Put it out of mind, I told myself. I’d return to the subject once my meeting with the vampire queen was behind me. I’d spent entirely too much of today dwelling on the dead.
Chapter 4
Fiona looked at me across the coffee table, brow furrowed. “I know that one.” She pointed at the card I held up, which depicted a demon shaped like a scorpion—except the size of a cow—with a long waving stinger. “Venos demon.”
“Right.” I put the flashcards down. We sat opposite one another in the living room of my flat, which was half-homemade lab, half shrine to the places I’d visited as a Grade Three celestial soldier. Once you hit the third level, you were qualified to travel the world on all-expenses-paid trips to hunt down demons. I’d improvised the hand-drawn flashcards from a book of demons I’d ‘borrowed’ from the guild library and never returned. Not very artistic—the pictures looked like child’s scribbles—but they got the job done.
“I really don’t know about this, Fi,” I said. “If you want the nightmares to stop, looking at pictures of ugly demons at night probably isn’t doing you any favours.”
“I need to know,” Fiona said insistently. “I have to. They have my scent now. Doesn’t that mean they can track me?”
“Azurial’s gone,” I said. “Also, nobody else was there in the palace, aside from some dead vampires. If anyone targets you, the defences I put on the flat will be more than enough. Besides, I’m here most of the time.”
I’d finally got round to properly setting up security around the flat, not to mention I’d given her one of my traps in case anything grabbed her. The unspoken truth was that if a powerful warlock like Azurial got in here again, there was little either of us could do to stop them. I hadn’t mentioned that Azurial wasn’t technically dead, either. As a demigod—half arch-demon warlock—he had regenerative powers. I had Nikolas’s reassurance that he wouldn’t escape his prison, but it didn’t feel right keeping the truth from her. After all, the last time I’d withheld information, she’d nearly been killed.
“So you’re investigating how many murders?” she asked.
“Two,” I said. “One at the celestials’ academy, one vampire. I’m going to meet the vampires’ leader tonight, anyway, and hopefully get this vampire case straightened out. The only link is that a demon might have been involved in both murders. But the guild’s taken over the other case.” Hopefully, they’d handle it better than the last one.
“The guild?” said Fiona. “Aren’t they the ones who nearly got you killed?”
“Yep,” I said. And they did get Gav killed. For that reason alone, I’d never go back to working for them, not even if the situation escalated like last time. “I trust the warlocks a damn sight more, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that one of the celestials who was bitten died right after it turns out there might be a cure.”
She paled. “What? You never mentioned that before. What cure?”
“Apparently the vampire who got killed was testing a cure for vampirism. We caught his minion, but he doesn’t seem keen on answering questions. Might be true, might not. But the guild incident was something else entirely. Not really my business, but I’m keeping an eye on it in case we end up blindsided again.”
I’d check in with the guild tomorrow, assuming the meeting with the vampires didn’t go south. Which, considering my track record, was highly likely.
“Okay,” she said. “Well, you’d better warn me of any new developments. Tell me all about the vampires’ leader.”
“I thought it was a Divinity you wanted to meet.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Now I’ve seen what happens when they go bad, I’m not so keen.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to meet a vampire on a blood craze, either.” Fiona’s addiction to DivinityWatch—a website dedicated to usually-false pictures of Divinity sightings—had taken a hit lately. But I’d still caught her checking the site again the other day. Old habits, I guessed. “I’m going to get changed before I head out to meet Nikolas, okay? Text me if you like. I’ll be back before midnight.”
“Don’t let the vampires bite,” she said. “Seriously—don’t. Isn’t their venom… like, super addictive?”
“To humans,” I said. “Celestials… it does affect us, to a lesser degree, except when it comes to the demon infection. That’s why we’re working hard to make sure the vamps can’t get hold of any more dodgy bloodstones.”
She swallowed nervously. “You’re not helping.”
“Told you the demon cards were a bad idea.”
“I keep thinking they’re breaking in.”
“The only warlock I know who’s been here recently is Nikolas, and he’s harmless.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Harmless? You wouldn’t have a crush on him if he was. You’re a danger junkie, Devi.”
“I am not. And I never said I had a crush on him.”
She grinned. “Ha. Knew it. I won’t tell him, don’t worry. Bet he already knows.”
I shrugged. “He’s my mentor, sort of. And I’d bet the other warlocks would judge him for dating a human.”
Either that or our ‘kiss for good luck’ was just that. Which really shouldn’t have bothered me. I had enough on my mind. Gav’s death, the aftermath of Fiona’s kidnapping, avoiding any celestials and the continuing worry that they’d find out the real reason I’d left—and, of course, working for the warlocks. And I’d be wearing my anti-preternatural blister attack trap tonight, so no chance of any action. Of the non-violent sort, anyway. I had to admit the chances of getting through a meeting with the vampires’ leader without someone losing their temper were fairly low.
“Keep telling yourself that.” She pushed to her feet, grinning. “I’ll go back home. Wouldn’t want them to know you’re teaching a human all their secrets.”
She’d grasped the warlocks’ measure better than I expected, considering I’d spent the last two years trying to keep as much distance between her and the preternatural world as possible. But it was true, unfortunately, that I wasn’t supposed to tell her any details of my training. And Nikolas wasn’t supposed to tell me anything that was above my level. Maybe tonight I’d pry some secrets out of him.
“Just don’t tell anyone,” I said to her.
“Like I would. My co-workers already think I’m weird.” Fiona worked in a call centre, in which the biggest risk was being yelled at by strangers. Getting kidnapped by the son of an arch-demon had shaken her up, to say the least. “All right. See you tomorrow.”
Fiona left, while I put the flashcards back on the bookshelf next to my collection of ornaments, cleared away the empty takeout cartons we’d strewn all over the table, and went to change into something suitable for a night out with vampires.
At five-eight, I didn’t have much use for heels, though Nikolas was much taller than I was. I wore dark colours—with vampires involved, getting covered in blood was always a possibility. What with that and my black hair, I looked like I was going to a Goth party. I hadn’t got my summer tan yet, and when you added the elbow-length gloves I wore to hide my demon and celestial marks, I’d fit in more with the vamps than the warlocks. I didn’t know if the vampire leader knew what I was. Probably not. It was none of her business whether I was a celestial, warlock or plain old human.
Finally, I put the handmade trap around my neck, which reacted whenever anyone touched me without my permission and gave them a hell of a nasty case of blisters. Zadok, Nikolas’s brother, had never forgiven me for that one.
Nikolas arrived five minutes early, as I expected by now. I answered the door, heart fluttering in anticipation. Maybe I should have left the trap and risked it. It wasn’t like I didn’t have four stakes concealed in various places on my person.
He looked me up and down with obvious appreciation. “I like the gloves. You’ll fit right in.”
“Hope so,” I said. “Have you told her about our pet prisoner?”
“Javos felt it best if we left that piece of informati
on out of our discussion, in case she accused us of trying to blackmail her into cooperating by using her own people as leverage.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that exactly what we’re doing?”
“Technically, yes, but as of yet, nobody has brought up our little fledgling. It’s possible they didn’t actually know he existed, since by his own admission, he’s been kept locked up since he turned.”
“Shit, yeah,” I said. “Okay. Just wanted to make sure we aren’t pissing off the vampire lady before we even start. I take it Javos is sitting this one out.”
“Yes, he is. You haven’t said where you went this afternoon.”
I figured he’d have noticed. Very little escaped him.
“Yeah, about that,” I said. “One of the celestials who got bitten by the infected vamps killed someone today.”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t tell me you spoke to them.”
“All right, I won’t.” I kept my tone light, not wanting to start an argument. “It’s up to you if you want to hear the full story after the next demon tries to chew my face off or not.”
“For someone who’s apparently encountered twice as many dead bodies today as I have, you seem to be in an alarmingly cheerful mood,” he said. “I dread to think what will happen in a roomful of vampires. They don’t have much of a sense of humour.”
“Neither do dead bodies,” I said. “Trust me, if I learned anything from the celestials, it’s graveyard humour. Anyway, I’m not kidding. Alyson apparently went mad and killed one of the other bite victims but the wounds were more like a wild animal did it. I wouldn’t have thought a human was responsible, but she had skin and blood under her nails, and in her mouth.”
“Ah,” said Nikolas, his forehead pinching.
“Exactly. Now do you see the connection? Two people get torn apart by a cannibalistic killer in the space of a day. I know the city is demon central lately, but I don’t think we’ve ever had a problem with people eating one another before. Not even vampires.”
“And was there a demon summoning at the academy?” he asked.
“Nope,” I said. “Demons can’t get in, or attack from the inside. My theory is that it was the aftereffects of the demon-infected bite. It turned them against one another. Which means I have to get the guild to listen when I say they should keep the third victim isolated in case he turns into a cannibal, too.”
“That seems a tall order.”
“I’ve had worse,” I said. “Let’s go and meet the vampire queen, then.”
We walked out into the cool evening air. The sky stayed lighter for longer now it was May, but vamps rose the instant the sun set. We’d given the vampires an hour to prepare for our visit. Hopefully the vampire queen, Madame White, wouldn’t flip out if word got to her that we had one of her people held captive for questioning.
Nikolas drove us to the nice part of the city, far away from the night clubs and bars I usually associated with the party-loving vampires. After fifteen minutes or so, we pulled up outside an extravagant townhouse with expansive grounds. Clipped hedges lined the gravel path to the doors. No Halloween decorations here—this place looked like it belonged to someone with a lot of money and expensive taste. And even a doorman—human, by the look of things.
The wide hallway was dimly lit, casting shadows around the gathering of vampires. All of them seemed to be dressed in expensive suits and dresses, not at all like the rowdy gatherings of the younger vamps in the local bars. It felt more like we’d crashed a socialite gathering than a vampire hangout. Most of the vamps I’d met until now were fairly young—which for vampires, meant less than a few centuries old. These ones had been around a while. Long enough to stand in a room full of candles without worrying they’d knock one over and catch on fire, apparently.
Heads tilted in my direction as we walked in. Looks of disapproval followed our path, though I noted hunger in some of their expressions. The weirdest thing was the perfumed air. Most vampires carried the coppery scent of blood wherever they went, while this place smelled like someone had sprayed every corner with perfume. With the dizzying scent, I wouldn’t know if they were ensnaring me until their teeth were in my throat. I clenched my hands tight, feeling the reassuring weight of the trap around my neck. Any vamp who touched me would be the first to find out if my anti-warlock defences worked on the undead, too.
The dim candle lights didn’t make it easy to see the way forward, so it took me a while to spot Madame White sitting on an elaborately carved wooden chair as though it was a throne. Immortality—specifically, consuming fresh blood—ensured eternal youth, and however old she was, she was no exception. She sat with a male human on either side, a bored expression on her face. She wore a form-fitting black lace dress that clung to every curve. Dark curls cascaded to her shoulders, and her skin was the porcelain pale of someone who hadn’t seen the sun in a few decades, if not centuries. Her blood-red lipstick and necklace of rubies stood out starkly against her otherwise black-and-white ensemble.
She rose to her feet lithely, demonstrating with that simple movement that she wasn’t simply a pretty face. Like any vampire, she was a predator designed to kill, and her beautiful facade was just that—a mask. She hadn’t survived this long by lying down.
“Nikolas Castor.” Her gaze passed onto me. “Why did you bring a celestial with you?”
“I’m working with the warlocks on this investigation,” I said, as though she’d addressed me. I should have known someone as ancient and clever as she was wouldn’t dismiss me on sight as a regular human.
“If this investigation concerns my people, then it’s not your job.” Her eyes narrowed. “I’d quite like an explanation as to how you ended up involved with my people in the first place.”
“Tracking contraband bloodstones infected with demon magic,” said Nikolas. “As we’ve told you. Since you refused to investigate the matter yourself, we took it upon ourselves to remove the illegal goods before they did any more damage.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And what, pray tell, would someone want with damaged bloodstones? Demon magic would render their purpose useless, even if it were possible to contain it within an object. Which would be your area, warlock, not mine.”
Play nice, I thought, resisting the urge to give her a piece of my mind.
Nikolas looked calm, impassive, under the flickering candles. “As I mentioned, an arch-demon’s son infected the bloodstones with demon energy, and in this case, the vampires in question were able to spread the demon virus through biting their victims.”
“I’ve seen no evidence of any of this, and I’ve lived a long time.”
“Since the bloodstones were destroyed and the nest purged, we felt that the matter was over,” Nikolas said. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. In the last few weeks, we’ve heard reports of similar bloodstones appearing, in the same place as botched demon summonings. Today, we found a dead vampire in such a position.”
“Bloodstones can indeed be used in demon summonings,” she said, without so much as a flinch at the idea of one of her own being dead. “If the foolish man wanted to summon a demon, then he deserved whatever fate he met. I’ve no interest in associating with people who deal with the netherworld.”
Meaning us, then. So that’s why his death didn’t bother her. Dealing with demons or even warlocks presumably ostracised vampires from their community. And plainly she didn’t believe our story of what’d gone down in Pandemonium. Nikolas and I had been too thorough with taking care of the evidence, leaving little behind to prove that any other vampires were involved in illegal operations.
“Aren’t you interested in policing your people?” I asked. “I thought it was your job.”
“My job?” She gave me a withering look. “I rule many vampires in this city, and none of my people have reported anything like you claim. If the occasional rogue decides to break our rules, we enact punishment ourselves. Do not presume to trespass into the affairs of the undying.”
>
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said. “Unless it affects us. And the humans, too. I’d say a vampire who can spread a demonic virus by biting people is a cause for concern.”
I didn’t want to bring up what the infected bites did to the celestials in front of her. She might use the information against us. Unfortunately, that took away a major part of our argument.
“I wanted to propose an allegiance,” said Nikolas. “Since we have a common enemy—”
“No, we do not,” she said. “I could hardly care less about the fate of anyone who deals with the netherworld, and I won’t permit you to push yourself into an undeserved position of authority over my fellow vampires.”
“Nobody’s questioning your authority,” I said. “All we want is to work with you to stop this demonic virus. Can’t you figure out where these bloodstones are coming from?”
Her lips pursed. “I’ve never seen the need for a substitute for fresh blood, but these pitiful new fledglings grow weaker by the day. It’s their problem if their methods backfire on them. You’re free to involve yourself in whatever capacity you see fit, but if I see you probing into our secrets or putting us in danger, your lives will be forfeit, as will any of my people who aid you.”
She spoke every word in a calm, reasonable tone, not at all like she’d slipped a threat or two in there. So her people didn’t use bloodstones? I supposed, given the human servants present here, they had no need for them.
“It’s everyone’s problem if you all get infected with demon viruses,” I said.
Nikolas rested a hand on my back, a warning. I shrugged it off and stared the vampire queen out.
“You are dismissed,” Madame White said, waving a hand. “Take your netherworld contacts elsewhere.”
It’s your people, too, you selfish vampire. But several heads turned on us, the hint of bared fangs a promise of danger if we disobeyed. Turning around, I left the room with Nikolas at my side.
Celestial Fire (Celestial Marked Book 2) Page 4