Fire Within (6 page)

By noon she was hungry, restless, and glad to be done with the warm, fuzzy stuff. She grabbed a sandwich from the deli down the street and returned to make a phone call from the privacy of her office. In between appointments, she’d been thinking about the call all morning. She couldn’t put it off any longer, but the simple act of making contact would bring back a whole host of memories she didn’t want to face.

“Security office.”

Ari recognized the voice. She was in luck. Lilith, the female werelion on Prince Daron’s security team, answered the phone. Of the four lycanthropes, Lilith would probably be the easiest to talk with. At least Lilith would understand the issues. Ari had worked with the team for two weeks, almost a year ago. The parting had been abrupt, and not the team’s fault. They’d been too closely associated with Andreas.

“It’s me. Ari.”

“It’s been a while.” Lilith sounded cautious. “Thought we might hear from you when you got back from rehab.”

Ari suffered a moment of guilt. She should have tried to explain long before now, or at least called to let them know her injuries had healed. She pictured the woman on the other end—frowning, her lengthy, well-endowed frame would be lounging against a desk, a wall, or sprawled on a chair, her short dark hair slightly tousled, her expression intense. Somewhere close by would be two semi-automatic pistols.

“I meant to call,” Ari said, “really. But, well, it just never happened. How is Russell? And Mike? And Benny?” Lilith’s husband Russell and their friend, Benny, were werelions; Mike was a werewolf. They were ex-mercenaries and experts in various weapons and martial arts. Ari had missed them all. Something about fighting together inevitably formed a unique bond.

“Everyone’s doing good. How’s the arm? Did they get you fixed up?”

“Yeah, it’s good as new.” A bullet wound to the arm was one of the injuries Ari had received during last year’s battle with a pack of werewolves. Just part of her job. “I was hoping you could help me with some information.” Ari forged ahead. “I need to locate a vampire named Rayden. Any idea where I should start?”

Lilith hesitated a second. “Is this about Jules’s murder?”

Ari was taken aback until she realized she should have expected it. News of the vampire’s murder would have spread like flood waters throughout the magic community. Not only was a vamp murder rare, especially with a human as the prime suspect, but his death was a rude reminder that supernatural beings weren’t really immortal. “Yep, I’m looking for answers. I understand Rayden was an ex-girlfriend.”

Lilith snorted. “Not ex, if you listen to her. She and Jules have been shagging for decades. What do you want with her? Didn’t some human confess?”

“Still have to talk to her.”

A short pause. “What are you not saying? You think she’d hire some human to do her dirty work?”

“No, not that. But I’m not sure the confession’s legit. I need to look at other possibilities.”

“Really. It won’t be Rayden. She’d have taken out the girlfriend.” When Ari didn’t comment, Lilith added, “If you still want to find her, that’s easy. Try the Second Chance Saloon. She’s there most evenings. But I wouldn’t go alone. Even for you, it’s a rough place.”

“Rough place” was a mild term for the Second Chance. Ari had been to the Olde Town vampire bar before, but only with the police or Andreas. The vampires who hung out there were the least civilized, the worst of the worst. It was kind of a biker bar for vamps. Large numbers of them. Not a safe place for humans and potentially dicey for a Guardian witch.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Lilith. Thanks for the tip.”

Ari had almost hung up, when Lilith spoke again. “You’re going anyway, aren’t you?”

“It’s my job,” she said. “Rayden might be able to tell me something helpful.”

“Can’t you take someone with you? Like Andreas?”

Ari tapped a finger on the desk. Lilith was prying for information. “No, I haven’t seen him in months,” she said curtly. She hoped Lilith got the point this was an unwelcome topic.

“Um, still like that, is it? Kind of hoped you’d worked it out, but I guess the rumors are true.”

Ari almost asked, what rumors, but caught herself in time. Lilith never had been shy about saying what was on her mind, no matter how intrusive, and she was waiting for Ari to encourage the personal conversation. When she didn’t, Lilith let it drop. Of course, Ari would now continue to wonder what Lilith had heard. After all, there wasn’t much to know. Their split had been a very public affair. She had ordered Andreas to stay away from her in front of several witnesses.

Lilith sighed. “Guess I better meet you somewhere. Can’t let you go into that place without backup.”

The offer caught Ari by surprise. She and Lilith hadn’t been that chummy, and Ari hadn’t called in all these months. “Thanks, but you don’t have to do that.”

“No, I don’t,” the lioness agreed. “But we were a team, and someone has to watch your witchy back. Say seven o’clock, outside the bar?”

* * *

Lilith lounged near the front entrance, her body illuminated by the bright, neon lights. “Ready for this?” she asked.

Ari shrugged and strode toward the door. Once inside, she paused to let her eyes adjust to the dim interior. The Second Chance Saloon fit into a large, cavernous room with a bar counter on the left wall and upwards of thirty round tables sprawled over the remaining area. It swarmed with vampires. Ari spotted a dozen or two lycanthropes and two halfling demons scattered in the crowd. The tables were packed, and clusters of Otherworld patrons stood in the aisles. Black leather and chains were standard attire. Ari’s witch senses reeled with information: cigarette and cigar smoke—no bans in the Otherworld—spilled beer, the rancid smell of animal, the pungent odor of over-stimulated sex glands, and the almost overpowering presence of Otherworld energy. Sometimes sensitivity was a handicap, and Ari hurried to shut down much of her alert system.

Lilith and Ari were dressed in simple jeans and shirts to blend with the bar crowd. Not that they would go unnoticed. Lilith’s size D’s always drew plenty of male attention. And management had been watching them from the moment Ari flashed her Guardian ID at the door. It had been the only alternative to giving up her weapons. A silver knife was concealed in her waist sheath, protective charms on a bracelet tucked inside her sleeve, and a derringer loaded with two silver bullets in an ankle holster. She liked to be prepared. The witch fire was reserved for only critical situations, and she never willingly surrendered her weapons.

They mingled with the crowd for a while, occasionally approached by guys with a questioning eye. Each was brushed off with a hard look. Ari carried a beer in one hand for show; Lilith sipped at hers. The heavy metal music and crowd noise were deafening and escalating by the minute. They’d made it halfway around the room, when Lilith tugged on Ari’s sleeve.

“There’s Rayden. Now what?”

The vampiress she pointed to was talking with two male vamps. Rayden held a glass of red wine in one hand and was running her other hand up and down the arm of one of her male companions. The long, straight, black hair, red miniskirt, black blouse, and black boots gave her a rather Goth look. So original.

When Ari stopped in front of Rayden, the vampiress looked her up and down with a neutral eye.

“Are you Rayden?” Ari asked.

“And you are?”

“Arianna Calin. Is there someplace we can talk?” They were practically shouting at one another to be heard.

“About what?”

“Jules.”

The vampiress scowled, vibrating with sudden tension.

Hmm. Touchy. Rayden hadn’t made a hostile move, so Ari waited, keeping a bland face and minimizing her own reaction. Not that she wasn’t alert. Every witch sense was on fire.

“Name’s familiar. You a cop?” Rayden finally asked. “I don’t talk to cops.”

“I’m the Guardian for Olde Town.”

“Same difference.” Rayden started to turn away.

“No, it’s not the same,” Lilith said, stepping forward. “She helped us protect Prince Daron last year. Almost got herself killed to save him.”

“Is that so?” Rayden looked at Ari with interest this time. “Lilith, I didn’t know you hung around with humans.”

“I don’t remember doing so. If you mean Ari, she’s a witch. Something wrong with your nose?”

“Watch it, kitty. She’s got human in her blood. I can smell it.” The vampiress sniffed and stared at Ari’s neck. “Makes me thirsty.”

A big vamp dude suddenly appeared next to them. “Anything wrong here, Guardian? You got business in our establishment?”

“Nothing wrong. You the management?” Ari said, standing her ground.

He nodded. “Close enough. We don’t want any trouble.”

“There won’t be any. Just having a chat. And I won’t be long.”

He looked at the vampiress. “That how you see it, Rayden?”

“Run along, honey. We’re not going to break any of your chairs.”

She gave him an evil smile, but he acted reassured. He shrugged, ended his involvement with a brief, “Keep it civil,” and walked away.

Ari turned back to the vampiress. “I didn’t come here to discuss my parentage. I’m trying to find out what happened to Jules. I thought you’d be interested.”

“Human bitch’s brother shot him. What else is there to know?” Rayden’s voice was taut, angry. “And you got him locked up where I can’t reach him.”

“What if that’s not what happened? But, if you’re not interested…” Ari turned to walk away.

“Wait.” Rayden reached out a hand as if to grab her, but then seemed to think better of it. “Are you serious?” She sounded less certain now. And definitely interested.

“Yes,” Ari said, giving her a direct look. “Want to talk now?”

“How about we step outside?” Lilith suggested.

Rayden’s gaze flitted back and forth between them. She nodded, set down her wine glass and led the way—long strides, hips swaying. Ari ignored the runway walk and followed her outside, Lilith close behind.

Once on the street, Rayden lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply, letting the smoke roll from her nostrils. She didn’t have to worry about lung cancer, but being a vampire didn’t prevent her from looking ridiculous. Ari refrained from making a smart remark.

“Now what’s this all about?” Rayden demanded.

“It’s possible the man in jail isn’t guilty. Police didn’t find a gun. Without a weapon, I find it hard to believe a human could kill a vampire. Who else wanted Jules dead?”

Rayden frowned, staring into the night. She gave a short laugh, a sound without humor. “Oh hell, are you thinking it was me? You’re so wrong.” Her voice lost its edge. “Not Jules. Never. He was my mate.”

“A mate who chose another woman,” Ari prodded.

“For now.” The vampiress gave her an arrogant tilt of the head. “I was pissed all right, but I got over it. The bitch is human. She’ll get old and die, and Jules would be back. I could be patient.” She drew the cigarette smoke deep into her chest. “Thought there was plenty of time.”

“The threats didn’t sound like you got over it. I heard Jules had to tell you to stop.”

“What threats?”

“Writing in blood, harassing phone calls. I call those threats.”

Rayden laughed again, dry, raspy; it caught in her throat. “A little fun. Jules asked me not to scare her, so I quit. That’s all there was to it. He knew I’d wait for him.” Rayden lifted her shoulders in a slow shrug.

“Did he have other enemies?”

“What kind of question is that? Everyone has enemies. But Jules wasn’t the aggressive type. We even argued about it. He needed more backbone. You’re wrong looking for his killer among the vampires. We don’t use man-made weapons, especially guns. We take…a more personal approach.” She flicked an ash away. “If it’s not the bitch’s brother, then look for another human killer or maybe one of the lycanthropes. They like their guns.” She threw the butt down and ground it out with the toe of her shoe. “I’m really sorry I don’t know who did this. If you find out, give me a call. I’d be happy to dispose of him for you. It would give me something useful to do.”

Rayden’s eyes flashed with the need for violent release. She was definitely angry enough to kill, but Ari wasn’t certain if the anger was fueled by Jules’s death or by his desertion.

“Damn,” Lilith muttered as soon as Rayden stalked back into the bar. “Wouldn’t want to have a serious tangle with her. Happy I didn’t know Jules.”

“She’s furious, but why?” Ari asked. “If Jules had turned Lorraine, made her one of them, she’d be around forever. Rayden would have been permanently out in the cold. She says she wouldn’t kill him, but I wonder.”

Lilith shook her head. “She’s too possessive to let him go. Now if it was the human girlfriend who was dead…”

No doubt about that. Ari wasn’t so sure Lorraine was safe even now.

Chapter Four

By dawn the next morning, Ari was concerned about her own safety. Not the physical kind, something much worse. Her fingers trembled as she dialed Rosalina’s number. She had woken just minutes earlier in a cold sweat. Disoriented. Heart pounding. Andreas had visited her dreams again, only this time he’d beckoned and whispered her name. Ari shivered, remembering how she’d reached a hand toward him, wanting to go. A part of her knew better, and the inner struggle had saved her, waking her in time.

“Answer the phone, Rosalina!” She huddled on the bed; arms clutching her knees against her chest, phone trapped to her ear by one shoulder. This was beyond nightmare. Whether to be bound to him by magic or fate—it was unthinkable.

Rosalina answered on the fourth ring.

“I have to see you.” Ari heard the desperation in her voice and took a steadying breath. “Soon.”

“Arianna? Is something wrong?”

“I’m having dreams.”

“Of a man?” Rosalina chuckled. “About time.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Oh? Then why are you calling me?” Rosalina asked shrewdly. “Don’t tell me Ramora’s story frightens you? Aren’t Guardians fearless?”

“No. I don’t know. Just tell me when I can see you.”

Rosalina stopped the questions, no more teasing. They agreed to meet that night at dusk, the night of the full moon, when the seer’s powers would be strongest. The best time to petition the Goddess for answers.