“Unless you have a pressing need for either coffee or evening snacks, I’ll have to take my leave of you.”
“Fine, but I’ll be back with that request you want.” Thib headed to the stairs and made his way up, his footsteps decidedly heavy.
“Thank you for your time,” Aya said, before following after him, Sky and I behind her.
“You might speak with Cassidy at the counter,” Penelope said before I took more than two steps up. I twisted around to question her, but the woman was gone, a door across the way clicking shut.
Thib and Aya waited for us in the main room. The crowd had grown since our arrival, most every table now full. A pair of young men, led by the vampire who’d been manning the bar, entered a door off to the side. I only managed a glimpse of the hallway beyond, the walls covered in red silk with a matching curtain shrouding the entrance at the opposite end, before the door closed behind them.
“Well, that was a dead end unless you think you can track her outside again.” Thib looked down at Skylar, but she shook her head. “Guess we head back to the station then. I’ll see if we can get any camera feeds from the street. Maybe we can spot her.”
“I’m gonna caffeine up before we hit the street again,” I muttered.
Thib angled his body toward the door. “Coffee’s free at the station, kid.”
Skylar wrinkled up her face, looking like she’d sucked a lemon. “Ew. I saw it. Folgers with an empty, stained sugar cup next to it. No thanks. Free coffee will never compete with specifying your sweet craving to a barista who knows what they’re doing.”
“Bah. Overpriced bullshit.” He wandered outside, mumbling under his breath.
“Grab me a caramel chai latte.” Aya winked and went to keep her partner company on the sidewalk.
Café Nocturne didn’t sell alcoholic beverages, but the L-shaped barista’s counter seated thirteen on bar stools, six on one side and seven on the other. Sky and I took a seat there, as a smiling young woman stepped up. “Evening there. Ready to place your order?”
Sky went first, ordering her standard five pumps caramel, three pumps vanilla, coconut milk, whipped cream, cocoa dust, no foam. My order was simpler; medium roast house blend and two pumps of mocha. Plus Aya’s latte.
“Are you Cassidy?” I asked when she came back with our drinks.
“Sure am. Why?”
A swipe of my finger across the screen on my phone brought Rebecca’s picture back up. Cassidy looked down when I tilted it to her. “You were on shift when she came in a few nights ago. Look familiar?”
“Um, yeah, I think. She had a complicated order, too. Three pumps hazelnut, three white chocolate mocha, two raspberry, soy milk, no foam, and an extra espresso shot.”
Sky’s brows shot up. “Wow.”
“I remember obnoxious drink orders. It’s a gift.” Cassidy winked. “Anyway, she was in and out within an hour, give or take. Left with some guy. Good-looking sort. He had some really dreamy blue eyes. Or was it green? Kinda in between.”
“New face?”
“Oh yeah. I know every vamp regular that comes in here. Never did catch his name but he was a looker. Sort of like that one Hemsworth brother—you know, the younger one. Anyway, if he came in here during my shift before, I would have noticed it.”
From the corner of my eye, I caught Sky slicing through the Veil with a finger and peering into the Twilight. She snapped out of it a second later, a big smile on her face. “Hey, is that your charcoal drawing over there in the frame?”
A crease notched between my brows. The hell was she doing?
Cassidy glanced over her shoulder at a detailed charcoal of a vampire tea party, the ladies in flouncy Victorian gowns seated at a round table. One of the guests lolled back in his seat with a trail of blood trickling into a kettle held up to a deep gash in his throat. “Yeah, it is. Mom said it was too gruesome to put up at home, but Penelope loved it. How’d you guess?”
Sky nodded toward Cassidy’s sleeve. “There’s charcoal on your cuff. Lefty, huh?”
A warm flush dusted the barista’s cheeks. “Yeah. Learning not to smudge is a bitch.”
“You’re so good. My friend Lia is into watercolors, and she’s left-handed too.” Sky tilted her face up and glanced at the picture again. “Think you could do something like that of our guy we’re looking for?”
“I guess.” She glanced over her shoulder and waved down the second barista. “Bev, I’m taking my break.”
The other girl gave her a thumbs up. Cassidy grabbed her art supplies and headed out front, pausing to draw in a deep breath of the fresh air. Then she moved to a small patio table at the establishment next door. The restaurant was closed for the evening, the colorful table umbrellas lowered and strapped down.
“I dunno how much detail I can really give you.”
“Anything can help,” Sky assured her, taking a seat.
I glanced up at a street lamp where Aya and Thib both watched, recognizing my cousin’s daintier features. She had a small beak, and Thib was on the large, menacing side for a raven. He probably had me beat by a pound, and I weighed in at 7.2 when I shifted.
“So, he had some scruff,” Cassidy said as she began her sketch. It didn’t look like much, but art had never been one of my talents. She started with the jaw and moved up from there, adding lines for his nose and eyes. She shaded in the jaw, and after a minute or two the picture began to take some shape. It looked like a face, at least.
“Think about his eyes,” Sky encouraged. “You said they were blue?”
“Yeah. Sort of a blue-green. Real pretty. Thick lashes too. You know, the sort I need false lashes and mascara to get. I was really mad about that. It’s sooooo unfair when guys have the prettier lashes.”
“I know, right?” Sky said, gesturing toward me. “Aren’t his eyes gorgeous?”
“Beautiful. So unfair.”
While the girls chatted, I sipped coffee. The edge of the sketchpad glittered with a hint of golden sparkle. If I’d blinked, I would have missed it.
And that’s when the headshot really began to transform from a rushed, police-style sketch to a work of art deserving a frame. The picture gained depth and dimension as she shaded in high cheekbones. One moment, the hair appeared stiff, and in the next the short blond style became individual, glossy strands. By the time she moved on to the eyes and made them come alive with feral intensity, I thought it looked more like a black and white photograph.
She’d done it all in less than a half hour, and I barely even realized how much time passed.
“Shit! Sorry, I really got into it. I didn’t mean to take up all of your time like that.”
Sky and I had been mesmerized watching her draw it, to be honest.
“No, we should be apologizing for monopolizing your break.” But damn had it been worth it. Sky deserved all the credit for this one.
“I don’t mind, but I should get back before Bev loses her shit.” She tore the page from her pad and gave it to Sky.
“Thanks, Cassidy.” I offered her a SBA card. “If the guy comes in again, think you can give us a call?”
“I’m not sure Penelope would approve of me calling on a customer.”
“Understood. But if you happen to be on break or something…” Sky said, giving the other woman a quick smile.
“I’ll see what I can do. You two have a good night.”
Thib and Aya waited until Cassidy went inside before fluttering down and shifting. Sky passed Thib the sketch while I offered Aya her latte. Her very cold latte.
Whoops.
Aya sighed. “Skylar, do you think you could…?” Appearing to read my cousin’s mind, Sky tapped the carton with her crystal wand. Steam rose from the sipper opening. “Thank you.”
“We have a sketch, now what?”
“Now we take this to the boss.” Thibodeaux folded the sketch in half, carefully, and turned to Sky. “Not bad, rookie. Not bad at all.”
Funny how Sky was the junior sentinel, b
ut she was the one helping us.
6
The Lord of Rosehill
The ladies hung downstairs to update the digital case file while Thib and I reported the current findings to my uncle. Penelope playing by the rules of the court meant we needed someone with pull to visit the baroness.
Thib bowed out to seek more clues, and Uncle Hiroto joined the case.
Once Aya finished teaching Sky how to use the system, Hiroto checked out an ash stake from the armory for all three of us. I put mine under my coat beside my handgun, and Sky stored hers in Neverspace—an interdimensional pocket where fae hid their secrets and treasures.
Baroness Aguillard lived in an Antebellum plantation house not far from the city. Aside from obvious restoration following Hurricanes Rita and Katrina and a little modernization, the premises probably looked identical to their original appearance during the Civil War.
I grimaced. Old ghosts still lingered on properties like these, and I hoped Sky didn’t see any of them.
Then again, she’d probably spend the day speaking with them and trying to ease the spiritual knots binding them to this mortal plane. Not all ghosts wanted to hang around reliving the past.
Some had no choice.
A uniformed servant guided us to a sitting parlor done in bold green colors and gold accents. Uncle Hiroto gestured for us to sit, but he remained standing.
“How long will it be until we speak to the baroness?”
“The baroness isn’t in at the moment, sir, as we told your office during previous inquiries. Lord Aguillard will be with you shortly in her stead.”
Uncle Hiroto’s expression didn’t change, but his posture radiated distrust. Being a shifter meant I picked up on body language better than most.
A few minutes later, the interim lord of the manor arrived. Charles Aguillard belonged on the set of Interview with the Vampire, down to the old-fashioned trousers, frilled shirt, and tail coat. He wore a silk cravat in pale cream and let his sleek hair lie loose around his shoulders. He must have stood out in a crowd, and I had to wonder if that was the point. Mortal women probably swooned over him.
“Chief Maki, to what do I owe the pleasure? And who is this ravishing creature with you?” He barely gave me a glance when we rose out of respect, his attention focused on Skylar. He didn’t quite lick his lips, but he still looked like he wanted to slurp her up for dessert.
“My nephew, Gabriel, and his partner, Skylar. They’re getting some field experience.”
“My. A fae sentinel? Quite unusual and rare, is it not? What a special young woman you must be.” He offered his hand to Sky. When she didn’t take it, looking torn between melting into the Twilight or vomiting on the rug, his pose remained unchanged. Finally, Sky accepted his hand.
Then the fucker leaned down and kissed her knuckles like we were in an old historical piece. Who did that?
Dudes who wanted to be dead. That’s who.
I sucked down my fury and bottled it up instead. Fighting the urge to tear his head off, I pasted a professional smile on my face instead. Skylar withdrew her hand the moment she was able and took a step back. “Nice to meet you, Lord Aguillard.”
“Truly, the pleasure is all mine.”
Hiroto stepped in, forcing the attention back to him. “I’ve actually come on official business.”
“Please tell me you’ve found my mother. Wait, no, don’t tell me, let me guess. Cabana boys again?”
“Is she missing?” Hiroto countered.
“Not in an ominous sense.” Lord Aguillard grinned and leaned forward, lowering his voice to a mock whisper. “We all know how she can get.”
“Unfortunately, her abrupt absence has left the SBA in dire straits. This nosferatu problem continues to deteriorate with each passing day. It can no longer be ignored. A senator’s daughter has gone missing.”
“It’s summer. Perhaps she ran away with a lover.”
“My sentinels tracked her movements to Café Nocturne. It is her last known location before she disappeared.”
“But, as you say, she left the establishment. I don’t understand why you’ve brought this to my attention.”
“She left the establishment in the company of a vampire. CC footage places her in the company of a man at 3:08 a.m. Saturday morning. We also have this eyewitness sketch.” Hiroto removed a photocopy of Cassidy’s picture and handed it to Aguillard.
The vamp scowled. “That still means nothing. Purely circumstantial.”
Hiroto’s steely glare didn’t waver. “Have you or your mother approved any recent turnings?”
“If I did, it’s no business of yours. It is a matter between the sire, fledgling, and our court. The girl appears to be old enough to consent.”
I cleared my throat. “As a member of the Sanguine Court’s nobility, you know as well as anyone that lawmakers can be your kind’s biggest allies…or enemies, Lord Aguillard. Nothing but trouble can come from this if the man in the sketch happens to be a part of whatever is happening in the city and the young lady surfaces as a nosferatu.”
“Please,” Skylar said. “We just want to get her home safe to her father. If you could offer any help, we’d be grateful. Do you recognize him, at the very least?”
“I don’t, but I could certainly set some men to the task of unveiling his identity.”
“Thank you—”
“If the pretty one joins me for supper.”
Sky blinked. “I appreciate your generous offer, but—”
“No,” came out of my mouth before I could rein it in.
She gave me a look that said volumes. If a picture was worth a thousand words, one stare from an independent faerie girl was worth at least a rant and a few finger snaps. Maybe a head bob, too.
Hiroto, at least, seemed to share my sentiments, except he was far more diplomatic. He glanced to Skylar then turned to Lord Aguillard. “We’re not in the habit of trading personal favors.”
“I do believe the young lady possesses a mouth to speak on her own.”
Could I punch hard enough to snap vampire fangs? My current max on the record was 1842 pounds of force. That had to be enough to shatter every tooth in his mouth plus his reserve fangs. Vampires had mandibles like a shark with secondary and tertiary sets of fangs that emerged only when they lost or damaged their original set.
“She’s not going.”
“Dinner would be lovely,” Sky replied, apparently making a liar of me.
“Excellent. Then, if you have nothing further to ask of me, I’ll excuse myself to contact my agents regarding this fellow. Leave an address with my valet and a car will be by to fetch you at…” He raised his chin and glanced at the grandfather clock. “Shall we dine at two?”
“That will be fine,” Skylar said.
“Excellent. Now, if you’ll please excuse me.”
“We’ll take our leave. Thank you for your time, Lord Aguillard.” Hiroto bowed his head in respect and then turned to leave, Sky and I behind him. She paused at the front door to give her info, as requested.
Meanwhile, I wondered whether or not it would be a murder charge or pest control if I ran back inside to stake our slimy, overly friendly host.
* * *
Sky waited until we were alone at the field office before she lit into me. Hiroto had stepped out for a moment to update his men on the situation.
As I knew it was coming, I prepared in advance, the apology pre-rehearsed in my head.
“I understand you claimed me, but I’m not a possession or a child. I’m an adult. I can make my own choices. I have a voice of my own.”
“Sky—”
“You don’t own me.”
“I’ve never—”
“I am a grown-ass woman.”
Fuck, she had to let me apologize first. “I know you—”
“Then why did you talk over me and speak for me like you do own me?”
Granted an opening to talk, I spoke fast and blurted it all out before she riled again. “I never pr
etended to own you, Sky, but I don’t like the idea of you sitting across a dinner table from that slimy bastard while he eyeballs your jugular.”
“Did you ever stop to think for a moment that I can weasel more information out of him? That maybe he does know something? I don’t need protection.”
“I’m your sentinel!”
When my voice rose, Sky’s mouth flattened. “You’re my partner. Or did you forget that because another guy looked at me?”
“It’s not that he looked at you that pisses me off. It’s why. He looked at you like you were a snack!” Technically, she was a whole meal, which I’d thought many times before, yet I’d never been more right until now.
“I know the danger, but I can still make my own decisions, Gabe. Don’t treat me like a child.”
“I wasn’t trying to. Dammit, Sky, it…it just came out.” She crossed her arms, staring. I swore under my breath. Nothing I said was making it better. “I’m sorry, all right? Is that what you want to hear?”
“I want to hear that you trust me, Gabe.”
“I do. It’s him I don’t trust.”
Her quiet sigh accompanied the drop of her arms to her sides. Then she stepped closer and wrapped them around my waist, putting her cheek against my chest while I sagged in relief and embraced her in return, wishing I didn’t have to let her go.
“I’m doing this, Gabe. I’ll try to sweet talk some info out of him. He has to know more than he’s letting on, right?”
“Yeah, he’s up to something. And yeah, I don’t like the idea of you being out with him, both as a sentinel and as your boyfriend, but I do trust you.”
“I won’t let him touch me. Promise.”
If he so much as laid a finger on her, I had no idea what I’d do. Nothing good, at any rate, but I kept all that to myself and just squeezed her tighter.
7
The Thick Plottens
I landed on a light pole outside the restaurant.
Trusting my girlfriend to make the right choices didn’t mean I had to trust Vlad the Dickhead to have noble intentions. Besides, protocol said you never let your partner walk into danger alone.
Birds of a Feather: The Paranormal University Files: Skylar, Year 2, Summer Page 5