Against the Dawn (32 page)

I answered Asher’s expectant expression with a smile. “Sure. Piece of cake.”

Xander’s driver pulled up to the front of the warehouse and parked. He walked around to my side of the town car and opened the door for me. “Don’t forget, Darian. I’m not here. You can see me and hear me, but no one else will be able to. So try to ignore me, okay?”

I was a pro as shutting out the world. I had decades of practice. “Keep an eye out for multiple exits in case we need to get the hell out of there. Also, with as tough as it was to score a meet, I’m assuming Mithras is going to come with a small army as security. We’ll need a head count.”

“Got it,” Ash replied as he climbed out behind me. “Here we go.”

“Would you like me to return later to pick you up?” Xander’s driver spoke to me directly, and I assumed Ash was already working his charms. “I can wait for you too, if you’d like.”

“No thanks. We—um, I mean I won’t need a ride home tonight. Thanks for the offer, though.”

The driver gave me a pleasant smile before closing the door and returning to the driver’s side. “Good evening, Miss Charles.”

Ugh. I’d never get used to the way everyone on Xander’s staff addressed me so formally. “Same to you.” But they were all very friendly and accommodating so I couldn’t really complain. Just one more thing I was going to miss when I severed ties with the royal household: the company of other Shaedes.

The car pulled away to reveal Lorik waiting for me near the garage-style warehouse doors. I could almost picture him in a pin-striped suit, complete with a fedora pulled low over his brow and his wingtip shoes polished to perfection. Behind the smirk curving his full lips, I noticed something that I hadn’t before. A weariness and regret that aged him and reflected in the depths of his dark eyes. My stomach tightened with anxious energy.

“A more deadly creature, I’ve never seen,” Lorik remarked as I walked up to him. Beside me, Asher sized him up, his amber eyes narrowing like an animal on the prowl. “Who would dare cross me with you guarding my back?”

“Mithras is here?” I opted not to respond to his compliment, though it did bolster my courage a bit.

“I’ve been promised he is.” Lorik turned his back to me and walked up to the warehouse doors, a set of sliders three times taller than a Lyhtan and at least five times as wide. On the outside, this place was ramshackle at best. I could only imagine what we’d find once inside. “Heads will roll if he isn’t. I’ve worked for months to convince his people that I’m a trustworthy distributor for his product. I have customers lined up and ready to buy. And they’re growing impatient.”

Lorik spent the bulk of prohibition running booze, it didn’t surprise me that now he’d graduated to running guns. “Let’s get inside and see what the man has to say, then. Shall we?”

He flashed me a wide smile. “No time like the present.”

We stood before the doors and beside me Asher’s neck tilted back as he looked up at the tall warehouse façade. “I feel like I’m standing at the gates of Moria,” he remarked. “Speak friend and enter…”

Dear god. Laughter bubbled up in my chest and I coughed to cover up my mirth. It was pretty tough to behave as though he wasn’t there if he was going to be cracking me up all night. Lorik cut me a look and I said, “Lead the way. Do we walk right in, or what?”

“You have to be a member to gain entrance, but I was invited which should suffice to get us inside.” Lorik placed his palm against the corrugated metal door and a bright red light flared beneath his hand.

Beside me, Asher murmured, “I’m expecting him to burst into flames at any second.”

I swung my hip out and gave him a gentle nudge. He was
killing
me with the smartass remarks. The doors eased open and a swath of light escaped to cut through the darkness. Tiny golden dust particles floated in the air, twinkling in a gilded swirl as the doors opened wider to allow us entrance. As I stepped inside the building, the particles settled on what little skin I’d left exposed in a light tingle of warmth like a mist of steam. I held my hand out to find that the gold dust clung to me, the tiny flakes glittering in the light as I turned my hand over. Crazy.

“My god, would you look at this place?”

Lorik’s tone echoed my awe as I took in the confines of Atlas. Ash’s comment about Moria wasn’t too far off, though what I was looking at now was sort of a strange cross between Rivendell and
Casino Royale
. This place had the PNT ball I’d attended beat by miles. Opulent and lush, whoever decorated Atlas definitely had the Midas touch. Gold covered nearly every surface, and more of the same gilded flakes swirled in the air like fancy dust motes. The revelers inside all wore a light coating of sparkling color just like I did. The air smelled sweet, like warm sugar and on a whim I caught the gold flakes on my tongue as though they were snowflakes. I could taste the sweetness of the air. Totally trippy.

“Have you ever seen anything so wondrous, Darian?”

I was impressed, no doubt about that. But Lorik had never beheld the chaotic beauty of
O’Anel
, or watched as Gargoyles sprang to life from stone. And nothing—not even this place—could hold a candle to the wonder I felt when I lost myself in the depths of Tyler’s eyes. “It’s amazing, Lorik.” I turned to him and smiled. “Unbelievable.”

Like Reaver’s basement, this place defied the laws of nature. Outside, night had descended, but in here, a bright sun shone from what appeared to be a false sky. Living, green things sprouted from the dark slate floors, reaching upward in search of sustenance. A large fountain graced the center of the space and other, smaller ones occupied each corner. I looked for alternate exits, anything that might point to a way out, but so far, it appeared that there was only one way in or out. I took note of the bar, several gaming tables, and a small platform where a string quartet played.

Toward the rear of the building, behind the fountains in each corner, I thought I spied twin hallways. They were shrouded by the thick foliage of tropical, wide leafed trees so I couldn’t be sure. But I had to assume that there was more to the place than this central space. “Do you see Mithras?”

Lorik was still a little slack-jawed, and more than a little preoccupied with a pair of nearly naked Sylphs that had apparently decided a dip in one of the shallow pools was in order. Water from the fountain cascaded over them as they giggled and splashed water at each other. Nice. It was like a scene right out of a skin-a-max flick.
Sylphs Gone Wild: 4
. Give me a break. “Lorik.” I nudged him with my elbow and he broke from his apparent trance, turning toward me, brows raised. “Mithras. Do you see him here?”

“How would I know?” he responded with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve never met the man.”

It was going to be a long damned night. “Well, since we’re not going to walk around tapping guys on the shoulder to ask if they’re supernatural arms dealers with a god complex, how do you suggest we find him?”

“Relax, Darian. He’ll find us.”

Like a kid in a candy store, Lorik appeared not to know where to go first. He headed off in one direction and then changed course when something more interesting caught his eye. I tried to keep my focus on Lorik while relying on Asher to scope the place out. The distractions were many though, and I found my attention wandering more often than not. Atlas had all of the visual stimulation of Seven—a primarily supernatural club dedicated to the seven deadly sins—but with a thousand times more class.

“This place is
sick
,” Asher said from beside me. “I’ve got to find out how to get an invite because I won’t be satisfied until I’m a permanent club member.”

I pursed my lips to stifle the smile that threatened. If Xander wasn’t already a member, he’d at least been invited. Maybe I’d offer up a suggestion to Raif that Ash be rewarded for his hard work by pulling a few strings on his behalf. The kid deserved a little fun. I lost Lorik to what looked like a baccarat table—big surprise—and let out a slow sigh. His ADHD was starting to wear my nerves a little thin. Whereas I couldn’t help but be on edge, Lorik seemed oblivious to everything but the cards in front of him.

“Do you even have the right kind of currency to buy in?” For all I knew, the only money accepted in this place was gold doubloons or some shit. Lorik’s eyes twinkled and he dug into the pocket of his jacket, opening his fist to reveal a small horde of diamonds. “Jesus Christ, where did you get those?”

Lorik winked in response and spread the gems out on the crimson velvet of the gaming table. “I’ll take the equivalent in chips,” he said to the dealer, a willowy-limbed Fae with silver-white eyes.

She responded with a nod and a soft smile that revealed a row of glistening pearlescent teeth. Crazy. She counted out three piles of chips: gold, silver, and bronze. They were marked with strange runes that glowed with an otherworldly light and Lorik’s eyes grew wide at the sight, his expression eager. Where was a mind reader when you needed one? I looked around for Asher and found him at the far corner of the club, snooping around and doing exactly what I needed him to do. Guess I’d have to wait to find out what little tidbits of info were swirling around inside Lorik’s brain.

Like the good little bodyguard, I stood at Lorik’s back, watching the game with disinterest while I scanned the immediate area for potential threats—or any sign of Mithras. As it had been decades ago, Lorik’s luck was still abysmal and he lost hand after hand, sending his temper afoul. “Another drink!” he called out as he tossed his last few chips onto the table, disgusted.

“I think you’ve had enough.”

His dark eyes smoldered as he turned to look at me. “I’ll decide when I’ve had enough, Darian.”

“Are we here to do business or get shitfaced and lose a fortune, Lorik?” If he ruined my chances of getting close to the Mithras tonight, I’d kill Lorik myself. I leaned in and spoke close to his ear, “Mithras could be watching you as we speak. You want to give him the impression that your game is tight, Lorik. Getting sloppy drunk and losing all of your money isn’t going to earn you any brownie points.”

“Sir, the bet is to you.”

The Fae interrupted our conversation and I lost Lorik’s attention entirely. He was out of chips. He couldn’t bet again if he wanted to. And since I doubted he had another handful of diamonds in his pocket, I hoped this would shut him down for the night. He reached into the pocket lining his jacket and produced a single black onyx chip. My jaw went slack as I studied the exact replica of the death marker Ty had supplied me a picture of.
Son of a bitch
. “May I raise,” Lorik tossed the marker onto the table, “with this?”

Chapter Twenty-Six

I was pretty sure my eyes were bugging out of my head. Tyler had Lorik spot on. Of course, I shouldn’t have been surprised. It seemed that there was little Ty didn’t know. The Fae stared down at the chip and the other players at the table grew deathly silent. Had this been his plan all along? Find a venue where he might get lucky enough to wager his life debt and pass it on to someone else? Kieran said the debt was nontransferable. Did he never listen?

“I’m sorry sir. That chip cannot be accepted at this table or any other.” Her stiff formality was belied by the nervous quaver that infused her voice. “Please remove it from the table.”

You would have thought the chip was about to explode with the way everyone eyed it. The dealer refused to touch it and the other players scooted their chairs back. Anxious murmurs spread from the table outward, and eyes from all corners of the club turned in our direction. With each passing second, I felt my opportunity to get to Mithras slip another notch. Damn Lorik and his bullshit. Fine. If no one wanted to move the damned thing, I’d take it myself.

Darian, no!
As I reached out to grab the chip, Asher’s shout of protest was clear in my mind. I pulled up short, changing course as though intending to lean in toward Lorik. I laid my hand on his upper arm and my heart stuttered in my chest as the realization hit that Asher might have helped me to dodge a bullet. Perhaps there was more to this death marker than even Kieran knew. “Get that thing off the table before they throw us out!” I seethed in his ear. “Now.”

Like a sullen child, Lorik snatched the onyx chip up in his fist and stuffed it back in his pocket with a curse. I sensed he’d been trying to trick someone—maybe even me—into taking possession of it. Could it be so easy to transfer a life debt? “I was tiring of this game, anyway,” he sneered. “Let’s move on, shall we?”

From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Asher. He wandered through the maze of fountains, lounge areas, and gaming tables, his attention zeroed in on Lorik and me. No longer exuding the playfulness of a wide-eyed kid, his youthful face was lined with concern and his brow furrowed over his bright amber eyes. His mouth drew a hard line, squaring his jaw and sharpening his features. Thanks to Lorik’s foolishness, I could count on everyone, including Asher, to be on edge for the rest of the night.
Fuck
. There was no way I’d get close enough to Mithras to finish the job at this point.

“Lorik.”

We turned toward the voice in tandem and I stepped in front of Lorik to protect him from whatever threat might come his way. The daggers vibrated at my sides, sensing my mood, but I pushed the sensation to the back of my mind as I remembered Reaver’s words. They merely echoed my emotions. So far, the only danger was in my imagination.

The Fae was dressed in the sort of Legolas-meets-Robin Hood getup that Raif had a tendency to favor. In fact, this Fae had a warrior’s muscular build and a hardness to his storm gray eyes that spoke of years spent in rigorous battle. Totally out of place here. Maybe he was a bouncer sent to throw us out. He looked down on me from at least seven feet of height and his lips puckered with curiosity as one brow arched over a stormy eye. “Mithras would like to see you, Lorik. Since you’re finished gaming for the night.”

His gaze didn’t leave mine and I suppressed a shiver. If he knew who I was, he didn’t give any outward show of recognition, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this Fae wanted to say something to me. “How do we know this isn’t a trap? Or yet another imposter claiming to be Mithras only to give us some stupid errand to run.” I was still pissed off about the great werewolf debacle and I refused to jump through any more hoops. “Can you give us some assurances before we blindly follow you?”