Keeley Thomson (Book 3): Mistress of Souls (11 page)

Darla just stood watching her closely for a while, not taking the weapon off of her. Keeley assumed it was a weapon at least. That or Darla was trying to bluff using one of her devices meant for something else. Either way it wasn't a great idea to push the issue. Maybe she just didn't want guests?

"Who are you?" The words weren't friendly at all. In fact they sounded dangerous. Like Darla was serious or something.

"If you've harmed my sister I swear I'll see to you dead thrice." The words held a thick accent that hadn't been there before at all. It sounded Slavic.

"Um, Darla? It's me. Come to buy some food from you so I don't have to make a special trip to a fast food place or twenty-four hour market? What's wrong, did my make-up smear on the inroads?" Was that a thing? She felt her face, but it seemed fine, nose in the middle and everything.

Her sister shook her head slowly, scowling hard and fierce, teeth showing between pulled back lips.

"No. I don't think so. Prove who you are. Now!" The right hand tightened slightly on the trigger.

"Um..." What could she do to prove she was herself?

An idea finally hit her after an awkward quarter minute.

"Balthias, would you attend me please? Quickly." She tried to sound relaxed but the huge animalistic demon form ran from his room down the stairs, hooves clattering like thunder on the living room floor, stopping to stare at the scene in front of him.

Seeing the weapon he didn't hesitate, picking up a large side table to hit Darla with.

"Wait." Keeley held out her left hand, but the Lesser Demon froze in place at the word.

"I'm just proving who I am. That should do it, right? I could call for Elis too, but the point will be the same. They're linked to me. Not to anyone or anything else. The deal hasn't been broken." If it had that would mean she was dead, but it was a good point, she thought. Her people were hers. Better than photo I.D. for a Greater Demon. If it had broken, they would have run.

Darla set the weapon aside and moved back, still a bit wary for some reason.

"I see... Well, welcome then sister. I'll get something for you to eat, market rates. Perhaps Rebekah will do that for us while we chat? If that serves well enough?" The words were cold for some reason. Unfriendly and almost like Darla was a different person. An angry relative that was
most
upset with her.

They went without a word to Darla's room, and she pulled out a small box that held a silver key, holding it herself this time instead of passing it off to Keeley. It pulled reality around them, causing a blue flame to catch on the tips of Darla's fingers, leaving the little pocket universe they were in reeking of pork. It was making Keeley's mouth water, which was totally gross. Tasty, tasty sister...

Darla grinned though instead of hitting her like it seemed she was about to do.

"You actually walked here on the inroads? I mean I felt it, but how? I know for a fact you aren't old enough. Not even close. You carried things with you too? How?"

Keeley knew better than to draw things out, the burning fingers didn't just do damage, they were a sign of energy being drained. Precious stuff not to be wasted.

"Practice. Lots of it. I mentioned that. You said I had to carry the wine, so I'm in training, carrying these things with me. The weight isn't right yet, but this is my first trip taking anything. I kind of ran out of food at home, that part isn't a joke."

Darla, hand on fire now or not just looked happy and shook her head.

"It isn't possible Keels. I mean I felt it, I know you did it, but you
can't
. No one your age can. At least no one could before. I was just kidding when I said you had to carry the wine. I was just going to fly us in on a jet and drive to the party. It's a trip... Now though I really do expect you to walk it with me. That will work much better. Pull this off and no one will doubt that you're as old as we claim. This is perfect Keeley!" She gave her sister a one armed hug, trying not to catch her on fire.

"Why at this rate you might even live to graduate!"

Chapter six

"Whoa." Keeley held out her hand and stepped back a bit.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I have to survive Dan's party first. I have a lot to do before then too. Does this ever get any easier?"

Darla set the burning key back in its metal box and closed the lid, ending the isolation. It was a thing that Keeley could both see and feel, the return to reality. It almost snapped into place. Now that she was more experienced with the inroads she could tell that the device sort of stored local space alongside of the "between". Another Demon could possibly enter it, but not without disrupting the whole thing. It would be incredibly obvious.

"Sure it does. Right after you die for the final time. I hear that's very restful. I haven't tried it myself though, so don't take my word for it."

It wasn't funny, but had enough truth to it that Keeley agreed in principle.

"Well, off to the food then? I also need to check in with Rebekah and see what's up there. I should have looked in earlier. Pets and employees can be so hard to deal with. Who knew?"

It sounded older than she was, but not so old it was out of place. At least Keeley hoped that was the case. Otherwise she was just going to seem like a moron if anyone was watching. They didn't really know that anyone was, but that was half the point. They could be and at some point, someone would. If you lived long enough it happened and that meant you had to be ready for it all the time.

Darla didn't say a lot more, wanting some food herself no doubt. It was strange, but eating was getting to be a chore now. It wasn't even fun at all anymore. She could have what she wanted, and still liked it well enough, but it would have been a lot nicer just to eat normally. Easier too.

She ignored what was put in front of her, realizing it had come from packages and was mainly sweet. Her Vampire girl delivered plates of things deftly, not making much noise at all as she moved. She didn't set a place for herself though. Keeley moved the chair next to her out a bit anyway, gesturing for her to sit.

"How are things here? Do you like it? Need more to eat or anything?" Keeley looked at the red eyes, the color of fresh blood, glistening against the white flesh that reminded her a little of chalk in this light. The hair was a lovely color too, nearly like copper. Today she wore a casual outfit of blue jeans and a soft blue sweater that looked comfortable. She wasn't great looking overall, but she'd do. The biggest drawback was the way her mouth stuck out just a bit, double rows of sharp pointed teeth showing at times if she forgot to make the effort to keep her mouth totally closed. It made her look like a death trap, rather than a movie Vampire. Perfect for Halloween though.

"Good ma'am. The other Greater Demon is treating us well and lets us do what you've instructed. I've been making certain that the others here do what you say. Balthias is easy enough, but I keep wanting to hurt Elis. He hasn't done anything wrong yet though. I just have issues there from the past." She didn't say what, but Keeley knew anyway. They were in her head too, when she bothered to think about it.

All the other Vampires had used her for sex, but that had gone on so long it was nearly normal to her. The problem had been the beatings. They'd make excuses to go after her and because of her low position she wasn't allowed to fight back. If she had been she would have won, at least part of the time. She wasn't the weakest by far, not physically. She'd just been the one on the bottom.

"Oh? Well, I'd prefer not to have beatings here. If you could wait until you're in the new place? Still, harming him won't make you feel better. He's already a slave and can't fight back. We need to procure some of the others that aren't under my thrall for that. It might take some time, since they did manage to keep their end of the last bargain well enough. Still, the future is a big thing and we have long lives." It was just the truth and sounded way tougher than her talking about human rights. Elis wasn't human after all and when she was supposed to have been born, at least for her false identity, they hadn't even had the concept.

Rebekah just looked down as if she were in trouble or something.

"Anyway, I have Clara the Hsreth coming in to check on all of you in the next few days. The schedule is up to her, so try to be flexible if possible. She'll make sure you're getting the kind of food you like and maybe see to clothing. If she suggests anything try to do it. As long as it doesn't contradict anything else I've said. If it does give me a call or send Balthias with a message. That worked well enough."

She kept looking down and nodded, the whole thing having the feeling of a person that had gone numb.

"He said that you would allow me to hunt humans? If they were evil at least? And that he was to aid in the disposal of the bodies at my need?" She didn't seem that thrilled by the idea, which was a little odd, but Keeley nodded.

"Animals you need to take care of yourself. Make certain to do it well too, I don't want anyone thinking El Chupacabra has moved this far north already. If you leave people alive make certain they can't report on you. Or... you understand how it's done. Tell them you charge a hundred dollars an hour for the privilege and string them along."

That one made her smile.

"If only it were that simple. I generally have to physically subdue the prey, then mesmerize them when done. We... don't eat of the dead though. Our prey must live, so that we can draw off the life force."

Which only made sense.

"That will make it easier. Less to clean up." She ate for a while, not having a lot else to say, Rebekah did though, after a few minutes in silence.

"I was wondering, I know that I'm new and that it wouldn't be good to ask for special privileges, but..." Then she stopped, going dead still as Keeley watched her.

"Yes?" She didn't try to guess what several hundred year old Vampire would want to ask for, especially one as shy as Rebekah.

"Would it be possible to attend the grand costume party? I've never been to one and it would be..."

Keeley reached out as she stopped speaking and lightly stroked her arm. It was enough to pick up everything new about her in the last few days. How afraid she was of Darla and Balthias, even as she ordered the Lesser Demon around. It was really more like asking when she did it, but it was hard for her. Her hate for all her old crew was incredible too. She was also a bit worried that Keeley would fire her for not doing enough yet. There just hadn't been that much to do.

The party though, at first she thought that the Vampire meant Dan's, but that wasn't her real concern. She just wanted to be out in public and a costume party in town would be a great place to do that.

"Right. Well, you're all going. Balthias and Elis too. They have to work the Haunted House, but you can help with refreshments if you want. Part of the time. I'm sure you can catch a few dances too or chat with people, do some fun things. It won't be all work. Just enough to keep you out of trouble." That should be nice enough, without being too much so, Keeley figured. The woman seemed pleased with the idea, actually smiling.

"Oh! How splendid. I know just the costume I want too. Hally showed it to me online. It's a girl raccoon costume. She said she'd get it for me in town if I got permission to attend. We're going to both be cute animals. I think she's going to be a cat. My choice is better though, since it will hide my face, so the Demons can't find me." She said it so easily that both the Demons at the table just let it slide. Hiding from the ghosts and things of the dark was what Halloween was all about after all. That and things like Vampires.

"Sounds good. Elis just needs some fake blood. Make sure you both eat first. I don't want anyone accidently looking like a juice box."

That got a simple nod.

"Is Balthias to be Elis's keeper that night then? I can stand the duty if needed."

"Nope. He'll do what I say and I'll be most exact as to what that is. You and Balthias can just have fun. Within reason. We do need to cover what days off you want each week. Saturday and Sunday? Those have to be good hunting times. Maybe Friday instead of Sunday though. More drunks out and about. They should be easier prey. Darla? Any input for that?"

She did have some, but it was mainly about vacation days.

"Definitely two weeks a year. Maybe more. But two weeks paid is standard. Otherwise life has no meaning. Can't have that."

"Agreed. Get back to me on what days you want off though, alright? I need to load up on snacks and get back home. I still have to do my schoolwork." Even if it was kind of boring.

Darla saw her to the door, and Rebekah followed, walking slowly, head down still, but not nearly as stiff as usual. Like a dog that used to be kicked a lot that found a good person and wasn't quite sure if they'd turn on them or not.

At the front door she tried to seem cool about going into the inroads, not closing her eyes first or anything, and made her way back without any problems. The headache came back but it was way more manageable this time. A few dozen more trips and she might just be able to make it to Dan's party and still stand.

The next two days were actually pretty nice. She had a smarting head nearly the whole time, but walked the inroads to Washington D.C. and back, as well as New York City. They were both remarkably easy to find. D.C. was clearly built to be filled with good landing places for Demons, the city constructed perfectly for it in fact. It sounded almost like the set up for a joke, but it wasn't, the place was designed with geometric lines that showed up along the inroads. You could virtually walk along the streets there unseen, looking at everything as you passed.

The houses were bought, in record time according to Ginger York, who knew about that kind of thing and Darla moved on the Gatherer's house like she was Indiana Jones. The second they had the key she was there, literally running up the front steps. Keeley was glad she was happy about it at least.