by Stec, Susan
Lily giggled. "Nothing about me is such. I am a calculated individual."
* * *
Dorius paced the floor in the drawing room. His brother and the three werewolves sat listening to a one-sided cell phone conversation he was having with Paul.
"No. I would rather Chick and her team continue to draw out locally infected animals and destroy them. I'll be dispatching the whole team to New Orleans when the local work is complete. If the situation is still severe here, I'll expect you to deliver the plan to Concetta. After clearing New Orleans, Chick is to have the team expand, using three groups led by Sonny, Resi with the alpha raccoon, and my mate, Elizabeth. They will begin a reconnoiter and destroy mission within a two hundred mile stretch north of New Orleans to the Eastern border of the United States, around Miami and up the Gulf until the circle is closed and all the immortal animals are destroyed."
Dorius nodded at Karl as he passed. "Yes, tell the fairy and dragon I understood the delay in contact." Dorius's jaw tightened as he paused to listen. "Send the troll Down Under to retrieve the rest of the team. Contact me immediately when all of them are above ground."
Dorius thumbed the cell off, slid it into his jacket pocket, and locked eyes with his brother. Marcus blinked his understanding, relaxed his shoulders, and turned toward the wolves with his brother.
"They found the doppelganger," Dorius said. "It was difficult to contact me in the bar while they validated its prior relationship with me. The doppelganger was wearing a woman with a very colorful background." Dorius smiled. "My doppelganger friend was always a clever one. I would imagine her host is not attracting a counterproductive type of attention."
Marcus leaned back, picked up a crystal decanter, and poured thick red liquid into a crystal glass. His fingers firmly around the glass, Marcus smiled. "And you heard the rest. The Stech cartel is working to expedite things in as timely a manner as possible."
"I want to privately check on my wife and then call the compound in Miami to be sure Antoinette has settled into one of our airtight rooms. I will be right back, gentlemen. I'd like us to be together when I hear from Paul again."
* * *
Paul blew through the front door seconds after Zaire and Resi.
"I'm changin'," Zaire said, and bolted straight down the hall toward the stairs leading to her bedroom, Resi in hot pursuit.
"Hold on!" Paul shouted at the girls, his cell phone pressed to his ear. "I'll handle it, boss. But the rest of the team here is going to be hard to contain. Christopher hasn't contacted them, either."
Chick came through the door, huffing and puffing. Paul used his free hand to signal her and the girls to stay put and be quiet. "Yes, I have it. Mort will be on his way in minutes." He thumbed the off button and pocketed the cell.
"You aren't fucking containing me and sending a block of mortar south to handle this. I'm going Down Under!" Zaire turned to Chick and Resi. "You two with me?"
Chick bounced her shoulders at Paul.
Resi nodded a yes.
Zaire tossed a snarky smile at Paul.
The wolf's chest rose and fell as he shook his head at Chick.
"My kid's down there, and so is my granddaughter; the little devil." Chick was bent at the waist, noisily taking in and expelling lungsful of air. "And so is Dorius's mate. Screw the troll, we need to find them."
"Nan, why are you sucking in air?"
"I can't breathe, Resi. I just ran all the way from the lake, for Christ's sake!"
"You're dead," Zaire said. "You don't need oxygen."
"Then why the hell," Chick said in between wheezing breaths, "do I feel like I can't breathe?"
"Look, I need to go out back and find Mort," Paul said. "Dorius wants him to go below and contact Gibbie or Jake. So that's who is going. The Italian shifters are getting restless."
"I told you," Zaire belligerently said, "I'm going Down Under. Betty is my friend—"
"None of you are going anywhere near Purgatory, because none of you know how to get there, and I'm not taking you. I'm a rogue, remember? And while that should make no difference in the Otherworld, there are always a ton of shifters at Purgatory. My blood pack frequents the place, and my appearance is always a threat."
"We'll hitch a ride with Mort." Zaire was just not giving up.
"Fine. Do whatever the hell you want. You've been warned." Paul threw up his arms and headed for the screened porch. "Keep in mind, Dorius is not in a place to be reckoned with. If you're still here when I get back, I'll give you the rest of his plan—the part that involves all of you."
When the screen door slammed seconds later, the three immortals stared at each other, and no one moved.
~~~
Twenty-one
~~~
"How's Zaire doing?" Chick was at the picnic table with Susan's hPhone and her own cell phone sitting side-by-side in front of her.
"Disappointed." Resi slid onto the bench opposite her grandmother at the picnic table. "She went out to the lake, but Paul and Mort were already gone."
Chick nudged the cells closer with her thumbs. "Well, that's good; I don't think we should be pissing Dorius off right now."
"Mom is in big-time trouble, Nanna." Resi shook her head. "She should have never taken Christopher and Lily into the sewers, never mind Betty. What was she thinking?"
"If we couldn't go down there alone, how could your mother? This is Christopher."
"She didn't have to join him." Resi laid her forehead on folded arms.
"Is that gray roots I see at your scalp?"
Resi shot straight up. "Yes. Damn it, this getting old stuff is getting..."
"Old." Chick grunted. "Why am I feeling more human every minute?"
"We're not human, Nan. You're just acting human."
* * *
We stepped out of the back room at Purgatory, and no one was at the bar. Well, not nobody, just not Gibbie, Jake, Betty, and Jane.
Christopher did an about face. "Stand right here. I'm going to run back and tell Luna and Gaire Jane's gone and they can leave now."
My partner didn't wait for an answer. Even over the rowdy crowd, I heard the backroom door close.
"Should I go out into the sewer to see if they're all still out there?" I asked the six-year-old demon standing patiently beside me.
"I don't think so, Aunty. I do not feel the other doppelganger close."
I stared down at her. "What do you mean, exactly?"
"When I asked Luna to pass over me, I developed a connection," Lily said calmly. "And through that association, I seem to be able to detect her guardian."
I was about to tell her I was going to check, anyway, but Mort got up from a corner table and pounded his way toward us. Crap, I knew Dorius sent the troll—busted. "Damn it."
I was grinding my molars when Lily tsked. "You really should have contacted your mate to assure him you are all right. I have found, in most cases, when a human is forcefully removed from a situation by another, they are more likely to have the same reaction the obstructive human fears most. Good planning by covering all angles of consequence is significant when it comes to being devious, Aunty Susan."
Why did I always want to slap this child?
"Did you see Gibbie and Jake?" I asked Mort as he approached.
"Yes," the troll said as Christopher, Luna, and Gaire, in human skin, stepped up behind us. "They just left the bar with Dorius's pleasant doppelganger."
"Who sent you?" Christopher asked.
"Dorius." Mort leaned against the end of the bar and signaled the púca. "Jake called him right after you guys arrived—loyal dragon. He did tell me to apologize."
The bartender bounced toward us. It was a circus clown now. I hated clowns. "Great, just great. Is Dorius mad at us?"
"Who cares?!" Christopher pulled out his cell phone.
"Are you contacting him?" Gaire asked.
"Hell yes," Christopher said. "He can't take Antoinette anywhere near that doppelganger."
"Why?" Mort
asked.
"Because the thing under Jane's skin is not a friend!" Christopher was punching numbers on his cell phone.
"It is my mother, though," Luna corrected Christopher. She looked around the room carefully before continuing. "But the doppelganger who killed the wolf's son has somehow taken charge of her."
"It's a long story," I told Mort.
The troll picked up a long-stemmed glass filled with smoking green liquid and bounced the drink in my direction. "Green steam, a favorite down here; you should try one."
"I'm a vampire, remember? I puke coffee. I'd rather not puke green."
"Damn it, Dorius's line is busy and Marcus is not answering his."
"Should I open my mind to Marcus?' I asked.
Mort swallowed another sip and then said, "Dorius is already angry with Gibbie. They were all drinking, including Dorius's mate. Maybe you—"
"I know they were drinking. I don't think Gibbie was drunk, but I can't vouch for Jake or Betty." I hoped I was right about the fairy. "Where are they now?"
"Is anyone listening to me?" Christopher wanted to know. "I can't reach Dorius!"
"I heard you," I said. "Should I mind poke Marcus, or what? Do we have a few minutes to see if we can find Betty before trying Dorius again?"
"Good idea." Christopher glared at his cell phone.
"Maybe not," Mort said. "Gibbie and Jake left with the doppelganger to set up a meet with Dorius and Antoinette."
Even though Mort was a slow speaker, I still needed the time to absorb the severity of our situation. Thank God Lily didn't.
"Christopher, try now, and if you don't reach Dorius, Aunty Susan must contact Marcus immediately." Lily turned back to Mort. "Did Elizabeth leave with the others?"
"You mean Betty?" Mort shook his head from side to side. His damp dreadlocks swung sewer water over all of us. "Betty was outside when I got here; said she was going to use her token to get closer to Dorius. I tried to discourage her."
Christopher, cell to his ear, barked a laugh. "She isn't going anywhere. She only has one local token. She'd need a world token. Even Dorius has a hard time getting his hands on one of those here in the states." He shook the cell. "He's not answering—time to poke Marcus—but let's see if Betty is still outside trying to get to Italy."
"I think it might ease the conversation if Dorius knew Betty was with you," Mort said.
By the time the troll finished his sentence, we'd sidled around wolves, vamps, and other more colorful creatures to get to the exit.
The bouncer, a berserker—I didn't see the troll leave—eyed us. I smiled at him while he eyed Mort. His hair was pure white and tied in a knot on top of his head. His skin was swarthy, and his body pumped with steroid type muscles.
"Maybe when Jake and Gibbie left, Betty asked about the token," I said, and opened the exit door.
I wanted to get out of the noise filled the room. When I stepped into the sewer, I could still smell stale alcohol, sweat, mingled pheromones, and other bodily odors I didn't care to analyze. I didn't think I could be that happy to smell the sewers again.
"If that were true," Luna said, "it might have changed her mind about tagging along."
"There's no one out here." I glanced up and down the dark tunnel for the second or third time. "I hear nothing but scurrying vermin and a babbling stream of death and decay."
"Gaire and I should go get Gracie Jean and Nan. I have to admit, it's going to be great to dress in a human again."
"We can meet back here in fifteen minutes," Gaire said. "Gotta love these." He bounced two coins in his hand.
"I'm mind poking Marcus."
I let down my inner shield. I could drum up an outer shield, too, though I hadn't used it in months. But it sure came in handy in a tight spot. Not even Raphael could penetrate it. Maaaarcus! I mentally screamed.
* * *
Marcus sipped his blood, studying the three shifters. The air was beyond tense. Everyone was ready to make a move. When he felt Susan's poke, it jolted him enough to spill blood on the jeans covering his thigh.
Are you alright? he poked back. Other than making the grave mistake of—
I'm fine! Susan pushed. Your brother? Not so much.
Can you be more specific? Dorius just left me and I can assure you he is fine.
Yeah, right. You better hold on to your drink. I'm about to rock that cool exterior you're wearing, Susan pushed. The doppelganger with Jake and Gibbie is Dorius's friend, she did kill the serial-killing doppelganger, but we think when she absorbed the murdering bastard, it started to bleed into Dorius's friend's persona.
And you feel this because?
Marcus chuckled aloud and it attracted the attention of the wolves. He smiled at them. "Sorry, my wife has just let down her shield to share information on our mission. Give me a minute."
He closed his eyes and mentally pushed, Susan, I need you to immediately explain how you came to this conclusion.
I'm standing in the sewer with her daughter, the doppelganger who helped your friend kill the scumbag demon piece of shit. They, her and the wendigo, have been concerned about your friend, Luna's guardian. And get this: mainly because your friend went to Italy about the same time Karl's son was duplicated and murdered. Luna, your friend's daughter, said her guardian NEVER left stateside because she hated to travel abroad.
Excuse me a moment, love.
Knowing Susan could see through his eyes, he scanned the faces of the unhappy company he was keeping.
"Gentlemen, we must find my brother immediately. The doppelganger with our team is not to be trusted. The fairy and dragon would not know this; neither would my brother because it is Dorius's friend. However, after my brother's acquaintance destroyed the menacing doppelganger, its evil bled into Dorius's contact.
"My wife is with the daughter and wendigo who assisted in the creature's demise. They will be contacting the elders—" Tell me you are doing so, darling. "—and getting back to us. We just need Dorius to stall the meeting." I assume this is what you are expecting me to do, Susan?
Absolutely! she pushed. You rock, sweetie.
Yes, well, this is one of those times when you did just what I asked you not to do and the ramifications could have been—
Yeah, yeah, tell it to the blood on your jeans. I have a job to do.
Hold on. Tell me you intend to leave your mind open?
Only if you don't block me from yours. This one-sided stuff has to stop. Have I made my point, Fangboy?
You are a nasty little vampire, and I when I get home—
Ah, sweetie, go find your brother before he makes an appointment he can't keep. I hate deadlines! I'll let you know when we have the elders in place if we get them to oblige.
Make them! Marcus pushed back.
Oh, I forgot to mention, Susan poked, we think Betty is with Jake and Gibbie and the bad guy.
What do you mean, 'You think?' Marcus sat up straight and stiff in his chair.
We can't find her. Last we heard, Betty was trying to use a statewide token to get to Dorius. And hon, wolves are sensitive creatures. Just look at their faces. You might want to sit back and relax a bit.
Marcus cleared his throat. "Mates! Can't be dead with them, and can't be dead without them." He chuckled, pulled his cell out, stood, chugged the rest of his blood and set the glass back down. "Excuse me, gentlemen, while I contact my brother."
"Sit back down. Put the phone on speaker, and make that call." Karl growled.
~~~
Twenty-two
~~~
"Okay, what do we do first?" I asked the small group in the sewer.
Mort lumbered over to the fast moving water on the other side of the walkway.
Christopher looked disgusted, and Lily was peachy. Luna and Gaire had wished themselves away seconds ago, after helping us search a short distance down both sides of the sewer tunnel, calling out for Betty.
Lily stood by a Y-joint where two sections joined about fifty yards from Purgatory.
Christopher was pacing and hitting redial on his cell.
Mort turned back to us and waved. "I'll be checking the sewer on my way back to the house. If I find her, I'll take her with. Either way, Paul will contact you after I fill him in on what's going on down here." The troll didn't turn around. He just fell back into the stream of filth that was flowing by. I watched a ripple follow his direction.
"I am going to contact Father," Lily said, holding her hPhone in her small hand. "I feel he is somehow involved in this."
"He's going to shit when he finds out you're here with me," Christopher said, thumb hovering over the redial button.
"Maybe so," Lily answered Christopher as she thumbed the keys on her cell. "But it is inevitable. I will not be going back until this issue is reconciled."
"Well, that should get the fire out of his ass if he is involved."
"Cut the shit, Susan. Raphael is really going to be pissed." He swung the hand holding his phone. "Is Marcus contacting Dorius?"
"Yes, and he's gonna call us."
Lily put the hPhone to her ear. It was a little pink jobbie, with a picture of a child devil complete with red pajamas, horns, and a tail.
"Did Daddy pick out your phone case, hon?"
"Yes," Lily answered, but her attention was not directed toward me.
I pulled the mass of red curls off my heavily lined face and twisted it into a knot at the back of my neck. "I think I need to call Mom and fill her in, too."
My jeans felt tight, my ankles looked swollen, and I was weary. "I hate the getting old shit!" I pulled out my phone.
"Father?" Lily said.
Christopher and I cut our phones off, eyes on the demon kid.
"There seems to be a situation on Earth, Father." Lily jutted out a hip and rolled her eyes as she listened. "Yes, I am," Lily said. "And do not try to avoid the most deplorable state of affairs. You know perfectly well, that is not the only matter of concern. I believe you have been assisting an old friend."