind me.
“You’re a succ-” Julian stuttered.
“Tell us where you got the drugs from,” I demanded, “Where is the source?”
Julian looked hesitant. Dante smashed his head into the steam vent. “Speak now,” he growled.
“Alright, alright!” Julian said, putting one of his hands up. “I’ll tell you, just don’t kill me.”
This started to look all too familiar, and a moment of panic fell on me. Was Leo about to show up and kill this creature? I scanned the rooftop. Quiet, dark, and a little wet, but otherwise entirely still. I turned to look at Julian again, who was cowering in the face of two demon-like creatures sporting massive, black, leathery wings and sharp claws.
&n
bsp; “Start talking,” I said, “Otherwise you’re going to turn to ash.”
“I will, let me just make a phone call. My phone is in my jacket.”
“No phone calls. You’re going to take us to the source, and you’re going to do it now.”
“Okay! Fine.”
Dante straightened up, bringing Julian with him. “Tell me where to go, and I’ll take you.”
Julian sighed. “It’s close to the Tobacco Dock in East London.”
Dante pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Aiden, relaying to him instructions to go to the nightclub’s roof and pick up his jacket he had left on the floor. He then told Aiden we would be heading to the Tobacco Dock, and that we would give them better directions once we had gotten there.
Touching his own chest, Dante caused a small, white dot of light to appear. “See this?” he asked, “If you try to bite me, if you do anything I don’t like, this dot of light will vaporize you, so think twice.”
Julian nodded, and walked to the edge of the building where, using a gantry we were able to climb down to street level. I didn’t think Dante’s threat was entirely accurate, I had seen him turn a vampire to ash before, sure, but that had required effort, and concentration on his part. It was more likely that Dante would have to consciously trigger the power for it to work. But Julian didn’t know that, so he didn’t try anything while we were sitting in a cab, on our way to the place he had told us to go to.
The cab stopped at the mouth of an alley running between warehouses, some of which had functioning lights, but most of which were dark. Dante paid, then we stepped out onto the bitterly cold night and followed Julian as he walked along the lonely path. When he finally stopped, I stared up at the building in front of me. Dark, quiet, nameless.
“Is this the one?” I asked.
“Yes, this one,” Julian said. Pointing at a roof-access, he said.
“Okay. Let’s go—you first.”
A key was needed to open main door, but Julian had one, so he unlocked it and moved inside. There was very little to see in here; many boxes, all stacked high, and dangling chains and pulleys. I didn’t know what was in them, but I figured this warehouse was probably a functioning one, potentially being used every single day for a whole number of mundane reasons; like a cover business.
Julian took us across the warehouse, to a door on the other side of it. He unlocked it and took us down a dark, damp stairwell, at the foot of which there was another locked door, which Julian also had a key for. I held my breath as he opened it, anxious to see the mentors we had come here to save. When the door opened, lights automatically clicked on, and I heard two sounds; something, or someone shuffling, and the rattling of chains.
My heart skipped as the lights blinked slowly, revealing not two, but three men sitting on the floor at the far end of the room. Their arms were clasped in chains hooked to the wall behind them, chains that looked slack enough for them to be able to sit, or even lie down, but tight enough to limit their movement. On the floor beneath them I spotted padded mattresses, thin blankets, and what looked like bottles of water—or at least I hoped it was water.
I pushed Julian hard, hooking my foot around his ankle, and sent him crashing to the floor. “You’re keeping people locked in here like animals?” I yelled.
Dante came into the room behind me, took one look at each of the people sitting there, and exhaled deeply. “They aren’t here,” he said.
I looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Henry, and Covell, they aren’t them.”
“Please,” one of the people chained to the wall said, in a croaky, raspy voice. “Are you here to help us?”
My heart broke, and a catch caught in my throat. “Yes,” I said, “We’re going to help you get out of here.”
I took the set of keys from Julian’s hand and tried it on the chains of the closest person to me, a young man with black hair and a dirty, scared face. Clear lines were running down his cheeks where tears had cut through the dirt. His eyes were red and puffy, and he smelled awful, like he hadn’t showered in weeks.
“None of the keys here fit these chains,” I barked, “Why?”
“Because I don’t have the keys to the chains.”
The man’s breath hitched, and a fine mist erupted from around his shoulders—yellow, and fearful.
“It’s alright,” I said, “Help is on the way. We’ll get you out of here. Could you tell me your name?”
“M-M-Matthew,” he said, stuttering.
“Matthew, we’re here to help you, okay? All of you. You’re safe.”
“Thank you so much,” he said, hugging me tightly. His relief was so great, so sincere, I didn’t care about the smell. I hugged him in return, pressing him tightly to me. He couldn’t have been older than eighteen, maybe younger.
“How long have you been here?” Dante asked, his voice echoing in the room.
“I don’t know,” one of the others said, “It’s been so long, I’ve lost track of the days.”
Dante nodded. “And what do they do to you down here?”
The man looked at his friend, who nodded. He then rolled up his arm to reveal small, horizontal injuries running along it. I recognized those marks; there had been a time in my life when I had done that kind of thing to myself, times when things had gotten so difficult I would have done anything to feel alive. But I didn’t think those were self-inflicted; there was nothing nearby he could have made them with, no razors or knives.
“Who did this to you?” I asked.
Matthew shook his head. “I don’t know. We don’t know who they are. They just come, they cut us with this… this special knife they have, and they take our energy from us. I don’t know how they’re able to do it.”
I heard another shuffling sound, this one from behind me. At first, I thought someone else was in this room, someone we had overlooked, but dread soon filled me. “Where’s Julian?” I asked.
Dante turned. “Fuck!” he swore, and he ran through the door and up the stairwell, but I had a feeling Dante wouldn’t catch him. The vampire was fast on his feet, way faster than us, and we were in a warehouse, underground. Still, I waited on baited breath, staring at the briefcase Dante had let fall to the floor before turning to run after the vampire that had slipped away from us without us knowing.
Had he used some kind of power on us that made us forget about him? I knew nothing about vampires, so this was entirely possible. In fact, hadn’t Leo used a power on me that made me think I had done something when I actually hadn’t? When I heard Dante rushing down the stairs again, my heart leapt, but he came into the room empty handed, with his head low.
He shook his head. “Gone,” he said.
I nodded, then looked at the captives. Raph and Vik would not be getting any closure tonight, but at least we had rescued these captives, and in doing so learned that this whole thing ran deeper than we thought.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Their names were Matthew, Dylan, and Ryan. All three were mages, all three were young, having barely come into their powers before being snatched off the streets and put into chains. Listening to their stories as we drove out of the warehouse district in the Keeper’s car was heartbreaking. That these people, completely unknown to each other, had been going about their days—one coming home from work, the other buying groceries, the other at a bar with some friends—when they had been systematically chased down and kidnapped, was an awful thing to think about.
By my estimation, the night these three people had been taken happened a little over three weeks ago, but none of them really knew, nor could they confirm. Not only had they spent so much time underground that their sense of time was out of whack, their memories were also faded and worn, difficult to grasp; maybe due to some magic that had been used on them, or simply because they’d been stuck in a hole for a long time.
We took them back to the Alexandria, where Madeline was waiting to receive them. She offered them medical attention, a warm
shower, a hot meal, and a bed to sleep in, and they were grateful. These people didn’t know much about their powers or about what they were, so this was the perfect place for them—at least until they could figure out how much damage their disappearance had done to their lives. Good job we had found them, too; according to Liam, who could sense the relative health of a person by looking at them, the three men had been close to death, possibly from malnutrition, starvation, or from their severely depleted energy reserves.
When the captives were seen to and safely tucked away, the rest of us met in the same conference room where we had thought up our plan of action. I set the briefcase down on the table, unclipped it, and opened it. Light spilled out from inside the briefcase, drawing the fascinated eyes of everyone gathered around it. I plucked one of the phials out and handed it to Vik, who was standing right beside me.
“So, it’s true?” Vik asked.
I nodded. “I’m sorry we couldn’t find them, but we do at least have this. It’s real. Someone’s found a way to steal small amounts of our energy and process them. They were on to something.”
Vik nodded. “If nothing else, at least we were able to save three people from death. That’s likely why this vampire gave them to you. They were probably useless to them now that they had been so drained.”
“I agree. But, and this is going to sound… I don’t care how it sounds. What I mean to say is, this tells me that Henry and Covell are alive somewhere. If they were on to this and someone caught them and brought them in, then they might not be dead; they may be being used as… as…”
“Livestock,” Leo put in, “You can say it.”
“Right… that.”
“Either way, you did a good job tonight. Well done.”
Serpent's Kiss: A Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (The Last Serpent Book 3) Page 10