Dark Liaison (An Ema Marx Novel Book 2)

by J. D. Brown

  I sighed and glanced around the surrounding alley. I needed to get back to the hotel, but I had no idea how. I didn’t know where I was. I squinted at the dimming sky and debated flying over the city to get a better view. Bridget’s warnings of banishment from the R.E.D. kept my feet firmly on the ground. I might already be in big trouble for phasing mid-leap over a busy street.

  The opposite end of the alley opened to a narrow back road. I followed it in search of a transit map. I would have loved to walk along the main road and see some of Berlin, but thought I better not take any chances. While walking, I experimented by phasing the tip of my pinky finger. The sticky human energy immediately claimed to my phased digit. It solidified and I smiled, satisfied that I could prevent my thirst from returning.

  I spotted a bus stop and a map at the end of the block. My steps hastened toward it, but my spirits sank at the German writing. This was going to take a while to sort out. As I pondered the image and labels behind the plastic frame, a sulfuric stench tore at my senses.

  Ugh, city sewage.

  A second musky scent followed, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.

  Predator.

  I forced myself to think rationally. A vampyre could talk to another vampyre, right? If they spoke English, they could direct me back to the hotel. I sniffed at the air, nearly gagging at the harsh rotten-egg odor. Instinct turned my attention to the right. Another alley sat blanketed in shadows about eight feet away and I was positive the vampyre stood inside. I stepped quickly toward the alley, concentrating as I advanced. The slow rumble of the vampyre’s breath carried on the crisp air, and the stench thickened. What the heck were they doing, eating garbage?

  “Excuse me,” I called out, not wanting to startle them, though I was sure they could hear my footsteps. “Excuse me, I’m lost. Can you help me out?”

  I reached the opening and rounded the corner. My breath hitched at the man standing at the back of the alley. He stood in profile, his right side facing me. He was topless and sported biceps like an Olympian. Strange symbols in black ink covered his milk-white skin. Two snakes entwined around a stick in a double helix graced his shoulder. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring. When his eyelids opened, the irises were beet red. He swung his left leg around, facing me head-on. Deep wounds exposed the flesh of the left side of his face and arm. Puss leaked over the withered skin and crusted at the edges.

  I gagged on my own words. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Confusion warped my mind. My heart hammered in my chest and my instincts flared.

  The man grinned and I caught sight of his fangs. They weren’t normal vampyre teeth. He only had two thin fangs that extended far longer than any I’d ever seen before. He started to shift. Red and black scales sprouted from his flesh as his torso elongated. The skin on the sides of his neck stretched in a scaly hood-shape as his arms molded into his body and his legs became a thick tail. He transformed into a gigantic cobra.

  My legs were running before the full weight of the situation sank in and I was grateful for the instincts that drove me into action.

  The beast hissed as it slithered after me, knocking over dumpsters and wooden crates with its thick body. It moved fast, despite not having legs, and caught up even as I pushed myself to my full vampyre speed. His tail swung ten feet in front of me and then came reeling back like a boomerang. I phased and kept going. Its body passed through mine, sending a tsunami of heat through my essence. The force slammed my molecules together and I hit asphalt. Scaly muscles wrapped around my leg and pulled me toward the creature. I tried to phase, but something kept me together.

  The giant snake hissed in short, fast bouts as though it were laughing as he lifted me into the air. I hung upside down, my arms flailing wildly. I tried my best to kick at his elongated body with my other foot, but nothing seemed to work. A raspy voice hissed. The sulfuric stench of its breath made my mind spin. Venom dripped from its fangs. A large dollop hit the ground and then fizzed through the concrete like acid.

  Holy shit!

  I wished I had a weapon; a gun, a knife, anything, because there was no way I was going to use my teeth on this son-of-a-bitch with acid like that in his system.

  Think! I had a whole list of powers, what could I do? Bat-form popped into my head and I went with it, transforming my body so quickly the conversion left a sharp pain in my joints. The idea worked. The vampyre hadn’t expected me to transform, and my tiny body flew out of his grip. Knowing I would be faster as a vampyre, I phased mid-flight—something I’d never done before while flying with wings.

  Hot air radiated behind me, growing stronger as it charged forth. I forced every ounce of energy into propelling myself faster, but he still gained on me. His essence slammed into mine with a scorching fire. I thought for sure I would solidify and I prepared myself mentally for a fight, but I didn’t solidify.

  I realized then that he was keeping my molecules apart; forcing me to stay invisible so that I was completely helpless while he wrapped his essence tight around mine and carried me through space. I didn’t need to breathe in this form, but even so, the scalding heat of his atoms gave the overwhelming sensation of drowning in a pile of hot ash. My molecules burned, each one trembled and choked. I kept waiting to explode. Then, suddenly, a bolt of electricity shot through my being.

  That’s it, I really exploded.

  A split-second later, my molecules snapped together and I hit the ground. I wrapped my arms around myself and shivered. After coming very near to boiling, my numb skin was actually able to feel cold. A shrill battle cry tore from the snake’s throat, jerking my mind back into reality. I pushed to my feet and faced the beast. He reeled his head back in pain as violet sparks exploded around us. I looked to the side, but I couldn’t see where the other attack came from.

  My gaze went back to the giant snake. His red, piercing eyes narrowed and locked on mine. I knew in the pit of my stomach he was going to make a last-ditch attempt to strike me. My breath caught as the creature exposed his fangs and swung his jaws down. I dived out of the way, but not fast enough. A fang sliced through my right forefinger, taking the tip clean off my hand. Shock held my breath firmly in my chest as the beast crumpled on the sidewalk next to me. The snap of bones sounded through the air as his body transformed back into that of a half-rotted man and he began to convulse. The searing pain in my finger reminded me to breath and screams erupted from my chest. Someone gripped my shoulders and dragged me away from the rotting vampyre.

  “Hush, child.”

  I glanced in the direction of the familiar voice. An ancient woman with wispy white hair peeking from under a black hooded cloak stood over me. Her ice blue eyes met my gaze and then winked. A new layer of fear knotted my stomach as I recognized the old Crone, but I could do nothing except grip my maimed hand in agony. Large welts bubbled over the skin as the venom ate away the flesh and bone. My entire body trembled from the pain.

  “Well that’s a nasty bite ya got there.” She reached for my hand, but I curled away, worried her touch would inflict more torment. She sighed then snatched my wrist and yanked my whole arm in her direction. She stuck my fizzing digit into her ancient mouth and sucked. Bile rose to my throat. The Crone pulled my finger out of her mouth and then turned her head and spat.

  “Can’t let this poison rot out yer uterus,” she mumbled before closing her lips around my finger. Each time she turned to spit the poison out, the pain dulled a little. Finally, she held my hand at eye level and examined it. “There. All better.”

  But it wasn’t better at all. My finger was gone. All that remained was a fleshy pink nub above the knuckle. A particular dryness stung my eyes, but I knew I was incapable of crying real tears, even now.

  “Thank you for saving me,” I managed, despite the uneasy lump in my throat.

  “Yer a mighty hard child to keep track of, but not hard enough.” She jerked her chin in the direction of the scene she had dragged me away from.

  I pushed to my
feet and then followed her gaze back to the vampyre who’d attacked me. The disgusting man trembled on the ground, curled tight in the fetal position. Purple light illuminated his skin and rotting wounds as if coming from within him. A second man stood off to the side, his arms crossed over his chest. He glared at my attacker, a violet sheen emanating from his eyes.

  “Valafar,” the Crone scolded. “For goodness’ sake, don’t kill him.”

  Valafar snickered and blinked to the side. The purple light died out along with the man’s screams. Smoke rose from the rotting holes in his body. As he struggled to push himself up, the Crone raised her voice and addressed him.

  “Go back to yer maker and tell him to show his cowardly face.”

  The man growled, but quickly phased, his essence disappearing in the distance. Something pressed lightly against my hip and I glanced down to find a sandy colored wolf nuzzling my side.

  “Lupa!” I kneeled and wrapped my arms around her thick neck. She gave an excited yelp and licked my face. “Oh, Lupa, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” I couldn’t help taking a quick glance around. Everything was still its normal color, not the crimson red that tinted the underworld. Relieved that I was still in Berlin, I hugged Lupa a little tighter, noting the awkward blank space between my right thumb and middle finger.

  “We best get ya back behind some walls, child.” At that, the Crone started down the sidewalk, the hem of her cloak rustling gently as she floated over the ground. Lupa trotted after her.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know where the hotel is, would you?”

  She snorted. “I know where several of them are.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Okay, do you know where the R.E.D. one is?”

  She lifted a boney finger and pointed down the road. I couldn’t see any sign of the hotel in the distance, so I just followed her lead. Lupa walked next to me, her tail thumping lazily against my leg. Valafar kept his distance, choosing to walk on the other side of the street. I couldn’t help glancing at him. He stood tall, but his frame was very lean in a tight, black turtleneck sweater and skinny girl jeans. A long striped scarf draped around his neck and thick tufts of black hair peeked out from under a knit cap.

  My subconscious urgently reminded me that it was mid-May and Valafar stuck out like a sore thumb in autumn garb. Then again, he looked completely normal next to the Crone’s black cloak. He kept his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his lips. He was good-looking in a young bohemian artist way, but his most dazzling feature, without a doubt, were his violet eyes.

  Somehow, I didn’t think Valafar was a vampyre or a vampire. He reeked of danger, but not in the same predatory way I associated with other vampyres. I contemplated phasing a bit of my hand to get a feel for his essence, but then he looked at me and I quickly glanced at the ground.

  “Not much farther now,” said the old woman.

  I looked down the road and spotted the hotel with its arched opening in the center.

  “No more goin’ for walks by yerself, ya hear? Ye’re in no condition to be fightin’ anyone.”

  I rolled my eyes. Even the Crone apprehended my lacking skills. I couldn’t help thinking this was Bridget’s fault for not training me better. It was one thing to fool around with Jesu behind my back, quite another to afford me a body part.

  When I glanced over my shoulder, the Crone, Lupa, and Valafar were gone. I looked around, but they’d completely vanished just as suddenly as they’d appeared. Sighing, I walked the remaining block to the cement building. Dusk ebbed over the sky. In the growing darkness, the details of the building sharpened. Murals peeked from the corners, painted by a skillful urban artist in bright Crayola colors. Deep orange colored the rest of the walls. The archway cloaked a grass-green stoop leading to the thick iron door. My gaze rose to an etching of a dragon ring scratched into a wooden sign above the door, an exact replica of the pendants the staff wore.

  My fingers reached for the handle and then hesitated. I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk seeing Heidi, or Bridget, or anyone else while walking to my room, so I phased past the iron door instead and continued flying as an invisible mist through the lobby, up the elevator shaft, and into the seventh floor, where I allowed myself to solidify and walk the rest of the way to room 714.

  A deep breath I didn’t know I was holding rushed from my lungs. I held up my right hand and turned it this way and that way, trying to see the fleshy nub from all angles. It was completely healed. The skin wasn’t even pink or scarred. It was the same numb, pasty white as the rest of my body, as if I had never had a finger there to begin with. I wished it would hurt. Without pain, it all felt too dream-like. I’d wake up and my hand would be fine. I’d be in my bed, in my apartment in Chicago, next to Anthony. I would glance down and see that not only was my hand okay, but my skin was still tanned, my hair was still red, and the sun shining through the drapes was just an ordinary beam of light. I’d make myself a cup of coffee and get ready for work. Maybe later in the day, I’d chuckle about all this and wonder how the heck my subconscious could draw up such a bizarre nightmare.

  But I wasn’t dreaming.

  Sighing, I patted my jeans pockets in search of the keycard. Suddenly, the door behind me flung open and smacked its knob against the wall. I cringed not only at the sound, but at the scent of warm rain and sweet grass—of sunshine and earth and fresh air all tinged with chlorine—that rushed forth from the suite across mine.

  I immediately shoved my damaged hand into my pocket and then faced Jesu. He stood just inside the threshold, bewilderment and anger written in the lines creasing his forehead and the sternness of his gaze. He wore his usual black T-shirt and jeans. His hair hung limp in an untamed mass as though he’d let it air dry without brushing. All I could think was, if not for the chlorine chemicals, Bridget’s scent would’ve been mingled with his.

  He kept his voice low and his steps surefooted as he entered the hall. “Where were you?”

  My feet carried me backwards until my spine pressed against the suite door. I was acutely aware of my hand in my pocket, the palm sweaty and flat between the thin denim. My arm twitched with the urge to move itself to a more comfortable position at my side, but I resisted.

  “Ema…” Jesu’s brow tightened at the center. “I searched the entire building. Where were you?”

  I bit my tongue and looked to the side.

  His gaze lowered to my feet and then slowly rose back to my face. “Heidi said you literally disappeared.”

  Well shoot. I rolled my eyes, hoping I’d successfully hidden my unease. “Heidi says a lot of things.”

  His brow arched. “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing.” I shrugged, feeling like an idiot and wanting to disappear. The events of the evening weighed on me. The attack, seeing Lupa and the Crone again, seeing Jesu with Bridget, it all happened so fast, it tore a proverbial hole in my capacity for bullshit.

  Jesu leaned close to my temple and inhaled. The movement was swift and sudden, and I inhaled a sharp breath as I twisted to the side and started at him.

  “Ema,” he whispered. “Were you outside?”

  The word rushed out of my mouth before I could stop myself. “No!”

  He leaned away and looked down the hall at nothing while chewing his lip. A faraway gaze replaced his initial tight expression as his lips sank into a frown. “You smell like concrete and sewage.”

  I blinked and then tilted my head and sniffed at myself. He was right. I smelled like a dirty, grimy city.

  “Ema, the fact that you just lied about being outside is…” He stopped himself then closed his eyes and shook his head, releasing a breath. When his eyes opened again, he turned his whole body in my direction. His next question was nearly a plea. “Did something happen?”

  You have no idea… and that’s my cue to leave.

  “Everything is fine.” I smiled. As naturally as I could manage, I pulled the key card from my pocket with my left hand, faced the door, and then swiped it through the
electronic lock. Turning the handle, I pushed open the door and entered the suite. I sighed in relief, letting the door swing close behind me, grateful that Jesu didn’t press further. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to him; I know I needed to, but I needed time to think about what it all meant, and to grieve over the loss of my finger.

  As if it were an afterthought, Jesu shoved the suite door open just before the latch caught. I jumped against the wall and tucked both hands behind my back as he barged into the room. He kicked the door shut with the heel of his boot and then crossed his arms and scowled. The green of his irises darkened to a stormy sea color.

  “What really happened, Ema?”

  “Nothing,” I insisted while keeping my back to the wall. I crab-walked along the length of the hallway toward my bedroom.

  Jesu’s lips pressed into a thin line as he kept pace. “So you, the newly turned, highly Upioran vampyre who can’t resist the smell of blood or flesh, just went for a stroll in downtown Berlin, and nothing happened? You honestly expect me to believe that?”

  “Well,” I mocked. “It turns out I have a cure for the bloodlust problem and now it’s in the past.”

  He leaned his head back and wet his lips. “Oh really? And what is this cure?”

  “I can absorb human energy.”

  His gaze narrowed. “How did you discover this?”

  “Well…” I stopped short, realizing the trap I was metaphorically walking into. “While I was outside, I phased a little bit of myself and the energy just… took over my system. I didn’t crave blood after that.”

  His brow furrowed as he kneaded his palms against his forehead and then ran all ten fingers through his hair, disgruntled. “So you thought it would be a good idea to go out in public, in a major city, by yourself without telling anyone, and test your powers?”

  “Pretty much.” I shrugged.

  “Ema!”

  “What?”

  He flung his arms in the air and grunted. “I do not believe you. You know better. You know the risks. You know what could have happened if you hadn’t been able to stop yourself, you know—”