Ashael smiled, crinkling almost invisible lines near his eyes. His hair was close-cropped and a hint of a beard shadowed his jaw. I would’ve pegged him in his mid-forties, except he had no heartbeat. Not human, obviously, but he didn’t feel like a vampire. Ghoul, I decided, then changed that opinion when Ashael waved his hand and the silver roots piercing Ian began streaming out of his body as if they were snakes fleeing from a brushfire.
Okay, not a ghoul because telekinesis wasn’t one of their powers. If he wasn’t human, ghoul, or vampire, what was he?
“That’s much better,” Ian said, giving Ashael a salute. Then he flew out of the pit, wobbling for a minute when he landed. “Don’t suppose you have any fresh blood on you?”
“Alas, no,” Ashael said lightly.
Vlad’s gaze was all for the stranger, who smiled back at him with a casual pleasantness that deepened my unease. Ashael had to know who Vlad was; the fire coating his hands was a dead giveaway. Yet our new companion looked as relaxed as if he was meeting up with friends at a bar, and Vlad hadn’t even bothered to extinguish the flames on his hands.
“We should find somewhere private to speak,” Ashael said, with a nod at the hotel. “We’re bound to get interrupted here.”
Vlad still stared at him. Then he inhaled deeply through his nostrils, and I was startled when he yanked me behind him faster than I had ever seen him move.
“Sulfur,” he hissed, blasts of fire shooting from his hands now. “You summoned a demon, Ian?”
Ashael gave a dispassionate look at the flames. “You can put those out, Impaler. They’re mother’s milk to my kind.”
I was stunned. After many years picking up psychic impressions, I’d suspected that demons existed, but I’d never thought to actually see one, let alone meet one.
Ian stepped between Vlad and Ashael, waving as if warding off any arguments. “Your reaction is why I didn’t tell you. You never would’ve stood for it, and Ashael is your best chance to either find Mircea or break your wife’s spell.”
“You thought I would trust a demon?” Vlad’s tone was more than dangerous. It was death made into air.
“Trust?” Ian snorted. “Of course not. But barter with, yes. Demons are always in the market for a profitable bargain, and you do have an embarrassment of riches, Tepesh.”
Ashael glanced around. “Someone’s coming,” he said in a mild tone. “So I am leaving, with or without you.”
“With,” Ian said promptly. “No more tricks, as I swore,” he said, first holding Vlad’s gaze, then mine. “This is truly your best chance, I promise you.”
Vlad’s reaction to finding out that Ashael was a demon mirrored my own thoughts on the subject. We could never trust the debonair creature who looked like a slightly more rugged version of Idris Elba. But, as Ian had said, what demons lacked in trustworthiness, they might make up for in greed, and Vlad did have lots of fancy stuff and lots of money.
“We’ve come this far,” I said quietly, then smiled with grim humor. “And we don’t have anything else to do tonight.”
Vlad let out a short laugh. “I can think of many things I’d rather do, yet unique problems call for unique solutions.”
Ian breathed a sigh of relief, then put his hand on Ashael’s shoulder. Ashael placed one hand on mine and the other on Vlad’s. At once, angry green spilled from Vlad’s gaze.
“Don’t,” he began.
That’s all he got out before a whoosh stole his words away. Everything blurred with incredible motion, reminding me of the wild, sickening ride when the magical building had flushed us. This time, there was no water. Just a rush of air, sound, and light that left hotspots in my vision when I was finally able to see again.
We were no longer near that looming, magical building. In fact, I was pretty sure we weren’t in Georgia anymore since the sky was no longer midnight black. Instead, it was streaked with the last few rays of dusk. We had a great view of the sun disappearing behind the horizon, too, because we were on the roof of a high-rise hotel that overlooked the ocean.
And this was no normal hotel roof. It looked like a fancy courtyard and a country club combined, complete with impeccably dressed staff that showed no surprise at our sudden appearance. Ashael nodded at them, and at once, they politely whisked away the other patrons who were seated around an elegant, crushed glass fire pit. Then they bowed to Ashael with the same deference that Vlad’s staff showed to him.
“Where are we?” Vlad said.
“And what did you just do?” I added, still trying to process that I’d somehow dematerialized and rematerialized.
Ian gave an appreciative glance around. “We’re in Los Angeles, if I recognize the skyline, and Ashael teleported us here.” He shrugged as if both were no big deal. “That’s how demons get around, and if one has a hold on you, they can take you with them, too.”
Teleportation. No wonder we hadn’t heard Ashael approach us before! With that trick, he could sneak up on anyone.
Ashael strolled over and sat in one of the contemporary-styled chairs that were arranged to face the ocean. “Who else wants a drink?” he asked. “I’ll take my usual,” he told the nearest attendant, who bowed and then hurried off.
“A bourbon for me,” Ian sang out. “Tepesh? Leila?”
“Nothing,” I said, not surprised when Vlad refused, too. Ian might be acting as if Ashael were an old buddy, but this was no social visit for the rest of us.