Promise Me Anthology (16 page)

“The bodies were found in the House of
Mirrors,” Danial said. “In the center room.” He pointed.
“There.”

The attraction wasn’t very big, no more than
an acre. The outside was painted dull black with no ornamentation
other than the word Mirror Maze above the door. Each huge letter
was itself formed out of mirrors, their reflective surfaces shining
in the moonlight.

“I smell blood now,” Theo said uneasily. “And
something else I can’t identify. It’s sickening, whatever it
is.”

“That’s sulphur,” Danial said darkly. “That
usually means a demon—”

Theo turned to Danial. “How do you know that?
How did you get called for this job?”

“I have a lot of experience,” Danial replied,
moving past him towards the building. “This particular job came
from the sister of one of my donors. It was her best friend that
was killed.”

Theo blinked. “What’s a donor?”

“Someone who contracts to donate blood to
me.”

“Don’t you hunt for blood in nightclubs or
something?”

Danial gave Theo a dour look. “Very funny.
Come on.”

Danial pushed inside the open door, Theo
right behind him. Once their eyes adapted to the lack of light,
they followed the police markers to the center. A large pool of
dried blood was there, many smears and tracks from police shoes at
the edges. Danial crouched near the blood, studying the floor.

Theo shrugged. “I can’t smell anything but
blood and that sulphur—”

All the mirrors cracked abruptly, shards
shooting out to bury themselves in Danial and Theo. Theo dropped,
screaming and writhing, his body a pincushion of glass razors.
Danial fell forward into the blood, his back and neck a mass of
blood and silica.

Theo jerked, keening in pain. Danial was
still.

An apparition formed slowly, the features of
a young boy scowling. He ghosted closer, peering down at Theo.

“I’m not leaving,” the thing whispered
longingly. “You can’t make me leave—”

Danial reared back suddenly, throwing a cloud
of power at the ghost. The specter screamed, burning holes
appearing, the flames eating it in a shower of white glowing fire.
It flailed, falling to its knees, then disappeared.

Danial got to his feet gingerly, then helped
Theo up. “Brace yourself on the mirror frame and hold on.” He began
to pull out the shards, Theo’s skin healing up as the glass came
free.

“Son of a bitch,” Theo snarled. “What the
hell was all that?”

“A demon masquerading as a child,” Danial
said, still working efficiently. “That white fire burnt up his
physical form. He’s back in Hell now.”

“Ouch,” Theo growled as Danial yanked a large
chunk out. “Why not just use some holy water or something?”

“I’m agnostic. You need faith for that to
work, not just a Bible.” Danial plucked out the last piece. “Turn
and I’ll get the front.”

Theo turned, grimacing. “That white fire was
magic.”

Danial nodded. “A witch friend makes it for
me. It’s white magic.”

Theo stretched, pulling out the last few
shards on his arms. “You don’t do dark magic?”

Danial laughed, but the sound was resigned
rather than exuberant. “I do whatever it takes, Theo. Don’t
sugarcoat me. I get enough of that from my donors.” He turned away.
“Do my back, please.”

Theo pulled out the shards, Danial flinching
and hissing in pain. “Is one of the reasons you offered me a job
because I can take wounds like this and not die?”

Danial nodded. “I’d be lying if I said
otherwise. Regeneration is an asset in my business. But I offered
you a job because when I gave you the choice of helping or running,
you chose to help.” He faced Theo. “I need someone who can be
trusted to make not only a quick decision, but also the right one.
Are you in?”

Theo nodded. “Yes.”

“Good,” Danial said, pleased. “Now let’s get
out of here.”

They retraced their steps, their gait slow
and stiff from their weakened state. As they left the building, the
lights all around them came on, the rides suddenly coming to life
as carnival music blared tinny from the loudspeakers.

Theo turned to Danial. “I hope you’ve got
more of that powder.”

“Fresh out,” Danial muttered, his eyes
scanning in all directions.

Unnatural shadows gathered growing larger and
darker as the music swelled. Eyes appeared in the inky blackness,
red-orange pupils staring.

“What are you?” Danial shouted. “What do you
want?”

“They want your blood,” an old voice creaked
from behind them. “So do I.”

Theo and Danial whipped around. A bloated
clown floated there, his painted face skeletal, his eyes dark
holes, his mouth a twisted misshapen slash that opened revealing
pointed teeth like a shark.

“Any ideas?” Theo whispered.

“Yes...run!”

Danial and Theo turned, only to find the
clown behind them. It kicked Theo with his left boot, the solid
blow sending him crashing through a rusty fence into the bumper car
rink. Driverless, they converged at once on his prone form, ramming
him hard from all sides as he cried out in pain.

“You’re no man,” Danial said, dodging as the
clown reached for him. “Show your real form, demon!”

The clown grinned, his outline morphing
fluidly. “What do you wish, Danial? There are so many horrors from
your past I’d love to become—”

The thing knew his name. What else did it
know? Danial gritted his teeth, fighting his sudden fear. “What do
you want?”

“To make you suffer,” the clown lisped,
leering. It lunged for him, ripping his shirt.

Danial drew his gun and emptied it into the
phantom. The bullets passed through harmlessly, thudding into the
side of the building.

Suddenly the outline morphed, the clown’s
body becoming masculine and blond as an elegant face formed, its
golden eyes gleaming.

“No,” Danial breathed.

“Yes,” the figure purred, beckoning with two
taloned fingers. “Come to Dev.”

Danial drew a knife from his boot. “Come and
get me.”

“You’re just like me,” Dev said lovingly,
moving closer. “You become more like me every year—”

“No!” Danial shouted, backing away.

Dev advanced, long fangs smeared with blood.
“You could’ve killed me long ago, but you didn’t. Don’t you rue
that day, Danial? How many lives could you have saved? Thousands?
Millions?”

“That’s not true—!”

“I’ve drunk an ocean of blood and I have you
to thank.” Dev laughed wildly. “Without your deeds, I’d never have
come to America. It was you who killed Annabelle—”

“No,” Danial said weakly, going to his knees.
“It wasn’t my fault.”

Dev stood over him, gloating as an ax formed
in his white hands. “It was. Your paltry good deeds of the last
century can’t atone for all the evil you’ve done.” Dev raised the
ax. “You deserve to die—”

Water hit Dev in the back, the force of it
propelling him over Danial. The creature landed hard on its side,
momentarily stunned, its clown’s form reappearing for an instant
before Dev’s features reformed. Danial threw himself at it, his
knife coming down in a deadly arc. The figure screamed and shifted,
Dev’s features melting into a tiger’s ravening jaws that lunged up
for Danial’s throat. Danial snapped with his own fangs, latching
onto the beast’s shoulder as it buried its fangs in his forearm,
his arm driving the knife deeper into the monster’s chest, twisting
it.

The thing shuddered once, then sickening
black smoke wafted up from the body as it fell in, crumbling.

Danial climbed to his feet shakily, then
walked to where Theo sat, his bloody hands still clutching the fire
hose.

“You okay?” Danial asked.

“Broken ribs,” Theo answered, wincing. “Are
we done?”

“For tonight,” Danial said, putting Theo’s
arm over his shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Walk slow,” Theo said weakly as Danial
helped him to his car. “I can’t walk well, much less fight. I
wasn’t sure what to use as a weapon—”

Why hadn’t Theo changed form in the fight,
Danial wondered. Not only would it have speeded the healing ribs,
but a cougar’s powerful form would have withstood the blows better
than Theo’s human form. In fact, Theo had not even partially
shifted at all, which was behavior Danial had never seen from any
were in a fight. His aversion to change was something to keep in
mind, as it could prove a potential weakness.

“—
thank God that fire hose was
nearby.”

“Thank God for you, you mean.” Danial rubbed
his eyes.

“Who was that?” Theo asked. “That person the
demon became? It was someone you knew.”

“A vampire I know,” Danial lied uneasily. “A
bad one.” He managed a smile. “You did good, Theo.”

“Thanks,” Theo said awkwardly. “Do you need
blood? You look like hell.”

“Yes, but not yours,” Danial said, taking out
his phone. “That’s what donors are for. Do you prefer beef or
chicken?”

“Chicken,” Theo replied. “After we eat,
what’s the plan?”

“We take a few days to rest and heal up at my
house. Then we’ll head to the next case. I have a small job in New
York, if you’re interested.”

Theo grinned. “Looks like there’s never a
dull moment with you around.”

Danial smiled widely, baring fangs. “That’s
right. You sure you want to do this?”

Theo bared his own cougar fangs in a smile.
“Yes, partner. Let’s go.”

* * * *

Later that week, Danial and Theo disembarked
from the plane in Syracuse, New York.

“Be on your guard,” Danial cautioned, getting
into the truck. “Devlin is a fiend, as I’ve told you. Lash, his
henchman, is no better.”

“Why you’d consider moving here closer to
them is beyond me,” Theo said bluntly. “You could’ve shipped back
the equipment you borrowed.”

“I need to know what Devlin really wants with
me,” Danial said darkly. “It’s time to face him and find out.”

* * * *

An hour later, Theo and Danial were standing
in Devlin’s home, the tall striking blonde man dressed in gold and
black regarding them intently, his interest no longer on the poetry
he’d been writing.

“Danial,” Devlin purred from his ornate
chair, his golden eyes shining, “What an unexpected surprise.”

“Not really, when you all but summoned me for
an audience,” Danial said. “Pass on my thanks to Lash, please.”

Theo put down the tent and other camping gear
on the floor.

Devlin nodded. “Unfortunately Lash is not
here to accept right now. He’s out west himself, tending to a
personal errand.”

Danial tensed. “Where?”

“Not sure, really,” Devlin said with a
dismissive gesture. “And you don’t care anyway, so let’s get to
business. Are you coming back east or not?”

“Spell out directly the lucrative work you
mentioned; who it’s for, what it entails, and how long it’s
expected to last,” Danial countered.

“Or?” Devlin asked, picking up a pencil and
twirling it.

“Or my new partner and I will be on our
way.”

“Partner,” Devlin said deliciously, studying
Theo with new interest. “This is unprecedented.” He dropped the pen
and steepled his fingers. “The work is hits for the mob, it entails
killing degenerates, and it will last as long as you and I will,
Danial.”

“Murder?” Theo asked, repulsed. “I didn’t
sign on for murder.”

“I don’t kill innocents for pay,” Danial
added. “That’s assassin’s work.”

“Don’t pretend you’re Sherlock Holmes with
me,” Devlin hissed, his eyes reddening. “You’re old enough to know
the only true innocents are children. None of those will be on your
list.”

“No,” Theo said staunchly. “We’re not
interested.”

“You don’t matter,” Devlin retorted coldly,
snapping the pencil in two. His hardness eased as he addressed his
brother. “Danial, you have been playing detective for years now.
You’re known in Colorado, but nowhere else. That is how it will
stay unless you take the next step. To do that, you need cash.”

“Blood money,” Danial replied evenly.

“It isn’t the first you’ve been offered,”
Devlin said meaningfully. “It wouldn’t be the first you’ve
taken.”

“Danial, you can’t seriously be considering
this,” Theo said.

Danial didn’t reply.

“Of course he’s considering it,” Devlin said
gleefully. “His business is the most important thing to him.” He
bared his fangs at Theo in a wide grin. “Something you would do
well to remember, Cat.”

“Don’t call him that,” Danial said mildly.
“There will be no insults, Dev. That’s one of my first terms. Make
sure your snake henchman agrees.”

Devlin nodded. “Of course. What else?”

“I want freedom to do what I wish, without
your interference—”

Devlin nodded. “As long as you give me the
necessary respect at formal events.”

“—
I want all my employees and friends,
such as Theo, given freedom from persecution—”

“As long as they obey the vampire laws.”

“—
I want a loan and your backing to get
Solution’s Inc. on track to a global business—”

“Name your price. The references will not be
a problem. You are a master sleuth.”

“—
my business will take me all over the
world if I succeed. I want you to secure me safe passage. I have
enemies here and abroad—”

Devlin nodded. “Expected. Done.”

“—
lastly, I want to know the real
reason you want me here,” Danial finished, his eyes locked on
Devlin’s. “The truth.”

Devlin eyed him, then smiled. “There has been
too much between us to have you believe that I want you back for
old time’s sake.”

Danial stared back, unsmiling.

Devlin nodded slightly. “I want Garrett
removed. He’s becoming unstable. He is one of my turns, Danial, so
if I do it I must admit to the error of making him. If you do it,
I’m spared that embarrassment.”