by Maya Daniels
As he was about to continue looking through the books, his eyes landed on a sleek silver box on one corner of the shelf. Frowning, he walked to it, and when he got near it, his eyes widened. Throwing back his head, he laughed out loud, his baritone echoing in the vast library.
“Well, what do you know! Claude, you sneaky little devil. Sending messengers like it’s medieval Europe while a laptop is sitting forgotten in your house!” Still chuckling and shaking his head, he grabbed the laptop and walked back to the desk. Pushing everything aside, he opened it, turned it on, and as soon as he could, he started the search engine and started typing. If this didn’t bring him closer to any firm information, nothing would.
After hours of reading through blogs, forums and ridiculous websites of people claiming to be fairies, he finally came across a site that got his attention—a coven open to all beliefs dedicated to worshiping the old gods. He had found many of those in his search, but this one nagged at him. There was something in the way they worded things that was raising red flags in his mind, giving him such a strong feeling of urgency that he felt compelled to go there. A shiver raked his frame and he decided it would be best for him to check it out. Looking at his watch, he realized that he had only a couple of hours left before sundown when he could go visit the address given on the site. It might be a bust, but at least he’d get out of the room before he went insane. He kept reading articles about the Fae, some making him shake his head, others making him frown with the ideas they painted in his head. There was no way the Fae could be that powerful. Formidable, without a doubt. More powerful than a vampire? He would have to see that to believe it.
Unprompted, his eyes locked on the arrow sitting at the corner of the desk. Maybe he already knew that they were more powerful, he just refused to admit it to himself. His fist clenched at the thought of never seeing his friends again. Unable to sit still any longer, he jumped off the chair, snatched his jacket and stormed out of the library. Between one moment and the next, he was standing in front of Claude’s doors. Without thinking anything of it, he grabbed the door handles and pushed the doors open, walking inside.
“I think I found something…” Raphael’s words trailed off as he froze a few steps inside the doorway.
A woman was bent over at the end of the bed with Claude looming over her. Both of them were naked, and it looked like Raphael had just walked in while they were having sex. Raphael’s interruption made Claude turn to look his way, and that told an entirely different story. The woman’s mouth was open not in pleasure but in pain as Claude drained the life out of her. He looked feral; his eyes blazed red and blood was splattered all over both of them and the bed. Raphael knew he needed to proceed carefully if he wished to avoid a fight with his friend.
“What happened, my king?” Raphael spoke softly, lifting his hands in submission so as not to startle Claude, who started snarling at him. “Did she not please you? I will find another for you. Let this one go.” With each word, he took a barely visible step closer to the bed expecting Claude to attack him at any moment.
“Do not patronize me, Raphael!” Snarling the words, Claude snapped the woman’s neck before grabbing her dress to wipe the blood off himself. “The bitch tried to kill me!” he spat, glaring at her twisted body.
At Claude’s words, Raphael noticed all the bite wounds on his friend that looked like a wild animal had mauled him and he threw his head back laughing, unable to stop himself. Claude kept snarling about assholes and useless whores, but Raphael couldn’t stop laughing. He didn’t hear most of the words his friend said. After a while, Claude joined him, and they both ended up with tears in their eyes.
“Only you would laugh at something like this!” Claude gasped between chuckles, slapping a hand on his thigh.
“She did put up a good fight, my friend. It’ll take a few days for all of that to heal.” Shaking his head, Raphael grabbed a robe from the top of the dresser and handed it to Claude. “I’m going to check out a coven. In my search, it’s the only thing that’s given me a feeling that it can provide some answers. I'll be back as soon as I’m done. Keep everyone inside tonight. We don’t need more deaths before we know for sure what we are dealing with.”
“Should I go with you?” Claude wrapped the robe around himself and started walking towards the bathroom. “Give me a moment to wash off the blood and we can leave.”
“No need. I’ll be back before you know it. I’m sure you’ll need some time to make an example out of her. She’ll wake up soon.” Raphael pointed at the body that started twitching a little. A broken neck wouldn’t kill them. So far, only ripping their heart out or exposing them to the sun could, but now, with this predicament they found themselves in, Fae weapons could too apparently. It just kept adding more shit to Raphael’s plate and he was not happy about it at all.
“A coven, you say?” Stopping at the bathroom door and looking over his shoulder, Claude frowned at Raphael. “That’s all we need, involving witches in this mess. If you’re not back in a couple of hours, I’m coming after you.”
“You almost sound sentimental, Claude. If you’re not careful, I’ll start believing you care.” With a big grin on his face, Raphael turned and started walking out of the room. “I’ll be back as fast as I can, mother!” he called over his shoulder and went on his way, chuckling at the obscenities Claude sent his way.
“Artemis, wait!” Fern’s voice echoed around her like a gong.
“I would stay away from me at the moment, Fern, if I were you.” Not turning in his direction or slowing her steps, Artemis continued up the stairs towards her room.
“I know you’re upset with me, but you must know I had no choice in the matter.” As Fern reached her, he lifted a hand towards her shoulder, but at the last moment thought better of it and dropped it to his side “I just followed orders, the same way you do.”
“There is always a choice. You just picked the one that suited you most.” Watching him from the corner of her eye, Artemis didn’t miss the grimace on his face. She’d hit the bullseye with that comment, and he knew it. “I don’t need your apologies, so do me a favor and go back to wherever you’re needed. I have nothing to say to you.”
“You can stop the attitude!” he snarled “Everyone needs allies, and you’re no exception. Don’t push away those who might be useful when you need one,” Fern hissed at her through clenched teeth.
“May the fates save me from allies like you.” Stopping at the door of her room, she turned towards him. “I need no one but myself, Fern. If there is one thing I have absolute faith in, it’s that I can always count on myself, as it should be. Even your shadow leaves you in the dark. Don’t ever forget that.”
She watched him hang his head in defeat, or maybe guilt, his hair falling over his shoulders and covering his face like a curtain. Artemis didn’t feel guilty for calling him out on his misguided loyalties. Guilt was something associated with humans, from what she’d heard. She didn’t have time for such sentimentalities. Self-preservation and anger, on the other hand, she knew very well. Giving Fern one more look, she leaned against the door. Opening it behind her back, she stepped through it just as he lifted his head and took a breath, looking like he was trying to say something. With an arrogant twitch of her lips, she closed the door in his face.
Pressing her palms and forehead on the door, Artemis closed her eyes. She had no room in her life for impulsiveness and curiosity at this time. What had possessed her to go to the human realm, not once but four times? Moreover, to kill each time she was there, too. Something was changing in the human realm, and she felt herself growing stronger with each passing moment. She’d intended to see if she could find out where these changes were coming from when she decided to go through the portal, but she saw the first vampire that night. Her instincts kicked in and he didn’t help much, with the way he acted. She might have let him live, and maybe it wouldn’t have come to this if he hadn’t mistaken her for a human. A snort escaped her as she remembered tha
t first night. Only a fool would mistake her for a human with her dark violet hair swinging like a thick rope on her back down to her hips, and her violet eyes giving off a glow that was unmistakably Fae.
That thought stopped her, making her lift her head and open her eyes. Could it be? Could they honestly not know how a Fae should look? It had been centuries since any of her kind hastepped set foot in the human realm—through no fault of their own, of course. Last time a Fae had seen was the day of the Great War, when humans thought hunting Fae was some kind of sport and they would get immortality as a reward. That had been the day her mother had stood against them to protect her people. It was the day she died, cut down by humans and vampires who had banded together. The vampires feasted on her blood like animals as the humans watched and stripped her of all her jewels and adornments with their greedy little hands while she breathed her last breath. A sharp, crippling pain pierced Artemis’s chest, and she pressed her hands to its center.
Artemis was just a youngling at the time, but she’s heard the stories. As she was growing up, Lazarus spent an unmeasurable amount of time telling her stories about her mother, too. How beautiful and brave she was. Strong and so determined to protect her people that she refused to hide. Artemis remembered all the stories, word for word, to this day. That was why when Lazarus asked, she immediately agreed to join the Wild Hunt. She worked hard and relentlessly for a long time, but now she was leading it. Artemis was in charge, and she would be the first and last face the humans and vampires would see when the portal fully opened. That thought made her straighten up, pushing the memories deep down. She needed to get her arrow and return to accept her punishment. Artemis knew it would be something severe, and she didn’t want to prolong the time before it was applied. The longer she waited, more time it would take for her to heal.
Walking up to the wall where all her weapons were displayed, her fingers trailed over the daggers, swords and knives glinting in the sunlight coming through the arched windows. Their intricate designs and jeweled handles looked like a sky full of colorful stars on the stone wall. She wasn’t sure why, but she had a feeling it would be better to bring a variety of weapons rather than relying on only her bow. By now, probably half the realm knew where she was going. Artemis wouldn’t put it past them to try something stupid. It'd be a shame if she had to kill her own, but kill them she would if they tried to get in her way. The soft knock at the door came just as she hid the fifth knife in one of the many hidden holsters of her corset and boots.
“I thought I was clear when I told you I have nothing more…” Her words trailed off as Artemis yanked the door open and saw it wasn’t Fern standing there. “Ivy? What can I do for you?” The beautiful blonde dreamweaver standing at her door could put the sun to shame with her glowing skin, silver eyes and shining golden hair. Her gifts were as beautiful as her physical appearance—being able to heal anyone while they slept, or make sure they never woke up. Many envied her for that, and Ivy loved every second of it.
“I can’t come by simply to check on you?” Ivy’s thin eyebrow lifted almost to her hairline.
“Of course, but I’m sorry to disappoint…again. There is nothing to check on.” Keeping her face expressionless, Artemis stood still, facing her father’s consort. Ivy lived on gossip like the rest of them lived on air.
“Oh, get your nose out of the clouds, girl, I mean you no harm!” Ivy’s words sounded condescending. Artemis's hackles went up, and it took everything she had to remain calm.
“Be that as it may. “Artemis stepped through the door and locked it behind her. “I must leave now, so I don’t have time for pleasantries. Another day, maybe.” She smirked as she walked past Ivy, leaving her standing at the locked door, her arms crossed over her chest and a frown on her face. “I have an arrow to find.”
“We need to talk!” Ivy called after her, but Artemis just waggled her fingers over her shoulder and kept walking.
Some people’s existence consisted of gossip and visiting. Fortunately for Artemis, her life had hunting, blood, and fighting. She wouldn’t trade it for the worlds.
Raphael barely noticed his surroundings as he zipped through the streets, everything blurring in his sight. His sleek, silver Aston Martin Valkyrie turned heads as soon as he slowed down, so he was trying his best to drive on roads that would have the least number of potential gawkers. Feeling the purr of the V12 engine behind him, made him feel exuberant. Having 1,130 horse-power under his hands was a new experience all on its own every time he slid into the soft leather seat of his favorite toy that could go from zero to sixty in two point five seconds. He loved his car very much but disliked the attention it received, even though he couldn’t blame people for staring at it. It was his and he still stared at it most of the time. Shaking his head at his quirks, he started paying closer attention to his surroundings. According to his GPS, he should be close to the meeting place given on the coven’s website.
The LA suburb was not posh, but not run down either—modern buildings surrounded by businesses and restaurants just like many other large cities. People milled around walking in and out of them; all apparently lost in their thoughts with their faces shoved in their phones — another thing that bothered him. No one made eye contact anymore. The connection you make with another being, even in passing, when your eyes lock for that split second was gone. Claude was telling him that he isolated himself, but according to Raphael, everyone was isolated but him. He just decided to watch from the sidelines as humanity destroyed itself slowly. They resembled machines more and more each day.
“You will reach your destination in five hundred feet.” The disembodied voice of his GPS broke the silence.
“How very kind of you to notify me,” Raphael replied dryly to the machine as he slowed the car to a crawl, looking for a place to park.
Nearing the front of what looked like a new age store, he was lucky to find one parking spot left with enough room front and back to keep his car safe from pathetic drivers. The world was full of them. He didn’t concern himself much with humans, apart from satisfying his needs from time to time, so he would hate to kill a motherfucker now if they damaged his car.
Grabbing his suit jacket from the passenger seat, he opened the door and unfolded his six-foot-four frame from it. Putting the jacket on, he buttoned up his top two buttons with one hand as he pressed the lock button on his keys with the other, hearing the ‘beep, beep’ sound. Striding towards the partially opened door of the store, he hoped that by some miracle, he would find at least a few solid answers here. It was highly unlikely, but Raphael always tried to look on the optimistic side of things.
The god-awful stench of too much incense hit him first, throwing his enhanced senses off-kilter before he felt the power of magic hit him full force at the center of his chest. A dizzying feeling made him stop just past the door and shake his head to clear it. It felt like he’d been punched, and all his other senses went on full alert. Coming here, Raphael was hoping to find information on the Fae. He had a sickening feeling that he stumbled onto something that, if it weren't for his dead friends, he would’ve left the hell alone without a second thought.
“Welcome to the House of Intuition. Is there anything I can help you with?” the woman who approached him, coming out from between two of the aisles, made him growl deep in his throat.
“You own this place?” Raphael snapped at her and winced internally at the tone of his voice. Way to go, genius, scare her off before you get a chance to ask questions, he thought to himself.
“And if I do?” She lifted an eyebrow at him “What are you, the IRS?” She eyed him up and down, and there was no mistaking the appreciation in her eyes.
Raphael knew very well that women—men as well for that matter—found him attractive. The way he looked was the reason he got shoved into immortality centuries ago, and nothing had changed to this day — neither his looks nor the people around him. Since he had no problem using it to get what he wanted, he turned on the charm
. The woman was middle-aged and quite attractive herself, with long blonde hair and pale blue eyes covered by long lashes. Her hippie dress was hugging her curvy figure, accentuating her large breasts and round hips.
“Have you ever seen someone from the IRS that looks like me?” Raphael winked at her, and her pale skin darkened at her cheeks making him smile.
“I can’t say I have, no.” Her voice turned breathless as she licked her lips. “Well, not with that kind of body, to say the least.” She twirled a finger in his direction before locking eyes with him. “I’m Danny, but I’m not the owner. She’s here, in the back. I can get her for you if you like.”
“That would be most helpful, Danny.” Raphael smiled at her, and she grabbed the shelf next to her. He wasn’t sure if she was trying to hold herself back, so as not to come close to him, or he had pushed too hard with his charm and she was ready to faint. She had good self-preservation skills, whichever the case might be.
He watched as Danny strutted towards the back of the store, swinging her hips and looking over her shoulder a couple of times before she disappeared behind a black curtain. As soon as she was gone his smile dropped and he rubbed at his chest. What on Earth was going on in this place? He had felt magic before, many times, but the magic in this place had a punch that could bring a centuries-old, powerful vampire to his knees. For that reason alone, he didn’t try to compel Danny to tell him what he wanted to know. One didn’t stay alive this long by being careless or stupid.
“Know thy enemy; he might be a friend in disguise. If you know neither your enemy or yourself, you will succumb in every battle,” he mumbled while pressing on his temples.
He felt that he might end up being the first immortal brought to death by a headache. Snorting at his thoughts, he opened his eyes only to have them locked with a piercing green gaze that gave him shivers. The woman standing in front of him watched him with her head tilted to the side as if she couldn’t make anything of him. Looking like she was in her mid to late twenties, her beautiful face gave nothing away. Tall for a woman, her head came almost to his chin, and she watched him as he watched her. He was taking in the dark-as-night hair falling over her shoulders down to her waist, blending with the black flowing dress that reached the floor. A pentagram entwined with vines and leaves with three ruby stones in its center hung around her neck, falling between her breasts.