Stone Chameleon (Ironhill Jinn #1) (6 page)

Scrubbing at his eyes, he let out a harsh breath. “Be careful, you hear?” He pointed his pen at me, his gaze speaking volumes that I had more to worry about than the mystery creature or his idle threats. Even though Isaac had agreed to let me consult, he wouldn’t accept my help graciously, nor would he be satisfied with my word.

Gerry hadn’t told me anything I didn’t already know.

D
om reached for the front door of the modest bungalow he shared with his grandmother. “It’s kind of embarrassing having my boss walk me to my house.”

“I put you in danger tonight, and I feel terrible. Seeing you safely to your door is the least I can do.” I glanced around the night for signs of Isaac and found only a quiet street.

“I feel so stupid. I said a lot of crap I shouldn’t have because he pissed me off. Would he really come after me?”

“No, I’m not worried for you, Dom.”

“You’re worried for
you
,
and so am I.” He twisted his young head, and innocence stared back at me from a pale face streaked with pink. “I’d have lied for you, you know.”

Mercy mother of hellfire. “First rule of dealing with vampires—you can’t lie to one, and if I ever hear you say that again, I’ll sic your grandmother on you. I’ve been on the wrong end of one of her tirades, and that plump finger she shook at me was almost as terrifying as Isaac.” Mrs. Kennedy had been so worried when Gerry finally allowed Dom access to a phone at the precinct.

Dom laughed and opened the door. “Tell me about it. I’m about to endure one about my new sneaks and clothes Detective Peterson incinerated, not to mention showing up in prison orange. Think I’ll keep the part about Isaac threatening to rip out my throat to myself.”

When I turned to go, he caught my forearm gently in his hand. “Wait, Lou. I know how much you hate the term monster, but after seeing up close what he’s capable of, I don’t understand how you can see vampires as anything else.”

“Monster is in the choices we make, and in the actions we take, not in the genetic code of a species. There are innocents in the hive and in every clan, horde, and pack out there.” At his skeptical shrug, I drew up a shred of truth, knowing he’d never believe it, anyway. “What if I told you I was a fearsome creature of old with limitless power, who can crack the earth in half on a whim? Given the choices I’ve made in my life, would you still call me a monster?”

He didn’t pause long before saying, “No, I wouldn’t. I guess nothing’s black and white like I thought.” His mouth opened, but whatever he’d been about to say never came out. He smiled instead. “So, do I still get to work for you after this craptastic day?”

“You did well today, but you still have a lot to learn. Be on time, be prepared to listen, and we’ll get along splendidly.” I squeezed his arm and turned as he opened the door.

My affection for the young man swelled in my heart. I’d have a new pair of shoes for him Monday morning, along with a company cell phone. After facing down a rambunctious group of reporters desperate for a story and an irate vampire, he’d earned all the official bells and whistles, and then some.

On my way back to the car, I remembered my night wasn’t over. It seemed cruel to go on a hunt after such a trying day, but the price tag attached to Connor Lewiston’s pest removal kept me from cancelling.

When I couldn’t raise Blake or Rudy on their cells, and confirming Harper remained in the healing tank, I headed home to change my clothes. If I had to remove an emotional creature solo, I’d be getting dirty.

I drove my Ford Focus to the north side of the city and pulled into the parking lot of Rhoda’s Antique Shack. It had an old-fashioned storefront, with aged glass allowing a glimpse into the display within. Bejeweled lamps, royally upholstered chairs in deep burgundies and golds, and an assortment of rustic wooden furniture were most prevalent under the amber spotlights shining down on the eccentric woman’s latest arrangement.

An electronics store promised bargains galore on the left of the plaza, and a German pastry shop on the right perfumed the summer evening with scents of buttery treats baking in their ovens.

My stomach grumbled about my having ignored it for too long. I hoped I had something in my cupboards to satisfy it in a hurry so I could get going on my last job of the day. At least I hoped it would be my last job. The day already felt as if it would never end, so the vampire case would have to wait until the morning.

Few cars dotted the parking lot when I climbed out of the Focus. Tendrils of power crawled up through my feet and tingled in my flesh. The main reason I’d begged Mum to let us live in Ironhill was the residual magic that permeated the soil during the war. We’d lived with a friend of hers in Ironhill upon arriving in the United States, and the humming of the earth in the city had called to me, made me think “home”. Given the concentration of preternaturals in the city, higher than any other place in the country by a large margin, I wasn’t the only one who found pleasure in the power-rich locale. I tried not to think about the thousands who’d died to make it so.

Calmer than I’d been all day, I opened the door to the stairwell that led up to my apartment above Rhoda’s. The narrow space held a chill from the store’s air conditioner, rattling me with shivers until I reached the top and slightly warmer temperatures.

Squeaking from the far side of the door came with the rattling of my keys against the dead bolt. I held my foot sideways as I entered to keep Benny from rushing out to get a head start on his complaining.

I smiled down at the mop of hair sniffing at my foot as I nudged the beige guinea pig aside and shut the door behind me. “Yes, yes, I’ve been gone a long time, I know.”

His squeal pierced my eardrums as he ran in circles and kicked his back feet out the way he did when he was particularly upset with me. The white rosette of hair on his forehead went every which way, an untamable cowlick that made him look like a Beatles version of a rodent rock star.

“You’re upset with me, I get it.” Hands propped on my knees, I bent toward him. “How about some nice carrots? Would that smooth things out?”

His sudden halt caused him to slide along the pale Italian-stone tiles I’d laid in the hall. Those round black eyes peered up at me, as if he understood what treat I offered.

“Well, come on then, let’s get you sorted out so I can slip away before you tell me off some more.”

I strode through my living room and entered the kitchen, with its maple cupboards and black granite countertops, Benny shuffling along beside me. From the stainless steel refrigerator, I retrieved a whole carrot and celery stick, picked up the squirming pig from the floor, and set him through the open door of his enclosure. The only place he did his business was in his cage, so I left him free to wander the house even when I wasn’t home.

“There, will that do you?” I tossed the treats into his bowl.

He dug those little rodent teeth into the carrot and turned his back on me. Clearly the vegetables wouldn’t be enough to earn his forgiveness.

Chuckling at my moody friend, I entered my bedroom, stripped off the skirt, pearls, and blouse, and donned a pair of skinny black jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt. The image in the mirror looked like I’d been going for burglar-chic instead of practical work attire.

Working alone, I tended to take more weapons with me. I opened the bottom drawer of the dresser and sorted through what I had. In my haste to leave the office, I’d left my elven
blades there. A spare set of bone-handled daggers made of tempered steel went on my upper arms in case I found myself wading up to my waist as Dom had done earlier. I never left home without a pair of those lovelies. A set of throwing knives in a specially designed harness adorned each of my ankles on top of the jeans.

The Japanese katana Blake had bought me on my first year anniversary—one that saw his business and profits triple—lay along my back, sheathed in deep-blue lacquered wood. One strap went over my shoulder, and another encircled at my waist and buckled at the front.

Another look at my reflection made me grin. “Now I look burglar-ninja-chic.”

Out of the corner of my eye, a blinking red light on my phone caught my attention. I groaned and sat on the bed, pressing the speed dial for my voice mail.

“Lou-Lou,” Mum said in a frantic rush, “are you there? Pick up, please. I don’t know where I am, and the people here won’t let me go home. Please help me.” Sniffles and sobs filled the pause.

I shut the phone off and closed my eyes, contending with the never-ending wound bleeding in the heart of me. Five years prior, Mum’s doctor had diagnosed her with early onset Alzheimers.

Given the hours I worked and the rate at which she’d declined, I’d been forced to put her in a care facility, of which every spare coin of my income went toward funding. She no longer had many lucid days, but on those she did, I received the same phone call. It would never cease to rip my soul apart.

It would be too late for me to call back, not that Mum would remember me by then, anyway. Her moments of awareness were fleeting, which, I supposed, was a blessing. Still, I couldn’t imagine the terror of waking up captive in a strange place, no matter how quickly it passed.

I put the phone down and retrieved my brush from the nightstand, closing my eyes to imagine she sat beside me on the bed, brushing my hair as she often used to.
Never let them see what you are, Lou-Lou Bean
, her voice whispered in my memory.
If they see, we both die.

I’d grown up with that warning, a tiny child when I’d first heard the words. It wasn’t until I was around five, when our neighbor died of a heart attack in the hallway outside our flat in Stourbridge, that I understood the concept of death and all its pain, fear, and finality.

“It was a close one today, Mum,” I whispered to the ghost of her presence, pulling the brush through my long black hair. “He’s watching me now, but I’ll do better. I’ll be more careful for us.”

The more I stroked the brush through my knots, the more peace fell over me. Mum believed a true lady brushed her hair at least a hundred times per day and dressed with elegance. I’d tried hard to become the woman she wanted me to be, but I’d disappointed her more often than not. She would have been proud of me today, though, wouldn’t she have?

Once again composed, I pinned my hair into a messy bun, donned my black boots, and returned to the living room, my focus fixed on the katana harness I hadn’t quite settled into the proper place around my waist yet. “Are you done being cross with me yet?”

Benny’s unusual squeak drew my gaze to him. I caught a beige streak bolting across the floor before he disappeared beneath my red sofa, whistling up a storm. I looked out the patio doors, where the light from my dining room spilled through the glass and painted a small swath of visibility in the darkness. A fat crow perched on the red cedar fence I’d erected out there for privacy. Strange time for him to be there.

“It’s just a bird, silly,” I said. “Now, be a good boy while I make some supper.”

T
he toasted peanut butter sandwich I choked down before leaving my apartment sat like a doughy clog at the bottom of my stomach. At least the growling had stopped. Windows rolled down to allow the summer night air to keep me alert, I guided my Focus through the thoroughfare of Ironhill toward the white spire of City Hall. Spot lights lit it up like a beacon at that time of night, a beautiful, pearly tower wrapped in sadness. A constant reminder of lives lost. Of a people lost. My people, even if I never knew them.

My GPS spoke directions over top of the late night revelry of the intoxicated masses swaying along the sidewalks at ten past eleven Friday night. I followed the robotic voice to the industrial district.

Sprawling factories spewed white clouds of pollutants into the starlit sky. Security guards paroled dark warehouses beneath the external security lighting, dogs in tow. I’d never been to that part of town at night and found it livelier than I expected. What did they keep in the warehouses that required such formal security?

Squinting at the guards brought recognition of their stout forms and choppy gates. Northern river trolls, so protective of property nobody dared cross them. Bloody hell. They had to be guarding items of the preternatural persuasion, as humans avoided the treasure-grubbing ground dwellers. I only hoped what lay within the walls wouldn’t break out and make a meal of Market Street.

I continued on to number three hundred and sixty Cooledge Avenue and pulled into the paved drive before a factory-warehouse combination. It took up an entire city block. Blue letters across the top of the white building stated that I’d arrived at A & I Electronics.

A siren blared in the distance as I emerged from my car, pulled the katana from the passenger seat, and secured it on my back again. The touch of the rayskin-wrapped grip against my nape brought more comfort than a weapon should—not that I’d often had cause to wield it.

Not a tree or a shrub graced the concrete wasteland surrounding the facility, other than a few blue juniper trees and two urns of purple and white petunias on either side of the smoked glass door. Clearly the concrete had claimed more of the territory than nature during their negotiations.

A tug on the door didn’t budge it. I knocked with feeling on the glass, cupping a hand to see beyond the glare cast by the external security lighting. Nothing moved near the only object visible inside—an oversized wooden desk supporting a computer monitor and a keyboard. I walked to the right side of the building but found neither of the two doors along the expanse propped open to give me a hint. A walk would do wonders to wake me up more, so I made the trek and tried knocking on each of the locked doors, though the sound of pounding machinery from within drowned me out. Apparently A & I Electronics ran a night shift.

Maybe Connor had misunderstood when I told him I’d be late? Perhaps late to him meant nine o’clock, and he’d grown tired of waiting. I wouldn’t complain. My body begged for sleep, and as soon as arrived home, I’d curl into my bed and pass out.

Before I pulled the katana free and settled back into the car, a panting Connor Lewiston burst out of the front door, his tie askew. “Sorry, Miss Hudson. It moved from the lower part of the facility to the warehouse. It got between me and the door when I got the security alert that you’d arrived.”

I gazed around, but found no obvious cameras. Was someone within monitoring the facility, or did that fall to someone off site? Knowing it was none of my business, I didn’t press the matter. “You’ve seen it, then?”

He held the door wide as I walked past him into the reception area, then followed me in and flicked the lights on. “It keeps to the shadows. It’s the size of a person, and it can speak English, because it was muttering to itself just now. If it didn’t move so fast, I’d think it was a homeless person looking for a place to squat.” The lines creasing the corners of his eyes suggested I wasn’t the only one who’d had a long day.

Based on his description, only one creature came to mind. The universe wouldn’t be so cruel today, would it? “Please tell me you haven’t found any black blood.”

A crease grew deeper across his brow. “How did you know that?”

Mercy mother of hellfire. Why couldn’t it have been a tiger shifter or a rabid centaur? “You have a vampire,” I said with a sigh. Which meant I had to contact Isaac. “If it’s bleeding black, then it’s starving and dangerous.”

They often presented with black spots dotting their temples and chests, too. With the bounty of juicy bodies available for the taking, why would it not feed? Starving undead didn’t have the faculties to follow the rules when instinct demanded they drink or shrivel up.

“Bugger. We have dealings with the hive lord, so your success tonight is even more critical. I’d rather not upset him.”

“We have that in common.” I considered explaining my delicate situation with Isaac, but thought better of it.

“Why do you suppose one of the undead would choose here to hang out? It hasn’t bothered any of the workers so far.” Again, that vibe of deception carried through the tiles at my feet. The lines of his mouth remained relaxed, giving no clear signs of his intentions.

“I can’t think of a reason off the top.” I took in the plain white walls and gray slate tiles on the floor. “What is it you manufacture here?”

“Computer circuit boards for cars and trucks.”

“Is that top secret equipment, or are these standard items manufactured by many companies like yours?”

He scratched calloused fingers through his hair. “Are you saying this is some sort of corporate espionage attempt?”

“No, just thinking out loud.” Perhaps the hive lord had sent the vampire to spy on the efficiency of his investment. I kept that speculation to myself, lest the creature hear me. If I confirmed the presence of a vampire, Isaac could deal with it on his own. The less I knew about his business dealings, the easier it would be for me to stay out of trouble with him.

My hand tightened around the cell phone in my pocket. Something about the situation raised my hackles, but I couldn’t pinpoint what. Something more than realizing I’d have to talk to Isaac so soon. Had I smelled something unusual? Heard a sound that hadn’t registered in the forefront? Been pricked by a touch of power that wasn’t my own?

Maybe it had just been a while since I’d done a job solo. Without Harper to back me up in her guns-a-blazing style, a sense of vulnerability plagued me. No matter. I’d worked for years on my own before joining Blake’s team of exterminators, and I never left a job undone.

“Can you show me where you last saw it?” I met Connor’s questioning gaze with what I hoped to be a confident one of my own.

He hesitated a moment, but finally nodded toward the hallway to my left. “This way.”

I waited for him to lead, and then followed him, passing several closed doors with silver name plates stuck to their centers.

His shoulders slumped, and he turned before a large metal door at the end with a round push-bar across it. “Are you sure you don’t want to call in the rest of your team now that we know what’s in here?”

Would if I could.
“If you want this creature removed tonight, then I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.” I straightened my back. “Do you doubt my abilities, Mr. Lewiston?”

His cheeks sprouted circles of blush. “Of course not. Your monster-whispering skills are legend.” His smile appeared sheepish. “I have to ask, though. What on earth drove you to choose such a dangerous profession?”

“I saw a need, and I filled it. Just as there’s an authority to call when humans cause havoc in this city, so must there be an authority versed in other species that doesn’t kill first and ask questions later.” I’d convinced Blake he needed to expand his pest control business to include the preternatural because most of the troublesome creatures didn’t deserve the annihilation they’d received from the military before I became involved.

“I’m not sure how this city would function without you.” He turned and pushed the door open.

The short hallway opened into a stadium-sized room filled with metal racking from floor to ceiling, arranged in long rows and aisles wide enough for forklift trucks to maneuver in. Corrugated boxes of every shape and sized filled most shelves, stamped with the company logo on the side.

Connor pointed down the center aisle. “A few minutes ago, it was down row twenty-nine. A few of the overhead lights are out in that section, so I suppose that’s why it chose there. It was on the second shelf when I passed by.” His cheeks grew pinker.

I took it he ran like the blazes after seeing it, and his male ego had taken a hit. It would have been dumber not to have run, but I didn’t feel inclined to appease him given my long day and the late hour.

I was about to venture into dealings with a vampire alone again, but I couldn’t in good conscience ask Connor to stay. “Do you have surveillance cameras in here?”

“Yes. We had a problem with theft last month, so there’s one at the end of every aisle now.”

“Do they record?”

“Yes. An offsite security company stores the footage for us. Is there a problem?”

“It’s nothing to worry about.” Gesturing toward the hall we’d entered from, I said, “I think it’s best if you wait back in the lobby. I’ll assess the situation and decide what’s to be done.” A glance around revealed no other occupants, but I had to be sure. “Will anyone else be in the warehouse tonight?”

He tugged on his tie. “No. I’ve warned them all to keep the doors closed between the warehouse and factory.”

From my pocket, I withdrew my business card and handed it to him. “If something goes wrong, call the emergency number at the bottom and tell the dispatcher what happened, and the address. She’ll alert both my office and Detective Peterson, so we can get the appropriate people on scene.” Not that anyone from IPC seemed inclined to answer.

“Please be careful, and call out if you need anything.” He held up the card in thanks and headed for the exit with hesitant steps. Although I knew he was being gentlemanly, his doubt still stung.

Keeping my hands loose at my sides, I headed for the row Connor had indicated. No high-ranking vampire would be caught dead living in a warehouse without modern facilities. I had to guess the one I sought would be either newly cursed or existed only a few steps up from the bottom of Isaac’s undead pyramid.

“My name is Lou Hudson.” I stalked down the aisle into the darker part of the building, hoping the cameras would still find me amongst the murk. My fingers itched to reach for the katana, but wielding a weapon wouldn’t help my plan to build a rapport with the female. “I mean you no harm. You’ve scared the workers of this facility, so they’ve asked me to find out why you’re here.”

No response. I whispered to the stone imbedded in the cement floor until it shivered with awareness. Eyes closed, I used the earth to feel for vibrations or movement across its surface, but found nothing other than stillness and cold within the room. The vampire had to be on one of the shelves and had learned enough control to be motionless.

“The owner mentioned he found your blood and that it was black. If you come out, I can help you find your way home.”

“Why would you help me?” The female’s voice echoed from somewhere ahead and above. “Look at me! I’m sorry, Momma. Oh, heavens, what have I done?” Her agony burst out in a heart-wrenching wail. It died away as abruptly as it began.

“We all need help now and then. Vampires are no different.” I tried for Rachel’s soothing tone, but didn’t quite manage it. “What’s your name?”

“Marina…or, at least, it used to be. Before I d-died.”

Against my better judgment, I asked, “Did you choose to join the hive, Marina?”

“I had cancer. Momma was so sad.”

Of course. The vampire nation spread misleading ads via TV and magazines about the wonders of vampirism.
Dying? Sign up today to be given eternal life.
What they didn’t say was that you gave up the life you knew for an eternity of servitude—unless you were lucky enough to have an internal hive war and ascend the pyramid faster than most. From the tidbits of information I’d gathered over the years, few rose far enough to gain their independence.

“I can call your lord right now. You can speak to him and ask him to bring you home.”

“No!” A wizened face appeared from the third shelf above me, the remnants of her stringy blonde hair framing a square jaw. “Do you know what it feels like to have your life energy eaten by someone? Like having your soul set on fire and pulled out through your skin. He’ll be furious with me for leaving the hive.”