Hidden Spark (Dark Magic Enforcer Book 6) (17 page)

Oskari was no fool, and he knew the number of new vampires could never be coped with. They would be wild things, unable to be controlled, and the virus would spread to epidemic proportions within days as those infected awoke to their new immortality and found themselves lost, confused, and unable to stop their hunger unless they fed.

This was Dragon and his wyrmlings' doing, not ours. The vampires did well, I have to admit, and Oskari undoubtedly kept a very tight rein on his people. They didn't succumb to the madness, they cleaned up the city, disposed of the bodies, hauling them away in unmarked vans and nondescript cars.

I found out later they even paid a visit to the center where CCTV was controlled and pretty much melted the entire system, including backups. It was somewhat overkill, as most places have our own Hidden working to cover our tracks if need be, but nobody was taking any chances.

Zombies were rounded up by trolls sent out by Dancer, hundreds of immortal rock-beings immune to the bites, who grabbed the poor creatures under an arm and bundled them into waiting minivans, taking them to the out-of-town converted spa resort that was to be their new home-cum-prison.

By the time the city was alive with early morning traffic and pedestrians wandering through what sections of the city center weren't closed by police tape, officers mostly standing around scratching their heads at the body count, all but one of the wyrmlings had been accounted for by either me or a few other enforcers. Those left behind looked like they'd been in vicious fights, rather than the victims of newly made vampire wizards and witches thanks to some quick thinking by Dancer to disguise the violence as something believable—hopefully those missing wouldn't spark a large-scale investigation.

Dragon was nowhere to be found, and it wasn't surprising. He'd be holed up somewhere safe, waiting to see what happened with his initial onslaught. Testing the waters to see how the Hidden reacted to his actions—he would not be a very happy chappy, that was for sure.

Needing to catch my breath, and more relieved than I'd ever been in my life to watch people begin their day of shopping, pleased that so many could carry on as normal, unaware of the narrow escape they'd had, I sat down on a bench in the city center and called home.

"Hello?" came the welcome voice of Kate. "Wait, hang on. Mithnite, not that one, you muppet. How are the hobs going to eat porridge from that? Use a bloody bowl."

I could hear Mithnite in the background saying sorry, and banging cupboard doors. They were safe, and my heart leapt for joy.

"Kate, it's me. Look, I haven't got time to tell you everything that's been happening, but Dragon went nuts and killed a load of the sleeping vampires at Oskari's. Then he let loose a load of his people on the city and I've spent all night trying to clear up the mess."

"What is wrong with this man? He's a psycho. Are you okay?"

"Fine, just tired. I'll be home soon, I just have one more person to deal with. But stay indoors, and don't answer it to anyone apart from me or Dancer, okay?"

"Okay," she said warily. "But they won't come here, will they?" She sounded nervous, which was to be expected, but I was sure Oskari would have sent some goons to look out for her, anyway. He was playing surprisingly fair, and knew that protecting Kate meant keeping on the good side of me and Dancer.

"No, but you know me, first day back on the job. Okay, second. I'm just a little paranoid."

"Ah, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they really aren't out to get you, right? Haha, we'll be fine. Damn, why couldn't Dancer give you an easy job to start with? Will things be okay, Faz? This sounds crazy."

"Sure, Faz Pound is on the case. But I need a new suit, this one is covered in goop, and bits, and I don't mean I got a late night kebab. Can you get some clothes ready for me?"

"Sure, what did your last slave die of?"

"Being cheeky and sarcastic. Look out the window, will you?"

"Hang on." I heard Kate bossing Mithnite about and some random noises, glad he was settling in okay, and then Kate said, "Two bodyguards. I know them, they're pretty decent guys."

"Good, so you'll be fine. What about Macdubhgall, is the gremlin awake yet?"

"Yes, two of his, er, its kind came about an hour ago and took the poor thing with them. The were very nice and bowed a lot, but I couldn't understand what they were saying."

"Nobody can. Hell, I'd almost forgotten about them. What else will Dragon do? Who's next?"

"What's that? You're breaking up, Faz. Hello?"

"Gotta go, love you."

I hung up and leaned back on the bench, sighing deeply. What an utter mess. Would Dragon be hunting out other Hidden races he didn't approve of? Who would that be? I couldn't think straight. But as I went through the various beings I knew of, I couldn't recall any that were as recent as the gremlins.

Most were around long before us. The gremlins were an exception so maybe that was it for the genocide part of his plan. At least for now, and in our country. Other countries would be a different matter entirely. Hell, Japan was overflowing with weird Hidden brought into being by humanity's imagination. He'd have a field day there.

I sat for a minute longer, just to gather what little energy remained. As I was about to get going, a delight in skintight clothing sauntered up to me, wiggling her ample hips, bouncing her mesmerizing chest, and took a seat without a word.

She looked as beautiful as always, as perfect as always, but her face told the story of the kind of night she'd had—it was probably about as much fun as mine.

"Hey, Persimmon."

"Hey, Spark. Man, I'm beat."

"Tell me about it. Actually, don't, I'll only get more depressed."

"I wasn't going to. That was the worst night of my life. The things I've done, the things I've seen. I would never have agreed to be an enforcer for Dancer if this was what he had in mind."

I'd heard she'd signed up a few years ago, and was just as good at the job as her cousin had been, but there are limits we all have, and she'd clearly reached hers. "You could always become a secretary, instead. I hear Dancer is looking for a new one."

"Shut up, you dick." She punched me on the arm. It really hurt.

"Ow!"

Next thing I knew, she was leaning against my shoulder. I sat there doing nothing, until my shirt was soaked and I looked down to see she was crying silently. I shifted a little and put my arm around her.

We stayed like that until we saw a zombie shuffling towards early morning shoppers and I made a call. Two minutes later, the zombie so new it still hadn't attacked, was just shuffling about, a conscious mind trapped in an unspeakable madness that it couldn't escape, two trolls walked up to it, grabbed it under the arms, and carried it away.

The aroma of coffee reached our nostrils and Persimmon mumbled, "That smells so good."

"You want a coffee? I'm buying."

"Yes, more than anything. Ugh, I feel so wasted."

I stood and held out my hands for her. She grabbed them and I pulled her up with a little too much momentum and she came close, chest pushed against mine. A sweet firmness that took my breath away. She smelled just as I remembered—musky, perfume mixed with sweat, and utterly dangerous. Look, it was an accident, I promise.

What I hadn't expected was for her to get up on tiptoe and kiss me gently on the cheek. Last time we were close she was trying to eviscerate me. That's panther shifters that think you got their cousin killed for you.

I felt all funny inside, as well as all kinds of guilty. Things stirred that had no right to, and Persimmon smiled a knowing smile. Damn, she oozed sexuality like a vampire after feeding.

Taking a step back, I asked, "What was that for?"

"For not being an idiot or a wise-ass for a few minutes. Thanks. Now, let's go get that coffee."

"Okay, but you have to order."

"What? Why?"

"Because these coffee shops freak me out. I stand there staring at the board, with no idea what any of it means. I just want something hot and full of caffeine. What's a mocha, anyway?"

"Oh, it's just a—"

"Spare me. I've lived this long without knowing, I don't need to find out now."

"Wow. Who would have thought it, the great Black Spark afraid of a barista?"

"See, there you go again. What's a barista? Is it something with cream in?"

Persimmon rolled her eyes, revealed a delightful smile, and for a second I was sure she held out her hand, ready to take mine, then realized what she was doing and dropped it by her side. "Yeah, something like that. Come on, and don't worry, I'll order."

She did, and I paid, as promised. I ended up with a delightful concoction with frothy milk, lots of sugar, and a sprinkling of chocolate on top. Maybe I'd study up a little when I had the time.

Checking on the Family

"Howdy fellas," I called through my open window to the two vampire goons stationed at the end of the lane. They snarled at me, which was nice, but they were there to protect Kate, under Oskari's orders, not make friends with what I'm sure they saw as the enemy.

I drove up to our parking spot and turned off the engine, thankful to be out in the fresh air. The drive had been awful, mainly because of the stink of death and my own body odor that I couldn't escape even with the windows all open.

My heart lifted when I saw Kate and Mithnite locking up the chicken house, laughing and joking as they clutched a handful of eggs each. Mithnite looked like a different kid, although I reminded myself he was early twenties and a man now. This is what it's all about, isn't it? Life is about trying to do good things, looking out for each other. Family.

Was that what he was now, family? He'd only been with us a night, and I hadn't even been there for most of it, leaving Kate to deal with him. They seemed to be coping well without me, though, and I hoped Kate wasn't just putting a brave face on things for his sake.

Mithnite had always held a place in my heart. Not always a good one, but a place all the same! I'd watched him progress over the years, given him tips and help to improve his craft, but in my depression and exit from all things magical I hadn't kept track of him properly, same as everything else. I should have thought more about him and what had happened, but I'd been selfish and self-absorbed. I felt terrible for neglecting my friend.

I'd do what I could to make amends, and have a long, hard think about what was best for him. Should I let him live with us, help him complete his studies? Could I? I knew nothing about teaching magic. I'd been taught by Rikka in a rather unconventional way to say the least. Most students are part of small classes where they can learn together, but Rikka would tutor nobody but me, and look how that ended up.

My thoughts were interrupted by Kate and Mithnite waving as they saw me approach, so I put everything else aside. Time to live in the moment, free of distractions, if just for a little while.

Kate gave her eggs to Mithnite and came running down the path to greet me. "Faz! Are you hurt? You look awful, look at your suit! Is everything okay? Is it safe?"

"Wow, that's a lot of questions." I kissed her, long and hard, taking in her scent, her essence. My beautiful, dangerous vampire. Finally, I felt like I could relax. Damn, I was tired, hurting, and yet feeling strangely intoxicated because of the violence and the magic. Or maybe it wasn't strange, and I'd just forgotten.

"Aah, that's nice." Kate snuggled into my neck, hugging me even tighter.

"It's so good to be home," I said, burying my face in her hair, breathing deep and letting the sense of being home, of being loved, wash over me leaving me a better man.

Next thing I knew she shoved me hard and I flew across the path, over some clipped shrubs, and landed hard on my backside in a clump of nettles. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Faz Pound, you are lucky I don't rip your goddamn throat out. I can smell it on you. I can taste it on you, on your cheek. You reek of panther shifter. You reek of another woman!" Kate stormed off past Mithnite, who stood there, holding the eggs, tutting at me and shaking his head.

"Man, you must be nuts to play around. Kate's like perfect. Idiot." Mithnite tutted again and followed Kate into the house.

"I know she's perfect," I shouted after him. "I know you're perfect," I shouted louder, hoping Kate would hear.

Damn, like I hadn't had a bad enough night and morning already.

I got up, didn't bother brushing myself down, and went to accept my punishment. I was more nervous than the time I had a standoff with the rogue goblin known as the Kneecapper of Kent, and I doubted I'd get off as lightly now as I did then.

An Official Welcome

It took a little explaining, but Kate came around soon enough. Or sort of came around. She kept giving me dirty looks and I ended up feeling awful even though I was pretty sure I'd been a good boy. I was torn between guilt—I'd certainly enjoyed the closeness with Persimmon—and indignation as all I'd done was console someone who needed it.

But Kate's no fool, and I'm a terrible liar, even to myself, and she knew how Persimmon looked, so we had an unspoken rule about getting up close and intimate, which is entirely fair. Mithnite made himself scarce while we talked, until eventually all was well with the world—apart from the fact Dragon would be out to wreak havoc and the city had nearly gone up in flames just a few hours ago.

I went over it all once we were back together, explaining what had happened in detail and also made a point of saying how Oskari had reacted to the death of his own, and that he'd worked well with Dancer and his people had remained under control as we all banded together to clean up the city after the mess that was made.

Mithnite sat and listened, only interrupting a few times. I could see his imagination at work, already exaggerating the tales, blowing it up into some kind of mythical story. I could also see he wanted in on the action, and I was still torn about this.

"Okay, enough of that. It's time we all had a chat, together, about what we're going to do with you, Mithnite."