Chapter 2
2
The neon lights of the Circus flashed through the misty rain. The Circus isn’t an actual circus. Well, not entirely. It has the lights, the food, and some other attractions. But the main part of the Circus is a casino, and that’s where I was headed. I walked past vendors huddled under umbrellas, the neon lights reflecting in the puddles of water near my boots.
I pulled my hood forward a little further and hitched up my coat. It wasn’t cold, but with the coming darkness and the strange encounter with the gargoyle, I felt on edge.
Focus, Eva . The lights of the casino flashed one by one, acting out a scene with a dancing woman twirling amidst falling bills.
I wondered if any of the patrons ever experienced such joy, but I doubted it. What was the saying? Oh yeah, the house always wins. Especially when it was run by creatures who could feed on the energy of greed.
Nope, not my scene. Though the sparkly outfits were nice.
I felt momentary relief as I stepped inside out of the rain, but then the sound of slot machines and laughter closed around me. My nose wrinkled with the scent of booze and too much perfume.
Keeping my head low, I continued onward, moving mostly unnoticed.
When I finally felt eyes on me I glanced toward a blackjack table, spotting a wraith looking my way. He appeared mostly human, other than his pure black eyes and pale skin. No one else looked at him, even though he stood close to a woman leaning over the table in her glittery red dress.
He met my eyes and smiled. Wraiths can slip about easily, not catching anyone’s attention. It’s why they make excellent security guards. And spies . I could only feel him watching me because of my celestial blood. I could sense the aura that normally repelled eyes from his tall, thin form.
Wraiths are actually pretty similar to celestials— they keep one foot in another realm. I met the man’s cold, dead eyes for a moment longer, then moved on. Our varying skill sets weren’t the only difference between us.
Following the directions I’d been given, I hurried for the stairs on the eastern end of the massive space. I ran up them, not looking too close at the dizzying carpet as I avoided people coming down in the other direction.
I reached the landing, then glanced around. First hall on the left. All the way down. Final door. Should be simple enough.
I ran in that direction, feeling the weight of the mysterious package in my messenger bag. I hadn’t peeked inside. It was against the rules, and I might lose more than my payment, if you catch my drift.
I reached the end of the hall, then frowned. Two doors, one on either side.
I gnawed my lip for a moment, then went for the door on my left. With no one else in the hall, I figured both doors led to private high roller rooms. I could just take a peek inside without disturbing anyone. My recipient was supposed to be wearing a white suit, so he shouldn’t be hard to find.
I expected wraiths inside the door when I looked, but there were none to be seen. There was just a single table, gamblers gathered around. Two of them were women in opulent silks and strange furs—finer garments than the glittery numbers downstairs. And next to them, three men. One was tall and thin, even gaunt, with sunglasses shielding his eyes. The next man was older, portly, wearing a wide-brim hat. The third man had dark hair, olive skin, and features that hinted at eastern heritage. He and the hat man both glanced my way, but it was the man with the dark hair holding my attention .
There was something off about him. Something that sent my celestial senses tingling.
It didn’t matter though. No white suit. I smiled, then started to back out of the room.
The dark-haired man lifted a hand to stop me.
I hesitated. I needed to get moving, but it was always best to be polite to unknown creatures. There was otherworldly energy around the man. Something dangerous .
His lips curled with a charming smile. “Not finding what you’re looking for?”
With my palms sweating, I patted my messenger bag. “Just making a delivery. Wrong door.”
I tried to step back again, but my feet wouldn’t move. The rest of me started sweating enough to match my palms. Now everyone at the table was looking my way. What in the hells did I just walk into?
“A night runner?” The man’s smile broadened. “Do come and join us.” He gestured to an empty chair that I was pretty sure hadn’t been there a moment before.
I tried to move again, but my feet were rooted to the spot. I was under some sort of magical compulsion. I could almost sense it, although it was incredibly subtle. Sweat trickled down my back beneath my coat. I felt the compulsion to move forward, to take the seat at the table.
The strange man watched me intently, still smiling. Everyone else was utterly silent.
I wasn’t sure what he was, but he had powerful magic. I focused on my own abilities, shifting ever so slightly to another realm. I couldn’t go there entirely, but it was enough to break most magical holds.
Just like that, the compulsion snapped and disintegrated. “I’m on a deadline,” I growled, stepping back.
His brows raised. For a moment, his hold tightened around me again, stealing my breath. He lifted a deck of cards, shuffling it with a flourish for the people around him. The way the cards flew across his fingers hinted at more magic, and everyone else seemed delighted.
Lifting his eyes to me, he released his hold. “Very well.” He flashed me another smile. “But I do hope to see you again, very soon.”
With my heart in my throat, I took another step back and slammed the door. I could hear his laughter echoing from the other side, though none of the other people joined him.
I pushed my back against the wall and took several deep breaths, thinking about what the man could be. No fangs, so a vampire was out. Fae could play tricks too, but oddly enough for tricksters, they hated gambling. It was illegal amongst their people. Maybe they didn’t like the idea that they could potentially lose to humans.
And that only left one thing. A devil. But what was he doing here? I shook my head. Not my business.
Steeling myself for any more strange encounters, I went for the other door. I almost turned the knob, but this time I thought better of it. I knocked on the hard surface, glancing behind me a few times at the other door.
After a moment, the door opened, though no one was standing just inside. And it wasn’t another high roller room, but an opulent sitting room, completely out of place in the Circus.
At the far end of the room two men in white suits sat at a small round table. Cream curtains covered the window behind them, though I wasn’t sure where the window would lead since there should just be a wall on the other side. Their wings weren’t currently visible, but I could tell what they were. Angelics.
I rarely dealt with angelics. Like the elves, they mostly kept away from us lowly mortals.
Both men turned to face me as one. The man with golden hair smiled, showcasing deep dimples on either side of his face. The other man had dark brown skin and his mouth remained in a grim line.
At least now I knew what all the secrecy was about. Angelics weren’t better than the rest of us, but they did try to uphold a reputation that said otherwise. Whatever was in the parcel was likely something the angelics wouldn’t want to be caught with. And that explained the gargoyle as their go-between. Even though they were closely related to angelics, gargoyles didn’t give a damn about their reputations.
Both men wore white suits, so I wasn’t sure who was expecting the delivery. I’d just put it on the table and get out as quickly as I could. Still, as I walked across the room, I couldn’t help but wonder why no one locked their doors around here. And even stranger, why was no one else happening upon these two men?
The one with golden hair continued smiling as I reached the table.
“Only certain people can see these doors,” he explained.
“I wasn’t wondering,” I muttered.
His smile broadened. “Of course not. You would have sensed the barrier you crossed coming back here.”
So that was it. I had crossed a barrier without even realizing. Usually it took a little more concentration.
I glanced between the two men. “So can I consider this delivery completed?”
The blond man smiled again. I was already starting to hate that smile. It reminded me too much of the devil’s from the other room.
He tilted his head. “Perhaps before you go, you can settle a wager for us.”
I wiped my hands on my jeans and took a step back. “Wagers aren’t part of my job description.”
A little bit of the sparkle left his eyes, leaving behind something cold and unearthly. “Humor us.”
What was with these guys? Not wanting unnecessary trouble, I crossed my arms and waited to hear the wager.
The sparkle returned to his eyes. “We were just discussing others of your kind. We are wondering if there are any barriers too strong for you to cross. ”
Gods I hated dealing with beings like angelics. We were just entertainment to them. “It depends on the amount of celestial blood. Some can go more places than others.”
He smoothed his hands across the table, drawing my eye to a gold ring around one of his fingers. “And you? Are there any places you can’t go?”
“I can go as many places as most,” I said vaguely, taking another step back.
He gave me an oddly knowing smile, but waved me off.
My shoulders relaxed. Couple of weirdos. Rich weirdos. The worst kind. I hurried out of the room, slumping with relief as I shut the door behind me. That was the thing about working freelance—I never knew what I was walking into. At least the agency vetted their clients. Sometimes the job still got me into trouble, but I usually wasn’t put into situations like this.
Casting all thoughts of devils and angelics behind me, I hurried back down the hall. I relaxed once I was on the ground floor of the casino amidst the raucous laughter and pungent smell of alcohol. I wove my way through the tables and mingling people in glittering clothing. The same wraith as before caught my eye when I was almost at the door. He lifted his fingers and gave me a little salute.
With my attention snagged on him, I bumped into someone’s back. Someone tall and wearing a dark suit.
My heart climbed into my throat. Had the devil followed me out here? But then the man turned. This man was taller, and with a crooked smile. “Join me at a table?”
I put my head down, shook it, then hurried out the door. The balmy night air was a relief, though it made me sweat under my leather jacket. I hurried through the vendors, hesitating at the cotton candy stand. Why not?
The old woman manning the stand had a froth of curly silver hair around her face, along with a few missing teeth. “Flavor?” Her eyes looked me up and down.
I glanced back toward the casino, then gave her my full attention. “Purple.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Purple isn’t a flavor.”
I crossed my arms and shrugged. “Well it sure as shit doesn’t taste like grapes.”