Chapter One #2
“He might, but I’m sure Finch won’t admit to anything. Vamps tend to keep to themselves, and are suspicious of the Committee. Now, that delicious Hunter is another matter.” She settled into the comfortable leather seat with a satisfied sigh.
I sat beside her, my adrenaline only just starting to fade. At the mention of Hunter, I fought with my brain’s desire to continue dwelling on just how fine he was. “Will Dr. Kostich make trouble for Hunter? I’d hate to see him being punished when he helped us out of the kindness of his heart.”
“You think that’s why he offered his assistance?” Sally gave me a curious look, one I couldn’t quite understand. She gave a little shake of her perfectly coiffed French twist.
“I figured it was because Aisling asked him,” I said, wondering how Aisling and Jim were doing.
“That was just an excuse,” Sally said, pulling out her phone and tapping out a text message. “I told him I had someone he’d want to meet, so he made himself available.”
I frowned, wondering what she was implying.
Did she mean me? A blush washed up from my chest at the idea that Hunter wanted to meet me; then I immediately damned both the blush and my befuddled mind.
Sally hadn’t known me before we met rescuing Desi, and had no way to even know I existed, let alone would be susceptible to his enticing self.
“Er ... I’m not sure I understand. Who did you want him to meet? ”
“He’s a dragon hunter, did you know that?” Sally answered, waving at someone on a sidewalk while we were stopped at a light. “There are only four in existence right now, Hunter and his twin being two of them.”
“I ... I think someone mentioned him being a dragon hunter, but I’m afraid I don’t know anything about that. Is he like the police force for the dragons?”
“No, dragon hunters are outside the septs and weyr. At least, they are for now. They are working to change things up, but others are fighting against that goal. Regardless, a dragon hunter is part dragon, part demon.”
I shifted to the side, taken aback by the idea of Hunter being a demon. “They’re dark beings?”
“Not as such, no. The dragon side rules, you see. It keeps the demon part in check, using it to subdue and destroy beings of dark power. You know how it’s hard to destroy a demon?”
“Not really. I don’t have many dealings with them, either, although I think I heard if they are killed, they come back in another body.” A warning bell in my head shrieked. How could I have an interest in a man who was part demon?
“That’s not quite right. They can be killed, utterly killed. No coming back, no new form. But it takes someone special to do that, and Hunter is one of those people. But to be most effective, he needs an esprit.”
The memory rose in my mind of a time in my teen years when I studied the wrong material for a year-end test, and I was left with the same feeling of being completely and utterly at sea. “Er ... an esprit is what?”
She shot me a pointed look. “How much do you know about the Court of Divine Blood?”
“Not a lot other than it’s what mortals based their idea of heaven on, just as they did hell on Abaddon, where the demons live.
” I suppressed a little shiver at the idea of Abaddon.
Other than the (nice if a bit inquisitive) demon Jim, I had no experience with demonkind, and I much preferred to keep it that way.
“And of course, you and your partner used to be Sovereign, but now someone else is running it.”
“That’s right. And amongst the denizens of the Court are esprits.
They are special beings filled to the very brim with all sorts of good qualities like loyalty, and devotion to the cause, and most importantly the light of the Court.
And the dragon hunters, since they are masters of the dark power, need that light to balance their special swords. ”
I stared in abject horror at her. “Are you saying that Hunter has sacrificed a happy light spirit to make his sword more powerful? That’s horrible! How can you support that?”
“There’s no sacrifice involved. The esprits choose to power up the sword because ...” Her lips twitched, and with a fast glance at the driver, she leaned in close to whisper, “To be honest, sugar, they get a boner for justice. And what more justice can they enjoy than the destruction of demons?”
“Oh.” I thought about that for a few seconds. “I guess that makes sense. So you wanted Hunter to meet a sword spirit?”
“He needs one. His last, a delightful young woman named Clover whom he was also dating, broke up with him for the third time, and according to the extremely exclamation-point-laden email she sent me, she’s never going back.
I told Hunter it was time to find someone new, so he arranged to be available when we needed him. ”
I wondered if anyone I had met during the rescue of Desi was secretly an esprit.
For a reason I refused to acknowledge, the idea annoyed me.
“Gotcha. Looks like we’re here. Thanks for giving me a ride, and more importantly, thank you for dealing with Dr. Kostich.
I’m really not comfortable with lying, since I can’t do it convincingly, so you’re literally a lifesaver. ”
She waved away my thanks as we pulled up to one of the three Paris portal shops. “As if I could leave you to his nonexistent mercy. You’re far too vital to the dragons to let you be stuffed into the Akasha. There’s always so much red tape to get anyone out of there.”
I had emerged from the car as she spoke, but leaned down to catch her words. “Me? How am I important? I’m just a reaper.”
“You’re that and so much more, which is why you’ll have to go into the Eleventh Hour sooner rather than later.
Consider it paying me back for getting Kostich off your nerves.
Giancarlo, you delicious hunk of man, how do you feel about the Seychelles?
I’ve an urge to run along a sandy beach with you clad in a thong, and me in nothing whatsoever.
Yes? Excellent. Take us to the north portal shop, and I’ll see to the rest.”
“The Eleventh Hour? What do you mean?” The word fell on empty space as the car zoomed off, leaving me on the sidewalk staring after her with confusion, uncertainty, and a profound sense that I’d missed something important.
I headed into the portal office, still turning over her comments. How could I be important to the dragon people? Did they know about Papi and the hold he had over me? Were they planning on using that to force me into doing something heinous?
“Life sucks right now,” I told the portal agent just before I stepped through the grayish-purple swirling mass that hung in the air, and which would zap me to Beck.
“Ain’t that the truth,” she answered as the miasma claimed me, leaving an increasing sense of worry that something was very wrong. I had a horrible suspicion I was at the center of it.