Unawakened (28 page)

“Give Jacob my regards. The rules still apply to both of you, so don’t even think of trying anything.”

I left and didn’t look back.

In my effort to rise in the ranks, my life had been carefully orchestrated, every minute planned to perfection. Every time I worked a job, every day of classes, every minute of studying was for one purpose. My life had been lived in order to accomplish my goals.

I should have been able to slip back into the routine with ease, picking up my life where I had left off. Finishing my Bach studies was only the beginning of a new life.

Instead of freeing myself from Kenneth, I played his game and the game of the rest of the elite caste, too. On paper, I was a fringe rat, a worker bee from the lowest rung. Yet, in reality, I flitted from elite flower to elite flower, ready and willing to sting.

By allowing me to work and live among them, my classification became yet another lie in a mountain of them. If anyone from the fringe found out it was possible to circumvent the system like I had done, if word spread it was possible outside of the usual channels, what would change?

Would things change, or were we so set in our ways we couldn’t let go of the system simply because it was what we were familiar with?

Each and every caste was a prison. The only difference was the comfort of the cells in which the inmates resided. The elite danced to the same tune those in the fringe did; hard work bought nothing but the status quo.

Failure, however, brought ruin.

My day should have finished after studying. My classes were exactly as I expected them. My classmates struggled, especially those from the elite caste. The merit-based students did little better, which baffled me.

The math wasn’t much more difficult than in secondary education. While practical, the coursework delved into theory, statistics, and finances; everything an elite needed to know to manage their business.

The lesson matched everything I had learned from managing Kenneth’s illegal business from the sidelines, sniffing out data, working numbers, and hunting for secrets I had no business knowing.

The rest of the courses weren’t much better.

Rob’s words came back to haunt me. How much had we lost thanks to the reformation? Experience, no matter how bad, mattered. I had an edge on my classmates, a secret one I couldn’t share with any of them.

I’d seen the real world, the one outside of classes and the carefully constructed lives the government provided. What I didn’t know was if Kenneth had saved me from being just another mindless drone, or if he had set me up for an even bigger fall.

Knowledge was power, and power was dangerous, no matter who held it. As my thoughts wandered, so did my feet. Walking helped sometimes.

I didn’t go home. I should have; running around all day without direction had exhausted me. The thought crossed my mind, but instead of doing the right thing, instead of playing it safe, I let my feet take me where they would.

My first stop was a clothing store bordering the fringe. I downgraded from formalwear to comfort with the added bonus of holes. Sneakers helped mitigate the annoying ache in my foot, an incessant reminder of the circumstances leading up to Rob’s disappearance.

I bought a box, dumped everything of importance in it, and shipped it to myself so it’d be home first thing in the morning. All I needed for where I was going was my purse, my wallet, and my guns.

When someone pinged my tracking cards—and they would, probably within a minute of realizing I wasn’t where I was supposed to be—they’d find them on one of the hundreds of buses meant to ferry the lower caste workers to and from their jobs.

Later, I’d claim I had dropped my wallet on the bus heading to my old apartment, losing the cards. I’d acknowledge I had sent my clothes and valuables home so I could take a short walk in comfortable clothes. The elite understood the need for comfort. When they exploded at me for disappearing, I’d find some other lie to feed them, one they’d understand and accept.

No one had told me I couldn’t. They’d rectify that mistake soon enough—probably as soon as I returned.

And, if Analise was supposed to be the head of my security detail, if she was good enough at her job to please Rob, then I’d have a tail.

Maybe I’d even figure out who and lose them, finding an outlet for my restless energy and frustration. Maybe they’d try to send me home where I belonged, but home wasn’t where I needed to be.

I believed Rob’s worries about his dependence on me. I believed him when he claimed I sustained him. The years had melted away from him in my presence, he had become more boisterous, and he had so much more energy than the first days I had known him, when he had looked worn and tired.

Minangi had claimed as much as well.

What would happen to Rob if I didn’t find him in time? Would he be able to revert back to absorbing excess energy from others?

I feared he would begin to starve within a week. How long would he last?

Baltimore had many stones, and I would turn over every last one of them to find him.

Chapter Eighteen

After taking two buses, a cab, and a trip down more filthy alleys than I wanted to think about, I reached my old stomping grounds. The fringe hadn’t changed much since I had lived there. Instead of destitute men and women, destitute dae loitered, scavenging for what they could. There was something to Rob’s warnings of human-appearing dae being among the most frightening; werewolves, vampires, and the other common dae gave me a wide berth.

I wasn’t sure what I thought about their apprehension of me. In a way, it benefited me. Dodging aggressive dae would make my work harder.

If those in the fringe wanted to think of me as a member of a higher caste, I’d take advantage of it, and I knew just the person to approach.

The outskirts of the fringe had been hit the hardest during the Dawn of Dae, especially the zone where the elite and the lower castes had clashed when people discovered the rules of power had changed. The riots hadn’t lasted long; the elite proved to have just as many tricks up their sleeve as the newly empowered. I had missed most of it thanks to Arthur Hasling.

My kidnapping and recovery had ensured few realized I was unawakened instead of a strong dae with a thin human shell.

Most of the damage had been repaired, and as I worked my way in the direction of my old apartment, I located the small tattoo parlor I had ducked into, emerging short some blood and up some cash and my snakehead tattoo.

Sullivan glanced up from browsing his tattoo designs, his eyebrows arching as I stepped inside. As far as dae went, the vampire was nice enough, as close to good as they got. He bargained well, kept his end of a deal, and actually believed in fair trade.

He wasn’t human, and I had my doubts he had ever been one. If Sullivan wasn’t a portal hopper, I’d be very surprised. I still wasn’t sure what the deal really was with the portal dae, but they worried me far more than the common types, fire breathers included.

“It’s been a while, Princess,” Sullivan said, straightening. “His Majesty allowed you out of his sight alone? At night?”

The surprise in the dae’s voice convinced me of one thing: he had nothing to do with Rob’s disappearance.

I turned to the door, closed it, and flipped the sign to closed before strolling to the counter. I propped my elbows on it, rubbing my temples. “What’s with the names, Sully?”

“Turn about is fair play, I suppose. I thought it was obvious. The King of Baltimore is obviously worth the title of His Majesty, and of course his consort must at least be princess. I’d go for Your Imperial Majesty, but you’d have to marry him for that.”

“Imperial Majesty is higher ranked than His Majesty. Wouldn’t that make him my consort instead?”

“I have missed your sharp tongue and quick wit, Miss Daegberht. What has brought you to my shop? Your locking of my door and closing of my business leads me to believe you have something important you wish to discuss.”

“Someone kidnapped Rob.”

Sullivan’s mouth gaped open, revealing his pointed teeth. “You’re serious?”

“Why the fuck would I lie about something like that? They used a flash bomb, took Rob, and left me on the street. I woke up in one of the elite’s hospitals, and I’m pretty sure I ditched at least one or two security people on my way here from the downtown core.”

I hadn’t actually spotted any of my tails, but I hoped my efforts had been enough to derail any attempts to follow me. Sighing, I snatched one of the design books and flipped through it so I had something to do with my hands.

“Someone wised up and decided you needed someone watching over you?”

“I may have lost my two tracking cards on the bus when I dropped my wallet. Oops.”

“Two tracking cards, Your Imperial Majesty?”

I narrowed my eyes and scowled at the vampire. “Not funny, Sully.”

“Wait until His Majesty’s old man hears about this.”

The comment confirmed my suspicions Sullivan wasn’t just an dae, and I snorted. “Rob was grabbed outside of Minangi’s restaurant.”

Sullivan’s eyes widened and all of the color faded from his face. “You know about Minangi?”

“Someone wished to have me tracked. Rob went to him for help.”

“Okay, I think you need to start all the way at the beginning. Want something to drink? I could use something to drink.”

“Help me find Rob, and you can have as many sips as you want. Just don’t kill me. I don’t think Rob would be happy about that.”

With a snort, Sullivan headed to the back. When he returned several minutes later, he held a bottle and two shot glasses. “I meant alcohol. I won’t say no to a vial, however. You’re a rare vintage, and a vial will set me up for a year.”

“You still running a rig?”

“You can bet your pretty ass I am, Your Majesty.”

“What happened to the Imperial?” Grabbing the bottle, I turned it to discover it didn’t have a label. Deciding it didn’t matter what took the edge off, I poured a shot for us both. The liquid was golden red, unlike any liquor I had seen before. I gave it a cautious sniff, and the fumes burned my nose. “What is this?”

“Whiskey refined with blood; my blood for this batch. I’ve been experimenting with it, since there’s a whole new market for the stuff. It’s the latest rage. Go easy on it, since it packs a punch, even for me.”

“Dae’s blood? In alcohol?” I wondered what I was getting into, and if the substance would trigger my allergies. Blood was questionable; I’d been exposed to vampire dae blood before, but I had been so hopped up on preventative medications I had no idea if it actually affected me. I dipped a finger in, tensing as I waited for the telltale tingle of my preventative countering a reaction.

Nothing happened, and I touched my fingertip to my tongue. Whiskey wasn’t my poison of choice when it came to alcohol. Alcohol toed too many lines for me in general, but I’d make an exception.

I needed
something
to take the edge off, and I could walk away from alcohol. I’d done it many times in the past.

I wouldn’t get hooked on it.

“Ironically, it’s the lesser vintage. Unawakened human blood is the best, bonded blood is second best, and us lowly dae come in at a weak third. The processing is a bit tricky, but I’ve gotten that part figured out.” Sullivan knocked his shot back, letting out a sigh before tapping his shot glass against the counter.

“You just dumped your blood into the bottle?” I asked, lifting the glass to stare into the depths of the liquor.

“If only it were that simple. No, the blood has to be refined before it can be mixed with alcohol. I’m going to bet it’ll be better once I start distilling the liquor directly with the refined blood.” Picking up the bottle, he stoppered it and returned it to the back room. “Does alcohol bother you?”

“Not particularly.” Unlike other drugs, alcohol didn’t do all that much to me except make me drunk. I didn’t crave more the next morning. The hangover helped ensure that. Of all the substances and narcotics I had tried, alcohol was the one I could cope with—and control. Since there was no sign of any sort of allergic reaction on my skin, I shot the fluid back.

The burn of the whiskey hit my mouth, searing its way down to my stomach. I exhaled, and smokey sweetness flooded my mouth. A hint of a vampire’s cotton candy flavor lingered on my tongue. I stared at my empty shot glass. “That’s something else, Sully.”