Firstborn (The Legacy Series) (6 page)

I think it was the light that sold me – when I heard that reverberating voice going
Protect the girl
I felt something stir inside me. I can’t remember the last time I felt that.

Or rather
, I don’t want to remember the last time I felt like that.

This case, this girl
…it was all connected to my curse. I don’t know how I knew that – I just did.

But I wasn’t about to say
yes
that readily. People like me tended to live longer if they were just a little too paranoid.

"How come your friend lived?" I asked Gracie.

The girl coughed on her coffee. "What do you mean?"

"She ended up in the hospital, right? Hospitals don’t take dead people. So
, how come she’s still kicking?"

Gracie shrugged. “I guess she got lucky.”

I lifted an eyebrow. "First lesson in this world − there is no luck.” I sat on my table. “I think you know exactly what happened. And for some weird reason you’re not telling me.”

“I am telling you all I know Mr. Ashendale.”

“Then explain the white light.”

Funny how one simple sentence can cause such a
big reaction. Gracie’s eyes widened in something that was either pure shock or horror, or a mixture of both. Either way, I had scored a point there.

“That’s the funny thing about dreams,” I said. “Some you never remember, but some, they keep replaying themselves over and over in your brain like a broken record. And here’s the kicker
. Once you get over the main events, you start focusing on the little details – like how you were first on site after Abigale fell bleeding into the pool, even though you were the farthest from her.” I rested both hands on the desk like a cop during an interview scene. Don’t judge – this was my moment.

“So
, you are either on the bad guy’s side and were waiting for Abigale to die, or you knew that she had a means of protection.”

“No, I
− ” she started but I cut her off.

“Just give me the whole truth
, Gracie. I don’t like half-assed stories. Because usually I don’t end up getting paid.”

Amaymon chose that particular time to show just how much of a wiseass he can be.

"Not to mention the fact that you risk burning half your actual ass."

On reflex I arched my head back and yelled,

"That happened one time!"

And then I remembered that cats don’t talk and I had a regular, non-feline speaking human sitting on my couch.
She sat there with her doe eyes wide open as she slowly turned to look at the cat. And despite the Latin tinge in her skin, she was white as a sheet.

Oh. Crap.

9

Gracie’s mouth began forming words but no sound came out. The cat stood there, right by the kitchen entrance, as if daring her to say something. Finally, enough of her rational mind came back online to make sense of the situation.

"Oh, my God, the cat just talked!"

I was close to replying with “Thank you, Captain Obvious” but I decided to cut her some slack. Better she state the obvious than run away screaming.

Less likely for the police to show up at my door later.

“Yes, it does talk,” I confirmed. “Although sometimes I wish it didn’t. Sometimes I wish it could just obey simple instructions like
stay away from clients
. I’d be happy with a cat that just mews.”

"It talked!"

This was getting us nowhere.

I leaned in and gently grasped her hands. "Yes, the cat talks.” I laughed, hoping to reassure her. “I'm a wizard with a talking cat. It’s a cliché, I know
, but at least I follow the archetype.” I squeezed her hands just a little. Enough to gain her attention. “I’m gonna need you to accept that or just ignore it, and move on. I need to know the full story – about what happened with your friend Abigale.”

The girl completely ignored me. I could feel her shaking as Amaymon approached her and leapt into her lap.
That cat has no sense of boundaries. He stared at her for a second and the only sound was his purring.

“Relax
, Erik,” he said, breaking the silence. “She’s not gonna snap.”

“Can’t you tell? She’s a practitioner,” he said as his tail flicked in annoyance. “I ain’t the weirdest thing she’s seen. What are you trying to pull here
, lady?”

Actually
, I couldn’t tell. Stupid, Erik. I should have read her aura as soon as she entered the door. Or maybe I should have upgraded my security system rather than use the low-energy one. Sure, it was a pain in the ass to activate and maintain, but at least I wouldn’t have these kinds of surprises. Thank God Amaymon was more attentive than I was. Guess the cat had a use after all.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she s
aid, but now that I knew she was lying I could see through her disguise. It was the subtle details – tone of voice, flicks of hair, pursing of lips. She must have realized it was a losing battle because when she answered, it was a half-hearted lie.

“Are you a practitioner?” I asked.

“Yes,” she snapped. “Yes, I am.”

“So
, that’s why you gave me your name,” I said.

“
We don’t like it when people fuck around with us,” said Amaymon threateningly.

“No, no, I swear. What I said is all true.”
She had her hands in the air and all pretence was now gone.

“And Abigail?” I asked. “She a practitioner
, too?”

“No, she’s not.”

“Then, what is she?”

Gracie looked from the cat to me and closed her eyes, like she was betraying some sort of secret.

“She’s a succubus.”

There was a stunned pause.

"A succubus?" I looked at her intently. "Do you even know what that is?"

“You could use a couple around here
, Erik,” shot the cat.

Ouch. Kitty, one
. Wizard, zero.

Gracie rolled her eyes and gave me an annoyed look. "Of course
, I know what that is. She's a temptation demon."

Temptation
− now what was a nice way of saying
makes people drool over her
.

Succubii are half
-demons, and their main power is seducing people into breeding with them.

They’re not the most social of monsters
. They usually pop up when they got an itch to scratch and then disappear again. Which begs the question, what the hell was a succubus doing at a college dorm?

I mean, I heard stories about college parties, but this was taking it too far.

"Why is a succubus in your dorm?" I asked with a chuckle. “Are you guys some sort of supernatural sorority or something?”

Gracie gave me look that answered my question.

“No. There is no sorority,” she replied icily. “It’s just me who knows about magic. Abi has no idea what she is. She’s only nineteen.”

Succubii generally manifest around the age of twenty. That’s when their drive takes over and they start humping their way through life.
Until then, they’re pretty much regular folk. Very pretty, very sexy, regular folk.

"Are you going to tell her?" I asked seriously.

“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “She’s different, you know? I read somewhere that her kind exhibit signs of sociopathy. But she’s the sweetest person I know. No way she’ll become a monster.”

“I’m not in the business of protecting monsters,” I replied.
The implication was clear − I would just as easily kill the succubus if she became dangerous. I was even considering killing her now when she still hadn’t killed anyone but the virtuous side of me decided to let her commit a crime before executing her. It was only fair.

But the ruthless side of me knew that human justice did not apply to monsters. Once her instincts took over, she would kill. Better to prevent a crime rather than wait for one and give chase.

Gracie eyes hardened, matching my expression. “She’s no monster. But she is being targeted by one. She’s a victim here, Mr. Ashendale, and unless you help her, she will die.”

I had no reply to that.
I decided to deal with one issue at a time. First came the rescue of a yet-still-innocent girl. Dwelling on moral issues wasn’t going to help anyone. I decided to cross that bridge when I was faced with it.

“She’s got you there
, Erik,” said the cat.

“Fine,” I said. “But if she makes one move outta line, she’s dead. You hear me? She gives me any reason to be wary of her and I’ll eliminate her on the spot. No warning, no mercy. Got it?”

Gracie nodded sharply.

“O
K, then.” I sat down on the couch facing her. “Tell me about the white light? What was that?”

“An angel.”

“Oh, come on!”

“I’m sorry,” she said. My outburst had caused her to jump in her seat. Amaymon snickered.

“An angel? Are you kidding me?" I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

“Are you sure?”

“It told me it was,” she replied.

Huh? It
told
her?

Angels aren’t exactly known for their social skills. If they ever make it out of Heaven, their own dimension, then it’s only to smite some demon. Their sole purpose is to tip the balance of
Earth towards order, as opposed to the demons’ chaos.

So
, when people come around saying angels talked to them, my first instinct is to check them in a loony house. There is a better chance of getting probed by aliens from Jupiter than there is to cross paths with an actual angel, let alone talk to one.

“She ain’t lyin’ Erik,” said Amaymon.

“Did you summon it?” I asked. That tended to happen a lot with practitioners − they see something in a book or grimoire and try it out. Half of the monsters in this world are the result of curious teenagers poking around in the wrong places. Although angels are as heavyweight as you can get. You can’t just summon them – they are way too powerful for humans, even a group of powerful wizards to contain. It just didn’t happen.

“
No, it just appeared in a dream. It said its name is Jehudiel and it’ll be watching over Abi,” she replied with a casual shrug. Clearly she had no idea of the impact of what she was saying. She may as well have said that she had a summer residence in Shamballa and rode to school on Nessie, the Lock Ness Monster.

I didn’t know angels had names. I mean
, sure, the Bible is full of them – although most are just symbolic titles, invented by some friar who was eager to impress with his knowledge of Latin, philosophy and whatever else the clergy wanted to listen to.

“What's the big deal?” asked Gracie. “If an angel is protecting Abi, then it's a good thing, right? I mean they are the good guys.”

“Not exactly,” said Amaymon. He sat on her lap. “Angels have their own agenda. Conquer through law and order. Not to mention the fact that they are completely obsessed with their war with Hell. If they are showing up here, then it’s only a matter of time.”

“
Before what?” she gasped.

“The apocalypse,”
Amaymon replied in a spooky tone.

“Stop scaring the girl
, Amaymon,” I said.

“But it’s so easy.”

“Give it a rest, kitty.” I looked at Gracie. “Forget everything he told you. It’s probably a mistake of sorts.”

“They don’t make mistakes like that,” interjected the cat.

“Shut up,” I shot back. It seemed to work – joking usually made the regular ones question how deep the grave they dug was. It worked even better when you left out the end of the world theories.

Gracie looked from me to the cat. She was going to have one heck of a story to tell. She might even write us in a TV show: Wizard and the Kitty.

“I'll take the case,” I said. “And do yourself a favor – disappear. Find somewhere remote and lather it in as many charms and protective spells as you can.”

“Why?”

“Cause, you’re in deep now.” I looked at her intently. There was no humor now − this was life and death. “You’re caught in the middle of a celestial war which humanity has avoided for years. And in every war there is collateral damage – namely people like you. So, run and hide and don’t come out until I say so.”

She nodded and rose
to leave.

“Thank you, Mr. Ashendale.”

I waved her off. “Call me Erik. And leave that check on the table.”

*****

“The money ain’t worth it.”

I waved the che
ck at the cat. “You say that now, but wait ‘til we’re out of food. Besides, I’m kinda curious to see where all this goes.”

“So
, what now then?” he asked. “Wait and see what pops out and then shoot it in the face?”