Demons Don't Always Tell The Truth (Kate Storm Series Book 3) (2 page)

This aunt had been a bit peeved because her sisters had used black magic to make her son mortal. He then died in battle.

The son's name was Mordred. You might remember him from Knight's of the Round Table. He was the one to betray Arthur, steal his crown and marry Guinevere.

Frankly, I thought if one was going to make a huge power play and do bad things then, maybe, one had to deal with the shit-storm all on their own.

My aunt, Morgause, obviously took a different stand entirely.

I was currently zero for zero on any plans/ideas/thoughts as to how to locate my aunt and break the curse.

Morgan hadn't come up with anything either and she's been around for roughly fifteen hundred years. Kind of made my chances look paltry.

But I was determined.

"You're not gonna actually cook are ya?" Al ran to the other side of my body chasing a butterfly. I switched hands with the leash.

"No." We both shuddered slightly at the very thought. I do not cook. Ever. My attempts at cooking go beyond bad and into the realm of inducing hospital visits. "I was thinking of ordering spaghetti and meatballs."

Al and I loved pasta and we ordered faithfully from the Italian restaurant down the street. Meatballs were one of Al's favorites and I was counting on them to keep his mouth busy.

Ash and Al do not like each other. Although Ash has been making an effort lately. He brought rawhides and Al's favorite Bourbon over on his last visit.

Al had thrown up one of the rawhides on Ash's boot.

I looked down at the furry menace. He picked that moment to look up and wink one of his bulging brown eyes.

I sighed. What was I going to do about him?

2. Secrets.

Almost an hour later we'd managed to walk all the way back to
Love Required.
Our town of Dominion is a small town. I could probably add a couple more miles to our walk and tour the entire town.

I didn't want to add another couple miles to our walk. I wanted to take a break.
Spike's
was located a few shops down from mine.

Spike's
is a human bar. The usual assortment of local homo-sapien bar customers fill the seats there until about ten or eleven in the evening.

After that the clientele changed over. Leather jackets, cuffs and head wraps became the norm. Along with an amazing variety of spiky accessories. Jake, the owner, even had his own spiked merchandise for sale behind the bar.

I do so admire a successful entrepreneur.

I also decided I really, really wanted that rest. It had nothing to do with my slight shortness of breath or the subtle throbbing in my legs.

Honest.

Sort of.

Okay. A total lie. Cut a witch some slack. Al and I hadn't walked this far in . . . Clearly, too long of a period of time.

"Yo, Doll."

"Yeah. I see it, Al. What do you say we stop in and say hi to Jake?" I'd pick him up and carry him in if he said no.

"Sounds good. I haven't seen Sandra since they got married."

Sandra and Jake Harrison were one of my most successful matches. A total True Love match. They were so insanely happy together it made me both giddy and my heart ache just to be around them.

I opened the door and we stepped into the cool dark room. The blinds were closed on the two windows as per the usual during the day. At night, Jake opened the blinds and the blue and red neon signs cast a, well, a neon glow over the tables closest to the windows.

Al and I skirted the tables and chairs as we headed towards the stools at the bar. I didn't worry about bringing Al in at this time of day. The bar was empty.

Good thing too or I would start to worry about my fellow Dominion citizens. It was only a little after three in the afternoon.

I slid onto a bar stool and set Al down on the counter.

"Not a word, remember?" I rubbed him between the ears.

He blinked his bulging watery eyes slowly. He knew the drill. Talking was totally fine at
Got Fangs?.
In fact, it was expected. But
Spike's
was a human only bar. We'd either get kicked out for pulling a stupid dog stunt or someone would try to steal him.

"We'll be right with you." The deep voice reached us through a door at the back of the bar.

Jake sounded a little breathless and I worried a bit until he walked out, tucking in his shirt with Sandra a couple steps behind him smoothing her blonde hair.

Honeymooners.

"Kate!" Even their voices were in unison.

I pushed down the tiny twinge of jealousy and grinned. "We didn't mean to stop by at an inopportune moment."

They didn't bother with blushes. Jake pulled Sandra in close to his side, his thumb smoothing up and down her waist as they walked toward us.

"No worries. I would have been put out a half hour ago, but I should have locked the door too." They stopped just on the other side of the bar. Jake let go of Sandra and grabbed me by the shoulders to lift me up and over for a kiss.

Sandra's arms came across my back at the same time and pulled tight.

When they released me, I had to blink several times.

Acceptance is a rare thing for me. And their open and genuine affection hugged me like a warm blanket I'd feel for days after.

"You two look happy, how are . . . Wow, Sandy, you look, uh, different." I'm not at my most diplomatic when I'm surprised.

I hate to admit it. I'd been ogling Jake. But in my defense he is totally ogle worthy. Not in Ash's league, but, hey, eye candy is eye candy.

Jake is well over six feet with tousled dirty-blonde hair, sea blue eyes and lots of muscles easily visible through his customary t-shirt.

Today the shirt was black, the biceps big and the blue jeans were tight. Like I said, totally ogle worthy.

When I'd first met Sandra, she'd reminded me of Barbie. Smooth buttery blonde hair, blue eyes, big breasts, tiny waist and matchy matchy outfits. Over-the-top matchy. Barbie-never-even-looked-that-good matchy.

Now Sandra looked more like biker Barbie. I honestly don't think there is a biker Barbie. I love Barbie. I still check her out in the toy aisle. I'm telling you, I'd know if Barbie had a biker persona.

And after checking out Sandra, she should.

A black leather scarf split her hair with two perfect blonde curls framing her face and the rest flowing in luscious waves down her back. She'd tied the ends of the scarf on her left side and allowed the tails to rest over her left breast.

She wore a sleeveless black leather vest with a deep vee in front followed by three large silver buttons. The vest ended just above her waist displaying an inch of flawless skin. Tight leather pants took off from that point. I couldn't see her shoes from behind the bar, but I was willing to bet they were heeled.

She had one pink leather cuff encircling her upper right arm. No spikes. Just a line of gold studs.

The woman put Barbie to shame.

She made me want to suck in my stomach. Hard. Sadly, I was still panting slightly. I'd just endure my teeny waist envy as my stomach pressed against my jeans.

I wondered if my aunt Tabs had somehow thrown them in the wash without me knowing about it?

Sandra winked at Jake. "Jake said no sweater sets allowed in the bar." She laughed, relaxed and happy and not a bit bothered by Jake's declaration. "Plus I got to go shopping."

"You two out for a walk?" Jake scratched Al behind his right ear.

I smiled and nodded. "It's warm out today and we got a little thirsty." I decided not to mention my weary legs. My breathing was almost back to normal.

Jake moved away and poured a glass of water for me and found a small bowl for Al. Sandra and I chatted.

"So, what did Désirée need with Snake?"

The question came from so far out of left field that it took me a moment to realize I was supposed to be in the same ballpark and make sense of what Jake was asking.

"Désirée Norma-Sue? My secretary Désirée Norma-Sue?"

With a name like hers I shouldn't have to clarify, however I was at a complete loss.

"Yeah." A small wrinkle formed as Jake drew his brows together. "She came in two nights ago and wanted to speak with Snake. He wasn't here, but I gave her his number." Jake's frown grew. "She doesn't look like the kind of girl who would want to hang out with Snake."

Jake hadn't seen Phil.

But I knew what he meant. I'd met Snake a month or so back when I'd decided to play Witch Detective. I'd learned several things back then: 1. Snake was a genuine motorcycle club member. He was the VP of the Devil's Due MC. I knew they didn't mind bending, or flat out breaking, the law. 2. Snake might be a rough and tough motorcycle rider, but he was also rather lonely. I'd taken him on as a client a week after I met him. I was still looking for the perfect Mrs. Snake. 3. I sucked as a detective.

Why would my secretary need to meet with Snake?

"I don't know. I thought you would know." I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud until Jake responded.

Al rubbed against my arm with his tiny head. He'd never met Snake, but he knew when I was upset. I scratched his head.

"You're sure it was Snake?" Jake knew his customers, I understood that, I just couldn't connect any dots that would lead Désirée to Snake or vice versa.

Jake nodded. "She seemed kind of desperate too."

Clearly, I needed to do some snooping into my secretary's life. Whatever was going on wasn't good.

****

I met Morgan at
Got Fangs?
just after sunset.

Lolly, the rotund warlock owner, had started karaoke on Thursday nights. He'd decorated
Got Fangs?
in a serious Goth manner - dark walls and furniture and dim lighting. I didn't think Goth decor and Karaoke went well together.

The gnome belting out 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun' clearly disagreed with me. I wasn't entirely sure the gnome was even female. I also wasn't sure if gnomes even had different sexes.

You certainly couldn't tell by looking at them.

I winced at a high note. Or by listening to them either.

"Remind me why you wanted to come here tonight?" I gulped my beer and turned my back on the stage.

"Karaoke is fun. And Drake took Ash hunting." Morgan took a sip of her blood. She was drinking from a martini glass tonight. A yellow umbrella stuck out on one side. Her usual thermos of blood sat in the middle of the table.

Red sunset curls slid lovingly around her perfect face and shoulders as she nodded her head in time with the song. Her pure green eyes sparkled.

Tonight Morgan had on a dark green, fitted, long sleeved leather top with a mandarin collar. Slits along the front and shoulders allowed her pale, pale skin to shine through. A matching bra with amber crystals winked at me periodically through the openings. She wore tight, dark green leather pants and thigh high boots in amber with yellow laces running down the front.

She made the stories about vampires being mesmerizing seem all too real.

We were still working through our issues. Morgan with her guilt and me with her lies.

Morgan was trying to comes to terms with the fact the curse really wasn't her fault and that knowledge of an event doesn't mean you are responsible for said event. She'd been little more than a teenager when her world fell apart. She had not been to blame. All of her sisters were.

I'd alternately find myself angry she hadn't told me the truth - she should have told me we were related right from the start and that she knew all about the curse I was searching for answers to  - fearful she might be hiding something else from me and almost bitter she hadn't done something about the curse herself.

However, she hadn't needed a reason to break the curse herself since most curses don't work on vampires. And Morgan had gone centuries thinking she was the last of our line. Aside from the scary bad witch.

After watching everyone I loved die, I would have run long and hard myself.

My mom has been gone for seven years and it's a wound that has yet to heal.

We'd get through this. Morgan is my best friend. My one and only UDBF. I don't and never will take our relationship lightly. I'd put whatever effort into healing us as needed.

"I beg to differ about karaoke being fun." Someone was now wailing about checking for ticks. Oh, for Spirit's sakes. Now it was country karaoke. And I'd thought 80's karaoke was bad.

I drank some more beer. "When are they supposed to be back?"

Morgan was now tapping her foot as well as nodding her head. She truly did like this stuff. "Drake said they'd be home late tonight or early this morning." She sipped her blood, one long pale finger holding the yellow umbrella in place. "I think it has something to do with time zones."

Neither Drake nor Ash had been too clear on the specifics of their hunt. I hadn't wanted to know the exact details involving what poor animal they planned to kill, where the hunt was taking place, or what weapons they planned to use.

Witches are generally nature lovers. Hunting upsets us.

I think Morgan was jealous. Vampires love a good kill.

The enormous troll at the table next to us got up and moved toward the karaoke line. I shuddered.

"Have you talked to Désirée lately?" 

Morgan licked a small drop of blood from the corner of her mouth. "Yesterday. She showed me the new ring she bought from BTV."

"BTV?" I'd never heard of any realm by that name.

"Bling Television. She's been watching it most nights. Something about having trouble sleeping."

That took me back I must admit. Although why, exactly, I'm not sure. Fairies love sparkly things. I've yet to see a rhinestone-free outfit from Désirée.

"Did she say anything about being in trouble?"

Morgan turned her head sharply at my question. "No. Why?"

"Someone called today and she seemed very upset. Then, later, Al and I stopped in at
Spike's
and Jake said Désirée was looking for Snake."

Morgan flicked a sharp fang. "Snake's not a bad guy. And he does have a lot of contacts. If I needed help, he'd be at the top of my list to call."

Morgan leaned back in her chair as she pondered the possibilities. It didn't surprise me that Morgan knew more about Snake than I did. Morgan has a lot of contacts herself. As well as several Twitter and Facebook accounts. She's always in the know.

"Did you ask her what was wrong?"

I shook my head. I hadn't seen Désirée since earlier in the afternoon and this wasn't a subject I would trust to an un-secure cell line.