by Alana Melos
At that, he leaned back. The smallest bit of a smile played across his lips. It could have been sarcastic, or it could have been genuine. Without my ‘pathy, I had no way to know for sure. I took it as a good sign. “You’ve made a convincing argument,” he said. “Let’s entertain the thought that I’m interested. What’s your price?”
“Plan first,” I said. “Because even with recruiting all the hitters in white hats, and civvies, there still aren’t enough people to do what needs to be done. It needs to be applied at the same time, city wide, and the plant matter removed and destroyed. Then, it’ll be contained in the forest near the crash site, once more. I think it’ll take some time to recover… but it’d be best if we moved fast with a strike force after that to clear the forest, or a napalm strike or something.” I cleared my throat, “The point is for it to be used in the best capacity, you don’t have the manpower. I don’t either. Together, we might. Or at least enough to cut it back far enough to strike at the heart of the problem.”
At that, he raised both his brows. I read that as surprise, maybe even shock. “You’re willing to work with us? And get other criminals to do the same?”
“We all live here,” I said, ease creeping in as my body relaxed. “It’s not just the upstanding people of Imperial City who are in danger.”
“Truth, sister,” he said, showing the first real flickerings of emotion with a smile. It faded and he arched his brow in skepticism. “But what price did you want me to pay?”
“For every criminal who participates, I want a full pardon for any crimes they might be wanted for currently,” I replied, knowing this was the turning point. It might be asking for too much but you knew what they said: go big, or go home.
Imperius laughed, a jovial sound. “That’s impossible,” he stated, his voice full of mirth. It appeared he was beginning to relax around me, which was a sop to my flagging ego as of late. It was good to know the head honcho of the white hats was at least wary of you.
“That’s what I want,” I insisted. “Note I didn’t say a full amnesty from all past crimes… just crimes they’re being wanted for now, with actual warrants. If they’re found guilty of something else, well, that’s their problem. But you have to give them something to fight for. We’re not as… altruistic as you.”
His mirth faded as the realization I was serious and set on my condition. I saw the thoughts whirring through his head--metaphorically--as he considered. When he spoke next, I knew I’d won. “I have a condition of my own.”
I smiled behind the mask, which he had to hear in my voice. “What is it?”
“That if they turn and run, the deal’s off,” he said. “It doesn’t do us any good if we can’t rely on the help we’re getting. So, if they run for any reason, they’re still wanted.”
My turn to consider. I agreed with his proposal, actually. It would cut down people paying lip service to helping out and then sneaking away once the work began, which I would not have put past a lot of my associates. “I suppose…” I said, drawing out the last word as if I were reluctant. “That’s a fair request, and I agree.”
“We will need to move quickly,” Imperius said as he stood. I followed action and looked up at the tall man. “I trust my word is enough?”
“If mine is,” I replied.
“You have a reputation for following through on deals,” he replied, unruffled.
I smiled, though he couldn’t see it through the mask. “So do you.” This, for any future villains reading these, was why you always dealt honest and kept your word unless you had to break it. If I had had a reputation for being a double dealer, this wouldn’t have happened. Or, if it had, I wouldn’t have gotten what I wanted. I wouldn’t have dealt with anyone else but Imperius. He not only would keep his part of the bargain, but he also had enough power and influence to enforce it.
“The formula?” he asked, reaching a hand out.
I pulled a pad of paper from my trench coat, then handed it over. “Alistair, outside, he’ll do what he needs to do to de-spell it,” I said. “When and where to meet up?” We had to get coordinated first. This was a big operation, and the sheer amount of organization staggered me. I still had to get criminals on board too.
“We have to move fast,” he said, a frown creasing his strong features. “I’d hope for tonight at the latest, but it’ll take longer than that to synthesize the chemical and come up with an effective way to distribute it, not to mention the other logistical headaches.” He gave a heavy sigh and shook his head slowly, back and forth. I couldn’t help but to laugh at the expression on his face, my nervousness now evaporated since the deal was done and it hadn’t been as bad as I’d feared.
“I still have to convince a bunch of crooks,” I replied. “It’ll have to be tomorrow. If Pangea keeps moving as slow as she has been, at least some of the city will remain untouched.” Not much, but some. “Give me your number. We’ll stay in touch that way.”
“We should exchange numbers,” he said, taking out his phone. I hesitated, and he must have read something in my eyes. “It’s an extension of trust. Without trust, we can’t deal.”
“The center cannot hold,” I muttered to myself, but nodded in agreement. Some people might have been delighted that such a powerful celebrity and hero like himself had their number. Not me. Even though I gave him a burner phone’s number, they could still track me through it. He was right. I had to trust in order for this to work. As we exchanged digits, I wondered if the pure psychopath me would have done this, trusted him that far. As I ran my mind over the thought, feeling it like a welt in my mind, I knew I wouldn’t have a month ago. Maybe I would have come up with something else, or spent time planning things more thoroughly to leave myself completely safe. I had no way to know for sure.
As I closed my phone up and tucked it away, he offered his hand out again to shake. I cocked my head to the side and took his hand in mine, shaking it with the gravest of expressions… not that he could see it. I didn’t like heroes. I never would. However, my black and white world had been shattered into a thousand different shades of situations. Sometimes, you did have to compromise. And maybe all these emotions weren’t all bad, as they allowed me to see and do things I wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
I was never going to be a hero though. Even without my ‘pathy, I just enjoyed killing people too much.
Chapter Sixteen
The meeting over with, finishing up the details took only a couple more minutes and then we black and grey hats were left to our own devices outside. Night had fallen. Time moved so fast, and there was so much to be done.
“What now?” Rory asked.
“Now, you’re going back to the pack and telling them what we’re doing,” I said, ordering him in a tone which brooked no argument. I looked at Alistair, “And you, back to the Siren. I know she--”
“Wait,” Rory said, growling the word, interrupting me. When I gave him a cool look, he deflated incrementally so he wasn’t posturing aggression towards me. Barely. “I can’t go back there, Caprice. They cast me out. I’m a freak. I’m… Adira’s the….” He stopped and ran a hand through his dark green hair, agitated.
“You have to,” I said. “I have to go gather contacts and see who I can find. It’s all hands on deck for this one, Wolf.”
He kept shaking his head, looking down at the pavement. “You don’t know what you’re asking me to do,” he said. “I can’t… I can’t go back there. I can’t. You’re my pack. The only one I’ve got.”
Alistair pursed his lips and looked away, uncomfortable, before his feet took him where his eyes were looking. Now alone, more or less, I stared at Rory, trying to understand what in the hell he was talking about. “They’ll accept you,” I said. “You’re pack. And, different, yeah, but more or less you, right?”
He half nodded, then half shook his head. “I smell different, and I act different,” he said. “I’ve still got this… got the other guy in me. It’s… he’s… we’re following you.�
�� He looked up at me, his green eyes bright and glowing in the dimly lit street. His handsome but wide mouth was drawn down into an unhappy frown and his brows were bunched up made him look sad and scared. “You don’t understand the pack, and I don’t think you ever will. There’s… we’re all the same. Yeah, I loved Adira, but we were partners. We trusted each other. But if it had been someone else, I’d feel the same. They were a part of me. There were no favorites. There was just… all. Everyone. The same. We were a family, pack.” He stopped, looking at a loss for words.
“I know what a family is,” I said, but he stepped forward, looking down at me with that same anguished expression.
“I need to make you understand this,” he said. “We were all equals. The same. It was one living thing, one unit acting together. Except for Nos… Nazferatu.” He looked uncomfortable taking on my moniker for the other dimensional Nosferatu, but there had to be a name change to keep them separate. “He was first among many, because he was the leader, our voice. When I changed, that changed. Doesn’t matter if my mind’s mostly back to rights. I’ve lost things, names… places… memories. My scent is different. I act different. I feel different. I’m less… and more than what I was.” He blinked, then gave me a ghost of his old grin, “Smarter too, I think. The pack’s drifting. I think you saw that.”
I nodded. “Adira… she seemed…” I didn’t have words really for the desperation I saw in her when she had given herself to this world’s Nosferatu.
“Adrift, looking for our anchor,” he said. Both of his hands came up, brushing my arms before coming to rest lightly on my shoulders, “But I have you, now. You’re my first among many. Well, first among… two, three maybe. I can’t go back. And what’s more… I don’t want to go back.”
Surprise raced through me. Staring at him in shock, my mouth opened but nothing came out for a few seconds. “Rory,” I said, trying to be practical. What would my old self had said? That I’d betray him? I wouldn’t have without reason. That I’d use him? Probably… but I wouldn’t have said that. “I’m not…” I stopped, closing my eyes for a second. When I looked to him again, he waited with utter patience, letting me find my words without prompts or pushes. “I’m not a leader. Yet.”
“You’re mine,” he said. “Why do you think I’ve been fine following you around all day? You need muscle. I got muscle. You need the wolf in me… he’s there and waiting for you. We--the other guy and me, that is--we’re willing to follow. And we want to.” He shook his head, smiling ruefully. “I’m not a great brain. Smarter, yeah, but still not a great brain. But I can fight. And I like fighting. And I like fighting with you.”
Like somewhere out of a romcom nightmare, words bubbled up and spilled past my lips, quiet as death, “I’m not a nice person, Rory. I will hurt you.” Part of my brain screamed at me, Why?! Why are you saying that? Just take it! Take him!. The other half froze up solid, dreading the hurt expression I’d get, or the rejection.
Neither of those materialized. Instead, he gave me that cocky grin of his, “Then hurt me. I’m a big wolf. I can take it.”
That broke the tension and I gave a small laugh, tension easing out of my body. “Good thing to say.”
“Happens to be the truth,” he said, voice light and happy. One of his hands moved up to my jaw and tilted my head further up. He leaned down and brushed a kiss over my lips. “I can hurt you back,” he whispered, waggling his eyebrows. “Just say the word.”
I laughed outright then, and flung my arms around him, inhaling the scent of him as I buried my face in the crook of his neck. He squeezed me back, hard and rough. I rubbed my cheek along his jaw, feeling the stubble growing there. The only thing he wanted was for me to be a leader for him. He didn’t want to change me. He didn’t want to make me into something I wasn’t. He just wanted me to be me, and to follow where I walked. I relished the thought of him having my back… and again, my old self wouldn’t have trusted him. She would have twisted and used him, but done it in such a way that she’d be able to talk herself out of any situation which might arise from any subtle deception.
That woman was gone.
I still didn’t know what was left in the ashes. Much of her remained, and would always, I suspected. I wasn’t the same Caprice that I was even yesterday. Even a few minutes ago. Change was inevitable, but it was good. Too much order led to stagnation. Give me the wild and the free, any day of the week, and I’d be a happy killer.
When I peeled back to look at him, he didn’t just seem happy. Serenity settled over his roguish face, knowing that just as he accepted me, I accepted him. “So, is there like a formal thing we need to do? Or do we just fuck? Flay people? What?”
He grinned widely, “Only if you want to.”
“Another time,” I said, letting go and straightening my coat. “We still have our city to save.”
“Ah, yeah, though we could just let the Mother have ‘em,” he said. “They’re just simians after all.”
I arched a brow. “Is the ‘other guy’ fine with all this?”
“Not really, but where you lead, we follow,” he said, shrugging his broad shoulders. “You broke… I dunno what to call it. Part of its brain off in my head. What’s there is there. It feels the Mother…” His voice trailed off for a moment and his eyes got a faraway look in them, “...along the edges, waiting, singing. She sings. And it’s a song you’d like, I think.” He blinked a few times, his eyes snapping into focus on me, “But we’re contained within the meat, I guess. She pulls, but She doesn’t take over. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“You don’t have to,” I said, shrugging it off. I glanced over to where Alistair stood beneath a streetlamp, looking dire and noir. All he needed was a fedora and gently falling flakes of snow. “I’ll change it up then. Come on.”
Together, we joined the mage. “Everything cleared up?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m changing the plan. I want you to go to Rebekah. I know she’ll be in. You both go and talk to the pack about this.”
“And me?” Rory asked, quirking a brow. “Drinking?”
I made a face, “Funny, Wolf. You’re going to hit up some of those contacts I shared with you during our jobs. See what you can find out. And… try to find Adira.” I frowned slightly, “I haven’t heard boo from her, and by now, she should have found Nos.”
Rory’s face darkened at the mention. “You can’t trust him,” he said. “Adira… the rest… I feel for them, y’know? Still. But not him. He’s not the same guy he was in Axis. You can’t trust him.”
“Maybe not, but he’s a good fighter,” I responded. His face continued to darken. “He’ll help.”
“You put too much faith in him,” Rory replied. “I’ll do what you want, though I’m not looking around too hard.”
“Fair enough.” I smiled. “The others are more important anyway, they’ll get the word around about Imperius’ deal. Be sure to collect phone numbers.”
“What are you going to do?” Alistair inquired, his hands twitching as he began to draw runes in the air for whatever transport spell he was planning.
“Going to try to talk to a demon, again,” I sighed. “Probably with the same result, but we have to burn every bridge, right?”
Chapter Seventeen
My previous entreaty to speak with Malech had fallen on deaf ears. Even though I didn’t expect anything different this time around, I had to give it a try. The Underground was a major place to hang out for black hats, and it would be the easiest, fastest way to spread the message of what was going down by announcing it there. Or at least cornering some and talking it over. There were other places I could go, but some of them had already been taken over by the mostly dormant plants, which grew ever outward, absorbing more and more of Imperial City into its territory. There were contacts I could call, and would after this doomed attempt. This was first so I could cross it off my list.
The Underground had many entrances, and I found the closest plant-free one. I�
�d only eaten a meal and a half today, and been flying around a lot, so when I landed by the stairs which went down into the lobby of the Underground, I swayed on my feet. After eating an energy bar--ugh, I was getting tired of them--I walked down the steps. At the worst, my attempt would be rebuffed and I could grab some real food while I made my calls at a local diner.
No matter which entrance you came in at, it always looked the same. The same bland walls with posters hung for the week’s entertainment, want ads, and advertisements for booze. A windowed booth held a sucky-bus, her glossy black hair done up in a bun this time, but still wearing the skimpy black dress which barely concealed anything. There wasn’t a line so when I approached, she looked up at me, arching a brow.
I put on my best smile. I hadn’t seen this particular sucky-bus before, but it seemed they knew my face no matter where I tried to enter. “Hey there,” I started, reaching into my pocket to bring out money for the cover charge. “I need to see--”
Out of nowhere, Malech appeared in front of me, ghosting in on wispy white vapors like a vampire did, except with steam instead of smoke. I’d seen him a few times in the Underground, and twice close up and personal. The first time was when I’d asked him for a favor. He got something out of that deal I still didn’t quite understand, but whatever it was he’d seen or what question he’d silently asked and got answered had satisfied him. The second time was when I’d slipped up and killed someone in his club. He’d kicked me out. Violence was not tolerated in the Underground.