by Pond, Simone
I glanced up to Ezra, my eyelids pulling closed, and pressed out what felt like my last words for the night. “Do you have any clue where Cags is hiding out?”
“Sorry, Fiona. That’ll be up to you guys to figure out. But I trust you will. You have quite the team.”
I remembered laughing as I slipped into the cozy warmth of sleep. Quite the team … two Protectors, a healer, a retired succubus and an angel gone rogue.
***
The sound of dishes chattering shot me upright. As my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight coming into the suite, the delicious scent of eggs and toast wafted over to me. Rocco signed the credit slip for the room service attendant and plunked down at the table, scooping mounds of eggs and potatoes into his mouth. I tripped over the blanket, rushing to get off the couch and over to the table before he polished off all the food. I was famished. Like my insides had been hollowed out.
I removed the silver lid off one of the plates to find a fluffy stack of pancakes with pads of butter melting and oozing over the edges. I dumped a cup of maple syrup onto the stack and began wedging huge bites into my mouth, moaning with each one. Rocco and I didn’t say a word as we gobbled our way through all four breakfast orders.
Leaning back in his chair, Rocco took out a wooden matchstick and bit down. “Who’s your pal?” He jerked his head over to the armchair where Asher was sitting.
I wiped my face off with a cloth napkin and grinned. “That’s my um … boyfriend?”
Asher stood and joined us at the table. He reached out to shake Rocco’s hand. “Asher Wells.” Then he looked at me, pointing to his cheek to indicate a spot I had missed when wiping my face. “I’m Fiona’s boyfriend.”
Rocco poured himself another cup of steaming hot coffee. “So, you’re the bounty hunter?”
“Ex-bounty hunter,” Asher said.
“He’s going to help us find Cagliostro,” I blurted.
Rocco squinted his eyes, looking Asher up and down. “Is he, now?”
Suddenly, I felt incredibly defensive. Like I needed to campaign to have Asher help us find the Scroll. I was so worried that I’d lose him again. I didn’t want to risk it. At that moment, I felt like things were looking up. We had found Charlotte and Asher had been returned. I didn’t want any more trouble.
“He’s a good guy, Rocco,” I said.
“He ain’t no Protector.”
“But he’s an ex-bounty hunter, which means he has skills to track things down. Like demon mages and Scrolls.”
“Listen, Rocco—is that your name? I’m not here to cause any trouble. I’m here to help. And I was good at what I did, so I can find Cagliostro much faster than either of you.”
“You don’t need to track him down.” A voice came from across the room.
The three of us turned around. Lilith hopped her way across the living room and sat on the couch. Charlotte followed behind.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rocco asked.
“I know where he’s going to be this weekend,” Lilith said.
“This weekend? That’s two days away. We need to get to him faster than that,” I said.
“You won’t find him. Your hot friend won’t be able to track him.”
“Boyfriend,” I sternly corrected Lilith.
“And how the hell do you know where he’ll be?” Rocco asked.
“Yesterday, before you all jacked up Diamond Escorts, an invite went out to the entire AOV. There’s a huge gathering at Rhapsody Grove. Saturday evening. I had no idea that Cagliostro was behind it, until all this happened.”
“Where’s Rhapsody Grove?” I asked.
“Connecticut. Somewhere deep within Mattatuck State Forest. It’s not on any maps. It’s more of a clandestine place where the AOV has been meeting for the last few centuries. I’ve been to one of the events,” Lilith explained.
“Events?” I asked.
“They don’t like to call them ‘rituals’ these days. Either way, it’s this Saturday evening. And now that Lucius is out of the picture, there’s no doubt in my mind that Cagliostro will announce that he’s taking over the AOV. But honestly, I don’t know how he’s going to convince them to stay loyal to him. Some of those vamps were pretty tight with Lucius. For like thousands of years.”
The pancakes sat in my stomach like a boulder. I knew exactly how the demon mage would win them over.
I paced around the suite, hoping to dislodge the clump of pancakes in my gut. “He’s got the Scroll now. And it has some powerful mind control capabilities. He’ll be able to turn the entire AOV into an army of supernatural drones. We have to get to him before this so-called event. And before he has a chance to brainwash thousands of unruly bloodsuckers who just lost their leader.”
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I took it out and read the incoming text from Somer Barrett: I can’t run your story.
twenty-five
I re-read the text a couple times to make sure I had it right. She wasn’t running my story? It was the biggest scoop since Emmett Stone and the human trafficking scandal. Something was most definitely up.
“Excuse me, I have to make a call. Start thinking about how we can get to Cagliostro before Saturday,” I told the crew of supernatural misfits.
Out on the balcony, I stared across the street at Central Park, pacing back and forth. I wasn’t at all happy about my story getting bumped.
Somer picked up on the second ring. “Fiona,” she said woefully.
“What’s up, Somer? I thought of all people you’d be all over this story.”
“I was. I am. But, I don’t even know if I should be speaking with you right now.”
The boulder of pancakes in my stomach splintered into what felt like shards of glass and scraped at my insides. A sour taste filled my mouth. “What’s going on?”
“I received an anonymous email.” Her voice was a low whisper. “There was video surveillance of you breaking into the offices of IP Montgomery, harassing the employees and screaming at Lucius Diamond. There was more footage of you talking to him while he was chained to a balcony, and you pushing a very beat-up-looking Diamond in a wheelchair. It’s incredibly incriminating. Especially since Diamond has gone missing. It’s all over the news. I’m sorry, but not only are you no longer a reliable source, you’re a liability. I can’t risk my reputation in the media. Whoever emailed me promised that if I ran any stories about IP Montgomery, they’d release the footage. I can’t have my name associated with this, Fiona. I’ll be ruined. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but whatever it is, please stop. And possibly hire a good lawyer. IP Montgomery isn’t playing games.”
Somer hung up without giving me a chance to explain. Heat rose up through my body to boiling levels. I wanted to rip out the iron railing encasing the balcony. Rage began to percolate like lava in my chest. The sky went from a crisp autumn blue to a dark red. I released a roar that shook the trees across the street like a thunderous tsunami. Walkers and joggers looked up to the sky to see what was happening. The glass windows of the French doors shattered. Someone’s arms wrapped around me and yanked me back into the hotel suite.
“What’s going on, Fiona?” Asher held me tight, pressing me back against the wall.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t think.
All I wanted was to find Cagliostro and rip his head from his body.
Charlotte came over with a glass of water and forced me to drink it down. “What happened?” she asked in her soothing voice.
“The bastard is controlling the media,” I spat out.
“What are you talking about?” Charlotte asked.
Ignoring them, I grabbed my laptop and went to the biggest news aggregate site, and there it was in the first column: Lucius Diamond, President of IP Montgomery, missing. I clicked the video link and turned up the volume.
“… reports state that Diamond has been missing since yesterday morning. He had an early meeting outside the office and never made it into IP Montgome
ry. His CFO, Deandra Rand, gave a brief statement this morning, stating that she suspected foul play. Apparently, the bank president had been working on closing one of his most lucrative deals, but the details of this deal have not been released. IP Montgomery is offering a reward of five hundred thousand dollars for any information on or the return of Lucius Diamond …”
I sat on the carpet and rolled onto my back, relieved that there had been no mention of me or the footage that had been sent to Somer Barrett. I’m sure Cagliostro would hold onto that as leverage, keeping me under his demonic thumb for as long as possible.
“Well, isn’t he clever,” I grumbled.
“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked.
“Using Diamond’s disappearance as a deflection from what’s really going on,” I said. “The defrauding of state pension funds. I sent my story outline to Lifting the Fog and my editor-in-chief told me she can’t run it. That someone—and we know who—threatened to release footage of me kidnapping Diamond. Son-of-a-bitch!”
Asher pulled me off the floor. “Come on, Fiona. Take a shower. Clear your head. Then the five of us are going to discuss a plan.”
I started to argue, but Asher put his finger over my lips and smiled. How could I argue with that handsome face? I couldn’t. I let him escort me to the bathroom without another word.
***
Maybe Asher was right, I needed to calm down and clear my head so we could come up with our strategy. But I was fuming as I tore off my filthy clothes. I don’t know why I was surprised that Cagliostro had gone after something so important to me. He knew my passion and livelihood was investigative journalism, so he had gone straight for the jugular, making things incredibly personal.
I stepped into the shower, asking Asher to join me. Water beat down on my body as I shampooed my long hair, the suds dripping over my shoulders and down the small of my back. Asher entered and began caressing my skin with a warm washcloth, sending waves of exhilaration through me. It also felt so good to rinse off the last couple of days of vampire dust and the grime of the city. Ahh … to feel his strong hands touch my bare skin. Pure ecstasy. The warm water soothed my sore neck and shoulders and his touch restored me.
“You know what would really clear my head?” I whispered.
“I do, but not here, Fiona. This isn’t the right time.” He kissed my forehead and turned off the water.
“You’re such a spoilsport,” I teased, letting him wrap a fluffy towel around me.
“You’ll thank me one day. Trust me, you don’t want your first time to be in a hotel bed that millions of strangers have slept in. Including your partner, Rocco.”
My desire was immediately snuffed out. “You know how to put a damper on an incredibly hot moment.”
Asher laughed, pulling me close. We stayed like that for a few minutes, just wrapped in our big fluffy hotel towels, holding each other. And for a moment, everything seemed normal. Like I was just a regular girl snuggling in her boyfriend’s arms. We could’ve been getting ready to go out on the town for dinner and a show. Ruminating in my fantasy was a welcome relief from the last few days of vampire slaying. If we didn’t have to figure out a way to stop a demon mage from possibly taking over the world with mind control powers, well, I could’ve stayed right there in Asher’s arms forever.
“We should get dressed,” I said, interrupting our special moment before I got too caught up in it.
Asher nodded, kissing the top of my head and sending a ripple of shivers down my spine. That magical helmet was so sensitive, and I took pleasure in the intense physical reaction I had to Asher’s touch. The sooner we caught Cagliostro, the sooner we could get back to San Francisco and try out my new queen-sized bed.
Out in the living room, Rocco sat at the table scribbling notes. Charlotte had gone out to pick up some crutches for Lilith to help aid in her walking. Eventually, she’d need to get a prosthetic foot, but she still had some healing to do. I’m not sure what she’d do for her hand because I couldn’t picture Lilith sporting a hook. Definitely not her style.
Lilith glanced up from the television. “Things are kind of a mess out there. Not sure what Cagliostro is up to, but it’s borderline chaos.”
“This is why we can’t wait for that ritual thing on Saturday night. We have to get to him sooner,” I said.
Rocco looked up from his notepad. “I agree with you, Farrow. I’m just not sure how we can get close enough without getting caught. Remember how tough it was getting to Diamond?”
“I do, but we did it. So I’m sure we can do it again. I’ve been up against Cagliostro before. And so has Lilith. She stabbed him in the back. That’s a pretty bold move.”
Lilith didn’t look too confident. Her previous aplomb had been knocked right out of her. “Yeah, but I blindsided him and he didn’t have as much power as he has now.”
Rocco took a sip of coffee and slipped a wooden matchstick between his lips. “The Scroll is expanding his capabilities.”
Asher chimed in, “One thing you’re forgetting.”
“What’s that, defector?” Rocco asked.
Asher kept a cool head despite the barb. “I have the ability to cloak and disguise things. Also, can we drop the name calling? I’ve been cleared by the Monarchy. You don’t know the whole story, Detective. For the record, I wasn’t working for the Shadow Order.”
“Fine. But I still don’t trust you.” Rocco jerked his head toward Lilith. “Or her. As far as I’m concerned, you two are the weak links in this operation. Who’s to say you won’t go and do somethin’ for your own personal gain?”
Lilith looked up from the television and smiled at us. “Who’s to say I’m going to help you? I’ve been stripped of my powers and I’m basically crippled, thanks to Fiona. So, I’m afraid my days of supernatural battles are over.”
She flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder and winked coquettishly. Both Rocco and Asher smiled back, as though in a daze. The detective might’ve blushed a bit. Though Lilith was no longer officially a succubus, she certainly had the power to charm. Her bright blue eyes twinkled, giving her entire exquisite face a radiant sparkle. Without even trying she had the room in the palm of her hand. Some women just had “it” and Lilith was one of those women. I realized her beauty wasn’t a power, but a gift. Just like my ability to discern and sniff out trouble. Lilith had one powerful gift: the natural beauty of a goddess.
“I have an idea,” I announced, looking right at Lilith.
“I’m sure you do,” she said.
“You’re going to get us to Cagliostro. We’re going to leak that you’re seeking revenge on the Protector who crippled you. And you’ll do anything to make that happen. Even if that means joining forces with Cagliostro.”
Lilith chuckled softly. Even her laugh was attractive. “Yeah, right. Like he’s going to fall for that. I don’t have my powers anymore. He’ll know I’m lying.”
Asher got up and stood next to me. “Not if I cloak your true intentions. Put a smokescreen over you so that you appear to still be a succubus. How do you think I’ve survived for so long? I’ve been disguising my angelic nature.”
“You want me to approach the most powerful demon mage in this dimension—without any powers—and pretend like I want his help? After I stabbed him in the back?” Lilith laughed and laughed.
“Do you want to run from him the rest of your life?” I asked.
“I can’t exactly run anymore,” she snipped.
“You know what I mean. Imagine finishing him off for good. You and Charlotte would be safe. No more hiding or constantly looking over your shoulder.”
Lilith got off the couch and hopped over to the bedroom and slammed the door.
“That went well,” Rocco said.
“Give her a few minutes. Her entire identity just got ripped out from under her. But I have faith she’ll come around,” I said.
Faith might’ve been a bit hyperbolic. I was hanging on by a thread of wishful thinking. But I couldn’t let
the confidence be siphoned out of the room. We needed to be strong. We needed to believe that anything was possible.
twenty-six
Late in the afternoon, Rocco, Asher and I had outlined each of our special gifts and strategies around how best to incorporate them into our plan. I have to admit, I was a little wary about my instincts. Or maybe it was my ignoring them that was most questionable. The whole Charlotte mishap had really thrown me off my game. But I had sensed something didn’t feel right on the way to meet Cosby. In my desperation, I simply ignored my instincts. Something I could no longer do. The moment I felt that tiny twisting in my gut, or that heaviness seeping into my bones, I’d pay attention. No more letting my obsessive determination cloud my vision. At least that’s what I promised the guys when we were discussing our strategies.
Charlotte came back to the suite carrying a set of crutches and a few shopping bags of clothes. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Devising our plan to take down Cagliostro,” I told her.
She glanced over at the closed bedroom door. “Is my sister okay?”
“Don’t think she’s interested in working with us,” I said.
“She’s not exactly physically capable at the moment.”
“I know, but we need you to get your sister onboard.”
Charlotte joined us at the table. “Why do you need her?”
“Asher’s going to leak onto the darknet that Lilith is seeking a bounty hunter to track me down. She wants revenge for what I did.”
Charlotte’s puppy dog eyes lowered. “So, you’re using my sister as bait?”
“Not exactly bait,” I said.
Charlotte’s cheeks reddened. “Come on, Fiona. Get real.”
“She’s just showing up to meet the bounty hunter. We’re sure the Shadow Order is monitoring all communications and someone will show up.”
Charlotte folded her arms across her chest and stared at me. Not the others, just me. “Sounds like bait to me. And she doesn’t have her powers anymore. So you’re sending her out there alone to go up against a demon mage who’s been hunting her down.”