Chapter 12 The Creature
THE CREATURE
“So?” Luka looked at me expectantly.
“What?”
“Did you find her?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You left your room yesterday.”
“I went to the bar.”
“You left the hotel.”
“Am I your prisoner now? Tracking my every move?” I scoffed. “I stepped outside for some air.”
“Are you afraid?”
“Why would I be afraid?” I took a long sip of my bourbon.
The action alone made Luka raise a brow, those auburn eyes boring holes in the side of my face. I wanted to poke them out so they would stop staring at me.
We sat across from each other in the hotel lounge within the bar area. The chairs were comfortable, despite not being able to sit still. It was no Explorers Club, but the space was fine for taking a drink or two.
“What’s the plan?”
“No plan. Not one involving you,” I muttered.
“Do you not trust me?”
“Of course not. You kidnapped her, tortured her. I think she would be wise to kill you if she saw you.”
“Ah yes, I forgot about that,” he remarked, then slowly smirked. “That’s a lie. I still think about it sometimes.”
“Watch yourself,” I snapped.
“There’s been a telegram.”
“From whom?”
Luka took a long sip of liquor, as if he had not heard my question.
“Luka,” I snapped my fingers in his face. “What telegram?”
“From London.”
“I said who, not where,” I seethed.
“Your father.”
I returned the rim of my whiskey glass to my lips, finishing it off before staring at the refractions of the crystal, letting the liquor bite before swallowing.
“We have to prepare a reply,” Luka said, though he didn’t seem any more enthusiastic than I was, “even if it is just to delay.”
“We will not entertain him.”
“I don’t think we have a choice. We must respond, or he may resort to less diplomatic approaches. We have no Hosts, and the Nest is getting anxious.”
“They should be.”
“Silas,” he warned, “you’ve been running for too long. No matter how justified your actions, there are consequences.” He raked his fingers through the brown waves of his hair, and I swore there was a tremor. “I’m surprised he has taken so long to initiate any sort of correspondence.”
I waved a dismissive hand. “Do what you must to delay him. He will only entertain a goose chase for so long. Hopefully, we are back by then.”
He stared at me for a beat too long, displaying something like hesitation. “I’ll send something back to the Nest,” Luka finally said.
Right past Luka, I spotted the little blond sprite from the other night. “Excuse me.” I abandoned my seat, eager to escape the conversation in more ways than one.
If anyone would know more about the politics of the area, this one would.
She pressed her palms against the edge of the bar, glancing at the mirror behind the bottles.
I stalked forward, appearing behind her in the reflection. “Were you hoping to see me again, or is this a typical hunting ground for you?”
Her eyes widened, and she spun around.
“Don’t look so surprised; at least try to look like you expected a threat.” I rolled my eyes, sliding my empty glass to the bartender as I took a seat.
“Why not leave me alone? You already know why I frequent here from our last talk.” She hesitantly sat next to me.
“Relax, I am not here to cause any sort of heartache for you.” I laughed. “But I did have some questions.”
“What about?”
“Just helping out a lost tourist.”
“Well, I will try to help where I can.”
“Where does a stranger get a bite to eat?”
“You’d be looking for a Guild,” she laughed.
“And that is . . . ?”
“There is not much to tell. They run like Dens with a member list. Some are more exclusive than others, but all are welcome with the right fee.”
“How much do you pay, then?”
“I do not pay, and neither do Hosts,” she started. “I don’t know how it works where you’re from, but here the Hosts are unionized. My Nest was the one to start it.”
“If your Hosts are within your own Nest, why would they go to another?”
“Hosts don’t have to pay to enter a Guild; they are paid to be there,” she explained.
“Where is your Nest?”
She shook her head. “I cannot tell you that.”
“May I know your name, then? We are friends, are we not?”
The blonde appeared to internally debate whether it was a good idea to tell me. It was undoubtedly a terrible decision to tell me anything, but she seemed naive enough.
“Edith,” she said after a while.
“Edith,” I repeated, tilting my head at her. “What about the Dam of your Nest?”
Edith shifted in her seat at the mention. It did not take an academic to see that she was not allowed to talk to strangers about her. What a sweet little thing.
“You do not have to tell me; I was just curious. You speak of her highly.” I shrugged, nonchalantly swishing the liquid in my cup.
“She is a force,” Edith said softly. “Sometimes I am afraid to say her name. I fear she will appear if I do.”
“I am sure you are safe. She must be very busy.” I kept my questions light, but I was restraining myself from prying.
“Alina is her name,” she practically whispered.
“Alina,” I couldn’t help but purr as it slipped off my tongue. “A beautiful name.”
“It is fitting for her.” She smiled shyly.
“Is she waiting for you now?”
“She is expecting me to be at work.” Her smile faded. A guilty furrow of the brow gave her away. She reminded me of my sister, so very expressive. Her face could not lie.
“I see. So you are not allowed to be here?”
“It’s not like that! She just gets anxious when we hunt on our own. I am conducting my own research. I feel I need to do it myself sometimes.”
“Fair, there is no use denying your nature.”
“She’s different. She thinks we can do some good in the world.” Edith smoothed down her skirt. “It gives us some hope that we aren’t some sort of plague or curse on mankind.”
“Mankind,” I scoffed. “I’m pretty sure we were here first.”
“Doesn’t mean we have to make people suffer for it,” she said softly. “I’m sure you would think the same if there was a chance you might harm the ones you love.”
My lip twitched in a sneer, but I dampened it.
We sat silently for a while, finishing our drinks before she eventually slipped away. It seemed like fate, meeting Alina’s pet here. It sounded like she ran her dogs on short leads. Destiny was in our favor today. It was a matter of time before she would be by my side once more.