Blood Sport (The American Arcane Book 2)

by Justen Hunter

  “No,” She answered immediately. “Humans are capable of it, in limited capacity, and some human blood lines can carry magic aptitude.”

  I frowned. “I thought witches were the only people who could access the magical energy around us.”

  “There are more sources than just the background energy witches can draw from.” She explained. “You've read about blood magic.”

  I nodded. “Humans can use it?” I asked.

  “Indeed. With the right training, they can use blood magic. Vampire blood is highly potent.”

  I sighed. “Crap. The only problem is I've got no leads. How do I track magic?”

  Vic shrugged its shoulders. “I don't have that information. Perhaps-”

  “My mother's books.” I sighed. “Great.” I thought about it for a moment. Something had always been scratching at me. I was closer to my magic in the Other Side, and I wondered if the same was true for my dreams.

  I forced myself to close my eyes, an odd prospect in any dream. I focused on my magic, and reached out with my senses there. I could feel the presence of my mother, but what it was, I couldn't tell. The presence wasn't like a vampire, were, or even a Red Angel. The sensation was warm, soft, and intangible, like touching the steam rising from tea.

  Like the carpet being pulled out from me, I felt a shove of energy snapping back at me. My eyes shot open, and I saw a frown on Vic's face. She clicked her tongue.

  “Oh, Eric, gotta let a girl keep her secrets.” She scolded, like a teacher who'd discovered a student being just a bit too clever.

  I stood from the table and crossed the kitchen to her, a few steps closing the distance. “I know you're not my mother. You're a-”

  “A construct,” She cut me off. “We have been over this numerous times.”

  “I thought it was just something put in my head. But I sensed you. You've got someone pulling the strings.” I leaned forward, looking into the eyes of the faux-Victoria. “Does Amy know about this?”

  “No, but I'd perhaps prefer if it was our little secret.” She smiled, sheepishly. “Don't suppose I can convince you of that?”

  I frowned, and shook my head. “Nope. You're in my head, and I want to know why.”

  “It's a backup plan, simply. In case Amy died.” Her lips parted in a toothy grin. “She'd deny it, but she's a rather prideful person. The idea that she would fail wouldn't occur to her.” She reached a hand out, and placed her fingers inches from my nose. “Now, I believe we're done here, Eric.” She tapped my nose, and my eyes filled with light.

  I groaned as Nick jabbed a finger into my shoulder. “Asshole,” I groaned as I came back to consciousness. The guard house was a little more active when I opened my eyes, looking around.

  The rest of the cots were filled with sleeping troopers. I looked up to Nick who tossed my boots onto my stomach. “Get up. We're leaving. You're strong enough to open a gateway?” At my nod, he continued. “Good. We've got to get back. The more time I spend here, the more I have a feeling that you're needed back in San Francisco.”

  I grumbled and grabbed a boot as I sat up and pulled it on. “What makes you say that?” I asked him.

  “Your killer.” He said. “You've fulfilled your end of the bargain, so I tell you what I know.” Nick paused a moment, then continued. “There was a series of killings like this in San Diego, thirteen years ago. Back then, the section of the Marshals that dealt with Arcanes were spread out thin. I can't give you numbers on what it was like, but the current numbers of Arcanes living in America are huge miscounts. A lot of Arcanes haven't revealed themselves, and we didn't have local police departments who were in the know.”

  “Is this just you saying that you don't know what the hell was going on?” I asked.

  “Not at all. We have a file.” He noted. “Five vampire deaths, same sort of MO. Ritual murders. Restrained, cut open. We didn't have a witch on staff, so we couldn't ID whether it was actual magic or not, but the suspicion was that it was an attempt at blood magic.”

  I listened as I pulled on my boots and jacket, and ran a hand through my hair in a half-hearted attempt to tame the messy blond locks. “Did you have any suspects?”

  “We were led to believe that it was a contractor. It's an old concept,” Nick explained. “A person who uses violent magic like that, especially if they're not a witch, is always looking for more practice, and they hire themselves out as a mercenary of sorts.”

  I thought about it. “Ishmael's situation is pretty rough right now. Maybe one of the other vampires...” I thought about it for a second. “Vela and Yukiko are the two barons in Ishmael's territory.”

  “What about Finnegan, or Catherine?” Nick asked me.

  I shrugged. “Catherine, I don't know. Finnegan's not really the type to work through intermediaries outside of the shifter community. He also isn't a fan of magic.”

  “And Teresa?” He asked. “Miss Crespo is his number two, right?”

  “That's a possibility I can't one hundred percent rule out.” I admitted. I had no evidence to connect her with it, but vampires by nature were ambitious. “Could a vamp be directly responsible?”

  Nick considered a moment. “Magic is hard for a vampire to conjure up. Part of the whole undead deal. Even with blood magic it's very unlikely. You'd have been able to sense it, most likely.”

  “And with a human dabbler?”

  “Harder to detect, I suspect, unless they had just recently performed it.” Nick nodded. “Now, let's get us home. Remember how to open the door?”

  I gave him a petulant scoff. “Please,” I reached out, gathered the energy. It came rather easily to me, the energy flowing through the Other Side in abundance compared to the small streams that were on Earth. I quickly had it spooled around my body, and I felt like I was practically humming with energy. I thought of home, of the kitchen that I had coffee in every morning. Slowly, I pulled at the air, and a white rip appeared in the air.

  A little grin crossed my face once it was almost six feet high and wide enough to fit two people. “I am so good.”

  We stepped through, and returned to planet earth.

  I was glad that there was a counter in front of me as I stumbled out of the portal. As it closed behind Nick and I, I stumbled forward. I caught myself on the cool tiles of the kitchen counter.

  “Eric!” Amy's voice came immediately as she stormed into the kitchen.

  Dressed in jeans and a loose black tee, she was glaring at me. “Just where did you-” As soon as she saw Nick, a knife was in her hands. “You.”

  “Hello, Amy,” Nick chuckled as he looked over at her. “How's your day going?”

  “You do not play the 'how is your day' routine and get to pretend like I did not just lose Eric for several hours.” She grabbed at his shirt, which looked almost comical from their difference in height. “What happened?”

  “Amy, I-” I started, but she cut me off.

  “Eric, I am very glad to see you, but I might have to kill Nick at the moment, and I would prefer to do that without interruption.” She looked up into Nick's eyes, and growled. “What. Happened?”

  “Other Side.” He croaked, his easy confidence breaking. It was almost stunning to watch, as he swallowed and looked over to me. “We were tracking a criminal. Found a daemon.”

  “A daemon?” I watched as Amy lifted Nick by his shirt. Even though I could guess that Nick was possibly even twice her size, she picked him up like he was just a mildly inconvenient grocery bag. “You stupid, arrogant bastard.”

  Nick's face froze, watching her. It took him several long moments for him to find his voice again. “I am sorry. I'm so sorry, Amy. I made sure no harm came to him.”

  She let him go, depositing him on the floor with little ceremony. She turned to me. “You went to the Other Side. I would have preferred you called.”

  “Sorry about that. I'll give you a ring next time I cross dimensions.”

  She frowned, but eventually just shook her head. “Stupid witc
h.”

  I shook my head, then looked down at Nick. “Are you going to help us find a killer, or are you off on whatever you've got next?”

  “We've got some drug dealers upstate now to take care of.” He stood and dusted himself off. “Toodles.” He headed for the front door.

  I didn't see Nick out. I had limits on how much of a gentleman I was willing to be. I looked back to Amy. “Nick thinks that the person doing this is a merc, a contractor. He thinks a vampire couldn't do this on their own, supposing that this is in fact a power grab.”

  “So that means that we need to figure out which vampire is seeking to supplant Ishmael.” She nodded. “A fair assessment.”

  “That's what I thought. It's why we're going to Ishmael's, and we're going to pull this off as fast as we can. We don't want another victim.” I pulled out my phone, checking the time. “We've still got two hours til sundown, so I'm guessing Ishmael's still at the office.”

  I headed upstairs, where I found my leather jacket and pulled it on. I grabbed my gear, stowing them in the inside pockets of the jacket. My knife, gun, and some more rounds for it.

  By the time I had made it downstairs, Serena was coming in the door. She was wearing a white tank top and jeans, and looked to have a bit more color in her face than last night. “Heard you had an adventure,” She said as a greeting.

  “I'll tell you about it later.” I said and looked over to Amy. “Ready?”

  “As I can be.” She shrugged, and looked back to Serena. “We are going to go after a possible lead with the killer.”

  “I can help,” Serena's eyebrows perked up. “Like, just provide back up and all that.”

  Amy paused for a moment, then she looked at me. “I'm not sure.” I said, trying to keep my voice soft. “This isn't just some questions. We're going to probably be going after a magic user.”

  “I can help.” She said. “I'm a vampire, I'm strong. I handled myself at Dumont's, right?”

  I looked over to Amy. “I...Okay, listen. If things go south, you are not going to be a hero. If Amy or I tell you to do something, you do it. Clear?”

  Serena nodded. “You got it. Now, where are we headed?”

  “Wilson Managements, we're off to talk to Ishmael.”

  Chapter 22

  This time when we went to Wilson Managements, the place was buzzing with activity. People in suits were filing in and out of the office, carrying briefcases, carrying folders, and looking very important.

  We passed by them, and I nodded to Perry at the front desk. “We're here for Ishmael.” I said without any ceremony. “Tell him Carpenter's here.”

  Perry, the twenty-something man behind the desk, stared at us for a second. All three of us were wearing leather jackets and heavy shoes. He finally picked up his phone and pressed a few buttons. “Yeah...yeah. Uh-huh. All right.” He said before hanging up. “Third floor. He'll see you immediately.”

  “Thank you,” I smiled politely, and headed straight for the elevator.

  Once we got in, Serena asked. “So, how do we figure out who's the...what do you call a human practitioner?”

  “There are several names. If they are self-taught, wizard is the preferred term.” Amy shrugged. “Though it varies from culture to culture. Witches are their own species. Sorcerers are humans with no talent, but receive powers from deals with other...sources.”

  “You mean there are things that can give you magic?” Serena asked. Though it was surprising, I thought, it made sense. I could just imagine a daemon like Fence selling magic to people. The thought sent a little chilling sensation through me.

  “Yes, and while it is hard for a human to make contact with such a being, there is always a way for those things.”

  Part of me wondered how common that was. Sure, Amy said they were rare. Things that wanted to prey on the desperate and hungry always found a way, however.

  When the elevator door opened, Teresa was standing at the doors. She wore a crisp red blouse and dark skirt. “Mister Carpenter. Miss Laurent. Amy.” She nodded to each of us in turn. “Ishmael is waiting to speak with you. If you would follow me.” She turned and started off.

  I picked up my pace to move right next to Teresa. “Sorry about the quick exit this morning.” I whispered.

  She looked over to me, and met my eyes. “I think I'll excuse it. This once.” She gave a mirthful chuckle. “You have an interesting smell on you.”

  “We'll talk about it later once I'm sure things have settled down.” I promised her.

  I heard Serena's voice in my other ear. “Ooh, walked out on her this morning?”

  “God, I hate vampiric hearing.” I groaned. “Private conversation, Serena.”

  Teresa looked around me to look at Serena. “It's all right, Eric. Once Miss Laurent learns to control her various...advantages, she can learn to tune out that which she shouldn't be listening to.”

  I chuckled when Serena's face tinged with blood. “Looks like you got some yourself last night.” I teased.

  “I, uh, ran into Vincent.” She smiled a little bit. “The guy who gave me blood the first night?”

  “Oh, I remember him.” I said, recalling the man. “He was at the Last Drop?”

  Serena nodded. “We spent some time together, got to know each other. He's a great guy. Really.”

  “You'll have to have him over some time. I'm not a half-bad cook, you know.”

  “If you like things that are extremely unhealthy.” Amy snorted.

  “You mean taste delicious.” I shot back.

  We cut the chatter when we reached the office I knew had to be Ishmael's. It had a large wooden door, which Teresa rapped upon. After a moment, I heard. “Enter.” Teresa opened up the door, and we all stepped in. I took the lead.

  Ishmael's office was spartan, practical. You couldn't even really tell what Wilson Managements did from his office decor. There were a few pictures of him with local San Francisco politicians, which went back about twenty years. There was even a picture of him with the Governor displayed on his large desk. The desk itself had a large touch screen on it, which had reports, emails, and a muted stream of the news playing on it.

  He looked up and smiled at us. “Ah, the dream team, are we?” He said with just a slight tease in his voice.

  “What I could round up at the moment, but I'm not complaining. Now, I've got a theory.”

  Ishmael pinned me with a half-interested glance. He sat back in the leather office chair, and said. “Well, give it a shot.”

  “I think that the person targeting you is one of your subordinates. One of the barons.” I didn't mention Nick's theory of Teresa. I didn't believe it, or at least I didn't want to. We didn't need baseless suspicion cropping up either. “I want your permission to raid Yukiko and Vela, and to question them about the sorcerer they're using to kill the vampires.”

  “A sorcerer?” Ishmael frowned. “So you can confirm they are arcanely focused?”

  “San Diego. Same MO.” I answered. “They're using the murders to stage you as incompetent to protect them. I want to figure out who, fast.”

  He nodded. “Yukiko will be at her club. Vela's got a restaurant he owns that he has a private room at. I'll text you the details.”

  “Thank you, sir.” I nodded, and looked back to Serena and Amy. “We'll get this done. We go in, question them, find anything related to magic.”

  “What if they resist?” Serena asked.

  “Well, that would be pretty telling. We hope it doesn't come to that.” We left the office, and I checked the address for Vela that we had been given. Vela first, then Yukiko, I decided.

  As the three of us took the elevator back down to the lobby, I started to feel queasy. My stomach rolled around like it was trying to escape via my throat. I wasn't happy with it, for sure. I grunted softly, and I grabbed one of the walls to steady myself.

  “Hey, Eric, are you okay?” Serena asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

  I stayed still for a moment. It passed aft
er a moment, leaving me with just a little dizziness. “Uh, yeah. I'm fine.” I insisted. “Just a little sick. Maybe a side effect of the jumps.”

  Amy looked down at me, and her hand touched my forehead, her cool skin pressing to it. Her brow furrowed in concentration, but after a moment, she shook her head. “I don't feel anything wrong, but that's just physical.”

  I shrugged it off as I stood up. “Could be nothing.” I said, dismissing it as the doors opened up.

  We walked out into the lobby, past Perry and his constant talking on the phone. We had just passed the desk when the doors at the front of the building opened, and a half-dozen vampires walked in. I could tell they were vamps instantly. They moved way too fluidly to be human, and they had the lithe composure of the dead.

  Alarm bells rang in my head. They weren't dressed in suits. No, they wore heavy jackets, and they way they moved, with a favoring of one side, spoke of concealed weapons.

  I walked over to Perry's desk. “Do you recognize those vamps?” I whispered.

  Perry took a second to realize I was talking to him. He looked up, said. “No, I d-”

  Hell broke loose with the sound of automatic fire. One of the vampires had brought out a submachine gun and was trying his best to fill the air of the lobby with as much ammunition as possible.

  “Cover!” I called to Serena and Amy, who were already hurrying to hide behind pillars in the lobby.

  With a move I knew I would regret, I vaulted over the top of Perry's desk and took cover behind it. My knees protested immediately. I drew my pistol and chambered a round. “Well, crap.” I grumbled. “Perry, get help.”

  The receptionist, now cowering behind his desk, nodded furiously. I waited for the first thunders of automatic weapons to die down, before I peeked my head up.

  There were two vampires carrying machine guns, while the other four of them were all drawing wicked-looking knives. The knife-wielding vamps were spreading out around the pillars that lined the middle entrance of the lobby.

  I checked for Amy and Serena. Both of them had dodged behind the pillars closest to the desk. Each had drawn a blade, with Serena holding the knife I had given her, and Amy holding her blade that bordered on a short sword.