Chapter 28
We didn’t storm the Copper Hell. For one thing, Linda phoned me back.
“Troy’s…” The whispered name was infused with pain. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Was it a shedim?”
“I believe so. Is your father with you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Good.” They were hunkered down together. “When is the meeting happening?”
“It was supposed to have happened already but the shedim changed it to tomorrow morning at the gallery.”
“Do you know how many are coming?” I said.
“No.”
“Are these the shedim your mother worked with or the ones she defied by releasing the incarcerated demons?”
Linda swallowed. “Defied.”
“The same ones who murdered her?”
“Yes. They threatened Dad and me with the same fate if we ever told anyone about the locks.”
“Are you and Troy matchmakers as well?”
“No, there was only ever Mom.”
“No other matchmakers,” I said for Michael’s benefit. “Good. Let me negotiate at the meeting.”
My mother raised an eyebrow.
Linda was reticent. She was scared enough about allowing hidden protection when the demons had insisted no one other than her and Mois be there. Having another party inside might sour the deal entirely.
I wanted to scream at her that there was no deal. The shedim weren’t going to let her and Mois walk away. “What if I pretend to be the shedim that your mother worked with?”
Michael mouthed “Speakerphone” at me with a hard glare.
I rolled my eyes but hit the button on my cell.
“Why would they buy that?” Linda said.
“They know Chandra had a shedim partner who was finding the locks and breaking the wards on them. I’ll pretend to be that shedim and we can pass it off as that demon wanting safe passage as part of this deal. Did you ever see them? Either in their demon or human form?”
Linda swore she hadn’t. “But that’s who I was making those fake cursed artifacts for. It was part of my mother’s deal with them.”
“Then you spoke with them,” I said.
“A growly voice from a blocked number.” Linda didn’t know their name, what gender they preferred to glamor as, or anything else about them. Her mother had been careful to keep that information from her.
“What about Mois?” I said. “How much did he know?”
“Not much. I didn’t even tell him about the briefcase with the locks until after Mom was murdered. It was her insurance. He threw all his resources into retrieving it, which took a while, and then we had to make this deal.”
I paced the director’s office. “If the shedim your mom worked with is still alive, then it stands to reason the demons you’re meeting with don’t have its identity. This gamble will work.”
“What if there’s a situation where they expect to see an actual demon?” Linda said. “What will you do then? Your cover will be blown.”
“Let me worry about that.” Should push come to shove and I had to deploy Cherry, the element of surprise would be stupendous.
Michael had an operative who could wipe Mois’s and Linda’s memories about Cherry, the other demons would be dead, and my team had seen what I was. No one was going to blab about me.
Cherry listened with a smug satisfaction that we once again had a unique role in this investigation.
My mother, on the other hand, crossed her arms.
I got the rest of the meeting details from Linda, then hung up and faced Michael. “Can we skip the part where we argue about this? Linda and Mois will think Cherry is a glamor, and then you’ll wipe their memories and it won’t matter anyway.”
“You think that’s what I’m worried about?” Michael snapped. “You’re pretending to be the shedim who jailbroke those prisoners? Are you insane?”
“Someone with experience needs to control the situation and get a confession. I want to determine whether the shedim at this meeting killed Troy.”
It made sense that our killer was a demon. First of all, shedim magic manifested in all kinds of ways. One could easily draw heat into or out of someone like an Orange Flame. Second, we’d ruled out all the Eishei Kodesh possibilities.
“If it wasn’t one of them, we need to hunt down the demon who worked with Chandra. Besides”—I flipped my hair off my shoulders—“this always was an undercover investigation.”
Michael, uncharacteristically, slammed two desk drawers and swore three times before agreeing with a sigh. “Have Silas marshal the Vancouver Spook Squad.”
“Not Cécile and Nasir,” I said. “They don’t know about Cherry.” Michael would never agree to wipe their memories. Not that I’d ask that of her.
In my head, Cherry snorted.
“You should have considered that before you offered to play demon,” Michael said. “I’m not removing two valuable weapons.”
“Please, Mom.”
Michael blinked at me calling her that at work. It had just slipped out, but I really needed my mother in my corner right now.
“Please,” I repeated. “I barely ever ask you for anything, but I’m begging you not to make me out myself to them. I can’t go into this worried whether that changes them having my back.”
“Which would be an argument against doing this in the first place.”
“I’ll have a Prime, Silas, who has the strength of two vamps, and Darsh as backup. That’s enough.” The Portland and Seattle vampires had been sent home when Troy’s body was found.
“No. I’m sorry, Aviva, but this is my call. I’m putting all my vamp operatives on this. I trust every single one to protect their fellow Maccabee, regardless of the situation. It’s on you to do the same.”
The weight of Michael’s decision pressed down on me. I’d professed to be full steam ahead when it came to trust, and yet, here I was, back in hiding. I took a deep breath…
And nodded resolutely. “Tell them. I’ll make sure we succeed in this mission, no matter what.”
Her gaze softened slightly, a hint of pride flickering in her eyes. “I know you will, Aviva. Just remember, you’re not alone in this.”
She didn’t argue about Ezra being there. That was a win.
“Sachie stays out of this because she’ll want to fight. It’s too dangerous,” Michael said. “Clear?”
“Clear.”
I was already working through a million strategies. The best option was to talk my way out of this situation without Cherry ever making an appearance because that would escalate things to a physical fight, and I’d never killed a shedim without my magic ring.
Technically, you never killed one with it either , Cherry unhelpfully said.
The point was, I didn’t know how to kill a demon, and the vamp cavalry would be stationed outside the gallery. They might not arrive in time to assist me.
While Michael phoned Keira, I got Silas on the line.
He was reluctant to contact Darsh, but I insisted. Silas was leading the vamps and it was important that Darsh respect that. Not that I honestly believed he’d let personal feelings get in the way of work, but still. They had to trust each other as much as I trusted them both.
I explained that the vampires were to start watching the gallery now but not attack the demons when they showed up, which shouldn’t be until tomorrow. However, even if they arrived early, it was capture only. We required a confession about who killed Troy.
Meantime, Michael got Keira’s agreement that other than the two commanders, only vampires, Olivier, and myself would be present, though I’d be the only one at the handover.
Ezra texted while Michael and I were finalizing details. Got Maud . Safely back at the Hell. No sign of Alastair yet, but Natán has his vamps on it and my staff are working the clientele here for information.
I thanked him, relieved that Alastair couldn’t get to Maud. This would have been the appropriate moment to inform my boyfriend that I’d be inside negotiating with the shedim, but Silas was in charge of vampires and chain of command dictated that I tell him first.
Nice loophole , Cherry scoffed.
I told Michael there were no Alastair sightings yet. “Still interested in reuniting with your baby daddy?”
She grimaced. “Never say that again.”
“Well, I don’t know what name you called him by.”
“Since that person doesn’t exist, Delacroix will do.” She stood up, her expression all business. “I always meant to try a Bitter Abyss. Your car or mine?”
That was a no-brainer. It was January, and she owned a Mercedes with heated seats.
First, we stopped downstairs at the Spook Squad. Sachie agreed to let me accompany Michael to the Jolly Hellhound, provided I returned to HQ immediately after and back under her watchful eye.
“You’re such a good friend to Aviva,” Michael said. “That’s always meant a lot to me. I only wish you could be there for her when she pretends to be the shedim working with the matchmakers at this handover meeting.”
My best friend turned a shade of red unseen outside of cartoon characters with steam erupting from the tops of their heads.
“Thanks for that,” I muttered.
Sachie crossed her arms. “That’s not happening.”
“Yes, it is.” I uncrossed them, arranging them in a cute pose on her hips. She smacked my hands and I grinned. “This was delightful,” I said, “but the Hell awaits.”
“I’m going to speak with Delacroix.” Michael headed for the door then turned back. “Aviva told you he knows she’s his daughter and that he’s in possession of a demon brain that has the locations of all the prison cells which she stole for him?”
“The brain part, yes.” Sachie unearthed a mini blade from behind her ear. “But she’s playing fast and loose with the information she shares.”
I threw up my hands. “In my defense, there’s so much shit going down, I can’t keep track of who knows what.”
Sach danced the blade over her knuckles. “Don’t care. Do better.”
“Also, Mother,” I said through clenched teeth, “I didn’t know what the brain was when I stole it. Motive is important.”
“So is having all the facts when dealing with a shedim.”
“Like you’re one to talk,” I fired back.
Michael waved a hand through the air. “If you do stab her, Sachie, do it outside the building so it doesn’t have to go through HR. Spare yourself the paperwork.”
“Happy to follow orders,” Sachie said.
“You’re an excellent operative.” Michael hit the elevator call button.
“Are you two having fun?” I said.
Sach ran a finger along the edge of the blade. “Getting there.”
The elevator pinged and Michael stepped into the empty car.
“Don’t quit your day job for the comedy circuit,” I said to my on-probation best friend and headed after my mother, wondering if I was too old to apply for emancipation.
“Was that really necessary?” I said to the closing doors.
Michael pressed her finger to her cheek and tilted her head. “Yes, I believe it was.”
We made good time to the pub. My mother spent the drive humming while I gnashed my teeth. She enjoyed the disgusting drink and inspected the back room with a delighted curiosity since she’d never had reason to be there before.
It was hard to stay mad—even mock mad—at her.
I let Ezra know that Michael and I were coming through the portal, and was reminded that Delacroix had banned all Maccabees from entering the Hell except for me. I cursed silently. I’d been dealing with so many fires that I’d forgotten that salient detail.
Before I could break it to Michael that this trip to the Jolly Hellhound was pointless, Ezra messaged that it was good thing he’d been working on a way around that, just in case he had to spirit our friends to the yacht for safety.
Me: We’re good to go?
Zee: In theory. I haven’t tested it yet, so it’s up to Michael.
I relayed this information, watching her swirl her drink while mentally turning over every angle of the risk.
“We proceed as planned,” she said.
“Solid vote of confidence in Ezra’s abilities, but perhaps another operative should go through first?”
“Are you implying that any of our Maccabees are expendable?” my mother said wryly.
“I mean, would we mourn Dmitri’s loss into some magic void? Would that not be an opportunity for a more forward-thinking operative to assume his place on the Authority?”
She shot me a deadpan look. “I’m going now.”
“Yup.” I waved a hand at the metal door. “Have at it.”
My pulse jumped when I stepped into the foyer at the Hell and didn’t see her. I raced into the main gambling area on the lower level and stopped.
Ezra had descended from his balcony to personally greet Michael. She appeared uninjured and didn’t sport a haunted expression from her travel through the portal, instead laughing at something my boyfriend was saying.
I allowed my dopey smile for a second, then briskly strode forward.
His eyes warmed at my approach. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, yourself.”
“Where’s Delacroix?” Michael said.
“In his quarters.” Ezra escorted us outside.
A crescent moon peeked out from behind clouds rippling across the night sky and the sea was calm.
I took a deep breath of salty air, the tension in my body unwinding. Wow. How messed up was my life that being on a demon-owned yacht in the middle of some ocean counted as relaxing?
“Tell Ezra your plan,” Michael said as we wound around the side.
“Oh no.” The vamp came to a dead stop.
I shook my head. “I should respect chain of command.”
Ezra’s left eye twitched. “That would be a first.”
“I am the command,” Michael said. “Tell him.”
I notched my chin up and spilled about going in as Chandra’s demon partner to trade the metal case for Mois’s and Linda’s lives.
Ezra blinked twice then headed up a narrow metal staircase.
“Where’s your growly displeasure? The part where you portal me into a locked closet?” I said in a miffed voice, jogging after him.
“I’m saving my energy for making sure you walk out of that meeting alive. Trust me, I’ll say plenty after the fact.” He stopped next to the round abode resembling a shimmering iridescent silver bubble and knocked on the door.
“I’m busy,” Delacroix said, cracking the door. He squinted at Michael. “Who the fuck are you?”
Dude was a shedim, and he’d only known my mother for one night, but still, bad form. I’d have said as much except I was busy dry heaving from the hard burst of magic that had sussed out something demonic nearby. Other than my father, that was.
“Michael Fleisher. Aviva’s mother,” she said coldly.
“Huh. You didn’t age too bad?—”
Michael socked the demon in the gut. He doubled over with an “ouf,” his fangs dropping.
You go, Mom , Cherry cheered.
I blinked, surprised that my Brimstone Baroness thought of Michael that way, and swallowed hard, focusing on the crisp sea air to clear my nausea. What was inside Delacroix’s place?
“Feisty,” he said to my mother, his fangs vanishing. “Here for an encore?”
My heaving worsened.
Ezra muttered some bullshit about having to be elsewhere, but I clamped on to his arm like a vise. There was enough trauma here for both of us to partake.
“Since the event itself was entirely unmemorable,” Michael said, “not on your life.”
Delacroix grinned and scratched his belly through his wool fisherman’s sweater. “You know that’s not true, Mickey.”
Please kill me now. He did remember her, and given the gleam in his eyes, I really wished he didn’t.
“As for you…” A watery tentacle rose out of nowhere and slapped Ezra’s ankle. “Don’t undermine my orders.”
Ezra stomped on the tentacle but it vanished before he made contact.
“A word of warning, Delacroix,” Mom said, interrupting. “Hurt one hair on my daughter’s head and I’ll end you.”
“Bravo,” a familiar voice enthused.
“Maud!” I pushed past my demon parent, but the second I stepped through the doorway, I clapped a hand over my mouth at the bile rising in my throat, spun around, and ran for the railing.
Dimly, I heard Maud asking if I was all right and Ezra replying to her in a gentle voice.
My mother came up beside me and stroked my back like she had when I had stomachaches as a little kid.
Delacroix laughed meanly and said, “Boo hoo. The sisters can’t play togeth— ouf !”
“Mock them again,” Ezra said, “and I’ll do worse than that.”
I took another couple of deep breaths. “I hate this,” I whispered miserably.
“Here.” Michael slipped off her Maccabee ring and slid it onto my finger. It was a bit of a tight fit, but it killed my negative reaction to Maud’s half-shedim nature.
The sucky irony was that I didn’t even need this extra ability to detect half shedim. After all, I saw their shifting shadows with my blue flame magic, and even if I chose not to use my synesthete vision, there was always Sire’s Spark, whose effects were, mercifully, only temporary.
“You’ve never taken that off,” I said sadly.
“Well.” She glanced back at Delacroix. “I might have. Once.”
The night they’d… No wonder he didn’t immediately figure out who I was. Not-a-Maccabee-Mickey was nothing like Director Michael Fleischer.
I removed the ring and handed it back. “Still,” I said. “Not since then.”
“You’re my daughter and you’re suffering.” She tried to press it back into my hand.
I shook my head and unfastened the necklace with my own ring. “I’ve got mine.” I put the ring back on and my nausea instantly vanished.
Whether it was the knowledge of the corrupted magic in it or not having worn it for a while, something had changed about the way it fit me. Not physically, but it was no longer the comforting talisman it had been.
We entered Delacroix’s bubble and Maud waved tentatively at me from the wingback chairs grouped in front of the hearth.
The fireplace wasn’t lit today, but the demon had added another framed photo of underwater life to the stunning collection adorning the walls. Like the others, the close-up of a bug-eyed fish smiling derpily for the camera was imbued with heart and humor.
I beelined for my sister and hugged her tightly.
Michael examined each photo slowly. “Very nice.”
Delacroix smirked, almost preening.
“Maud.” My mother stopped next to the other woman. “This is rather a different meeting than our first one.”
“Well, no handcuffs,” Maud said nervously, edging close to me. “So there’s that.”
I shook my head slightly to indicate that Michael didn’t know that our story about Maud being compelled to abduct Calista was a total fabrication.
My sister relaxed and Delacroix didn’t out us. I’d been pretty certain he wouldn’t, since Maud being locked up would have put a crimp in their breakfast get-togethers.
Michael held her hand out to Maud. “Welcome to the family.”