Fang Me (18 page)

He trotted off and Shade and I collapsed back on the couch. He put an arm around me, snuggling me close."Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. When I tried to help Erica up right then . . . it was harder than I expected."

He squeezed me tighter."You knew that would happen, didn't you? After . . . what we did?"

"I guess so. It just took me by surprise." And, though I hadn't really admitted it to myself, I'd hoped for a Hollywood kind of ending. The kind where true love won out over everything else and allowed the heroine to keep her powers, win the hero, and live happily ever after.

Unfortunately, this was reality, not the movies, and I was screwed.

Wincing at the unintended double entendre, I thanked heaven that Fang was distracted by his girlfriend.

Unwilling to repeat any of that to Shade, I said,"It'll take some getting used to. I just need to figure out how to handle it." I needed some time to test my limits, find a way to deal with this new version of Val Shapiro."I guess I can't be the Slayer anymore," I said, trying out the idea in my head. I didn't like it much."What does that make me?"

"Precious," Shade said, and kissed me.

That was sweet, but not very helpful."No, really. What should I do?"

"Do you really need to do anything?" he asked."You can do what you've always done. You just need to be more careful."

I didn't think it would be that simple."Maybe," I said doubtfully."But how do I tell Micah . . . and Alejandro?" I couldn't imagine how to start that conversation.

"Why tell them yet? It's not like you're hitting the streets every night, staking vamps anymore. And the fewer people who know, the fewer attempts will be made to take down the Slayer."

A sensation like fear spiked in me. Would I become the target of a slayer hunt?"Yeah, there is that," I said slowly."I guess I can wait until it becomes absolutely necessary." After I found a way to completely rearrange my life to accommodate this new reality.

I closed my eyes and rested my head on Shade's chest. I
so
didn't want to think about this now.

Lola perked up a bit, sending my body tingling and making a lewd suggestion as to how I could change the subject. I was considering it—great distraction—but as I ran my hand suggestively over Shade's stomach, it growled at me.

I couldn't help it, I chuckled.

"I'm sorry," Shade said, looking embarrassed. "I'm hungry."

Come to think of it, so was I. "Shall we go out and get something to eat, then?"

"Sure, after I take a shower."

We both got cleaned up, then headed for the front door. I slapped my pocket for my keys then stopped abruptly."Uh-oh."

"What?"

"I left the Valkyrie at Marina's house."

Shade laughed."And I left my bike at yours."

We grinned foolishly at each other."Looks like we're ordering in," I said.

Fang came back in, his ears perked up. DID I HEAR SOMETHING ABOUT FOOD?

I rubbed his ears."You chow hound, you. I thought you were going to check on Princess."

YEAH, WELL, HER PRECIOUSNESS NEEDS A LITTLE ALONE TIME RIGHT NOW, IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT.

I did.

Shade chuckled."Princess can be a handful at times."

I picked up my cell to call my favorite pizza place but paused when I noticed I had two messages."Someone must have called while I was in the shower."

"Who?"

"Dan and someone else."

I dialed my voice mail and listened to Dan's message. Smiling, I told Shade,"He's narrowed down the area where Andrew must have hidden the books. He wants me to meet him downtown—at the Alamodome."

"Great," Shade said."Call him back and tell him we'll meet him as soon as possible. I'll call a cab."

As he made his call, I talked to Dan and arranged to meet him right away at the stadium, then listened to my other message. It was Marina. I expected more gushing thanks, but that wasn't why she'd called. I frowned at the phone.

"What is it?" Shade asked.

"Marina says she has something very important to tell us, and we need to call her back right away. She sounded upset."

"We have some time before the cab gets here."

Shade slapped together sandwiches and grabbed Cokes and a bag of chips as I dialed her number. I held the phone so Shade could hear as we munched.

"Oh, good," Marina said."I'm so glad you called back."

"Shade's here, too. What's up?" I asked.

"Erica and I were so distracted by her great news that we couldn't think about anything else. We were talking on the way home about what we experienced and compared notes." She paused. "Remember when Shade said we'd share thoughts and memories?"

"Yes," Shade said."That's normal during a healing session."

"We did . . . but we also shared with someone else. Trevor."

"Trevor?" I repeated in surprise."Oh, it must have happened when he got caught in the circuit."

"I don't know," Marina said,"but Erica and I compared notes and we both got the same thing from him."

UHOH, Fang said. I HAVE A FEELING THIS AIN'T GONNA BE GOOD . . . .

I second that feeling. 
"What did you get?"

"Trevor has been lying to you."

Oh yeah? Go figure.

Shade pressed closer to the phone so we were cheek to cheek."You mean about why he was being so friendly to me? We know that."

"You know that he needs you to get his father out of the books?"

"Yes, he told me that," Shade said, looking relieved.

Marina persisted. "And that he's not an empath demon or a keeper?"

"W
hat?
" Shade, Fang and I all exclaimed in unison.

"That's right," Marina said hurriedly."The reason he's been keeping his nature hidden is because he and his father are both highly powerful—and highly da
ngerous—
mage demons."

Well, I'll be damned . .
. .

"It gets worse," Marina added."His father caused the 1906 earthquake in California. That's why the keeper locked him inside the books."

"But Trevor isn't that old," Shade protested.

"Mage demons can live a very long time," Marina said."Trevor is much older than he looks."

"That's right," I said."He even told us that."

Shade stiffened as Marina continued,"With those books and the spells inside them, he and his father could control the entire world."

Oh, crap. I stared at Shade in horror, grabbing his hand so he didn't go all swirly on me."We need to find those books before he does . . . . "

Shade closed his eyes, looking as if he were in pain."And I just told him where Dan is meeting us to find them."

CHAPTER TWENTY

"You
what?
" I said, whipping my head around to stare him in the eyes. I had to grab his hand to see his expression, and smashed the bag of chips in the process.

He winced. "I'm sorry, but while you were talking to Dan, I also called Trevor."

"Why? You know the books told me to find them before he could."

"No," he said patiently. "You never told me that."

I closed my eyes and smacked myself in the forehead. "You're right, I didn't." I'd been too worried Shade would tell Trevor. Crap.

Marina was trying to get our attention on the phone. I held the cell so we could both hear again. "Sorry. Was there something else?"

"Yes," she said, as if she hadn't unloaded a big enough bombshell."I didn't understand this, but you probably will. He convinced the freelance vamps to attack the Movement . . . and has been inciting the Underground to kill the vamps."

Must be the vigilantes Dan had mentioned. I
knew T
revor was a total scumbucket. But it was no consolation to be right. We needed to stop him.

"But why would he
do
that?" Shade asked.

"Because he knows the Movement and the Underground both want the books, and he wanted to keep them offbalance, distracted," Marina explained."Plus he didn't want any competition in his bid for emperor of the world."

Dang. I should have seen that—it made total sense. But we had to make sure he didn't do any more damage."Thanks, Marina. We really appreciate the call."

"No problem. We owed you."

"Not anymore," Shade said."This information wipes the slate clean. Thank you."

We gobbled down our sandwiches and waited outside for the cab. Thank heavens it showed up right away. Holding Shade's hand so his swirls wouldn't freak out the young driver, I got into the cab."The Alamodome, please."

The cabbie didn't even turn to look at us. He glanced in the rearview mirror. "Ain't nothin' goin' on there tonight, lady."

With that accent, he had to be straight from the Big Apple. A New York cabbie in San Antonio? Well, I guess that wasn't the strangest thing in this city."Just take us there."

"Wait," Shade said."I told Trevor we're meeting Dan there."

"That's right. But he doesn't know we're on to him," I whispered."Maybe we should let him find them, then take them away from him."

"How?"

Good point. I had no idea how my lack of powers would work against a mage demon, fergawdsakes.

"I ain't got all night," the cabbie said."Ya wanna ride or dontcha?"

"Yes, we do," I snapped."Take us to . . . HemisFair Park." It was across the highway from the Alamodome, not far from where Dan had suggested.

The cabbie turned around to grimace at us."Where? It's a big park, lady."

"Uh, near the Institute of Texas Cultures?" It was in the Southern part of the park, closest to the Alamodome.

"You got it." He glanced down at Fang who sat beside Shade."Hey, waitHey,. I don't allow no dogs in my cab."

"This isn't an ordinary dog," I said.

"Oh, yeah? He looks like a mutt to me."

Fang growled. I'LL MUTT HIM.

"That's it," the guy said as Fang bared his teeth."Everybody out."

Dang. If only Fang had kept his muzzle shut."No, wait." I hesitated for a moment. I hated to leave Fang behind but there was no time to call another cab."We'll pay you extra."

"Nope. No dogs. I'm allergic. And he looks like he sheds."

"We have to go now," Shade whispered urgently."Trevor can sense the books if he gets within five hundred feet, remember?"

Yeah, I did. And if the books were hidden somewhere in the center of the huge stadium or park, that might explain why he hadn't found them just driving around. But if he walked around those areas and the encyclopedia was hidden there . . . Damn. Still, I hesitated, not wanting to leave my best back-up.

GO, Fang said. YOU DON'T NEED ME FOR THIS.

Maybe. But I always wanted Fang, especially now that I was more vulnerable. I could use Lola to force the cabbie, but it was probably best to keep my trusty hellhound out of danger. Shade was my back-up now. Sighing, I kissed Fang on his fuzzy nose and let him leave.

"Okay, the dog's gone. Let's go," I said.

Good thing the cabbie didn't give me any more lip or I might've sicced Fang on him. But he set the car in motion, so I called Dan to let him know the change of plans.

It seemed to take forever to get there, but we finally did. I paid the driver—with a lousy tip because of his attitude—and got out at the plaza where two dozen or so flags flew, honoring the nations of all the immigrants who made up Texas' diverse culture. Above the Institute loomed the Tower of the Americas, a giant spear of light against the night sky with what looked like a UFO stuck on top. This object wasn't unidentified, though, it was a revolving restaurant and observation deck.

We found Dan in the far corner of the Institute's parking lot, leaning against the door of the SCU's Silver Dodge Ram.

"Why the change of plans?" Dan asked when we reached him.

I shrugged."Because we accidentally told Trevor we were meeting you at the Alamodome, and want to find the books before he does."

Looking quizzical, Dan asked,"How do you do that accidentally?"

"Never mind," I said, not wanting to explain the whole thing or embarrass Shade."Do you know where Andrew hid the books?"

"No, but I can narrow it down. We picked him up on cameras near Mood's house that day and followed the cameras until we saw him get off at an exit. I knew you'd want to see this, which is why I asked you to meet me." He opened the truck door and pulled something from behind the seat. Leaving the door open to provide more illumination, he showed us some grainy photos."This is from the traffic camera at I37 and Durango."

I peered at them."Yep, that's his beater all right." Hope rose within me. We were finally getting somewhere!

Dan nodded."It shows he got off at the exit, and this photo," he pointed to another one, "shows he didn't get back on until forty-five minutes later, at the same place. Time enough to park somewhere and hide the books."

That was the exit we'd taken to get here. Feeling excited, I said, "Awesome. You did a great job."

Shade's phone rang then and he checked the number. "It's Trevor. He probably wants to know where we are."

"Don't answer that," I said quickly. "Let him wonder."

"Right," Shade said and turned off the phone.

"Do you need me to distract the guy or something?" Dan asked.

I thought for a moment, but I didn't know what a mage demon could do and didn't want to embroil Dan in more Underground business. He'd helped enough. "No, we'll take it from here. Thanks a lot, Dan. We really appreciate it."

"No problem."

I suddenly remembered something."Oh, and we found out who was inciting the vigilantes taking down the vamps. Don't worry, we'll take care of it."

"You're not going to tell me who it was?" Dan asked, sounding exasperated.

"No, sorry, I can't. Underground business. I have to let Micah know first, and if he wants to tell you . . ."

Dan rolled his eyes, but nodded. He respected Micah and knew the fine line the demon leader had to walk."Okay. Give me a holler if you need a ride or something."

Oh, yeah, we might. "Thanks. We'll do that."

He got in his truck and left, and Shade said,"The park and Alamodome are both huge." He pulled his deep hoodie forward to hide his face from any passersby, then stuck his hands in his pockets."Any idea where the books might be?"

"No, I don't, except maybe somewhere central." I shook my head."Why would Andrew hide them here? There's lots of traffic through both areas."

"What does it matter?" Shade asked, sounding harried."Can you sense them? If we look in the wrong place and Trevor finds the books before you do . . ."

"No, but I haven't tried. Let me find somewhere quiet." The traffic noise was a little distracting. Not to mention the Christmas lights everywhere which seemed sooo out of place with what I was feeling right now.

Shade followed me into the park on one of the concrete pathways."Can we afford to take the time?"

"Can we afford not to?" I snapped back as I hurried along the path, then immediately felt bad. "Sorry, didn't mean to bite your head off. I'm feeling a bit stressed here."

"Ditto," Shade said grimly."And I feel useless. I wish I could do more."

"You're not useless," I assured him as I continued looking for a quiet spot."You're going to watch over me while I try to contact that voice."

I spotted one of the many fountains that dotted the park, one with a waterfall cascading over stone steps. No bum sleeping on the bench nearby, so I sat down, let the soothing sounds calm me and went deep into myself I dredged up all my self-control and forced myself into calm, reminding myself to be patient.

After a short while, I felt as if someone was straining to reach me. I don't know how I knew that, but I did. I concentrated harder and opened myself up as wide as I could.
Where are you? I sent
out into the universe. T
here isn't much time.

Nothing. And this was taking way too long. Sighing, I opened my eyes and glanced to the heavens for help. There, filling my vision, was the Tower of the Americas blazing against the darkness.

That's it!
I
t had to be. Holy crap. The voice hadn't wanted me to look up something on a computer. It wanted me to look
up.
"Any idea how tall that tower is?" I asked Shade eagerly.

"Seven hundred and fifty feet to the top mast." He shrugged."Sometimes trivia sticks in my brain."

"And to the bottom level of the restaurant?"

"I don't know . . . maybe six hundred feet. Why?"

"There," I said with excitement."The books are there—in the tower. Out of Trevor's range."

"Are you sure?" Shade asked.

"Absolutely." I didn't know how I was sure, but for the first time, this felt really right."Let's go."

"Not so fast," came a voice from behind me.

I jumped up off the bench and whirled around, my heart beating like a tom-tom. But it wasn't Trevor, just two baby vamps looking for a bit of fun. How did I know that? Because the pimplyfaced idiots had flashed their fangs and made the mistake of trying to control my mind, so I could read theirs. And
that
, thank goodness, was not one of the powers I'd lost.

But I had lost my strength and probably the healing, too. Lola was still recovering, so I needed to get rid of them with the least amount of trouble. I grinned at them, which took them aback. "Seriously? You're trying to control
me?
Sorry, Benny and Fredo, isn't it? You may not realize it, but you're messing with the wrong people."

Shade threw back his hoodie and let his face show in all its swirly glory.

Benny and Fredo each took an involuntary step backward and, though I could read in their minds that they were frightened, they tried to hide it."What a
re
you?" Fredo asked.

My grin widened."I'm the Slayer and this guy is a shadow demon. You know what will happen if you chow down a demon, don't you?"

"Or mess with the Slayer," Shade added, deepening his voice so it sounded more menacing.

From their appalled expressions and thoughts, it was obvious they did know, so I pulled two stakes out of my back waistband."Your choice. Would you rather go mad from drinking our blood, or get staked in your black little hearts, hmm?"

They seemed rooted in place, not knowing what to do.

Shade took a step forward, flung his arms wide and yelled, "Boo!"

They ran.

I couldn't keep from laughing. "Boy, that was easier than I thought." Maybe I could still pull off being the Slayer without my powers.

"Yeah," Shade said, chuckling as well. "Now, let's go."

He grabbed my hand and we ran the short distance to the tower, which wasn't very far away. We had to pay to get in, then wait in line for the elevator. After what seemed like forever, we squeezed our way on, making sure Shade remained looking human, and the glass elevator started upward.

Instead of boring us with music, the elevator speakers droned on about the attractions here at the tower. Originally built in 1968 for the World's Fair, the tower now housed a 4D ride, restaurants, gift shops, and a magnificent view from the observation deck.

San Antonio spread out below us like a twinkling carpet of lights as we travelled high above the city. About halfway up, I somehow knew, without knowing how, exactly where the books were above me. The ride seemed to take forever, but couldn't have been more than a minute. I tried to enjoy the view—I hadn't been up here since I was a kid—but I was too anxious to get this over with. I promised myself to come back at some point and enjoy it when I had more time.

Finally, the elevator stopped and opened, and we followed the crowd to the glassed-in observation deck on the third level. That's where my senses—my homing beacon—were leading us.

Shade leaned close, whispering,"Do you know where they are?"

"Yeah. I'm heading directly for them." The slight pull on my senses led me away from the windows and toward three banquet rooms built inside the deck.

Two of them had noise coming from them—raucous holiday parties—but the third was quiet. With any luck, the books would be in the empty room. I didn't fancy the idea of braving a roomful of strangers to peek under chairs and tables. "Try that door," I said in a low voice, pointing to the quiet room.

Shade pulled on the handle. "Locked."

Well, shoot. I'd hoped this would be as easy as scaring off those baby vamps. As Shade leaned down to peer at the lock, I glanced around, looking for a waitress or someone in charge."Maybe I can say I lost an earring and get someone to open the door."

"No need," Shade said, and I looked around to see something shiny disappear into his pocket as he turned the handle and opened the door a crack.

"You picked the lock? My, my, you have all kinds of talents, don't you?" I said with a grin.

"You have no idea." He grabbed my hand and maneuvered me so I blocked the door."Look at me as if we're having a serious conversation. When no one's looking . . . Now,
go
."