Burning Bright (Ivy Granger) (11 page)

Yeah, this visit was going well.

“Ceff?” I whispered, careful not to move.

“On it,” he said.  From the sound, he’d removed his trident
from its ankle sheath, flicking the telescoping handle bringing the weapon to
its full length.  “It seems that we are at an impasse.”

Straining my eyeballs until they hurt, I could just make out
where Ceff stood holding his weapon.  The vamp had his sai aimed at me and Ceff
had his trident aimed at him.  We were deadlocked.

“As much as I’d like to continue this little testosterone
tea party, I have an appointment with Sir Gaius,” I said.

Sweat trickled down my back, but my voice came out normal. 
No quivering, go me.

“Prove it, human,” he said, the disdain clear in his voice.

“Oh, dude, you have this all wrong,” I said.

Someone had obviously given the order to stop any humans
from entering vamp HQ and this guy had mistaken me for the enemy.  Looks like
I’d have to set him straight.

I grabbed hold of the anger and fear churning deep inside of
me and set it free.  My lips parted in a sigh of relief as my wisp magic flowed
through my body.  Letting my powers loose was much easier than keeping them
chained.  My hair began to float around my head, though there wasn’t a single
draft in the underground tunnel.  A blinding light erupted from my skin and I
knew that if I’d had a mirror, I’d see my eyes glowing like two miniature suns.

“I’m not human.”

Funny how that was getting easier and easier to say.

“My mistake, mistress fae,” the vamp said.

He reached behind his back and slid both sai into the wide
belt at his waist in one smooth movement.  He bowed his head briefly and stood
with his empty fists at his side.

Even without the weapons, the vamp looked like a badass.  He
was wearing armor made up of hundreds of small, red, lacquered scales that
appeared to be threaded together with gold wire.  His greaves matched the armor
with the exception of a hexagonal pattern at the knee.  All of this was worn
over heavy, black and red, padded clothing that I would have mistakenly assumed
would impair a man’s movements—if I hadn’t already seen the vamp in action.

But most striking was the helmet that covered most of his
face in the visage of some kind of demon.  The vampire’s fangs protruded from
the grimacing demon’s open mouth—a sight I’m sure had set terror into the
hearts of many a mortal man.  Seeing that thing charging into battle would
surely make most men want to turn tail and run.

Ceff slowly returned his own weapon to its sheath and
carefully pulled my “invitation” from his back pocket.  With a rustle of
parchment, he held it out to the vamp.  After a cursory glance, the guard
nodded.

“I will take you to Aurelius-Daitoryo.”

The guard turned in a series of birdlike, vamp-fast
movements and the red lacquer of his armor shone like wet blood in the dampening
wisp glow.  I stifled a shiver and forced myself to follow.

I’d never liked the dark descent to the vampire’s council
chambers.  The torch lit tunnel always gave me the sensation of being swallowed
whole.  Too bad becoming vamp food was always a possibility.  I just hoped that
Sir Gaius and I could reach an agreement that we could both live with. 
Otherwise, I’d become tonight’s entertainment…and dinner.

M
y skin tingled
as we made our way down the tunnel.  As we grew closer to the inner chambers,
and the master of the city, every alcove was filled with a suit of armor.  The
culture and time periods represented varied, but each piece of armor was old—and
if the hairs along my neck were to be believed, so were the vamps wearing them. 
Yeah, I was pretty sure there were vamp guards lurking in that old armor.  Just
because the armor wasn’t moving, didn’t mean it was empty.  Vampires could
stand immobile for eons if not for the occasional need to feed.

Doing my best to ignore the vamps lurking in the shadows, I
examined the fast approaching double doors.  The ornate doors were warded with
heavy magics, and could only to be opened safely with the consent of the master
of the city.  Crossing that threshold without Sir Gaius’ permission meant
sudden death, which I suppose was a better way to go than becoming some vamp’s
chew toy.  I just hoped that tonight there was a third option.

According to his summons, The Boss wanted me to follow the
terms of our prior agreement and work one case for him, free of charge.  If he
was sending dwarf messengers and escorting me with armed guards, I’d take a
wild guess and say the vampire master of the city was desperate.  If I was
reading things right, that meant he needed me, for now.  Maybe death by
immolation was off the menu, I just hoped that held true for both me and Ceff.

The demon-faced guard stopped at the doors and tilted his
head as if listening to a conversation I couldn’t hear.  Which, I suppose, he
was.  One of The Boss’s talents was telepathy, and he never missed a chance to
show off.  After a brief, albeit silent, conversation, the guard moved aside. 
My ears popped and the wavering of the air, like the heat above an open fire,
dissipated.

The guard waved an arm toward the doors and they opened with
an ominous creaking of the hinges.

“You may enter,” he said.

I rolled my eyes and strode into the vamp council chambers—and
stopped short.  No, I hadn’t been struck down by the door wards, but my heart
had stopped beating all the same.

I’d been ready for the vulgar artwork and stained glass
images depicting scenes that would make the Marquis de Sade blush.  Maybe even
a public and bloody settling of a dispute between rival vamps.  After being
tricked into interrupting a council meeting on my last visit, I even half
expected a fully assembled council of dusty leeches.  What I hadn’t expected
was a fully disrobed master of the city stepping into a raised tub filled with
red liquid.

Fucking hell.
  When I’d pictured a bloodbath in the
council chambers, this was not what I had in mind.

I tried to pretend that the master of the city was bathing
in tomato juice.  Who knows, maybe he’d been sprayed by a skunk.  The image of
a cartoon skunk nailing Sir Gaius with a stink bomb nearly set off a fit of
giggles.  I coughed into my gloved hand and cleared my throat.

Ceff raised an eyebrow at me, but I waved him off.  Now
wasn’t the time for sharing vamp jokes. 
Le sigh.
  I cleared my throat
again and Gaius caught my gaze as he submerged deeper into the crimson liquid.

For a moment, I was ensnared by the pale Adonis who was
lowering his body into the bath.  I nearly wept with the need to join him, to
feel his embrace.  I struggled to take a step forward, but something held me
back.

I twisted in Ceff’s grip on my leather jacket, breaking eye
contact with Gaius and severing his hold on me.  Shivering, with equal parts
rage and fear, I took a step backward.  Ceff released my sleeve, though he
stayed within easy reach—just in case I decided to be a total dumbass and fall
under The Boss’ spell again.

Mab’s bones, that was stupid.  I knew better than to let a
bloodsucker hold my gaze, but I’d been trying to avoid staring at other more
shriveled
parts of the ancient vampire’s anatomy.  My second sight allowed me to see
through vamp glamour, which in this case wasn’t necessarily a good thing.  There
were some things that should remain a mystery.

Though if Jinx ever woke up, I’m sure she’d want to know.  Ever
since I told her vamps didn’t sparkle, she’d been wondering why so many people
throughout history thought they were so hot.  I tried to explain vamp glamour,
and their ability to enthrall, but I think my friend had her own theory.  Too
bad I was going to have to burst her bubble—there was nothing sexy about a
dusty, old vamp.  Nothing.

Thinking about Jinx helped me shake off the last remnants of
the vamp spell.

“Cut it out, Gaius,” I said, my teeth grinding together as I
spit out the words.  “I’m here to fulfill our bargain, not play games.”

A dry chuckle, like the scrape of dead leaves on a coffin
lid, rose from the tub.

“You could not handle me, little
corpse candle
,” he
said.  “And for now, I require your services.”

Yeah, he had a point.  Sex with the vampire master of the
city—if such a thing was even possible with that equipment—would be the death
of me.  One touch of his ancient skin and I’d be flooded with a raging sea of
visions.  I’d be dead before our first kiss, though I’m not sure if that’s
entirely what he meant.  Probably better not to think too long and hard about it.

I snorted and rolled my hand in a “let’s get on with it”
gesture.  The sooner Ceff and I could get out of here the better.  I really
didn’t want to be around when Gaius was done with his bath.  Ogling him naked
once was bad enough, but seeing his desiccated body dripping blood was
something I sure as hell didn’t want to experience again in this lifetime.

“What is it you want, Gaius?” I asked.  “Other than the
usual sex and blood.”

The vampire master held out his arm, turning it to examine
his slender hand, a sigh passing between his fangs.  I wasn’t sure if it was my
imagination, but the vamp’s matchstick thin fingers seemed to be plumping up,
like a raisin set in a glass of water. 
Ewww.

“I am in need of your services…your professional services,”
he said.

Yeah, whatever.  We all need something.
  I thought
the words, but didn’t say them out loud.  Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t
have a death wish.  And as much as I hated to admit it, I owed the vampire
master of the city.  We’d made a deal.  He gave me information leading to the
missing fae children and I agreed to work one case of his choice, free of
charge.  I could try and be civil, for now.

“Um, okay,” I said.  I swallowed hard, pulling my attention
from the vamp’s spongy appendages and stared at a drop of blood in stark
contrast to the rim of the ivory tub.  I was done looking at Gaius.  “What’s
the case?”

“As you may know, there are forces at work in the
supernatural community,” he said.  “The scent of war is in the air; the weak
skitter into hiding while the powerful amass their troops, preparing for
battle.”

So it was true then.  There was a war coming.  I just didn’t
understand why, not yet.  Suddenly the rash of monster infestations and local
territorial disputes made sense.  Fae, vamps, hunters, and witches were on the
move, maneuvering their assets like pawns on a chessboard, and those with
enough power were drawing the proverbial line in the sand.

I flicked my eyes to Ceff.  My boyfriend was a kelpie king. 
Had he known about this?  Judging by the flush of color that rose in his
cheeks, I’d say that was a yes.  Damn it, why hadn’t he told me any of this?  I
studied the way he stood, hands flexing and body at an angle to the bathing
vamp.

I sighed, the answer obvious.  Ceff would do anything to protect
me, even if that meant sheltering me from the truth.  He knew how important the
search for my father was to me and how fragile my control was over my wisp
powers.  Worrying about a possible war would be a distraction and a stressor, a
potentially deadly one if I started glowing on the city streets.  Ceff had been
trying to shield me from the truth.  He may have had all the right reasons, but
that didn’t mean we weren’t going to have a serious talk later—as soon as I was
done dealing with Gaius.

“You want my help in this war?” I asked, brows rising as the
vamp’s words sunk in.

He had to be kidding.  I might have gained some skill at
squashing the occasional fae pest, but fighting as a soldier in a vamp war was
way outside my job description.

Gaius chuckled, making the hairs along my neck stand at
attention.

“No, corpse candle, I do not need a soldier,” he said.  I
heard the sloshing of liquid and kept my eyes glued to the edge of the tub.  “I
need you to put an end to the fires plaguing our city.  I only speak of the
approaching war to let you know why I do not take care of this minor trouble
myself.”

Ah, yes.  No matter what The Boss would like to have me
think, fire was never a “minor trouble” to a nest of vamps.  He could bathe in
blood all he wanted, like that freaky ass Countess Bathory chick from history
class, but the truth of the matter is that vamp bodies are tinder dry.  No
amount of feeding or bathing could change that fact.

Vampires are basically kindling with fangs.  That was the
reason the torches in here were lit by LED bulbs, not open flame.  Suddenly, I
saw the fire imp infestation through the eyes of the vampire master and I
understood just how much he needed me.

If the city burned, the vamps would die.

“Let me get this straight,” I said.  “You want me to help
stop the fires raging across the city, right?”

It would be a lot to handle, what with needing to find and
kill Kaye and rescue Jinx, but with Ceff’s help, we might pull it off.

“Yes,” he said.

Blood splashed and dripped onto the marble floor tiles as
the master of the city rose and stepped out of the tub.  Ugh, time to go.

“Sure, I’ll do it,” I said.  “But this makes us even.”

“It is done,” he said.  I staggered a bit under the weight
of his words, but kept my eyes focused just to the right of where Gaius was
standing.  “Yue Fei will see you out.”

The Boss gestured toward the door with his newly plump hand
and I turned to see the samurai vamp waiting for us.  As I made my way into the
adjoining tunnel, with Ceff at my side, Gaius’ voice floated up from the
cavernous council chamber.

“Be careful facing your demons, little
corpse candle
,”
he said.  “I would not want you to get burned.  Mwhahahahahahahaha!”