I loved walking the streets of Cognito with its hidden secrets. The buildings in most areas of town were old, and the city had the kind of grit that made it come alive. Streets pulsed with energy day and night. Humans mingled with us, unaware of our existence. Sometimes I wondered what they’d think if we all came out.
The exception was whenever I passed a group of men and sensed they weren’t human. It was a dangerous city, and aside from juicers, some immortals felt like they ran the show.
But some didn’t mind an open-door policy. A Mage named Victor owned the frozen-yogurt shop near the bar. He wasn’t in it for the money; he just enjoyed interacting with people. I decided to swing by and plopped in a booth with a cup of strawberry frozen yogurt. A teenager was sassing up her friends at a nearby table and I listened while swirling the sprinkles and cream.
A finger plunged into the soppy cup and pulled up a scoop. Tarek stuck out his tongue to lick it up and the pink liquid ran down his hand as if it were trying to escape. I dragged my eyes upward and noticed his Mohawk made a few of the customers uncomfortable. As if he didn’t stand out enough among his own kind with the black hair I wondered why he went to the extreme with that kind of hairstyle. If it was to intimidate, then mission accomplished.
He sank his knee into the cheap vinyl seat to block my exit. “We’re talking,” he said, and shoved me against the window to sit. “He lies to you. Cross is keeping you around as a novelty. It’s taboo for a Chitah to fuck a Mage, so naturally a lot of males want to dip their stick in a few sockets.” He dipped his finger in the yogurt and swirled it. “Don’t think that he’ll choose you over one of our females. No matter what he tells you, we all have obligations to fulfill and that will always override a pair of open legs. You’re holding onto something that you’ll never have and in the end, you’d better ask yourself if it’s worth it, because I can make your life miserable.”
Tarek sucked the yogurt off his finger and wiped his hands on his pants. He wouldn’t instigate a confrontation around humans, but if he was anything like Logan, he wasn’t going to let this go. My palms began to sweat.
“Mmm, I love the smell of fear.” Tarek jerked my chin to face him and put a kink in my neck. “What’s the matter? Am I not your type?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“The box was destroyed.”
Tarek dropped his arm on the back of the seat and I slid closer to the window.
“I’ll bet you know what was inside of it.”
“You’re wasting your time.” I wiped my clammy hands on my jeans.
He sampled the air, swirling his fingers as if catching a scent in the dramatic. “You
lie
.”
A man in a long black trench coat moved like a shadow across the room. He sat down at a table with a cup of dessert and lifted his black eyes to meet mine. Christian’s expression was stone as he listened to every word.
Tarek yanked my hair back so hard that a splinter of pain radiated across my scalp. I winced as he kept his hold, exposing my neck right along with two of his fangs. I raised two fingers to the table, signaling Christian to stand down.
Tarek retracted his canines before someone stole a glimpse. “Give the Mage what he wants—last chance.” The last two words dripped from his tongue like molasses—slow and thick.
“We’re going to catch him eventually, Tarek. I’m not giving that man an ounce of anything.”
He kissed my cheek. “You just introduced yourself to the biggest mistake of your worthless life.”
Chapter 29
“There will be no more gallivanting across town if that Chitah is following you,” Justus said.
He knew the word “gallivanting” irritated me, because it insinuated that I was being promiscuous. Women were his recreation, and I could always tell whenever he hooked up with one because he became grumpy for the next few days. Funny, as usually that had the opposite effect on most people.
I stared at the screens on the wall, absently flipping through images until it stopped on a snowy backdrop. “I don’t
gallivant
.”
“You know what I mean,” he rumbled from his leather chair.
“Novis has a guard on me.”
Justus leaned forward. There was a musky smell of sweat in the air as he’d just finished his workout. His neck and cheeks were red, and as he lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, the payoff of his hard work was evident. He was a fit man with solid abs.
I’d told him about Tarek while he was lifting weights, hoping that he’d finish his workout and burn off some of that “pissed off” that he carried in his pocket like spare change.
No such luck. He followed me right upstairs.
”Do you ever regret taking me in?”
Justus lifted his head and light sparked in his cobalt eyes like fireflies. A crease formed in the center of his brow, but he didn’t answer.
“You helped me from the beginning for reasons I’ll never understand because, let’s face it, you’re not the most nurturing person,” I said with a short laugh. He shook his head, staring at his shoes. “Maybe it’s that nobility that compels you to do the right thing. I wasn’t afraid of you when we met because any man who takes such care in removing a stain from a woman’s blouse can’t be malicious. You have something else besides charm, and that’s integrity. It’s like an aura that shines around you.”
The red color on his neck deepened.
“But you’re not beholden to me, and I know what you’ve said about me to others.”
“You’re young,” he said, rubbing his scalp. “It’s my job to make you a better Mage.”
“Someday I’m going to change how you feel about me, Mr. De Gradi. You just don’t know it yet.”
“Maybe it’s true that trouble follows me; look what happened to your peaceful life…
and
your cars.”
I fidgeted with the mood ring on my finger. I caught him looking at it from time to time even though it was just a cheap novelty trinket.
“Enough with the cars. I am not a Ghuardian who toils over the destruction of property when your safety is my priority.”
Justus sat up and smoothed a hand over his head. I could see the dark blond hinting he was overdue for a shave. There was so much that I wanted to know about him. Where did he get his tattoos, and why did he acquire them? Did he remember much about his childhood? How many women had he slept with? No, on second thought, maybe I didn’t need to know it all.
My thoughts drifted to Adam. “How can a salve make scarring permanent? Why haven’t they found anything to counter liquid fire?”
“Liquid fire has unique properties no one understands.” He lifted a short crystal glass from the end table and swirled the last few drops. “Err on the side of caution when mentioning someone’s tattoo, as the liquid fire is what seals it. In these modern times, humans ink themselves up with trivial images that hold little meaning. Marking your body should symbolize something of great importance. Unfortunately for some, it’s not one received by choice. Simon’s mark is a brand—one given to serve as a reminder who he belongs to.
“But not yours. That looks pretty modern.”
He twisted his right arm around and gripped his elbow. “This is three hundred years old. It’s not something I got on a whim.”
“But it looks so fresh, not faded. You’re how old?”
My mother never shared her past, so I’d grown accustomed to not asking questions. Justus would steer the conversation in another direction, so I’d given up on personal questions months ago.
“I was made when I was roughly twenty-seven, which is a guess as several hundred years have passed since I was human. I don’t think about that life anymore.”
“You’re only
twenty-seven
? Are you
serious
? Don’t take this the wrong way, but I would have guessed you were thirty-five.”
“I lived a hard life.”
“How did you meet Marco?”
“During one of the Italian wars. My father was French and I fought to honor him. We advanced in the Alps; we were taken out by the enemy and Marco led their group. His attempts to make me talk were in vain.” Justus laughed privately.
That explained his accent. Justus had a smooth voice and always spoke as if he were giving a presentation. It wasn’t perfect grammar, but he had good enunciation. There was also a very slight, almost undetectable shift in his speech that gave a hint of an accent, but I never could place it because it wasn’t pronounced and I wasn’t cultured enough to identify it.
“Fast friends ever since?”
“Where did you get the tattoos from?”
Justus leaned forward and stood on his feet, pensively rubbing his arm. “I have more pressing concerns at the moment than to discuss such things.”
***
Justus scheduled a meeting the next evening but didn’t invite me. He slipped on his black hoodie that I’d worn to the Gathering and headed out the door. Justus was hardly a man who needed to wear a jacket since he was a Thermal, so I watched him suspiciously. An hour later, I called Sunny out of boredom.
“Hey, girl! Are you coming?” she said loudly.
“Where are you?” By the noise in the background, it sounded like a bar.
“I’m at the Red Door.”
“You’re where?” I asked in disbelief.
She coughed and must have cupped the phone. “We’re on the list now; Novis made all the arrangements so we can come here when we want.” Her voice fell to a whisper. “There are some weirdos in here.”
“Vampires can hear really well, so don’t whisper something inappropriate. What are you doing there?”
“Knox is meeting up with some of the guys, but right now we’re sitting around waiting for everyone, and he’s not telling me boo,” she said with enough emphasis that I knew that she was speaking directly to him. “I’m getting a little bored. Are you coming?”
My foot tapped angrily on the floor. There was no reason I had to stay home. “I’m on my way,” I said.
I programmed the alarms on the way out and stood in the garage. If I was going to get in trouble for this, then it wasn’t going to be while driving one of his spanking-new cars.
I knew the basics of riding a motorcycle. The Ducati seemed harmless enough. After all, I used to rock it on the five-speed with my streamers and banana seat—how different could it be?
I felt pretty badass for a few minutes. That is, until I forgot how to brake and threw myself off. I’d ridden with Adam and watched him drive, but actually doing it was more difficult than I’d assumed. It was a slow ride into the city and steering around all the traffic rattled my nerves. The bike wobbled a few times and when I arrived at the Red Door, I almost threw it on the ground.
The night air was damp and cool. I rubbed my wet nose on the cuff of my sleeve as I waved at the doorman and made my way inside. The familiar sensation of Breed energy rolled through me like turbulence; it was strange to think that I was ever scared of it.
A few eyes watched me with curiosity. I lacked distinguishable physical traits and men often assumed—or hoped—that I was a Sensor. Oh, they
loved
Sensors. Especially the new ones that offered low rates or freebie samples of their wares to gain new clientele. Sensors were all about monetary gain and immortals were dripping with wealth.
Justus was on him in a heartbeat.
My pace quickened when I caught sight of Sunny mouthing off to someone. She stood up from the table, pointing her finger at a Vampire.
Oh, shit
.
“Sunny!”
The Vampire with short blond hair slanted his eyes at me. Harming a human may be against Breed law, but it wouldn’t stop the bastard from using his gifts on her.
“My boyfriend will be back any minute,” she went on. He smiled as if it didn’t matter.
“You’re not welcome at our table, Vamp. The club is filled with pretty girls—better snatch one up before they’re all gone,” I said while unzipping my jacket. He frowned and looked back at Sunny.