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Authors: Robyn Bachar

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BOOK: Fire in the Blood
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“Then let me come with you. I’ll watch your back while you work.”

Stepping away to get some thinking distance, I ran my fingers through my hair as I considered it. I needed a haircut, though I doubted I’d fit one in before the apocalypse started. What started out as a trendy, angular cut had grown into a messy mop. My fire-engine-red hair was something I’d been born with thanks to my faerie blood. It’s a shade that doesn’t naturally occur in humans. In the past it would’ve marked me as abnormal, and I might’ve been killed by a mob of superstitious villagers with torches and pitchforks, but in the modern age I could claim it was an unfortunate dye job.

Not that any of that aside helped me figure out what to do about Faust, who was still watching me far too intently. This was odd behavior, even for him. The cold, dark part of my soul that’d been corrupted by dozens of deals with demons whispered that I should tell him to get the fuck out and never come back, because I didn’t need him. I didn’t need anyone. I choked the urge down like a mouthful of bad medicine.

“Why?” I asked. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful, but why warn me? You’re on Harrison’s payroll. Shouldn’t your loyalty be to him?”

He frowned. “No, not for this. I love you.”

I froze as the world paused around me, because that was not the answer I was expecting. I’d heard him speak those words often enough in my dreams—and occasionally in my nightmares—but I never thought I’d hear them in reality. My heart leapt at the idea and then plummeted at the sheer insanity of it.

“Don’t say that,” I muttered as I rubbed my face with my hands.

“Do you doubt my affection for you?” he asked, sounding offended.

“No.”

And that was part of the problem. I knew he was sincere, but there was zero potential for happily ever after with a faerie, no matter how badly I might want it. I’d known that going into the affair. Gripped by the sudden craving for a smoke, I dropped my coat on my desk and walked back behind it to rifle through the top drawer. After some searching I found a pack of cloves and withdrew a black cigarette. I lit the end with my fingertips—I love being descended from a fire faerie.

Faust continued to study me, and I shivered as I inhaled. “Are you going to deny having feelings for me?” he asked.

Lie to him.
Now both my good sense and my bad sense screamed it at me. Deny everything. Tell him he was nothing more than a good fuck. End it now before it went any further…but I couldn’t. I don’t often have squishy moments, and
vulnerable
is a word that’s never been used to describe me, but I couldn’t lie to Faust. I’d been doing my best to keep my feelings bottled up and hidden for months, because I figured sooner or later he’d move on to a new obsession, and I wanted to be prepared for it when he did. Faeries are wanderers, and they don’t stick to one lover for long. We’d been fooling around for almost three years and I’d feared that the end would come any day now.

Apparently not. Of course, that was part of the problem—I was used to people leaving. I never expected anything permanent from anyone, but Faust had stayed with me far longer than any other lover I’d had.

“That’s not the point,” I said.

“So you do love me.”

“That’s not what I said. There’s no future in this. We’re not even the same species. You’re Peter Pan, and I’m Wendy. You’ll still be a lost boy when I’m old and gray.”

He stepped closer, extending a hand to take mine. “That doesn’t matter—”

“Hell yes it matters!” I shouted as I flinched away. “It matters to me. I’m sure plenty of girls have fallen for the
love is the only thing that matters
speech, but not this one. I don’t need you to be my knight in shining armor. I take care of myself. I always have.”

He sighed. “I know you do. I’m not saying you can’t protect yourself. I’m only suggesting that you allow me to share the burden for the time being.”

My mouth twitched as I fought the urge to grin. He did have a way with words. “No. If you want to help, then go tell the Oberon about Harrison’s plans for me, and remind Duquesne that he’s still contractually obligated to have my back. I’d hate to call in that favor this soon, but I’ll do it if I have to.”

“Very well.” He didn’t look pleased, but it’d get him off my case for now. Faust vanished, and I finished my cigarette in silence.

This was bad on so many levels. I was used to people wanting to kill me, because I’d received my first death threat at seventeen. Life as a summoner meant that I dealt with a lot of bad people, but an amorous faerie declaring his love for me… Lord and Lady, that was a problem I hadn’t been expecting. I’d rather deal with an incubus, because at least they were straightforward about what they wanted. I mentally kicked myself again for getting involved with Faust. It was the charm that wore me down. He’d shown up at my door with work from Zachary Harrison, and after a few meetings we started mixing business with pleasure.

That was a mistake I’d never make again. If he was a summoner it’d be different—I might’ve even pinned him down and demanded marriage and babies, the whole domestic package. It was an option I considered for my retirement, but I’d never had a relationship with another summoner last more than a month. Once I had one of the west coast councilmen propose the idea of “breeding” with me. Completely unromantic—sure, I’ve been called a bitch more times than I can count, but that doesn’t mean I’d sign up to be a summoner puppy mill—but he did have a point that we would have exceptionally powerful offspring. I might have even seriously considered it if he’d agreed to artificial insemination, but he wanted to do it the old-fashioned way, and the guy was so creepy he made my skin crawl, so that was a definite no.

I didn’t have that problem with Faust. I loved him. Visions of chubby babies with bright red hair and pale blue eyes danced in my head. With a growl I ground out my cigarette in the ashtray, grabbed my specs and my coat and hurried out of my office before something else could go wrong. It had been a long day, and I had a feeling it was going to be an equally long night.

I really needed that vacation.

Chapter Two

Harvey had hounded me until I found a twenty-four-hour drive through, and I scarfed down two chicken sandwiches and a few handfuls of fries on the way to the NIPS investigation. Not my finest hour, but it resembled food closely enough that I wouldn’t pass out from hunger. Exhaustion was sure to get me first.

I don’t often visit Wrigleyville in the fall. It’s a rare event that the Cubs make it to post-season play, so by October I’ve moved on to watching the Bears. The area felt emptier without the noise from the sea of drunken Cub fans celebrating the elusive win or mourning another loss. Thankfully it also made traffic lighter and parking easier. My GPS guided me to the location of the NIPS investigation, but spotting them was fairly obvious thanks to their “command center” van parked in front of the house and the group of people milling about in matching hooded sweatshirts. I had to admit, their logo was cute—a cartoon ghost with its tail being tugged on by a German shepherd puppy. I parked behind the van, grabbed my bag and hopped out of my car.

“Ms. Roberts,” Dan greeted. I nodded up at him—he was tall and broad-shouldered, and I suspected he’d played football in college. Maybe if I’d jumped him when I had the chance I wouldn’t have my lovesick faerie predicament. But then again, relationships with the non-magical majority never work out well. Summoner relationships in general rarely work out well. We’re a selfish, cutthroat bunch of bastards.

“Mr. Pulaski. Send your team home,” I ordered, and he scowled.

“There’s still time left to investigate.”

“Not tonight. Didn’t you say one of your buddies broke a leg?”

Dan winced. “Yes.”

“And what, you’re hoping someone will break their neck next? It’s not safe in there. Besides, there won’t be anything left to investigate when I’m done, so they might as well call it a night.”

Dan sighed, but then he nodded. “All right, but Andy and I are staying until you’re done.”

“That’s fine.”

I figured as much. Dan and his brother, Andy, were the founding members of NIPS, and they were always willing to go the extra mile for an investigation. Part of me wanted to warn them off, worried that one night they’d encounter a real danger and get seriously hurt—or dead—but I knew they’d only dig in deeper if I did. They were on a quest for knowledge about the supernatural, armed with digital recorders and thermal cameras. Being supernatural myself, I understood that the things that go bump in the night kill without remorse, and know all the best ways to dispose of a busybody’s corpse.

“Come on. The family’s inside. I’ll introduce you,” he said.

Harvey followed me as I followed Dan. The straights can’t see Harvey. Most magicians can’t even see Harvey—it’s one of his talents. It’s useful having backup that no one knows is there, and he’s saved my ass on more than one occasion. Most summoners at my skill level have several servants, but he’s the only being I’ve ever permanently bound to me. I don’t play well with others, and having more than one servant just seemed gratuitous. Plus Harvey’s gaming habit eats up enough of my petty cash.

The family huddled together in the front room, comprised of Mom, Dad and two daughters—a very normal-looking, all-American bunch. The youngest was asleep on the loveseat, bundled under a quilt, but it was the older girl who caught my attention. Teenager. Figures. Teenage girls are going to be the death of us all one day.

“Mr. and Mrs. Sanders, this is Ms. Roberts. She’s a specialist.”

The teenager squirmed beneath my regard. People find my specs unnerving, but they’d find my eyes far more disturbing so I keep the glasses on.

“Where’s the Ouija board?” I asked.

“Pardon?” the mom said. I bet she had no idea what her daughter brought into the house.

“Where. Is. The Ouija board?” I repeated. My voice rose, and the girl flinched as her eyes widened.

“How did you know?”

“Angry spirits don’t show up without an invitation, kiddo. Using a Ouija board is like chumming the water for sharks.”

Which was, unfortunately, true, though spirits of the dead had nothing to do with it. What started as a clever summoner scheme for luring unsuspecting demons into this world to be bound as servants ended up as a mass-produced party game. It’s not magic, not in the usual sense, but it’s a tool. Using a Ouija board doesn’t make a straight a magician, but it does give them a party line to the hell dimensions. You never know who might pick up, and I spent a lot of time tracking down strays drawn to suburbia by girls at slumber parties. The problem had gotten worse since the summoner population had decreased to just me.

Mr. Sanders looked skeptical. “It’s just a game.”

“Only it’s not. Did the activity start after you brought it into the house?” I asked. The girl pondered it for a moment, and then nodded. “Well there you go. So where is it?”

“Under my bed.”

I glanced at Harvey, and he left to take care of it. There’d be nothing left of the thing except for a layer of ash when he was done. Good riddance. I fucking hate Ouija boards. One of these days I was going to find the Parker Brothers and end them, provided the apocalypse didn’t do it first.

“I’m going to need everyone out of the house while I clear it. I suggest a hotel room if you don’t have friends or family nearby. This might take a while.”

The father began to argue, but was interrupted by the low bass rumble of a growl that shook the glass trinkets in the curio cabinet. I blinked, startled. That wasn’t Harvey—sometimes I’d have him pull a few parlor tricks if the straights argued with me, but only when I gave the order. It was a bad sign. Time to eject the family so I could get down to business.

“Here,” I reached into my jacket and withdrew my money clip. “This should cover your expenses, and any damages.” I peeled off a few hundreds and pressed them into the father’s hand.

“Damages?” he repeated. Another growl knocked a photo from the wall behind them, and the glass shattered in the frame when it hit the floor. Okay, very bad sign. The sudden local summoner extinction meant that bigger, meaner demons were slipping through the wards.

“Everybody out,” I ordered.

The family hustled, spurred on by more ominous growling. Dan frowned as he turned to me. “Do you want my help?”

“No.” The word was almost a snarl, and I paused as his brow rose. “Sorry. Long day. You and Andy can stay out front until I give the all clear, if you want.”

“All right. Good luck.”

He followed the family out—the man was good with orders, I’d give him that. I waited until the count of ten before shucking my coat and tossing it on the couch, followed by my suit jacket. I rolled up the sleeves of my blouse, and the steady beat of approaching footsteps caught my attention as I fished through my bag for my bottle of salt.

“How bad is it, Harv?” I asked without looking up.

“There appears to be a demon infestation in this house,” Faust replied. I jumped, spilling spell components across the living room floor. He stood in the doorway, his hands neatly folded in front of him, calm and serene while my heart revved to one hundred miles an hour.

“Lord and Lady, don’t
do
that,” I sputtered. “You’re supposed to be talking to the Oberon.”

“I did. He asked that I keep an eye on you in the meantime, so here I am, at his request.” He smiled his Cheshire cat grin, and I sighed. If I kicked him out I’d piss off the Oberon, which I couldn’t afford to do at the moment. Duquesne was still harboring ill will toward me because I’d stabbed him once, despite the fact that he’d deserved it. Some people just can’t let things go.

BOOK: Fire in the Blood
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