Shift of Time (A Rue Darrow Novel Book 1) (10 page)

“Private party,” he said. “They paid Almonester
a lot
.”

The person would have had to for him to turn away his regulars. Who was that rich? I scanned the crowd again. Waitresses we didn’t employ moved about the crowd with trays of alcohol. Their pockets bulged with payments and tips. Drunken men smacked their butts while upending bottles, and I cringed.

I turned back to Orin. “Where’s Almonester.”

“You know he hates humans.”

“He hates everyone.”

Orin shrugged. He turned a gleaming smile on a customer, but the wattage was too high. The woman proceeded to climb onto bar to get at him. I kept one elbow bracing myself on the bar and reached with the other hand to drag her down. She dropped to her spiky heels on the floor and whined. By then Orin realized his mistake and corrected it. The woman blinked in confusion.

The beat of the music changed to something heavy and dangerous. I clenched my jaw. Perhaps if I distracted myself with work, it might help. I didn’t move. My feet felt planted, and I realized I was reluctant to stir from the spot nearest the humans. Inside my mouth, my fangs descended, and I slapped a hand over my lips.

Change the music!
I willed the words to Orin, but he went on pouring a double martini. Desperate, I reached a hand out to grasp the glass. The liquid splashed everywhere as I crushed the glass in my palm. Bad move because now I smelled blood. Even if it was my own blood, it smelled sweet and intoxicating.

Orin glanced up, eyes widened, and took in the situation in an instant. He stooped to grab something from beneath the counter. I thought it might be a tree root, but it was gnarled and brown, and it smelled of earth. His lips moved, but I couldn’t hear him. All I heard, even above the music now, was the ocean of beating hearts.

Just as I turned to find my first victim, I spotted Pammie from the corner of my eye, whisking away from the bar. Orin raised a hand over the crowd, and every person froze. The music died seconds after. The Rusty Ankle went from frenzied movement and sounds to the silence of a tomb.

I took one step forward and crashed into Almonester. The onslaught of darkness and greed I picked up from him almost brought me to my knees. I recoiled in disgust, and he frowned at me, arms wide.

“Get out!”

“I…” Speaking with my fangs descended was awkward and embarrassing. I didn’t make a practice of doing it. The movies might make it sexy, but it was closer to having a lisp. My tongue didn’t know what to do with itself.

“Out,” Almonester repeated. “You can’t work here tonight.”

I pressed my fingers to my lips, willing my fangs to recede. The blood lust was calming down. Chances of me attacking anyone weren’t high, and I tried to tell Almonester so. “I’m okay now. I need the money after being off, Almonester.”

“This spell might last another minute. You be on the street in that time.”

“You’re firing me?”

He didn’t appear to want to explain himself. “Maybe you can come back. Not tonight.”

I had to accept that and left the bar soon after. As I strode along the street, I wondered what happened. How had I lost control? Maybe Bill would know? I wanted to drop by the library to ask him, but our next session wasn’t for two days. Dropping by every day would bother other visitors.

“Rue.”

I stopped walking and glanced back. Orin jogged up to me. I had never seen him on the street and wondered where he lived. “You’re not off, are you?”

“No. I just wanted to tell you what happened. You seemed confused.”

“What did happen? One minute I was okay. I mean the music hurt more than usual, but I can usually adjust.”

He appeared sheepish. “The spells are ramped up because the person who rented the bar is loaded. Almonester ordered it. Even Pammie and I got caught up in our own—”

“Duplicity?” I supplied, and he frowned.

“Spells don’t work well on me,” I said.

“True, but the music and like you said you were weaker from the pain in your ears. There are always ways someone can get around your strength.”

“That sounds like a threat.”

He grinned. “No, just a warning. You’ve heard about the power of music.”

“I suppose so.”

“The music we played is geared to stir the humans to party harder and drink more. That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have an effect on a nonhuman. Don’t worry. Almonester wants you to keep working for him. He hasn’t fired you, but under the circumstances, he can’t have you eating the customers either.”

“That’s not funny, Orin. Why does Almonester want me there?”

He winked. “You’re beautiful.”

I rolled my eyes.

“See you tomorrow night. I have to get back.”

“Okay.” I watched him go and thought about what he said. Almonester hadn’t fired me. Knowing it gave me relief but hearing that the man had amped the spells to trick the humans made me think if I were my old self, I would have already quit.

My morality took a back seat to my next thought. Orin and Pammie both sensed the box on my back. Both their gazes had strayed to the backpack and held when I first walked into the bar. Neither of them had commented.

K
en was late
. I squirmed at the table I occupied because I had asked for both water and wine and touched neither. When I drew the stares of one or two men at other tables, I raised the wine glass to my lips but barely allowed the liquid to touch my skin. One of the men raised his with a hopeful expression. I cast a chilly one back, and he blanched.

When forty-five minutes passed, I opened my email on my phone and wrote to Nathan. Contacting him was risky, but I would take it.

“Tonight’s good,” he wrote. “How about Fulton Alley?”

I hoped he wouldn’t expect me to bowl, but I agreed. Fifteen minutes. As an afterthought, I wrote again to inform him I was a vampire and waited for an answer.

“Cool.”

I grinned. Okay, we were good. After paying for my wine and heading to the exit, I lamented not asking to see Georgia. Then again, I didn’t want to make her think I was caving. I left the restaurant and waited until I reached the end of the block to pick up the pace. Before I had taken two steps, a figure blocked my path. I backpedaled fast. Maybe it was a coincidence that he had moved in the way just as I had increased my speed.

“Rue? Is that you? I’m Ken.”

I put several yards between us. “What kind of fool do you take me for?”

He smiled and raised his hands, palms up. “I apologize. Another job kept me longer than I intended. I’m glad I caught you—”

“Demon,” I accused him.

He fell silent, and the fake smile faded. “Yes, I’m a demon. Don’t hold it against me.”

“You didn’t say so on the phone.”

“Let’s move past what we are, vampire. You want information on the shift of time, don’t you?”

I had heard that term before when the last demon attacked me and demanded it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Stop playing games. You’re looking for the shift of time. I can lead you to it.”

“What do you want in exchange?”

“Your allegiance.”

“Alleg—are you crazy?”

“You and I become allies. I call on you when I need you.”

“And what do I do, draw a pentagram and conjure you when I need you?”

“You could, or you can send an email or leave me a voicemail.”

My mouth fell open. “You live on this plane?”

“No, I’d need a human body for that. You beings born here have all the luck and fun.”

“Um, I feel very lucky that I almost killed a couple hundred people tonight.” I was being sarcastic.

“See? Fun.”

I shook my head. “I won’t be allying myself with you, Ken.” Was that even his real name? A demon named Ken. Odd. “I will take that information.”

“Do you intend to attack me for it? I warn you, I’m a lesser demon. I won’t go down easily.”

“Lesser? Wouldn’t that make you uh…
lesser
?”

His nostrils flared. I examined Ken, taking in his dark clothing. At five foot ten, maybe a hundred seventy pounds, with black eyes, a hook nose and cruel mouth, I had already figured out he was a demon upon sight. The fact that I sensed greater strength led me to believe he was not an imp. He might be on the same level as that other demon. Now I knew the name of his level and vowed to look up more about them in the library.

I scanned the area around me. Humans were nearby, but none had been close enough to hear our conversation. If we engaged in battle, people couldn’t help but notice, and someone might call the police.

“Let’s go,” I said. By the time we reached a more remote area, I was already past my fifteen-minute appointment with Nathan. I had heard my phone ding in my pocket. Well, it was just as well if things with him were going to turn out this way, too.

Ken and I circled each other. My muscles tensed, and I took a stance Bill had taught me. My feet were staggered and little a wider than my hips. I raised my arms, balling up my fists and kept my rear elbow and forearm close to my body. Bill had said this would protect my solar plexus. He had kindly demonstrated the results when I forgot the instruction.

In my head, I went through all the other steps to getting ready to fight and to protecting myself. The demon appeared amused by actions, and I had the feeling he thought I would be easy prey. Maybe that other demon had reported in that I was weak.

“What is the shift of time?” I asked.

“A tool.”

“Where did it come from? Where is it now? Do the demons have it or a human?”

I’d asked about the human because I had smelled a human on the box. Ken chuckled and shook his head. “You ask a lot of questions.”

He sprung at me, moving faster than I expected, almost a streak of black whizzing through the air. I drew back my fist and adjusted my sight to slow him down and see every detail. When I did, I gaped at the man who hurtled at Ken from the side and flew with him into a brick wall.

“Who was that?” I whispered.

A squeal of pain echoed from the massive hole in the wall, and something shot out of the darkness and took off down the street. I ran after it and had to step into the wind to catch up. Three blocks away, I reached out to grab the thing by the scruff of the neck. We stopped cold, and when I realized what I had, I dropped it and stepped back.

Baleful yellow eyes stared at me from the ground. The beast crouched, but it was huge, much bigger than the average wolf. “You are the werewolf, aren’t you?” I asked. “Nathan?”

He lowered his head and pushed his nose against his paw. I sniffed and realized his problem. The demon had been dispatched, and the scent burned the werewolf’s nose, but the smell wasn’t like killing the imps.

“There’s no full moon. How are you able to change?”

He seemed to glare at me but said nothing.

“You can’t talk in this form? Turn back.”

Again nothing.

“Well, you owe me,” I said. “You killed my contact.”

A whine this time.

“Change back, stupid werewolf! I don’t have all night.”

The wolf rolled its eyes. I gave up on him and turned away. The only link I had was lost, and this silly werewolf, which was much less impressive than I had thought he would be, couldn’t help.

His claws clicked on the cement behind me, and I looked back. “Don’t follow me.”

I started walking again, and so did he. “Stop! This is the problem, isn’t it? Not that werewolves will eat their clients but that they won’t go away. Is that it?”

He bristled with insult, and I smiled. We had a staring contest, and then he raised his nose to the air. The yellow eyes rolled in the direction of my backpack. I curled my fingers into fists.

“If you think you’ll steal from me, you’ll be a dead dog by sunrise,” I warned.

The fur seemed to wave in the still night air, and without warning, the wolf became a man. I blinked at him. Nathan Harris was naked as the day he was born, crouched on the ground, and very muscular. While I couldn’t judge with him bent low, I guessed he must be at least six foot five. This was why people were afraid. He was huge.

“Nathan Harris,” he said, “and you must be Rue.”

“Um, yes. Can you put clothes on?”

“I would but seeing as I’m out…”

I averted my eyes as he stood.

“Don’t stand up,” I squeaked.

He chuckled. “You have something in that pack I might be able to wrap around myself.”

I spun to face him, staring. “How do you know?”

He touched his nose. “There’s something else there, too, very interesting scent. Smells like Fae, and human, and—”

“Stay out of my backpack!”

He appeared apologetic. I wasn’t used to this type of treatment and struggled to calm down.

“Can I borrow the clothing?” he asked. “If it will make you feel any better, I can smell the cotton, and I assume—or hope—it’s a jacket or something flexible I can at least hold in front while I find clothes.”

“Nothing I have will fit you.”

He nodded. “You are a tiny vampire.”

“Thank you.” I glared at him, but to stop the awkward feeling that came over me, I did dig into my backpack to give him the jacket. The night had been very cool in recent days, and I had wanted to appear normal by wearing a jacket. However, I had forgotten to use it since the cold didn’t bother me.

I handed the jacket to Nathan, sure he wouldn’t be able to put it on without ripping it to shreds. I was wrong. He managed to wear the item in the form of a loincloth.

“It might be a good idea to carry around a change of clothing,” I suggested.

“I do when I need to, but I didn’t expect to run into trouble.”

We strode along the street side by side as if one spotted big naked men on a daily basis in New Orleans.

“How did you know where I was? I only told you my name and where we would meet.”

He grinned. “I sniffed for a vampire no more than fifteen minutes from the bowling alley.”

I felt foolish. “That’s simple enough, but I move much faster. I could have been farther away.”

“I took a chance. Once I picked up your scent, I knew it was you.”

“We don’t have much of a scent.”

“Not much but you have
some
, and there is a common odor.” His chest swelled. “You can’t fool my nose, Rue. I’m the real deal.”

And I suppose I’m chopped liver.
“Uh huh. Don’t call it an odor.”

Nathan stopped walking and faced me. He pointed to my pack. “I can sniff out the Fae whose scent is on that thing you have.”

I frowned. “I already know the Fae, unless you’re saying there’s more than one.”

“No, one Fae scent. If you expected another one, let me smell closer.”

“No way, buddy.” I pointed a finger at him. “First, confirm for me, you can change whenever you want?”

“No, not whenever. It’s easier closer to the full moon, but if I’m worked up, I might change without notice. Again, if it’s not a full moon—or waxing or waning—I can’t change back unless I calm down. Pretty annoying. During the three most important nights of the month, I can change at will, but…”

“But what?”

He toyed with the zipper on my jacket. I didn’t ever want it back. Nathan glanced up at me. “I can change at will during that time, but I don’t
want
to.”

“Meaning you want to eat people?”

“I’m always safe,” he insisted. “I go away alone until it’s over and when I can think straight. I promise I won’t hurt you. I need the money. I want to go to a grocery store and grill my steak like everyone else.”

I cringed. “Please, don’t feel you must share every detail about your life.”

He grinned. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like a loser. I’m not homeless if that’s what you’re worried about. I have an apartment and a roommate. He’s a werewolf too, but he has much better control of himself and his…”

“Tendencies?”

“If you want, I can lead you to the human right now.”

“What human?”

He pointed to my bag. “The human I smell on that thing.”

“You can smell it from over there?” I marveled. “I had to put my nose close and focus to pick it up. I don’t know why it’s so much more subtle than the rest.”

“Because there’s a lot of magic coming off the whatever it is that’s blocking the human’s scent. What is it?”

“That’s my business.”

Nathan rocked on his bare heels and toes. “This could be over tonight.”

I admit he tempted me. He could be lying, but it was worth a shot, and I had the feeling he wasn’t going to attack me. At least, not right now. I glanced up at the sky. The half moon meant I was semi-safe. Then again, he could have something to do with whoever took the shift of time. Nathan killed Ken without hesitation, but he had said he never attacked anyone.

“You killed Ken back there.”

“Ken?” Nathan sneered. “It shouldn’t have a name. It’s not a person.”

“So you knew it was a demon?”

“Yes, they stink.”

I snapped my fingers. “He didn’t smell like sulphur. Only the imps do.”

“They all smell like evil to me. I can’t describe it, but it hurts my nose when they die. I hate fighting them, but I hate them here more.”

“Hm, interesting. You did squeal.”

He blushed, and I chuckled.

“Okay, how about I give you one third now and the rest if wherever you lead me doesn’t kill me and I learn something useful?” I named the entire figure I was willing to pay him, and his eyes lit up. The low number to me must have sounded like a gourmet meal to him.

After Nathan agreed, I opened the backpack and the pouch just enough for him to stick his nose in. The box, hidden at the base of the pouch stayed out of view, and I watched him with narrowed eyes in case he tried anything.

“Got it,” he said, raising his head, and he pointed. “That way.”

“Clothes?” I said.

“Oh yeah.”

“Oh yeah? Are you used to running around the city naked?”

“Not always.”

“I’m beginning to think you’re poor because you’re arrested often for indecent exposure.”

“That would be free food.”

“Touché.” I followed him over to his apartment, wondering if that was any better an idea since he said his roommate was like him. The expansive back before me flexed with each movement, and I noted however hard times were for Nathan, he wasn’t starving.

A half hour later, we slipped into Nathan’s apartment. The place was a mess with leftover Chinese food containers on the table, clothes tossed about, and books everywhere. Either Nathan or his roommate still liked dead tree reading. The layout of the apartment was roomy, but what caught my attention was the size of the furniture. Every stitch, from the dining set to the couches seemed handpicked or maybe custom made for big men. I had the feeling if I sat at the table, my feet would dangle in the air.

I relaxed a little because while I smelled his roommate, I didn’t hear his heartbeat. He wasn’t home. Nathan disappeared inside his bedroom and returned moments later fully dressed. He held out my jacket.

“Keep it.”

He fiddled with it between his hands for a few minutes and then smiled, tossing the jacket on the couch. “Come on. Let’s get moving.”

“Why did leaving the jacket in the apartment make you smile?” I asked when we reached the street.

Nathan chuckled, obviously proud of himself. “My roommate’s going to know you were there.”