Nicole Peeler - [Jane True 01] (30 page)

“And he obviously doesn’t like me,” I added.

Ryu blanched. “Jarl possesses little tolerance for humans,” Ryu
explained in what I had a feeling was the understatement of the decade. “And
even less for halflings, I’m afraid.” Ryu took a deep breath, as if preparing
himself for something. “Jane, there are beings in our world who resent
halflings—some even hate them.” I tried not to roll my eyes.
No shit,
Sherlock
, I thought, recalling the feel of Jimmu’s and Jarl’s eyes on me.

“Most of us will accept you, and many, like me, feel that you are as
necessary for our survival as you are, quite simply, good for our existence.”
He paused, thinking. “Our kind need… shaking up. We need new blood, new ideas,
new voices.” He smiled at me, running a finger across my cheek and over my
lips. “Especially when those voices come from lips as sweet as yours,” he
finished, leaning forward for a kiss.

I knew he was trying to distract me, and it worked. I had a funny
feeling this wouldn’t be the last time the subject of my halfling status came
up, but for now I let it drop. I was used to being despised and I was
hungry
.
My stomach had recovered from its introduction to the Creepy Twins, and it had
started doing something I can only compare to kicking me in the spine. My eyes
looked appealingly at the food spread out only feet from us.

Ryu laughed, following my gaze. “C’mon, Jane. I don’t want you to starve
to death,” he sighed. “I think you only like me because I feed you.”

I had already grabbed a plate and was piling it high. But I spared a
moment to turn back to him. “Actually, I like you because you play my kiki like
Jimi Hendrix played his guitar.” I grinned lasciviously at the shocked look he
gave me, then laughed as his fangs ran out, warp speed. He reached a hand out
for me, but I danced away, grabbing a drumstick as I moved.

I left him there, shaking his head, while I finished filling my plate. I
knew I’d pay for that comment later, when we were alone.

At least I certainly hoped so.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

A
fter I
ate, I could barely keep my eyes open. We’d found an out of the way corner to
chow down, and between the food and the stresses of the day I was nodding off
like a narcoleptic. I was propped up against Ryu, who had a faraway look in his
eyes. I think he was going over everything he’d seen today. I let him mull,
until a particularly fierce yawn nearly popped my jaw off.

Ryu narrowed his eyes at me. “You need to swim,” he declared.

“Hmm?” I asked, sleepily.

“You need to swim. Your reserves are low; you need access to water.”

What he said made sense. Instead of my normal four or five hours of
sleep, I’d slept about seven the past two nights. Yet here I was, dead on my
feet and it was only nine o’clock.

“There’s a pool out back. It’s like an artificial ocean, for when water
elementals visit the Compound. The Alfar keep it charged. We can go now, if you
like.”

I leaned my head against his shoulder, and he smoothed a hand over my
hair. Part of me was enjoying just sitting here, supernatural-people watching.
I had a full belly, a chair on which to rest my still-sore feet, and a handsome
man massaging my neck. But the thought of water was
very
tempting, and
after a minute more of soaking up Ryu’s ministrations, I clambered to my feet.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else you need to get done here, tonight?”
I asked.

Ryu frowned. “No. Nyx doesn’t seem to be in attendance, and I don’t want
to tip her off by asking about her. Nobody moves a muscle in this Compound
without everybody else knowing. So we’ll see if she’s here tomorrow night, and
if she’s not we’ll change plans.” He shrugged. “In the meantime, we may as well
enjoy ourselves.” He ostentatiously flexed his fingers. “I need to get some
practice time in, after all,” he said, arching an eyebrow at me. I felt a flush
of heat in my groin at the same time as I managed a little laugh.

When he took my hand, I was more than happy to follow.

We took another side door and were greeted by a long passage strewn with
variously sized and shaped doorways. Now that I was a little less dazed by the
sheer magnitude of everything around me, I was soaking up more of the details.
That said, if asked, I don’t know if I could actually describe what I saw,
since the décor in the Compound was unlike anything I’d ever seen. I can only
describe it as what you’d get if you imagined time-traveling sorcerers with a
penchant for antiquing trying to achieve a modernist look that incorporated
natural materials. So basically, it was a complete hodge-podge of styles and
yet it
was
, itself, a coherent style. It reminded me a little bit of the
steampunk aesthetic of movies like
The League of Extraordinary Gentleman
or
The Golden Compass
, rather than the cathedral-like elven cities of Peter
Jackson’s
Lord of the Rings
or the sleek minimalism of the vampire
hidey-holes in
Blade
. And yet, although it was beautiful, there was a
practical and lived-in feel to the Compound. It certainly wasn’t a human
municipal building, and it was luxurious. Nonetheless, it was obviously
designed to work for the creatures inhabiting it.

After walking for what felt like forever, we finally emerged into a
beautifully cobbled courtyard. Large conifers lined the walls, and the
cobblestones were different colors, forming a mosaic of a tree whose branches
intertwined with its own roots. I recognized the symbol: a Celtic tree of life.
Who influenced whom?
I thought.
Did humans just forage ideas and
symbols from the supes, or have humans had their own impact?
Thinking about
the king and queen, and their paradoxical combination of power and lethargy, I
was starting to understand how the latter was a distinct possibility.

We exited the courtyard through an ornate iron gate in one wall, and
before us stretched a large faux-lagoon thingy, complete with waterfall. It was
surrounded by lush vegetation, and there were various little nooks and
crannies, some partially hidden, where there were shallow places to sit or lie
down in the water. Suddenly, I realized what I was looking at.

“Ew, is this a sex grotto?” I asked Ryu. “’Cause that is so Hugh
Hefner.” I wrinkled my nose. “Gross.”

Ryu looked at me, feigning dignity. “We do not have
sex grottos
,”
he sniffed. “This is a love lagoon. Or a petting pool. Or a fornication fountain.
But never a
sex grotto
.”

I giggled, just as Ryu reached out and, with a flick of his nimble
fingers, undid my wrap.

“Yowza,” I mumbled, as it fell open. He pushed my dress down off my
shoulders, at the same time pulling me toward him for a kiss. In the next ten
seconds my panties were around my ankles and my bra was unhooked.
This guy
is good
, I admitted to myself, begrudgingly.

But so am I
, I thought, as I wiggled free of both my
clothes and his grasp to dive into the pool.
Catch me if you can!

As soon as I hit the water, I gasped. If swimming in my ocean made me
feel like I’d had a few espressos, this was the equivalent of shooting heroin.
Power surged into me, erasing my weariness and sending heady waves of energy
through my limbs. I also sucked in a mouthful of water, some of which went
right down my windpipe.

I came up spluttering, gasping for air. Ryu was with me in a flash,
holding me up till I could breathe.

“…so sorry,” he murmured. “I should have warned you.”

I hacked and wheezed for another thirty seconds, and then everything
went wonky as the world spun. Between my momentary lack of oxygen and the fact
that the water’s unnatural power was literally flooding my brain, I felt faint.
No wonder I hadn’t been drawn to the pool like I was to the ocean—this force
was totally unnatural and insanely strong. Ryu carried me to the side of the
pool and sat me down on the edge. Standing between my legs, he held me upright
until the dizziness passed.

When I could finally open my eyes without seeing four of him, I leaned
into Ryu. “Wow,” I mumbled, still feeling the power arching up from my legs
where my calves dangled in the water. “
That
is some good shit.”

Ryu laughed, holding me tight. “Glad you’re enjoying it,” he murmured
into my ear.

“Now I know why people do crack,” I said, pulling back to look at him,
wide-eyed. The pool was making me feel more than a little tipsy. “I always
thought, ‘Who does crack?’ I mean, seriously, who wakes up and is like, ‘Hmm, I
think today I’ll try me some crack.’ I get why people do other drugs. But
crack? Who does crack?” I looked at him, not blinking. “This pool explains why
people do crack. This pool
is
crack.” I finally blinked, hard, feeling
like the top of my head was being lifted off and my brain replaced with ambrosia
salad.

Ryu looked distinctly worried. “Okay, Jane, I think you’ve had enough.”
I giggled at him. Ryu was funny.

I admired him as he jumped out of the pool to my side. “You’re still
wearing your clothes!” I informed him, in case he hadn’t noticed. He’d taken
off his jacket and shoes, but he was still wearing his trousers, shirt, and
socks. His thin black shirt clung to his muscular chest. I craned my neck back
to get a better look as he put his hands under my armpits to haul me upright
and out of the water. Then he turned me around to hug me tight, as my feet
dangled at his shins.

“You’re
hot
, Ryu,” I murmured, as I stared into his lovely face.
“Seriously hot. And so I am going to tell you a secret.”

“A secret, huh?”

“Mm-hmm. I’m not really me right now, but don’t tell anyone. Shhhh! It’s
just between the two of us…” I trailed off as I realized I was no longer in
that amazing pool.

“I know, baby. It’s the water. You’ll feel better soon.”

That wasn’t what I had meant, so I told him so. “No, silly, I’m
really
not me. I’m the
other
Jane,” I whispered, conspiratorially. “But she’s
way more fun than the real Jane, so we’re going to roll with it.”

Ryu looked concerned for a second, but I’d moved on.

“Ryu, why aren’t we swimming? Can’t I swim a little more?” I cajoled. “I
like swimming.” Ryu set me gently on my feet, but the second he let go, I
pinwheeled backward, nearly falling into the pool.

“Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” I cried, as he lunged forward to grab me.

“You’re strong, too,” I said, relaxing back into his arms. “I like
strong.”

“Yes, dear.” He grinned, pulling me forward so that I was on my own two
feet, but he was careful still to support me. “I’m sure you do.”

“I really do!” I declared, petulantly. “And I like swimming. Why aren’t
we swimming?”

“I think you’ve had about enough swimming, for tonight,” he said,
gently.

I thought hard. “We can have sex in the pool,” I wheedled. “Lots of
sex!”

Ryu laughed. “I know we can, darling.” He kissed my forehead. “But for
right now,” he said, picking me up to carry me toward the Compound, “we’re
going upstairs to sleep.”

“Oh, poo,” I said. “You’re no fun. I bet the genie would take me
swimming.”

“Now, you’re just being naughty,” Ryu said, sticking his tongue out at
me. I tried to grab it.

He laughed and gathered me even closer. I wound my arms around his neck
and pressed my cheek to his. “I like you, vampire man,” I whispered in his ear.

“I like you too, Jane True,” Ryu said, his voice husky.

I’d just gone in to give his edible little ear a nibble when a sharp
voice cut through our intimacy like a scythe.

“Aww, how sweet. My cousin has himself a little pet.”

Ryu tensed, his grip around me tightening almost painfully.

“Ryu,” the nasal voice continued. “Put down your halfling and say
hello.”

I winched my head around, trying to find the speaker. Her voice was mean
and I didn’t like being called a pet.
I’ll give you a pet,
my ambrosia
salad threatened.

“Nyx.” Ryu’s voice was low. “As always, a pleasure.”