Dead and Beyond (16 page)

“Are you looking for anyone in particular? Maybe I can help.” She raised her beautifully shaped brows meaningfully.

My heart began to hammer in my chest. It was a hint that she knew about Aidan and wouldn’t hesitate to spill the beans on me. My brain kicked into motion as it tried to come up with various exit strategies.

Teleport out of here? Might work but Aidan would still find out about my unexpected visit, and I wasn’t so great at denying facts. In fact, I’d probably end up confessing before he even asked.

Pretend I had lost my way? She might just insist on accompanying me out of this weird subterranean building and probably ask lots of questions in the process. Again, my lying abilities were just as lacking as my supernatural skills.

My best bet was to pretend I was someone else. But who wasn’t at least five foot seven and wouldn’t be around for months, if not years?

Cass.

By the time my brother married her and she was finally free of her curse, the whole stunt would be long forgotten, you know, water under the bridge. But could I really pull it off?

I raised my head a notch and imagined what cocky Cass would do in such a situation. “Some guy hooked me up with the ambassador position. Thought I’d take a look at this dump before I make up my mind.” I cringed inside at how fake I sounded.

“Then you must be Cassandra, the new ambassador. What a pleasure, Your Highness. I’m Persephone, your personal servant.” She bowed deeply until her hair brushed the marble floor.

I smiled, getting into it, and waved my hand to signal she may rise. “Nah, I don’t need a personal servant when I have the entire Hell at my disposal.” My gaze swept over her perfect features and slightly parted lips. “But you can do something for me. I have reason to believe a vampire was here. Tall, dark hair, blue eyes.” I hoped I didn’t sound too gushy. “He isn’t my type at all, by the way.”

Persephone inched a step closer to whisper in my ear. “I’m not usually at disposal to disclose who our visitors are, but I’m sure Layla would want me to make an exception for the Princess of Darkness. The vampire, Aidan, came to talk with Layla, then left again. Maybe half an hour ago.”

Damn. I must’ve arrived after he left, meaning I must’ve missed him by minutes. My teleporting abilities sucked big time.

“Are you looking for him?” Persephone’s inquiring voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I shrugged, hoping it was something Cass would do in such a “Are you looking for him?” Persephone’s inquiring voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I shrugged, hoping it was something Cass would do in such a situation. Persephone licked her upper lip slowly as her eyes met mine. “I know where he is, and if you give me a few minutes of your time, I’ll tell you.” Her long fingers with perfectly manicured nails trailed up the sleeve of my jacket.

My eyes grew wide as realization kicked in. Whoa, was she hitting on me? It couldn’t be and yet the way she regarded me from under half-closed lids, and kept licking her lips made it impossible not to get the message. I jumped a step back to put some much-needed distance between us. “Don’t get your hopes up. I play for the other team, mate.”

“I can be whatever you want me to be.” Her features changed from soft femininity to hard masculinity. Her hair shortened to a fashionable bedhead that brushed her naked shoulders. Her lips remained sultry and luscious but her chin became more pronounced, conveying a sense of stubbornness and virility. Even her tiny skirt changed into tight pants that didn’t leave much to the imagination. She smiled self-assured. “Still don’t like me?”

I cocked my head to the side, wondering why Aidan didn’t tell me beings like her existed. It would’ve made for great dinner conversation. “Can you also change into a bear or a wolf?”

For a brief second, an irritated frown crossed Persephone’s smooth forehead. “We can only take one male and one female form. Why? Don’t you like me? I could call a few friends of mine so you can have your pick.” She took another step forward and I realized the succubus had no immediate intention to give up. As much as I was up for a chat, I had wasted a lot of time already.

“The vampire—” I infused a sharp tone into my voice “—where is he?”

She pouted as her appearance changed from male back to female. “Wembley High Street.”

“What’s on Wembley High Street?” I asked, confused. That part of London wasn’t really known for much, unless Aidan was looking to buy fruit and vegetables from the countless Asian markets that sold fresh produce at a fragment of retail prices. Given that he was a vampire, I was pretty sure there had to be another purpose for his visit.

“There’s an antiques shop that’s supposed to have something Aidan’s looking for,” Persephone said. I flicked through my memories of Wembley, mentally walking down the main street as I tried to remember each and every shop I used to frequent for bargains. Just as I thought there was no antiques shop, my mind conjured the image of a tiny door squeezed in between a cash automat and the huge shop window of a clothes retailer. Could it be it? My excitement grew as I focused on the picture in my head.

“Cheers,” I said, slapping Persephone’s rounded shoulder absentmindedly. The touch sent a jolt through my body, making me lose my breath for a tiny moment, but other than that her presence did nothing for me. Her eyes widened with surprise, as though she, too, wondered why her succubus touch wasn’t sending me into pleasure heaven like Aidan predicted it would. Maybe I wasn’t as ordinary as I thought. Maybe I had some sort of inborn immunity.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’m pretty sure the next person walking down that staircase will trip over themselves to get a date with you. You know the saying, you win some, you lose some.” I shot her a smile and closed my eyes, summoning the picture of the tiny door in my mind. An instant later, I felt tiny droplets splattering my skin, so I opened my eyes.

Wembley High Street greeted me with the usual influx of mid-morning buyers hitting the busy shops. Rows of honking cars and double-decker buses crowded the narrow street as travellers, hurrying to and from the subway station, squeezed in between rather than walk the short distance to a crossing.

In the last few weeks, I thought I missed the commotion of city life but, standing here at rush hour, I realized I couldn’t get this over and done with fast enough so I could finally return to the tranquility of my new home.

***

With its scratched metal frame and scrubby fingerprints on the glass, the door to the antiques shop blended right in with the bleak, concrete building. A brass tag advertised the name, HORST & Co., which sounded as nondescript as the store looked, revealing nothing about what hid behind. For a whole three seconds I considered my options. Of course I could just march in there and use the surprise moment to demand that Aidan tell me what was going on. While that was the kind of strategy you could normally expect from me, I wasn’t so sure it’d work with a guy like Aidan. Keeping guard outside until Aidan walked out with his purchase sounded like the better plan. For all I knew Aidan might already be gone, but I figured it was a risk worth taking.

I crossed the street and hid behind the clear wall that shielded customers from the British wind and rain as they waited for their bus. The traffic lights changed from green to red and then back to green a few times before I felt a slight tremor in the air. A moment later, the shop door opened and a tall guy walked out. Even though the collar of his black leather coat was pulled up to hide half of his face, I wouldn’t mistake him in million years. His hair was dark and shiny; his eyes were of an unnatural shade of blue. Clutched to his chest was a brown bundle, almost as large as a paperback book, tied together with brown strings. I cocked my head and focused to get a better glimpse when he turned his head, as though sensing my presence. I ducked back down. My heart hammered in my chest, drowning out the traffic noise. His glance remained focused in my direction. For a brief second, I was terrified he had seen me. But then he turned his back on me, and a moment later he disappeared before everyone’s eyes. If people noticed his teleporting, no one reacted in any way. No one fainted or screamed. I wondered how he did that.

Breathing out relieved, I got up to head for the antiques shop when I bumped into someone’s strong chest.

Shielding my eyes from the bright morning sun, I looked up slowly, my mind already working on emergency mode to come up with a good excuse as to why I was in Wembley, watching an antiques shop from across the street. As usual, the kind of excuses my brain came up with wouldn’t even convince a child.

Luckily for me, the person staring at me wasn’t Aidan.

“Hey. Trying to meet your five a day? You don’t look like a fresh-fruit kind of guy.” I shot Devon a hesitant smile. While I was thrilled that I wouldn’t need to try to lie to Aidan yet again, my heart still picked up in speed. Devon was my enemy, and now I was on my own with no magic-infused gate to keep me safe. I didn’t even know what this guy’s abilities were, which seemed to be a well-kept secret in the Shadow world. So I had to be careful.

He heaved a big sigh. “What are you doing here, Amber?”

Yeah, I got that question a lot lately. If I didn’t know any better, I might just start to think people didn’t want me around. My smile widened as I pointed at our surroundings. “Why, the same thing as you. I’m enjoying a bit of British culture and natural produce.”

He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous.”

“What could possibly be dangerous about Wembley during the week in broad daylight? Unless you’re talking about carrots. I’ve heard they’re not as good for you as everyone claims.”

“Come on.” He held out his hand. I hesitated for a second before letting him help me up. “Wanna get a cup of coffee with me?”

He was kidding, right? I regarded him from under my lashes. “Does blowing into it count?”

“Sorry, I forgot.” He seemed genuinely upset now and I couldn’t help but feel I didn’t hold the same value for him I once had when my body could still be run over by a car or die of a heart attack. For some reason it bothered me even though it shouldn’t. I decided to change the subject. “I used to live about half an hour from here.”

His expression lighted up instantly, as though he actually cared to find out more about me. “Really?”

I nodded. “Yep. I moved out at sixteen, rented a room and got a part-time job after school. Every Saturday, I’d pop over to the market in Alperton and stock up for the week.”

“Why didn’t you live with your parents?”

“I just didn’t.” My eyes shifted to the dirty asphalt, avoiding his probing gaze. How could I tell him that I didn’t want to be a burden to my poor parents?

After my father’s illness, all our money went to various doctors trying to cure him. When he finally beat the disease, they were up to their necks in debt. I figured they’d done so much for me already, they were in big financial trouble. So both Dallas and I grew up quickly and started our own lives.

Devon’s hand wrapped around my fingers and gave them a gentle squeeze. “If you ever feel like talking, I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

I nodded, even though I was convinced I’d never tell him. Not even Aidan knew and I liked to keep it that way. “The café over there’s quite good.” I pointed across the street to a gray building with huge glass windows and a red banner advertising a midday deal. “Can you enter?”

“You mean whether I can step over the threshold without an invitation?” A spark of amusement appeared in Devon’s black eyes.

I shrugged. “You need an invite to enter Aidan’s property.”

He tucked at my arm gently as we crossed the street. “That’s because your boyfriend knows what’s harmful to a Shadow. The invitation part applies to vampires only. Didn’t you watch Dracula?”

I could tell he was joking by the way the corners of his lips twitched. “Might’ve missed that one.”

“I have it on DVD. Maybe you could come over to my place and watch it with me some time.” His tone was friendly and nonchalant. Harmless. But I knew there was nothing harmless about Devon, or the place where he resided.

“You’re hitting on me.” I dared a small smile as Devon pushed the door open to the café and waited until I walked past him.

“Are you surprised? You kissed me.”

“It was just a peck on the cheek.” I moistened my lips, avoiding his gaze. He had tried to flirt with me before. At that time I figured he was only interested in my ability to talk with the dead. I retrieved the Book of the Shadows for his kind, so they had no more use for me. And particularly not now that I was his enemy—and that I had a boyfriend who, needless to say, was his century-old foe. I had no idea what to make of him.

“Don’t worry,” Devon said. “I’m not going to be all over you in the hope of convincing you that you’re dating the wrong person. You’ll recognize that part soon enough. Why don’t you take a seat? I’ll be right back.”

I sat down at a nearby table and regarded Devon’s back as he instructed the barista. From behind he looked so similar to Aidan: tall with broad shoulders and dark hair that brushed the collar of his jacket. I found him attractive, but I didn’t feel the chemistry. Or did I?

A loud bang echoed in my ears, and for a moment everything blacked out like someone switched off the lights. It didn’t last long, anything between a few seconds and a minute or two. When my vision returned and I finally resurfaced, I was sitting in my chair propped against Devon’s chest. He was whispering something. It took me a while to realize it was a foreign language I didn’t recognize.

Groaning, I shifted in my seat to bring a few inches between us, and rubbed my neck. My heartbeat was steady, but the fog inside my head didn’t seem to want to dissipate. “What did you say?”

He looked taken aback, like he didn’t expect the question. “You were unresponsive.” He pushed a cup of coffee in front of me as though that’d answer my question.

Thanks,” I said, wrapping my hands around the hot beverage, itching to take a sip.

He inched forward until I could feel his warm breath on my lips. “Your eyes are flickering.”