by AE Jones
He reached for my hands. “Are you ready to try, ma petite?”
I grasped his strong fingers, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I tried to clear my mind of the museum, and the realm, and demon crossovers, and Dalton. Dalton who’d come back as a different person.
Focus!
Deep breaths again, and I concentrated on one thing: Marlene Thompson. I pictured the name and let it float around inside my skull. Jean Luc’s hands grounded me, and the warmth of his thrall inched up my arms.
Come on…show me something. Muted light flittered in my brain, and fuzzy images appeared like old-timey movie newsreels. But the reel picked up speed and slammed my cerebellum with too many images to process. My head snapped back.
My chair was wrenched to the side, and someone grabbed me.
“Kyle!”
I opened my eyes and looked up into Jean Luc’s worried face. He stood in front of me, hands cupping my cheeks.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I blinked a couple of times. “I was close, but the Key tried to tell me too much, too fast. I can’t interpret it.”
He nodded. “We will figure it out, Kyle. It is only a matter of time.”
Except, now that the realm demons were after the Key, I wasn’t sure we had the luxury of time.
* * *
I answered my cell as I walked toward my apartment building. “Hey, Mish.”
“Little one. We have a green light about meeting with the elders.”
“Great. What time?”
“9:00 am tomorrow. We’ll pick you up at eight.”
I unlocked the building door. “I’ll be ready. I’m getting antsy waiting for Eli to call. Hopefully they can give us some info to break this case. ’Night.”
“We have a break in the case?”
I jumped at the voice. Dalton stared down at me from the landing. Memories of him carrying me up these very stairs flooded me. But that had been another lifetime.
I stopped myself from groaning, jogged up the steps, and passed him on the landing. Dalton followed me. I was sure he would, but a girl could dream.
I opened the door and flipped on the light. “Why are you here?” I asked, not bothering to ask how he knew where I lived, since he was a cop. I stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance to my apartment.
His frowned. I was being rude, true, but 1) he had shown up unannounced, and 2), I didn’t know if my heart or sanity could handle having him in my apartment.
After a second, common sense prevailed, and I stepped back and let him in. Whatever we had to talk about shouldn’t be discussed in the hall. Most of my neighbors were elderly, but they had supersonic hearing when it came to gossip, or what they called scuttlebutt.
“Who were you talking to?”
“Misha. The elders of his clan want to talk to him about the demons who live in the demon realm. They might be able to help us figure out what type of demon robbed the art museum. We’re supposed to meet them tomorrow morning at nine.”
“I’m coming, too. No more leaving me out of this case.”
I stared at him, and my internal radar started beeping. “How are we leaving you out?”
He moved further into the living room. “You’re not telling me everything.”
I pulled my coat off to give myself time to settle my nerves. “Like what, exactly?”
“Why were you at Gesu Church today?”
My nerves jumped to attention. “You followed me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because this case reeks! Tell me what I’m supposed to think when one of the items stolen from the museum looks exactly like the box you have stored in the office safe? How much coincidence do you think I can take?”
“This case does stink. We have a dead human, and a demon that’s too dangerous to live on earth, yet it’s somehow crossing to our world.”
“So why did you go to Gesu?”
I crossed my arms. “For a personal reason, which is none of your damn business.”
He started to pace, ignoring my indignation. “Then you go to some run-down building by the river. What the hell aren’t you telling me?”
“That building houses our lab and storage facility. We keep it looking run-down on the outside so people”—I narrowed my eyes at him—“don’t come snooping. I stopped in to see Doc. She’s the ME we told you about. Are you happy now?”
He scowled. “You’re acting awfully jumpy. If you’ve been doing this for ten years, I wouldn’t expect you to be this jumpy.”
“If…I have been doing this for ten years. Maybe I don’t like the Feds sniffing around our case.”
“What does that mean?”
“Trust goes both ways. How do we know you aren’t going to spill all this to your FBI buddies in Chicago? Our job is to solve this case and stop humans from finding out the truth about the supernatural. If they find out, how do we know the government won’t turn supes into lab animals?”
“You’ve seen too many conspiracy movies.”
It was hard not to scoff at his naïve response. “We still have people who hate others for the color of their skin, for the Gods they worship, and the gender they want to sleep with. Do you honestly think humans can cope with learning about the supernatural? Races that are more powerful than they are. That live centuries longer than they do and can travel to and from another realm!
“I’m not the one living in a dream world, Special Agent Dalton. The government would try to control them, and we would have a bloodbath.”
His eyes widened at my tirade, and I plowed on before he could say anything. “So forgive me if I don’t trust you with the whole truth. You haven’t earned it yet.”
I yanked open my apartment door and gasped at Griffin, who stood in the doorway.
He glanced over my shoulder and focused on Dalton, his eyes flashing amber for a split second before he subdued them. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No. He was just leaving.”
Griffin walked into the room and stood to the side, so Dalton could make his exit. I simply waited with the door open. No more words needed to be spoken. I had spewed enough for one day.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Dalton announced on his way out.
I shut the door, my back to Griffin, and closed my eyes for a second.
“Kyle?”
I turned to face him and tried not to lose it. One false step, and the ice would crack…and I would fall through. “I’m fine. Dalton is being a control freak about this case. He thinks we’re keeping things from him.”
Griffin’s eyebrow rose. “You are, aren’t you?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “For his own good.”
“I’m not questioning why you’re doing it, but he obviously can sense something is wrong.”
“Everything is wrong.” I paced into my living room. “He’s so suspicious and closed off now. Jean Luc thinks it has to do with the memories I implanted in him last year. I erased the torture only to replace it with other things that have screwed him up.” I stopped pacing and turned to him. “You don’t want to hear this.”
Griffin opened his arms, and I just stood there. Trying to breathe. After three shaky breaths, I launched myself into his arms, and he held me. His warmth wrapped around me even though my insides felt frozen. “I’m sorry.” I whispered.
“Shhh.”
“I’m sorry.” And I was. Sorry for Dalton, and sorry for Griffin. Neither of them deserved this. Why did I have to inflict pain on everyone I cared about?
Chapter 17
It had actually stopped raining, so I waited on the sidewalk to soak up any stray UV that might make its way through the clouds. Jean Luc pulled in front of my apartment building at 8:00 am sharp. Talia nodded at me through the front passenger window, eyes smiling. The back door of the van opened, and I handed Misha a bag of apple turnovers fresh from the nearby bakery. He grinned like a silly schoolboy, and I grinned right back. At least I had figured out h
ow to make one male in my life happy.
I climbed in and sat next to Misha, relieved to see Dalton wasn’t in the van. Maybe he’d decided not to go with us.
Misha had the bag open within seconds and groaned. “They’re still warm. Thanks, little one.”
Jean Luc pulled away from the curb. “We have to pick up Dalton at the art museum.”
And with those words, my bubble of relief officially burst. “He called you?”
Jean Luc looked at me in the rearview mirror. “Yes. He wanted to make sure he was included today. Did something happen with him?”
“He showed up at my apartment.”
Talia twisted in her seat. “Why? Does he remember you?”
“No. He’s suspicious of me. He followed me yesterday, to Gesu Church and then the lab.”
Misha stopped in mid bite. “Whaad di you…”
I grimaced at him. “Finish chewing, Mish.”
He swallowed hard and then frowned. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him about the lab.”
“And Gesu?”
“I told him it was none of his damn business. If he was to ask anyone, all they could tell him is that I went to confession.”
Misha snorted.
“Father Brown is back in town?” Jean Luc asked.
“Yes. I gave him pictures of the box and tablet. He thinks they might help with the translation.”
A few minutes later, we drove up to the museum. Dalton was waiting next to the entrance. Jean Luc pulled up and stopped, and Misha yanked open the van door. Dalton froze in mid-step, and I stared at him in confusion. Then I glanced at my other teammates. Jean Luc and Talia were scowling, and Misha actually growled a little bit.
From the looks on their faces, they were going to open up a can of supernatural whup ass on Dalton.
Jean Luc turned in his seat, angling toward the back. “Before you get in, Agent Dalton, we need to establish some ground rules. If you have a question about what we do, in the future you should ask us. Following Kyle or any of us, or accosting us at our private residences, are breaches of confidence that will not be tolerated.”
Dalton opened his mouth and then closed it again as if he was rethinking his response. “You’re right.” He turned to me. “I apologize for following you and for barging in when you were off duty.”
I gazed into his eyes. He looked sincere, but this Dalton wasn’t the one I’d known. At that moment, it would have been great to have shifter senses so I could smell if he was being truthful. But since I couldn’t, I had to trust my human gut. I nodded. He climbed into the far back seat.
Misha shut the door, and we were off. Awkward silence descended. After a few minutes, I decided someone needed to break the tension. “Where are we going?”
“Our compound,” Misha answered.
My eyes widened. “Boris agreed to let us into the super-secret compound?”
“Yes. Many of the elders do not leave the compound anymore.”
“How many elders are in your clan, Mish?” I asked.
“We have several, but father said we would be meeting with two today.”
Dalton leaned forward. “Do your elders run the clan?”
“No, my father runs the clan. The elders are part of his council that discusses issues and helps him resolve disputes.”
“And you think they’ll have information about the different demons in the demon realm?” Dalton asked.
Misha mumbled “yes” around another bite of turnover.
“Where’s the compound?” I asked.
He swallowed before answering. “Solon.”
“And you’re okay with me knowing where your compound is located?” Dalton asked.
Misha shrugged. “Our compound security is top notch. And you would not be allowed into the clan compound unless you were accompanied by a clan member—me or Kyle, for example.”
Dalton frowned at me. “You told me you’re human.”
“I am. I was inducted into the clan. Long story.” A long story I wasn’t about to tell Dalton, since he’d witnessed it.
“No word from Eli yet?” Talia asked.
God love her for changing the subject. “Nope. It’s been two days. I’d think he would call soon.”
Forty minutes later, Jean Luc drove up to a tall metal gate. Misha opened the door, clambered out, and punched a bunch of numbers on a keypad. After a few seconds, the gate opened slowly. Once Misha hopped back into the van, we traveled a long driveway.
When Misha had used the word compound, I’d gotten a totally different image in my mind. More like a campground with rustic cabins. Instead, the vibe was ritzy, gated community. We drove past several very nice homes and continued toward a large building sitting next to a man-made lake.
“Good grief, Mish. Your clan’s not hurting for cash.”
Misha chuckled. “No one can ever accuse you of being subtle, little one. Not all of our clan members live here, but everyone can come here when they like. We have emergency housing, and a medical facility, too.”
“Why do you have an apartment by the Steelyard then?” I asked.
“I like my independence.”
“And Boris doesn’t want you to live here?”
“Oh, he wants all his sons to live here. Sergei, my youngest brother, doesn’t stay still for long. The last time I spoke to him, he was in Hawaii. Only Aleksei has remained at the compound. But it makes sense, since he’s next in line to lead.”
Misha’s jaw tightened when he spoke Aleksei’s name. Bad blood, maybe? Now was not the time to ask, though I was dying of curiosity. After we parked, Misha led us into the white clapboard community building and down the hall to a large meeting room. From the size of it, I was pretty sure they conducted clan meetings there. The elders we were going to speak with sat at a table at the far end of the room, with chairs arranged across from them, as if they were holding court.
I gaped at the two females for a moment. The female on the right had short, curly gray hair and sharp blue eyes. Her companion’s white hair was pulled into a bun, and she wore one of those sweatshirts with pictures of various flowers and their Latin names.
Your average octogenarians. Except they were demons. If they looked this old in their human form, then they were very, very old demons. Misha’s father was eight hundred, and he looked like he was in his fifties.
As if my thoughts conjured him, Boris entered from a side door and beamed at us. He strode over to me, hauled me into his arms, and gave me great, smacking kisses on both cheeks. “So good to see you.”
“You too, Boris.” I grinned at his flamboyant style and peeked at Dalton, who observed the exchange closely. “Boris Chesnokov, let me introduce you to Special Agent Joe Dalton. He’s helping us with this case.”
Misha had warned Boris to act like he didn’t know Dalton, but since Boris could be a bit of a loose cannon, I held my breath.
The two exchanged formal guest-host greetings, and I breathed again.
Boris turned to Jean Luc. “Good to see you, vampire. And this is your mate, Talia?”
Jean Luc nodded.
“You’re as gorgeous as Misha said. I hear you’re smart and feisty as well. How did this uptight vampire win you over?”
Talia grinned at both Boris’s quip and Jean Luc’s glower.
The female elder on the right cleared her throat. “Enough of your bluster, Boris. Let’s get this meeting started.”
Boris winked at me and then gestured for us to follow him up front and take our seats. “May I introduce you to our elders?” He bowed slightly to the female on his right first. “Irina.” Then he motioned to his left. “Katya, this is the BSR team I told you about.”
Jean Luc bowed his head slightly. “Thank you for meeting with us. We appreciate your time.”
Irina’s eyebrows rose slightly at his formal greeting. “Boris wasn’t exaggerating. You are a bit uptight, vampire.”
Misha coughed next to me, but I was pretty sure it was to cover up a
laugh.
She continued, “I’m not one for pomp and circumstance. Let’s jump in, shall we? Boris has explained that the BSR needs help. What do you need to know?”
“We want to learn about the demon realm. How many clans live there?” I asked.
“Five that I am aware of,” Irina replied.
Dalton spoke up. “Who decides which clans are allowed on earth?”
Katya smiled tightly. “Centuries ago, all the clans moved freely between earth and the realm. There were fewer humans then, and more places for us here on earth. But we were still not happy. The clans battled for dominance. And when the bloodshed finally stopped, a coalition was formed. The clans who agreed to peace formed an alliance, and the demon council was established. The five clans who wouldn’t agree to peace were banished to the realm.”
I frowned. “I thought the strongest demons were placed in the realm because they couldn’t be trusted on earth.”
Katya shrugged. “And history is usually written by the victors. I’m sure if you spoke to them they would tell a different story.”
“And the border patrol?” Talia asked.
“The patrol are demons,” Irina answered. “Pulled from the various clans centuries ago, they enforce the peace and ensure the banished demons do not escape the realm.”
“But demons are escaping,” I said.
Irina nodded. “There is only so much the patrol can do. The border fluctuates, since the realm is in another dimension than ours. Things are in a constant state of flux. I do not envy them their jobs.”
“Is there any way we could meet with the border patrol?” Jean Luc asked.
“Not easily. Only their leader is allowed to visit earth a few times a year. The rest are not allowed to enter the earth realm. They can exist either in the realm or in the in-between.”
Dalton frowned. “What’s the in-between?”
“It’s the space between worlds. It’s where those who patrol spend their time watching to make sure no one can breach the portals.”
“Well that sucks for them,” I blurted. “They protect earth for the rest of us, and yet they don’t get to come here?”
“No. They don’t have the power to come to earth,” Irina explained.