Inhuman Heritage (14 page)

“Where would he go?” I asked scanning the street.

“I’d guess at home but I really don’t know. You go one way and I’ll go the other.”

“Not a plan,” I said and I pushed her onto her butt on the steps outside my building. “I can’t let you go off on your own. Wait right here. If anyone comes along you don’t like the look of slink back into the building and hide. I’ll find Anton.”

She nodded in agreement when she looked up at the night sky to see that it was almost tinged with a purplish haze. The sky on this side got like that some nights especially if there had been a large amount of magic thrown up recently.

I turn and ran towards town. I had no time to sit and work a proper spell to track my very confused and upset friend. Anton could get himself into trouble very easily just by mouthing off to the wrong person. There were a lot of warlocks that lived in this end of town, mainly because rent was cheap and people didn’t mess with anyone they met down here. I was hoping he hadn’t gone too far, he couldn’t have gotten into a cab because they didn’t tend to come down this end. I was just passing the library when I saw him up ahead shambling towards the railway bridge. He wasn’t walking very fast, in fact he was stumbling about a bit which indicated to me that he was somewhat in shock still and not thinking about where he was going or what he was doing. Unfortunately for him that would make him a prime target for the three or four warlock boys, in their dark clothes and Goth makeup that were lurking in the shadows under the bridge he was approaching. Even with the coming out of vampires being nearly over fifty years ago we’d not managed to avoid the Goth movement. I was on the fringes of the look myself but I did not go in for the white face, the dark rimmed eyes and the dog collars. I did not want to look like someone who had decided to keep a panda for a pet. Anton in his artfully ripped blue jeans, his pop hairstyle of brown spikes with blonde tips and his bright pink and blue top that sported the adage, “Yes, I like piña colada” was not going to work in his favor this time. They moved to intercept him, they might want to mug him but I pretty much figured they just wanted to mess with him. He bumped right into the guy with the dog collar and fell backwards on his butt snapping enough out of his funk to see the people he’d walked into. He crawled backwards on his butt away from him.

“You bumped me!” snarled dog collar boy. I was close enough to hear Anton mumble a meek apology. This however was not going to be enough for this guy, with his two friends there to egg him on, he was amping up power. “You,
bumped,
me!” I slid myself in front of Anton forcing the guy to have to stop walking forward menacingly to assess who was interrupting his fun.

“Saying it louder won’t make it anymore true. Now he apologized,” I said and I slid my arms out a little from my side palms up to say I wasn’t going to start the violence but shield Anton at the same time. The dog collared guy sneered at me and it was almost as if his eyes told me I was just a woman. I hated stares like that, they’re practically a challenge. “My friend here has had a bad night and wasn’t watching where he was going, he’s sorry and there is no need for any more on the subject.”

“He,” growled dog collar boy pointing at Anton who was still sitting on the floor looking dazed and afraid, “bumped me.”

“You’ve said that already. Cry me a river, build yourself a bridge and get over it.” That’s it Cassandra, I thought to myself, taunt the badly dressed warlock who has a complete lack of moral fiber. I felt the flare of his magic as it rolled up his spine, an aura of green surrounded his fists and he started to chant something low under his breath. It was my turn to snarl.

“Back down,” I told him. He gave me a cocky “or what” smile and cocked his fist back. It looked like he was getting ready to punch me, but I knew his fingers would spring open when they got close to me and unleash the spell he was working on. I waited till he decided to throw the punch and before he would open his fingers; I snapped mine over his knuckles and squeezed with all the new strength in me. He wailed like a girl dropping to his knees. I let my power peek out and his eyes widened feeling the strength of it, I saw the fire in my eyes reflected back in his. I was mad, mad at him for being so cocky, mad at Anton for running off, mad at this guy for thinking he could hit a girl, and just hell plain mad on top of all the rest of that. I pushed with the muscles in my arm that were rippling with the tension of keeping his spell from releasing and made him cower even lower.

“I warned you.” There was a little menace in my voice. “You think you don’t know the meaning for the word fear-but then I’m guessing you don’t know the meaning of most words anyway, so I will say this very slowly one more time. Back down.” He nodded frantically and I waited until the green aura around his fist and arm faded out completely before I let go of him. He cradled his hand to his chest looking up at me. I tried to ignore that mixed in with his fear was a sudden huge great wave of lust.

“Now you’ll want to be getting home and putting some ice on that hand, take your friends with you.” The two slightly lanky teens behind him helped him up and they hurried away ahead of the boy with the collar who stopped a couple of times to look back at me. As soon as they were gone, I turned around and taking Anton by the wrist pulled him to his feet. He wobbled for a bit and when he was stable I swung my hand smacking him around the back of the head.

“Idiot!” He glared at me rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. “When I tell you, do not leave my place it’s dangerous, I mean it!”

“I just want to go home,” he whined. I made a dramatic gesture with my arms at our surroundings.

“This is not your home, Anton, this is not your world. It’s a Friday night and there are hardly any people. Does that seem normal to you?” Anton looked around him slowly, he noticed there were no queues outside the cinema and the doors were all shut closed. There were no people heading for the pub or clubs dressed up. It was just him and me standing in an eerily quiet street, no traffic, no parked cars and dark shadows looking from all corners.

“You really were telling the truth,” he said and his voice was small and weak when he spoke. I tried to look comforting and less pissed off.

“I tried to tell you. You and Incarra don’t belong over here and as soon as I can I will get you back to the nice normal world where it’s safe. I tried to keep this from you because you shouldn’t have to deal with it.”

“But you deal with it.”

“I have to. I don’t have any other choice. I can’t stop myself from coming here believe me if I could I would. I resigned myself to the inevitable a long while ago.”

I wrapped my arm through his and started leading him back down towards my place. He didn’t struggle, he still looked too dazed to get one foot in front of the other.

“How did this happen to you, Cassandra? I mean, I can’t imagine living like this.”

“It’s to do with my mother. There is a lot that I don’t know.”

We were silent after that. When I got back to my apartment, LeBron was sitting on the steps next to Incarra who looked like she was explaining that Anton had gone running off and that I had gone to find him. I sat Anton down on the steps on her other side where she proceeded to belt him around the head and tell him off some more. LeBron rose to his feet after taking a look at the pair and pulled me off to one side.

“Your friends seem a little...” He didn’t finish the sentence, he kind of just swayed and I got what he meant. They were out of place, poorly informed and I couldn’t leave them in my apartment. Incarra couldn’t watch Anton every minute; he was skittish and looked like he would make another bolt for it at any time. I needed someone to babysit them.

“They didn’t know about me,” I said sighing deeply. I only knew one person who could keep them both safe and was unthreatening. “And we’re going to need to take a detour.”

* * * *

I clasped the heavy brass door knocker at Virginia’s and bashed it down hard while Incarra and Anton milled about on the porch behind me looking around at the woods that should have been a housing estate. LeBron had opted to stay in the car. I thought that was for the best. The door creaked and opened slowly onto the hall. Virginia was stood at the bottom on the stairs and she looked profoundly relieved to see me. She was about to speak but I shoved a hand up in front of her, a stop gesture.

“I don’t want to hear it right now although I hope the words out of your mouth were about to be an apology. I have a problem and I need you to do this for me without any questions or excuses.” Virginia looked at me, her wizened face astonished but then she nodded conceding the point that we both knew that she owed me a great deal. I stood aside and with a wave of my hand signaled for Incarra and Anton to come inside. They did as instructed, looking around at everything. Virginia looked at them and then at me.

“Guys, you go sit down in there for a moment while I have a word with your host.” Incarra took Anton’s arm and took him into the parlor where they sat on the old furniture amongst a cloud of exploding dust.

“Who are these people?” asked Virginia walking with me across to the other side of the hall so that we wouldn’t be overheard so easily.

“They’re friends from my day side,” I said leaning against the wall. “They ambushed me at sundown and crossed over to this side. Anton is skittish and won’t stay in my apartment, he’s already had a run in with a warlock that might have gone a lot worse if I hadn’t caught up and stepped in.”

“Why did they ambush you? I thought you said that your normal friends had no idea about this life.”

“They were on an intervention. I won’t go into details now because I don’t have time. I have to work tonight.”

“For the vampires?” asked Virginia and she couldn’t hide the disapproving tone in her voice. I glared at her angrily and pointed a finger at her. She stepped back like she thought I was going to jab her with it and I was half tempted to.

“Not that it is any of your business but no, it’s the wolves that have hired me. I need you right now but don’t think for an instant that means I have forgiven you. You have been lying to me for years, Virginia. You knew my mother.”

Virginia opened her mouth to protest but quickly closed it again when my upper lip curled close to a snarl.

“You knew her, about her and where she came from. You never told me who I was or,” I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself just a little, “or what I was. I heard what you and the Magus were talking about, you saw me here so we can’t pretend everything is okay between us. When I get back, I want answers.”

“What little I know may not help and may throw you further into this world than you want to be,” said Virginia cautioning me. I shook my head wearily.

“Maybe, I don’t know. Maybe you haven’t told me anything because it’s for my own good but really, when has complete ignorance ever been to someone’s own good?”

She looked at me like she might sight an example but once again she stopped herself. Virginia was struggling with guilt making all her arguments heavy and inane. I looked across the hall to the big grandfather clock, it was just past half ten in the evening.

“Answers can wait. I just knew this would be a safe place for them to stay for a little while. I’ll be back before sunrise if all goes well.” Virginia nodded accepting her assignment like I was the teacher and not the other way around. I put her easy compliance down to the guilt again and headed out the door.

Chapter Twelve

LeBron drove us back into town pulling up to a stop just down from the gates of the community. He cut off the engine and leaned his head on the steering wheel before slowly turning to look at me.

“So, want to tell me what we are doing?”

“We are providing an escort for a dignitary to a special ceremony here at the community.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Special ceremony?” I leaned over so that I could whisper in his ear.

“They’re picking a new king.” His eyes twinkled with a little light and he grinned.

“Will we get to see it?”

“Doubt it,” I shrugged. “We’re just supposed to pick the guy up and bring him back here.” LeBron let out a breath through his teeth and ran a hand back through his hair. I got out my phone in order to make a call. DJ had given me his cell phone number so that when I was ready to go I could just let him know, save him trailing around after us while I ran my few little errands. I’d picked up LeBron, changed clothes and safely tucked away my friends for the remainder of the evening. We were good to go. LeBron pushed open the driver’s door.

“I need a cigarette,” he explained climbing out, shutting the door and leaning against the hood to light up. I hadn’t known he smoked. I flipped open my phone and made the quick call to DJ, he picked up on the second ring.

“DJ,” he said in a very quick but firm tone. I had to admit that the wolf had a really nice voice.

“We’re ready when you are Mister Tanner, we’re parked outside.”

“Oh please; Mister Tanner is my father, Call me DJ; everyone else does.” I smiled a little.

“Alright, DJ, but the facts remain the same. We’re just outside the gates when you’re ready.”

“Be there in a minute.” He hung up. I swear people were forgetting phone etiquette more and more, no one said goodbye anymore. I climbed out of the car and leaned on the bonnet next to LeBron.

“When did you start smoking?”