by Morgan Blade
“You’re back from Fairy. You should have reported in at once so I can cover you with a protection detail. You are a lot of people’s favorite target, you know.”
“I’m not back for long. I’m dealing with major crap in Fairy and have to get back soon. Don’t worry, Colt’s got me covered.”
“A nine-year-old? That puts my mind at ease.”
“While I’ve got you on the phone,” I said, “I need some cash freed up to buy a small recording label.”
“You’ve got one. GrimZone Records. We picked it up last year for tax purposes.”
“People should tell me these things.”
“If you’d actually read the reports I send you…”
“Contact whoever’s running the label and make sure they book me at least twelve hours of studio time. Thanks, luv.”
“Wait. I need to tell you about Kat and Joshua.”
“What about them?” Kat was Mistress of Sacramento, her husband Joshua, a were-liger. They’d recently attended the Old Man’s wedding in Las Vegas.”
“They’ve moved out of Sacramento, relocated, and didn’t tell anyone where or why. The territory is up for grabs, and the vamps are playing hard ball. I thought you needed to know.”
“I’ll worry about it later.” I hung up.
A waitress with drinks on a tray came up to me. “Where are you sitting?”
“This way.” I ambled to the table and took a seat. The waitress put down the drinks. “Anything else I can get you?”
“Hot wings,” Colt said.
Grace and Drummer Girl nodded.
“Two orders,” I said.
The waitress nodded and retreated with her tray.
I’d just finished my drink when Gloria came in. She swerved, coming straight for me like I owed her money. I stood and returned her hug. She smelled my neck. My blood held great attraction for her, but we were in public; she let me go without taking a free sample. “Caine, it’s about time you remembered me. I’ve been pining away.”
I let a hungry glance rove over her. “If this is pining, you should do it more often.”
Gloria’s stare took in the guys at the table.
Colt looked up at her. “Hi, Auntie Gloria.”
“My son Colt, from the future. He knows future you, but I think this might be your first time meeting him.”
Drummer Girl whispered to Grace. “You’re sure he’s sane?”
“I wish you’d stop asking,” Grace said. “And yes, he owns a recording label. And no, I don’t know why he’s wearing a crown.”
“Looks good on you though,” Gloria said.
“Dad’s conquered most of Fairy. He’s going to be their new Overlord,” Colt’s explanation brought a moment of startlement, though I’m not sure who bought it, if anyone.
Grinning, Gloria changed the subject, nodding at the young girls. “Robbing the cradle? Well, who am I to object. Most of the guys I see are centuries younger.”
“It’s not like that.” I sat back down. “Pull up a chair.”
Gloria pulled a chair over and joined us. I made quick introductions, keeping it to first names—though I had to hesitate over Drummer Girl, since I didn’t know her.”
Drummer Girl nodded a greeting across the table. “Hi, I’m Lindsey Gates.”
“Grace and Lindsey are going to be recording with one of my companies, Gloria. I wonder if I can ask you to put them up somewhere for a few weeks.”
“What’s in it for me?”
I smiled. “I’ll let you invest.”
“You’d like me to pay you to do a favor for you?” Gloria laughed. “I knew you were audacious, but this…”
Colt stared at her. “It won’t do you any good to argue. You’re going to do it.”
Gloria stopped laughing. “You know that because…”
“I’m from the future.”
She stared at him. “Well, you seem to believe that. Your heartbeat didn’t change. Are you really Caine’s son?”
He nodded. “Yep. And my mom is Selene. Goddess of the Red Moon.”
Gloria sat very still, like someone who went to pet a cat and found a tiger.
I leaned toward her. “Grace is part kitsune and her father is king of the shadow men. She can do partial shifting with her larynx to sing in multiple tones across four octaves. If we handle it right, her first album will go platinum.”
Colt took a sip from his soda. “Double platinum. But first, she’s going to help us with some ghosts.”
The hot wings came and he plunged in. Lindsey wasn’t slow either.
Grace looked at me. “Ghosts?”
I smiled. “If you wouldn’t mind. It would really help me out.”
Gloria narrowed her eyes at me. “Spill, Caine. Details.”
I pulled a plate of wings closer and snatched up a coupe that I repositioned on a napkin. “I’ll fill you in later. Right now, I just need you to get the girls settled, and maybe you and Lindsey can interview some talent. We’re going to need at least a bass player and a lead guitarist. All girls if possible. Girl bands are hot.”
Gloria crossed her arm under her breasts, fluffing them up. “Caine, you swear this is worth my time?”
I looked at Grace. “Give her a sample.”
Grace sang a clear and piercing note that leaped two octaves, split in half, and then modulated into two separate trills, point and counterpoint, descending in a rush.”
The whole room fell quiet, listening.
I nudged Gloria’s arm. “And that’s not even with words.”
My phone vibrated, letting me know I had a text. I pulled it out and read the message. “Peter Grimm, the manager of GrimZone Records wants a meeting next week. He’s opened some studio time up for us as well.”
“I’ve heard about that guy, not what I’d call respectable,” Gloria said. “He does business with my son.”
Sleazy birds of a feather.
I lifted an eyebrow. “That’s right. Adrian has contacts in the music industry.”
Gloria said, “Any contract you’re offered, I’d look it over, carefully. Or get Angie to do it.”
“She’s relocated to Las Vegas,” I said. “I know, Gloria, you manage them. I know you won’t let them get screwed over. Think of it as an opportunity to show Adrian up. He’s always been a little too full of himself.”
Gloria sighed. “I wish you boys would get along.”
I shook my head sadly. “Not going to happen. There are cool vampires like you, Gloria, and then there are candy-assed dick wads with iron pokers up their ass who strut way above their paygrade. You know who I mean.”
She sighed. “If only his father had taken an interest in him…” Her gaze went to the girls wiping bar-b-q sauce off their faces with napkins. “Alright. I’ve got an empty room upstairs you can share.” Her gaze swung to me. “And I’ll tell you how you can return the favor.”
I thought it was going too smoothly.
“I’m listening,” I said.
“Kane, not you, Caine. Our vampire lord, Kane, he wants me to bring you to his mansion for a visit.”
“What’s his interest?” I asked.
“You’re asking if its business or pleasure?”
“Do I need to bring armed guards? Are you going to be there? If you are, will you be on my side, or his? And if I have to hack his head off, does that mean that I’ll have every vampire in the world coming after me?”
I suddenly remembered what Gray had said: Trust your paranoia.
Gloria patted my hand like I was a child. “Relax, Caine. He’s a big fan. I think he wants to thank you for including us in on that invasion of Tartarus. He was able to dust off the old broadsword and go all medieval on those Villagers. He says he hasn’t had that much fun since the Dark Ages.”
I pretended to relax. The oldest of vampires, the first, the strongest, there had to be a deep game hidden under the social call. I felt it in my guts. I smiled. “Fine. I’ll see him. But it will have to wait until I’ve settled t
hings down in Fairy.”
“I’ll let him know.” Gloria stood and beckoned to the girls. “Those are your suitcases under the table? C’mon, I’ll show you where you can stash them.”
Lindsey dragged out the luggage and backpacks as Colt and I stood aside. Grace leaned into me, her eyes like topaz jewels. “Gloria really is a vampire?”
I whispered back. “Yes, and her vampire super-hearing is as good as kitsune and dragon hearing. She knows you’re whispering about her.”
“Oh.” Grace turned and smiled at Gloria. “Nothing personal. I just like to know what I’m dealing with.”
“Smart is better than stupid,” Gloria said. “I approve.”
“Just one thing,” Grace said. “I have a pet who may pop in from the Dream Lands at any time. Try not to be alarmed.”
“Pet?” Gloria mouthed the word, unsure of its taste.
“A two-thousand-pound, teal-blue fu dog,” I said. “Don’t leave any chocolate lying around. It will die an ugly death.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
“The fate of the world at stake and
nobody’s paying me for this; how sad.”
—Caine Deathwalker
Colt stared at me like I was stupid. Well, more so than usual; a demon lord gets no respect from his loved ones. His child’s voice spiked with disbelief. “You want to go in alone?”
“It’s not like you guys can’t portal in if I need you. We have the UHF radio transceivers. They have a five-mile range, you’ll know what’s going on.” I tapped the little clip on device attached to the strap of my AR Raider pistol. I had my katana, PPK Storm 4 semi-automatics, and a cool batman mask I’d bought at Walmart, programed to utter numerous threats to put fear into the hearts of evildoers because, as we all know, criminals are a cowardly superstitious lot.
Izumi’s cold stare dropped the temperature in the treehouse dining room twenty degrees. “You are betting your life on a walkie-talkie? Why?”
“It sounds cooler when you call them radio transceivers.” The pitcher of watermelon gin punch was half gone. I eyed the one with Vodka Lavender Thyme Lemonade. I reached for it.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Colt said.
“Dragon metabolism. This isn’t near enough to get me drunk.” I pulled the pitcher closer and refilled my cup.
Selene leaned in and studied my face like I was a new exotic specimen. “Normally, that’s true, but something has been affecting you lately, throwing off your balance.”
I had noticed that myself. Gray might have been right that I shouldn’t have broken the seal on my darker impulses on the astral plains. Still, it was done. I’d adjust. Who knows, a less than kind, not quite gentle warlord might even be a bit more effective. It occurred to me that restraint might even be a little overrated. The Phantom Court had a fixation with death and ghostly power. I had no problem helping them to the Light, if my first plan to sneak in fell apart.
I sighed. “Look, I won’t be alone. I’ll be going in with Grace and Tukka. I’ve worked with them before. They’ll take me across the vail into the Ghost World. From there, I ought to be able to infiltrate the Phantom Court without them knowing. I locate the last tie, grab it, and come back through the Ghost World so they can’t pursue me.”
Selene helped herself to my drink, finishing it off for me. “Not bad,” she muttered.
Izumi said, “Even if Grace and the beast can do as you say, how do you know that the Phantom Court doesn’t also have people that can—what’s the word…?”
“Crossover,” I said. “It’s a rare ability. I don’t know of anyone else that can do this. And, like I said, if things fall apart, you’ll portal in to back me up.”
“What if the Phantom Court has ghosts to use. They can summon from this Ghost World, too, right?” Colt asked.
Damn. Kid’s way too smart for my own good.
“Grace and Tukka have been kicking ghost ass all their lives. I’ll be in good hands.”
“Where are these two?” Izumi asked. “I want to meet them.”
I nodded. “Good idea. Down in the garden. Having a two-ton creature in a treehouse with a lot of breakables didn’t seem advisable.”
Who says I can’t think straight?
“I want to go in with you,” Colt said. “A fu dog that big can carry three people, right?”
“You’re not used to fighting in the Ghost World. Physics there are different. And if Grace loses hold of you, you’ll pop out where anyone can see you. I’ve worked with her. I’ve the ability to maintain myself after crossover in the ghost realm, without help from Grace. Without this skill, you’ll be putting her in more danger, which will put the mission in greater danger. Really, people, have some faith. I’ve thought this out and the risks are much milder than many I’ve succeeded at.”
White mist swirled from Izumi’s lips as she answered. “Yeah, but some of those risks were flat out crazy and shouldn’t have worked.”
“It’s a good plan. And if I have a habit of making the impossible work out, that’s even more reason to go. Besides, they know by now that they’re the last. If I don’t go to them, they will come after me. This has to be done.” I stood, snatched up the vodka lemonade, and headed for the balcony. “Let’s take the elevator down and you guys can meet Grace. And Tukka, the stomach that walks like a dog—a very big dog.”
I took the elevator with Izumi. Selene and Colt preferred to jump from the railing and float down under their own power.
Just showing off.
Izumi touched my arm. “You are different. Your impulse control seems a little wobbly.”
“Yeah, I know. Which is why I need to unite the Heart Stone. I’m tied to it, and it is growing a lot stronger, and still unbalanced. I think I’ll do better once that influence is fixed.”
Her gaze still held doubt. “Well, if it will fix you, I guess you’d better go in.”
“I need your support, Izumi. You’ve stood by me a lot of years. I’m going to need you to hold Fairy for me as the Overlord’s queen when all of this is over. I’ll have to turn my attentions to the Dragon World and Earth.”
She smiled weakly. “I know, I know. He who dies with the most toys wins. But if you die, I’ll never forgive you.”
I kissed her. Frost formed on my face. We stepped off the magic disk as it reached ground level. Selene and Colt were over by the fountain, having found our guests. Of course, a teal-blue dog the size of a rhino isn’t easy to overlook. Izumi and I strolled over.
Over my garden walls, in the direction of town, I saw high granite walls pulled up from deep underground. The town was now a fortress. Izumi had done a great job.
Grace had dressed for battle: she wore a black body stocking, had a Kevlar chest protector that had been customized, contoured to fit over her breasts, but not to hide them, and she wore elbow length leather gloves with braces on that held iron throwing spikes. She wore steel-toe boots and shin-protectors with spiked knee-pads. She’d undergone a small transformation. Tiny moth wings fluttered at her back and fresh antennae sprouted from her forehead, making her look fey, not kitsune. And completely new to me, a special flap in the seat of her pants accommodated twin fox tails while preserving her modesty.
Colt couldn’t stop staring. I think he wanted to pet her, but didn’t quite dare.
Behind her, like a blue wall, I saw Tukka’s side. His teal color seemed a little more faded than I remembered. Also, it seemed like he had a little more sag to his gut.
Maybe he’s just getting old and should think about retiring soon.
He turned our way, showing us a face with one lavender eye, the other milky, surrounded by scars. He’d fought something somewhere that had marked him. I hoped he’d at least won the fight. His good eye looked me over. His projected thoughts were sour and scathing. No one’s killed you yet? What kind of trouble are you trying to get Grace into now?
I had the sudden impulse to feed him to some tentacles. Manfully, I resisted.
Maybe when th
e mission is over…if I can do it without getting caught.
I pulled out Look Number Forty-Three: Injured Innocence with a hint of World-Weariness. “That’s a fine way to great a friend. Should I lay down so you can wipe your feet on me?”
Tukka grinned hugely. Would you?
Grace frowned at him. “Be nice. Caine’s doing a lot for Lindsey and me.”
Tukka kept his one-eyed glower going strong. He wants a lot, too. Just don’t go signing anything in blood.
Izumi kept her distance from the iron spikes Grace wore, but didn’t seem unfriendly. I think the tails and antennae had won her over. “You’re kitsune, and fey?” she asked.
“Not fey,” Grace answered. My father’s a shadow man.”
“But the antennae?” Selene crowded Grace, staring. She reached out slowly, about to brush a feathery frond.
Grace stepped back, turning her head. “Please don’t. Those are sensitive. Besides dispersing pheromones and augmenting my sense of smell, the antennae provide gyroscope flight control. I need them to stabilize my flight.”
“You can fly with those tiny wings?” Colt asked.
I noticed that he’d caught the end of one fox tail and was feeling the white tip.
“Not in the real world.” Grace’s tail tugged itself free. “But when we crossover to the Ghost World, we’ll be down to about half gravity. I can fly there.”
Selene pulled Colt out of the way. “Grace, dear, you were about to tell us how a kitsune-shadow mix wound up with Moth DNA.”
Actually, she wasn’t, but Selene was bursting with curiosity, and getting pushy.”
Grace shrugged. “I was attacked once by an amorous mothman that wouldn’t take “Hell no” for an answer. He kidnapped me and forced certain bio-morphic fluids down my throat. He wrapped me up in a cocoon, trying to forcibly convert me so I’d have to accept him as a mate.”
Selene bared teeth, her eyes fierce and bright. “Bio-morphic fluids? You and I need to sit down and have a long talk. Perhaps when this is all over, you’d like to visit my laboratory.”
Dungeon, you mean. You want tissue samples. My dear Selene, you’re being way too obvious.
Grace lifted her eyebrows. “You’re a medical researcher?”