Mixed Blessing (Mixed Blessing Mystery, Book 1)

by Nicola Claire

  "Straight to the top," he said quietly.

  It was where I had intended to go, directly to where I assumed Alison Danvers' office would be, but part of me - and I am guessing it was the part attached to my Dark Shadow - wanted to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. One, we were breaking the law and getting caught was not on my list of things to do this week. And two, I really needed some space between me and this magnetic fairy.

  Shit, a fairy. What the fuck was I thinking?

  "Will your magic cover me if we split up?" I asked.

  His head cocked at that unusual angle again and he studied me for a moment. "Yes," he said, but didn't elaborate. Just waited for me to explain myself.

  "I'm going to find the security centre, get a look at any tapes." If I could copy some from that night, there may be clues as to who our murderer was.

  Aliath blinked once, then walked back towards me. I held my ground, my vampire-within stretching her neck ready for a confrontation.

  "You need to scent her office, Hundr. I will retrieve any camera evidence."

  I looked at him for a second, forcing myself not to lick my lips while I weighed up the best course of action here. I was not sure I could trust this fairy, but the scent was more important than the tapes. If the scent is tampered with before I can get a handle on it, I could be thrown off the track completely. But, the tapes - well, there were always ways of getting a copy of those. I still had a potential get-together with the lead detective on the case. A glaze could rectify that problem easily enough.

  It dawned on me that Aliath was giving me a signal of his trust. I couldn't fathom why he would trust me yet, we had only just met, but he was allowing me to go alone to the most sensitive scene, using my skills appropriately. But the fact that he was letting me do it alone, was a little puzzling. Still, time was not on my side and I'd grab any bone he threw my way. I'd just worry about his motives later.

  I nodded and walked past him, forcing myself to stop inhaling his scent the closer I got to his body. I saw a flicker of a smile on his face out of the corner of my eye, but forged on through the door to the stairwell as he went through to the main foyer of the building, no doubt to find a directory and the location of security.

  I made it to the top of the stairs in seconds, calling on a little Sanguis Vitam to make me flash. The more I used, the sooner I would have to feed. But as I had already called on my Dark Shadow once tonight, I knew feeding could not be delayed this week anyway. So, what harm could a little more juice do?

  As suspected, the top floor was given over to the CEO's office, her support staff, a meeting room and casual coffee area. Everything was plushly decorated in this season's colours - grey. Bleh! Light grey carpet, dark grey walls, medium grey furniture. All modern and... grey. I half expected to see posters brightening up the space, advertisements for SubZero's latest mixed vodka release, but there was no self promotion here. It was all abstract art in greys and blacks and whites. I craved a little colour and fingered one of the bright Pink Panther dangling earrings I was wearing, picturing a splash of hot pink in amongst the grey.

  I made my way across the entrance area and directly into what had to be Alison's office. I stood still inside for a second taking in the large metal desk, potted plant in the corner offering at least a little green in amongst the grey and the various bookshelves, cabinets and comfy chairs. The cabinets displayed SubZero merchandise, from bottles of Vodka to t-shirts, pens, packs of cards, glasses and coasters. Nothing seemed to stand out, everything looked like it belonged.

  Before I started disturbing filing cabinets or books on the shelves, I let myself settle, centring on my vampire-within and inhaled. I was instantly assailed by bitter-sweet dark chocolate mixed with sweet passion-fruit, indulgent chocolate mud cake and an uncomfortable mouldy cheese smell. I wrinkled my nose at the last, guilt. I hated the smell of guilt. I sifted through the scents, trying to determine if they belonged to one person or more. I have to concentrate to do this, it takes time, but it is not impossible. As I began to separate the bitter-sweet chocolate, from the indulgent chocolate, I was distracted by another scent. This one was definitely from another source.

  My first conclusion, would be the original scents I determined were from Alison; fear, desire, lust and guilt. But this one, just didn't sit well with the emotions already obvious on the air. Burnt peaches, apple and cinnamon, with a healthy dose of sticky toffee. It was the first time I had managed to pick up an additional scent to that of the murderer's. Before now it had only been that intriguing combination that had teased at each of the scenes. This amusement, I could smell, was coming from the murderer, I was sure.

  I wanted to take more time to decipher the first few scents I had discovered, but realising they would take too long to catalogue and organise, I filed them away, did one more sweep to make sure I hadn't missed any obvious scents that were important and then headed for Alison's desk. It was orderly, her diary open on the table, surprisingly not confiscated by the police when they would have done their search of the room. Perhaps her secretary kept a copy in electronic format and they had just taken that.

  I flicked through it and noticed several small notations beside some appointments, whereas others were simply a one or two word entry. Feeling extremely guilty, no doubt pumping a shit-load more mouldy cheese into the air, I swiped the diary and stuffed it in my inside pocket - the one now free of a silver stake.

  I opened a few drawers, but was rewarded with little else. Moving over to the filing cabinet I found it locked, but a small smattering of Sanguis Vitam soon had the drawers open and I began sorting through what was inside. Orders, spreadsheets, budgets, proposals, memos, correspondence. I began sorting through the correspondence trying to see if there was anything of interest when a sound caught my attention. Outside.

  I left the filing cabinet and bled into the shadows of the room, sweeping over to the window to take a peek outside. Several shadowy figures roamed the carpark below, merging with the darkness of the bushes, prowling closer to the building itself. I couldn't make them out, but they moved with a grace I suspected few humans could muster. I wasn't happy to see we had company and I really didn't need to know for sure if these were the good guys, that would be Anzus Security, or someone more sinister. Either way, being found here was not an option.

  I flashed back to the cabinet and securely closed it, gave one last quick glance around the room, regretting I didn't have more time to go through some of the personal items on Alison's desk or the books themselves on her bookshelf. There was no computer at least, that might be with the cops as evidence or maybe at her home. But I still cursed the fact that I needed to search Alison's things. That I needed to do any of this at all. And then I exited the office and made my way to the stairwell.

  I could hear faint sounds of footsteps coming from below. More than one. There was a hint of caramel and ginger on the air, but there was also more. Scents that had not been there before. I froze with indecision. The lifts were out, anyone would see one descending. And this was the only stairwell in the building. If Aliath was below, I doubted he would show himself to come rescue me. Not that I needed a fairy rescuing me at all, but the part of me that is still remembering my human life, can't help thinking girls need saviours and men should save.

  I groaned inwardly and remembered how Samson had saved me. My old life and ideals were long gone, I needed to let go.

  I retreated from the stairwell - no point waiting for them to arrive - and started looking around the the floor I was on. The various rooms all had secured windows, none opening to the outside. The Juliet balconies were obviously only for show. And there was no evidence of additional fire escapes either, which made me wonder if this building was legally compliant at all. After checking each and every corner, I found myself back in Alison’s office, at the front of the building, a reasonable sized balcony with double glass doors leading out under the eaves. This was the only available exit. I paused with my hand above the doo
r handle. Aliath had masked our entry at the door below and continued to hide us whilst inside the building itself, but what would happen if I opened this door? Would his fairy magic still keep us hidden?

  I sighed and licked my lips, heard a sound out in the foyer of the floor I was on and acknowledged I was plumb out of time and luck. Holding my breath and praying to anyone who gave a damn, I ran a hand over the door handle with a splash of Sanguis Vitam and opened the door to the cool night air.

  Instantly I knew an alarm had been triggered. Not that a loud siren began wailing, but the taste of bold grapefruit and lime met me from over the balcony railing, wafting up from below. Those shadowy figures left on the ground had seen that little red light on an external wall indicating an alarm being activated and were concerned. I inhaled softly and confirmed my findings. They thought one of their own had triggered the alarm, so far I was still undetected.

  I quickly glanced around the balcony area; chairs, potted plants, a cigarette ashtray off to the side. I inched closer to the edge and peered over the railing. A three storey drop, easy. But, with the number of dark figures below managing to stay in the shadows hidden while I executed my jump would be near impossible. I twisted my body around and looked above the balcony. There was a pipe around the edge, solid enough to use as leverage. The space between the ceiling and the building's rooftop was perhaps a metre, no more. It was my only hope.

  I sensed movement inside Alison's office, I pulled the shadows in around my body, took a few steps back towards the doors and then flashed towards the railing, leaping high off the ground I grasped the pipe with both hands and swung my body out, like a gymnast on the uneven bars. The momentum and force used, made my body arc around the edge of the building until I was vertical, flush against its side, then at the last moment I released my grip on the pipe and went sailing feet first up into the night.

  I knew I wasn't going to make it, the angle was all wrong. The momentum had been enough to get the height required to clear the space between the balcony ceiling and the top of the building, but without slamming myself into the side of the building itself, I couldn't make my body curve around and land on the rooftop. Eventually my body mass would reach the peak of its flight path and have to obey the laws of gravity and come tumbling back down.

  I only hoped I could grab the edge of the building and not smash awkwardly to the tarseal below. I would survive, but I would no doubt be wounded and then what would those figures below do?

  I waited for gravity to latch on with a numb sense of fate and felt the air rush past me as I began my descent. Twisting my body mid-flight, I reached out blindly to grab the edge of the rooftop and met the warm, soft flesh of a hand. Followed by the hard, unforgiving side of the building and my shoulder being wrenched right out of its socket.

  I bit my bottom lip to stop from screaming, blood scenting the air and bursting the taste buds on my tongue. My fangs came down in response and hunger welled inside like a determined lion, hunting its next meal.

  I was hauled up onto the rooftop, my saviour and arm wrencher losing his balance and tumbling backwards from the edge. My body landed on top of him, my fangs already at his neck.

  "I wouldn't do that, little sparrow." Aliath's calm and melodious voice broke through the blood lust. "I would not satisfy your hunger."

  I wasn't so sure and right now my Dark Shadow was hurt and on the prowl. My fangs entered the side of his neck and I greedily took my first swallow.

  Foul, rotten fruit and vegetables. Rank, rancid decaying meat. Bitter, pungent alien chemicals. I leapt back from his body landing in a crouch and proceeded to vomit what little I had swallowed out onto the concrete of the roof's top. What the fuck?

  Aliath sat up slowly, reaching for his neck to stem the flow of blood. He watched me retch with what looked like mild interest, the only evidence of intrigue being the frown lines that appeared between his eyes. When I was sure all trace of his poisonous blood had been expelled, I wiped my mouth on the sleeve of my jacket and collapsed to the rooftop below me. I kept a wary eye on my saviour.

  "Why did you bite me?" Aliath asked casually.

  "I was hungry and hurt. Sorry, it won't happen again." Fuck that for a laugh.

  "No, that is not what I am asking." I studied him closer, letting myself inhale against my better judgement. Apple mixed with lime. He was confused. I held his gaze and waited for him to continue. "You should have stopped when I warned you."

  "Yeah, well, I don't always follow direction too well," I replied.

  "It was not a direction. It was similar to your commands."

  I swallowed, pleased to note I could no longer taste him on my tongue, but I hadn't missed what he had just said. A command. He had been using that magic sing-song voice and I had been able to ignore it.

  I sat still, waiting for him to pronounce judgement. My shoulder ached, it had somehow managed to get itself realigned, but damage had definitely been done. My stomach was still churning, the after effects of his blood leaving me a little worse for wear. I had bruises down the side of my body where I had hit the edge of the building, my Sanguis Vitam depleted to such an alarming degree I was no longer healing myself.

  I needed to get out of here. I needed to find sanctuary and the best I could think of was Sensations, Jett. My apartment would not provide security against a fairy, but Jett, the Master of the City, certainly could.

  I slowly rose to my feet, forcing myself not to stagger and show how weak I actually was. Aliath had done nothing to indicate he would pounce, but I had the disconcerting feeling I was now prey to his eyes. Something I had not felt since that fateful night I was turned.

  I could still hear the sounds of those indiscernible figures below, but I could not make out their conversation. None appeared to be coming to the roof, so maybe Aliath and I were still undetected. I could only hope.

  Aliath was still sitting on the rooftop, holding his neck. I hadn't taken much blood at all, but part of me wondered if he was a little weak from the encounter too. He didn't try to stand, he just watched me with curious eyes.

  I didn't want to wait for his verdict. I had nothing left to say and although I had catalogued the scents inside Alison's office and stolen her diary, I really had little to trade for the security camera footage, if in fact the fairy had managed to copy any of it before those figures arrived. I guessed he'd know who they were, but right now, escape seemed more important than solving that mystery.

  Besides, I didn't think this would be the last I heard or saw of Aliath, Herra of the Grey Lords, Prince of Dökkálfa.

  Before he could move to stand, I spun on my heel and flashed to the side of the building leaping into the air and sailing across the space between SubZero and its nearest neighbour. The building I landed on was only two storeys high, but my landing was faultless, despite my diminished physical state. I took a few steps to slow my momentum and glanced over my shoulder, back at the rooftop from where I had just come from.

  Aliath stood out against the stars of the night, long black cloak billowing in the breeze, silver blond hair flying around his head. I could see the vivid green of his eyes.

  I could see his hunger.

  I gulped, crushed the rising tide of fear I felt at being locked in a fairy of his power's sights and bled back into the shadows with the last of what was left of my power.

  Then headed to work.

  Chapter 8

  Safe

  Rihanna's Where Have You Been? filtered through the closed door to the club as I stumbled through the back entrance to Sensations. I cringed at the apt title of the song and dragged myself towards the staff's quarters. No way was I showing myself out the front of the bar in my current state and heading towards the Master of the City's chambers in the other direction was not a viable option. I just needed somewhere safe to hide and recuperate. Somewhere where a fairy was not likely to come hunting.

  What I would do, once I commandeered one of the sleeping chambers for those of Jett's line, I didn't
know. I needed to feed, but first things first. I needed a safe haven.

  I'd made it to the corridor heading towards the stairs at the side of the building, the ones that would take me up to the sleeping quarters, when I scented him. I stopped in my tracks, there was no point going any further. The fact that he knew the instant I set foot on his property was not a surprise. Plus, the way my luck had been going tonight, he probably had me followed and knew the extent of trouble I had been in too.

  Or he just wanted to fire me for missing the start of work again tonight.

  The smell of cinnamon, bark and mixed spices wrapped around me the closer he got. I refused to let myself relax into the calming signature scent of Jett Vardi, despite how he was the first vampire I thought of when I needed to feel safe. I turned slowly and had to strain my neck back slightly to look up at him, he was already standing right behind me. I kept a neutral mask on my face and forced myself to breathe evenly. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

  His baby blue eyes roamed the length of my body. I wasn't too dishevelled, despite my acrobatics and adventures of the night. But the cut on my lip, from where I had bitten myself when Aliath wrenched my shoulder, was still visible, no healing having taken place. Bruises were forming down the front of my body and although hidden by clothing, he seemed to stop his perusal at each and every one, as though he could in fact see them. And then his eyes returned to my face. I saw a flicker of amusement as he took in my earrings and then his usual, austere mask fell into place.

  "You're missing an earring," he said, conversationally.

  My hands shot out to my ears, locating the missing side. Damn. I liked those Pink Panthers. I took the remaining earring out, I was never one to be lopsided. Jett just smiled.

  "Where have you been, Georgia?" he asked, leaning his bulk against the wall to our side. His body took up way more space than was necessary in the hallway we were in.