High Stakes and Vampires (Pandora's Pride Book 2)

by Annabel Chase

  I dragged myself back to headquarters, grabbing a coffee from a casino kiosk on the way. It wasn’t my favorite spot for coffee, but the line was too long at my usual places.

  Everyone was already assembled in conference room A when I arrived.

  “You know, if you lived here then we wouldn’t have to wait for you,” Evadne griped.

  “Not necessarily,” I said. “I’ll still need to stop for coffee.”

  “Don’t you have a small pot in your room?” Emil asked.

  “I save those as a last resort.”

  Abra drummed her fingers on the table. “We should get started. Saxon said that you should give the report, Miss Wendell.”

  I stuck to my story about Dr. Don relaying everything that happened thanks to Cecily’s potion. “After the stone blew up the town, a demon came for the amulet. He was with little flying minions that looked like goblins but with beaks.”

  Purvis frowned. “Goblins with beaks?”

  “Can you describe the wings?” Nita asked. “Were they like angel feathers or butterflies?”

  “Neither, he said they were more like bees.”

  Nita gave her hands a single, hard clap. “I knew it.”

  “What?”

  “You’ve described the Tengu,” Nita said. “They’re basically little evil flying goblins.”

  Liam groaned. “I hate goblins.”

  “There’s more,” I said. “There were feathers.”

  “You said they had bee wings,” Natasha said.

  “Not from their wings.”

  “One of the goblins was carrying a fan made of feathers from a black-legged kittiwake bird,” Saxon interjected.

  Abra’s shock registered. “The same kind of feather found at Lothar Friedan’s? The victim said this?”

  “He described the feathers,” I said quickly. “They seem to be a match.”

  “We’ll need you to describe the amulet as accurately as you can based on what he told you,” Abra said, somewhat adamantly. “Perhaps even draw a picture. Now.”

  Before I could object, a sheet of paper and colored pencils were placed in front of me. “Art was never my strong suit.”

  “Use magic,” Tate said.

  Heat flooded my cheeks. It didn’t even occur to me to use my supernatural skills. “I haven’t used magic to create art before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

  “It’ll help you with accuracy,” Natasha said. “We need you to be as precise as you can.”

  “I would think what it could do would be more important than what it looks like,” I said.

  “She has a theory,” Evadne said. “I can tell by that glint in her eye.”

  I focused my energy on the paper and tried to summon an image of the red stone. Never mind that Dr. Don never would have described it so accurately. Right now, there were more important things at stake.

  I conjured a memory of Dr. Don holding the emerald-cut red stone into a stream of sunlight and let it pour from my mind directly to my fingertips.

  My arms began to tingle and it seemed that my hand moved without any effort from me. It was like an out-of-body experience where my hand moved across the paper with rapid movements until the picture was complete. I set down the red pencil and admired my handiwork.

  When I glanced up, the elders wore matching concerned expressions. Abra looked at Nita. “Is this what I think it is?”

  The werewolf studied the picture. “Based on the appearance and the devastation they described, I think we’re dealing with the Achet.”

  “What’s the Achet?” Evadne asked.

  “I can’t believe we didn’t think of this before,” Emil said.

  “Think of what?” Evadne demanded.

  “You do realize what this means,” Abra said.

  Evadne groaned in exasperation. “No. Obviously not.”

  Purvis closed his eyes for a brief moment. “As we suspected, the Ab was no random burglary.”

  “Wait. The amulets are connected?” Tate asked.

  Abra’s frown deepened. “Nita, why don’t you explain?”

  The werewolf analyst lit up at the chance to impart knowledge. Some supernaturals really loved their jobs and it showed. “He should never have held it up to sunlight. The light triggered the Achet’s power.”

  “Which is destruction?” Tate pressed.

  “Not necessarily,” Nita said. “It gives the owner the powers of Ra.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “The Egyptian sun god?”

  “That’s right. Once activated, the Achet is the only object able to subdue Sut. It’s his Achilles heel.” Nita frowned. “Except it’s not attached to him like a heel is.”

  “Then it’s like his Kryptonite,” I said. I’d watched the Superman movies with my dad many times over the years when trapped in motel rooms during winter storms.

  Nita pointed to me. “Yes, exactly.”

  “Who’s Sut and why do we care?” Evadne asked, looking bored.

  “According to rumors, Sut is the guardian of Tefnut’s tomb,” Nita said. “He was her faithful companion in life and the goddess decreed that he’d watch over her in death too. He’s described as a monstrous crocodile with a serpent’s head for a tail that can kill with a single bite.”

  Liam flicked a fang. “Nothing special about that.”

  “His job is to protect the tomb,” Nita said. “He’s supposedly invincible without the Achet.”

  “And where is this tomb?” Tate asked.

  “No one knows,” Nita said. “It’s one of those unsolved mysteries. A group of explorers thought they located it in Egypt near Luxor a few years ago, but they were killed in a demon attack and no evidence of a tomb was ever found.”

  “Why would a human be in possession of something as powerful as the Achet?” Natasha asked.

  “And stupid enough to hold it up to the sun,” Evadne added.

  “Dr. Don didn’t know what it was,” I said. “He intended to give it as a gift. Triggering its power was an accident.”

  “Which caught the attention of this demon in cowboy boots who’d been searching for it,” Emil said.

  “If Tefnut is still in pieces, then who’s trying to solve her puzzle?” Liam asked.

  “Looks like you’ll be drawing two pictures today,” Doran said with a pleasant smile. The angel’s demeanor seemed to have the limited range of cheerful to vaguely annoyed.

  I focused on the second blank sheet of paper in front of me and pulled the image of the demon to my fingertips. I seemed to operate in a trance as I drew the figure in the red jacket.

  “His skin looks like satellite pictures of the desert,” Liam said.

  Evadne whistled her approval. “If this job doesn’t pan out, you’ll always have the option of becoming a sketch artist.”

  “Miss Wendell’s talents are much more valuable than that.” Abra slid the paper closer for inspection and a small gasp escaped her.

  “You recognize him?” I asked.

  Nita peered over the witch’s shoulder and her eyes widened. “Dasim? I thought he died after the Plague.”

  “No, I’m afraid not. He’s been unaccounted for,” Abra said.

  “Who’s Dasim?” I asked.

  Natasha rubbed her smooth forehead. “This is not good news.”

  Terrific. If Natasha was saying it wasn’t good news, then it was horrific news.

  “Dasim is the demon of discord,” Nita said.

  “Demon of disco would be preferable,” Liam said. “Any chance we can swap them? I’d much rather do dance fighting.” He performed his version of White Man’s Overbite, which looked more ridiculous because of his fangs.

  Purvis growled. “Do you think this is funny, Liam?”

  The werevamp shrugged. “On a scale of one to hilarious, I think it was a solid six.”

  Purvis’s eyes glowed with an amber sheen that made me uncomfortable. “The next time we’re in the market for sparing an agent, I nominate you.”

  Liam tu
rned to the older werewolf, his expression now serious. “I’m not interested in sparing anyone.”

  Natasha placed a comforting hand on Purvis’s arm. “You know this is his way. It doesn’t mean he takes the situation lightly.”

  Purvis glowered at the werevamp. “Maybe he does. Maybe if he took situations more seriously, Leto might still be alive.”

  Liam balked. “Do you think it was my fault that he died?”

  “I’d say it was a team effort,” Purvis replied evenly.

  Liam’s fangs elongated. “Leto was like a brother to me. Do you seriously think I wanted any harm to come to him?”

  “Just because you grew up together doesn’t make you brothers,” Purvis growled.

  “Enough!” Doran’s booming voice was so unexpected that everyone flinched, even Abra.

  “Yeah, I have had enough.” Purvis shoved back his chair and stomped out of the room.

  Everyone sat in stunned silence for a moment. Finally, Emil slipped out of his seat and quietly chased after him.

  “Let’s continue,” Abra said. “Tell the team more about Dasim, Nita, aside from the fact that his whereabouts have been unknown.”

  Nita tapped on her phone and pulled up a screen. “Should I call Jonas to enlarge this?”

  “Just enlighten us with the salient details, please,” Abra said. She still seemed rattled by Purvis’s outburst.

  Nita scanned the page. “Dasim was imprisoned in the pocket dimension with the other big, bad demons and escaped during the Plague. He has the power to spread conflict wherever he goes. He’s responsible for creating fighting factions around the world. Many wars have been attributed to his influence. Like you said, Abra, current whereabouts unknown.”

  “Sounds like Evadne except for the whereabouts unknown part,” Liam said. “Unfortunately, we know exactly where she is.”

  A pen flew across the room and nailed Liam squarely in the forehead. “Next time it’ll be a dagger,” Evadne said.

  “It seems Dasim is influencing us already,” Abra said. “Settle down, please, before I do something I might regret.”

  Evadne glared at the werevamp. “How do we kill him?”

  “By him, I assume you mean Dasim.” Liam blew her a kiss.

  Nita scrolled down the page. “His vulnerabilities are beheading…”

  Liam nodded sagely. “Losing one’s head often does result in death.”

  “No, wait.” Nita continued to read. “Wow. That won’t kill him, apparently. It only slows him down.”

  “I can see why Tefnut chose him to bring her back from the dead,” Tate said. “Definitely increases the chance of success when your wingman is invincible.”

  “He’s not invincible,” Nita said, “but the only way to kill him is with celestial fire.”

  All eyes shifted to Saxon. “Gee, no pressure,” the hybrid said.

  “It’s simple,” Liam said. “First we find him. Then we trap him in a magic circle or something and you light him up.”

  Tate grunted her displeasure. “Dasim is a Plague demon, Liam. It won’t be that simple and you know it. We don’t even know whether a magic circle would hold him.”

  “I doubt that it would,” Abra chimed in. “You also need to get to him before he’s able to use his influence on you. He’ll turn you against each other. If he’s successful, then Tate will be locking you in a circle, Liam, and Saxon will be lighting you on fire.”

  The werevamp didn’t seem to like that scenario. He slumped in his chair and fell silent.

  “Now that we know it’s Dasim, there’s no time to waste.” Doran shifted in his chair to face Nita. “How can we get ahead of him?”

  I held up a hand. “Back up a second. Are we assuming Tefnut told Dasim where her tomb would be before she died?” Because if she did, he’d have a huge advantage over us.

  “I doubt it,” Tate said. “Plus, he was trapped in another dimension.”

  “Maybe so, but he’s had thirty years to figure it out.” Something about the timing bothered me. “What took him so long to get his act together and start the scavenger hunt? Why is all this happening now?”

  “Maybe he’s been searching for the stones all this time and finally found them,” Tate said.

  “What are the odds that he’s been searching for thirty years and found both within a week of each other?” Emil asked. “No, I agree with Callie. We’re missing something.”

  The color drained from Nita’s face. “Oh, wow.”

  Liam sat up and took notice. “What wow? Wow is supposed to be positive, unlike your tone.”

  “Dasim’s goal is to reunite Tefnut’s soul with her body,” Nita said. “He’ll need the Achet to distract the guardian of the tomb…”

  “Which he has,” Liam said.

  “And he’ll need the Ab which contains the soul,” Nita continued.

  “Which he has,” Liam said again.

  Nita’s eyes sparkled. “Right, but there’s still something he doesn’t have.” She paused. “At least, we don’t know that he does.”

  “What’s that?” Tate prompted.

  “In order to crack open the Ab and release the soul, he needs the Golden Scepter.”

  “He doesn’t just use a hammer and…” Liam mimed using a hammer on the table.

  “What does the scepter do?” Saxon asked.

  “It was designed for this very purpose,” Nita said. “It holds the stone in place and uses energy from a ley line to release the soul. It needs to be close enough to the empty body so that the soul doesn’t drift away.”

  “It won’t jump into one of us, will it?” Liam asked. “Because I’m not big into sharing my body.” He frowned. “Wait. I take that back.”

  “It will only jump into a vacant body,” Nita confirmed.

  Tate twirled the end of her pencil in the air. “How do we know Dasim doesn’t already have the scepter?”

  Nita pulled out her phone and tapped the screen. “Because it’s right…” She scanned the information on her phone. “Here.” She turned her screen in our direction so that we could see.

  I squinted at the phone. “In a museum?”

  “Sort of. It’s been part of a traveling exhibit called Glimpses of the Ancient Past,” Nita said.

  “And where’s the exhibit now?” Saxon asked.

  Nita checked her phone again and grimaced. “Ooh.”

  “What’s wrong?” Tate asked.

  Nita glanced up from her phone. “It’s scheduled to start in Philadelphia tomorrow.”

  Emil returned to the room without Purvis and took his seat in silence.

  “That’s obviously where Dasim is headed next,” Saxon said. “We need to get there before he does.”

  “I agree that we must move swiftly,” Abra began, “but Dasim is a Plague demon with abilities you’ve yet to encounter. It’s important to understand what you’ll be up against.”

  “We’ll be up against an empty display case if we wait too long,” Evadne said. “If we snag the scepter first, it doesn’t matter where her tomb is. She’s stuck there for eternity. We track him down and douse him with celestial fire when he least expects it. Job done.”

  “And what if he gets the scepter?” Saxon asked. “We still need a Plan B.”

  “Perhaps we should let him take the scepter and focus our efforts on the tomb,” Doran said.

  Natasha shook her head. “No. They’re better off fighting Dasim now than fighting both Dasim and Tefnut together.”

  “Have we learned nothing from Supai?” Emil asked sharply.

  “They weren’t unprepared for Supai,” Natasha said. “It was a tough fight and there were innocent children in the mix.”

  “All things considered, we’ve done well for ourselves. Prior to Leto, we haven’t had a casualty since Jade,” Doran said.

  The look on Abra’s face was chilling. Whoever Jade was, the older witch clearly didn’t want her name to be mentioned.

  “Philadelphia is an hour away,” Saxon said. “We ha
ve the advantage if we leave now.”

  “Not if he’s already there,” Tate countered.

  Abra steepled her fingers. “Nita, I’d like you to work on finding the location of the tomb. Get help if you need it. I want the rest of you to run through training exercises for an hour before you go. Saxon, you’ll work separately with Doran.”

  To practice using celestial fire, no doubt.

  Evadne stopped next to my chair on her way out of the conference room. “How about a rematch or are you still smarting from our last encounter?”

  I smiled up at her. “I’m fine. Not even a scratch.”

  “Miss Wendell will not be sparring with you like a common street rat,” Abra snapped.

  “What? We’ll keep our pinkies up when we fight,” Evadne said, nudging me. “Keep it ladylike.”

  Abra was not amused. “Evadne, you’re going to be facing a very difficult opponent. While you’ve been fortunate to have years of training behind you, Miss Wendell still has quite a bit of catching up to do.”

  “And I’m offering to help bridge that gap,” Evadne said.

  “Yes. You’re a regular Mother Theresa.” Abra nodded toward the door. “You might want to consider a shower before you go or Dasim will smell you coming.”

  Evadne glared at her before marching out of the room.

  “You’re welcome,” Abra said primly.

  “Why don’t you want me to fight her? I would think it’s good for me to train with someone better than me.”

  Abra looked down her nose at me. “Better than you? I promise you, Miss Wendell, that Evadne is by no means better than you in any way, shape, or form.”

  “Then why not let me fight her again? I’m sure I can learn from her.”

  Her eyes flashed with annoyance. “Are you angling to be injured again? Because I don’t think now is the time.”

  “If I’m not ready to fight Evadne, then how can I be ready to fight some scary Plague demon?”

  “You won’t be alone,” the older witch said. “You’ll be with the team.” Despite her chilly demeanor, I got the distinct impression that Abra was trying to protect me. It was…interesting.