The Deadliest Bite (7 page)

I pressed my lips together. If Junior real y was Vayl’s son, I’d have to find a way to get along with him. And snapping his head off every ten minutes probably wasn’t a good place to start. So I kept quiet and let Vayl answer. “I suppose an interior decorator would find it clashes,” he said. “But I am not so concerned about these matters as I am about surrounding myself with fond memories.” That was al he said, so I didn’t know if the kitchen he’d had such happy times in had belonged to a woman he’d loved. Or if he’d just enjoyed meals from a cook who’d had a similar setup. And right now—I didn’t wanna know.

So I dug into the bowl of cookie dough ice cream that Vayl had dipped for me and grooved on the grossed-out expression that passed over Aaron’s face as he watched his former target sip a second helping of government blood from his favorite mug.

Raoul was the one who final y spoke up. “Does knowing that Roldan ordered the young man who may be the incarnation of Badu to kil you real y change anything? As far as I’m concerned, my mission remains unchanged.”

Vayl’s chin dropped slightly. “I agree that you should continue.” It seemed like he was about to say something more, but he let it go.

I said, “In four days, if your people haven’t met with any success, we’l take the path you think wil most likely get us there successful y. If you can recruit fighters for that journey, we’d appreciate it. But be straight with them, okay? We want them to understand it’l be a battle the whole way in.” I stopped there. No sense adding that we’d be lucky if any of us made it back out.

“What about the Rocenz?” Raoul asked.

I glanced at Vayl. Then I said, “We found out on our last mission that Roldan’s people had been guarding its resting place for a while. I imagine they know the spel that separates the parts, don’t you?”

“How do you plan to get that information?”

“Our psychic is stil working her resources,” Vayl said. “But tonight’s event confirms that Roldan has anticipated our next move. And that he fears its success to such a degree that he is trying to kil us”—he pointed to himself—“or cripple us to the point that we can no longer act.” He pointed to me.

“What I am saying is that Roldan knows that we must come after him, because we believe he knows how to separate the pieces of the Rocenz. It is inevitable that we should meet one more time. And he is terrified of the outcome.”

“So’s Brude,” I murmured, rubbing my forehead even though it didn’t hurt anymore. “They both have so much to gain from our failure that their partnership couldn’t be tighter if it was forged at an anvil. That means we can’t play them off each other. And Brude’s been in my head long enough that, even though he can’t hear my thoughts, he can definitely sense what’s going on in the world beyond my eyebal s. Plus we know, somehow, he’s able to communicate with Roldan.”

“Yes, but how?” wondered Vayl.

“It has to be the gorgon,” said Raoul.

“The who? The what?” Aaron backed his chair up an entire foot as he asked, pushing hard against the table as if he wanted nothing more than to flush his life, once and for al , of a group of people who spoke so casual y of werewolves and demons, and who might actual y put him face-to-face with a demigod who could transform him into a pigeon perch.

Vayl, kind and loving father that he was, patiently explained. “Roldan once attempted to turn a ward of mine named Helena because he felt they were destined to become lifemates. I wounded him fatal y during that fight, but I did not wait to see him die. Instead I threw him into the gutter where he was rescued by a gorgon and her retinue. She offered him eternity—he accepted. Even now, I do not think he understood the price he would have to pay, because gorgons eat death. In a way, she has been consuming him since the day his natural life ended.”

“How can anything be that powerful?” Aaron whispered. To give him credit, he didn’t sound one bit envious.

“There’s a Balance,” Raoul said, somewhat cryptical y. “However, I believe that the gorgon’s power al ows her to stimulate communication between Roldan and Brude. Maybe she’s woven a psychic connection between them, I don’t know.”

“She’s a damn demigod. She can do pretty much what she pleases,” I muttered.

“So we agree that the gorgon is the mediator between Jaz’s enemy and mine, bringing them into a partnership designed to destroy us both,” Vayl said.

Raoul grimaced. “So much for the element of surprise.”

Aaron had crossed his arms over his chest like he needed a big hug and sure as shit nobody else was gonna give him one. Now he said, “Wel , that’s just great. Your enemies have the inside scoop. Which means they probably already know I didn’t kil Vayl. So when I show up at Roldan’s door with a bag ful of dirt and rags, he’s going to kil me. Then
I’m
going to end up in that freakshow you cal the Thin for the rest of eternity! Because you know that’s exactly where that Brude son of a bitch threatened to send me if I failed!”

I smiled at him. “I like you better when you swear.”

His jaw dropped.

Vayl
tch
ed. “Jasmine. Do not encourage him.” He set his empty mug on the table. Which reminded me to take a couple more spoonfuls of ice cream. Then he said, “First of al , Brude would have brought you to the Thin regardless of whether or not you succeeded in kil ing me. He is raising an army. He needs bodies. But, while you are alive, you real y should have more confidence in our abilities. Very wel -respected officials pay us to keep people just like you alive and happy every single day.”

“Not lately,” I muttered, thinking darkly of the three senators on our Oversight Committee.

Vayl’s lip twitched as he went on. “So, while we understand that Roldan is expecting us, of course we are not going to appear on his doorstep with a gift basket.”

“I’d like to send a gift basket to—”

Raoul frowned at me. “Jaz, seriously, eat your frozen cookie dough.” I licked some ice cream off my spoon, which might or might not have been interpreted as sticking my tongue out at my Spirit Guide, as Vayl finished. “Roldan has no idea I am stil alive and wil not hear from Brude because we know a psychic who wil help Jasmine block his emanations completely.”

He nodded to me, giving me leave to cal Cassandra, who sure as hel did know the trick. I might’ve been surprised to learn that once, but this chick had ducked a deal she’d made with a demon for five hundred years. Of course she’d studied up on the lore. She gave me a prayer that I memorized within thirty seconds, told me exactly where to splash the holy water (behind the ears, real y?), and I knew it had worked when Brude wailed like a lottery winner who’s just watched his ticket go sailing overboard.

When I came back to the table, grinning widely at my success, Vayl paused in his explanation to say, “I was just tel ing Aaron and Raoul that we wil make a public production of my murder and tomorrow we wil send Aaron to Roldan’s lair with the remains of a vampire in hand, as he requested. That wil get him, and us, through the front door, so to speak. After which point he wil hide in a very sturdy closet until we are finished with my old nemesis.”
Hmmm, maybe I should’ve
used that word. It sounded pretty cool when Vayl said it just now
. He turned to Aaron. “Surely you find that plan preferable to an eternity in the Thin?”

“Where are you going to get vampire remains?” Junior and I asked at almost the same time.

Vayl sat back in his chair almost triumphantly. “A Rogue has entered my territory. I have given him several days to move on because, ah, I have been otherwise occupied.” He didn’t look at me, which was a good thing, because he’d have seen me shoveling Edy’s Slow Churned into my gul et so fast that I gave myself brain freeze.

“Ahh!” I smacked my hand against my forehead.

“Jaz!” Raoul grabbed my shoulder. “Are you al right?”

Vayl lunged forward and half-lifted me from my chair. “What is it? What do you need?”

“Freaking ice cream. God
damn
that’s cold!” Then I realized what I’d just done. “Oh. Sorry, guys.

No, I’m fine. I was just… yeah, eating too greedily. Won’t do it again, I promise.” They sank into their chairs, obviously debating whether or not to clonk me over the head with Vayl’s ice cream scoop.

I smiled weakly. “So, we’re going to smoke a Rogue vamp? That could be fun.” CHAPTER FIVE

Wednesday, June 13, 2:30 a.m
.

I’ve traveled al over the world. But as I stood outside Vayl’s house in the wee hours of that mid-June morning, my dog sitting quietly at my side, I decided nothing felt quite as peaceful as rural Ohio by moonlight. The smel of growing corn and recent rain cleared my lungs and my head. I turned my back to the neatly trimmed lawn that separated Vayl’s property from the surrounding woods and fields, and studied the three men who stood in the shadow of my
sverhamin
’s stately old house.

Vayl stood talking quietly to Aaron, their dark hair almost melding into one picture. But while Vayl held himself tal and proud, one hand resting comfortably on his jewel-topped cane while the other twirled an old-fashioned wooden stake and managed not to snag it in the pocket of his black jeans or on his longsleeved black button-down, Aaron slouched. It wasn’t even a comfortable I’m-chil in’-

with-the-beats kind of shoulder hump. It was an I’m-out-of-my-league-but-I’m-plowing-through-anyway kind of hunch. And it didn’t ease from talking to the vampire, so whatever Vayl was saying provided no comfort. Raoul couldn’t help himself, he probably had a soldier’s bearing even in true Eldhayr form. As it was, the erectness of his posture could only have been copied by a straight, strong oak tree. And he sure didn’t look like he’d be comfortable if we invited him to rest on the come-and-sit-a-spel front porch that marched al the way around the perimeter of the house, stopping only at its fairy-tale turret that somehow made me feel underdressed.

Like Vayl, I’d changed into darker clothes. I wore a navy blue runner’s pul over with long sleeves, and even darker blue cargo pants. I felt a little guilty for not using every single pocket, but I carried what I needed up top. Grief was ful y loaded with vamp-kil ing arrows. And I’d strapped my vial of holy water to my right arm.

Knowing that Vayl and Raoul were also properly armed, and that between us we’d manage to make sure Junior didn’t become vamptoast, I let my gaze wander. To the right of the house sat the brick garage, which didn’t seem attached when you looked at it from the outside. But when it was storming, or you just didn’t want whoever was outdoors to see you access the house from the car shelter, there were underground passageways. Since we didn’t trust Aaron to keep information about Vayl’s secret tunnels, doors, and bookcases to himself, we’d brought him to the party the oldfashioned way. Raoul, however, had just assumed the invitation covered him as wel . Which was why I said, “Look. You don’t have to come. In fact, kil ing Rogue vamps couldn’t have been on your to-do list today. Why don’t you—”

“You’re not getting rid of me,” Raoul said flatly. “My job is to keep you alive as long as possible.

I’d never forgive myself if some random
other
kil ed you when you were so close to freedom.”

“See?” said Aaron. “Even he thinks vampires are monsters!”

“That’s not what I said,” Raoul corrected him. “Stop trying your lawyer talk on me, boy. I have no patience for half-truths and hidden lies.”

As I quietly admired the way Raoul had put the little bigot in his place, Vayl spoke in a quiet voice that demanded the kind of attention that even the crickets had to respect. “Aaron, when you were Rom and your name was Badu, it used to infuriate you when people cal ed you a gypsy. They did not mean the word kindly. And you did not understand why the accident of your birth should pin such hatred upon you that you were once arrested for walking down the street in the company of a local girl.” He paused, looked down at the cane that had accompanied him through much of the past two centuries. The tigers that stalked down its length kept their judgments to themselves as he said,

“The boy you were would spit on the man you have become.”

Aaron’s head reared back as if he’d been hit. But he didn’t say anything as Vayl took his remote from his pocket. A smal black keypad programmed to respond only to his touch, it al owed no one into the house or the garage from the outside once they’d been locked down unless he keyed the entry on the pad, or opened the doors from the inside. Now he pressed a series of buttons and the garage door began to rise.

Jack, realizing a car ride had just entered his future, ran for the garage with his tail wagging wildly. I looked around for Astral. In this light she was nearly invisible, and I’d learned she liked it that way. Suddenly I saw her eyes shining from the front of one of Vayl’s flower beds. I didn’t know what was weirder, that a dude who slept al day surrounded his house with geraniums and marigolds, or that my robokitty’s eyes were silver in the moonlight. Then I saw the sweep of double high beams cross the porch.

I spun back toward the road at the same time that Vayl said, “What have we here?” The car was crawling down the gravel road that led to his drive, hesitating and then jerking forward like the driver had just learned how to shift it into first. It swerved onto the shoulder, nearly hit the ditch, corrected itself, and then trundled into the drive.

By that time we were on our way.

Vayl had released the sheath from his cane’s handle, revealing the handcrafted sword that rode beneath.

I’d pul ed Grief, though I left the safety on for now.

Raoul carried no weapons that I could see. But the Eldhayr had once healed my broken neck with a word and a touch. I figured he had other hidden talents.

Jack and Astral came along too. Maybe someday I’d own cute, fluffy pets without the capacity to harm a butterfly. But probably not, which was why even my cat carried a couple of grenades around in her digestive tract, and my dog knew exactly how to use his teeth to greatest effect.