Unawakened (33 page)

“If it makes you feel better, I’m really, really, really hoping you don’t need to fire that gun.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Chasing after Kenneth Smith on a hunch he was the most probable culprit behind Rob’s disappearance left a sour taste in my mouth.

When I sniffed for information, I took a more cautious route. I learned everything I could about the person I was stalking long before I followed him—or her—down some dark alley in the fringe. Knowing how Smith operated added to my anxiety.

If he had any reason to believe he was being tailed, he’d be armed and dangerous. He didn’t need to be armed to be dangerous, either. I paced Sullivan’s shop while waiting for the dae to finish their preparations. Did a unicorn even
need
body armor? At least I understood the purpose of the black-and-silver saddle.

Getting Netzach to wear a halter, however, was a different matter entirely, and Sullivan’s front window had a dragon-shaped hole in the glass and a Sullivan-shaped hole in the wall to show for their failed attempts.

“I knew I should have gone with the golden bridle,” the vampire complained, crossing his arms over his chest to glare at the cantankerous unicorn. “You’re not exactly an easy ride, Netzach.”

“And how would a virgin like you know?”

Who knew a unicorn could master such a lecherous leer?

Coughing to hide my laughter, I picked up the halter and set it on the counter. “Forget the halter. We’re wasting time.”

Sandalphon chittered his amusement. “The blushing bride is eager to get back to her wayward groom.”

Kicking wasn’t my thing, but there was something satisfying about winding up, hooking my toe under the dragon’s belly, and launching him in the direction of the front door.

Unlike Netzach, who had sent the jeweled beast right through the glass, Sandalphon splatted against the window and slid to the floor. “Ouch.”

Analise stared at me, her mouth hanging open and her eyes so wide I was convinced they were about to pop out of her head. “Miss Daegberht!”

I turned from the wiggling dragon on the floor in search of my roommate. “Colby?”

“Mommy?” It bounced at my feet, and bracing myself for the shudder-worthy sensation of sticking my hands in cold, wet noodles, I picked it up and set it on Netzach’s back.

Both of the unicorn’s ears flattened back. “The saddle is for you, Miss Daegberht.”

“Me?” I squeaked.

“Need I remind you that you can’t fly, nor do you have any dae powers to facilitate hastened travel?”

“Hastened? Really? You’re going with hastened? What did you do, Netzach? Steal a pre-reformation dictionary and violate it?” I snorted, eyeing the stirrup warily. “Do you really think I’ll stay on your back with absolutely nothing to hold onto?”

“My mane, Miss Daegberht. It’s there for a reason.”

“I guess the whole legend about virgins and unicorns isn’t true, is it?”

“Only when I’m hungry.”

“Moving on!” I grabbed the halter and shook it at the unicorn. “Here’s how this is going to work. You’re going to let me put this thing on you while I apologize profusely for ruining your dignity. If I have to ride a unicorn with a taste for virgin flesh, I’m going to hold onto these straps so I don’t fall on my face and splatter like Sandalphon over there.”

“They’re called reins.”

“Reigning over a unicorn with reins in the rain. I like it.”

“It isn’t raining, Miss Daegberht. In fact, it will snow by morning.”

I grunted, once again shaking the halter at the unicorn. “Snow is rain suffering an identity crisis. Look, if I have to carry a fucking
bomb
in my pocket, you can wear a damned halter.”

Netzach snorted. “Very well.”

“Rob’s going to have to be really careful around this lady, or he’ll be the one wearing a saddle and halter next,” Sullivan muttered. “Don’t you have even a scrap of self-preservation in your entire body, Alexa?”

“I do, which is why Netzach is going to wear the halter. At least when I fall on my face, he might notice.”

Analise’s phone rang, and we quieted, watching Rob’s employee answer. Narrowing her eyes, she stepped a discreet distance away, murmuring a reply. I turned my attention to Netzach and focused on figuring out how to make the tangle of straps fit over his head.
 

Sullivan chuckled, took the halter out of my hands, and slipped it over the unicorn’s head. “Think about it this way, Netzach: Rob is going to owe you big time for this. I’ll put in a good word and tell him you defended his lady’s life and honor the entire time.”

“Enough play,” Analise ordered. “Jacob’s patrolling in Dundalk. Marlene and her crew are about to hit Smith’s townhouse. That leaves us to deal with Smith, who seems to be headed for the shipping yards.”

“Shipping yards?” The blood drained out of my face at the thought of Rob being taken out of the city by boat—or worse, dumped into the river like his body was worthless garbage.

Sullivan frowned. “Can you swim, Alexa?”

I shook my head.

“Good to know. Netzach, Sandalphon, if we have to go near the water, keep an eye on her. It’s a long hike across the city, so let’s get moving, people. Analise, you get us a car. Netzach is going to be burdened enough with Alexa. Let’s not make him carry double unless we have to. Alexa, there’s no point in weighing him down, so leave that clunky sword here. It’ll be safe enough.”

Wearing the katana was becoming a habit, but I nodded and unbuckled its belt, handing the weapon over. Sullivan took the blade and locked it in a drawer beneath his cash register.

Analise clucked her tongue. “Do you have a phone, Sullivan?”

“Despite my appearances, I do. It’s completely legal, too.” Sullivan reached into his pocket and pulled out a bright pink phone. “An elite owed me a favor and pulled some strings.”

“It’s pink. Why is your phone pink? That thing is burning my eyes. It’s ruining your macho vampire image,” I complained.

“Who in their right mind would try to steal a pink phone? It’s distinctive. Makes it easy to find if I drop it, too.” Sullivan sniffed, returning his phone to his pocket. “I’ll be waiting for your call, Analise.”

“Let’s go. I’ll text you with updates on Smith’s location and meet you near the docks. If you get lost, give me a ring.”

“I know the way,” I told them, wondering if I’d ever be able to escape the reminders of who I had once been and the world I had lived in before meeting Rob.

Wearing a coat wasn’t enough to protect me from the winter chill. I suspected Netzach was right, and I didn’t really need the reins; within minutes, I was a frozen statue, and I suspected the only way they’d get me off his back was with a crowbar. My fingers were locked in a tangle of mane and leather.

Cars had nothing on Netzach, who had one mode of operation: full speed. The chime of bells accompanied every hoofbeat on asphalt, and the unicorn treated cars like I did stray laundry on the floor, jumping over them when they didn’t get out of his way fast enough.

I should have fallen. If I did fall, I’d splatter into a pile of Alexa goo, spread out so far they’d need a shovel to scrape me off the street. I’d make a bigger mess than I would have if I had fallen from the Ivory Tower to the streets below.

I whimpered, and the cold wind bit at my eyes, making them water. My tears froze on my eyelashes and cheeks.

I’d never been anywhere near a horse in my life, but Netzach didn’t care; all that mattered to him was speed. He surged forward so fast my head spun when I made the mistake of glancing at the buildings, which were reduced to light-streaked blurs.

Colby, Sullivan, and Sandalphon were waiting for us when Netzach skidded to a halt. My face collided with the unicorn’s neck, and pain flared from my nose. “Ouch.”

“Curses,” the unicorn hissed, stomping his hoof. “You beat me.”

“Wings are useful things. You okay, Alexa?”

“Are we here? I want to get off,” I whimpered. “How did Colby beat us? Colby doesn’t have wings.”

“We’re here. You can get off if you want to.” Sullivan paused. “Don’t ask about Colby. Just don’t ask.”

“Mommy,” my roommate reported, sounding pleased with itself.

While I wanted to dismount, my fingers were frozen in place along with the rest of me. “Never again. I’ll walk home. I’ll walk home and never get on or in a moving object, living or otherwise, ever again. Never, ever, ever, ever again.”

Netzach snorted. “I only jumped over a few cars, Miss Daegberht. You didn’t fall, not once. What do you have to complain about?”

“If I had fallen, I would have died. Leaping off skyscrapers is safer.” Then again, falling from a skyscraper
or
from Netzach’s back would result in instant death. The terror of plummeting, however, only lasted the few seconds before impact.

“What’s the problem, then? Get on down, and let’s go find out just what Smith is doing so deep in the fringe.” Sullivan crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me.

“I think, perhaps, she is stuck. Humans are surprisingly delicate creatures, and it is quite cold.” Netzach swung his head around and watched me with a luminescent eye. “The rain with an identity crisis will fall soon, and she lacks fur.”

“Smart ass,” I grumbled, forcing myself to release my death hold on the unicorn’s mane and reins. My chattering teeth betrayed me, but I managed to free my feet of the stirrups, swing my leg over Netzach’s back, and ease my way to the ground.

My shoes touched the asphalt, and I oozed the rest of the way down instead of standing like a dignified person. Muscles I didn’t know I had ached and quivered. To cover my weakness, I stared up at Sullivan and asked, “Find anything out?”

“Smith headed to one of the docked cargo ships about five minutes ago. It looks like they’re getting ready to leave port.”

I sucked in a breath, grabbed hold of the stirrup dangling overhead, and pulled myself to my feet. “The ship’s leaving?”

If Rob was on board and the ship left, I’d never be able to find him.

“Looked like it to me. Them using a ship wasn’t part of the plan,” Sullivan muttered.

Sandalphon snorted his laughter. “We have a plan?”

“Shut up,” the vampire hissed. “I didn’t exactly have a whole lot of time to make a plan, okay?”

“I have a plan.” I eyed Netzach, grimacing at the thought of another ride. If the unicorn could get me on board the ship, I’d deal with it.

“How could you possibly have a plan?” Running his hands through his hair, Sullivan snarled a few words in another language.

“Let’s have fun storming the castle.” I cracked my knuckles. I wondered if the little bullet bomb could sink such a large ship.

I had a feeling I was going to find out.

Getting onto the ship without anyone spotting us was the first of our problems. I didn’t see any sign of Smith, which was probably a good thing, because I wanted nothing more than to take my fancy bullet and kill him and every single person working with him.

Venting my growing anger wouldn’t get me anywhere.

“Any bright ideas on how to storm the floating castle?” Sandalphon asked, and in his tone, I heard his amusement. “The plank looks guarded. They’re not even dressed like pirates. How boring.”

“Why don’t you go scout for us, Sandalphon?” Without waiting for a reply, Netzach bucked and smacked both of his hind hooves into the dragon, sending him arching over the docks in the direction of the cargo ship.