by K. F. Breene
“Interrupting someone is rude.” I shifted so I could drop Baldy at a moment’s notice. “I need to turn him in for the money. Just him, though. You can have whatever he is selling.”
“I will have him and what he is selling. You are outmatched and outnumbered. Drop him and scamper away, girl. This does not concern you.”
“Do you know how hot it gets in New Orleans in the middle of summer? The humidity will kill you. I need air conditioning, man. Work with me on this one, and everyone walks away.”
He laughed, a sexy sound that tightened my lady bits. Stupid elder vampires.
A spell came out of nowhere, one of the minions shooting it at me from its small rubber casing.
I dropped Baldy, ripped out my sword, and sliced through the stream of white. My blade unraveled the magic, the spell’s power level strong but no match for mine. I sheathed my sword and turned to the elder. I didn’t plan to hand over my mark and lose my payday, but if I could escape without killing one of these buggers, thereby putting a huge price on my head, I would. Dare to hope.
I rushed forward, aiming for the elder. As if on cue, the minions charged forward, tightening their blockade around me, lightning fast and smooth as silk. Claws outstretched on the end of their human-looking fingers. Lips and gums turned black as fangs elongated. The predators were showing themselves, and these predators were upper-middle level, at least.
Crap-tastic.
Lazily, the lead vamp slashed. Claws sprang from his hand as it sailed toward my face.
Holy tater tits, he was powerful.
I bent backward, Matrix-style, before straightening back up and punching him in the face. His head whipped back as his expression turned to shock.
Yeah, I’m fast and super strong. Surprise!
I rocked a punch to his middle, another to his face, and then paused. That rhythm-breaking hesitation had him flinching, as though another strike had come. I followed with a kick. Faster than before, he blocked with his shin. Bone met bone.
It hurt like the bejeebus!
I struck for his middle next, but he was onto me. He dodged and swung claws toward my neck. I shifted out of harm’s way and struck again, watching the elder’s minions out of the corner of my eye. A spell rocketed toward me. I ripped out my sword, sliced through it, and made another lunge at the lead vamp. My blade cut through his designer shirt right before he slashed.
I bent out of the way of his strike. I slapped him across the face. Not punched. Slapped. Because I knew how to piss people off, and angry people made mistakes.
His eyebrows lowered over his deep-set eyes. I braced for his retaliation. His minions responded from an unseen cue. They pushed in, readying for severe violence, I could tell. Considering how old they were, and how plentiful, there was no way I could get out of this without ending up dead or worse. He was way better prepared.
I clenched my jaw and stepped back, throwing up my hands. “Fine. Take him.”
He relaxed, his muscles no longer pushing at his dress shirt, and stared at me. The minions kept creeping forward, which wasn’t happy news.
Still he stared.
“Here.” I gestured at Baldy. “Take him. I give up.” Still the minions came. “Is this going to get messy?”
“Will she escape?” Lou asked in a theatrical voice. Hopefully the onlookers missed the underlying terror in her tone. “Or will he bite her neck?”
There was no way this critter would get anywhere near my neck.
Animal shapes jogged out from the sides, behind the vampires. An onlooker gasped.
The wolves had shown up. It was the first time I was happy to see them. If they could just distract the vamps long enough for me to grab the mark and make a run for it—another run for it, I guess—that would make my night.
“They are fighting on public streets,” I yelled, backing up to stand right next to my mark. “That violates the…thing you are paid to uphold…” Yelling about magic in public would also be a violation of the magical decree, and the last thing I wanted to do was give the shifters an official reason to take me in.
The lead vampire, still assessing me, tilted his head slightly. A grin worked at his lips. I had no idea what he found so amusing.
A fierce snarl erupted from the side. A wolf lunged at a vampire minion. The other shifters ran in, ready to take down the gathering.
Sensing my golden opportunity, I snatched up Baldy and threw him over my shoulder. Before I could turn and run, clawed hands reached for me. I slashed with my sword, nicking a minion’s arm. A wolf lunged, his jaws snapping at my knee.
“I’m the good guy,” I said in a harried voice. “I’m on official business!”
Baldy’s body was ripped away.
Clutching at air as I turned around, I was just in time to see the lead vampire toss Baldy at his minion. The other vampire caught him like a doll. Before I could even open my mouth to say, “Hey!” the lead vampire had given me a poignant stare and then bolted away at an awe-inspiring speed. He was one old-ass vampire.
The rest of the vampires took off, not even sparing a kick for the animals trying to kill them. Wolves took up the chase. In a moment, the streets were bare of all things magical except me and my sword.
There went my air conditioning.
“Crap,” I said softly as someone started hesitantly clapping. The rest of the onlookers joined in, applauding me losing my mark. It was not an awesome end to the night, that was for sure.
I stashed my sword and gave the onlookers a bow. Lou would smooth everything over.
As I started walking, one question nagged at me: what were vampires doing coming after my company’s marks? Vampires were supposed to get clearance for things like that.
A thought struck me that I couldn’t shake.
Suddenly, I knew exactly what was going on.
Chapter Two
I burst into the office early the next morning with a chip on my shoulder and a hole in my bank account. Cubicles dotted the floor in systematic rows, one of the many reasons I wouldn’t succumb to being a paid employee of this establishment. In front of me was an aisle leading through the best of the best, my competitors in the bounty-hunting gig and the A-list of the Magical Law Enforcement office. The ones who got all the jobs I wanted, leaving only the insanely dangerous marks for me.
Okay, fine. I’ll admit it. I wished I were in a position to get a regular paycheck from a comfy job. I’d deal with cubicles for a little security, but that option was denied to me.
“Look who it is. Miss I-Can-Bring-In-Anybody.” Garret, the man who constantly taunted me for being an outcast, rolled to the edge of his cubicle and laughed. “I heard you screwed the pooch last night. Useless.”
Nearing his cube, I caught the edge of his chair with my toe and thrust my hips forward, shoving. His chair rolled backward so suddenly that he tipped out and tumbled onto his face.
“Not entirely useless,” I said with a smirk, continuing onward.
Snickers filled the floor as I reached the large corner office. The covered windows and closed doors didn’t exactly scream welcome. Neither did the underpaid receptionist who sat out front.
“He in there?” I asked her.
“You need to make an appointment,” she said in a bored voice.
“Will do.” I kicked the door. The hinges tore free. Wood groaned as the door fell inward, crashing to the ground and wobbling.
Captain John Lox looked up, startled. After seeing me, his expression mellowed. He leaned back in his chair.
“So you don’t think I can bring in a mark, is that it? You have to resort to the vampires to do it?” I stepped on the door on my way into the office.
He threaded his fingers together in his lap, studying me. His gaze flicked to the chair facing his desk, a silent invitation for me to sit down and speak about this calmly.
I grabbed the chair, picked it up, and threw it at the doorway.
I missed.
The chair hit the frame and ricocheted, hurl
ing back in my direction. I dodged it, then stumbled on the edge of the fallen door.
This confrontation wasn’t playing out how I’d hoped.
“You owe me ten grand,” I barked, trying to regain control of my intimidation tactics. Humor sparked in his eyes.
After a silent beat, he said, “Come again?”
“You owe me ten grand,” I repeated slowly.
“You got the mark?”
“I did not. You know why.”
His brow furrowed and he shifted, his chair squealing under his weight. “The bloodsuckers got him first.”
I rolled my eyes. “Bloodsuckers? Really? Every vampire TV show ever called—they want their catchphrases back.”
“Vampires suck blood. Hence the term.”
“Use a little originality. They screw like rock stars, too. So why don’t you call them rock-star screwers?”
“Besides the clumsiness of that phrase, rock stars are mortal. They couldn’t possibly screw as well as vampires.”
“Whatever. Regardless, yes, the vampires got the mark. They brought enough people out of the Realm to organize the effort. The shifters couldn’t compete with that kind of power, but they knew the vampires were around. Which means there is no way you didn’t. Being that you didn’t give me a heads-up, what do you think that says to me?”
“I have no idea.”
I cracked my neck in frustration. “Clearly you are covering your bases again.”
“I did that one time.”
I glared at him.
“Fine, twice. I didn’t realize you found out about the second.” He leaned against his desk and spread his hands in front of him. “They didn’t tell me they wanted the mark. The first I heard of it was this morning, when the mark’s head was delivered in a cooler.”
I crinkled my nose at that visual. “So much for me getting him back,” I muttered. “You expect me to believe you didn’t know about a mass entrance of old vampires? Give me a break.”
“I don’t care what you believe. That is the truth. I’m no happier than you are. That mark was supposed to come in alive. The bounty is void. But…” A flash of confusion crossed his features. “I did get a note. It was taped to my office door when I got in this morning.” He reached into his drawer, extracted a piece of paper, and pushed it across the desk. “The head arrived via parcel, so the note was delivered independently. We checked the security cameras, but we didn’t see anyone deliver it.”
I grabbed the note. “Come on, everyone knows vampires don’t show up on film or video.”
“Not everyone. Humans, for example, don’t even know they exist.”
I flipped the note open. “You know what I meant.”
“The video didn’t show any doors opening or things moving around. One second, the door was clear, and the next, the note was on it. Why not leave the head at the same time?”
I scanned the note as my heart sank into the abyss of my body, which somehow didn’t stop it from thumping manically. I met his assessing stare. “The leader was an elder. He could open and close a door between frames. Getting past your shoddy security wouldn’t be a problem for him. He brought a host of upper-mid levelers last night. I’m sure he had his people attend to the head.” I shook the note. “And in answer to this—” I huffed. “No. Hard no. No way. Not on your life.”
“It wouldn’t be on my life. It’d be on yours.”
My clenched fists matched my jaw. “How the hell did you get this position?”
“Stating the obvious really goes a long way. Idiots tend to ignore the thing staring them right in the face.”
I put a boot on the door, a little reminder of the destruction I was capable of. “Are you calling me an idiot?”
“Again, just stating the obvious. Do you want another case?” He tapped a brown file on the edge of his desk. “Eight hundred bucks, dead or alive. Unless you take a desk job, I’m afraid this is all I have.”
“I can’t take a desk job.” I stuck out my hand. “I don’t have legit paperwork for the Brink. You know that.”
“You merely have to buy some. You know that.”
“With what? My beatbox broke, so I can’t take to the curb for money.”
“I don’t know what any of that means.”
I flipped open the file and my heart sank even lower. The thing felt like it was trying to squeeze into my boots. “All this risk for a measly eight hundred?”
“He only bothers the magical community. A couple of his neighbors got together to raise the money. It isn’t on the government’s dime, so I can’t send my people. It’s either you or no one.”
I groaned and dropped the hand holding the file. “Why not the shifters?”
“They have their hands full with the vampires. That’s what they said, anyway. Word is, they tried, but lost two of theirs. This is heavy magic, and they don’t have that kind of arsenal. Neither do I, if you want to know the truth. This guy has dabbled in the dark arts. He’ll throw hexes at you that you might not be ready for. Word of caution.”
I shook my head and tapped the folder against my leg, thinking about the vampire’s note. “I have to eat,” I said vaguely.
Pity crossed his features for a brief moment, but was wiped away immediately. “That’s all I’ve got, kid. Sorry about the vamp trouble. Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
I blew out a breath.
A silent beat. “So, you going to do it?” he asked.
We both knew he wasn’t asking about the file.
I glanced at the note again. I didn’t know. I said as much.
“In addition to that note, I got the official notice of a bounty.” The captain nodded toward his computer screen. “They’re doing it by the book, though the actual mark is not yet known. There’s a catch, though. If you accept the bounty, they’ll be assigning you a vamp partner.”
“Wait.” I let my confusion show on my face. “What?”
“Together, you’ll track down the mark, bring him in alive, and collect the bounty. You will take half. The vamp will take half.”
“They’re going to take back half of the bounty they put up? That doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s our system. Otherwise, they’d have to personally hire you. This way they’re doing it through us.”
“Why bother?”
The captain smirked. “Working through us means the wolves have to leave them alone. They’re using you and my department as a get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s pretty clever, really.”
I shrugged. “With the power I saw last night, the wolves wouldn’t stand a chance. Not unless they pulled in bigger numbers from other parts of the country.”
“Which they’d do for a chance to take out an elder. Roger would be all over that.”
I swore under my breath. “Still. Why me? Why not Garret?”
“I have no idea. Maybe something you did last night impressed them.”
“Doubtful.” I scrubbed my fingers through my hair before redoing my ponytail.
“So…you going to do it?”
“How much?” I asked, thinking of running away and joining a circus instead. It would make more sense than my life.
“Your cut would be fifty grand.”
The muscles in my jaw went slack. A wash of tingles worked down my body. That was a lot of money. That would let me disappear for a good long time. I needed that.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly, defeated. “Have you ever heard of anyone going into the vampires’ lair and coming out alive?”
“No. But then, I’ve never heard of anyone being invited, either.”
“I was more commanded than invited.”
“People don’t boss you around. That’s an invite if anything is.”
He knew me well.
“The elves don’t have jurisdiction within that lair.” I bit my lip. “Anything could go on in there.”
The captain tapped his fingers against his desk, something he did when he was working out a problem. “Does he need your
help, or is he curious about you? Maybe he’s testing you. There is no way to guess what a vampire that old is really up to.”
“You’re sure it was the elder?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes surveying me. “He probably wants to know if you’re magical, and if so, what breed you are.”
I’d come to the same conclusion. “I should’ve showered to get rid of the weird stench,” I joked.
The captain’s gaze turned piercing. He’d said it once and never repeated himself: I looked human but didn’t smell it, I was chock-full of powerful magic, and most people would guess, correctly, that I was a hybrid of some sort, but I wasn’t a type that had ever been catalogued before. He’d ended his analysis with, “Reagan, that doesn’t add up. People notice.”
No, it did not add up. Yes, people did notice. Luckily, as long as I kept to myself, meaning no magical BFFs or drunken gabfests about my ancestry, I would be in the clear.
After a moment, he huffed and glanced beside me. “I’m going to have to dock you for that door.”
“It wasn’t me. It was the one-armed man.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Actually, I bet it was the vampire. They are damned clumsy, aren’t they? Surely he knocked it off the hinges when he was putting up that note.” He nodded decisively. “I’ll write that up.”
I couldn’t help a smile. “You’re an asshole, but you’re my asshole.”
His grumpy expression turned quizzical. “Is that from a movie?”
“I feel like it is, but…I’m not really sure, to be honest. Fits, though, no?”
“Too touchy-feely for my taste. Now get out of here. And leave Garret alone when you walk past. Every time you break one of his body parts, we get behind.”
“Hire better people.”
“Buy some papers.”
I glanced back at the note one last time as I walked from the room, the folder tucked under my arm. I needed to think on that. I also needed to plan a course of action for bringing in the idiot terrorizing one of the few solely magical neighborhoods within the city. So much to do…
Fifteen minutes later, I sat down on a barstool.
“Hurricane, please.” I rapped my knuckles on the bar as the bartender walked away to make me a drink mostly consisting of turpentine and artificial flavoring. Other bars made a fruity drink high in alcohol that the tourists loved. Not this bar. They tried to peel the eyebrows off your face.