Wyrd Calling (Wyrd Bound Book 1) (23 page)

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Alex paced around the living room as he thought it all through. I hadn't seen something get to him like this before. Ryan had gone quiet, but he hadn't descended into the moping state he was in before. Dan was tucked up a corner texting on his phone (I had to assume he was chasing down leads), and Nik watched Alex pace.
 

I stood and placed my hand on his arm while looking up into his eyes. "Stop."

He sighed and sat down on the sofa next to me. "We should have moved more quickly."

I glared at him. "And what good is this doing us? How is expending our energy on pacing rather than planning our next move possibly the better option here?"

I hadn't meant to snap at him, but his pacing and attitude were frustrating me. I wasn't really affected by the death of the siren. It was irritating due to the fact that it felt like he was taunting us, but I didn't mourn the loss of her. Nik looked away from us, my tone apparently had more of an impact on him than I'd intended.
 

Alex, however, held my gaze. "We failed."

"Bullshit. One more siren dead is not a complete failure."

"Not a complete failure, no, but it remains unacceptable."

I'd forgotten how hard he was on himself during these things, not that I was usually much better.
 

He ground his teeth and forced himself to relax. "We do the trap tomorrow. He's becoming more angry, more aggressive, more open. That means he's more likely to strike again soon. We catch him while he's careless."

I looked at him and bared my teeth a little. I was not going to allow him to push me around. "There has to be a better method. It’s hit and miss. We didn’t exactly succeed with the last one, now did we."

He snarled and looked away from me before his nostrils flared and allowed a heavy breath to escape. "Fine. Then we chase down leads and get the information we need."

I nodded.
 

We both looked over to Dan, but he shook his head. "Nothing yet."

I forced myself to be calm and to think logically. Someone, somewhere, knew something about him that would help us track him down. He could not have been that careful. I was reminded of the completely blank canvas left at the kill sites. That was worth looking into. I tried to think who would best know about something like that. It would have to be a being with an intimate knowledge of high-level energy work to wipe everything completely clean like that. That left us with fae, pixies, and related. I smiled. The pixie could know something.
 

I looked to Dan. "You're with me. We're going to find that pixie."

He smiled. Alex frowned at me. "It's not the time for some threeway, Thalia".

I laughed softly, trying to stop myself from snarling at him again. "She knows energies, and she's a pixie. Therefore, she may have some information on the wiping of everything at the scenes."

A small smile broke out on his face. "Be careful, then."

I smiled at him. "Always."

Once we were out on the roads, I turned to Dan, "Where do pixies hang out around here?"

He was prepared for me. "I'm pretty sure I know the bar we need."

We strode off into the night. Dan insisted on walking just a little too closely. I shrugged it off and assumed he was trying to be protective after my nightmare. It wasn't needed, but I didn't want to drive him away. We stopped in front of a door with faded blue, peeling paint and an array of territorial sigils and markers around it. Each of them had a faint pastel-shaded glow to them. The air around the door had a slight shimmer, and I found myself giggling with excitement. I hadn't played with these types in far too long.
 

I looked over to Dan. "Remember what we discussed about fae?"

He smiled and nodded. "I remember. I’ll try not to cause any trouble."

With that, we opened the door and walked down the narrow stone stairs and through the pitch-black curtain, where everything changed.
 

Two fae stood just in front of the archway that stood between us and the pounding music. They looked like inverse copies of each other, both with angular faces, each standing at around 5'10 with a lithe, slender figure. The one on the left had deeply tanned skin with white-blonde hair and striking pale green eyes. His white shirt was elegantly tailored and slipped into his slim-fit black trousers. An expectant smile sat on his thin lips. His partner on the right, however, was as pale as snow with deep red hair and almost black eyes. A bright grin sat upon his lips with his loose-fitting navy blue t-shirt and baggy jeans. I tilted my head and smiled at them. I loved the fae.
 

Dan remained behind me. He clenched and unclenched his fists, but managed to keep himself reasonably relaxed. The fae's energies sparked around them wildly leading to a small light show. I looked directly into the eyes of the dark skinned one, refusing to look away as he met my gaze. He flashed his sharp, pointed teeth and nodded for us to go in. I grinned and practically danced through the archway. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been in a fae club. I glanced back at Dan who looked disconcerted and slightly lost. I reached back and hooked my arm around him while I looked around with glee. The room was pitch black with a high domed ceiling and exposed brickwork all around. Small balls of ice-blue light hung up above everyone's heads. They occasionally emitted sparks of lightning that shot between them. The entire room was alive with electricity. It was hard not to get lost in the wonderful buzz of it all.

I dragged Dan over to the pitch-black bar that swept along one wall of the room. Blood-red lights were fitted along the inside edge to allow the barmen to see what they were doing. It added a fantastic edge to the experience. I leaned forwards and licked my lips as the barman came over to us.
 

"You're new here, what're you drinking?"

His eyes flashed with playful humour as I said, "Whatever you are."

I grinned at him and turned away to look out into the room. Even if our little pixie wasn't there that night, there were plenty of other similar beings, and one of them had to have an idea. Dan stuck close to me. I twisted around to see the barman had poured us both a large shot of Pasem. I raised my eyebrow. "And where's yours?"

He laughed and poured himself one of the glowing neon purple drinks and lifted it to us.
 

I pushed Dan’s to him and prayed he could hold it before I knocked mine back. Not everyone could handle the intense hit that was the fae liquor known as Pasem. Fire ran down my throat and sparks fluttered in front of my eyes. The buzz filled my mind and I felt as though I were floating for a minute or so. All of my nerve endings were singing and everything became more vivid. Every small glint of light radiated an incredible rainbow-type aura. I loved the fae.
 

Dan was breathing slowly and deeply and looking around himself wide-eyed. Poor virgin. I put my arm around his waist and led him out onto the floor. He dragged his feet a little while looking at everything in awe. It was truly a spectacle. Waves of colour and light faded in and out around various people, the balls of light above us swelled and shrank in a rhythmic pattern. Some of the songs sent ripples through the air. It was an incredible experience. I remembered the good days back when I drank Pasem every night. The world was a brighter, better place during those days, back when I lost myself in the wild colours and even wilder people. Everything danced. There was no middle ground of grey, it was all vibrant, shimmering, and beautiful. I had no cares in the world, because I knew that all I had to do was have a little more Pasem and everything would explode into the blissful kaleidoscope that kept me safe from the world.

Time didn't seem to flow properly. We wandered around for a little bit enjoying the experience. Everyone there was busy in some way or another. Some were clearly enjoying the effects of the Pasem themselves as they swayed and gazed in awe at the lights around us or simply sat and watched the people around them in a wide-eyed stupor. Dan began to stand up properly and regain himself by the time we found her. The bright red crop of hair flashed with purple sparks and bright pink roses. She turned around to greet us with a big grin. She leaned in and kissed Dan's cheek softly before hugging me.
 

"I'm so glad you made it!"

I trailed my finger down her back. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

She pursed her lips and pouted for a second. "I did hope you'd find me."

We followed her to a booth of pitch-black leather that blended into the wall - we easily blended into the darkness once we sat on it. She sat with her legs crossed, showing off her toned thighs with her short skirt. Her dainty hands sat in her lap as she looked at us, waiting expectantly.
 

I placed my hand on her knee. "What do you know about the siren murders?"

She fluttered her eyelashes at me. "I'm not sure I know what you mean. Of course I know they’ve happened and they’re frightful, but you almost seem to be suggesting that I know, well, more…"

I smiled and ran my fingers up her thigh a little way. She maintained her eye-contact with me, a comfortable smile sat on her lips as she tilted her head slightly and surveyed me. “You’re really rather direct, aren’t you?”

That took me slightly by surprise. I’d been used to taking such a route with pixies and the related species. I smiled softly and thought about it for a moment. “I suppose I am. I don’t like wasting time on frivolous pursuits.”

She grinned and laughed at that. “And yet here you are, enjoying Pasem no less.”

I licked my lips and looked away. I had to acknowledge that she was right. I thoroughly enjoyed pursuing frivolous things, just not usually when it related to my work. To my tasks.

“Pasem is an old friend of mine.”

Her smile faltered for a moment. I’d clearly struck a nerve. “I’m sure that many creatures would say the same. But we’re not here to talk about that, now are we?”

Her eyes sparked and she leaned closer to me, allowing her low cut top to slip down and reveal the soft curve of her breasts. "I may know a thing or two about those murders."

I glanced back. Dan seemed completely lost. He was looking out at the people with a slightly alarmed and confused expression on his face. He was fine.
 

I leaned in and nibbled up her earlobe, "And what would those things be?"

She ran her fingers down over my hair and idly played with a strand, twisting it around her fingers as she looked around the room with a blissful expression on her face. One corner of her mouth twisted and pulled upwards, giving her a lopsided smile before she giggled softly and said, "I'll tell you for a kiss."

I pouted and looked at her trying to figure out her game. They usually made much higher demands than a simple kiss. It could be as easy as a night of pleasure or a few strands of hair, to a vial of blood. Blood was a powerful thing, and was never given lightly. It depended on the species and the mage, wizard, or other such user using it to quite what could be done with it, but the fact remained, it was always a risky offering. One that was never given lightly.

She licked up my throat. "I just want a taste of you."

I bit her bottom lip gently. "Seems fair enough to me."

I couldn't think of anything to lose from that deal.
 

She placed her hand on my hip and whispered in my ear. "There are very few beings which can control energies to that extent. You want the Puppet Master."

I tried not to frown. That made absolutely no sense. I didn't get much chance to think on it. Her hand wrapped around the back of my neck and her warm lips pressed to mine. For that brief moment, only she existed, the taste of sweet lime invaded my mouth, and then she was gone.
 

I opened my eyes to find that she really had gone. There was no sign or trace of her. Dan leaned back into his seat a bit and gazed up at the ceiling. Pasem always made me more tactile, and I saw no reason to restrain myself. We were pack, after all. I ran my fingers through his thick, dark hair, and he slowly turned to look at me with those fierce dark blue eyes. His pale pink lips parted just as a touch as he looked into my face.
 

He tilted his head and frowned a bit. "You're sparking. There are fireworks erupting from your head and your eyes are shimmering like an ocean under the moon."

He sat and watched me curiously for a few minutes before I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him to me. "You're a good guy."

He nodded and rested his head on my arm. "I am."

We both laughed at his forthright honesty before I sighed. The Pasem was beginning to wear off for me. The waves of light were reducing and dulling. While the club itself was beautiful and the energies were intoxicating, I had to consider Dan. I trailed my fingers down the back of his neck and kissed his forehead. There wasn't a reason for my actions. Thoughts had fled my mind.
 

I debated getting another shot of Pasem, but the fear that I would lose control and slip back into that habit changed my mind. My mood changed at the reminder of what had almost been. I decided it was time to go home. I wouldn’t fall back into that, and I wasn’t going to risk Dan being harmed.

We stood and made our way through the pulsing, swirling mass of people and light. I kept a close hold on Dan to stop him from wandering off, as he tried a couple of times. We emerged onto the street with the charcoal-sketch buildings. The heavy shadows sat between each carefully drawn brick in quiet contemplation. The moon was quiet that night, her serenade whispered softly onto the delicate breeze that brushed the treetops. The stars, however, were giggling at unspoken secrets that I hoped one day to share. I shook my head and grabbed onto Dan's hand as he was trying to wander off the wrong way down the street.
 

He entwined his fingers with mine and gave me a goofy grin. "Your skin is really soft, like the finest silk."

I smiled at him, the poor soul. I had to ask, as we walked under the rusty orange light of the streetlamp, "Is this your first experience with Pasem?"