by K. T. Tomb
Milek peered over the ledge, which came to the little man’s chest. Sweat dripped down his nose and he seemed relieved to get some fresh air. “They found a body in the alley. From all reports, it was hideously mutilated. There are some who think that a pack of wolves, which have been known to roam these hills, might have come down into town.”
“Why wolves?”
“There is some evidence that he might have been eaten.”
“Eaten? Does anyone know who he is?”
“Yes. A young man who works here at the hotel. He was a waiter in the Upstairs Grill. I remember the boy. A good-looking chap. Looked a little like that American actor, Tom Cruise—Alexey, are you okay?”
The Russian pharmaceutical giant had leaned a hand against the granite balcony. He suddenly didn’t feel like a giant. He felt weak and suddenly, very mortal. He felt as if he were caught up in some kind of nightmare. His knees were weak.
She had killed him.
And eaten him?
‘What time does the restaurant close? I think I’ll get a bite to eat...’
“No, Milek. I’m most certainly not all right.”
“Shall I call a doctor?” The little man, who was watching his employer closely, squinted slightly through his round glasses. “You’re as white as a ghost.”
Alexey was silent and then shook his head. He continued to hold himself up against the railing. He suddenly had an urge to run, to flee back to Moscow and forget this madness. And it is madness.
Glorious madness.
He had never run from anything in his entire life.
Never had the stakes been so high.
Immortality. The Tree of Life. The possibilities were infinite.
Below him came the sound of the milling crowd, the shouts of policemen to keep their distance, and the honking of horns. “Milek, prepare a meeting with Colonel Sharif immediately. I want to introduce him to Sulna.”
The little man looked skeptical. “Perhaps after you rest...”
“There is no rest for the wicked, Milek.”
“Of course. Shall I retrieve Miss Sulna as well?”
“No, I will fetch her.” As his assistant turned to leave, Alexey added, “Have housekeeping clean in here as soon as possible.”
“Of course.”
Chapter Four
She was in the palace suite on the same floor. All accommodations were paid, of course, by Alexey. He rapped loudly on the door. Alexey was admittedly never one to knock softly on anything. His Rolex told him it was 8:39 a.m. His mouth still tasted like the contents of his stomach, although he had scrubbed his teeth and tongue twice.
He heard footsteps and then, the door swung open. He was immediately impressed by two things. First was an amazingly attractive woman standing before him. She was as tall as Sulna, with hair so blond as to appear white. She had blue eyes and a long-limbed body that was hidden under a traditional robe she must have picked up recently. It was clear she was not from around here, or anywhere near here. The second was more of the foul odor. He briefly turned his head to deeply inhale the sweet clean air of the hallway.
He turned back, breathing through his mouth. “I’m here to see Sulna.”
“Sulna is resting,” she said in a silky Russian accent. “As you well know, she had a busy night.”
He looked down at the white-tiled floor along the suite foyer. There was a dark spot. Then another. It could have been anything. It could have been blood. “Wrong answer,” he said. He reached out to push the door open further, but it wouldn’t move. The woman was seemingly holding the doorknob lightly, but he couldn’t budge it. “What is it with you women?”
He slipped his body in sideways through the open door, squeezing past her. She was three inches taller than him, which he continued to find irritatingly disconcerting. As he passed, she looked down at him oddly, their faces inches apart. He had the sensation that she found him amusing, attractive, or appetizing. Never had a woman looked upon him in such a way. Sulna, of course, had the same look on her face when she’d gazed upon the waiter.
He stepped into the suite, resisting the urge to tuck his nose into the crook of his arm to block the stench.
“Is there something wrong, Mr. Konstantin?” she asked smoothly. She seemed to be enjoying his discomfort.
“Can you open a window?”
She looked at him for a moment. “Yes.”
She moved off down the hallway and he looked down at the floor. There were more splotches of what had to be dried blood. Also, he could see a hotel washcloth resting on a mirrored table. He had caught someone in the act of cleaning. The washcloth was set down, probably to answer the door. There was blood on the washcloth. The trail of blood stopped adjacent to it. But the blood had been rounding a corner...
He followed the trail. In the next room, he could hear curtains being thrown open. The trail of blood, before being partially wiped clean, led to the suite’s kitchen complete with a refrigerator and microwave.
Someone had been hurt. And bad. But who? What had happened in here last night?
The kitchen was empty.
No, not entirely.
He took a step inside the kitchen and peered more closely.
Blood was on the handle of the refrigerator door. Just a faint smear, but clear enough on the polished metal. Someone had taken a swipe at it with something, probably the washcloth, but had failed to clean up the entire mess.
He discovered that his heart was beating harder than he could have believed. It pulsed in his chest, and obscured the voices that he now heard coming from the other room. Apparently, her majesty Sulna had been awakened by the platinum-blond Amazon.
He focused on the refrigerator door handle.
If you’re bleeding and hurt, would you come straight from the front door and into the kitchen and open the refrigerator door for a soda?
No. He didn’t think so.
You would head straight to the bathroom to clean and bandage the wound.
He moved closer to the refrigerator, his shoes quiet on the tiles. He continued to breathe through his mouth. His throat was dry now. He needed something to drink, something cold. The whole suite felt stuffy. He continued the relentless battle of keeping down his bile. He was almost getting used to this battle.
He reached for the door handle.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” asked a voice behind him.
He winced, sure that his heart had stopped momentarily. Without looking, his back was still turned to her. He was surprised by how incredibly old Sulna sounded. Her voice grated over the words, harsh and ragged.
He spoke over his shoulder. “Yes. I’m sure.”
She sighed. “Then feel free.”
He waited, allowing his heart to restore itself to its natural rhythm. He then reached for the door handle, gripping it just below the blood smear. He cracked the door open, allowing some light to spill out. He pulled the door open the rest of the way.
Laying across the top shelf of the refrigerator, bent around some bottles of juice, was a human arm.
He gasped.
He turned his head and retched. He didn’t think there could possibly be anything left in his stomach.
I was wrong.
“A snack,” said Sulna. “For later.”
There had even been a ring on one of the fingers.
“I hope you won’t allow this to come between our partnership,” she said, stepping into the kitchen and touching his shoulder. He flinched. She reached under his elbow and pulled him up to turn him to face her. The strength within her hands was phenomenal. He had never in his life been handled in such a way, not since he was a child and not by anyone other than his own father.
“It’s who we are. It’s what we do.”
He said nothing, but stared at her with what he knew must have been wide and wild eyes. She reached out and stroked his cheek.
“But don’t worry. You are safe. We need each other.” She paused. “So, I ask you this again. You will not al
low this to come between us, will you?”
He opened his mouth, searched and found his voice, while pulling his arm away from her and summoning his dignity. There was too much at stake. The hell if I care what she does with her free time.
“No, Sulna. I won’t allow this to come between us.”
She smiled as her entire face lit up. She looked like she could have really been thirty, or even twenty-five. Then she reached out and kissed him deeply. His mouth tasted foul, but she didn’t seem to care.
“I’m so glad.”
Chapter Five
Evan Knight used his cell phone to call for a cab while he was at a local Denny’s. While he and Jessima IL Eve waited, he pulled some cash from the ATM and called for airplane tickets. He then discovered the quickest route to Iran was through Germany.
“I’m thinking it might be a good idea to call for some support in Germany in case these Fallen are keeping as close a tail on us as you think.”
“Whatever keeps your mind at ease, Knight.”
The next flight to Germany left at 10:30 a.m. They were going to have to wait out the night. That wasn’t too terrible a prospect considering he was going to need some technical support on his overseas adventure. The delay would give him some time to rest before the long trip and also allow for his colleague to get to Munich to meet him. He dialed the number for Lothbruk Investments’ Stockholm offices and asked for Thyri Ragnarsson.
Thyri had reluctantly come into the membership of Quests Unlimited a couple of years prior when she identified herself as the premier financial backing behind an elite team of espionage experts called Alpha Adventurers.
When Thyri answered, Evan quickly explained he would be in Europe on his way to the Middle East and was possibly being pursued. He gave her the flight details.
“I see. Hold the line for a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Evan replied, knowing better than to get long winded with the high-strung oil magnate.
After a brief silence, Thyri came back on the line. “Magnus will meet your flight tomorrow,” she replied in her usual curt style. “He handles my personal security in Eastern Europe and he’ll take care of everything.”
“Oh my God, that sounds fantastic. If you don’t mind me asking, where are the guys and gals of Alpha at the moment?”
“You know my lips would be sealed to anyone outside of Quests… but, the coincidence is just too huge not to let you know. They’re in Austria, actually, on a new case.”
“Wow! I guess I’ve got more backup than I expected.”
“Indeed. According to Ophelia, Chyna Stone is on her way to England to get started on a search for the armor of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Personally, I can’t wait to get an up-close look at that gem!”
“Ha ha! You’re assuming she’ll find it.”
“Doesn’t she always?”
“You do make a very valid point.”
Thyri laughed melodically.
“Have a safe trip, Dr. Knight. I hope you find what you’re going after.”
“We’ll do our best. And Thyri?”
“Yes, Evan?”
“Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure.” With that, she promptly hung up.
Soon, they were pulling up to the Hilton outside of LAX. He paid the taxi driver and led the way to the front desk.
As he was signing for the room, a dribble of blood splashed down through his jacket sleeve and onto the form. He hastily wiped it away, leaving a blood streak.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
“Um, no problem,” said the young female desk clerk, who took hold of the endorsed receipt carefully by one corner and deposited it in a slot in her cash register. “Rough night?” she asked.
“You have no idea.”
“The bellman can take your bags,” she said, without looking up. Apparently, she had decided to abandon her inquiries, after putting some thought into it. After all, did she really care why a man was bleeding on her counter? Knight didn’t think so.
“It’s okay,” said Knight. “We’re traveling light tonight.”
Indeed, he had nothing, not even a change of clothing. He had grabbed his passport, wallet, and keys to the ATV parked under his studio. They had headed out as soon as possible.
On the way to the elevator, Jess said, “You are hurt.”
“It’s nothing. It’ll heal.”
“I can help you.”
“It’ll heal—normally,” he said with emphasis.
“You are sore at me,” she said, nodding to herself as if confirming her own suspicions.
They stepped into the glass elevator and he punched the button for the fifteenth floor. Just as the doors were about to shut, a younger couple stepped in. They were dressed to the nines, both beautiful people who were well aware of that fact. The girl was hanging all over the man, who didn’t seem to mind at all. He flashed Knight and Jess a smile and then his eyes lingered briefly on Jess. Man or woman, straight or gay, Knight knew that anyone with the gift of sight couldn’t help but have their eyes linger on the amazing spectacle that was Jessima IL Eve.
Still, Knight didn’t like the way this man’s eyes lingered on her.
“Did you say, ‘sore at me’?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“That term is a little outdated. When was the last time you were in the States?”
“Twenty-two years ago.”
Knight laughed. “That explains it.”
The man and woman, who were both listening now, laughed a little. The woman was nibbling on the man’s earlobe. They were irritating the hell out of Knight. After all, this was turning out to be an incredibly long evening.
“Well,” she said. “Are you angry with me?”
He was, but he was also so overwhelmed with emotions for her that he found it hard to sustain his anger. However, she seemed highly perceptive and eager to deal with the situation. He decided to be frank with her, with no game playing. He was never much on games.
“Yes,” he said. “I am angry with you.”
The woman stopped nibbling on the man’s lobe and peered at Knight over the man’s shoulder. The man tried to swing her around to get a look at them, but the woman resisted.
“Why?” asked Jess.
“I didn’t appreciate you using my life as a bargaining chip back there.”
“It was the only way to convince her not to pull the trigger. She needed to understand it was futile and that she had but one option. That was to put down the gun and escape with her life.”
Now the man’s head swung around. Knight wanted to punch him for being nosy.
The elevator chimed on his and Jess’s floor. Knight stepped aside and allowed Jess to lead the way from the elevator. The man and woman could not have looked more disappointed that the battle was over for them and almost seemed ready to follow them.
Knight turned back before the double doors closed and said to the still-staring couple, “Too bad. It gets real good from here on.”
The door shut while the woman stuck her tongue out at him. Her tongue was pierced and sported jewelry with silver ball bearings at the ends.
Knight caught up to Jess, who was already standing in front of their suite three doors down from the elevator. The woman has a hell of stride.
Knight produced the key cards. He used one to pop open the lock, then opened the door for her. As he did so, he resumed his argument: “You know, until I met you, I was sure of a few things in my life. One being that people had normal lifespans.” He shut the door behind him. It shut louder than it probably had to. “The other being that I will die only once. Not twice, or three times. When I go, I’m gone, sister! I don’t want to be brought back through the pearly bright tunnel.”
“I understand,” she said. She had stopped just inside the suite, folded her arms across her chest, and was leaning a hip against the foyer table. It was one hell of a sexy pose. He tried to focus his thoughts on his anger. “But she didn’t pull the trigger. You are alive and we bot
h shall live to fight another day.”
“How do you know your oil can bring me back from the dead?” he said, pointing to the leather thong around her neck. “I mean, does this shit always work?”
“This shit,” she said, slightly offended, “has kept me alive for twelve hundred years. Not only that,” she said, pausing, “it brought me back from death. Twice.”
“Someday,” he said, “when I’m not so pissed and tired, I want to hear both stories. Deal?”
She shrugged.
His shoulder was stiffening up badly. A little of that oil would go a long way right about now. He touched his forehead, where she had cracked him sharply. There was nothing there, of course. The oil did work, at least on minor flesh wounds. But pride prevented him from requesting the use of it now.
The suite was large, with two rooms and a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. All he wanted to do was soak his body.
“I’m going to be in the tub. Pick whatever room you want,” he said.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she walked over to the window and pulled open the curtain and gazed down onto L.A.
He shut the bathroom door.
Chapter Six
Jess was replaying Morina’s words in her mind: There was an army marching on Eden, led by a man named Alexey. Of course, Alexey would just be the money man. The true leader would be Sulna, who knew the Sisters’ lair inside and out, for she had helped build it back in the beginning. She would know her way around and she would know the Sisters’ weaknesses. Most importantly, she knew how to find the Garden of Eden and how to disarm the final obstacle to the Tree of Life.
The Sword of Fire.
The Sword could be defeated, but one would need to be prepared.
Jess knew Sulna would come prepared.
They were stuck in this hotel until morning. She gritted her teeth. There was certainly nothing she could do about it now. Northern Iran was a world away and now, she had Evan Knight to chaperone.
He was a great warrior, it was true. She had seen him in action tonight. He had proven himself well under pressure. Hell, not just pressure. Extreme pressure. Few mortals could have handled the Fallen as he had, and he had escaped with barely a scratch.