Not Just Another Fae (Vegas Fae Stories Book 4) (9 page)

Jen's Tahoe was already in the driveway when I pulled up to
the garage. Martin must have dropped off the injured Were and immediately gone
back out. I parked the car, headed into the house and made my way to the
downstairs bedroom. Neither Charlie nor Alf seemed to be around.

"If this keeps up I'm going to have start charging
hospital rates," I said as I scanned the room.

Jen was dressed in light blue hospital scrubs with a face
mask on, her gloved hands covered in blood, stitching up her patient, who I
could only assume was Cameron. He lay on a cotton sheet with plastic underneath
it and the area had been turned into a make-shift operating room. There was a
bedside table with instruments and my steamer stand was now holding an IV fluid
drip next to a makeshift hazardous material trashcan that was made out of a 5-gallon
bucket with a red bag inside. There was even a laptop on a TV stand hooked up
to some leads that ran to the patient that appeared to be monitoring his blood
pressure and heart rate.

"Give me a minute," she replied without looking up
and then went back to stitching up the wound on his side.

I backed out of the room, and after putting my keys on the
table, made a new pot of coffee. As it started dripping, I pulled out a mug
that said
Make It So!
and added some creamer. Then, thinking about it, I
went back to the cabinet and scrounged through my collection until I found one
that said,
I'm a Doctor, not a...
, just in case she wanted one.

"Is that fresh brewed coffee I smell?" she asked a
few minutes later, pulling down her mask as she walked into the kitchen.

"It is," I replied, getting up to grab the mug I'd
chosen for her. "How do you take it?"

"Black is fine," she replied, sitting down at the
table.

"So how's your patient?" I set the mug down in
front of her.

"He'll live," she said as she took a sip. "Oh,
that's good.' She took a look at the mug and smiled, stretching her arms. "He
lost a lot of blood. The wound was deep, but missed anything vital, and there
was no sign of the poison. Martin kept him from shifting until I got here and I
was able to get him stabilized."

"He was lucky," replied.

"Yes he was," she agreed. "I doubt he would
have survived a wound like yours. I'll have to keep him here overnight, if
that's ok. He needs to stay sedated, at least until morning. If he comes to and
gets angry, or tries to shift back in this condition, he could pull the
stitches. We don’t heal as fast as you, and can become quite emotional when
injured. But he ought to be well enough by late morning to be moved."

"If you don’t mind me asking, why didn't you just keep
him in Wolf form?"

"It's easier to stabilize him that way, but better to
finish the job as a human," she answered. "If it was a minor injury,
he would know not to shift, but Cam lost a lot of blood and passed out. If the
sedative I gave him wore out too fast and he got angry or confused in Wolf form...
Well, shifting changes the shape of the body. If we were in a real hospital I
could deal with that, and I would have an anesthesiologist monitoring him the
entire time. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary. But he could still pull the
stitches or cause other damage, so it was easier to stabilize him first and then
let him shift before finishing up with the surgery." She paused and took
another sip.

"It's also harder to shift into Wolf form than the
other way around. It's not exactly a pleasant experience and you perceive pain
differently. You don't think the same as a Wolf. Instinct can overcome reason
if you lose control. So there's a far greater chance of shifting back without
thinking when you're injured when and you're already in Wolf form. In this case
it's better to let him heal as a human."

"Sounds complicated," I remarked.

"I'm used to it," she said as she stood up from
the table. "Listen, I need to see to a few things with Cam before I can
call it a night. Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I'm going to give him a
strong sedative, but I'm also going to want to check on him every few hours,
just in case."

"Not a problem," I said. "I have an extra
bedroom upstairs, or if you need to be close, you can use the couch. It's
pretty comfortable."

"Great," she replied.

"Ok, then," I said, standing. "I'm going to
take a quick shower. I'll be back down in 15 or so to see what you need."

"That should be about right," she said, going back
to the bedroom to see to her patient.

I went upstairs and took a quick shower, then threw on an
old Star Trek t-shirt and a pair of jeans before going back down to the
kitchen. I stuck my head in the bedroom and asked Jen if she wanted any more
coffee. She was rummaging through her kit and shook her head, so I emptied the
pot and got it ready for the morning. Just as I was drying the cups she came
out of the bedroom.

"I could use a glass of white wine if you're buying,"
she said.

"I can do that," I answered. I walked into my
pantry and grabbed a bottle of half-dry Riesling. I showed her the bottle as I
came back in.

"That's fine," she said as she sat down at the
table.

I uncorked the bottle and pulled two glasses out of the cabinet,
placed them on the table and filled hers just a bit.

"Care to try it first?" I said.

She picked up the glass and took a sip, sampling the wine in
a grand display before replying.

"Perfect," she said with a wink.

"So how's your patient?" I asked, after refilling
her glass and pouring some for myself.

"He's healing," she replied. "He was awake
for a bit and he knows what happened. I gave him a pretty strong sedative, so
he should sleep till morning."

"That's good," I said, taking a drink. "Is
Martin coming back by?"

"I called him before you came back down," she
replied. "He said he'd be back in the morning."

Can I ask you a question?" she said, taking another sip
of her wine."

"Of course."

"Why do you look different now?" she asked.

"Different? How do you mean?"

"Well," she began. "No offence, but when I
first met you, you looked... I don’t know, older looking than you do now. I
don’t know how to describe it, but you seem younger."

"Oh," I replied. "I understand. I think it's
just a Fae thing. Although, to be honest, I'm not exactly sure why it happens. But
the longer you hang around another Fae, the more they kind of blend together.
The Fae and human part, that is. I've had similar experiences, but it only
seems to happen among Fae that have seen you in both personas, and those that become
close emotionally. It doesn't happen around humans; at least not that I've
seen. I think it's the magic. I guess you just get used to each other. I don’t
really notice it anymore." I'd had the same experience with Meredith.

"So... What?" she asked. "Will you start
seeing me as a wolf?"

"No," I said with a laugh. "It doesn’t work
that way. Your magic is totally different. Like I said, I don’t really know why
it happens. It just does."

"You said it happens when you get close to someone. But
we barely know each other."

"But you did save my life," I replied. "Can't
get much closer than that. Besides, I do find you attractive, and you have seen
me naked."

"Yes I have," she said with a chuckle. Then she
took a deep drink and got up from the table.

"I've got some clothes in the car," she said. "Do
you mind if I use one of your other showers? I don’t want to disturb Cam any
more than I have to."

"No problem," I replied. "Get your stuff and
I'll meet you upstairs. I'll get you some clean towels."

I was pulling two towels out of my bathroom cabinet when I
heard her call my name.

"In here," I said.

She came into the bedroom before I reached the hallway.

"Nice," she commented.

"I like it," I replied as she looked the room
over. I had to admit, the master was nice and big. I had a four poster bed and
a sitting area with a fireplace, although it wasn't lit at the moment. And the
master bathroom? Well, let's just say that when I rebuilt it I didn’t skimp.

"Holy shit," she said, putting down her bag as she
eyed the shower. "You could fit a dozen people in here."

"It's not quite that big," I said with a chuckle.

"Hey," she replied. "I live in an apartment.
Everything is bigger than mine. Would you mind if I used it?"

"Go ahead," I said, handing her the two towels I'd
gotten for her. Then I went back to the closet and handed her a robe. "I'll
give you some privacy."

I went downstairs to finish cleaning up, making a point to
check on Jen's patient who was sleeping peacefully. When I was done, I grabbed
the wine and glasses and went back upstairs. Hearing the hair dryer, I stopped
in front of the master bedroom. I opened the door just a bit.

"You decent?" I asked.

"Come on in," I heard her say, so I went in. I set
the wine glasses on the bathroom counter. She was dressed in the robe and
turned off the hair dryer when she saw me.

"Thought you might still want this," I said,
refilling the glasses before setting the wine down. I started to walk out with
mine but she stopped me.

"Where you going?" she asked.

"To give you some privacy," I answered.

"Don't go," she said, then returned to drying her
hair.

"I'll wait in the bedroom," I said. I walked over
to the sitting area and sat down in one of the chairs. A minute or so later,
she came out of the bathroom. The bright white robe accented her thick blonde
hair and tan legs as she stood at the arched entrance. I couldn’t help but
notice how beautiful she was, especially framed by the light behind her.

"Are you always such a gentleman?" she asked as
she tilted her glass and took a drink.

"You're my guest," I said, picking up mine and
tilting it in her direction. "I'm just trying to be polite."

"Are all Fae like you?" she asked as she walked
around the bed and sat down. "So polite, I mean."

"Probably not," I replied. "But then I was
raised differently, so I have an excuse."

That made her laugh.

"But you do find me attractive, right?" she said. "I'm
just curious because most guys would have already tried to get in my pants."
Then she sipped again, her eyes watching me over the rim. "Am I being too
direct again?"

"A bit," I agreed, taking another drink and
setting the glass down. "But, then again, you aren’t wearing any. Pants,
that is."

"Good point."

"I am a trained observer," I said in jest.

"Are you seeing anyone on a regular basis?" she
asked abruptly.

"If you mean am I in a relationship," I replied, "Then
no, not at the moment."

"Good," she said, walking up to me and sliding her
body between my legs. "I would prefer to avoid... complications." She
placed the glass on the table next to mine and sat down on my lap. Turning a
bit, she loosened the tie on her robe, placed her hands around my neck, leaned
in and kissed me gently. "If I remember correctly, you said you owed me
for saving your life. I think now would be a good time to collect," she
whispered.

"I think you're right," I agreed. I slid my arm
around her waist and pulled her close, cupping her breast before kissing her
back. A moment later, I picked her up and carried her to the bed. Placing her
gently on the sheets, I took off my shirt before untying her robe and joining
he.

****

There was just a hint of light coming from behind the
curtains when I woke up. Jen was just coming in from the hallway, dressed only
in my t-shirt.

"Everything all right?" I asked.

"I just checked on Cam," she replied. "Sorry if
I woke you."

"Don't be," I said. "It was worth it just to
see you in my shirt."

She picked up a pillow from the bed and threw it at me,
laughing.

"How's he doing?" I asked as she jumped onto the
bed.

"He's fine," she answered, as she rolled over and
kissed me. "Oh, and your dog is back, too."

"Charlie's here. Damn."

"Why?" she asked. "Is that bad?"

"No," I replied, reaching up under the shirt,
rubbing my hands up and down her side. "But yes. Unfortunately, it changes
my plans just a bit."

"Oh, I see," she said. "Damn."

"Listen," I began. "About last night ..."

"You don't have to say anything," she interrupted.
"I know how it is. You're a..."

"Stop," I said, putting my finger to her lips. "What
I was going to say was, after today... well, assuming I'm still here after
today... I was thinking it would be nice if we could get together again. Not
just for sex, although that was wonderful. But maybe dinner or something. You
know, like normal people do when you're not stitching them up. I'm sorry, I'm
not very good at this."

"Don’t say things like that," she said, rolling
off me and getting off the bed. She crossed her arms as she stood up. "You'll
still be here."

"And the other?" I asked, getting out of bed
myself.

"Ask me again when it's all over," she replied,
taking off my shirt. Then with a final kiss, she turned and went back into the
bathroom.

 I threw on my jeans and shirt as I heard the shower come on
and went downstairs to see what Charlie had been up to.

"Any luck?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen.
He was lapping up water like there was no tomorrow, but stopped long enough to
turn his head in my direction when I spoke.

"No," he said before returning to the bowl.

I knew it was no use asking him anything else until he was
ready, so I moved over to the coffee pot, hit the start button and returned to
the table to wait. A minute later he was apparently finished, because he turned,
trotted over and sat down beside me.

"Have you heard from Alf?" I asked.

"He searches for something," he replied. He got up,
went to the bedroom and stood at the doorway. "What happened to the Wolf?"

"Got speared by the thing," I said. "Apparently
it didn’t like being interrupted when it was eating. Jen says he'll pull
through though."

"It has armed itself?"

"Yeah, some type of bladed spear," I replied. "Not
that it needed it with that spiked tail."

"Perhaps the Imp is correct after all," he said.

"About what?"

"When I called it a beast, he disagreed. He said not to
be fooled. That the Demons of that time were considered to be the same as Gods."

"That's not good," I said. If it had a weapon now,
what else about it had changed? Although it had to have been here for a few
days, we still didn’t know how it got here. But Jay's information about the
other Demon meant that someone probably summoned this one as well. The question
was who, and why?

By the time Jen came down I'd already made a couple calls. We
weren't the only ones up at the crack of dawn. Michael was following up a lead
on an old Mage that looked promising. According to Christopher, he fit the
profile of someone who might try such a thing. He was going to let me know when
they tracked him down.

Jenn had already spoken with the Weres, nothing had been
seen of the Demon since the latest attack. I'd already heard from Jay as well.
Someone from the local office would be contacting me later this morning. Other
than that, there wasn't much else to do at the moment. Grabbing another coffee
and restarting the pot, I went upstairs to shower and change before things got
hectic.

I was barely got out of the shower when the phone beeped a
text message. It was from Jay. "You're about to get a call," was all
it said. Sure enough, a moment later, the phone rang. I didn’t recognize the
number.

"This is Robert, I said as I answered.

"Agent Theno here, Mr. Hoskins. I was told you were
expecting my call."

Theno was the Agent in Charge of the local office of the
EAB. The same bureau within Homeland Security that my son now worked for.

"I just got the message," I replied. "What
can I do for you?"

"It's what I can do for you," he replied. "Our
agents are at a location of interest in yesterday's incident. I have been told
that your presence is requested. Are you available?"

"Of course," I replied. "When and where?"

"Agent Browne will pick you up shortly," he said.

"Fine. I'll want Charlie to come as well," I said.

"Your dog?" Theno asked.

"Fae hunting dog, actually," I said, as if he
didn’t know.

"Of course," he replied. "I'll let Browne
know to expect another passenger."

The External Affairs Bureau, or EAB, was the agency tasked
with dealing with the Fae and other magical beings that lived within the U.S.
When they discovered what we were, Jay, a Homeland Security Agent, had been
transferred and now worked for them. Nikki had been fortunate enough to stay
with the local PD, but now served on a task force that was comprised of Fae
members of both agencies. For the most part, they left us alone to manage our
own affairs, but when problems arose, they weren't shy about getting involved.

As government agencies went, they really weren't that bad. They
seldom tried to take over and were more than willing to work with the local Fae
on issues. But, as a former local cop, I was a little hesitant to trust them
completely. Since Jay worked for them, and I trusted him, it was a little
easier to deal with them; not that I had much choice. Besides, I'd met their
top guy, a fallen Angel by the name of Samson, and we'd hit it off. But guys
like Theno had a habit of rubbing me the wrong way at times. It's not that he
was a bad guy, he just had that
everything's a secret
kind of attitude.
Even when he was trying not to.

I got dressed, grabbed my weapons and went downstairs to let
Charlie know what we were doing. A few minutes later, the gate beeped. I keyed
the opener and we went outside to catch our ride.

"Mr. Hoskins," Agent Browne said as I walked
through the gate. He was holding open the back door of the SUV. Browne had been
my driver the first time I'd met with the EAB. This time, he was a lot
friendlier.

"Agent Browne," I replied as Charlie trotted up
behind me. "Good to see you again. This is Charlie."

"Good to meet you," he said as Charlie jumped in.

As I got in the back with Charlie, I saw that there was
someone in the front passenger seat. It took a moment to register his presence
beyond what I could see, as he exhibited all the signs of not being there. Let
me rephrase that. He was there, he just didn't register with my senses, not the
magical ones, anyway. He was somewhere between 30 and 40, with close cropped
brown hair that had just a tinge of grey at the sides, and brown eyes. He was
dressed in what appeared to be standard tan military camouflage with blacked
out patches. He looked human enough, but I knew it wasn't that simple.

When I talk about other Fae not being able to sense what I
am, I'm talking about the magic part. They think I'm just another human. But
this guy wasn't radiating anything. It was like he was a black hole. I could
see him, but nothing leaked out to explain what he was.

"He is a Null," Charlie said.

"Your dog's right," Browne said as he started the
SUV. "Allow me to introduce SGT. John McDaniel. He's attached to the
office as a military liaison."

"Mr. Hoskins, Charlie," McDaniel said as he turned
and leaned over the seat, extending his hand. "I was called in at the
request of your son, but we can discuss that later. I would have come out on
something like this anyway."

"A pleasure," I said, shaking his hand. "I'm
sorry to be rude, but what exactly is a Null?"

"No offence taken," he replied. "We're kind
of rare. Let's just say that magic doesn’t affect me like regular folks. I like
to think of it as leveling the playing field. Unless one of your kind sees me
with their eyes, there's a good chance they won't know I'm there. It's not
perfect. I can tell you sense something is missing. But it comes in hand, more
often than not."

"I can see where it would," I agreed, not taking
the
your kind
comment personally. If I hadn't seen him when we got into
the SUV, I probably wouldn't have known he was here, either. "So, what do
we have? I didn't get a briefing; I was just told to be here."

"Our little conjurer from yesterday woke up this
morning," Browne began. "He's 19, and he didn’t get the spell from
some used book. Instead, he found it at a place up in Lee Canyon. Claims he couldn’t
get his hands on the book itself, but managed to take a picture of the page the
spell came from when the owner was distracted. Apparently, the boy is not the
little Angel his mother thinks he is. We found his other books hidden in the
attic. Turns out he started reading Anton LaVey a while back and now considers
himself a born again Satanist."

Lee Canyon was one of two roads that led to the Mt
Charleston recreational area. Less populated, and with a ski resort at the top,
some of the older homes in the area had opted to stay off the grid. Although
technology was reaching out to the more rugged areas, it was the perfect place
to stay low profile.

"He says he hooked up with someone who he met on the
Internet with similar interests and snuck a photo of the book during a... well,
let's just call it a liaison, he had last week. Claims the guy is a dark Witch
or Wizard, and was looking for a new acolyte. We tracked the location to a spot
up in Lee Canyon. Best we can tell, the information is accurate. We have eyes
on the ground and the place is definitely shrouded using dark magic. Our team
is going to hit it this morning and they want you there for the investigative
follow up. We're hoping we can develop some information that will be useful
against any other of these Demons out there. Your friend Michael should be
there as well. He's got some expertise in these matters and, as you've now learned,
we're not shy about working with the local Fae when it comes to this kind of
thing."

Browne continued his drive to the mountain as we talked.
When were still a few miles from the ski resort, he slowed down and turned left
onto a gravel road, before pulling over a mile or so later behind several more
black SUVs. As we stopped, the sergeant got out I looked to Agent Browne for
instructions.

"You two need to stay with me for a few. We'll go in
after the entry team." He looked at me with the rear view mirror. "We
should have a good view from here, though."

Looking through the windshield, Charlie and I watched
McDaniel walk to one of the other SUVs and receive something out of the
passenger window. A moment later, I saw it was a set of binoculars. He then walked
up to a man in black fatigues who was on his knees in the center of the road.
Kneeling beside him, they had a short conversation, and then McDaniel held up
his hand, giving a count with his fingers When he reached zero, he took off in
a crouch across the desert toward a higher patch of ground that looked almost
like a low lying mesa. A moment later, he disappeared. Damn! I hadn't sensed a
thing.

I knew it had to be some type of magic veil, but even if
made with dark magic, I was surprised that I couldn't see any evidence of it. Since
I had sensed nothing out here the other day, either; I could only surmise that
whoever conjured it knew what they were doing. The thought did not comfort me.
Turning my concentration to the man kneeling in the road, I suddenly realized
that he was projecting something as well.

"Who's that?" I asked, now catching a glimpse of
shimmering radiating from him.

"That's Slater, one of our Mages," Browne replied.
"The target is actually located on the small rise in front of us. Our
target chose a spot that gave him a good view of the area. Whatever he's using
to mask it is still up, so Slater is projecting a wall of his own to hide us.
He would have walked the other vehicles in before we got here so they wouldn't
be observed. He'll maintain his position until McDaniel gives the go ahead,
then they'll make entry. You'll enjoy that part."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"You made entries on high risk targets when you were a
cop, right?" Browne asked.

"Yeah, of course," I replied.

"Ever use magic to do it?"

"No," I admitted.

"I don’t want to spoil it," he said with a laugh. "But
you're going to love our version of a flash-bang."

Browne was, as I mentioned, much friendlier than last time. It
also apparent that he knew a lot about me. Much more than I expected. I wasn't
going to ask him about it, but it was something I was going to remember.

A few minutes later, McDaniel reappeared at almost the same
location he'd disappeared from. This time, however, he was crawling. He stood
and jogged back to the SUVs, giving the Mage in the road a thumbs up as he
passed by. Several people, all in dark camo, exited their vehicles as he
approached. After a short huddle, they got back into the SUVs and began to pull
away. As McDaniel followed, the departing vehicles stopped just short of the
Mage in the road. Then someone exited the rear passenger side of the front SUV
and joined him. McDaniel took his spot in the vehicle. I heard two clicks on
the car radio as they met up. The kneeling Mage stood, and both faced the dark
magic veil with raised hands.

There was a burst of psychic energy, similar to one I would
project in battle, but much larger and violent, as it was almost unfocused. I
could almost see the clouds of energy rolling back and forth, psychic lightning
and thunder cracking over the area that had once been hidden. I could just
imagine the effect it would have on anyone inside. Much more than a flash-bang
grenade that would have distracted its target with just light and noise. With
engines straining, the three SUVs drove forward, tires spinning, and raced to a
structure where it seemed just desert had been before. Even with the windows up,
I could smell the sulphuric odor of the dark magic veil as it blew apart and
drifted, slowly dissipating in the breeze.

The radio clicked again. Browne started up the engine and
pulled forward, following the other black SUV that had stayed behind. Stopping
a hundred yards shy of the others, I saw the operation was already in progress.
With almost textbook precision, agents were out of their vehicles and assaulting
what I could now see looked to be a Victorian style mansion. The mixture of
technology with swords and sorcery was fascinating to watch as at least twelve
agents moved into position, carrying various weapons, from military grade
assault rifles to swords and wands. Agents entered from the front as others
moved in at the sides and rear. A few minutes later, the radio clicked again,
and the two SUVs moved forward toward the house.

"We're good to go," Browne said as he opened his
door. "We're heading to the other SUV first."

I opened my door and got out, Charlie behind me. I followed
Browne to the other vehicle. As we approached, the doors opened and two agents
waited as Michael from the Neptune exited from the rear.

"Welcome to the party," he said as I approached.

I nodded as the agent from the passenger side began to speak.