Darkness Unmasked (DA 5) (26 page)

“What did Rhoan say in his report?”

“That something or someone destroyed what appeared to be a nest of spiders in one Ms. Summers’s bedroom.”

And how had he come to that conclusion given that Amaya’s flames had consumed just about everything? And why hadn’t I received a phone call demanding to know why the hell I was even anywhere
near
the place given my promise not to investigate? He surely wouldn’t have missed the fact that the Ducati was parked right outside.
If
she was still parked outside, that was. Knowing my uncle, he’d probably ordered her confiscated, just to teach me a lesson.

“I burned the bastards because I didn’t think anyone would want a friggin’ nest of Jorõgumos remaining in existence,” I said, with a touch more annoyance than was probably wise. Just because she seemed to be amused didn’t mean she actually was. “They were too young to be in any form other than spider, so it was unlikely the Directorate witches would have gotten any information out of them.”

“And what about the mama spider?”

“Well, she’s supposed to be performing at someplace called the Falcon Club at midnight, but I don’t like our chances of catching her there.”

The amusement faded. Rapidly. “And why would that be?”

Because I burned her babies and it’s more than likely she sensed it
. But I wasn’t about to actually say that. My life might not be fun at the moment, but I sure as hell wasn’t ready to see it end just yet.

“Because we’re not dealing with a dumb spirit here. She spotted me at Hallowed Ground and did a runner. She knows we’re after her.”

“Not even a spirit can deny the urge of a mother to feed her young,” Hunter commented. “She didn’t kill this afternoon, so if she still has young to feed, she will be forced to do so either tonight or tomorrow.”

Undoubtedly. “So do you want me to go to the Falcon Club, or would you rather?” I kept my fingers crossed for the latter, because the last thing I really felt like right now was traipsing off to another bloody club.

As usual, it was a forlorn hope.

“I have no desire to be involved in the grunt work of investigating. That is what underlings are for.”

A smile touched her lips, but it was in no way a nice smile. Just for a moment, I thought about Harry Stanford’s offer and was tempted.
Seriously
tempted.

But only briefly. However desperate I might be feeling, I wasn’t insane, and there was no way in hell I was going to cross the line and go up against Hunter.

“Just remember to contact me once you have found her,” she continued, in that same sweet, do-it-or-I’ll-kill-you voice. “Because I very much intend to do to her what she did to Wolfgang.”

Consume her? Not just her blood, but her intestines, guts, and brain? Surely to god that wasn’t possible for a vampire to do—blood yes, but not the innards as well? And yet if any vampire
could
be capable of it, then it would be Hunter.

Somehow, I managed to keep the horror out of my voice as I said, “You’ll be the first person I call.”

“I had best be the only call you make where this case is concerned.”

I’d meant the comment sarcastically—it wasn’t like I could call anyone else, anyway. But I didn’t bother replying. I just hung up, shoved the phone away, and glanced at my watch. “Well, it’s nine o’clock. Given I can’t do anything else to find Ilianna, and I have no intention of going to that damn club earlier than I have to, we’ve got only one option left.”

“And that is?” Azriel said, the slightest hint of a smile breaking his otherwise bland expression.

“We go home and make mad, crazy love to each other. Let’s grab a moment of utter normality before the shit hits the fan completely.”

Because a storm
was
coming. I could feel it. And I had a bad, bad suspicion I might not survive it.

Azriel caught my hand and tugged me into his arms. “While I am alive, you will remain so. I promise you that, if nothing else.”

I melted into his embrace and listened to the strong, steady beat of his heart. “If death is my fate, even you cannot change that.”

He didn’t answer, and my stomach dropped. I looked up quickly and caught the flash of . . . something dark—perhaps even a little guilt—in his eyes. Then it was gone, and all that remained was tenderness.

“Can you?” I asked, frowning.

“That is a question I hope I will never be forced to answer,” he said. Which wasn’t exactly an answer, but I knew him well enough now to understand it was all I was about to get. “Now, about this business of mad, crazy lovemaking. I’m not sure I understand the concept.”

I smiled. “Then take me home and I’ll show you.”

He did, and I did.

And it was glorious.

Chapter 10

The Falcon Club was decidedly seedy. The air was thick with the scents of cigars, alcohol, and unwashed flesh, and it was packed with people—mainly men, but there was a good smattering of women here as well, most of whom were scantily dressed and very obviously working the room. Sex, I suspected, could be found here for a price.

My nose twitched at the unpleasant aromas surrounding me, but I ignored them the best I could, grabbed a drink from the bar, then wound my way through the shabby tables, choosing one in the thicker shadows near the bathrooms. It was far enough away from the bar—and most of the patrons—that the air was almost breathable and had the added bonus of affording a good view of the small stage situated to the left of the bar.

I sat down and nursed the icy glass of beer between my palms. This club obviously wasn’t one of your more upmarket ones, so it was a little surprising that they’d employed someone like Di Shard to provide their entertainment. Given the state of this place—and the less-than-dapper look of its customers—a stripper would probably have been more appropriate. Or, at the very least, a rock band—although given the club’s close proximity to homes, noise regulations would probably have stopped that.

I took a drink of beer and briefly caught the eye of a tall, somewhat hairy individual several tables over. He reminded me somewhat of the visage Azriel had said he’d adopted when we’d visited Classique, and I couldn’t help smiling. The bear-shifter—he couldn’t really be anything else looking like that—obviously took my smile as a go-ahead signal, because he rose, hitched up his trousers, and began wandering over. He was little more than four feet away when he abruptly turned and headed off toward the bar.

I just about choked on my drink.
And here I was thinking you couldn’t interfere with the thoughts or actions of others unless it involved the key search in some way.

Given the direction of that man’s thoughts, you should be thankful I did turn him away.

I grinned at the annoyance in his mental tones.
And what if I’d wanted to be mauled by a hairy bear type?

You have far better taste than that.

The amusement bubbling through me got stronger.
That wasn’t what you were saying when I was with Lucian.

The Aedh’s attraction was magic enhanced
.

And the fact that he was also a fantastic lover had absolutely
nothing
to do with it.
That comment was greeted by stony silence. I somehow controlled my amusement and switched to safer subjects.
No sign of our spider-spirit yet?

We’d decided that—given the Jorõgumo’s sudden retreat last time we’d tried to confront her—it might be wiser if Azriel remained outside, in the vague hope that out of sight would mean out of sensory range. I could hide my features easily enough—and was, in fact, now green-eyed, brown-haired, and definitely not anything you’d label pretty—so it was unlikely she’d even recognize me, let alone sense I was anything more than just another non-human. Spirits, Azriel had assured me, weren’t often attuned to the Aedh. Amaya’s presence on my back was another matter entirely, but given I wasn’t about to go anywhere without having her close at hand, it was a risk we had to take.

No sign of her,
he said.
But she is unlikely to arrive early given she is aware that we hunt her.

Which makes me wonder if she’ll even turn up. I mean, if she’s as smart as you said, she’d be stupid to come here.

But, as Hunter noted, sometimes maternal demands overrun common sense.

I took another sip of beer. It was, despite the grimy air of the place, surprisingly good. A couple walked past me, the man radiating lust and grinning with expectation. The woman’s expression was rather world-weary. Just another mark for her, I thought, as they made their way into the bathroom. I grimaced at the thought. If the bathrooms were as grimy as the rest of this place, it sure as hell wouldn’t have been
my
first choice for a rendezvous. Even the lane behind this joint would have been cleaner.

Trying to tune their noise out, I said,
If she merely wishes to feed her young, why wouldn’t she just snatch someone off the street?

Perhaps she requires more in a victim than just mere flesh and blood. Her male victims were strong psychically, remember. And
she
consumed them, not her young.

Meaning maybe I should do a quick reconnoiter and see if I can sense any psychically strong targets in the room.

You do not need to subject yourself to the less-than-savory nature of those in the club
. His mental tones held a note that I would have sworn was proprietary had it been anyone else.
There are four such people in the room.

Who?

As I am not in the room, I cannot say precisely. I merely sense the vibrations of their souls.

Which isn’t much good given the room is packed. Our task would be easier if we knew who to keep an eye on.
I downed my drink in several gulps and rose.
I’ll take the long way to the bar and see what I can uncover.

If you wish.
His tone suggested he didn’t think it was necessary, and I couldn’t help grinning all over again. My reaper might have accused me of being jealous over his flirting with other women on more than one occasion, but it really was beginning to sound like he was suffering from the same affliction. And I couldn’t help but be happy about that, if only because it suggested that I wasn’t imagining the caring I sometimes sensed in him.

Of course, taking the long way to the bar did mean walking past a lot of very merry men, many of whom seemed to think a female rump in close proximity really
did
need a pinch, if not a good fondle. It irked the hell out of me, but I kept my temper in check and a smile on my face and was rewarded by finding all four psychics. Two had parked themselves at the bar, one was sitting with a dark-haired woman near the front door, and the last one leaned casually against the wall opposite the bar, sipping his beer and idly surveying the crowd.

His gaze met mine briefly, and a frisson of recognition raced through me. Not because I knew him, but because I knew the
type
.

If he wasn’t Directorate, I’d eat my damn hat. If I’d been wearing a hat, that was.

At least his gaze slid past me and continued on. My inner devil was tempted to go over and chat him up, not only because he was one of the few half-decent-looking guys in the room, but because it would have been interesting to see if I could tease any information out of him.

But we were both here to catch a killer, and
that
sort of behavior wasn’t something either of us needed. Besides, it wasn’t like I needed another man in my life, however briefly I might flirt with the idea.

I made my way back to my table, but had barely sat down when Azriel said,
She’s here.

Where?

Just entering the club via a rear door
. He paused.
She can sense me.

I swore softly and pushed up from the table so quickly that I half spilled my beer.
Meaning she’s running again?

No. I retreated fast, and she remains.

I sighed in relief.
Keep your distance, then. With the Directorate here, we can’t do anything until she picks out a victim and leaves with him.

The guardian will follow her, just as we plan to.

Yeah, but we can knock out his car or even him.
Though it would undoubtedly be easier to do the former rather than the latter. He might be a shifter rather than a vampire, but he was still a guardian and therefore dangerous.

I sat back down and took a sip of beer. I had only half of it left, but I wasn’t going to walk over to the bar to get another one. Given our target had entered the building, it was better if I remained where I was.

After a few more minutes, a tall, thin man walked onto the stage and lightly tapped the microphone to get everyone’s attention. Unfortunately for him, just about everyone but me ignored him.

“I’m afraid tonight’s entertainment has been canceled. The lively Di Shard called in sick at the last moment, and we weren’t able to get a replacement.”

The news was greeted by general indifference, but it had me frowning.
Azriel, has she left again or is she still here?

She’s there. I cannot pinpoint her location precisely because doing so means moving closer and increases the chances of her sensing me again.

So why the hell would the manager announce she was unavailable?

I cannot say.

Neither could I, and it was damn worrying. And it wasn’t like I needed anything else to worry about given the whole key situation and now Ilianna’s disappearance.

I searched for the four psychics again and spotted all but the guardian. I saw him a couple of seconds later as he jumped onto the stage and followed the manager into the back room. He was obviously intending to question the man—something I really would have liked to have done but now couldn’t. The guardian might not have recognized me, but he’d know I was wolf. The last thing I needed was him reporting a werewolf working for the vamp council questioning the manager. Rhoan could put two and two together as easily as the next man.