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Authors: E.J. Stevens
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walking stick caught on
an imaginary bump in the floor and I stumbled forward into the arms of the
vampire I’d witnessed make the recent transaction with Puck. I brushed off the
vampire as if ridding him of demon germs, patting him down and retrieving his
key in the process, and muttered an effusive apology.
The man raised a hand as if to push me away, but froze when
I allowed a flicker of flame into my eyes. There was one thing that all
vampires fear and that is fire, immolation being a very real threat to the
perpetually dehydrated undead. Satisfactorily humbled, the vampire accepted my
apology and I continued on my way, nonchalantly following Puck’s trail across
the room.
I approached the door he’d entered, aware that Jinx remained
with Ivy at the opposite end of the bar. With her best friend watching her
back and Sir Torn, one of Ivy’s new allies, nearby, I felt confident leaving
Jinx in the club while I pursued Goodfellow.
Distracted by thoughts of Jinx, I nearly didn’t notice that
I was not the only one in pursuit of Puck. I pulled up short just in time,
slipping between a pair of lounging succubi seconds before a vampire in cowboy
boots strode to the door with his own key. As the vampire unlocked the door, a
tall, beautiful faerie who’d been tending bar rushed to his side. Her arms
were laden with soiled towels and she kept her eyes downcast, but I could tell
she was highborn fae.
I wondered how Puck had managed to ensnare the royal faerie
into the lowly position of bartender. Knowing Puck, it involved foul trickery.
Even knowing the trickster’s abilities, it was still surprising that he’d
maneuvered himself into the position of running the club’s bar. It was,
judging from the transactions I’d witnessed so far, a profitable deal for
Puck. If he didn’t have designs on Jinx, I might even have admired the
faerie’s enterprising tenacity.
I waited patiently for the vampire and Unseelie faerie to
disappear into the back rooms before extricating myself from the succubi.
“Ladies,” I said with a nod.
The succubi, one raven haired, the other blonde, pouted and
stretched catlike, showing off their various assets, but I wasn’t interested.
Succubi are a dime a dozen in Hell, but a stubborn, beautiful, kind-hearted, yet
somewhat violent human woman like Jinx? She was a rare gem indeed.
Leaving two sets of pouty lips behind, I stalked toward the
end of the bar. Reaching the door to the back rooms, I slipped the burgled key
from my pocket and attempted to fit it into the lock. Had I been mistaken
about the key? I raised my brow at the difficult lock and leaned closer to see
what could be the trouble. At closer inspection, I could see that the doorknob
was frosted over and the lock was filled with ice.
Damn and blast, that Unseelie bartender must have used her
ice magic to seal the door. I gritted my teeth at the delay and tugged the
glove from my right hand. Using a miniscule amount of magic, a small flame
formed from my index finger. I’d used the technique previously as a parlor
trick, but the flame was just as effective at melting the ice within the lock
as it had been lighting cigars. I tucked the glove into the pocket of my
waistcoat and let myself inside.
I moved quickly through the storeroom located immediately
behind the locked door and moved stealthily down a flight of stairs to a series
of chambers below. Crates and racks of wine were soon replaced by beverages of
a very different vintage.
The lower level reeked of death and I reached out with my
magic, scouring the cellars for any sign of Puck. The trickster wasn’t hard to
find. Indeed, my search was more fruitful than I’d hoped. I’d found the
leverage I needed to keep Jinx from the faerie. I should have been delighted,
but instead I found myself flushing hot with unspent anger.
I’d witnessed many horrors inflicted within the various
levels of Hell. In fact, there was a
an imaginary bump in the floor and I stumbled forward into the arms of the
vampire I’d witnessed make the recent transaction with Puck. I brushed off the
vampire as if ridding him of demon germs, patting him down and retrieving his
key in the process, and muttered an effusive apology.
The man raised a hand as if to push me away, but froze when
I allowed a flicker of flame into my eyes. There was one thing that all
vampires fear and that is fire, immolation being a very real threat to the
perpetually dehydrated undead. Satisfactorily humbled, the vampire accepted my
apology and I continued on my way, nonchalantly following Puck’s trail across
the room.
I approached the door he’d entered, aware that Jinx remained
with Ivy at the opposite end of the bar. With her best friend watching her
back and Sir Torn, one of Ivy’s new allies, nearby, I felt confident leaving
Jinx in the club while I pursued Goodfellow.
Distracted by thoughts of Jinx, I nearly didn’t notice that
I was not the only one in pursuit of Puck. I pulled up short just in time,
slipping between a pair of lounging succubi seconds before a vampire in cowboy
boots strode to the door with his own key. As the vampire unlocked the door, a
tall, beautiful faerie who’d been tending bar rushed to his side. Her arms
were laden with soiled towels and she kept her eyes downcast, but I could tell
she was highborn fae.
I wondered how Puck had managed to ensnare the royal faerie
into the lowly position of bartender. Knowing Puck, it involved foul trickery.
Even knowing the trickster’s abilities, it was still surprising that he’d
maneuvered himself into the position of running the club’s bar. It was,
judging from the transactions I’d witnessed so far, a profitable deal for
Puck. If he didn’t have designs on Jinx, I might even have admired the
faerie’s enterprising tenacity.
I waited patiently for the vampire and Unseelie faerie to
disappear into the back rooms before extricating myself from the succubi.
“Ladies,” I said with a nod.
The succubi, one raven haired, the other blonde, pouted and
stretched catlike, showing off their various assets, but I wasn’t interested.
Succubi are a dime a dozen in Hell, but a stubborn, beautiful, kind-hearted, yet
somewhat violent human woman like Jinx? She was a rare gem indeed.
Leaving two sets of pouty lips behind, I stalked toward the
end of the bar. Reaching the door to the back rooms, I slipped the burgled key
from my pocket and attempted to fit it into the lock. Had I been mistaken
about the key? I raised my brow at the difficult lock and leaned closer to see
what could be the trouble. At closer inspection, I could see that the doorknob
was frosted over and the lock was filled with ice.
Damn and blast, that Unseelie bartender must have used her
ice magic to seal the door. I gritted my teeth at the delay and tugged the
glove from my right hand. Using a miniscule amount of magic, a small flame
formed from my index finger. I’d used the technique previously as a parlor
trick, but the flame was just as effective at melting the ice within the lock
as it had been lighting cigars. I tucked the glove into the pocket of my
waistcoat and let myself inside.
I moved quickly through the storeroom located immediately
behind the locked door and moved stealthily down a flight of stairs to a series
of chambers below. Crates and racks of wine were soon replaced by beverages of
a very different vintage.
The lower level reeked of death and I reached out with my
magic, scouring the cellars for any sign of Puck. The trickster wasn’t hard to
find. Indeed, my search was more fruitful than I’d hoped. I’d found the
leverage I needed to keep Jinx from the faerie. I should have been delighted,
but instead I found myself flushing hot with unspent anger.
I’d witnessed many horrors inflicted within the various
levels of Hell. In fact, there was a
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