Women of the Otherworld 09.5 - Angelic (6 page)

We had to plan quickly—I’d already spent too much time in the ghost world. So twenty minutes later, I was back where I’d started, in the ascended angel staff lounge, where a stocky, dark-haired guy cursed as he tried to get the coffee maker working.

I conjured a fresh cup for him.

“Show-off,” he said.

Katsuo was another ascended angel, a former samurai who looked more like a college student, right down to the jeans, fitted tee and sneakers.

“Can’t stay away from us, can you?” he said.

“Actually, I’m still working.”

“Yeah, I heard that.
Something to do with the djinn, right?
Marius has been moping around, waiting for you to call him in.”

“That’s why I’m here. I need to pick his brain.”

“Research?”
Katsuo made a face. “I don’t think that’s quite what he had in mind.”

I wasn’t the only ascended who preferred swinging swords to reading books. I might not have been the usual recruit, but in some ways I fit right in, and I’d made friends here. Good friends, like Katsuo. Would I even see them again after I quit?

I turned away. “I’d better go find him.”

“He’s in his quarters.” Katsuo snagged my elbow before I could walk away. “Eve?”

“Hmm?”

He lowered his voice. “He’d never say this himself—he’s too proud—but he really wants to help out. He— He’s had a few assignments lately that didn’t go too smoothly.”

“Got it.
I’ll do what I can.”

“Great. And if you need
more
help—of the ass-kicking
sort, that
is…”

“I’ll give you a shout.”

* * * *

“How to summon
a djinn
?” Marius said, frowning.

We were in his private quarters, which looked like the quarters of any career soldier—a small room, simply appointed.

“Multiple djinn, if possible.
I knew how to do it when I was alive but…”

“That doesn’t work after you’re dead.” He sat on the edge of his bed. “Usually I just hunt them like any other demi-demon. I suppose you could try to find a living supernatural who’s already attempting to summon one.”

“That could take days.
Same as hunting one down.”

“Hmm.
How about you leave it with me? You’re supposed to be on vacation, so take a short one, and go see Kristof.” He smiled. “I’m sure you know how to sneak into the ghost world.”

“I might, but right now, I need to work. I have an idea of my own, so I’ll pursue that while you look into alternatives. When I’m ready, I’ll call you and Katsuo in to help with the collar. If I can get as many as I’m hoping for, I’ll need the help.”

Eleven

I did hope I could help Marius. He’d done a lot for me. But I couldn’t involve him until it was time to take the djinn into custody because to get them there, I had to walk a less than angelic path.

My first stop was a theater where, according to my “Jaime beacon,” I could hope to find my living world liaison. Jaime Vegas is a necromancer, meaning she can see and hear ghosts. We have an agreement—I scare off unwanted ghosts for her and in return, she does the stuff I can’t, like getting information and contacting people in the living world. The Fates are fine with the
relationship,
it’s what I was going to ask Jaime to do that would be a problem, which was why I was keeping Marius out of it.

I was walking backstage when I saw a familiar figure in the wings. He was a few inches taller than me, slender, with an angular face and black hair threaded with silver. He watched the show through the curtains, hands in his pockets, gaze fixed on Jaime out on the stage.

As I approached, he stiffened and glanced over his shoulder.

“Hey, Jeremy.
Good to see you.”

He didn’t answer. Not being a necromancer, he couldn’t see or hear me. He sensed me, though. That could be the wolf in him… or the fox. Jeremy is another dual-parentage supernatural: werewolf on his father’s side, kogitsune on his mother’s. Until Jaime told me a few months ago, I’d never heard of kogitsune, a very rare, almost extinct type, the offspring of humans and kitsune—Japanese fox maiden demi-demons. Unlike half-demons, kogitsune were a magical race, and seeing Jeremy there, I also saw a shortcut to the djinn. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be just the Fates who’d balk at this idea.

* * * *

Applause still thundered as Jaime left the stage. Her assistant, Tara, swooped down with ice water and a clipboard full of messages. As fans broke through the curtains, calling after Jaime and snapping pictures, two security guards slammed shut the gap behind her. Jaime got about ten steps—out of groping range—then turned, smiling and waving. She motioned for the guards to let one besotted middle-aged admirer stumble through the line and give her a bouquet of slightly wilted lilies.

With long, tousled red hair, toothpaste ad smile, and legs that go farther than my best teleport spell, Jaime looks like a lounge singer.
Her true claim to fame?

“Jaime!” a woman shrieked from the crowd. “Did you see my father tonight?”

Jaime waved for the woman to come forward. The guards bristled and glowered, moving closer to their charge.

Jaime clasped the woman’s hands. “No, I didn’t, hon. I’m sorry. It can be difficult for spirits to cross, but I can sense him here, with you. I know if he could get a message through, he’d tell you—”

I repeated the words with her. “—he misses you, but he’s happy and he’s in a good place.”

Jaime’s head whipped around, eyes meeting mine.

“Jaime?” someone called from the crowd. “What is it? Do you see something?”

She shivered. “I’m not sure. I sense… trouble.”

“Ha-ha,” I said. “I’m behaving myself, aren’t I?
Just standing back, another of your adoring fans.”

She rolled her eyes, gave a few more smiles,
signed
a couple of autographs, then discreetly signaled Tara, who stepped forward to stage-whisper to Jaime that she had an appointment. Jaime apologized to the crowd, then the guards closed the gap and she walked away, Tara trotting at her side, giving her a rundown of real appointments, attendance figures, technical glitches,
all
that boring post-show stuff. Jaime answered, but her gaze flitted across the face of each passing crew member, searching for one and, when she found it, lighting up like a kid spotting a “free ice cream” sign.

She waved Jeremy over, and he fell in step beside her, murmuring “good show.” Tara said something about checking the schedule and hurried off.

“Eve’s here,” Jaime whispered, jerking her chin at me.

“Ah,” Jeremy glanced over as I fell in on her other side. “Hello, Eve.”

“Tell him I said hi.”

She did, and we continued in silence to the dressing room. As much as I longed to start explaining—it’s not like the security guards would hear me—I’d learned not to talk to Jaime when she was around humans. She can’t help listening to me and making some response.

Once in the dressing room, I dropped into the nearest chair and rested my boots on a magazine-covered table. Jeremy glanced at Jaime.

“She’s there,” she said, pointing.

Jeremy nodded and took another chair.

“Welcome back,” Jaime said as she plucked pins from her hair. “You’re just in time. I have a favor to ask.”

“Actually, I’m not quite back yet. I will be soon, though. What’s up?”

“Nothing that can’t wait.”

She forced a smile and grabbed the cold cream. In other words, some bastard was haunting her. There was no sense pushing her to admit it. She knew what I did on my “walkabouts,” and she’d never let her own problems distract me from my higher calling, no matter how hard I argued.

“So what do you need?” she asked.

I told her. Her smile froze halfway through,
then
dropped from sight.

“You want Jeremy to do
what
?”

Jeremy looked up from the paper he’d been reading, brows arching in question, too polite to interrupt.

“The answer is no,” she said.
“Absolutely not.”

A moment’s silence, then Jeremy cleared his throat. “As that refusal concerns me, may I ask what it’s regarding?”

“No.” She flushed and murmured an apology before turning on me and snapping, “No.”

Jeremy folded his paper. “I’d like to know.”

The murderous glare she shot my way would have worked much better on someone who could be murdered.

“Yes, I’m putting you in a bad position,” I said. “Now you have to tell him, and he’ll consider doing it. But I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, and you know he’s not in any danger as long as I have this—” I pulled out my sword.

“So it’s… that kind of a job.”

“If it wasn’t, do you really think I’d ask? I need to get answers fast, and this is the best way to do it. I’d planned to get you to ask Paige or Savannah, but that means another step, and another delay.”

Again, Jeremy cleared his throat. Jaime tried to ignore him, but his patient, direct gaze eventually wore her down. “She wants you to summon
a djinn
. But I think Savannah is much better suited for it.”

“Because you need a spellcaster to summon one?” he asked.

“A human can if they know the ritual, but they’ll come faster for someone with magical abilities.”

“Like me. And, all things considered, I’m probably a safer choice than Savannah.”

He had a point. Savannah might not be in any danger from a djinn but… let’s just
say
Savannah’s
safety wasn’t always the main concern. My daughter was an adult now—twenty in a few months—but in some ways she’s still very young.

Jeremy glanced in my direction. “Tell me what I need to do.”

Twelve

We didn’t have all the ingredients necessary for a proper ritual. It didn’t matter. When Jeremy summoned, the djinn came like starving curs smelling raw steak. I was sure they’d never been summoned by a werewolf let alone the Alpha of the American Pack
and
the member of a nearly extinct race. They were dying to see what he wanted.

I’d barely had time to send up a mental smoke-signal for Marius and Katsuo when the djinn started appearing. By the time Marius arrived, I already had three djinn skewered on my sword.