Playing with Darkness: Book 3.5 (Sensor Series) (2 page)

I could sense Sable’s discomfort getting worse. Micah could have helped, but he was missing. There weren’t any other healers I knew about who could handle something like this and Lucas was too busy looking for Micah for me to consider bothering him.

Someone at the fae city could help. Sable had been bred there and they had healers. I was overdue for a visit anyway, still needing to return the fae portal device I’d recovered two weeks ago. They were probably annoyed I hadn’t rushed it back to them right away, but bringing it now would give me leverage in case I needed it to get my shape-shifter healed.

I pulled my phone from my back pocket and began making calls.

Chapter Two

Ulric, the werewolf pilot I’d hired, nodded at Kerbasi and me as we walked up to his floater plane. It was just past dawn and we were meeting him at a local shaman’s airstrip. Charlie, the shaman, hadn’t minded when I’d called late last night asking to use it. I’d had to make a lot of calls to get everything in place to leave.

Not long ago Ulric and I had fought together in a battle to get Fairbanks back under our control from a powerful female nephilim. He’d come away with a few injuries, but he looked good now.

His shaggy brown hair wasn’t long enough to pull back behind his ears, but it did reach to the corners of his hazel eyes. They’d been black and blue thanks to a broken nose the last time I’d seen him. He might not have been as heavily built as some werewolves, but he fought just as hard as any of them. Not to mention the muscles he did have on his medium build were earned through hard work living out in
the bush
of Alaska.

Ulric’s gaze moved down to the lynx snuggled in my arms. Genuine concern reflected in his eyes.

“How is she?” he asked.

Normally Sable always paid attention to her surroundings. This time she just shuddered a little and kept her eyes closed.

“Not any better. I have no idea what’s wrong with her.” If anything, she’d gotten worse during the night. She felt hot to the touch, making me think she’d developed a fever.

He nodded. “Her breeder should know what to do.”

“Can you take her and get her settled in the plane?” I asked, holding her out in my arms. “I’ve got to say goodbye to Emily before I go.”

“No problem.” He gently took the shape-shifter kitty from me.

I walked back to the car we’d driven to the landing strip. The red Mustang was one of many vehicles that belonged to Nik, the master vampire of the area, but Lisette was borrowing it. I was thankful the pixie hadn’t left town since the battle and was willing to watch over Emily for me while I was gone. Most of the other people I trusted were vampires and unable to keep track of the teenager during the day.

“You gonna stay out of trouble?” I asked Emily, taking my pack from her.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course.”

Her answer didn’t quite ring true on my lie detector abilities, but I doubted very many teenagers could answer that question honestly.

I slung the pack over my shoulder. “Okay, well, give me a hug and pretend like you mean it.”

She sighed and embraced me for about two seconds before letting go.

“Just make sure Sable is okay,” she said, glancing in the direction of the plane. At least the cat got some concern from her.

“I will,” I promised.

Lisette, who’d been my best friend since high school, gave me a genuine hug. She had such a tiny figure that I had to remember my newly-acquired strength while embracing her. The wind blew her hair up and tickled my nose before I pulled away. She hadn’t changed it from the white color, even though it’d been over a month since she arrived in Fairbanks. Guess the pixie hadn’t decided on a new shade yet.

“Try to keep that idiot guardian in line,” she warned. “They’re not going to be happy when you show up with him. I thought about contacting them to let them know you’re coming, but I didn’t want to be the one to break the news about your tagalong.”

I snorted. “They’ll find out soon enough.”

If there’d been any way to leave him, I would have. But the damn arm cuffs we wore were magically spelled so that we couldn’t be more than a half-mile apart.

I headed to where the guardian still stood. For the first time since I’d met him, he looked nervous. Even his silver eyes swirled in an irregular pattern I hadn’t seen before.

“Are you sure this…this thing is safe?” he asked, eyeing the plane with trepidation.

“Yes.” I moved toward the door. “And even if something bad happened, it’s not like it could kill you.”

He hesitated a moment before following close behind. I pointed him to a seat and showed him how to buckle up. He probably didn’t need the safety precaution, but it would keep him confined and out of trouble.

I found my own spot by where Ulric had set Sable. After tucking away my bag and getting myself strapped in, I took the sick kitty into my arms and held her securely. The werewolf wasted no time getting the plane off the ground. At least the flight to the Yukon Territory in Canada wouldn’t take long.

***

We landed on a pond about two miles from Feidlimid. They had rules about modern technology getting too close to the city so we were going to have to hike the rest of the way. Not wanting to jostle Sable any more than necessary, I forced everyone to walk slowly.

When a large black bird flew over our heads, I glared at it. That was no ordinary bird, but a fae who’d used a spell to change into that form. For the first few minutes of our walk it circled closely and squawked at us. If my hands hadn’t been full, I might have been tempted to shoot the thing. It was a relief when it finally flew away and headed south.

Ulric remained quiet as we moved along, but Kerbasi grumbled every time he tripped over a rock or some brush. When he stumbled over a small hole in the ground and fell, I couldn’t help snickering. His face was covered in mud when he lifted it up. Due to recent heavy rains, the terrain was soggier than usual and the warm summer temperatures kept it from freezing like it might have any other time of year.

Kerbasi staggered to his feet and wiped his face with his blue t-shirt. There were splotches of mud all over him. Seeing him look so messy was almost cute.

“My shoes are inappropriate for such terrain,” he grumbled.

“Well, you’re the one who turned down a pair of boots when I offered to get you some,” I pointed out.

It was all we could do to get the guardian to agree on wearing jeans and t-shirts instead of robes. He’d drawn the line at footwear and insisted on keeping the sandals he’d brought with him from Purgatory. How did the archangels expect me to change the ways of a forty-five-hundred-year-old immortal, anyway?

“Put on the spare shirt in your pack,” I said, grateful I’d insisted we all bring a change of clothes just in case. “We can get the rest of you cleaned up later.”

The guardian might be clumsy, but he was also fastidious. He wasted no time removing his shirt and getting out the spare one. I caught a glimpse of light olive skin and heavy muscle before he covered himself back up. It was really too bad a nice body was wasted on an evil man like him.

As soon as he was ready, we continued on our way. Kerbasi was a lot more careful after that, choosing every step as if there might be landmines ahead. When the city came into view, I wasn’t sure whether to be glad or nervous. I slowed my pace to match the guardian’s.

“You need to keep a low profile while we’re here. Don’t talk to anyone, keep your wings hidden, and don’t touch anything. Understand?” I gave him my most menacing look.

The corner of his lips lifted. “We shall see.”

“I mean it, Kerbasi,” I said, adjusting Sable in my arms. “We’re not here to cause trouble. I just want to get my cat better, return the portal device, and get out of here.”

Ulric glanced back at us. “As much as I’d love to stay with you two, we’re gonna have to part ways when we get to the city. I’ve got business with someone that will take most of the day.”

I couldn’t blame him for wanting to ditch us.

“How will I find you when we’re ready to leave?” I asked.

He grinned. “You’ll find me at The Slap and Tickle. It’s on the northwest side of the city.”

Something told me the business he’d be conducting was not the kind he’d be making money from. Living out in the bush, he probably didn’t see women very often and especially not ones where he didn’t have to hide his werewolf nature. I’d heard his race could get rather wild in bed when they were able to let loose.

“Fine. Take care of yourself, but if we don’t get back to you by nightfall then you can assume something went wrong.” I was getting the sinking sensation this trip was already doomed.

Feidlimid became visible about the time we came upon the gravel road leading to it. I’d been there a few weeks ago, but a lot had changed since then. When I’d left, the fae had just begun recovering from a fatal blast that had destroyed much of the outskirts of their city.

They were building a new wall to replace the old one that had been obliterated. It didn’t look to be much taller than my height at this point, but layer by layer they were laying the stones to make it impenetrable. In the meantime, an invisible dome infused with protection spells shielded them against everything except my race, which was immune to magic.

It was a sensor who’d attacked Feidlimid before and they needed physical barriers to guard against us. We were the natural enemies of all supernaturals. They only tolerated me inside the city because they found me useful.

A druid and an orc stood as sentinels at the gate. My senses had told me that long before we got close enough to see them clearly. I didn’t know the druid, but I recognized the orc’s signature as Varn.

As soon as he saw me coming, he covered his sunken-in nose. I’d learned the best way to deal with difficult orcs was with violence. They respected you more for it.

“You back,” he said in a nasally voice. “You no hit me again?”

I smiled. “Not unless you give me a reason.”

“And you say I am the violent one.” Kerbasi snorted.

“Who this?” Varn asked, narrowing his eyes at the guardian.

The orc was bulkier than Kerbasi, but about half a foot shorter. The height difference didn’t make him any less intimidating, though. Something about his large, misshapen head with tiny facial features just made a person want to keep their distance. It didn’t help that the orc’s meaty fists looked like they could take down an ox with one good strike. That’s why I’d hit him in the nose when he gave me trouble the last time we’d met. It was the only vulnerable spot I’d found on him.

“He’s no one of any importance,” I replied, shrugging.

The guardian’s shoulders stiffened, but the warning look I shot him kept his mouth closed.

“He go inside now.” Varn nodded at Ulric. “But you and the weird one wait for escort.”

I shifted Sable in my arms. “How long is that going to take? I’ve got a sick cat here who needs help immediately.”

The druid, wearing the typical dark gray robe his race preferred, stepped forward. “Your arrival was noted the moment your plane landed. Someone will have been dispatched by now and sent to meet you here. It won’t be long.”

That explained the bird that’d been flying annoyingly over our heads. There hadn’t been any fae wandering outside Feidlimid the last time I’d visited. Maybe the elders had decided to extend their perimeter security now that their shield was back up. They’d learned the hard way that sensors like myself couldn’t be stopped from attacking in time if they didn’t have someone out far enough out to notice them. Magic spells would alert them to anyone else approaching, but not us.

“Fine, but I can’t wait long.” I glanced down at Sable. “She’s getting worse.”

The druid stepped forward and ran his pale hand over the shape-shifter. Sable relaxed at his touch. He was sending out faint healing vibes that seemed to improve her condition a little, though not enough to make her feel better.

I couldn’t make out all of the druid’s features with his hood drawn closely to his face, but his bushy blue eyebrows stood out. He was also pursing his thin lips.

“It feels as if she’s been poisoned, though I know not with what. You will need to visit Garvan as soon as your escort arrives. He is the one who can help.” The druid moved back to his previous post.

“Thank you,” I said, giving him a respectful nod.

Ulric squeezed my arm. “I must be on my way, but you know where you can find me if you need anything.”

“Don’t have too much fun.”

A twinkle lit his eyes. “That’s the plan.”

I watched him swagger through the gate with envy. Would I ever have that kind of easy access to the city or would the fae always be distrustful of me? One thing was for sure—as long as I had Kerbasi around I doubted they’d ever see me as anything but a threat.

A few minutes later a familiar druid popped up on my radar, heading toward the entrance at what had to be a brisk walk. Nienna was coming. That was fine with me. I actually liked and respected her so it wouldn’t be that bad to have her as an escort.

When she appeared down the road wearing the same dark gray robe as the other druid, I moved closer to meet her. The guards didn’t try to stop me as I went past the gate. I braced myself for the dome. It felt like an electric charge hit my mind and body as I passed through it. Sensors were not meant to be hit with that much magic at once. If I’d still been mortal, it might have knocked me out.