Chapter 19: : Chapter 19

I didn’t recognize a single whiskey on the rack. That wasn’t too surprising, considering I’d grown up in Belmont and learned to drink at a bar that had and as its only two options.

Everything about this place felt like it had been torn from another time.

The perky bartender returned with our Manhattans, served up in long-stemmed coupe glasses with a couple of black cherries.

I took a sip. The silky-smooth flavors melted in my mouth—herbal spice, with rich oak and a hint of underlying sweetness. “Oh, my God, this is good. Best I’ve had.”

Jaxson gave me a grim expression. Apparently, he didn’t appreciate competition for Eclipse. He turned back and leaned on the bar. “We’re supposed to meet a . The Viper. Is she here yet?” When the bartender hesitated, Jaxson slowly put four more fifties down. “I’ll probably keep an open tab.”

She licked her lips, then took the money. “In the far back. Table by the early-twentieth-century horror section. Lovecraft and such.”

I twisted so I could see. A single woman about my age sat way in the back. She had bobbed brown hair, black jeans, and a broad gold necklace. She was reading a book with an almost menacing intensity, and no one was sitting anywhere near her, despite the happy-hour crowd.

“Thanks.” Jaxson took his drink and headed through the bar, and I followed behind.

There were probably twenty guys sitting in the bar, but not one looked at me as I walked past. Heat flushed my cheeks. Everyone was dressed in classy outfits, and I was wrapped up in someone else’s jeans and an oversized sweater. Clearly, I wasn’t even worth looking at.

Plenty of women looked at Jaxson, though, and I could practically read the thoughts of those who glanced my way.

It was true. I was just a LaSalle with dirty little mutant paws. I’d never be accepted by him or the pack or anyone in this city.

A vampire actually slipped out of his table and ran up the stairs after we passed. I hesitated.

Something didn’t add up. I looked back. No one was looking at my ass, and I was certain it looked delectable in Sam’s jeans. But the eyes of every man were stuck to a menu, to their girlfriend’s smiles, or to the books on the wall. Everywhere but me. Not that I liked being ogled, but a little appreciation would have been nice.

Curious, I dropped my purse in front of a man at a round top and bent down slowly to pick it up. He practically crawled away from me and went so far as to pretend to be suddenly fascinated by the designs on the old tin ceiling tiles.

Apparently, it wasn’t just Eclipse for which he didn’t like competition. What had he done?

“Why is every guy in here acting weird?” I snapped.

“You deserve respect,” he grumbled as we made our way around an apprehensive cluster of drinkers.

“Do you mean want respect? Maybe I like people looking at me.”

He spun on me and stopped me in my tracks with his breathtaking golden eyes. “

don’t like people looking at you.”

Fire blazed through me, and heat flowed between my legs. He seemed like he was about to throw me over his shoulder or down on the ground. It was bullshit. But I liked it.

“I’m not your property.”

He turned and kept walking.

I was about to let him have it when we reached the Viper. My pulse quickened.

In a way, the woman was responsible for all the shit that had befallen me since I left Belmont.

Pain ripped through my fingers as my claws slid out. I bit down on my lip and hid my hands behind my back as I fought to get control. Unfortunately, my limited technique for that amounted to thinking about how I would rub my fingers all over Jaxson’s naked body.

Being a werewolf was really fucking with my emotions.

The Viper buried her face further in her book as we approached. It had a white cover with the tiny red face of a cat. I craned my neck to catch the title—

. Never heard of it.

“May we sit?” Jaxson asked, his voice low.

The woman didn’t bother looking up. “I don’t know you.”

He sat down across from her. “Then you’ve been lucky. But as it so happens, we know your friend the Ripper, and he had some interesting things to say.”

She snapped the book shut and glared. “I don’t know you, I don’t know him, and whatever you’ve heard is total bullshit, so get lost.”

“Funny. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about you in the Underground, and everything he said checks out. You were supposed to help him and another convict get out of town when Bentham was breached.”

“Nope. I had nothing to do with that.” She grabbed her pocketbook and rose to leave.

“Sit,” Jaxson growled, naked menace in his tone. His power caught me by surprise, and I obeyed instantly, even though the order hadn’t been for me.

The Viper resisted for a fraction of a second before following suit.

Jaxson jabbed a claw into the table. “You helped Ulan Kahanov escape. He’s been fucking with my pack, and we need to ask you a few questions about him.”

She sneered with obvious distaste. “Never heard of him.”

I leaned forward and gave her my best look. “Please. He’s a sick freak, and he’s turned my life into a living hell. Tell us what you know.”

The Viper shot daggers at me with her stare. “No.”

Jaxson’s eyes flashed gold, and he loomed over the table. “I’ll be frank. If you don’t tell us, you’ll have to slither out of here on your belly.”

The scent of her rising fear filled the air. Good. She’d opened Pandora’s box helping Kahanov escape. She could sweat.

She leaned forward and pitched her voice low. “Look, I can’t talk here. I’d lose my reputation.” She reached in her jacket and pulled out a business card, then placed it on the table and slid it across the table to Jaxson.

He picked it up.

The moment he touched it, a burst of static electricity made my hair stand on end, and then a shock blasted him backward. The tables and chairs behind us crashed to the floor, along with his body.

I leapt back and shouted in surprise as the Viper darted toward the rear. I dropped to Jaxson’s side. “Holy shit, are you okay?”

His eyes were wide, and he wasn’t moving. “Get her!” he slurred through clenched teeth.

Other patrons gathered around. I stood, but he didn’t move a muscle to follow. “Go!” he hissed.

I scrambled after the Viper, who’d headed for the bathrooms at the back. The men’s was empty, but the ladies’ was locked. There wasn’t anywhere else she could have gone.

I jiggled the knob. “Open up!”

No response.

I slammed my shoulder in the door, and pain leapt down my back and side.

Yeah, even with werewolf powers, breaking down doors wasn’t going to be my strong suit.

The bartender grabbed my arm. “What the hell are you doing?”

“That Viper woman just hexed my friend and ran out on her tab. She’s gotta be in there!”

The bartender took one look at Jaxson slowly beginning to move on the floor, then whipped out a key and unlocked the door.

It was empty. My eyes shot to the open half window high on the wall, which, by the look of it, led out of the basement and into the alley.

With no other options, I climbed up on the toilet and started squeezing myself through the window while the bartender shouted in protest.

I was halfway through when something hard slammed into the back of my head. My forehead rebounded against the rough asphalt, and I groaned in pain. Darkness crept into the corners of my vision, but I was just able to make out a dark shape standing within arm’s reach.

I twisted, grabbed the shape with my claws, and yanked back as hard as I could.

It was a boot, and I cried out in triumph as the Viper toppled to the ground. I used her as an anchor to heave myself the rest of the way through the too-tight window.

She kicked me in the cheek, and I rolled away, releasing her leg. Then she was up and running.

.

I had boots of speed—at home—so I kicked off Sam’s slightly-too-large shoes and raced after.

, the voice inside me observed.

, I thought back at it.

The gravel and asphalt tore into my bare feet, but the thrill of the hunt blotted any pain from my mind. The Viper was fast, but I was faster—way faster than I’d ever been before.

, the beast inside me said.

The Viper darted around a corner. I released my claws and dug them into the brickwork to slingshot myself around after her.

It was a blind alley, and my prey was trapped. She backed up as I approached.

A week ago, I’d been a terrified girl running down an alley with a savage werewolf on my heels. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on me, but I didn’t care.

I gave her . “You’re going to answer my questions.”

The Viper pulled a little flask from her pocket and a knife from her belt. “Don’t come any closer. I mean it.”

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to the blue vial.

She frowned, then gave an incredulous laugh. “A potion bomb. It’ll stun the hell out you, and then I’ll sink my knife into your throat.”

Apparently, I should have known what a potion bomb was. I was way out of my depth. It was time for bravado and some desperate bullshit.

I began pulling the darkness around me and walked forward, drowning my fear. Her eyes widened as I made the shadows drip down the wall like ink, and I could smell her rising terror.

She brandished her blade. “Back off!”

I wrapped the shadows completely around myself like a black robe. “I’m a being of shadow. Your blade, your magic—it’s meaningless to me.”

I was lying through my teeth and was very much hoping that I wouldn’t find out what a potion bomb was. Seeing as I couldn’t throw fireballs like my cousin, bluffing was the best I could do.

“What are you?” she asked, pressing her back against the fence that cut across the alley. “Why are you after me?”

I hesitated. While I didn’t know crap about Magica species or types of sorcerers, my life as of late had provided ample fucked-up inspiration.

I pulled a veil of darkness over my face—just like the sorcerer in my visions. “I’m one of the faceless ones. A stalker in shadow. And if you don’t help me, you’ll never walk in the light of day again.”

I called more shadows from the walls and wrapped them around her legs.

She dropped her knife and raised her hands. “Please stop, I’ll tell you what you want to know!”

Was it? A pang of guilt tugged at me. She was practically cowering.

But then my guilt evaporated. She’d stunned Jaxson, threatened me, helped the Ripper—a serial killer—and also Kahanov, a kidnapper, murderer, and cult leader. She deserved worse than a simple haunting.

I drifted closer, an ominous, faceless specter of shadow. “You need to tell me exactly what you’ve done for Kahanov.”

The Viper nodded. “I was supposed to transport him and the Ripper out of town, up to Wisconsin, where he had a contact who was going to hide him.”

It had to be.

“The Ripper didn’t show, and then Kahanov made me wait while he actually .

Can you imagine? You get out of jail, and the first thing you do is go by the police station. The Order Archives, technically, which is even harder to get into, although apparently, the place had just flooded. It was insane. He was a total lunatic.”

“How so?” The first part we’d already pieced together. However, her assessment intrigued me.

“Traveling with him was really weird. He seldom responded to his own name. And he’d go on bloodthirsty rants.”

“About what?”

She shrugged. “Some religious cult stuff. Also, getting revenge on the LaSalles.”

My blood chilled. Once again, my family was at the heart of this.

“Who?” I asked, hoping for specifics.

“They’re sorcerers. A shady family of arms dealers down in the Indies.”

My mouth went dry as I thought of Casey’s weapons manufacturing plant. It was wrong, but I knew they were good-hearted people. Weren’t they?

The Viper looked like she might be getting ready to run, so I pivoted around her. “Do you know what Kahanov is after now?”

She shook her head. “No idea.”

I hissed. “You’re not telling the truth, Viper. I can tell. I know when the truth is being hidden.”

It was actually part of my wolf senses, but it sounded good. I made the shadows creep further up her body, and I felt my power sweep over her, pushing her into compliance.

She squeezed her eyes shut. “Okay, okay! Stop it. I’ll tell you! But it’s going to sound crazy. The freak came to me in a dream a week ago and demanded help. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I swear it was real. He warned me if I ever told anyone, I’d never wake up again.”

“I can make the same promise, right now. And you’re not dreaming. So dish. What did he want?” I lengthened all the shadows of the alley until she was isolated on a shrinking island of light.

“He wanted information on a thing called the Soul Knife.”

My heart leapt as the thrill of the chase rose again.

we were getting somewhere. “What is it? What does it do?”

She shrugged as best she could with her arms up. “Some sort of ancient artifact. By the name, I guess you can use it to cut peoples’ souls out? I don’t know. I’m not paid for that.”

I twisted my hand toward her, beginning to really enjoy the theatrics of the ruse. I even let a little madness slip into my voice. “And why did he want it?”

“No idea. He said something about needing to be complete. To be whole again. I didn’t care. I just do the job and collect the money.”

I pressed closer, and I could almost feel my power squeezing the truth out of her. “Did you discover where it was?”

She squirmed.

“What?” I growled.

The little snake glared at me. “You should really be paying me for this information. I’m a working girl.”

I laughed.

. “I’ll be paying less attention to you. That seems a fair price.”

“Okay, yes. I get it. You’ll let me live.” She still ground her teeth in protest. “The last known reference I could find was a bill of sale to a collector known as Alessandro il Mago. He lives in Italy, in a place called la città che muore—or something like that. That’s all I know!”

My pounding heart was practically breaking through my chest. “And when did you tell him this?”

“Last night.”

That night was ages ago. But we might still be able to stop him if we hurried.

I began to walk backward toward the walls, drawing the darkness in from all sides. “Get out of here. Don’t tell him we spoke. And don’t help him again.”

I melted into the shadows along the wall, and she raced down the alley.

“Remember, the shadows are watching you!” I shouted in her wake, probably a little over-dramatically. Maybe I was drunk with power, but I didn’t want her alerting the sorcerer.

Once she was gone, I dropped the shadows and strolled down the alley. I was confronted by the sudden reality that I didn’t have my phone, and I had no idea how to get back.

A hulking shape thumped to the ground beside me, and I screamed and staggered back.

I bared my teeth. “You asshole! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Perhaps a little of your own medicine.” His voice was low, but his eyes were full of amusement.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You heard.”

“Most of it. I was watching from the roof.”

I wasn’t sure if I was embarrassed or immensely proud. “Then you know I got the information.”

“Remind me to ask for you when I need to scare the living piss out of someone.”

I cocked my chin up. “At least my solution was more elegant than threatening to break her legs. I don’t feel guilty in the slightest. She helped Kahanov get out of town and get the grimoire. She’s at least partly responsible for the successive chain of shit that has happened to me.

your pack.”

He was silent for a time as he studied my face. “You did well. Good work.”

A shiver of delight ran down my spine, and my heart began to glow. His low, rich voice brushed against my nerve endings and made my skin pebble. By his scent, I could tell he meant it. That he was turned on by my confidence.

Suddenly, my heart was beating faster. I wanted him to step closer and press his body against mine and…

I slammed on the brakes. Why was I getting all hot and bothered for a scrap of praise from him?

I crossed my arms and tried to look pissed. “I’m glad you’re not dead or permanently paralyzed. You wouldn’t be very useful that way.”

He shrugged, but something flashed through his eyes. “The Viper’s business card was enchanted with a stunner spell. I should have felt it, and that mistake was on me. Thankfully, you chased her down.”

“What next?”

“By the sounds of it, we’re going to Italy to find this mage. He could be in danger. If he’s still alive and has the artifact, we can negotiate. If Kahanov has beaten us to the punch, then maybe we can find some clues to what he’s up to. I’ll call Amal. She’s been working there and knows the territory. She might even be able to find a way to call ahead and give the mage a warning and a heads-up that we’re coming.”