Chapter 7
Maya was acutely aware of Ravyr as she scurried back to the waiting SUV to give the driver directions. Ravyr was a vampire, which meant he was used to snapping out orders and being in charge, but he readily followed her lead as she hopped into the vehicle and they pulled away from the curb.
The complete opposite of Batu, who’d casually broken her jaw when she’d suggested the human slaves were going to starve to death with out more food.
Maya’s stomach clenched, but oddly the feel of Ravyr’s massive body settled next to her eased her anxiety, allowing her to shove aside the unw elcome memory.
“Tell me about Hexx,” he said, offering her the perfe ct distraction.
Maya eased back in her seat. It would take a few minutes to reach the Bronx, even with the chauffeur determined to drive as if he was in a For mula One race.
“He’s a low-level goblin who used to o wn a pawnshop.”
“Used to?”
“I ran across him when the Cabal was in the city a few months ago trying to bully Peri because she gained powers they didn ’t understand.”
Ravyr arched a brow at her tart accus ation. “Bully?”
She ignored his interruption. There was no other word for the collection of vampires who’d descended on New York City and demanded that Peri prove she could control her wild magic. Well, she had several other terms she used on a regular basis. Jerks. Monsters. A-holes. Bullies was as polite as she was pre pared to offer.
“When I visited the pawnshop I discovered he was selling black-market items. I had them confiscated and shut down the shop.”
“I assume he’s not h appy with you?”
“You assume correctly. Valen was the one to officially force him out of business, but he blamed me.”
Hexx had shown up at the Witch’s Brew late one night, pounding on her door and threatening to burn the place down if she didn’t let him in. Maya had been more annoyed than frightened. Away from the magic of the Gyre the goblin wasn’t any more powerful than a human. He did, however, create an un pleasant scene.
At last she’d been forced to lean out her bedroom window and pour an itching potion over his head. The last she’d seen of Hexx, he’d been fleeing down the street, screaming i n frustration.
The rest of the journey was made in silence as Ravyr turned his head to peer through the back window. No doubt he was making sure they weren’t being followed. A reasonable precaution, considering someone had tried to kill one or both of them. Twice.
At last they reached a shabby neighborhood with rows of small businesses squashed into narrow brick buildings. The SUV halted next to the curb and Ravyr leaned to the side, studying the nearest shop, hidden behind a security gate and with windows covered with plyboard.
“This is the place?”
Maya shoved open her door and climbed out of the vehicle. “He has an apartment a bove the shop.”
Crossing the sidewalk, Maya entered a narrow alleyway that led to the back of the building and the steel stairs that led to t he upper floor.
“No lights,” Ravyr murmured as they headed up.
“Hexx has the survival instincts of a cockroach,” she said dryly. “He’s not very smart, but he’ll realize that Valen isn’t going to be happy about a huge explosion in the middle of his territory. And that anyone connected to the destruction is going to be in a lot of trouble. He’ll try to lay low and hope no one noticed hi s involvement.”
They had reached the top of the staircase when Maya felt an unpleasant heat brush over her skin followed by a pungent s cent of sulfur.
“Do you smell that?” she demanded. A stupid question, of course. Ravyr’s senses were a hundred times more sensitiv e than her own.
“Dragon scale ,” he murmured.
Dragon scale was exactly what it claimed to be. Tiny flecks of scales that had been left behind when the dragons went into hibernation long ago. Once they were ground down to a powder they became a powerful drug that demons paid top dollar to obtain. Not only was it rare, but it was also illegal.
“Valen’s not going to be happy,” Maya murmured as they got to the door. “Time for a new lesson.”
“Good.”
A pulse of power warned her that Ravyr was about to smash through the steel door.
“Wait, Ravyr, I can open the lock.”
He sent her a smile that revealed his massive fangs. “Thi s is more fun.”
With a swing of his arm, he knocked the second door of the evening off its hinges, sending it blasting into the apartment. He was flowing inside before the door hit the floor, and Maya followed with her hand in her satchel. She didn’t trust Hexx as far as she co uld throw him.
On cue, Maya felt Ravyr’s arm wrap around her as he knocked her aside. They stumbled into a stack of crates, barely escaping the bullet that whizzed past them and hit the doorframe with a spl inter of wood.
The ringing of the gun was still echoing in the air when Maya pulled a vial out of her satchel and tossed it toward the shadowy figure crouched in a back corner. The glass shattered as it hit the mark, and the scent of lemongrass, lavender, and mint wafted through the air. The sweet perfume disguised the powerful magic that was brewed in to the potion.
Stepping away from Ravyr’s protective arms, Maya fumbled to switch on the overhead light. She blinked as the barren bulb flared to life, revealing the open loft that was stuffed from floor to ceiling with wooden crates on one side, leaving only a narrow space for a cot, a battered recliner, and a table that was stacked with empty pizza boxes. Her jaw clenched as she realized Hexx had smuggled a portion of his illegal merchandise out of his shop to hide up here.
Her freeze spell had caught him between crouching next to the recliner and trying to flee toward the large window near the cot. It left him bent in an awkward position with his head swiveled in their direction and his greasy hair hanging over one shoulder. His face was paler than usual, emphasizing the crimson flames tattooed along the l ine of his jaw.
Her gaze lowered to his naked chest and the running shorts that left far too much of his pasty body exposed. It looked as if he’d been sleeping when he sensed their approach. Fury exploded through her at the sight of the handgun clenched in hi s frozen hand.
“Did you seriously try to shoot me?” She pointed a finger toward his face to release the magic that held his lips shut.
With a choked gasp, Hexx sucked in a harsh breath. “I didn’t kn ow it was you.”
“Who were you expecting?”
“No one. I mean...” His voice trailed away as his attention moved toward the huge vampire standing next to her. His eyes widened, as if he understood he hadn’t just pissed off a powerful mage. He’d nearly shot a vampire. That was the sort of thing that got demons dead in a hurry. “It’s dangerous times,” he we akly concluded.
“It’s certainly dangerous for you ,” Maya warned.
With an effort, Hexx returned his attention to her. “I don’t know why you’re here, but I haven’t done anything. Not since you shut me down.”
“I shut you down because you were trading in illegal magic.” Maya glanced toward the piles of crates. “And here you are. Still dealing.”
Hexx strained against her spell, no doubt hoping he could jump out the window before Ravyr could rip o ut his throat.
“Is that why you’re here?” he clearly forced himself to ask at last. “To take the few crumbs I managed to salvage? My life is in the shitter because of you. The least you could do is leave me somethin g to sell off.”
Maya rolled her eyes. “If your life is in the shitter it’s not my fault.”
Hexx’s face was threaded with irritation, no doubt at the thought of losing the rest of his merchandise. “Look, it’s all low-value stuff. Just an em ergency stash.”
She shrugged. She didn’t have to look in the crates to know he was telling the truth. The items he was hoarding barely registered as magical, and none of them offered a real danger. It was the sort of stuff that charlatans sold in stores to g ullible humans.
“It doesn’t matter. Your black-market trade is the least of your worries.”
“I told you—”
Maya cut short his whining. “You set off a bomb that destroyed the Slaughterhouse Club, killing several demons and nearly me.” She wasn’t in the mood. “Not to menti on a vampire.”
Hexx was clearly caught off guard by the accusation. Not that he was innocent—he just hadn’t realized they’d connected him to the explosion.
“Bomb? Seriously? It wasn’ t me. I swear.”
“A lie,” Ravyr murmured, folding his arms over his massive chest. It was an unspoken warning that Hexx sure ly didn’t miss.
The stench of goblin sweat combined with the stale pizza as his gaze abruptly darted from side to side. He looked like a cornered rat.
“Okay. I might have gone to the club, but I didn’t know what was going to happen.” He stared straight at Maya, as if hoping that by ignoring the lethal leech, Ravyr might not carve out his heart and eat it. “This time I s wear for real.”
Maya didn’t need the shake of Ravyr’s head to know that Hexx w as still lying.
“Tell me exactly how you got involved,” she commanded.
Hexx paused. Maya knew that he was debating whether to continue with his pretense of innocence or to hope the truth might keep him breathing another night. At last he settle d on the truth.
Or at leas t, his version.
“A few nights ago I was coming home and a stranger approached me in the alley with a job offer ,” he admitted.
“A demon?”
“Yeah. Goblin.”
“Wha t was the job?”
“Just delivering a package to the Slaughterhouse Club. It seemed ha rmless enough.”
“Harmless? You planted a bomb that destroyed half a city block, ” Maya bit out.
“I didn’t know it was a bomb.”
“Lie, ” Ravyr warned.
Hexx grimaced. “Fine. I didn’t know it was a big bomb,” he insisted. “It was just supposed to...”
Maya clicked her tongue as his words trailed away. Did the idiot think that dragging out his story was going to make it any better?
“Supposed to what ?” she snapped.
He lowered his gaze to the flo or. “Hurt you.”
Before she could fully process the knowledge that the bomb had undeniably been tended to harm her, an icy blast of power exploded through the loft, knocking over crates and busting a lamp next to the bed. Maya risked a quick glance at the male standing next to her. There was nothing to reveal why he’d lost control of his temper. His expression was grim, but there was nothing un usual in that.
With a shrug she glanced back at Hexx. “Me specifically?”
Hexx was staring at the shattered lamp, his face draining from pasty to pallid. “Not to kill you,” he finally rasped. “The dude promised it was a small explosion that would cause a few injuries.” He warily glanced back at Maya. “Nothing permanent, I swear, but enough to stop you from sticking your nose in demon business. It wasn’t supposed to be any big deal.”
Maya tried to imagine who she’d pissed off enough that they would destroy an entire building and kill dozens of demons just to get rid of her. It seemed like an obscenely flamboyant way to kill her. She shook her head, refusing to dwell on the nasty thought that she could be so pr ofoundly hated.
“If it wasn’t a big deal, then why didn’t the person who wanted me hurt plant the bomb? There was no need t o include you.”
“They were supposed to make sure you got to the club and were in place when the explo sion went off.”
Maya shook her head in disgust. “So once again a random demon contacts you with a crazy scheme and you just say yes?” she asked, referring to Hexx’s involvement in Skye’s kidnapping six months ago.
“Not at first,” the goblin protested in a petulant tone. “But then he handed over a very large stack of cash. Thanks to you I’m deadass broke. What do you want me to do?”
“Did you wonder why this mysterious demon would wa nt to hurt me?”
“No. Every demon in this city would love to s ee you suffer.”
Okay, he does have a point, Maya silently conceded. But while she might have angered a large part of the demon population, not many of them would be stupid enough to risk Valen’s fury by blowing up a building in his city. Why not come to Jersey an d do the deed?
“Where is the demon now?”
“I have no idea.” Hexx winced as another stack of crates toppled to the side, smashing whatever was inside. He sent a pleading glance in Ravyr’s direction. “Honestly, I don’t know. He hired me to arrive at the Slaughterhouse Club last night and told me to pick up a package he was going to stash behind the dumpster. I got it and went into the men’s bathroom where I tossed it in the trash can. After that I headed home. I got a block away when the damned place exploded. I couldn’t believe it. I mean...how crappy can my luck get? It’s one disaster after another.”
His babbling words had an edge of sincerity, but Maya had zero sympathy. She twisted her features into a m ask of disgust.
“You killed innocent bystanders and shut down every business in the area, but you’r e the victim?”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Hexx insisted.
Maya shook her head. She was wasting time. This goblin was a selfish prick. He would always do what was best for him, regardless of who might suffer from his lack of morals.
“Tell me about the demon. What was his name?”
“ I don’t know.”
Maya ground her teeth. “Describe him.”
“Average.”
“Average what.”
“Average height. Average age. Average.”
Magic sizzled through Maya as she struggled to contain her temper. She wanted to flay the stubborn male, then roll him in salt until he screame d in agony. Or—
“Allow me.” Ravyr thankfully halted Maya’s impulsive desire to strike out at Hexx, who was still frozen by her potion.
She might be furious with the goblin and unnerved by the thought that someone wanted her dead, but she didn’t use her powers when someone was helpless to def end themselves.
“No, I’m trying to help,” Hexx squealed as Ravyr slow ly approached.
“Shut up.” Ravyr reached down to grab Hexx by the hair, placing his free hand against the m ale’s forehead.
All vampires possessed the ability to enter the minds of demons and humans, although it wasn’t as simple as reading their thoughts. The brain was a complex organ that stored information in fragments.
Still, he should be able to discover something to help them in their search for the my sterious demon.
For a full five minutes, Ravyr searched through Hexx’s mind, ignoring the goblin’s pleas for mercy. Finally he appeared to concede defeat as he released his hold on Hexx’s hair and turned to face Maya with a troub led expression.
“I see the male who approached Hexx in the alley, but his features are too bland to be real.” He frowned. “It’s like he’s w earing a mask.”
“No,” Maya abruptly breathed. “It’s a potion. A very expensive potion. And I know who bought it.”