Chapter 8
S tomach full and body filled with energy, I did my best not to break into a run.
We’d finished our dinner and were now walking toward the warehouse owned by the guy named Razi.
It was a mystery that kept pulling at my heartstrings, and I couldn’t wait to meet this man and find out what I could about Gil.
Wylen mumbled something as he walked on my left, and I tried not to get upset about the constant scraping sound the toothpick made as he dug around in his mouth. He’d been doing it since he found the jar of toothpicks at the restaurant, and it was honestly getting on my last nerve.
“What are you doing?” I finally asked the fae. Tris was on my other side and staying remarkably silent.
“There’s a piece of shell or something…”
“We told you not to eat the shell.” I groaned. It took a few oysters before Wylen understood the proper way to eat the shellfish.
“But where I come from?—”
“Yes, we know,” Tris interrupted. “Where you come from, people eat the shells of all animals because it makes you stronger.” The singsong way in which Tris imitated Wylen put a smile on my face that I quickly wiped away when I noticed Wylen frowning at me.
“Well, did you get it?” I asked him.
“Get it?”
“Whatever it is you’re picking at in your mouth. It’s grossing me out.” I stifled a shiver and shoved my hands back in my pockets. It was another humid night, and I was glad I hadn’t worn anything nicer.
Wylen flicked his toothpick off the seawall and into Stromwell Harbour.
“Wylen!” I shouted, and Tris stumbled in surprise at my outburst. “You can’t do that!”
“But it is made of wood, is it not?”
“Maybe?” Were they made of real wood? “It doesn’t matter what it’s made of. You can’t litter.”
“Litter?” he asked.
“Throw trash anywhere you want. In this realm, we put our trash in cans.” Mostly .
“I see.” Wylen didn’t say anything else, but he also stopped sucking on his perfectly spaced teeth.
“I think it’s down this street,” Tris said, looking at the map on his comm phone as we walked. “You know, I’ve never been in this area before.”
“Me neither.” Our job took Tris and me to various parts of the city and suburbs, but somehow this part of town hadn’t made it on our radar.
“It stinks,” Wylen muttered.
“It’s a city,” I said. “They always stink.” Just as the words came out of my mouth, a large rat ran in front of us and crossed the street, hiding again in the shadows of a boarded-up building. “And they have vermin,” I added.
Wylen focused on the dark space where the animal disappeared. “No, not vermin. Others.”
Tris and I shared a look and ignored the fae as we continued our walk toward the warehouse.
Once we passed the old brick buildings that stood four stories high and once held stores, the street widened and became warehouse row.
Where I had originally pictured large, metal atrocities with roll-up doors and rusty siding, these warehouses had even more charm than some of the most historic parts of the city.
Seemingly in better shape than the old commerce section we’d just trekked through, the bricks had been power-washed and the windows replaced.
It kind of reminded me of the area of town known for the rowhouses-turned-bars in Crowborough.
Like the community agreed to cleaning it up, this section of the street certainly looked like a good investment.
Most of the windows were dark, and as we walked by, I wondered if we had the right address.
But then we heard a shuffle and a laugh and stopped cold in our tracks.
Two men, hunched forward and heads down, stepped out of the alleyway just in front of us.
They didn’t even notice our presence as they immediately turned to the right and continued down the same street we were on.
Rushing forward almost in a jog, they spoke in hushed voices and focused on their path.
With one glance at my two companions, I shrugged and started to follow.
Tris hesitated only as long as Wylen did before trying to catch up with us both.
“Do you think they’re going to the same place?” Tris whispered to me.
“Yes,” Wylen answered as he sniffed the air. His flip-flops clapped as he kept pace with me. Stealthy, we certainly were not.
Tris huffed some kind of mumbled response under his breath, and I shook my head, wondering if it would be like this between the three of us for long.
I was hoping to help solve this case as quickly as possible, and I had a feeling Tris and Wylen probably desired the same.
It was obvious that the two of them had some kind of manly competition going between them, and I was thankful for the lower levels of testosterone in my blood.
Wylen suddenly stopped, throwing his arm out and holding me back at the same time. “What?” I said, surprised and a little scared. Tris had stopped, too, and was closely watching the dark shadows across the street and to the left of us where Wylen had a sudden interest. “What is it?” I asked.
“Shh,” Wylen said a little too quickly.
The three of us huddled together and watched…well, I wasn’t sure what we were watching. But both of the men beside me closed in as though I needed protection. I nudged Tris in his ribs, but he didn’t move. I didn’t want to touch Wylen again.
As we watched, the two men who had been in front of us disappeared around the corner of the last building up ahead. The road dead-ended at another large, brick warehouse, and the only choice was to go right. I tried to start moving in that direction, but Wylen grabbed my arm and held me in place.
“Stop—” I started to react, but then I saw his eyes glowing the bright yellow that I’d seen once before. I snapped my lips shut and listened to my instincts. Wylen was hunting something right now, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit scared of his reaction.
Tris must have noticed, too, because I saw his slight change in stance from one of protection to one getting ready for a fight.
His hand slipped around my lower back, and I inched closer to him, needing to feel his warmth beside me.
We both watched Wylen and his eyes and the spot across the street that held his attention.
I didn’t see or hear anything…not until the scent of smoke tickled my nose. And then I noticed the light.
It was faint at first. Almost like my eyes were playing a trick on me. But the distinct odor of a pipe helped me realize that it had been a match. Whoever was hiding in the shadows across the street had decided to reveal himself with the light of the flame.
“Who smokes pipes anymore?” I whispered and then smiled when Tris chuffed an agreement. But Wylen didn’t move, arms still pulled away from his side as though ready to either stop me or protect me.
“The Ancient Ones,” he whispered as the light started to move .
A woman stepped into the street. Wearing what looked like a top hat and a long leather duster, she sucked on her pipe, fully knowing that we were watching her.
With her chin tilted up to the sky, she blew the smoke out of her mouth in a way that was seductive and scandalous at the same time.
Her lips formed a perfect pucker, and as she bathed in the haze of the streetlamp, I couldn’t help but notice her beauty.
Her skin was a light brown, and the hair that flowed down to her waist appeared to be an almost purplish-blue color.
Her long fingers held onto the pipe like it was priceless, while the other hand remained hidden in her pocket.
She turned to face us, and Wylen straightened. Her eyes locked with his, her tongue dancing across her lips in invitation. I was frozen in place, but the two men suddenly took a step forward. And then another. Without thinking, I grabbed both of their arms and yelled, “No!”
The woman shot a glare at me, but Wylen and Tris had stopped.
As though in a trance, they didn’t really respond to my touch and instead continued to stare at the mysterious woman.
She chuckled as she watched, licking her lips again and dropping the hand with the pipe to her side.
With slow, seductive steps, she crossed the street, making her way toward us.
“Shit,” I mumbled and then shook Wylen’s arm. “Should we run?”
I got no response.
“Tris!” I shouted, yanking on his arm as well. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Silence.
“They don’t see you, little girl,” the woman cooed.
She had to be almost six feet tall with a lithe body that could have made her millions in the modeling industry.
My tiny frame was dwarfed by not only her size but also by her formidable presence.
Stunning cheekbones, luscious lips, and large, dark eyes that seemed to reach straight into my soul, I knew this woman must be something otherworldly .
“What…what did you do to them?” I whispered, having a hard time finding words.
She smirked down at me and then turned her gaze toward Tris.
Removing her hand from her pocket, I couldn’t help but notice her long, red nails as she traced the outline of Tris’s jaw.
He watched her like a hungry puppy drooling over a fresh steak.
A twinge of jealousy stirred in my guts, but something inside told me that I would increase my chances of survival if I didn’t instigate anything.
“Mmm,” she breathed into his ear. “You are a fine specimen.” As her fingers trailed down his chest, she watched my reaction. I did my best to school my face, figuring it would serve me well to stay neutral even though my instincts were raging with the need to knock her hand away.
With another smirk, she focused on Wylen. He was taller than her, but I’d be wrong not to admit they looked damn good together. With his blond hair and yellow eyes and her…well, her darkness, they were a perfect mix of good versus evil. Even if I didn’t fully know who was who in that scenario.
“A Hound,” she said, her surprise seemingly genuine. “What happened in this world to have the fae send a Hound to us?” Her tongue licked across her full lips, and she nestled up against Wylen’s chest. “I haven’t had one of you in…a while. In centuries.”
Wylen swallowed, but he didn’t move. Whatever this…creature had done to my boys, I was starting to get pissed.
“Who are you?”
The woman glared at me, and I suddenly felt the full power of her gaze. But instead of being enamored, it enraged me. “Who are you?” I asked again.
Tilting her head slightly to the side, she finally answered me. “I am a creature of the darkness, and you are trespassing on my territory.”
“You don’t own this street,” I snapped back.
“No?” Her sultry demeanor suddenly changed, and I swear her eyes flashed red. “I own this city, little girl. And it would do you good to remember that.”
Swallowing my fear, I tried to stand my ground. “What did you do to them?”
“These boys? Well, they are simply under my spell,” she said as though it were a joke. The thing was…they were under her spell. “They are mine to do with as I please.”
A door slammed shut in the distance, and the woman snapped her head around to stare at the source of the sound.
With a hiss, she stepped away from us and glared into the building at the end of the street.
I didn’t hear anything coming from that direction, but she obviously did.
Casting one last glance at Wylen and Tris and then tossing a glare at me, she slowly backed up until she disappeared into the shadows again.