Shadows & Surrender: A Snarky Urban Fantasy Detective Series (The Jezebel Files Book 3)

by Deborah Wilde

  “Well,” Priya said brightly, stuffing her laptop into a computer bag, “Arnav lived to see another day, so my work here is done.”

  “I hate you.” I let Mrs. Hudson lick my fingers clean.

  “Kiss your dog for me.” Priya grabbed her coat, and left.

  Mrs. Hudson settled down to snooze with one paw on her new bovine friend.

  Before diving in to Mayan’s case, I slid the wooden ring on for a quick library jaunt. Hopefully a good night’s sleep had cleared Rafael’s head and we could discuss what had happened like two non-ensorcelled human beings.

  It was the first time I’d come to the library and no one else immediately showed up. I puttered around, searched the bottom shelf for any notations on yours truly (no success), and sent six text messages to Rafael over the span of twenty minutes. There was no sign or word from him.

  He’d still show up to the team meeting, right? His embarrassment wouldn’t overpower his duties, would it?

  Returning to the office, I opened the new shiny laptop that Priya had bought me. I’d protested such a generous gift, but Priya had declared my old laptop an affront to technology and insisted she was doing this as much for herself as me.

  It was a very Priya statement, and especially in light of her post-kidnapping struggles, not a gift to be refused.

  Checking that Mrs. Hudson was still asleep, I googled Mayan Shapiro. Her various profiles for the past year were filled with images of a fashionable woman with sleek burgundy tresses. Always dressed in black, the photos were mostly of Mayan at various hot spots, interspersed with her work on behalf of the Lung Cancer Foundation, her fitness regimen, and the occasional photo of her in a bikini on some tropical beach with a drink.

  Mayan came across as poised, confident, and sought-after socially.

  I examined the photos and posts from two weeks ago, flipping back and forth between those and the previous entries for any differences.

  It was such a subtle thing that I almost missed it. Every photo prior to that time showed her wearing a necklace with a diamond heart pendant. None of the photos since then had it.

  Me: What’s the deal with Mayan’s heart pendant?

  Imperious 1: Good morning, Ash. I did sleep well, thank you for asking.

  Me: You need to get over this small talk fetish of yours. The pendant?

  Imperious 1: It was her mom’s. Mayan’s worn it since Dani passed away from lung cancer when Mayan was twenty-three. Why?

  Me: She stopped wearing it right around the time that she came to see you.

  Imperious 1: She wouldn’t take it off. Not willingly.

  Levi’s anxiety punched through the cell signal. Time to distract him.

  Me: FYI, I spoke with your charming father this morning. I think he has a mole in your office.

  Imperious 1: Old news, Sherlock. We’ve been feeding him information for months.

  Me: How devious of you. I’m impressed.

  Imperious 1: That’s a euphemism for turned on, right?

  Me: *middle finger emoji*

  Smiling, I returned to my search, stopping on a photo taken last weekend of Mayan at some club. Not somewhere trendy, more a cocktail bar from the 1960’s, a grand dame painted in heavy reds with velvets and brocades where you could still see her regal beauty, even if it was faded. That was unlike Mayan’s usual hangouts, but it had a retro charm that appealed to me. The bartender probably knew how to make a proper drink and served it in a heavy, cut highball glass.

  The extent of my thoughts would have been “cool,” were it not for one thing: the image carved into the bar of a heart with a crown and scepter. I zoomed in on the photo.

  What was a Mundane like Mayan doing in Hedon?

  Chapter 7

  Nowadays, there were three ways into Hedon, a place stitched together from pockets of our reality but existing outside of it. The first was via a gold coin that took the user anywhere in that world that they wished to go, free of charge. The second was by using bronze tokens, which also took a person directly to their desired location, but with a cost, usually in the form of a memory. That added to the Queen of Hearts’ insights about a person, because knowledge was power. I’d recently tangled with those tokens, and while handy, I wasn’t sure they were worth the price of admission.

  The final way in was with a plain coin stamped with an “H,” which was used at one of the fixed entrances located in our world. These only required a cost the first time you entered.

  Traveling to Hedon: painful, dangerous, and for me, unfortunately essential. Too bad any easier, backdoor entrances into the world had recently been sealed up for good. Coin travel it was.

  Distance-wise, the drive to House Pacifica HQ was a short one, but our offices existed in entirely different worlds. Mine was in Gastown, a gentrified cobblestoned neighborhood with trendy cafés, pricey lofts, and hipster boutiques on the edge of one of Canada’s poorest areas.

  House Pacifica sat on a prime piece of real estate in downtown Vancouver, surrounded by office towers branded with corporate logos. Shaped like a seven-story “S” on its side, it changed color depending on the light, the time of day, and possibly Levi’s moods. On this early evening in April, it was bathed in a rosy glow, but I’d also seen it in an inscrutable jet black and a hard bluish-silver. Had I been in charge, its color palette would have been far more limited.

  From past conversations with Arkady, I’d learned that Miles’ office wasn’t on the seventh floor along with the other executives, but the sixth, where all security was housed.

  Compared to the banks of monitors and the hum of activity in the security hub, his office at the back was a cool oasis of calm, painted in soothing blues with a lot of greenery in hanging pots, and a small water feature burbling away in one corner. The only way I’d have been more surprised by it was if I’d caught Miles in yoga pants doing sun salutations.

  “Considering the amount of travel you do to Hedon is nil, you can spare some coins,” I said.

  Mrs. Hudson tugged on her leash so I unclipped it from her collar.

  “I made an exception last time because of the urgency of those smudges and the missing kids,” Miles said. “But if you want coins to get you in and out, follow protocol and buddy up.”

  “That’s not a good idea.” I tossed the deranged cow squeaky toy into the corner and Mrs. Hudson ran for it as fast as her chubby little legs allowed. “None of your security people have ever been there before, which means they’ll be subjected to the Queen looking deep into their heart. Then she’ll head trip them with it, and who knows what condition they’ll be in at that point?”

  “They’re trained professionals. They’ll handle it.” He raised a hand to cut off my protest. “You wanted to work exclusively for the House with a team and our resources at your disposal. Well, you got them, so you don’t get to race off on your own when security protocol dictates otherwise.”

  “This is ridiculous. It’s a simple visit to question some people in a bar.” Miles wasn’t officially part of Team Jezebel, so if he didn’t know about Mayan, then the case fell under client/P.I. confidentiality and wasn’t mine to spill. “I’ve traveled to Hedon by myself multiple times.”

  The puppy dropped the slobbery toy on my shoe. Turning my grimace into a smile so her feelings didn’t get hurt, I petted her for her cleverness.

  “Yeah, and the last time you almost ended up as a living statue in the Queen’s garden. This is non-negotiable, Cohen.” He crossed his arms.

  “Fine. Where’s Arkady?” I flung the cow away again and wiped my fingers on my jeans.

  “How would I know? I’m not his babysitter,” Miles snapped.

  “You’re his boss and it’s work hours.” Gasping theatrically, I covered my mouth with my hand. “Did you two do something unprofessional?”

  “Choi has a big mouth.”

  “Arkady didn’t say anything. The two of you weren’t exactly subtle at Tatiana’s.”

  Miles flushed. “He’s not here. He’s fol
lowing up on whether anyone tried to infuse magic into the abducted teens.”

  “Wow. Good to know you have enough self-awareness not to be a giant hypocrite and tell me your personal life is none of my business. Given how invested you are in mine.”

  “Don’t push me.”

  “Is that a dare?”

  Miles leaned back in his chair, his legs crossed, and his hands steepled together. “It’s a reminder that your way in to Hedon is through me. So, settle the fuck down.”

  Our gazes clashed.

  I had a war to win. Miles was a minor skirmish at best. “Well, I can’t take Priya and I won’t bring a stranger, regardless of how well you think they’ll handle it. That leaves you.”

  “There’s another option. I’ll go with Ash.”

  Miles and I swiveled towards the door. Levi lounged there, one hip propped against the now-closed door.

  His navy suit was sharp looking and well-tailored. He’d complemented it with a matching tie with whimsical tiny white polka dots. Levi’s work style was generally more conservative. That tie looked like something a girlfriend would pick out for him, humming cheerfully as she helped knot it around his neck. She’d straighten it, and Levi would bend down with that small delighted smile that was as surprising and brilliant as a solar flare, pressing a kiss to my—

  “No way.” I shook my head emphatically. “I mean, to going. To Hedon.”

  “Second that,” Miles said.

  Levi gave us a wolfish smile. “Isn’t it great that I outrank you both?”

  Mrs. Hudson squeaked her toy at him, earning a quick scratch. I whistled and snapped my fingers, but she ignored me, enthusiastically dry humping the cow. Huh. Mrs. Hudson preferred cowgirl. Or was it always doggie in her case?

  Miles stood up and stalked toward Levi. “You’re not going there for your first time with only this one as back-up.”

  “Much as you don’t need to be such a dick about it,” I said, “I concur. Why would you possibly want to go there? It’s not Vegas. Trust me, what happens in Hedon does not stay there. Also, you’re too close to this case and I don’t want you getting in the way.”

  The puppy lost interest in the toy and took a drink from Miles’ water feature.

  Miles snapped his fingers. “Dog. Down.”

  I muttered sorry and grabbed the pug, setting her in my lap.

  Without the buzz of chatter from outside, the room was left in a charged silence.

  Levi dropped into an empty chair, his legs crossed. How he managed to do that without wrinkling the line of his bespoke suit was beyond me.

  “When Chariot held the auction to sell smudges,” he said, “they implied that either the Queen or I were the ones behind it, effectively turning us into scapegoats for when it inevitably went wrong.” Levi’s blue eyes glittered dangerously. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Facilitate an introduction, Ash. It’s time I met the Queen of Hearts.”

  “You can’t ally yourself with the ruler of the black market.” Miles grabbed a stress ball off his desk, practically grinding the thing. “If the Untainted Party find out, they’ll crucify you.”

  I pointed at Miles, nodding. “That.”

  “They’re out to crucify me regardless.”

  He wasn’t wrong. We’d learned at an auction a couple weeks ago that someone had fed the Party misinformation, implicating Levi behind the rampaging smudges with a view to securing dictatorial power. That was compounded by a rumor that a magic virus was on the loose, all to propagate how dangerous Nefesh are, and the Party had run with all of it.

  “When Chariot was snatching kids out of my territory,” Levi said, “they used the Queen’s name to do it. Their actions have allowed the Party to weaponize. I want the key to disarm them and kill this proposed legislation.”

  “Then take a team,” Miles said. “Or I’ll come.”

  “That’s a great idea,” I said. “Make it an official parlay. I’ll drop a word in the Queen’s ear to arrange it when I go there, by myself, without the two most powerful people in the House that she could potentially take hostage. You can’t just drop in on her like you’re storming the castle. Would you go unannounced to another House Head?”

  “Depends if I wanted to catch them off guard,” Levi said. “Which I won’t be doing anyway, given the alarm system around anyone entering her domain for the first time.”

  “No, you’ll be handing her your weakness.”

  Levi arched an eyebrow, as if him being weak was laughable.

  I put Mrs. Hudson gently on the floor so I didn’t accidentally strangle the wrong neck.

  The pug trotted back to her cow and pounced on it. Oh, brother. When she only attempted to rip into its belly instead of getting amorous, I relaxed.

  Levi watched me with a tiny grin, which he smoothed out into a serious expression under Miles’ thunderous glower.

  “You’re not invincible, asshole,” Miles said. “I’d be happy to prove it right now to keep you from going.”

  “Invite the Queen here,” I said.

  “She won’t come.” Levi loosened his silk tie, pulling the fabric from around his neck with a soft swish and stuffing it in his pocket. I’d have cheered the loss of the tie, except Levi was prepping himself for the trip, deliberately softening the arrogant alpha-ness he normally wore like a second skin. “I already tried. We’re going.”

  “Whoa, there, Magic Mike,” I said. “Knot that back up and march upstairs to your office. I’m not taking you.”

  Levi pointedly met my eyes and undid the top button of his shirt.

  “Look, I’m not the best person for this delicate mission,” I said. “The Queen and I concluded our previous business on a rather tentative note.”

  I’d professed that I wasn’t her enemy, she’d countered with a “not yet” and that whether I stayed that way remained to be seen. It seemed prudent to steer clear of her for a while, not force a meeting with someone who could complicate things for her. The Queen didn’t appreciate complications.

  Miles pinched the bridge of his nose. “Were you going to tell me about this invitation of yours?”

  Levi’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and typed a quick response as he spoke. “No point, since it didn’t happen. This isn’t some rash decision. I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’m willing to pay the price if it establishes a tentative rapport.”

  “Don’t pull her into this fight with Chariot,” I said. “I don’t trust her yet.”

  “She’s already in it, whether she likes it or not.” Levi dropped the phone into his pocket and rubbed his temples. “I just came from a meeting with our allies in the government.”

  When Houses were formed in Canada, they were established at a provincial level. House Heads fought for them to be written into the federal constitution, but that never happened, which gave the Untainted Party a lot of leverage now.

  “How bleak is the situation?” Miles said.

  “There’s more support for this bill than I’d realized,” Levi said. “If it went to a final reading tomorrow, it would pass into law. I want to kill it before it gets to the First Reading. Chariot’s antics with the smudges emboldened the Party to move forward with this audacious idea they’d never dared to propose before. I need leverage about how and why this all came to pass. The Queen is well placed to gather information and it affects her, too.” He levelled a flat stare at me. “Knowledge is power. The Queen knows that better than anyone.”

  Yeah, it was practically her motto. I chided myself for mentioning that to him.

  “I’m fighting for this House’s existence, for the safety of my people, and the gloves are off,” Levi said.

  I buried my face in my hands. Levi was putting the Untainted Party—and my mother—in the crosshairs. Yes, they’d started it, and of course he had to protect his Nefesh community, but where was I supposed to stand in this fight?

  “First Mayan, now this. You’re putting Ash in a hell of a position.”

  I jerked my h
ead up, gaping at Miles. His brown eyes were clouded with concern. For me. That was… okay.

  “You think I don’t know that?” Levi’s expression was grimmer than I’d ever seen it. “If our House is legally dissolved, it’ll plunge Nefesh in this province into a dark age of persecution.” He reached his hand out to me, then dropped it into his lap at the last moment. “You’re my best shot at getting her to meet. Will you please take me to the Queen?”

  Cursing Levi out in my head, I ran the wooden ring over my lip, the chain pulled taut. What did Levi mean by leverage? Information? Buried skeletons? Physical violence?

  Both he and the Queen were ruthless when it came to the well-being of those under their protection. If I set an alliance in motion, there was no going back, and there’d be no halfway measures.

  I was Nefesh now. More than that, I was a Jezebel. I’d accepted a responsibility to keep people safe from Chariot’s global designs to gain unmeasurable power, so how could I turn my back on a fight involving a similar problem in my own backyard?

  Talia had chosen her political beliefs over me, tolerating my magic only as long as I kept it hidden and pretended to be Mundane, but she was still my mother. Our relationship was completely different from Levi’s with his father. Not so easy to jettison.

  “I’ll take you,” I said icily, “but if any harm comes to my mother as a result of this, I’ll never forgive you.”

  Levi’s eyes were troubled and distant, almost lost. “I know.”

  He shook off his stupor, his air of invulnerability wrapped once more around him like armor. A very brittle armor. He caught me staring and steeled his jaw, his spine straightening.

  “Give us the coins, Miles,” Levi said. “We leave in twenty minutes. Ash, I’ll meet you in the lobby.” He strode out without a backward look.

  Miles gave me four tokens. “Keep him safe."

  “From the Queen? I’ll do my best.”

  He shook his head. “From himself.”

  Chapter 8

  I left Mrs. Hudson with a delighted Priya, who’d gotten far too attached. As soon as I had a spare minute, I’d take the puppy to the rescue shelter. I’d have to let them know that synthetic blankets made her itchy and not to separate her from her squeaky cow paramour and that her favorite flavor of doggie treat was bacon. But take her I would, because she deserved to have a settled family life.