Elven Blood (Imp Book 3) (26 page)

Sorcerers. Fuck.

“So, they have a spell that can reveal a body was altered after its death?” I asked.

“No. Not as far as I know, but they do have a spell that can tell if the composition is not according to natural law.”

I was pretty sure this High Lord wouldn’t take my word for it if I showed up with a dead baby. He’d have his own people check. And I had no idea how hybrids were composed, let alone anything about “natural law”.

“Of course, human embalming and preservation techniques can interfere with spell results,” Leethu continued. “Much of human technology and their medical treatments interferes with spell results. Demon energy is complimentary to human endeavors, but elf magic is not. It is a vexing problem for the elves. Their sorcerers are very useful in Hel, but, increasingly, the humans in this realm can disrupt their magic. That is one of the reasons the elves are partnering more and more with demons.”

Holy shit. Leethu was a wealth of information.

“How do you know all this?”

Leethu smiled her enigmatic, Asian smile. “I have always enjoyed the company of elves.”

I felt a chill creep across my skin. I was beginning to think Leethu was a good ally to have.

“I took the liberty of inviting a few of those delivery men over today. I hope you approve?”

“Yes, of course.” Anything to keep Leethu occupied. An orgy in my guest bedroom was a small price to pay.

Leethu danced up the stairs to prepare for her visitors, while I pondered my situation. The succubus’ assurances aside, I sincerely doubted either of us could stuff enough energy into a twenty–year–old elf corpse to make it appear half demon. And I seriously doubted either of us had the skill to do it in a way that the elves would believe. It might be worth a shot though. If we could pull off the deception, I’d get Haagenti off my back, ask a grateful elf family to assist in getting my horse back from Wythyn, and stave off a nasty curse.

My luck never went that way though. Chances were good the fake would be discovered. I’d have two enraged elf lords after my ass along with Haagenti. I’d still be minus my horse, and that fucking elf woman would probably still curse me.

I indulged in a moment of self–pity. My leads had all dried up. Wyatt refused to help me further, and there was no way I’d be able to sort through and check over twelve thousand young women for demon energy. This whole thing was a bust, and I was facing certain death at Haagenti’s hands. Why was this happening to me? I’d been a good imp. I didn’t deserve all this shit raining down on my head. Had my ever–present luck finally deserted me? Packed her bags and left for greener pastures? Everything I touched lately went wrong. If only the fates would shine on me once more. If only they’d send that elf–hybrid to my house like a present with a big bow on her head, I’d never ask for anything else in my entire life.

My doorbell rang, and I jumped, thinking for a moment the fates were delivering on my prayer. Then I laughed, remembering Leethu’s posse of delivery men. Let the orgy begin! Smiling, I opened the door. Instead of a posse of delivery guys, I saw a young woman.

She had golden blond hair with cobalt blue eyes. Olive pants and a form fitting, button–down shirt highlighted her perfect figure. Her features were oddly symmetrical. She had a kind of aloof appeal, like a queen, or a big name movie–star. I could imagine people trailing around after her, wanting to please her, but remaining at a respectful distance. She smiled at me, and I felt the slight pull of attraction, a hint of pheromones.

“Ack.” It was the only sound I could get out of my mouth. I just stood there, like an idiot, with the door half open. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t politely invite her into my house. I could only stand there and stare.

There was an elf at my door.

21

A
n elf
hybrid
at my door, that is. She didn’t have a bow on her head, but clearly this was some kind of divine gift. The fates were taking pity on my plight and sending me a get–out–of jail–free–card. No digging up dead babies and trying to rig them up to look like hybrids. I had the real thing right in front of me. I could whack her on the head and have her delivered to that elf Lord lickety split.

“Hi, you must be Sam. I’m Wyatt’s sister, Amber.”

My thoughts came to a screeching halt. This could
not
be happening. I couldn’t exactly brain Wyatt’s sister and drag her carcass off to the elves. He’d never forgive me. Maybe she could meet with an unfortunate accident. One involving a truck. One where I had a convenient alibi.

Shit. I promised Wyatt. And this girl in front of me hardly looked like a murderer. There had to be something she’d done in her past. Maybe hit a deer with her car? Wasn’t murder, but maybe it was close enough.

“Ack,” I said again. I couldn’t seem to communicate.

Amber smiled, apologetic and absolutely charming. “I’m so sorry to just show up like this. I know you’ve been very busy, but I’m returning to college tomorrow and I really wanted to meet you before I left.”

Shit. She was leaving tomorrow. What the heck was I going to do? Here was my salvation, right in front of me, but she was Wyatt’s
sister
. There was no way he would be on board with this, no way I could possibly convince him to turn her over to Taullian. He’d never believe her to be a murderer, a monster.

“Ack,” I replied.

“Wyatt talks about you all the time. He’s very fond of you. I’ve never seen him like this with someone before.” Amber was graciously ignoring my rudeness and lack of verbal skills—clearly the elf part of her heritage.

I was debating the wisdom of inviting her in versus sending her away when I heard car tires on my gravel road. Crap. Leethu’s orgy participants were arriving. I couldn’t have them see Amber, couldn’t risk that they’d tell Leethu, or that the Succubus herself would discover the elf hybrid. I wouldn’t put it past her to just lop the girl’s head clean off.

“Come in, come in.” I grabbed her by the arm and practically dragged her into the house, slamming the door as the compact car full of horny young men pulled into my driveway.

I heard footsteps upstairs. “Is that my party?” Leethu called down.

Oh shit. Shit, shit.

“You … uh, you need to get into this closet and just stay really quiet for a bit.”

I didn’t wait for the inevitable protest. I grabbed Amber and shoved her in, slamming the door in her face. Leethu’s footsteps danced down the stairs, full of eager anticipation.

“Stay there,” I called to her. “I’ll let them in and send them up.”

Fuck, this was all starting to resemble a 70’s sitcom. The doorbell rang and I opened it, fully expecting to see Mr. Furley at the door. Instead I saw four men, varying in age from eighteen to thirty, all with the biggest ear–splitting grins I’d ever seen. I hoped the one was eighteen. I wouldn’t put it past Leethu to be bonking a minor. It’s not like human laws really applied to her anyway.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Leethu said. She was standing right behind me, clearly ignoring my edict to stay upstairs. I closed my eyes and prayed with all my might to whatever mythical deity listened to demons that Amber would stay quiet in the closet, and that Leethu and her harem would make a quick retreat up the stairs.

“Should I put on a pot of coffee and bring out a cheesecake?” Leethu asked. “Would anyone like a beer or a glass of wine? Perhaps some nachos?”

What the hell? She was a succubus, not Paula Deen. She was supposed to fuck these people, not play hostess.

The men crowded around Leethu eagerly. Of course, the underage one wanted a beer, and a couple seemed interested in nachos. How long could I keep Amber in the closet? I should have knocked her out first, just to make sure she didn’t get impatient and come crashing out.

I raced into the kitchen and grabbed a roasting pan, filling it with beer, bags of chips, and plopping the cheesecake on top.

“Here,” I thrust it at a surprised Leethu. “Take it upstairs. Have them eat it off you, drink beer out of your belly button or something. Hurry, hurry. Let’s get this party started, folks.”

Leethu seemed particularly intrigued by the food sex idea and made her way upstairs, a line of horny men trailing after. I waited until she was safely in the bedroom before I opened the closet door to let Amber out. She stared at me in shock, her hair a tangle of gold after being crushed in between the winter coats. It’s pretty difficult to unnerve an elf. I’d need to remember that stuffing them in a closet usually works.

“Why am I in a closet?” She didn’t sound angry, which I’d expected. Instead, she seemed curious and rather amused. No doubt her demon half coming through.

“My sister is here, visiting, and she’s having a bunch of pizza delivery guys over for an orgy. Thought it was best if they didn’t see you.”

Her eyes got huge. They were very expressive. “Why? What would they do if they saw me?”

I shuddered dramatically. “You don’t want to know. Let’s go out to the barn and we can chat there.”
I can figure out how I’m going to handle this impossible situation,
I thought.

I grabbed a six–pack of beer off the counter and led Amber out the French doors, past the winterized pool and patio, and into the barn. There, I invited her to sit on a hay bale, popped open a beer for her, and began looking around for a useful tool just in case she confessed to offing eight fraternity brothers and burying them under her crawl space. There had to be a sturdy shovel somewhere

Amber drank the beer. She clearly wasn’t a stickler for the law, but then again, neither demons nor elves were particularly lawful races.

“So, Wyatt has told you about me? That I’m basically the devil?” I tried to make conversation as I looked around for an appropriate weapon and pondered how I’d get her to confess to something I could reasonably consider “murder”.

Amber made an exasperated noise. “Why is it that assertive women, women who are successful in a male–dominated society are always labeled bitches, demons, and devils? If you were a man with a lucrative rental empire, a mid–life–crisis sports car, and a much younger piece of eye–candy on your arm, everyone would be congratulating you and patting you on the back. But because you’re a woman, you’re Satan?”

I halted in my search, wincing at her depiction. “Yes, but I really am. The Iblis. Ha–satan.”

Amber waved her hand dismissively. “Every successful individual has had to make tough decisions. As much as we’d like the world to be filled with peace, love, and a cornucopia of plenty, it’s not. You don’t have to live with that label though.”

“Yeah, actually I do. I don’t want it, but I’ve got the title and all the stupid responsibilities that go along with it. Meetings with assholes, four–nine–five reports, people who want my head on a platter.”

Boomer came into the barn and made a beeline for Amber, rubbing himself all over her and looking at her with adoring hound eyes. I wavered in my resolve, watching her as she petted the dog. She didn’t seem like a demon hybrid. Maybe Leethu had done the impossible, maybe she truly would pass as an elf.

“You need a vacation,” Amber said. She had noooo fucking idea how badly I needed a vacation.

“Does your brother know you’re here?” I had a sudden thought, a worry that Wyatt would walk in on us as I killed her. If I killed her. She smiled at me and my heart sank. She’d probably never murdered even a mouse in her life.

“No. I stopped by to see him before I came to your place, but I can’t seem to get in. It’s weird. It’s like he has some kind of invisible wall around his house.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help myself; the whole thing was so funny. Of course. She was half demon. She couldn’t go through the barrier. Wyatt had inadvertently locked his own sister out of his house.

“Hey, did my house smell particularly good to you? Sort of sexy?” I grabbed a beer and sat down on another hay bale.

“Well, yeah. But I figured that was because you were having a sex party. Maybe incense? Or one of those pheromone sprays, like elk musk or something.”

Amber fingered the top of her beer can awkwardly. “What does your sister look like? I mean, not that I swing that way or anything. Because I don’t, you know. She just … her accent. Well, you know….” Her voice trailed off in embarrassment.

I laughed again. Didn’t swing that way. Yeah, right. Liar.

“Leethu is gorgeous. She likes women as well as men.” And dogs, and cats, and birds, and anything she can get her little paws on. But then again, so did I.

Amber’s face turned crimson as she turned away. I took a swig of my beer and watched her—a demon/elf hybrid. There had never been one before her. What power did she have? Elf magic? Demon energy? All wasted inside someone who thought they were nothing but a human woman.

“Look, you’re not who you think you are. Don’t restrict yourself to the narrow confines of what defines humanity. Just go with it. Let that amazing, terrifying, powerful being inside you reveal itself.” I had no idea why I was telling her all this.

She glanced at me and took a deep breath, as if she were making an important decision. “I can’t. If I do, I’ll kill someone.”

“Yep,” I agreed, taking a swig of my beer. “Some people need killing, though.” Maybe she was more demon than I had originally thought.

“I’m not joking,” she protested. “I’m responsible for my father’s death. It would be so easy for me to do it again.”

Ah yes. Wyatt’s father had been electrocuted while putting in a line for a dryer. Amber had been a very young witness. She’d blamed herself for the death. Wait. Oh fuck no. No way.

“You shot a lightning bolt at your father.” A statement. Because I knew very well what had happened, and it had nothing to do with household appliances.

She startled, looking at me as if I were a mind–reader then slowly nodded, her eyes wide with fear and grief. “He was always so mean to Wyatt. Wyatt adored him, and he treated my brother like dirt. That day, I just snapped. It came right out of me: a bolt of electricity. And I kept pouring it into him until I was sure he was dead.”