Blood Rite

by Sarah Black

  Along the wall, Aja stands with her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the broken linoleum.

  “‘Bout time you woke your ass up, I was just getting ready to come wake you.” Her eyes scan me from head to toe before she nods to herself. “Hmm, you found the vial?”

  “Y—”

  “Good,” she interrupts. “Now maybe you can convince these four dipshits that their plan is risky and dangerous and I ain’t here for an all-out war. That ain’t what we do here!” Her voice rises with each word.

  I yank a stool from the corner of the room and plop down as close to the table as I dare. The vial helped quite a bit, but pain lingers. Whether real or not isn’t up for debate. My mind has yet to catch up to the party.

  “What are you arguing about?” I blow out a breath as Aja hands me a cup of coffee. I lift the lid, inhaling the sweet and yet bitter scent of hazelnut.

  It’s all the reprieve I get before the room explodes into rising voices full of hot anger. I sip my coffee, blinking slowly as Sean stands, his words masked by his heavy brogue. An accent that only irritates Valentino who speaks with his arms. His once pristine, crisp white button down dirty and flecked with blood.

  “Children.” A smooth voice settles around the room.

  I stifle a chuckle as all the men and Aja groan as Lucinda sweeps into the room. Dressed in red leather pants and a poufy red shirt, she looks more suited for the runway than a dank lair.

  Because that’s what this place is, a freaking lair. It’s not at all a home, but a place people go to hide and not be found.

  “Let me talk, hold your tongues.”

  “Who let ye in, devil?” Pete shakes a pipe at her, smoke billowing from the top. Joseph agrees, his own pipe tucked between clenched teeth.

  “Lucy, please leave.” Valentino sits back in his chair, Sean following. Exasperated, Valentino still tries his best to appease his sister. “Why are you even here?”

  She pouts, full red lips pushed down. I glance at Aja, knowing there is no way she would ever deal with that display. My wayward bestie holds a little bottle of whiskey in her fist that she unscrews in a fluid motion before downing it and then tossing the glass at Lucinda. Her face holds that don’t fuck with me pinched expression.

  Surprisingly, Lucinda just flicks the bottle away before advancing on Sean.

  “If ye touch me, I’ll break yer fingers,” he states with an ugly calm. So different from the bartender I met last week.

  “Let me help, Sean, you know I can.”

  “Away, devil!” Pete flicks his fingers at Lucinda as droplets splatter her face.

  “Did you just flick beer at me?” Her face contorts in disgust.

  “I be blessin’ ya, devil woman!” Again, he dips his fingers in his beer, flicking them at Lucinda.

  “Waste of good beer, Da!” Sean snatches the glass away from his grumpy father.

  I’m living in the twilight zone. “Okay. What was the plan? Lucinda, hush.” I rub my temples, wishing I had an ice-cold bottle of water. But my coffee will have to do.

  “Aren’t you going to give me your chair?” Why does her petulant attitude remind me of someone? I brush it away.

  “No, I got stabbed, diva.”

  “You look fine to me.”

  “Lucinda, I suggest you shut your mouth before I physically remove you.” Finally, Valentino ends the bullshit spewing from her mouth. “We are in a predicament, Penny.”

  “I gathered that much.” I glance at Aja who doesn’t meet my eyes. What did you spill?

  “Explain what you can.” I lick my lips. “Please.”

  “See, even the young lass has better manners than ye blood suckers.” Then Pete mumbles under his breath, “Fooking warlords.”

  “Da, they aren’t warlords.”

  “Well, in my day they would have been considered warlords and ripe for execution!” Pete’s pipe turns into a long cane that he clanks against the wooden floor. The top of the pipe where there should be burning tobacco spouts little puffs of sparks.

  “Da, sit.” Sean grabs the cane, shaking it once until it shrinks back into a pipe, and then he shoves it in his dad’s face.

  “Warlords.”

  “As I was saying,” Valentino rushes on, “Poppy wasn’t technically under house protection. Yet she’s now loosely a part of our house. She was attacked on our property. Under supernatural law we hold every right to strike back.”

  “And as I’ve told you, attacking now could prove fatal to your house if the council finds out what you’ve done.” Joe leans back, a small tumbler in his hand full of whiskey. Morning drinking is apparently how they get through these meetings. Though in all reality, I have no idea what time it truly is.

  “It doesn’t explain why Poppy was even working for you.” I stare at Valentino, willing him to answer me.

  “We employ humans due to our curse,” he hedges.

  “Such a child,” Lucinda coos. “No idea what shit she wades in. We employ humans for a willing donor.”

  “Quiet yourself, Lucinda.” Valentino grips the table, ready to throttle his sister.

  I move past her little revelation. “Who is the council?” I settle on a question that’s been bugging me since I heard the word uttered.

  “It’s like an infant wrapped up in stupid. Who let the human in?” Lucinda sneers at me while all conversation stops.

  Valentino slowly gets up, and quicker than I can blink, he and Lucinda are gone, and in the next breath he’s in his chair once more with a tumbler in his hand of amber liquid. “Carry on.”

  I glance down to the new blood splatter on his shirt. No one questions it, though the smile on Aja’s face is downright disturbing.

  “The council,” Aja pipes in, “is the council of elders. They don’t usually do anything unless war is called upon another house. If Valentino moves against House Cain, then he is declaring war on them thus involving the council.”

  “They already struck against me and mine,” Valentino growls in warning.

  Unperturbed, Aja carries on, “No, they struck against Poppy and Penny. Not you. They declared war on them.”

  “Then I get to move against them, correct?” I feel like I’m playing a supernatural game of chess, one in which I don’t know the rules of, but I have every intention of learning quickly.

  “Well, see, there lies the true problem, peanut.” All eyes land on Joe, the only true human in this room. “If you go to the council, then they learn about you and what you are. Valentino here believes if you side with his house then you will have their backing. But that won’t work, because you aren’t really a part of their house.”

  “I see.”

  “Do you? Because from where I’m sitting, I see a young woman with no fucks left to give. It’s a very dangerous place to be, kiddo. You must play every step like a mastermind, because the council only works for themselves. They won’t work for you, they probably won’t even side with you.” His calm words do anything but calm me as intended.

  “Tell me more about this council.” Because nothing was going to truly stop me, Joe knows me too well.

  “They consist of thirteen supernaturals, one for each curse.” Aja’s words hold a somber tone. “Vampires, shifters, humans, fae, and witches are but a small handful of what exists out there.”

  I cock my head, glancing at her as her eyes stray to Sean and Pete. Reading between the lines, I realize she named each house sitting in this room. I don’t know much about the fae besides the stories Poppy and I made up. Is that a warning?

  For now, I file it away to ask Poppy later.

  “And they aren’t working for their own kind? Their own race?”

  “You make a mistake lass.” Pete puffs on his pipe. “You believe they are a different race, but not all are a distinctive race.” He turns to Aja. “I see what you did there, cat, and you’d do well to remember the fae are not of human descent.”

  “Vampires are human?” This is interesting to me.

  “Most
of us all began as human. Well, our ancestors did,” Aja answers quietly. “Though some species”—the word is a pure slight— “showed up one day from fucking nowhere.”

  “And you’ll never know why, cat.” Pete gifts Aja with a malicious smile, full of pointy teeth.

  Yeah, I’m over the fae already.

  “Da, yer scaring the witch!” He slaps his father in the back of the head.

  I glare at Aja, knowing she was the one to spill the beans. Do as I say and not as I do.

  “Don’t look at me, it was Joe this time.” Her eyelashes flutter as she rolls her eyes, little liar.

  “Regardless, I’m a witch. Then I’ll just go to them with my grievance.” Isn’t that how a normal government works? Maybe? Probably not, but still.

  Valentino chuckles. I instantly hate that laugh. “Kitten, you are a witch of unknown origin. You aren’t registered anywhere. No supernatural birth record, no power level. They don’t even know you and Poppy exist. And when they realize that you do? Your very existence will be even more of a threat because you aren’t normal. I’m trying to keep you safe here.”

  “The only threat I am to anyone is those who attacked me. Tell me how sure you are that it was House Cain?” I stand, choosing to walk over to a case of water sitting on the floor. Aja stops me from grabbing the bottle, shaking her head no. I blink slowly before turning around to the guys.

  Pete has a smug grin on his weathered face. Joe holds himself completely still. While Sean’s eyes stray to the case of water with an unreadable look on his face.

  But it’s Valentino I wait to hear from. “There is no one else it could be. There are no rogue vampires. They don’t exist.”

  “That isn’t an guarantee.” My hand grips the door I hope leads outside. Into daylight. And far away from this dank lair. “I need you to be sure.”

  “He cannot.” Pete chuckles.

  “It was a vampire, that we are certain of,” Joe concedes.

  “I will not move against anyone unless I know for sure.” Dismissing them, I turn to Aja. “Care to get into some trouble?”

  “Oh, that sounds like a terrible idea. I’m in.” She practically pushes me out the door.

  “Penny, where are you going?” Valentino grips my arm, preventing me from moving into the hot sun. I already feel like I might boil in this leather jacket, yet I don’t.

  “I told you, to do something stupid.” Remembering my motto, I shall not fear, I give Valentino a mischievous smile. “Tell me, Valentino, can your house enter upon Cain territory?”

  His eyes widen, and for a brief moment fear flickers in his eyes. “No, but Pe—”

  I lean up, surprising him with a kiss to his cheek, catching him off guard just enough to push him back so I can hop out the door and slam it shut in his face.

  “Perfect.” I turn to a cackling Aja. “Let’s go.”

  20

  Not allowing the shock of my actions to freeze me in place, I take off down the street. Ahead of me, Aja hops on the hood of her car, sliding across before tumbling to the sidewalk with a thud. Locks click and I dive for the passenger side door. Behind me, the door to whatever dank hell we were in opens and slams against the brick. I fly into the cushioned seat as Aja starts her little car, the locks clicking into place.

  Foot on the gas, she peels away, and the scent of burning rubber reaches my nose enough to tingle and threaten a sneeze. Looking back over my shoulder, I see all four of the guys standing on a desolate curb, anger in some of their eyes, pride in others. It isn’t hard to determine who is who.

  Fae are weird.

  “I hope you know where you’re going.” I lean back, my hands going to the knives strapped to my body.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Her cherry red fingertips tap the steering wheel in a chaotic rhythm. Uncertainty saturates the air.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing, to tell you the truth.” My eye actually begins to twitch, the lid fluttering to some tempo unassociated with my heartbeat. “I know I’ve got a hunch.”

  “You don’t believe Valentino.” She pulls out into Monday morning traffic. The dash reads the time as being just before noon. Already sweat beads down my back from the heat outside.

  “I don’t.” But not for the reasons she thinks. “There goes that job.” It felt like so long ago, when in reality it was only days where my greatest struggle was finding a paycheck to feed Prince.

  “I got ya covered. There’s a reason I asked what the sign on my door said.” I fall into her as she takes a corner too tight. “Seatbelt.”

  I lock the device into place. “Tell me about the sign.”

  “It’s spelled. Whatever it says is what we can offer you.”

  “Wait.” I shake my head with a chuckle. “Are you telling me Davis really is like temp agency?”

  “Yes and no. It more or less shows what the supernatural world needs and we make that happen. Non-magical folk only see a busted-up shop.”

  “Clever.” I think back to those words, Davis Tribune. “I’m not sure it would read the same for me.”

  “That happens. You come in and tell me what it says then we place you. Most of us don’t always stay at one job, but having this place helps us blend in. There are some who will never blend in. That’s why vampires own so many night clubs. They can be out in the sun, but they aren’t as powerful in the light as they are in the dark.”

  I mull that over, glancing out the window as Aja heads deeper and deeper into the city. “Where are we going?”

  “You have a hunch and so do I.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You know where Mount Moriah is?” She doesn’t wait for me to continue. “So, the shifters in the city head there when we need to run, it’s overgrown and a damn mess. The humans think it’s abandoned. Well, this one time after a night of running I was hungry—as I should be, because I’m a panther and I need red meat to survive. This city shit ain’t good for our kind.”

  “Aja.”

  “Right, so I headed to this quick market that should have been open, it ain’t no seven-eleven, but the light was blinking, ya know? But as I pulled in, I got this weird feeling, so I just drove home.”

  “Our entire getaway is based on a hunch you had with a bad feeling at a quick stop?” I pinch the bridge of my nose. Most of those places have a cloud of creepy hanging over them.

  “It isn’t like we can ask anyone. Most of us stay to our side of the river.”

  I point at her. “I’m going to need a crash course on that.”

  “Territories, keep up.”

  “That’s what I’m struggling to do, Aja.”

  “Your sister, the insane witch that she is, patrolled the east side, but the west side? Well, there is more corruption there.”

  “Know what? Forget I asked, because from where I’m sitting the entire supernatural world is one, big, corrupt shitstorm.” I heave out a sigh as the houses begin to close in on each other once again. “Let’s follow this hunch.”

  “Good, because we’re here.”

  Her little red car pulls into an empty gas station. Desolate is the best word for it, and I swear it just doesn’t belong. Climbing out, I get that odd sensation I had when I was inside the church where Valentino lives. “Shit.” Aja just may be right. But where?

  She jerks her head at the gas station door where a sign blinks “Open” in red. The hum of electricity buzzes around the too quiet neighborhood. Shutters decorate windows and doors while trash tumbles in the hot summer wind.

  “Like a bubble.” She nods, and I can’t argue because it feels like we drove right into a bubble where nothing but this weird gas station exists.

  “Poppy had the right idea to get the hell out of Philadelphia.” Pushing the pain away at our separation takes a strength of will that I pull from the core of my being. “Alright, let’s see what fresh hell awaits us in here.”

  Aja takes the lead, choosing to push through the glass door. The bell tinkles overhead as the scen
t of burnt hotdogs wafts over to us. My nose wrinkles at the smell as I see the hotdog rolly thing still spilling with blackened dogs.

  “Charming.” I refrain from touching anything, considering it doesn’t look like this place is actually in business, but a front. Aja was right.

  “Mm-hmm.” Her lips press together, not at all impressed.

  “Ladies, ladies.” A voice carries to us from somewhere in the back beyond stacks of outdated food and coolers that haven’t been turned on in years.

  As if the twilight zone we’re living in couldn’t get any weirder, out walks a shaggy man dressed in a dirty white robe with a toilet plunger resting on his shoulder. Long, ratty brown hair hangs in waves to his slight shoulders. His face would pass for handsome if he would only take a shower. Tall and lanky, he towers over us.

  “Oh, hell no, stay right there, don’t move.”

  This slumlord gives us a wide, toothy grin. “Ah, but ladies, I believe you walked onto and into my territory.” He takes a long breath, scenting the air and us. “And I’m ravenous,” he growls with far too much enthusiasm.

  Undeterred, Aja marches right up to his crazy ass, stealing his plunger and bopping him over the head. “I know damn well that ain’t how it works, and don’t you dare use any of your voodoo eye mojo on me or I swear to any god there is that I’ll bite off each of your fingers one by one.” She chomps her teeth for effect, which surprisingly makes this guy jump.

  “You’re scary, you know that, kitty?” He leans down into her space. “Meow.”

  “Boy, I will fuck you up.” Again, she smacks him with the plunger before turning to me. “Ain’t no way this thing attacked you. He can’t even fend me off. If this were a mob deal, he’d be nothing more than a scummy foot soldier.” She smacks his arm once more.

  “Ow, dammit, woman.” He steals his plunger back, waving it in the air with a flourish. “I am not a man who attacks pretty women.” He winks at me.