Bloodlust (15 page)

“I am still fucking here, you know.”

“We’ll see you on the other side.”

“Can’t wait,” I grunted, then stepped through, feeling the familiar tug through my body and inevitable nausea rise up into my stomach.

Almost immediately, I fell forward onto my hands and knees and began retching. I knew I’d landed somewhere quiet and dark, but all I could really focus on was the continual lurching of my stomach as I heaved and heaved. There was a snap as Aubrey came through, and I heard him say something over me, but it barely registered. I retched again, feeling a cold sweat break out across my forehead. Vomit spewed out, then almost immediately another wave of nausea rippled through my entire body.

When I was finally done, I staggered to my feet. “Fucking hell,” I swore. That was about the worst transition I’d ever experienced. Sodding Alex. We should have gotten a more experienced mage from somewhere to open the portal. Clearly it was his wavering skill that had caused me to be even more ill than I normally was.

“Damn,” Aubrey commented. “Is that supposed to happen? Because I feel fine.”

“Piss off.”

I peered at him through the gloom, and realised Alex had also materialised through and was muttering something to himself.

“Where are we?”

“Something went wrong. This wasn’t where I’d been planning to emerge,” he said, distracted.

Great. “And where is here?”

“I can’t tell. Some kind of…”

“Cupboard,” Aubrey finished for him. “At least it’s dark.”

I reached out in both directions with my hands, unable to see much but feeling my fingers scraped against walls on either side. I traced my hand slong the rough surface, suddenly yelping as I touched something cold and clammy.

“What? What is it?” Panic was clearly starting to set in for the mage.

“It’s okay. Aubrey’s right, we’re in some kind of cupboard. I think I just touched a mop.”

“This is exciting! We could be anywhere. The mystery of it all is thrilling.”

I wasn’t sure which irritated me more: Alex’s fear, or Aubrey’s enthusiasm. I decided that, either way, I had an intense dislike of small dark places. “Come on. Let’s find the sodding door and get out of here.”

All of us started fumbling around. It felt like an age before Alex suddenly called out that he’d found it. He rattled a doorknob.

“It’s locked - we’re trapped.”

“Move out of the way,” I instructed, then maneuvered myself around. I pulled on the knob then, realising he was right, backed away slightly and took a breath. Then I lunged forward with a high kick, and the door sprang open.

The three of us piled out, blinking. Soft music was playing, and there appeared to be an escalator leading down to somewhere just ahead of us. There was also a small raised area upon which stood three well-dressed mannequins. Before I could stop him, Aubrey had leapt forward and started attacking one of them, hitting it with his fists and knocking it to the ground. Then he spun around, apparently ready for the next one.

“Tell us who you are!” he shouted.

“Er, Aubrey?”

“What?” He looked down at his fallen ‘victim’. “Oh. Sorry, I thought that was a person. It looked like they were holding a sword and were about to attack.”

“That’s an umbrella.”

He coughed. “I see that now. Where are we?”

“It looks like some kind of department store, I think. Are we even in Russia, Alex?”

“We must be,” he muttered.

I strode over to the escalator and stepped on. “Well, let’s find out.”

The pair of them followed me. As we travelled down to what was apparently the ground floor, filled as it was with all manner of perfumes and make-up accoutrements, I spotted an advertisement with Cyrillic lettering hanging over to the right and pointed it out.

“See? I knew I could do it,” Alex said, suddenly filled with renewed confidence.

“Yeah, okay.  Good work, Alex.  The trouble is,” I fretted, “Russia is big fucking country.  We could really still be anywhere.”

“Allow me,” drawled Aubrey, as we reached the bottom of the escalator. I watched, rather impressed, as he stepped confidently over to a well-dressed woman and introduced himself. He took her hand and kissed it. The object of his attentions was obviously flustered, and remarkably flattered, judging by the way she smiled and giggled.

“You are simply beautiful, madam,” he intoned. “As are all the women of this wonderful city. It is a true pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

She bit her lip.

“Tell me, because I’m not from this country as you can probably tell, but how do you pronounce the name of this great town?”

“Moskva,” she said breathlessly.

He dropped her hand as if it was a hot rock and returned to us, leaving her staring after him, open-mouthed.

“Yeah, we’re in Moscow. Let’s get a taxi to this bar.” He caught my look. “What? I was a vampire, remember? I did have some skills.”

“That kind of thing really works?”

He gestured behind him. “As you see.” Then he grinned.

“I think I just threw up in my mouth.”

“I’m amazed you have anything left inside you to throw up. Just make sure you don’t breathe on me.” He wrinkled his nose.

Hmm. He seemed to be getting over his vampire-to-human adjustment period. He was certainly a lot less emotional than he used to be.

“Oh my God,” he suddenly cried out.

Alarmed, I followed his gaze. “What?”

“Look at that scarf.” He almost ran over and began stroking a silk black scrap of fabric. “Isn’t it gorgeous?” His eyes welled up. “It’s almost hard to believe that something this stunning could exist.” He sniffed.

Okay. He still had some way to go yet. I rolled my eyes and walked out to hail a taxi.

Chapter Fourteen

The air felt different from London. It was about the same temperature, but there was a smoky quality to it, somehow making the atmosphere even more claustrophobic than normal. The road in front was remarkably wide with intricately designed buildings on either side that included uniformly arched windows and high rooftops. I felt a sudden longing for the clean crispness of the open countryside and wondered if I’d be doomed to spend the rest of my life in cities.

I couldn’t see anything remotely resembling a taxi, despite the heavy traffic, and I realised also that our unconventional mode of travel had meant we’d not managed to come across any form of money-changers. With no rubles, there would be no way to pay.

A battered boxy car pulled up alongside the curb and the driver wound down the window with what seemed like extraordinary effort. His face peered out, lined and weathered.

“Taxi?”

Alex appeared by my shoulder. “How much?”

A wide grin spread across the driver’s face. “Foreigner? Special price. Where you go?”

“We don’t have any money,” I hissed at the mage.

“Chillax,” he drawled back. “I’ve got it covered.”

I shot him a suspicious look. At least he had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “I changed money this morning.”

“What if I’d refused to come?”

He shrugged. “Then I’d have changed it back. Or come myself.”

I raised my eyebrows slightly at that.

“What?” he said. “It’s not like there’ll be any fighting involved.”

I hoped he was right. I grunted and turned my attention back to the driver. Aubrey, apparently managing to have torn himself away from the seductive delights of the department store, moved forward then abruptly stopped.

“I’m not getting in that. Look at it. It’s covered in rust! It’ll probably fall apart as soon as we get in. I’ve got to take care myself now that I’m human, you know.”

“This car is good,” insisted the driver, banging the side of it with his arm. “Russian make. Very safe. Where you go?”

“Presny,” said Alex.

“It’s not even a taxi!” Aubrey cried. “It’s just a man with a car!”

“Your friend very scared,” the driver interjected, with an air of what could only be described as glee. “Is okay. I am bombily.” At our blank faces, he explained. “Private taxi driver. I take you to Presny for only thousand rubles.”

I gazed doubtfully at him. I had no idea how much that actually was, but it sounded a lot.

“Done!”

“Alex, we’re supposed to negotiate!”

“Who’s doing the paying here?”

Grumbling, I walked over to the back door and jerked the handle to open it. It didn’t budge so I tried again. Goddamnit. The driver opened his door and ambled around while I got out of his way. He used his left hand to pull down the handle while propping his right foot up on the side of the car for traction. The door fell open with an ominous creak. Flakes of paint flew off in every direction.

Smiling cheerily and holding the door open, the driver gestured inside. I sighed and clambered in, followed by Alex.

Aubrey put his hands on his hips. “I’m not doing it - it’s a deathtrap. I’d rather walk.”

I shrugged. “Okay, then.”

He stared at me incredulously, huffed, and got in. The driver slammed the door shut and got back into his own seat in the front. I reached back for the seatbelt, then realised there wasn’t one.

“Er…”

“Is okay, I am very safe driver!”

Without warning, the car lurched forward onto the road, as he put his foot down on the accelerator, revving the engine and speeding up alarmingly.

“What’s your name?” asked Alex.

“Vasily.”

“Okay, Vasily, we are going to Dobchek Road. Do you know where that is?”

“Of course, of course! No problem!” He reached over and turned a knob on the radio. Immediately, loud music with incomprehensible lyrics filled the space.

“I’m going to die,” moaned Aubrey as we screeched around a corner.

I was beginning to agree. Vasily shouted something from the front.

I leaned forward. “Pardon?”

He twisted his head around and looked at all three of us. “Business or pleasure?”

A truck loomed up ahead. “Vasily!”

He turned back to the front and slammed on his horn. “Russian truck drivers very bad.”

I breathed out. “Yes. Er, we’re here for business.”

“Good, good. You want I take you for sightsee first? Kremlin? Red Square?”

“No, thanks, Vasily, we must get on with our business. We don’t have a lot of time.”

“Sure, sure, I understand. I no want you get angry, breathe fire.”

Alex and I stiffened. Vasily let out a hearty laugh and waggled his finger in the mirror at me. “I see your picture. On Othernet. You shift dragon, no?”

Fucking hell.

“What does he mean?” Aubrey asked. “Shift dragon? What is that?”

“How do you know that, Vasily?” I asked, ignoring Aubrey for the time being.

He laughed again. “I am Zduhàc.”

“Joohatch?”

“Zduhàc!”

Of all the taxis in all the world. “What is a Zduhàc?”

“Supernatural man. Big power. I stop storms, help farmers…”

“Drive taxis?”

“Ah, no. I – how you say – give up Zduhàc to move to city. No money. Machinery help farms, no need me. Before I stop Ala, evil storm demon. Now I drive taxi like demon!” He thumped his steering wheel and chortled. “So you go Cherniy Volk?”

“How did you know?”

“Otherworld people always go Cherniy Volk. You know what means? Black Wolf. Many shifter at Cherniy Volk.” He laughed. “Many black wolf.”

“How about Karzelek? Any of them hang out there?”

“Dwarf? Little man? I never see.” He shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

I exchanged a look with Alex. I wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence that we’d find who we were looking for.

The taxi pulled to a shuddering stop. Vasily scrabbled around in his glove compartment and took out a small grubby card. “Here is my number. You need me, you call. Okay? I tell my friends I get crazy dragon girl in my taxi. They very impressed.”

“Actually, Vasily,” I said, taking the card, “we’re travelling incognito. In disguise. We’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about us.”

“Ah, secret?” He nodded vigorously. “You can trust me. I no tell. Or maybe you come eat me, eh?” He burst into yet another round of laughter.

“Thanks, dude,” said Alex, slapping him on the shoulder and handing over an array of crumpled notes to pay the fare.

Aubrey, face white as a sheet, rattled the door. “I can’t get out.” His voice started rising. “I can’t get out! I can’t get out! I’m going to be stuck here forever with this psycho demon hunting taxi driver and a dragon. Get me out! Get me out!”

“Aubrey, fucking calm down,” I said, trying to hush him.

Vasily clambered out and did his hand and foot trick again, and the door sprung open. Aubrey fell out, then half ran, half crawled to the pavement in his haste to get away. Alex shook the driver’s hand, as did I. His grip was surprisingly strong, and he winked at me when I finally managed to extricate my throbbing fingers.

“You need help, you call me!” He kicked shut the door, got back into his seat then, with an engine that sounded like it was an ogre with a sore throat, revved back up and screeched off in a cloud of choking blue smoke.

We watched him go, then Alex turned to Aubrey who was sitting on the edge of the dirty pavement, hugging his knees. At least he’d calmed down.

“You alright, dude?”

“No.”

“Excellent.”

He pouted up at me. “You didn’t tell me you were a dragon.”

I felt a flicker of guilt. “I’m sorry. It was a secret.”

“A secret? Even the crazy taxi driver knew! How could I not know? After everything we’ve been through, Mack.” He sounded genuinely hurt.

“I’m sorry. If it helps, I didn’t want anyone to know. And I’m not really a dragon. I’m what’s called a Draco Wyr.”

“That’s why I’m like this, isn’t it? Why I’m human. That’s why your blood tasted funny when I drank you. Not because of that herbal stuff you said you’d had.”

“Yeah.”

He buried his head in his arms. Fuck. I didn’t really know what to say.

“I didn’t know if I could trust you, Aubrey. You were a vampire after all.”

He didn’t answer. Alex twisted uncomfortably and looked up at the sign hanging by the door in front of us, trying to change the subject.