Vampire Girl 3: Silver Flame (5 page)

***

Baron has never traveled with us to my world, so I don't know what to expect when we arrive. But we couldn't leave him behind this time, not when we are Inferno's most wanted. I'm relieved to see he managed the trip safely, and transformed just enough to blend into my world. He's smaller, looking more like a wild dog than an oversized wild wolf.

I smile and pat his head. "You're strong, aren't you boy? You need to teach Yami that trick. When he returns."

Fen looks at me curiously.

"I'm told when his magic is stronger he'll be able to take a form in other worlds, but not yet. Now he turns into jewelry. Really cool jewelry, but still, jewelry." I put a hand on my throat, the ache of missing my little dragon a physical pain.

"And Baron?"

I shrug. "He's been with you for many years. He's already very strong. So are you, I imagine. Once you practice. He should grow even more powerful. He should also be able to disappear around those he does not wish to be seen by. Has he done that yet?"

"Um, I don't know. I didn't ask."

I laugh and Baron barks and walks in a circle before settling between me and Fen, who no longer acts quite as grumpy that his wolf seems as loyal to me as to him. Right now I'm glad of that small comfort. I wish I knew what became of Yami. Surely he's not gone for good? He can't be, not while I yet live.

I look around, taking in the rundown alley we've found ourselves in, noticing the cheap looking strip club across the street. "We're in Portland?" I ask skeptically.

Fen nods.

I don't recognize this part of my home city. But then, this isn't the kind of neighborhood I usually hung out in. I wrap my arms around my wet body, shivering. It's cold here. The sun has already set, and it's recently rained by the looks of the wet cement, though the sky is blessedly dry now.

Dean leads us to a large black door carved out of what looks suspiciously like bone—but what species of bone is anyone's guess. In the center is the design of a lotus made of skulls.

My eyes widen. "Is that—?" My hand lands on a small skull, expecting it to be clay or metal. But I can feel the energy of something dead that was once living pulse through my body, and I yank my hand away, my heart ricocheting in my chest.

Fen takes my hand and tucks it into his, the warmth of him pushing out the chill I feel, not just from being wet and cold, but from that door.

"Best not to ask too many questions about the things you'll see in The Black Lotus," he says. "You won't like the answers."

Dean turns one of the skulls in the lotus, revealing a large eyeball with a black iris. I suck in air through my teeth and squeeze Fen's hand more tightly, and Baron puts himself between me and the door, growling menacingly at the eyeball.

A voice booms from the bones of the door. "Who dares enter?"

Dean answers. "The Princes of Hell request entry. We come in peace with no intent to harm. We need to speak to Sly."

"Which princes?" the voice asks.

"Dean and Fen," Dean says.

The voice is silent a moment before answering. "And someone else. Someone quite powerful."

The princes both look at me, then Fen speaks. "She is under our protection."

"We welcome Lust, as always, and we extend an invitation to the Midnight Star. We do not allow War."

"I am not here to start a war," Fen says, and I can tell his patience is stretched thin. "I'm just here to get help."

"For war." This isn't a question. And I wonder what magic the door holds that it always seems to know the intent of those requesting entry.

"But not for war here. Just information. We are in trouble and injured and need a safe place." Fen pauses, but the door doesn't reply. Dean gives Fen a meaningful look, and Fen sighs. "Please let us in. If Sly can help me, then the Prince of War will owe him a favor."

"Your promised favor has been accepted, and will be called upon in time. Welcome to The Black Lotus," the door says. There is a series of clicks as bolts grind and move within, then the door swings open of its own accord, revealing a dark and smoky hall with walls of blood-red velvet and gold accents.

I sniff the acrid air and wrinkle my nose in disgust. "That's not cigarette smoke. And it's not weed. What is it?"

Fen chuckles darkly. "You don't want to know. Just don't breathe too deeply and you should be fine. The first time I came to The Black Lotus I had a hangover for a week just from breathing the fumes of this hallway. It's coming from the adjacent rooms, but that's not where we're going. The smoke will die down soon."

Dean, on the other hand, smiles and takes a deep breath, holding it in for a moment, before exhaling. "Ah yes, I do so love this place."

Fen shakes his head in silent judgment as we descend into The Black Lotus. There is a power here, a thick magic that wraps itself around me, pressing on my lungs, pushing into my body like an aggressive virus. Dean doesn't seem as affected, but Fen's jaw is clenched, and I can tell he feels it too.

"It's never been like this before," he says.

Dean furrows his brows when he sees our struggle. "What's going on?"

"Well, well, well… " A deep, booming voice says from the shadows before we enter the room. "It looks like someone went and got themselves all magicked up! How delightfully wicked." The body that goes with the voice seems to materialize from smoke and appear before us.

We stand at the entrance of a large ballroom draped in more red velvet and gold. Spread throughout are chairs and sofas of velvet. There's a bar in one corner and tables full of food lining the walls. Some of the food is still moving. On stage, a live band made of creatures straight from a science fiction movie play instruments that look to be part of their body, creating an eerie, organic, fleshy musical sound. I'm about to ask about them, but my eyes continue to roam the room and I realize there are more creatures than I originally realized.

In one far corner a mermaid floats in a huge tank of water. Her blue hair billows around her like an ethereal halo. She has green tinted skin and green and blue scales and is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Her eyes catch mine. They are large blue-green orbs that nearly glow. Then her gaze shifts to Fen and she smiles, revealing shark-like teeth. When he notices her, she winks at him, and he looks away and frowns. I'll have to ask him about that later.

"Hello, Sly," Fen says.

The mysterious man's face curls into a smile. "Hello, Prince of War. You've changed some since we last met, haven't you?" His eyes turn to me before Fen can reply, and his face lights up. "And who do we have here? The epitome of loveliness and innocence, but so much more lurks beneath, does it not? The Midnight Star, returned to her people at last. So the rumors were true." He takes my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing it gently. Fen tenses beside me, but I ignore him, my eyes glued to this strange man.

"I'm Arianna Spero. It's nice to meet you." I'm pleased to note my voice is firm, and not as wavering as I feel under the dark gaze of Sly. "But it's not very nice to use this forceful magic on your guests, is it? That's hardly a proper welcome."

From the corner of my eye I see Fen grin at my cheekiness. But he still looks worried. I know I'm probably playing with fire, but it's getting harder to breathe and the magic he's placed on us is making my bones hurt.

"Forgive me, but one can never be too careful with powerful magic wielders. I assume I have your word that neither of you will use your gifts to harm any of my guests while here?" Sly is still holding my hand. His words are light, but his gaze is heavy.

"You have my word," I say.

"And mine," Fen says. He looks at me. "The penalty for breaking this rule is death," he informs me.

"Oh. Okay then."

Baron growls, but sits between us calmly.

Sly smiles down at the wolf and pulls from somewhere unknown in his silky black robes a raw steak. "Here you go, boy. Enjoy a treat."

He drops the meat at Baron's feet. The wolf sniffs it once, looks up at Fen, then back down, and devours the steak greedily.

Sly looks at me for another moment longer, then uses his index finger to draw a symbol into the air. All at once the tension I felt within me subsides, and I can breathe deeply again. I see Fen suck in oxygen and relax a fraction as well.

"Thank you for removing the spell," I say.

"Anything for a beautiful lady such as yourself," he says, his black eyes holding my gaze with a level of intimacy that is beginning to make me uncomfortable. I get the impression this man can have anyone he wants, whenever he wants.

Fen drapes a protective arm around me, and I roll my eyes, but I don't pull away.

Sly looks at us both and smiles. "There must be some terrific story in this. I will insist on hearing all about it. But first, let us fix this state you're in." He wrinkles his nose delicately in distaste at our appearance. Probably at our smell, too. The waterfall helped slough off some of the dungeon grime, but not all.

Sly pulls a black wand made of bone and crystal out of his robes and studies us a moment. He then snaps his fingers and grins. "I have it now. Stand still, you three. This will only sting a moment."

Before I can object, he waves the wand over us and mutters an incantation of some kind in a dark language dripping with magic. My body burns, and Fen stiffens next to me but doesn't move.

I bite my tongue to keep from crying out as the magic digs into me. There is smoke, light, pain, and then it all disappears, and the three of us are no longer dripping wet. We are dry, but not just dry, we are all wearing new clothes, and my body is fresh and clean—even my teeth. I look down at my dress in admiration. It's long and dark with feathers cresting my shoulders and chest and a silver crystal pendant hanging at my throat. On my head sits a crown of crystal and silver. Fen is dressed in black leggings and tunic, a fur cloak emblazoned with a silver wolf hanging from his shoulders. Dean is draped in black silk, his chest mostly exposed, of course.

Sly claps his hands. "Much better. You are all dressed properly for your stations. Now come, join me for a drink. Tell me what you want, and I'll tell you what it will cost."

Sly leads us through the large room, greeting each guest by name with a smile and a witty quip. He's the epitome of charm and style and everyone either loves him or has a very healthy respect for him, it seems. He looks quite human, save the black eyes that look like pits to hell—well, the dungeon part of hell at any rate.

When we pass the mermaid swimming languidly in the spacious water tank built into the wall, she places a hand on the glass. Behind her, beautiful fish and sea flora decorate the chamber. Her voice echoes through some kind of speaker system. "Fenris Vane. You haven't come to see me in ever so long."

Fen glances at her, frowning. "Hello, Marasphyr."

Sly stops to watch the exchange, a knowing grin playing on his lips.

Marasphyr smiles, her sharp teeth making her beautiful face much more sinister. "Want to come swim with me, Prince? I've missed you."

Fen glances to me, then back to the mermaid. "Afraid my swimming days are over."

Dean chuckles. "I'll come play, sweetheart. I'm a lot more exciting than my brother, I assure you." He winks at the mermaid, who hisses at him.

"Seems I'm not the only one your charms fail to seduce," I tease, a grin tugging at my lips.

"I never fail, Princess. I have the patience of the immortal. I always get what I want eventually."

Fen nudges Sly in the shoulder until the demon continues escorting us to wherever we are going.

"Who's she?" I ask as I increase my pace to catch up. Now that I'm dry and properly—if extravagantly—clothed, I'm starting to feel the pain of my injuries more.

"An old acquaintance," Fen says gruffly.

"Is that what we're calling past dalliances these days?" Dean asks. "I'll keep that in mind."

I have so many questions. The most pressing is actually one of biology. How exactly does one have a 'dalliance' with a woman who's half fish?

Sly stops again and opens the door to a parlor, escorting us in. I table my questions about the mermaid who was clearly more than an acquaintance, and look around. This room is more subdued than the flamboyant hall we were just in. It's got floor-to-ceiling bookshelves of rich mahogany lined with mostly leather-bound books, a desk in one corner, and a couch, two overstuffed chairs and a love seat in the middle with a fireplace crackling to the other side.

I walk to the bookshelf first, admiring the selection of titles, until I come to a section with modern covers of scantily clad men and women. Sly joins me and smiles. "I see you've discovered my greatest treasures," he says.

"Your books?"

He pulls a novel out and admires the image of a woman being embraced by a topless man. "Romances. I just adore them, don't you? The love, the drama, the scandal when propriety comes head to head with good, old fashioned lust. Extraordinary."

I shake my head, half smiling, as I join Fen on the love seat. Dean takes a chair, and Sly sprawls out on the couch after making himself a drink. He offers us one; Fen and I decline. I have the strong suspicion it's best to keep your wits about you when dealing with a demon named Sly Devil.