Devil Inside (54 page)

Levi gave her with a full smile while reaching out the grab the foot she had curled underneath her.  Effortlessly, he pulled her across the couch so that she was flat on her back with her butt against his side and her feet in the air.  She laughed and didn’t resist when he bit her foot even though it tickled and she would normally consider it entirely too cutesy.  When he leaned over and bit her thigh next she stopped laughing and gasped as her stomach twitched with excitement.  She laughed breathlessly, “Oh, my.”

Two days later Harley, Nya, and Levi were walking into the private room of a small, Chinatown restaurant to meet with Castor and two other Lux.  Since Harley had left Castor’s apartment she had only spoken to him to arrange the meeting.

Castor had seemed glad to hear from her until she explained why she was calling.  Harley purposefully made the call in the living room where Levi was also sitting flipping through channels.  Harley was, again, struck by Levi participating in an ordinary activity like channel surfing.

“Hello,” Castor answered the phone smoothly.

“How have you been?” Harley asked pleasantly.

“Good now.”  Harley cringed internally knowing that Levi could hear every word Castor said.  She peaked at him and was relieved to see that he didn’t seem affected by Castor’s tone or words.  “How are you?  All healed up?” he asked her.

“Yeah, perfectly fine now.  So…I’m calling because we need to set up a meeting between the Vigilum and the Nocte.  Can you make this happen?”

Castor sighed heavily into the phone.  Night had just fallen so she knew he was tired but she also knew that the dip in his mood wasn’t just because of the darkness.  “I figured you would eventually ask me to do this.”

Harley didn’t apologize or make excuses.  “Can you do it?”  Castor, as much as everyone else, knew that this was important and as long as the Vigilum and the Nocte had the same goal, they would need to work together.

“Yeah, I am sure I can make it happen.  I will need to make some calls.  I will have to wait until morning though.”

“Of course.”

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The next morning Cas had called and said that he and two other Lux would meet them that evening at the small restaurant in which they were now gathered.  Nya had arrived just before they left.  Harley wasn’t sure what to expect from the Lux.  She knew that they wouldn’t be happy being out at night and their attitude could be affected by it.  So, they had arranged the meeting just before the sun went down to compromise as much as possible.  As they entered the dining room Harley could easily recognize that she was the only one who wasn’t affected by the time of day one way or another.  Nya didn’t seem as bothered by the sun as Levi was but they both still looked tired, and the three Lux looked tired and strained as well.  Sundown or sunrise afforded the most common ground they would find for either group so both sides had to compromise.

Harley entered the room ahead of Levi and Nya and saw that the Lux had arrived already.  The three of them sat around the large round table in the middle of the room.  Castor sat to the left of a blond man who was short and stocky while at the same time looking fit and strong.  To that man’s left was a woman with black hair and was built like a model.  Both the man and woman looked, to Harley, as if they wanted to be anywhere but where they were.  The three Lux looked up at the Nocte’s arrival and Harley noted that Castor kept his face carefully neutral and she followed suit.

The Lux studied the group of Nocte carefully.  They looked cautious but curious as Harley, Nya and Levi sat at the table.  Harley sat down next to Cas and Levi sat on her other side and Nya beside him.  Harley couldn’t help but notice that Cas studied Levi longer than he did Nya.  Levi, for his part, didn’t look at Castor at all even though he had to be able to guess who he was.  There weren’t any formalities or pomp surrounding the opening of the meeting.  They began the introductions right away.

The six supernatural beings introduced themselves one at a time.  The female Lux was named Alice and she spoke with a faint Midwestern accent.  The blonde man was Randall and had no discernible accent at all—but his voice was nasally and generally unpleasant.  He introduced himself as a Commander of the Lux, which was apparently the Vigilum counterpart of the Nocte general.   Nya and Levi introduced themselves and the two new Lux seemed notably impressed.  Harley caught it in the slight widening of their eyes.  Harley had never gotten much of Nya or Levi’s history with the Nocte, but considering everyone’s reaction to them she decided she needed to add that to her “To Do” list.

When Harley introduced herself Randall and Alice studied her for a long while.  “So, you are the Day Hunter?” Randall asked.

“I didn’t know I had a title, but it would appear that I am,” she kept her voice neutral.  Something about Randall crossed her the wrong way.  She had always been a good judge of character and her first impression of this guy was one that suggested arrogance.  It was a different dislike from Rafe.  With Rafe, it was a matter of annoying personality.  With Randall, she simply didn’t trust him.  Alice seemed nice enough—aloof but not immediately unpleasant.

Nya had been studying the menu while Randall and Alice sized Harley up.  She looked up with a smile on her face.  “How are the milkshakes here?”

The three Lux turned to stare at Nya as if she had just burst out into song.  Levi was looking over the drink menu and Harley could swear he was trying not to smile.  A waiter came in shortly after to take their orders.  Nya ordered a chocolate milkshake, Levi ordered a bourbon and Harley figured she was going to need it and ordered a pitcher of rice liquor.  When the server asked the Lux if they wanted anything they declined.  The tension in the room had grown thicker and Harley suspected it was because the Lux didn’t appreciate their ordering drinks as if this were a social gathering.  It actually almost made her laugh, but she didn’t want to start a fight by seeming totally disrespectful so she refrained from doing so.  After the server brought their drinks they got down to business.

“OK,” Nya said after taking a large drink of her milkshake.  “We can share our information first.  Levi?”

Levi rolled his glass between his hands and surveyed the Lux across from him.  When he met Castor’s eyes, Cas looked away quickly.  Harley could imagine the stoniness of Levi’s eyes.  And she knew it wasn’t directed at Cas specifically—it was just the result of the situation, but Cas would take it personally.  “Starting from the beginning—about eight months ago the first known Rogue murders occurred in Italy.”

Randall and Alice looked at each other and then at Castor.  Harley wasn’t sure how much information Cas had shared with them already, but apparently the Vigilum was still about a month behind on their knowledge of the Rogue.

Levi continued.  “The murders seemed random.  It was hard to pin down what was responsible.  Most of us thought it was an Ignis at first.  The human murders occurred day and night.  But then Ignis started being killed as well and, unfortunately, the Ignis rarely kill their own.  The Burners were being killed day and night.  Most of the early information indicated that the Ignis were killing humans and the Lux and Nocte were killing Ignis.  But then there were enough Ignis killings that it was noticed that no one claimed them.  At least on the Nocte side—it’s been hard to gather much information from the Vigilum side.”  Randall raised his chin a bit slightly, seemingly proud of the fact that information didn’t get out of the Vigilum very easily.

“The first the Rogue was heard of in America was a little more than seven months ago,” Levi continued ignoring Randall’s reaction.  “There was a rash of murders in Miami—Ignis and humans that we know of.  So, honestly, we weren’t too alarmed until word traveled from Italy that this might be the same creature.  I only became personally involved about 6 months ago.”

Nya took up the story.  “I sent a couple of Nocte to Miami to investigate.  That was when we began to suspect that the Rogue was a Lux.”  Randall and Alice looked uncomfortable at that but didn’t interrupt.  “Our investigators came across a couple of human bodies.  There were burn marks on the head.  As you know, a Lux feeding would cause these marks.  I think we would have found the same sort of marks on a Nocte or Lux had we come across the body before they burned.

Levi picked the story up again, “When I began my investigation, I traveled first to Miami then to Italy.  In Italy I worked with Dotori.  He’s the General in Venice,” Levi explained.  “Through a lot of investigation, intimidation and charming and even some bribing and violence, we eventually found rumors of a cult.”

Huh?
  Harley thought.  This was the first she had heard of a cult.

“The Sol Invictus.”  Harley’s Nocte growled a low deadly growl at the mention of the cult.  If Harley hadn’t caught herself in time she probably would have growled out loud.  “We think it is a corruption of an ancient cult that worshiped the Roman sun god.  Our theory is that they have managed to create a bond with a Lux that is unlike any other Lux we, the Praesidio, have ever seen.”  The Lux that sat across from them looked even more confused and uncomfortable.

Randall finally spoke first.  “If this is true, why have we never heard of this—this cult?  And why have we never heard of some new kind of Lux?”

Nya finished her milkshake with a loud slurp before answering the question.  “How often do you investigate the Vigilum?  How often have you ever had a reason to?”  Alice started to protest but Nya kept going.  “I don’t think it would be so hard to not know about this.  I know the Vigilum keeps tight control over their Lux, but is it really hard to believe that a group, acting independently, could do something like this?”  Alice and Randall began to doubt themselves.  Castor continued to remain neutral.  “But,” Nya emphasized the word with a raised finger.  “We don’t think it is a cult made up of Lux.”

Even Castor looked surprised at that and Alice looked at a loss for words.  Randall was the first to speak.  “What are you saying?”

“We are pretty sure that the Sol Invictus is a group of humans,” Nya explained.

“So, you are saying that a group of humans got together and recreated some ancient, sun worshiping cult?  That they managed to create a Lux more powerful than any other Lux?” Alice asked.

“More or less,” Nya answered her with a smile that was out of place in its brightness.  A part of Harley wanted to laugh.  She knew that the Lux would have no idea what to make of Nya.

“And what proof of this do you have?” Randall asked growing angry in his confusion and surprise.

“Well,” Levi spoke up.  “We found evidence of sacrifice in Italy.  It was in a cave near the eastern coast of Italy.  Carved into the wall was the figure of an emperor wearing a crown made of the rays of the sun.  That same symbol was found burned into one of the victims in Miami.”  Levi paused to let that knowledge sink in.  Harley felt goose bumps rise on her arms and the back of her neck.

Levi took a deep breath before continuing.  “Besides the evidence of sacrifice that we found in Italy?  Besides the evidence of a group of humans dabbling in the supernatural?  Besides all of that—which I can show you the evidence by the way—you are sitting at a table with your biggest piece of evidence.”

Everyone at the table turned to look at Harley and her mouth went dry.  She knotted her hands together on top of the table to stop from fidgeting.  She forced herself to meet everyone’s stares calmly.  Randall and Alice looked doubtful and curious, Nya looked excited and Levi’s face was unreadable.  Castor was the only one who looked like he might realize how Harley—and not her Nocte—felt.  His face lost its neutrality just long enough for Harley to recognize a kind regret on her behalf.  It wasn’t pity and for once Castor’s softness didn’t annoy Harley.  She was grateful for it.  She looked away before the look could weaken her resolve to not react in front of everyone.

“That would be me, I guess,” she said with more self-confidence than she felt.”  Harley had thought this whole situation through and knew that she was right.  But that still didn’t mean that she was indifferent to being placed in the spotlight.

“And what are you exactly?” Randall asked with a sneer.  Harley and her Nocte both bristled at his attitude.  He clearly did not like Harley and the feeling was mutual.  Castor’s eyes narrowed at the shorter man and Harley could feel Levi stiffen next to her.

Harley looked at him evenly.  “I’m the one who can stop the Rogue.”

Nya smiled at Harley conspiratorially.  She knew how annoyed Harley was and she obviously still enjoyed watching drama unfold.  “Harley is the Nocte answer to the Rogue,” Nya explained.  Harley felt her skin prickle and her Nocte fluff up in agreement.

“What are you saying?  That you created a Nocte more powerful than others to fight a Lux that is more powerful than others?”

It was rare when Nya lost her temper or showed annoyance.  This was one of those times.  “Did we discover some way to create ‘special’ Nocte?  No.  Did we have the arrogance to try to do that?  No.  After the bond we realized that Harley’s Nocte was different.  We didn’t realize how different and why until recently.  I had my suspicions.  But it was Harley herself who figured it out.”  Nya’s voice was steely and a complete 180 from her normal humorous self.  It was easy to forget just how powerful and strong Nya was when she was letting her madness shine.

Everyone looked back to Harley.  She realized how tense she was when she could feel her nails digging into the backs of her hands.  She forced herself to relax and regain her control.  She could feel her Nocte working to steady her and help her hold her resolve.  She knew she wasn’t going to share everything with the table, but she was going to explain the important parts.  “Pretty much from the beginning I have been able to communicate with my Nocte directly.  Not whenever I want, but subconsciously I guess you could say.”