The Devil's Soldier (5 page)

7

Eve straightened the black wig on her head and combed the bangs over her forehead with her fingers. No one should recognize her, not with this hair and tight revealing black dress. Only her green eyes looked familiar to her in the rearview mirror of the car, but she wasn't worried about anyone else recognizing them. Not in a club she'd never been to before.

She opened the door and straightened her shoulders. All she had to do was find out where Boaz was. Should be easy enough. Ask a few questions and get out of there quick.

Eve shivered and walked toward a black door of a brick warehouse. This was the side entrance. Around the front, a line of people stretched almost the full block. Most of them were regular humans who probably had no idea who or what lurked within the club's walls.

The door was locked. With a simple thought, Eve used magic to pop it open, then slipped inside. She was in a long and dark hallway that smelled of sweat and beer. A loud bass drum shook the paper-thin walls. To her left, a man and a woman were making out heavily. Over the man's shoulder, the blonde-haired woman's gaze met Eve's, and the woman smiled as he kissed up and down her neck. They were both vampires.

Eve walked away and headed toward the music. She parted a black curtain and stepped into a crowd of dancing people. Bodies swayed, hands grabbed, and voices moaned. She pushed through them all, heading in the direction of the bar and to an empty seat.

She was almost there. Someone took hold of her arm and spun her around.

"You're new, aren't you? I would remember a body like that," a tall, thin man said. He had blond, almost white, hair that contrasted with his dark skin, and he wore a black silk shirt tucked into tan slacks.

"How could you tell?" Eve asked, concentrating hard on the man. He was a Supernatural, but she couldn't tell what kind. There was something magical about him, she could sense that much, but his aura felt different from other witches.

"You look nervous." The man slid his fingers down her arm and to her hand, which he clasped. "My name's Lex. I'm the owner of this club. Let me show you around."

She tried to protest, but he was already pulling her back into the crowd and to the other side of the dance floor. Although he wasn't touching anyone, people parted for him as if he'd given an invisible command. Maybe he had.

He guided her past the DJ and stopped at the bottom of a circular staircase that led up.

"You've got some serious power in you," he said, his lips inches from her ear to be sure she would hear him over the music. "I sensed it the moment you walked in."

"Is that a problem?" she asked, trying to appear confident, but it worried her that he was able to sense the only thing she had going for her. Her magic wouldn't be a surprise here.

"On the contrary!" He leaned in closer, his lips brushing her earlobe. "We love magic here. In fact, most would say we worship it."

She narrowed her eyes. "What are you?"

"Do you not recognize me?" He clicked his tongue. "Very few do. I'm a Vyel. It's a shame our kind aren't more well known. We do so much for witches, after all."

"Like what?" she asked as she tried to recall what she knew about Vyels. They were rare. And something about teleporting.

He smiled big, exposing Chiclet-like white teeth, and looked toward the top of the staircase.  "How about if I just show you?"

She followed his gaze and frowned. Was it only a prop? The metal stairs spun all the way to the top of the ceiling and then just stopped.

"There's nothing there," she said.

"Ah, but the view is fantastic. Come with me." He placed one foot on the first step.

A cold shiver broke on her skin. Something wasn't right. She took a deep breath and looked again at the staircase. Using magic, she blinked and "opened" her supernatural eyes. This time she saw something different.

At the top of the stairs, on a whole other level, another party was taking place. Lights pulsed from a parted black curtain. Just beyond it, all kinds of Supernaturals were in full party mode.

"Maybe another time," she said and turned back toward the bar, deliberately moving her arm away as he reached to stop her. "I'm looking for someone."

Lex followed after her. "Maybe I can help. Do you have a name?"

Eve moved in and out of the dancing crowd and didn't stop until she was at the bar. She slid onto a stool and turned around. With a loud voice, so to be heard over the blaring music, she said, "Boaz. Have you heard of him?"

A slow smile spread across Lex’s pale face. "We are dear friends. I would be delighted to introduce you. What did you say your name was?"

"Laura. Laura Renfield. And I don't need an introduction. We've met before. Really, all I want to know is where I can find him. You see, it's been a long time since we've seen each other so I want to surprise him."

Lex pulled away from her. "Boaz doesn't like surprises."

Eve could barely hear him over the music.

"He'll like this one. I promise." She flashed her best smile. "So, where can I find him?"

His mouth tightened, and he glanced back toward the balcony where the secret Supernatural party was in full effect. "Let me think about it."

Eve reached for him, hoping to add some extra charm, but just like that he was gone. She glanced around. No one had noticed, not even the bar tender who was a few feet away, pouring red liquid into a tall glass. Maybe Lex had some kind of cloaking spell on him similar to what hid the upstairs balcony.

"What can I get you?" the male bartender asked, startling her.

"Water, please." Her gaze went back to the balcony.

From this viewpoint, she could only see a couple of pair of legs just inside the parted curtain. She was going to have to go up there at some point. This much was certain. Lex didn't seem to be too willing to share Boaz's location with her, but maybe someone else would know.

The bartender reached his tattooed-arm toward Eve and placed a glass of water on top of a white napkin. Eve thanked him and took a sip.

While she thought about her next move, her hand absent-mindedly tore the napkin into long strips. Her best bet would be to find another witch like herself. Boaz had always been fond of them, but only because he was able to use their magic without them knowing it. Or maybe they did know. Her mother had surely known and that didn't stop her from being near him.

Eve twisted each of the napkin strips until she had several. She took four of them and placed them into a square to be a base for a small cabin. She could get a witch to talk to her, to trust her. She knew the talk and the walk, having already lived the life with Boaz. Her stomach turned just thinking about playing that role, but it was necessary.

Air
pressure in the club changed. Became more electric and full of a powerful energy. Eve sucked in and turned around to find the source. Rotating lights on the ceiling illuminated different parts of the crowd as the people bounced up and down and grinded against each other. Her attention was drawn to the entrance of the club, but she couldn't see through everyone.

Eve placed her feet on the first wrung of the barstool and pushed up, making her stretch a good foot past the moving crowd of people.

Her heart stopped.
Lucien.

What was he doing here? But more importantly, Eve no longer sensed an emotion-detecting spell on him, which meant—she could be with him.
Right now.
Her heart beat again—raced, actually—until she thought it might burst. Finally she could be where she belonged, where she felt whole.

She immediately thought of the cloaking spell she had put on herself at the monastery. The power behind the enchantment surged all around her, taking her breath away.

Solvo Lucien
, she thought.

Instantly, the connection was open between them, but would he realize it? Surely he had already tried many times to connect with her in his dreams only to be greeted by a dark hole.

Just then Lucien turned, and his eyes met hers. She opened her mouth to speak his name, but the word never came.

Instead, an icy cold hand gripped her arm and a velvet voice said, "There's someone who wants to meet you."

8

Lucien froze, stopping mid-step. On the other side of the room, his gaze locked with a pair of sea-green eyes. He'd know them anywhere.

Eve.

And then, just like that, she was gone. He whirled around, searching everywhere for her. The club was packed with people all dancing in time to a beat that hurt his head. The constant buzzing, moving swarms made him feel like an intruder to an extensive beehive. But at the same time, there was power in this place he could relate to. The whole building reeked of it, yet Lucien saw only humans.

Lucien yanked Charlie out from the swarm of girls, and said loudly, "Eve is here!"

The blood drained from Charlie's face. "Where?"

"At the bar. Let's go." Lucien squeezed his way through the hive until he was spat out where he last saw Eve, but she wasn't there now. "She was just here!"

"Are you sure?"

Lucien thought hard, hoping he hadn't been wrong. "Her hair was black and cut short, but it was her, I swear it."

Charlie pointed at the top of the bar. "You're right. She was here."

Lucien picked up one of the twisted strands of napkin that formed a side wall of a miniature cabin. Definitely Eve. Then it was true. She really was alive. She wasn't a ghost. She wasn't some much-wanted figment of his imagination. She had been in the same room with him. His chest swelled with heavy emotion. It was a feeling he thought he'd never experience again.

"Where did she go?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know. She was here one second and gone the next."

"Did she see you?"

Lucien nodded and searched the crowd. She had to be here somewhere!

"Do you think she's deliberately avoiding you?"

"I don't think so. It looked like she was about to say something just before she disappeared. I think she's in trouble."

"Let's split up," Charlie said. "I'll see what I can pick up, and you go somewhere quiet and try to do that weird connection thing you have with her."

"I told you that wasn't working. Something changed."

"But that was before you saw Eve alive. Maybe you weren't trying hard enough before because a part of you really thought Eve was dead."

Lucien continued to search the crowd. "One way to find out. I'll meet up with you later."

"Stay alert," Charlie said just before Lucien was swallowed up in the hive again.

He pushed his way to the back of the club, away from the DJ and large speakers.  Off to his left, he discovered a short hallway and, at the end of it, a door. He turned the knob and glanced within. A custodial closet. He slipped
inside
next to a bucket and mop and closed the door. The loud music became a dull, repetitive thump that rattled his nerves.

This better work.

Lucien leaned into the wall and closed his eyes. He had seen Eve! Only a few feet had separated them. He smiled, the first real smile since Eve's supposed death. His whole body pulsed with a familiar warmth that only Eve gave him. The warmth in his stomach swirled to sickness when he realized the danger Eve must be in. If Boaz knew she was alive… What was she doing here? And where has she been all of this time?

He inhaled deeply. Find her first, ask questions later.

He concentrated and expanded his mind, focusing only on Eve. On her face, skin the color of an Akoya pearl, her eyes that seemed to know the secret to the universe, her long neck, the way she smiled sometimes for no reason of all. He imagined tracing his fingers up the length of her arm and to the hollow of her neck He imagined his lips against hers.

Suddenly, his consciousness appeared somewhere else. He was in a small room with bare, white walls and tan carpet. Eve was lying in the middle of the room, stretched out on a massage table. Her hands, feet, and neck were tied to the table. Other than being bound, she didn't appear to be hurt.

"Eve?" Lucien went to her, but his hands passed right through her. "Can you hear me?"

Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled. "You're here, aren't you? Oh, Lucien. I've missed you so much!"

"Eve?"

"You probably have a million questions," she said, obviously not able to hear him, only sense his presence, "and I want to answer them, but there isn't much time. Lex is calling Boaz."

Lucien's eyes flashed to the door, and he balled his fists.

"But it's okay for
now
. Lex doesn't know who I am, other than I'm a witch. My guess is he's giving me to Boaz, so Boaz can take my magic. He must be pretty desperate if he's got a guy finding witches for him."

Lucien tried again to touch Eve, but it was useless. Or was it? He thought back to when Eve had saved him when he'd been left for dead in a storage unit. Even though her consciousness was all that was with him, she'd managed to free him. If she could do it, then he should be able to too.

"No matter what happens, Lucien," she said, "I need to get out of here before Boaz comes. You're probably already trying to find a way to untie me right now. Normally you could with enough time and magic, but something has been done to this room. It's impermeable to magic. Believe me, I've already tried."

Lucien groaned in frustration.

"This is what needs to happen. You need to find me. I'm not sure I'm even at the club anymore, but I think so. I thought I heard music as Lex left the room.  As soon as you find me, I'm going to have to disappear. I can't be here when Boaz comes." She took a deep breath. "I hope you understand. As much as I want to—"

The door opened and in walked a tall man with blond hair. "Boaz is eager to meet you, Laura. He's always excited to meet new witches."

Lucien caught a glimpse of the outside of the room before the door closed. They were definitely still in the club. A bass drum, though muffled, thumped in the distance, and a few people were standing at the end of a long hallway holding glasses in their hands.

"You never told me, Lex," Eve said, "what exactly do you do for witches?"

Lex trailed his finger down her bare leg. "As a Vyel, I'm able to manipulate their magic—make it stronger, weaker, cloak it, steal it. Vyels love magic and we really are the only ones who know how to manipulate it, more than the majority of witches."

"But how does that help us?"

Lucien wanted to stay and listen, but he had to get Eve out of there. He appeared back in the janitorial closet, gasping for air as his consciousness returned to his body. He removed his phone and texted Charlie.

Where are you?

A second later, a text from Charlie appeared:
North side, in the corner. I need you to see something.

Lucien hurried to him, once again diving in and out of the buzzing hive.

"Eve's in the building," Lucien yelled to Charlie to be heard over the music. "We have to get her out now. Boaz is on his way."

Charlie pointed to the top of a circular staircase. "I think she's up there."

Lucien glanced to the top. "It's just a dumb prop."

"I'm serious! I know it looks like it's going into the ceiling, but something is happening up there. Open your magical eyes, and you'll see it."

Lucien frowned, but did as Charlie asked. Magic's familiar warmth rushed through his body, creating a deeper, more vibrant world around him. The auras of everyone in the club glowed all different colors. Supernaturals were easily identified by brighter hues. He glanced upward, and his mouth dropped open. There was a
second
level to the club!

"You're right," Lucien said and placed his foot on the first stair. "There's another floor and a bunch of Supernaturals up there. That must be where Lex is holding Eve."

"I'm going, too."

"You can't. All those Supernaturals up there will know you're a human the moment you step foot up there. It's too risky. Besides, my goal isn't to bring Eve with us. She has to disappear, just like we need to the moment she's free. Boaz is coming."

Charlie's Adam’s apple moved up and down. "Save her then.
Now.
I'll be at the Deific."

Lucien didn't say goodbye. He hurried up the stairs, then slowed his movements as he reached the top. The last thing he needed right now was to stand out.

He stepped onto the second floor and walked through the parted curtains as if he'd been there a thousand times.
Music
was playing, but it was very different from the pop song blaring downstairs. This music was dark and slow, matching the ambiance of the room. Red rope lighting traced the edges of the ceiling, and that, combined with fire-lit torches on the wall, gave the faces of the
many
Supernaturals an eerie quality.

Some of the Supernaturals were dancing, but a few of them were huddled in small groups, mostly sticking to their kind. Werewolves were seated in the corner on a circular black leather sofa. Fae was near them, their eyes constantly flashing to the werewolves. A woman with long black hair—a siren, Lucien guessed—was sandwiched between two well-dressed vampires. One of them was licking her neck.

Lucien sauntered about the room, but he was having a difficult time keeping his breathing even.
Boaz was coming.
Eve had nearly died trying to get away from him once before, so Lucien could only imagine how she must be feeling right now.

He was about to open a door at the back when a tall man with white hair appeared in front of him so fast that Lucien stumbled back.

"Tonight is just full of surprises," the man said, smiling an obnoxious grin. "You're new here. Welcome. My name is Lex."

Lucien thought quickly. "I need a fix."

"Oh, yeah? What kind? Because I sense you are already juiced up. I can practically taste your magic on my tongue." Lex lifted his hand as if to touch Lucien's cheek.

"Touch me, and I'll rip your heart out."

Lex laughed uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "You know, I think I might have the perfect thing for you. How would you like to check out one of our back rooms?"

"Lead the way."

Lex spun on his polished boots and opened the door behind him. A hallway with closed doors on each side stretched
long
. Lucien followed behind, opening his hearing to anything that may lie beyond.

Lex glanced back over his shoulder. "How did a vampire like you borrow so much magic? I'm surprised you're even able to walk."

"Magic from a powerful witch, I guess," Lucien said.

"Interesting. But who transferred it into you? You'd need a Vyel to do that, and with there being just a few of us left, I think I would've heard of a vampire wielding this much magic."

Most of the rooms they passed were silent, but faint humming carried from behind one closed door.
Eve
. She must know he was looking for her. As they passed by Eve's room, Lucien bolted lightning quick to snap Lex's neck. Lex caught his wrist and laughed.

"You think you're the first vampire who has tried to kill me? Have you seen where I work?" He kicked at Lucien's chest, hard.

Lucien fell backwards, but with his arm still being held in a death grip, it popped out of his shoulder joint.

"This is what I do, my gift," Lex said and kicked Lucien again.

Lucien bit down on his jaw, stifling a cry. Eve didn't need to know what was going on just outside her door. With his right arm still held by Lex's death grip, Lucien swung his left arm up, hoping to connect it with Lex's face. Lex easily dodged it. Lex used Lucien's own hand to punch Lucien in the face, breaking his nose.

"Vampires are so stupid," Lex said. "Always thinking their speed and strength are the superior power. And yet, here you are, full of magic, and you don't even know how to use it."

Lucien, his head down, expanded his mind, filling his entire body with the magic that was always there, coursing through his veins. If Lex wanted magic, he'd give it to him.

"Who said I didn't know how to use it?" Lucien snapped his head up and mouthed the word
cohibeo.

Lex's body jerked tight and was dragged backwards by an invisible force.

Lucien jumped to his feet and crammed his arm back into its socket. He stepped to Eve's door, but a sudden and sharp pain stabbed the inside of his mind. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head.

"I don't know who you are," Lex said as he casually walked toward him as if he hadn't been bound seconds before, "but someone special will be here soon, and I'm pretty sure he's going to want to meet you."

With the searing pain in his head, Lucien had a hard time finding his magic. A hard thump to the back of his head made it even more difficult.

Lucien fell face forward.

"I've got an empty room at the end just for you," Lex said. He picked up Lucien's foot and dragged him forward. Lucien's face slid along the thin carpet.

Even though Lucien's body was paralyzed, the nauseating pain persisted. If he was going to get himself and Eve out of here alive, he needed to block Lex's magical assault against his mind. Henry had taught him how to do this, if he could just relax despite the searing heat exploding in his brain.